GrandLotto 6/55 odds - 1 in 28,989,675

Lotto Game	Lotto 6/42	MegaLotto 6/45	SuperLotto 6/49	Grand Lotto 6/55
Numbers in Pool	42	45	49	55
Chosen	6	6	6	6
No. of combinations	5,245,786	8,145,060	13,983,816	28,989,675
Amount needed to bet for all combinations	P 52,457,860	P 81,450,600	P 279,676,320	P 579,793,500

The biggest jackpot prize ever in Philippine lotto will go to the Grand Lotto 6/55 bettor(s) who will conjure up the winning 6 number combination from a pool of 55 numbers. The total number of possible combinations is just under 29 million. The odds of winning are insane, but more insane odds were those of the defunct PowerLotto 5/55+1, which the Grand Lotto replaced. In the old Power Lotto, the odds are 1 in 35 million, and a ticket costs 50 pesos. The Grand Lotto tickets cost just 20 pesos. The old PowerLotto gave the least bang for the buck.

Despite the odds, expect dreamy eyed Pinoys to queue up the betting booths. Even more perplexing are the multiple winners that normally crop up in the megamillion draws. Whenever multiple winners share the top prize, many believe that Palace people, especially in the previous administration, dipped their hands into the money pool. But people don't mind and continue to dream on. After all, 20 pesos can buy a dream.

White hair chronicles XXXV - Wellness is in, all for a happy ending

I had some quick local travels to various destinations these past few weeks. I noticed some peculiarities which I didn't notice in the places I've been to before. For instance, Tacloban now implements jaywalking laws and I think it has the most number of drugstores per capita. Tuguegarao must have the highest density of tricycles in the country. Cebu is open to businesses that Mayor Lim enjoys closing. Legazpi, a very clean city like Palawan, has many unabashed tricycle drivers/pimps.

A common denominator in all these cities is the apparent wellness (read: massage/spa) boom everywhere. I saw many establishments have sprouted all over the country. A friend has even taken a new short-lived career as a manager of one of these services in Metro Manila.

I think no city beats Dagupan city in this aspect. I saw at least a spa/massage clinic in every block in downtown Dagupan. And they are fully booked well into the night. That's a sharp contrast with General Santos City. Sure there are massage/spas around but they don't have the level of activity as in the other cities.

It's been a generation since the initial massage business boom back in the college days of this white hair chronicler. The industry now has taken a more professional tack. There is no more stigma in being spotted within the vicinity of Lighthauz, Emerald, Maalikaya, Crown, Macho and the like. This white hair chronicler and his generation indeed truly need the soothing experience the wellness spas offer. A happy ending is still welcome.

Now, that's a good business name. Happy Ending Massage Parlor - HEMP. ;)

White hair chronicles XXXIV - A gleek not too glad with Glee

I like Glee. Not just its music but also its effort to foster tolerance of gays, minorities, unwed moms, and (musical)  geeks. Filipinos have added reason to like it with the entry of Charice.

I am surprised that not a whimper has been raised by some sectors on the oversexed themes of late. I thought the show got away with it last season. Now it pushes the envelope further.

I am no prude and I have no problem with the mature theme - if the show is about adults or at least college life. There is a wealth of comic material in oversexed characters. I love the adult characters and situation in The Big Bang Theory and How I met Your Mother. But Glee is about high school although the actors are definitely beyond their college years. Our high school students are 12-16 years old. Are we saying that the Glee culture is acceptable behavior for our high school kids?

Ok na sana, may miss lang! (It would have been okay, but for Mai Mislang)

Many welcome PNoy's push for the use of social networking sites in governance. After all, Filipinos are early adopters. But I'm sure nobody foresaw the diplomatic faux pas that can ensue from over confident government underlings.

Definitely, Mai Mislang was out of bounds when she tweeted her displeasure about the wine served at the state dinner. Her tweet about the crossing Vietnam's streets as the surest way to day can be forgiven for it could have reflected more on her non-ability to properly cross a street. Her tweet about 'walang pogi dito' was in Tagalog. It might not immediately offend the Vietnamese as they can counter - maganda ka ba? - 'Bạn nghĩ bạn là đẹp? '

I doubt that the Vietnamese would have noticed her tweets if not Filipinos had pointed them out first. Who among the Vietnamese follow her anyway? But trust some Filipinos' ability to find ways to denigrate a countryman. Much more so if she works for PNoy.

Mai Mislang has since deleted the offensive tweets. She has even deleted her account. Even her Facebook account is deactivated, at the least. She has apologized. She has learned her lesson the hard way. Her immediate boss, Ricky Carandang, has swept the matter under the rug. Vietnam didn't mind the tweets at all.

It is the social networking people who are quick to pounce on PNoy and his team. Not long after Mai's apology, a bogus Facebook account surfaced. If this gathers critical mass, Mai will be back to singing the blues in no time.

