Professor Pedro Alviola III, 1948-2007

I'm not good with death.

I mean, I'm good in the sense that I seriously believe that there is a God and if you have faith and repent and all that, you will go to heaven, but I have a bad case of separation anxiety.

I have this specialist consultant, his name is Pete Alviola. We call him Prof, Prof A, Sir Pete and Prof Alviola. We always crack jokes that he could name that bird in one squawk because he is one hell of a terrestrial biologist. I'm absolutely serious. He knows things just looking at the nest! One time, he just looked up, raised an ear and named the bird, giving off his text book line up of habitat, feeding regime, reproductive habits and basic identification features! He also does flora, and can rattle off tree names, species, usual diseases of the trees, usual healing qualities of the bark or leaves...man this guy is unbelieveable.

I went to Brunei with him for my first project here in Halcrow. I was team leader, manager, trip organizer, lunch payer, driver, hotel peace keeper..my room was the meeting room, beer room and eating room. I bonded with my consultants because we were there for 14 days doing an EIA.

One day I had only one car and had to drop people off here and there and find a boat to rent for oceanography (without using myself as partial payment, much to Sir K's discussion with the Brunei man's dismay)..and I had to leave Sir Pete out in the woods with only a bottle of water..the dialogue went like this:
MFO: SIr, I have to leave you here, sorry ha, I have to go get the boat eh..will you be okay?
PA: Ofcourse! Okay lang yan! Relax ka lang! Its Good! Okay lang yan!
MFO: But Sir, you have no food, water lang, sorry talaga!
PA: I have sky flakes here in my bag and some hopia, don't worry! Okay lang yan!

I think he told me not to worry all the time. I'm such a worry wart. Trying to handle 12 consultants at once is no easy task, but he made it much lighter with his easy banter and good natured attitude.. I've worked with him on many projects, he is one of my favourite specialists.

He was so old school too. He submitted his reports on floppy disks and on yellow pad..he's just so cute its unbelieveable.

One time I thought I lost him when I sent him to Brunei alone. I didn't want to call his wife and alarm her, but I had to after a while. Even she told me to relax and that he was probably already there, and lo and behold, she was right.

Sir Pete passed away yesterday. He was on his motorbike in LB to buy some basics for the house and his bike was side swiped. He seemed uninjured and was even lucid for an hour, but then fell into a coma at the hospital because he sustained internal injuries.

He will be sorely missed and I hope I can get all my friends to pray for his soul.
He was a GREAT biologist. One of the best in the Philippines. He was a GREAT consultant, as he submitted things on time and in killer detail. He was an EXTREMELY Intelligent man who knew many things, even not related to his work. He was an EXTREMELY kind man, who helped me see that I shouldn't worry so much and things will be fine.

He was a good person with a kind heart.

Professor Pedro Alviola III, my terrestrial biologist.

It's time to go for now

I've given it much thought, and have been bribed in different ways to change my mind. From mere guilt trips to offers of loan disregard to a very inticing payment of my PhD but, I have decided, for at least the next six months from July, that its time for me to move on.

Unlikely that its forever, and I will probably be home more often that I think, but I need the development work to fuel the drive that I have in conservation and development, I need the cash (ha ha ha ) to sustain my bad habits and to save at long last, and..quite importantly, I need the space.

I am a nomad by nature, waiting for the time when I would be gently coerced into settling, not down but just settling in place..not stationary but steady.
one day, and as tancio said, it will all fall into place.

Malibu Ming

Its been confirmed, the topamax has made me an airhead, and my other drug, duprixil or something, is a cerebral oxygenator, which literally means airhead..ha ha ha

Well, today, Nomes and I went to the docs to get all my results and they are all good so thanks to everyone who said a little prayer for me. But Naomi got to experience Malibu Ming first hand.

First of all, I lost my lisensha. Not lost as in nawala, lost as in mr pulis took it! I turned right on pasay road to paseo and it was a filter light but I thought it was green, oh well..so the drugs, well, they help me care a little less, so I gave it to the powlice who heed and hawed a little, expecting me to negotiate (which I wouldn't anyway, but I would usually try to sweet talk), well not today. I went on joking with nomes about how I was getting a ticket for a misbehaving (the violation is disobedience!)

And then we went to Honda to look at a Jazz, and the security tried to give me grief, but I just let it go, no argument, no flack, nothing..Naomi said she felt like she was in the twilight zone..

But alas, I have requested to be taken off the drugs, so tonight, Malibu Ming says good night, adieu and good bye..so this is my last airhead blog *god forbid, hopefully ever!*

Airhead alert

If you have ever wanted to take advantage of me, now is the perfect time. I am drugged up and spaced out and you know what it is making me feel like, a quintessential dumb airhead (oh f$#%, well maybe not, dumb airheads don't use the word quintessential) ANWYAY.

No seriously..I am on Topamax..I feeeel like an airhead. I feel like I care a little less, giggle a little more, the edges feel a little less rough..its like mood altering medication. And I'm like this for 15 days!

I had a good day actually. I took a quick break with my co sex-star friends to catch up since we haven't had time for two beers in a while. busy scheds eh! Man do I miss my friends! (no gogz, this is not a blog about my updates!)

I also had a good evening. Went out with good friends and a happy dinner with Karl and Francis. Francis is off to KL to paint KL red (EXPAT is EX FAT!

The rest of the gang eventually followed and it was great to see them. Niel is always a pleasure to see!

Okay, let me go now. I have a headache. And this medication is supposed to make this headache go away. hassle. But its alright, I feel like Cher from Clueless. Beauty!!

Comfort in all the wrong places

Sometimes, in times of trouble, we find comfort in all the wrong places. We call the wrong person, we text the wrong thing, we make the worst statements..and all because we make wrong decisions in times of trouble.

F#@$. what a statement.. see. I don't even know what I want to say and Im trying to allude to something but I don't want to so I make crappy statements. hay.

My excuse is I have a bad headache so give me a break.

A better blog tomorrow

Apologies for the last blog. If you shift between my friendster and multiply one, you see the slight differences in the ones posted and the ones I post in one and not the other. Thank you Clare for the affirmation. I am soooo f$#%^ng sure everyone has made a bad call at one time or another except they choose not to acknowledge it. I don't regret bad decisions. trust me I have made one too many phone calls or texts in bad states, but i only say things I really mean to say but didn't have the courage to say (and needed half a bottle of stoli to say it)..i digress.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't have a bad weekend, though I did have a bit of a bittersweet weekend since I got some good and bad news but I did have a good breakthrough this weekend, something unexpected, but surely good.

anyway..tomorrow I will write a better blog. Once I have a few things in line and a clearer view of a few things in my life.


Hope you had a great May 1 Labour Day Holiday :)