what shocked you the most?

They say lightning never strikes twice, and I surely hope we don’t get a rerun of these most shocking things of 2006.

20. Undeniably the champ when it comes to guts, gloves and singing hits, Manny Pacquiao punched his way to Filipinos’ hearts everywhere, beating Erik Morales during their third boxing match-up.

19. Filipinos planted the national flag on the world’s highest peak. Pastor Emata, Leo Oracion, and the rest of the 1st Filipino Mt. Everest Expedition team, we salute you!

18. Retail giant Shoemart wowed every shopping addict with the completion of the Mall of Asia, the biggest in, well, Asia, with its humungous IMAX Theater and spacious strolling space.

17. Pinoy Big Brother’s Rustom Padilla’s disclosure of his homosexuality spiced up many a conversation. From rusty tough leather guy to Zsa Zsa Zaturnah’s alter ego, the contrast has never been clearer.

16. Silliman University was offered 500 hectares of land located in Masbate. Could we now boast of a 556-hectare Silliman campus this year?

15. The Guimaras oil spill made everyone think twice about the effects on the environment. And the MT Solar 1 is still underwater, leaks and all!

14. Rape, murder, theft. The City of Gentle People was plagued with highly publicized and gruesome crimes for a while. Could it be goodbye genteelness and gentleness?

13. Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith got the life sentence! A landmark in the Philippine justice system! Then… the government returned him to the US Embassy for “US supervision”. Bah! Politics.

12. Terry Lim Cua won the elusive Php2,000,0000 prize money in “Deal or No Deal!” Finally. Someone with luck on his side.

11. The peso to a dollar exchange rate reached an all-time low at Php48 point something!

10. Protests, uproars, and heated debates were the results of the nursing board examination leakage. Nationwide cheating or not, cheaters or not, those declared as passed by the Philippine Regulatory Commission ended up taking their oaths anyway.

9. A 5-year old kid swam the entire length of the Mactan Channel, with all its current, garbage, and depth. A standing ovation to Justin Daniel Juino for sheer determination and skill. Swimming for 2 hours in a 3 kilometer channel is not easy.

8. Bagyong Milenyo caused huge billboards in Metro Manila to fall, killing unsuspecting drivers. Who would have thought a blown-up face of Judy Ann Santos could end a life?

7. Box office hit “Enteng Kabisote 4” won the Best Picture in the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival, over what the average intellectual could describe as better quality films.

6. What’s more shocking than an entertainment goddess like Gretchen Barretto—beautiful and glamorous—was said to be bringing along a microwave on a certain shampoo commercial shoot?

5. Philippine Digital Films flourished on the year of the dog. After a certain drought of quality films from mainstream cinema, these bold independent breed came to the rescue with the likes of Maximo Oliveros or a certain Masahista on the lead, gathering prestigious international awards.

4. Whoa! Some Filipinos paved their way to become one of Asia’s (if not the world’s) richest proving themselves to have a combined net worth of $16 billion as reported by the Asian edition of Forbes magazine. Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, Jaime Zobel, and Danding Cojuangco, and the rest, can you lend us some?

3. As if its growing influence and revenue in the internet arena isn’t enough, the empire of Google bought YouTube. Bad news for some though, “special” videos suddenly vanished in thin air.

2. Though 4G mobile services are offered at some countries like Japan and Korea, people of the Philippines got thrilled when 3G capabilities and offers sprouted in cell phones and networks! Finally, video calling became possible.

1. Retail giant SM conglomerate wowed every shopping addict, lifestyle connoisseur, and for those who simply have to let go the itchy feel on one’s feet with Henry Sy’s best so far, the Mall of Asia! And with its humungous IMAX Theater, any movie aficionado would probably salivate upon watching a film with his P300 to P400 ticket.

(for more fun and entertainment, you rank the numbers the way you want it. I should have placed The Great Boxer at number one but someone made me think otherwise, with a kick.)