White hair chronicles XXXIII: Back from bangus country

I just came back from a four-day travel to the bangus capital. Early on in the trip, I was excited to partake bangus concoctions that Dagupan City has to offer. Our group's eating communally allowed me to sample bangus done tocho, salipicado, sisig, kilawin, steak, and of course the trusty daing. By the second night I had bangus up to my ears. I am starting to grow a bangus belly.

Our dining group have senior citizen-card bearing members. But even if all the senior citizen cards have been presented, the waiters invariably ask if all  cards have been given, apparently asking for mine.

The white hair also commands preferential treatment. On the way back to Manila, we stopped by Calasiao to buy their famed puto. Our motley group of a dozen or so buyers swarmed a stall among the so many lined up along the block. I was at the back of the throng that rattled the sales girl. I asked how many pieces were in a kilo of puto, yes they are sold by weight. Being at the back, I expected to be attended to much later. I wandered down the block to survey what other fares were sold. But in no time at all, those in front of the line were calling me to go back. Apparently, the rattled sales girl had prepared a kilo of puto and kuntsinta for me. She said it was the order of the matanda or old man.

Is Manny losing focus?

While on official travel to Dagupan City (where Lenox Hotel is the place to stay-their rooms are really spacious), I read this morning that everyone's alarmed over Manny Pacquaio's shape into weeks before his fight against 'Chea-tony' Margarito.

Well, everybody from his promoter to his chief trainer and the press. But of course, not Manny himself and his throng of sycophants. At 31, Manny has reached his peak. Is he now on the inevitable decline? He was unable to dispose off Clottey early in his last fight while sustaining welts himself. Is he just losing focus because of his numerous commitments? Anybody else would focus on a $15million job, with prospects of twice more if the Gayweather fight happens.

When Manny said while deep in training that he misses Congress, it's an indication that his mind is starting to wander off. Maybe he just misses his wife, who looks even better now after a procedure under Belo. Whatever it is, Manny should train his mind and body towards this fight. Congress and Jinky can wait.

White hair chronicles XXXII - the latest in fashion, the pekpek shorts

My generation has been around long enough to have witnessed the rise in hemlines to the plunge of the necklines to the baring of the midriff to the exposure of the back to the haltering at the top. All these invariably meant more skin uncovered. The lesser fabric used was a bonanza to skin whiteners and lotion product makers.

The latest fashion trend I noticed, skimpy as it is, does not necessarily expose more epidermis. Formerly often seen just in women's tennis and volleyball, it has transcended beyond the courts onto regular Filipina fashion. It divulges the bulges and gives men the urge to pedicure camels. The crotch, er, the crux of the matter I am talking about is pekpek shorts.

Known elsewhere as skinny shorts, the even shorter versions are aptly renamed as pekpek shorts around here in Manila. Vulgar as it may sound, people unabashedly and frequently use the term. It will be in the mainstream in no time at all, if it isn't there yet.

There is a Facebook fan page for it. There is an urbandictionary.com definition for it. Google returns a whole lot of pictures about it. Here are some.

Hopeful for Pag-asa

This space has been been a tough critic of the state-run weather bureau. We ran a series of posts calling Pag-asa hopeless. When President PNoy replaced the bureau's chief, people hoped that indeed may pag-asa pa sa Pag-asa. People wanted the new Pag-asa to succeed not only for us to receive better forecasts but also for Pnoy's first presidential acts to be proven right. After the media success of the anti wangwang-drive, many of Pnoy's succeeding directives are met with cynicism.

So what's new with Pag-asa? Aside from having a new chief, they are now issuing hourly status reports during a major weather disturbance. This is a dramatic jump from the former 6 or 12 hour reports. They also post updates in their new twitter account.

For typhoon Juan (internationally known as Megi), I noticed that Pag-asa tries to be as precise as possible. Instead of a forecast that cuts a wide swath across the archipelago, the forecast stopped short a little north of Manila. We used to have forecasts of typhoons said to affect Batanes to Bicol. And more often than not, Manila had fine weather despite (or in spite of) the projection. It's good to note that so far Pag-asa is spot-on its forecast. Congratulations, Pag-asa. Keep on the good work!

Tuguegarao via Airphilexpress

I've never been to Tuguegarao so I eagerly welcomed the opportunity to travel there last week. I read last summer that the highest recorded temperature in the Philippines was observed in that city. I anticipated hot days ahead despite the rains in Manila. After all the place's name could have from two words in a local dialect, "tugui" or hot and "aggao" or day, meaning  hot day. It could also be from "tugui" (hot) and "araw" or sun or day.

I took the Airphilexpress turboprob Bombardier Q400. The plane's exterior was freshly painted but its interior particularly the upholstery needs a makeover. The airlines quick turnaround time leaves no time or ground crew to clean the cabin between flights. The plane does not smell fresh inside. I wish I took the Cebu Pacific Airbus flight instead.

