Welcoming the New Year with a bang!

Manila welcomed 2015 with a bang at Valkyrie, the newest party place in town. The crowd that gathered to count the last few minutes of 2014 burst with energy, excited to welcome the new year.

Samsung chose the momentous evening to showcase its Galaxy A Series range, the brand’s first full-metal body smartphone with a slim and stylish design. This new smartphone also comes with smarter selfie functions with its face and palm detection and a five-megapixel front camera that is viewed in Super Amoled Display.

During the event, Samsung users had that VIP feel as they entered the venue through Valkyrie’s VIP lanes. As champagne and sparkling wine flowed to celebrate the joys of the year that was, guests tried out the Galaxy A Series phone that Samsung made available for the New Year revelers. Many guests were amazed at how the smartphone beautifully and vividly captured images that night and how quickly and easily they got to share these photos, as their followers on Instagram and Twitter greeted them a happy New Year by retweeting and liking their posts. Access#theAlife, the hashtag for the event, was repeatedly tweeted and retweeted by the guests who loved how technology completed the celebration.

Hosted by STAR’s Tim Yap, the party drew in celebrities such as James Reid, Victor Basa, Divine Lee, Bianca Manalo, Anton del Rosario, Sam Richelle, Iza Calzado, Vice Ganda, Nathalie Hart, Alice Dixson, Jeron Teng, Antoinette Taus, Karylle and Yael Yuzon, Danes Lee and Ehra Madrigal.

The crowd danced the night away to beats by DJ Mars Miranda and welcomed 2015 to the music by renowned international DJ Dirty South.

The A series is touted to be the most innovative of Samsung’s smartphones yet. It brings together style and function in a gadget that is definitely cutting edge. It is available in three variants: A3, A5 and A7.

The beauty of aviation & tourism

With its mission to inspire the youth to have a career in aviation and promote tourism in country, Miss Aviation Philippines 2015 pageant was unveiled recently at Poro Point Thunderbird Resort in San Fernando, La Union.

Event director of the Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Festival (PIHABF) and supporter of the Miss Aviation pageant Capt. Joy Roa (who, along with actress Joyce Jimenez, actually took me on my very first hot-air balloon years ago) said, “The aviation industry is constantly growing, expanding. Through pageants like this, we’d like to inspire and motivate the younger generation to pursue a career in this field, so as to support and promote tourism in the country.”

Guests and candidates were welcomed by Poro Point Management Corp. chairman Ives Nisce and local officials of La Union.

After an afternoon of surfing and relaxation at the Kahuna Beach Resort, guests once again gathered for a welcome dinner hosted by La Union Gov. Manuel Ortega and his wife Geraldine.

Hosted by pageant director Morena Carla Cabrera-Quimpo, the pre-pageant was graced by key officers from the aviation and tourism industries led by Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines director general retired Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss, Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and CEO lawyer Arnel Casanova, Civil Aeronautics Board executive director lawyer Carmelo Arcillia, together with Mrs. Philippines-Globe beauties Fe Saligumba and Rachel Ann Felix.

The pre-pageant’s featured a fashion show wherein candidates walked in the creations of designer Dave Ocampo. Mica Angeles stood out from the rest and won the Ms. Body Beautiful title while Cleo Brown took home the Miss Sassy title.

Miss Aviation Philippines 2015 title holder has the chance to win P100,000 in cash and P200,000 worth of other prizes and travel privileges, aside from being the ambassador of the Philippine aviation industry.

(For more information, visit www.facebook.com/MissAviationPhilippinesOfficial.)

Quick & convenient

Get your favorite McDonald’s meal quickly and conveniently with MasterCard PayPass, a payment technology from the global leader in contactless payment solutions.

MasterCard PayPass is a fast, safe and smart way to pay for everyday purchases. Shoppers simply need to tap their MasterCard PayPass-enabled card or device on a PayPass-enabled reader or terminal. No more fumbling for cash, waiting to enter a PIN, signing a receipt or handing a card over.

McDonald’s launched MasterCard PayPass in the Philippines at its Greenhills branch and invited Philippine Azkals football players Phil and James Younghusband and Simon and Chris Greatwich, as well as TV reporter Ginger Conejero to experience the speed and convenience of using the card to order at any of its branches.

Phil said, “We’ve used the card a lot while going around London, especially when riding the tube.” Simon talked about the card being his great companion for hanging out in Australia.

MasterCard or Maestro PayPass cards or devices are accepted at over 2.8 million merchant locations in 67 countries around the world.

PayPass can be enabled not just on MasterCard credit, debit and prepaid cards, but also on devices such as phones, tablets and mobile tags. These are embedded with a computer chip and antenna that securely communicate with the merchant’s payment terminal. When the cardholder taps the terminal, payment details are transmitted directly to the contactless terminals and processed just like in ordinary payment card transactions.

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)