2015: Araw ng mga AHAS

2015 is fast approaching. For those of us who believe in astrology, the approaching year's astrological forecast for our sign is of extreme importance: for money, health, love, and work.

World-renowned Feng Shui expert Marites Allen gives us her 2015 forecast for every Chinese astrological sign here on Yahoo Philippines from December 22 to January 1. We hope these readings may help you plan your 2015 better, and that the new year may be your best year yet.

Feng Shui 2015 forecast for people born on the Year of the Snake (1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013) 

WealthQuality more than quantity is the way to go when building wealth. You have the opportunity to make money; just stay committed to doing your best effort in profiting from all your hard work. Do not try to grab every lead there is; instead, choose the real meaty ones and give them your best shot. Seek advice from financial experts before making important decisions.

Health
You may have some wealth luck this year, but unless you have the energy to match that, the opportunities may just get wasted.  Do not let minor health issues develop into worrisome situations. You may face injuries and even accidents if you’re not careful. Do not sacrifice your health for the sake of making big money. Keep yourself strong; that’s what matters.

Relationship
Single Snakes are more focused on establishing their careers rather than on establishing romantic relationships. That is no big problem as they can always catch up at a later time. Those who are married may find health-related issues interfering in their union. That is no reason to lose hope as that’s what marriage is all about—being there for each other in good times and in bad.

Career
Plenty of good news in your career area. Put more effort into pushing your career further. There will be more opportunities for you to progress and have better income. You may also benefit from the experiences of helpful mentors who are just willing to help you through your objectives.

Hobbit, di papatalo sa MMFF

The last movie of Peter Jackson's three "Hobbit" films rode to a second consecutive win atop US and Canadian weekend box office charts, selling $41.4 million worth of tickets to triumph over new releases "Unbroken" and "Into the Woods."

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" grabbed another $13.1 million from Christmas day screenings for a combined four-day total through Sunday of $54.5 million and a domestic haul of $168.5 million since its Dec. 17 release, according to estimates from tracking firm Rentrak.

Director Angelina Jolie's World War Two drama "Unbroken" finished second with $31.7 million after winning the box office duel on Christmas, narrowly edging out another new film, the musical "Into The Woods" which claimed the No. 3 spot with $31 million.

"Unbroken," Jolie's second directorial effort, tells the real-life story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini's two years as a prisoner of war in Japan.

"None of us ever would have thought a picture like this -- an

inspirational

story about a World War Two hero and Olympian -- would have performed at this level," said Nikki Rocco, president for domestic distribution at Universal Pictures, the Comcast Corp unit that released the film.

 "We would have been happy at $25 million," Rocco said, adding that the release had capped Universal's most profitable year.

"Into The Woods," the adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical which puts a dark spin on fairy tales, stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Johnny Depp.

The film, which saw the biggest opening in history for a screen adaptation of a Broadway musical, added $15.1 million from Christmas day screenings for a four-day total of $46.1 million, distributor Walt Disney Co. said.

"Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" took fourth place in its second week of release with $20.6 million, while the musical "Annie" rounded out the top five with $16.6 million. In a rare feat, box office sales for both films exceeded their opening weekend numbers.

Another new release, "The Gambler," opened in seventh with $9.3 million, behind "The Hunger Games"' $10 million take. The low-budget film, which stars Mark Wahlberg, is a remake of the 1974 James Caan classic about a professor with a devastating weakness for high-stakes gambling.

The relatively solid box office numbers put Hollywood on track to end the year down just over five percent from 2013's record performance, an improvement over the double-digit falloff that was in place during the summer, according to Rentrak.

Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. released "The Hobbit."

PBA Alaska Star Calvin Abueva tinotolerate ng PBA

You commit a very flagrant and unsportsmanlike foul, you and your team suffer the consequences. That’s the rule.

To some people, Alaska’s Calvin Abueva makes the PBA exciting. That is if you like dirty play and you like a player punching another player for no reason at all.

Abueva hit Rain or Shine’s Jonathan Uyloan in the stomach as they bounded down court last Thursday, sending the Elasto Painter grimacing on the floor.

Abueva was ejected, slapped with a Flagrant 2 foul and walked to his bench, smirking and smiling and perhaps thinking he should have hit Uyloan harder.

There was no expression of remorse or feeling sorry at all for what he just did. Why he did it no one knows. There was no previous altercation, no body contact no trash talk. He probably just felt like doing it, maybe because an unknown spirit moved him. Or, even if there was an altercation, a punch is hardly the right response.

What followed the day after, however, was more bizarre.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud slapped him with a P20,000 fine for the transgression and perhaps, after the conclusion of their meeting, wished the guy good luck in his next game.

Wow, P20,000 fine for punching another player. Heck, Yeng Guiao is fined more than that by saying officiating sucks.

Compare Salud’s action to that of the NBA. On Christmas day, in a game between the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks, a scuffle broke out between the Wizards’ John Wall and the Knicks’ Quincy Acy.

