Henry Lubong's Journal » Life

The Hardest Part Of The Morning

Henry Lubong — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:54:18 +0000

You might say getting up out of bed, but that’s way too easy. I get up a few number of times in the morning to bottle feed my baby. You know as a parent, you are bound to take care of your kids. You and your spouse should also share the load of the household chores, whoever has the time to do it. They can be hard sometimes but seriously, you get used to them and they become a part of your routine.

There’s one thing that I will never get used to. That is when I’m about to leave for work and my daughter cries and tells me not to go. There’s no way you can possibly give a good explanation to a two year old. All you can do is leave a crying child to her mom or not go to work. The worse part is by the time I pulled out of the driveway, she’s already ran by the front window to catch the last glimpse of me. I could only hope that she’ll wave goodbye to make me feel at ease at least. For those times she doesn’t and just stand by the window crying, it cuts me deep and breaks my daddy heart!

I Faltered In My Journey

Henry Lubong — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:44:19 +0000

The other day, I decided to hike an unfamiliar mountain just to see what’s out there. I sort of know where to go and how to get there but the truth is, I don’t really know my destination. There was no trail to follow and even if there was, I would always bring my trusted “G”PS anyway to guide me along the way. The path that I took was very technical and full of obstacles. I stumbled many times but I’m not the kind of person who gives up easily. Every time I would fall, I would stand back up and learn from it. There were other paths that seem to provide the best way to get through but when I look at my GPS, it tells me not to take it. Then I studied the mountain and that path being offered to me is definitely a sure way to get myself in to trouble.

At one point, I thought I had reached my destination. The place where I was standing at was very nice. There’s a huge fruit tree full of leaves that has branches stretching out to provide some cover from the heat of the sun. So I settled down, relaxed and congratulated myself for what I’ve accomplished. Then my GPS beeped and notified me that this is not it. I got sad because I was already tired and weary and the fact that I already liked the place, I would very much like to stay. I suddenly lost confidence on my GPS because it brought me here for nothing.

I rested for a while and looked back at the trail I trekked through. I realized, that without my GPS, I would not have reached this point and would probably get lost trying to get to the peak. Then I paused for a while and asked if there was really a peak for this journey. Maybe I went on this hike just for an experience or to be tested and to learn. What if I wasn’t even supposed to hike this mountain in the first place? At the moment, I don’t have the answer in my hand but I would definitely need my GPS again to get back to my journey and put all my trust in it so I could safely find my final destination. Wherever it is, going up or returning back to where I’ve been, this time, I will stay focus in my path, I will not falter and I will endure everything.

A Funny Conversation With My Doctor

Henry Lubong — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:12:05 +0000

I went to the doctor today for a gastrointestinal checkup. The doctor asked if I like to eat spicy food and if I drink and smoke. I said no to all. She was impressed so she asked if I have any vises. I said my only vise is “speed” with a smile Then she asked what kind of car do I drive. I said… Honda Odyssey :=D

I Got A Break From A Moto Cop Today

Henry Lubong — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:16:19 +0000

Whew! It could have a been a very expensive speeding ticket this morning, given that this is my third speeding violation this year alone, but the cop cited me for a fix it ticket instead. I just left the house on my 325i and a few blocks after, and only about a few hundred yards from the freeway entrance, I was stopped by one of the four moto cops preying on the side road. The cop asked if I knew the reason why I was stopped and the usual answer, “No.” He said I was doing 50 on a 35. I said “really,” hahaha. Apparently, the new scope radar used on me doesn’t lie. He went to the back of my car to check my license plate and I guess he saw the big Ducati sticker on my rear window. He came back and asked if all my accessories are working. Kinda threw me off but I just said yes everything works although I know my headlights have some intermittent problems. He had me turned the headlight on and boom, one of the headlights didn’t pop up. While he’s writing the ticket, I had a chatty conversation with him asking him about the new radar and he even showed me how it works. I asked why all of sudden they’re doing this in our neighborhood. He said, they are getting a lot of complaints. I said, you sure this has nothing to do with the state budget crisis and he just smiled at me. After he’s done, he handed me the ticket and told me that he gave me a break and wrote me for a fix it ticket instead. I then asked him if I could take a picture of them. He’s cool with it. What he didn’t know is that they’re gonna be famous on Facebook

Happy Anniversary My Love!

Henry Lubong — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:02:33 +0000

When years are passing by like days,
and in my hand your hand is placed,
a knowing smile crosses your face,
a simple touch can still make my heart race.

When I can see my soul in your eyes,
and you see your soul in mine we realize,
that a love so deep can harbor no lies,
where our only tears shed were happy tears we’ve cried.

