Musings and/or grumblings...whatever!

In September i received an international call from APSA, stands for Asia Pacific Seeds Association-UPOV. At the other end is a Filipina speaking in Tagalog and very courteously professional. Apparently they sent an email a week ago to my director but it has not yet been opened, so she asked for my e-add to directly send me the messages. It was an invitation to speak on legislation updates on the Plant Variety Protection in the country, with emphasis on 'saving seeds by farmers, together with pointers for presentation and some data to include. A program for the meeting as well as the succeeding seed conference was also attached. Maybe they invited me because i head the IPR Office of BAR.

I am glad that BAR is getting to be noticed in the area of IPR, that is something really to be happy about. I am also glad that the signature in the letter is that of my batchmate in college, who long ago migrated to the USA, surprisingly now the Director of APSA. I dont even know if it is based in Bangkok but the conference is in Hyderabad. Lastly, there was the post conference tours to the nearby areas which can be arranged. I started gathering materials for the paper presentation.

Intentions for appointments with my director failed, so i informed him through text, when nothing happened, texted him again that all expenses will be paid by the APSA-UPOV. Nothing happened either. I called the EA for him to facilitate the papers be read by putting them on top of the files on the table. Still nothing! Then the organizers called me again inquiring if the couriered invitation for the Indian Embassy already arrived. That is also not yet in. She allayed my feelings that it could be the Visa problem which might hinder my attendance, and i jokingly told her that i will add the approval of my director to that, making the reasons two. I then made the necessary Travel Authority papers for processing and delivered them to the Boss's office. It has been more than a week and nothing of the papers surfaced. It is time for me to give up hope on the matter. Less than one week is not enough to process all the papers to the DA Secretary, then to the Foreign Affairs and then to the Indian Embassy.

This time the powerpoint presentation from the BPI, being the lead for Plant Variety Protection Board arrived. I am really embarrassed for the burden of asking him to prepare data and then telling him later i will not be able to present it! I am still gathering the courage to tell Dr. Mamaril of the fate of our paper. What i did today was to email the organizers, beg-off not to be able to go and thanking them for inviting BAR, adding that i hope next time i will be able to come. But at the innermost part of my brain was the real grumbling! I still don't know the reasons why my director act as such. He should have at least been glad that some of his staff found professional invitations which come unsolicited. It will take time before i can dissociate these thinking from my head, help me God.