Acy shoved Wall and Wall retaliated and Acy retaliated. Acy was ejected, Wall got a technical. You know what the NBA did? Acy was suspended one game for the kind of infraction that happens in nearly every PBA game. Wall was fined $15,000.

It is the kind of lenient treatment accorded Abueva that makes the PBA and NBA worlds apart. It is also the reason why the Abuevas of the PBA continue to peddle their brand of lunacy that makes the league look like a cheap tournament and the PBA commissioner an inconsistent disciplinarian.

This is the playoffs, the commissioner intoned. He said he can’t allow one team to lose a player for an important game. Well, in that case, Rain or Shine and Alaska players had just been given the go-signal to proceed with their “stupid move,” the term used by Guiao to describe Abueva’s moment of insanity.

They now can hit, trip or mangle each other and feel safe with the thought it’s a mere fine waiting for them.

Remember the time when the Phoenix Suns’ line up was almost decimated in the course of the NBA playoffs because some players were suspended? They were suspended for entering the court not for joining the scuffle. (May 15, 2007)

That doesn’t ring a bell of course to Salud whose recent actions and inactions have made the commissioner’s office a, shall we say, laughing stock.

Just two instances: The “magic hand” that selected the Number 1 pick that went to Globalport during the PBA draft and, more recently, the silent treatment on Talk ‘N Text’s Coach Jong Uichico who branded officiating biased and unfair.

If the commissioner can suspend and fine players in innocuous occasions such as pre-season and exhibition games, the more he should use an iron fist during playoffs.

As they say, it may be unfair, but it’s correct.

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Miranda!

Despite all odds, pinatunayan niyo ang tunay na pagiibigan at wagas na pagmamahalan. Pinakita niyo na kahit artista kayo ay tao lang kayo na gagawin din ang ginagawa ng ibang tao kahit ito pa ay mali para sa  mata ng iba. Saludo kami sa inyo! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Miranda!

On behalf of her husband, Parokya ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda, Neri Naig expressed her gratitude to all those who attended their civil and garden wedding ceremonies over the weekend.

In an Instagram post, Naig shared how thankful she is for their guests, who stayed and celebrated with them even if they all got soaked in the rain.

The actress said she was not feeling well days before the special occasion, but everything still went according to plan.

She wrote in one of her posts, unedited: "2 days before the wedding, nagkasakit ako...pero gumanda pakiramdam ko nung araw mismo ng kasal. I had the perfect wedding dress. Very simple. Just the way I pictured it. It was raining and was super windy...pero I kept on telling my coordinator not to worry about it.”

“Basta gusto ko na maglakad sa aisle at makasama ang mga mahal ko sa buhay regardless kung maputik o liparin yung veil ko... Then the rain stopped just long enough for me to walk the aisle. The mood was perfect. Kahit nabasa sa ulan yung mga bisita, they were all having fun, dancing, laughing and getting drunk, and they all stayed and celebrated with us throughout the entire ceremony.”
Naig went on to thank the team behind all their wedding preparations.

“Gusto ko pasalamatan yung family at mga kaibigan namin. Kayo ang perfect na bisita dahil kayo ang perfect set of friends. Salamat din sa buong team behind our wedding. Ang sarap ng food, gaganda ng mga photos, ganda ng set up, at sa pag asikaso sa mga makukulit naming family and friends,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Naig said she will forever be thankful for being blessed with a “perfect husband.”

“Salamat po, God. Biniyayaan mo po ako ng dalawang mapagmahal at mabubuting pamilya.Binigyan mo pa po ako ng crazy friends. At higit sa lahat, biniyayaan mo po ako ng perfect husband,” she wrote.

Last May, Miranda's romantic proposal to Naig went viral online. Miranda set up a fake music video shoot at a private resort in order to surprise the actress.
The two have been a couple for two years.

Pinay nakagat ng Lion PATAY!

"Grabe naman ito nakakawa! Kailangan makiisa tayo para sa hustiya!"

The family and friends of a Filipina household service worker who was attacked by a lion are seeking justice for her death. The victim, Lourdes Hingco Abejuela, died days after being attacked by a lion owned by her employer.

She suffered deep bite wounds on her left legs, according to her friend, Nieva Edullantes.
"Naiyak ako, ang sakit. May mga mahal kami sa Pilipinas iniwan naming pamilya namin tapos ganito lang ang mangyayari? Nasaktan din ako, gusto ko rin magkaroon ng justice kahit sino naman po," said Edullantes.

On December 6, Abejuela was able to inform family and friends about what happened to her by posting on Facebook.

Initial investigation showed that Abejuela was doing laundry on the rooftop where the lion is also kept. The cage was left unlocked and the lion attacked Abejuela.

"Inattack daw siya ng leon. Dinala siya sa ospital. Pagkatapos, iyong ospital na iyon hindi alam na kinagat siya ng lion. Iba daw ang sinabi kasi bawal daw. Nakiusap daw ang amo niya na huwag sabihin. So nung nasa ospital na siya, pinalabas siya agad," recounted Edullante.

