Goodbye Sir Willie

My thesis co-adviser Dr. Willie Barraquio from IB just died last monday because of a heart attack. If you dont know him, watch local tv and wait for the Joy Antibac commercial.

Well, I was sad. And knowing myself, I was surprised that I was sad. I even cried in the wake.

Sir Willie is really a man of science. I wont forget what he told me and Rhay while we were doing our thesis. He said that to be a really good scientist, you have to sacrifice your social life for a while. Because you need to devote your time in the lab. I laughed about that at first, but then, he was right. I cannot be a good scientist in my current attitude.

I will not forget how I become fearful everytime I pass by his lab. Its not that he is bad. He is just intimidating. He is really kind and when he gets angry it is for a good reason. Science requires tough discipline. It was because of him that I was able to graduate on time.

Science will mourn his loss - he has contributed a lot of papers to international journals. In a way, he has inspired me.

Now whenever I pass by Bio Pav, I wont feel fear anymore. I will not fear accidentally bumping into him, fearing a scold.

But when I look at Petri dishes, at autoclaves, at gatorade bottles, at shakers, at growth solutions, at saline solutions, at UV light, at zinc dust, at centrifuge tubes, at Venoject tubes, at phenol, at my thesis, at bacteria (as if I can see them), I will remember Sir Willie and the price of being too tardy when you cannot afford to be.

Sir Willie, goodbye. Im sorry if I wasnt able to do my best with you. I want you to know that you are one of the few people who have changed me. Thank you for the gift of research you gave us.

2006 is a year of loss. A year of dying. I do not know who will go next, maybe I will. Maybe some of you will. And I do not want to leave loose ends before I go, so please, can you forgive me? Can we start afresh this year?