I love you as much now as I ever did before,
if possible, I may even love you more,
all starting from a feeling we did not ignore,
a feeling of connection we chose to explore.

I don’t know what it is that you saw in me,
what I saw in you was the utmost happiness
that can ever be,
even more so on the day when you and I
became “We”,
I can still smile and say with love and
truth Honey, I love you…Happy Anniversary.

Tawanan Mo Ang Iyong Problema (Laugh At Your Problems)

Henry Lubong — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:37:09 +0000

Eye Like An Eagle

Henry Lubong — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:26:19 +0000

Not quite but almost. I went for my required post surgery check up this morning to see how my eyes are doing. My eyes are healing pretty good. Most importantly, I did the visual acuity test and what an amazing result… 20/15 on both eyes!!! I’m okay with 20/20 but hey, I’ll take that anytime. The doctor said that it may even get better once my eyes are fully recovered and my corneas are healed.

My Lasik Surgery

Henry Lubong — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:11:48 +0000

When things are good it’s hard not to burst with joy so please allow me to say this…. AWESOME!!! Do i need to explain it further. As you can tell, I’m very happy with my Lasik surgery. Besides purchasing my beloved Ducati just a year ago, Lasik is the best thing that I’ve ever spent money on – it’s worth every single penny!

Just yesterday was my Lasik surgery. I was pretty excited and scared as hell. The actual procedure was set for 10:30am. I was greeted by the receptionist and collected the questionnaire that I was supposed to fill out and of course “my payment.” The receptionist told me I was too early. Well, someone told me to come in at 9:15am so I did. I just waited until their staff meeting was over. After the meeting at around 9:45, someone called me and brought me in her office to explain about the post surgery. She also gave me all the eye drops I needed after the surgery including the protective goggles. It protects me from rubbing my eyes and protects me from Carmela as well . After that, another staff member took my measurements again, which is basically the same procedure I went through when I had my initial exam. They wanted to make sure that nothing dramatically has changed a week after I had it done. No changes so I was good to go for the surgery. But before the actual procedure, I was first given a numbing eye drops to prepare my eyes. She also gave me a 10mg of Valium (too small, hahaha, j/k). I waited for about 10 to 15 minutes and then someone escorted me to the laser room.

The laser room was dark and cold. The door has a small window where my wife was able to watch me. As soon as I walked in, they had me lie down under the laser machine. Soon after, Dr. Craig came in and started the surgery. I was very nervous at first but Dr. Craig talked me through the whole procedure which makes it very comfortable. The procedure was very quick and painless. I think it was less than 5 minutes per eye. The actual laser treatment was about 10 seconds and I could hear the loud pulsating sound coming out of the laser machine. I also smelled something like some hair was burning. Other than those things, everything went perfectly smooth. After about 10 minutes, it was done and had me got up while one of the staff put a dark sunglasses on me. Some people get too sensitive to light after the surgery. So we walked out of the clinic and that was it. I was able to see very clearly.

My wife drove me home and as soon as I got home, the Valium finally kicked in. I got knocked out and slept for the rest of the day. When I woke up, my eyes felt kind of grainy so I put some lubricating drops and it went away. That night we went to Church and holy halo and star burst (not from the Church but from the head light of the cars and street lights)! Yeah, they’re now more pronounce but not too bad. I was told it will diminish or better yet, go away completely after a couple of months.

I am very happy with this Lasik procedure and I’d recommend Dr. Craig Bindi to do yours if you’re thinking about doing it. Yes it is expensive but I tell you, it’s the best thing that I’ve ever done for myself!!!

I’m Getting Lasered Tomorrow

Henry Lubong — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:45:57 +0000

No, not the facial laser treatment. That is a hopeless case for me. I’m getting my vision treated tomorrow or in other words, I’ll get LASIK surgery done. It was not an easy decision because as you know, LASIK is a non-reversible refractive surgery and any surgery always poses a risk. I’m a big risk taker but this kind of risk is something that requires a lot thinking and research. Well, I’ve already done my research and many nights of contemplation so I think I’m ready for it.

Last week, I went for my LASIK exam at Laser Eye Center in San Jose. I was seen by Dr. Craig Bindi who’s a very nice guy by the way and seems to know his domain well. He has already performed over 25,000 LASIK surgery since 2000. To me, this is one of the very important factors for choosing my eye surgeon. My results came out excellent – my cornea is in normal shape, I have a normal pupil size and overall both of my eyes are healthy. Dr. Bindi explained to me about the LASIK procedures that are available to me – Traditional and Custom WaveFront. Since my cornea and my pupils are in good shape, he was suggesting that I could go with the traditional one. I talked to him a few times about this and asked questions and I was very satisfied with his answers.

