Women's tennis album 14 - Yanina Wickermayer

The women's tennis world no. 16 Yanina Wickmayer was suspended for a year by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal last week for failing three times to report her whereabouts for drug testing. Wickmayer said anti-doping officials sent her registered mail to her home in Belgium. Being on tour several months of the year, her registered mail remains unopened. Under the rules elite athletes must make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year. If they miss three out-of-competition tests or fail three times to register where they will be for anti-doping tests, they risk sanctions. The tearful 20-year-old U.S. Open semifinalist accused the sports authorities of treating her unfairly and ruining her career.

Seel also Album 13.

White hair chronicles XV - The Berlin Wall

November 9, 2009 is the day the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (photo from Time).

The construction of the wall started on the year of my birth. It stayed on for nearly three decades before it was torn down in 1989. My generation has seen the rise and fall of a historical icon, events that will be taken up in history lessons by future generations.

My generation has seen history made, but we're not history yet.

Most bang for the buck - SUN cellular and China wifi phone

Sun Cellular offers a low cost unlimited call and text service. The service works great for family members that need to get in touch with one another constantly. My sisters, my wife and son are on the Sun cellular network. I want a Sun cellular SIM too. Since I don't want to let go of my Smart mobile number, as this has been my number for the past 7 years, I need another pone as well.

I scouted for dual SIM phones. China made phones are invariably dual SIM. They allow you get two calls simultaneously, they give you analog TV reception, has a touch screen, and now some newer models are WiFi capable. All these at up to an eighth of the cost of an original Nokia (which is not dual SIM and has no TV). I got one for myself last Halloween.

The TV reception is passable. The audio player is ok too. The shake to shuffle feature works. The dual SIM works. The best feature I think is its WiFi capability. It has Google Maps, an chat client, and Opera browser. The package includes two batteries apparently because two SIMs use up power faster. The cheapest Wifi phone sells for around Php13,000 (a Samsung). But it is just single SIM, without TV. So I think the China dual SIM phone with TV and WiFi gives the most bang for the buck, most especially if the second SIM is from SUN cellular. That is, if you can live with its obviously clone look.

Women's tennis album 13 - Daniela Hantuchova

Daniela Hantuchova appeared in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition together with Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana Golovin. She is the oldest and most successful among the three (so far), reaching the top 5 in 2003. Maria and Tatiana have overtaken Daniela in the rankings by now. Before she slips further down the rankings, let us enjoy her on-court beauty.

See also Album 12.

White Hair Chronicles XIV - Itay, matanda ka na ba?

Itay, matanda ka na ba?

My son Popoy, 6,  asked me this last night (are you old already?) Of course, I'm not yet old, I told him. Why are you suddenly asking that, I asked him back. Wala lang, po - it's nothing, he said.

Something must be troubling him after we visited the cemetery where his Lolo Vic (my father) and his grandparents (my in-laws) were buried. We usually go visit them ahead of the throng, but typhoon Santi made us go along with the multitude that were there November 1.

When my father died two years ago, Popoy asked "why did Lolo Vic die?". The quick answer we gave him was "because he was old". Actually my father was only 68 when he suddenly died from heart attack. He was ok despite the operation that drained cerebrospinal fluid from his skull six months before and despite the difficulty in walking due to arthritis. Popoy and his lolo bonded well during the short time they knew each other. Popoy did not meet my wife's parents ever. But he knows from the pictures shown him that they got to be very old. My father was on the fat side and had his hair dyed black regularly. To Popoy, he must not have looked old at all.

So when my wife teases me about looking like a grandfather, and me being so old that cataracts affect my eyesight, plus the visit to the cemetery 'where old dead people' are buried, Popoy must have worried that his father is going to die soon.

It is kind of sweet to think that my young son is worried sick about me.