Abejuela had been working for her employer for 15 years. She was discharged after her employer lied to doctors at the hospital, saying that a dog attacked her.

Under Kuwaiti law, residents are not allowed to own lions and other wild animals as pets.
According to Abejuela's boyfriend Danny Lagrimas, she was rushed back to the hospital the following day, December 7.

"Sabi niya pinauwi raw siya ng doktor kasi hayop lang daw ang nakakagat sa kanya. Sabi ko, bakit pinauwi ka? Malaki yung kagat ng leon," Lagrimas said.

On December 10, the 50-year old Pinay OFW from Bagacay, Ozamis, died.

"Ang sa aking lang naman po, kahit yung mga kasamahan ko sa bahay, gusto namin yung justice. Kahit pa po mabait pa yung amo niya, iyon ang sabi niya sa amin. Mali po eh, kahit kami mga katulong, gusto namin ng justice," Edullante said.

The legal counsel of the Philippine Embassy filed a case of criminal negligence resulting to homicide against the victim's employer.

"For the repatriation of the remains of this person will be done by the embassy quickly, and of course, we also have an angle, we have to see what happened in the hospital. She should have been admitted but she's an outpatient, which is some kind of a medical malpractice that occurred there," said charge d'Affaires Atty. Raul Dado.

Philip Salvador pinagtanggol ang isang Filipino waitress

 

KAHIT SINO GAGAWIN ANG GINAWA MO! IPAGTANGGOL ANG MGA FILIPINO...

Actor Phillip Salvador had a heated confrontation with a Norwegian national at a mall restaurant on Monday, after the foreigner reportedly humiliated a waitress by calling her "stupid."

The incident took place at the SM Megamall branch of Italian restaurant Sbarro at around 1 p.m., according to a report published on entertainment news site PEP on Tuesday.

Salvador confirmed a source's account of the confrontation, claiming that the foreigner called the Filipino staff of Sbarro "stupid" and a "bunch of idiots."

The actor said he was with his wife, Emma Ledesma, when he heard the Norwegian national complaining about the spaghetti he had ordered. Salvador described the man as 6-foot-3 and in his mid-40s.

According to Salvador, he could not not help but confront the foreigner when he kept shouting at the waitress, who was already crying.

"Who the f*ck are you?" Salvador, in his interview with PEP, quoted the Norwegian as saying. He replied: "I'm the f*cker who's going to beat your ass if you don't apologize to them."

When the foreigner threatened to call the police, Salvador said, "Hurry up! Please tell them to be here in five minutes, and I will tell them to throw you out of this place!"

"You don't insult the Filipinos. Let's get out of this place, I'm going to fight you. You only know how to scream at girls!"

Salvador said he does not mind if a video of the confrontation is uploaded online, when told of the source's account that a bystander recorded the shouting match on his cellphone.

The actor added that even if the staff had committed a mistake, this does not give the Norwegian a right to insult and berate them.

The management of Sbarro has yet to issue a statement on the incident.

Pacquiao vs Mayweather

 

"LABAN NA! WAG PURO SATSAT!"

Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao vowed to chase Floyd Mayweather into ring submission after his US rival offered to fight him next year in a blockbuster world title face-off.

"He (Mayweather) has reached a dead end. He has nowhere to run but to fight me," Pacquiao told AFP late Saturday, hours after the undefeated Mayweather issued the May 2 challenge on US television.

The two were long-time rivals as the "best pound-for-pound" boxers of their generation, but the dream fight has never materialised to the disappointment of the boxing world.

"I will try my best to (make) this a thrilling and entertaining fight. But I doubt if he's gonna engage me in a slugfest," said the Filipino, winner of an unprecedented eight world titles in different weight classes.

"You all know his fighting style. Most of his previous fights, if not all, induced us to sleep," said Pacquiao from his southern Philippines home city of General Santos.

Should the fight happen, Pacquiao, who turns 36 on Wednesday, said he will do to Mayweather what he did to another previously undefeated American, Chris Algieri, who lost to the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion in Macau last month.

"I know what I have to do. I will chase him wherever he goes just in case he decides to run around the ring. We will devise a good fight plan against him," Pacquiao added.

Speaking to Showtime Sports in the US on Friday night, Mayweather, 37, said he wants his next fight to be against the Filipino star.

However, the American nicknamed "Money" said -- without giving details -- that the expected richest fight in boxing history will only happen if he receives a much bigger share of the purse than his opponent.

In 2012 there was speculation that a fight between the two could lead to the first $200 million purse in boxing history with much of that money coming from pay-per-view sales.

At one point Pacquiao says Mayweather offered him a $40 million purse on the condition Mayweather would keep the pay-per-view money, which would have amounted to more than double what Pacquiao received.

Previous talks were also scuttled because Mayweather says Pacquiao refused to submit to random blood testing.

"Mayweather can get the amount he wants. As early as January this year, I challenged him to a charity fight. Until now, he has not agreed to it. So, money is not the issue in our fight," Pacquiao said Saturday.

"This fight is about legacy, this is about making the fans happy and, above all, this is for the good of boxing."