My procedure is tomorrow morning and my wife will be coming with me to drive me home. Right now, I’m both excited and scared. I’m excited to start living in a world of not having to rely on glasses and contact lenses. I’m scared because this surgery has so many unknowns. I also have high expectations and I hope I won’t be disappointed.

So folks, wish me luck and I hope to see you clearly in 20/20 or better vision when I see you next time!

My Dog Was Murdered

Henry Lubong — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:03:27 +0000

I’ve been mourning since we came back from our vacation. I’m just blogging now because it’s hard for me to tell this story. When we arrived on Tuesday morning, the first thing I checked was my dogs. They usually come running to me when I call them but one didn’t show up. My other dogs we’re trying to show me something so I went outside and checked. I found my dog lifeless inside their house. I checked on him and his whole face was all eaten up – no mouth and no eyes. It is very graphic and sickening to the stomach. I don’t believe this was done by one of my dogs. I don’t see any trace of blood in our backyard. The suspicious thing about this is, my dog was lying inside the dog house and seems like it was place there.

Here’s the thing, my neighbor has a big dog and two smaller ones. His dogs and mine always fight and bark on each other. When I was walking around the backyard yesterday, I noticed that one of the panels of our fence in the back has a small opening. Some nails came loose maybe because the dogs are banging on it when they are fighting. I don’t know exactly what happened but all I can speculate is, perhaps my dog somehow got into their yard and he was murdered there. How he got into my backyard and the dog house is a mystery. It seems like there’s a foul play involved.

On Tuesday, I brought my dog to the hospital to get him cremated. I asked the vet to do a quick check and hoping that she could tell me what happened. The doctor came back with a tear in her eyes and she too couldn’t stomach what she saw. I was told that a bigger dog or a Coyote must have done it to him. I’m not sure if this is something that I can report to the police. I am sad and very angry! For now, all I can do is add some kind of reinforcement to my fence so I can protect my other dogs from being attacked again.

RIP to my best friend.

My Two Dogs Got Loose

Henry Lubong — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:09:03 +0000

My parent’s dogs (which is technically mine) got loose today. Their names are Olen and Cooper, both males. I searched for them for two hours this afternoon with no luck. On my way back tonight from gokarting, I drove around their neighborhood again and just took a chance that I may find them. It must be my gut instinct because I saw Olen not too far from my parent’s house. I drove more to look for Cooper but I couldn’t find him. It’s already almost midnight and my eyes are getting tired plus my teeth are bothering me again, so I just went home after I dropped off Olen. I am not giving up on him yet. I have to wake up early tomorrow to search for my dog again.

Footprints In The Blanket

Henry Lubong — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:46:12 +0000

Sometimes babysitting can be fun. Those are mine and Carmela’s footprints in the blanket.

Recuperating From Flu

Henry Lubong — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:01:20 +0000

It started with a dry itchy throat on Wednesday when I woke up in the morning. The following day, I was having chills, fever and a severe headache. I still had a dry cough. My temperature was always above 100F. The Extra Strength Tylenol I was taking helped a bit but does not take the chills away. I was shivering badly so I covered up myself with a thick jacket and a blanket. I got scolded by my wife though and told me to take them off. The problem is, because I had a fever, my temperature kept rising up too. She wanted us to go to my doctor so I could get checked and advised with some medication but my headache was so bad that I couldn’t even stand up for two seconds. Gladly she got a hold of the doctor over the phone and recommended me to take Tamiflu (oseltamivir phospate).

I was expecting Friday to be a better day but my fever had gotten worse. My temp went all the way up to 102.8F. I was crappier than the day before. More headaches and muscle pain. And now my chest feels bloated, like a bunch of mucus are stuck inside. But in the early evening I was feeling a little better. I think the Tamiflu was kicking in and thanks to Tylenol for keeping my fever down. Yesterday was a better day. Fever still come and go but at least I was more comfortable. No more chills and less headaches. And today is the the best day so far. No fever, no chills, no headaches (well, a little bit) but frequent coughing… dry cough. I think the Tamiflu fixed me. Now I just need to get rid of the cough.

The bad part is, Carmela is now sick too. Here temp is above 103F. At the same time, another tooth is growing out of her gum. I really hope she gets better before her big party on Saturday.

Battery Died On My 848

Henry Lubong — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:27:40 +0000

Of all the time, why did my battery died today when I am in a hurry to get home (this is before the Prius incident below). Apparently, I left my ignition switch on “Park” this morning. I admit my fault but I also blame the engineers in Ducati. The problem is, the park position is placed all the way to the end with “Lock” right next to it. So when you park the bike and lock the steering, you have to make sure the key does not go pass that or make sure that the tail light is not lit (which I forgot to check). Luckily, a guy next door named Bill was kind enough to help me start my bike again. We tried bump atarting but it was a no go so I went the hard way. I took the fairing off to get access to the battery and jump start it. Thanks Bill!