Tricycles are the most common means of public transport here. The tricycle driver told me that the fare is P20 but I have to pay for all five passengers that his tricycle could carry if I am in a hurry. And my office is a bit far so I have to add a little more. I took the bait and paid P150. His impish smile upon taking my money told me that I had been had. Later, office security guards told me that the fare is only P50.

The city surely has the most numbers of tricycles per capita in the the country. There are so many of them that they implement a color coding scheme, just like the number coding in Manila. And they call the tricycles "try-xi" to make it sound like taxi.

Although I've never been to Tuguegarao before, the progress is palpable. I could feel the bustling energy. The plane had some Asian tourists. I wonder what interesting places the city has to offer. I later learned that there's a casino somewhere in the export processing zone. Ah, that's why.

I remember the Youtube video of 2 Americans who speak perfect Tagalog driving a taxi in the Philippines. They drive a taxi but they use it like a jeepney with one acting as the 'kundoktor'. Their route is supposed to be Isabela to Tuguegarao. No, I did not see them in Tuguegarao but here's that video.

Airphilexpress is no express at all

I'm bound for Tuguegarao via Airphilexpress. I'm kind of excited because the plane they use for that route is a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop. It's been quite a while since I've taken a turboprob. I used to take the DC-3 on flights to Mindoro. DC-3s are the commercial version of the trusty C-47, that reliable WWII vintage airplane. I'm also used to the Islander planes that PAL used in the short haul flights from Cebu. I've also ridden in a 5-seater Cessna plane. I love turboprops because of their short takeoffs. You're up in the air in no time at all.

But this Airphilexpress flight to Tuguegarao was scheduled to leave at 7:20am. They announced it will be 8:00am instead, and another announcenment was made saying we'll leave at 10am.

The thrill of the plane's short takeoffs is negated by this long wait. Airphilexpress used to have a quick turnaround time. PAL has rubbed its old ways on his sister company.

US Open 2010 Women's tennis album - semifinals

US Open 2010 - women's tennis album 3

Easy does IT

My Tacloban trip went smoothly. I was able to install the programs and configure the computers much more quickly than in other trips. That always happen when everyone does their jobs as they're supposed to. Easy does IT.

So I had more time to tour the city. After almost twenty years since my first trip here, I notice that urbanization (as indicated by the numerous fastfood chains and other restaurants), has slowly crept in.

I also surmise that Tacloban folks love their medicine well. There must be more Mercury drugstores here per square kilometer than any other city in the Philippines. Counting the other drugstores as well, there are more drugstores here than elsewhere. I also noticed that there are a few from out-of-town med reps that stay in my hotel.

Tacloban is almost as clean as Palawan and Legazpi. This city has pride just like Cebu. They strictly implement the no jaywalking rule and other traffic rules. Tricycle drivers are also careful not to pick up fare in restricted zones. I tried crossing a not so busy street, and I was reminded by traffic aides to please observe the no-crossing signs. I gladly complied. I wish Metro Manila does the same.

 

US Open 2010 - women's tennis album 2

US Open 2010 - women's tennis album

White hair chronicles XXXII: Tacloban - I have returned

I had a USAID-funded project in Tacloban City almost twenty years ago. That project started a string of other projects that involved traveling, but Tacloban was among the first. When I had the chance to work briefly in East Africa ten years ago, I was reminded of Tacloban though I'm not sure why. Now I'm back in Tacloban for my current work, and I realize why I thought of this city while I was in Dar Es Salaam.

Dar (10 years ago, at least) is a quiet city. It was just recovering from a horrendous terrorist bombing. When I wanted to while away the time, I looked for a mall or a moviehouse. The small malls (actually boutiques) closed early. And the entire city had just 4 moviehouses, all showing Indian Bollywood movies. It had no tall buildings but it had a busy international port. The people were proud of their heritage. You could feel the nation's soul.

That picture reminded me of the Tacloban I knew. Quiet. People are off the streets by 9pm. No fastfood chains, no department stores. And a noisy port near a public wholesale market.

That was then. Now there's a Gaisano's and a new Robinson's mall just outside the city. There are several Jollibees and the usual fastfood chains. There is even mild traffic in the morning. It is still far from the buzz of activities in other cities but it is getting there. One thing I notice though, many hotels have sprouted (and degenerated) since then. But it is still hard to find a good Tacloban hotel. The reviews at Taclobanhotels.com are spot on.

But it is nice to have returned.

YAWTA - yet another women's tennis album

Comic Con 2010 Megamall

The local comic con is alive and well but the cosplay scene is even more vibrant. In the tradition of Dr. Sheldon Cooper and friends, my sons exhibit the same interest for comics. Vito and Popoy not only follow the story and characters, they also draw them well. And judging from the many pictures of Vito with nubile cosplayers, he may be following a more familial tradition.