Why I Hate Prius So Much

Henry Lubong — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:02:37 +0000

Last year, I had four incidents with my motorcycle involving Prius drivers. All of them are almost close to fatal accidents. I don’t know what’s up with people who drives a Prius (yes, that ugly looking Toyota car) but they desparately need some driving class. Once again, tonight while I was riding home from work, another Prius driver changed lane and cut me off causing me to brake hard and lifted my rear wheel. The scary part is, there’s another Prius car behind me which could have bumped me in the rear and sandwhiched me in between. Of course I was riding in the carpool lane and this Prius driver is in a hurry to to get into the same lane to use her stupid privilege to be riding in the carpool lane. I’m afraid to say that a lot of fellow motorcyclist have scary moments with Prius cars and some of them are not lucky to survive. Go with your slogan of saving the earth but please save lives first!

Heroes Marathon In 7 Days

Henry Lubong — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:22:57 +0000

“Save the cheerleader, save the world.” Oh wait, what I am talking about. Too much Heroes in my head Alright, so I did a 7 day marathon and just finished watching the three seasons of Heroes. Thanks to Netflix on Tivo, I was able to watch all of them in one week. I don’t know why it took me so long to watch this awesome tv series. I thought Lost and Prison Break were the best shows on tv but Heroes completely left them in the dust. So how many episodes did I watch?

Season 1 – 23 episodes
Season 2 – 11 episodes
Season 3 – 13 episodes

That’s a a total of 47 episodes and an average of 43 minutes per show without commercials. So I spent a total of 2021 minutes or 33 hours and 41 minutes couch time in a week. Just imagine where my life went during those days. Now I’m a Heroes addict. Just like their powers, I can’t control it. Season 4 will not start until next month. I wish I can travel in time to see it soon, hehe.

New Year’s Resolutions

Henry Lubong — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:46:24 +0000

It’s a tradition so I’ll play. Let me recap what I listed last year:

Blog more often – I think I did pretty good this year
No more visit to the E.R. – Almost not made this, but I succeed
Healthier me – How ’bout I say I lost a total of 15 lbs this year, wohooo. I’m able to wear my old clothes
Polish up on my saxophone playing – Got busy with my daughter so I failed this one
Launch my web projects – Same as above
House projects – I got two things done, floor and central air

And here’s my new list of resolutions for the year 2009:

Blog daily. This is a journal, a document of my life so I should do it more frequently.
Launch at least one of my gazillion projects. Too many domain names but sad to say they are all parked.
NO CRASHING! I’ve crashed twice on my track days last year and I’m gonna make it a policy this year no to hurt my bike and me
Move up from group C to B for track days. That means I have to ride faster but smoother.
I’ve lost 15 lbs last year so what’s another 10 this year and a couple of inches on my belly
More time with my dogs. I should take them to the park.
More seat time with my bicycle.
I should get on my weight machine and treadmill regularly

That should do it. Good luck to me!

Hope For The New Year

Henry Lubong — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:32:57 +0000

Hello 2009! New year, new life, let’s hope so. We are all aware with the current situation of the world. There’s nothing we can do. This very world that we live in is not getting any better and is just going to be worse. I don’t know about you but my hope is not within this world and not with the people who govern it. Although I would like to have a better life but I can live with good right now. The more important thing is, I have a good health, my family is well, we have food to put in our mouth, and we have a shelter to dwell in. In this time of difficulties, there’s only one we can turn to and that is the God who created this world and who created you.

Psalm 18:2

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.”

Road Rage With An Old Lady

Henry Lubong — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:14:22 +0000

I had a hilarious incident this morning going to work. I was driving in my van with my wife when a Honda Element cut right in front of me. My wife said, “the driver just gave you a finger.” Then the driver braked abruptly while we’re going about 80mph and he did it several times. I was like, what the hell is that guy’s problem. He was the one who cut me off and now he’s mad. So I made my move and tried to get in front of him. While I pulled up next to the car, I saw an old woman driving and once again giving me a finger. My wife and I were laughing so hard. I realized, I just got pwn3d, hahaha!

Prilosec OTC For 14 Days

Henry Lubong — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:13:41 +0000

I tried Pepcid for 3 days but I don’t see any improvement for my stomach pain. My doctor upgraded me to Prilosec, an over-the-counter medicine. I was supposed to take it for 14 days straight. The box contains two packs of 14 tablets each. If my first pack does not work, I have to wait 3 months before I can take the other one. I’m crossing my finger on this one.