Severe Dry Eyes Syndrome

After my eye surgery a couple of months ago, I underwent tear duct repair along with the eyelid tuck to help repair my vision.  I thought that I would have normal tears flowing from my tear ducts again.  It was normal for about 3 weeks.  Then it stopped.  I was back to having severe dry eyes again.  

Having severe or chronically dry eyes or also known medically as Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a pain in my 6.  Even with tear drops, it's constantly itchy, red, swollen.  It looks like I have a case of Pink eye.  But I don't.  People who don't know me assume that I have pink eye.  Even after I tell them that I don't.  They advise me to go see a doctor and get it checked.  

There was one time, over a year ago, that I got bumped off of my flight to see my son, who was admitted into the hospital at that time, because the flight attendant was afraid that I have pink eye and reported it to the captain.  I was told to disembark from the plane, get a doctor's note, and I'll get booked on the next flight.  I was more than upset.  I was livid.  So everytime I plan to fly.  I have to get a doctor's note just to get on the plane. 

The other annoying issue is the constant mucous discharge from my eyes.  I have to constantly clean around my eyelids to prevent the accumulation of morning glory.  So I wear dark safety glasses at all times.  Then when I take them off, I clean my eyes out. 

The next issue is when the dam breaks.  Yeah, it looks like I'm crying but I'm not, in an emotional sense.  Yes, I have tears flowing uncontrollably.  But when people see me, they think I'm crying when I am not.  It's embarrassing trying to explain to them what severe dry eyes is all about. Even Rhoda, my wife, saw me, one day during one of my many visits back home, and asked if I was crying and why.  I told her that I was not. 

ESTA

KEEP SMILING :) 

MATUA CONSULTANTS going Inactive but Rebranding like the Phoenix.

I started Matua Consultants in 1997 as a sole proprietorship.  I did various business with that name since then.  A couple of years later after I started up my company, unbeknownst to me, someone incorporated Matua Corporation.  Which to my understanding from Guam's Department of Revenue and Taxation.  They wouldn't be able to do.  Since the name, "Matua" is already taken.  But they did anyway.  

For the last couple of years, I've tried to incorporate Matua Consultants.  I kept getting rejected because there is another name, Matua Corporation, that is incorporated with a similar name. So because of some government's clerk stupid mistake in accepting incorporation papers from a company that should have never been allowed to use a name similar to my company's name.  I cannot move forward with a name that is now widely recognized.  

After a long period of reflection, I've decided to allow my company's name, Matua Consultants to go inactive.  It's time for me to move forward and incorporate my safety consulting business with a new brand.  I will not list it here for obvious reasons.  

In a few weeks, after we incorporate.  I will introduce the new company's name, my partners, and my training staff.  Oh yeah, we're not just doing safety consultations.  We're moving into manufacturing. 


ESTA

Finally got a hold of Western Union Compliance Department!

Spent the whole morning trying to get a hold of Western Union Compliance Department.  Finally got a hold of them 30 minutes ago, had to go through a 20 minute interview to make sure I'm me and my wife, Rhoda, is my wife.  Also had to confirm some online purchases where I used WU to pay the vendor.  

I had to verify my name, my mailing address, who I work for, my estimated monthly income, last four of my DL numbers, and my position and company I work for, just so I can get the funds I sent yesterday released.  This was a highly stressful event.  

Yesterday was not a good day for me and Matua Ranch.  Post about that later.  

After all is said and done...


KEEP SMILING 

Ole' Ole' Ole' Ole'....Ole'...Ole''...

Having traveled most of Europe when I was stationed in Germany.  I enjoyed going to the football games.  One of my hidden passions not many of my close friends or family knew about.  Football aka Soccer is one of my favorite sports, having learned it in the Philippines, while attending school there in the late 70's early 80's. 

One of the other things I enjoyed was traveling to Spain to take part in the Bull Runs, which we were not allowed to do being active duty soldiers.  So I always put down on my pass, leave, or mentioned to the platoon sergeant that I was heading down to Southern France.  It was easy telling friends and relatives there that I would be in a field exercise.  Not one was the wiser to know, I was taking the train down to Spain.  

It's during these events at the football game or the bull fight that the crowd would sing in a chorus, "Ole Ole Ole Ole"...So I sang a long.  I didn't understand what I was singing, but I sang along. It was fun, catchy, easy to remember song to sing.  Later, I learned from a friend that the song is a cheer or taunt depending on what team or side your on.  

In football, you would Ole' your favorite team and at the same time, taunt the opponents.  In bull fighting, you normally would Ole' the matador.  But there were times, the bull would get the Ole'.  There is a big contrast to European Football aka Soccer and Bull Fighting.  In European Football, you will have a winning team and a losing team.  However in Bull Fighting, you usually have one winner, the matador.  What do you think happens to the bull?  He's slaughtered for his meat.   There are times when the bull would win.  

Today, the Ole' lyrics are sung in almost any sporting event to support the winning team.  

Why bring this up?  Well...it's funny when I hear the lyrics of Ole' being used in a Christian song.  I don't know why they would choose to do that.  I sing along because it is catchy, fun, and easy to remember.  But I also quietly laugh in my head that it would be used in a Christian Song.  So I'm guessing the intent is to Ole' God? 

Ole'

Keep Smiling

GO HOME and REST!

It was great to be back at work today.  Four days out feels like a vacation.  I was greeting the other Site Safeties outside our trailer office, as I walked in.  Our General Superintendent came out and jokingly asked me if I was going to come in and see him.  We all went inside and he immediately asked if I'm able to go back out.  I was ready to get back into the swing of things even though both my eyes were still visibly swollen.  I was told that I can go home anytime during the day if I started feeling ill due the heat.  I just had to call the General Super and let him know.  So he can get one of the other safeties to cover for me.  

It wasn't much to do today.  Most of the work was the punch list was closing out on one of the buildings.  The crew was doing rework on a couple of buildings.  I was okay.  The weather was overcast and cool for the morning.  After lunch though.  It was a different story.  No more overcast, it turned to partly cloudy and HOT.  The heat was getting to me.  Many times I wanted to call in to go home.  But I held out.  Even with a minor eye surgery in the heat...okay...okay...I was in the shade of the building.  It was still hot though.  

The Project Site Superintendent showed up to my job site.  His job site was stopped, until Monday.  He saw me in the shade and told me to go back to the trailer.  He even told me to go home and rest.  I declined.  I wanted to tough it out. 

At the Trailer Office, almost everyone told me to go home and rest.  I declined again.  I know I could hang.  I was already planning tomorrow's safety class for Day 3 of the 40 hour.  When the General Superintendent came in.  He asked me to postpone the class until the next week.  He told me that I needed more rest.  I concurred.  He then told me to go home.  

You know what?!  This is the first time the company wanted me to go home and rest.  I better cherish this...coz I know it's not going to happen again. 

I got the weekend off.  It already feels good.  


Keep Smiling. 

1st day back after Eye Surgery.

1st day after surgery. 

Eyes are still swollen, actually eye lids are still swollen.  But they're not as bad as the picture above.  Feels sandy, like pink eye.  I have tear drops for that.  I'm okay.   Nothing but a thing.  

Getting ready to head to work in the early morning.  Will check the livestock before I head out though.  We'll see how today goes with my recovery.  I'll be on light duty, possibly staying in the trailer office doing computer work for my upcoming project.  Still have to write out the following; Asbestos Abatement Plan, Site Specific Fall Protection Plan, and Fall Protection Rescue Plan.  I may do a site visit at my EMCS project that I inherited.  See what the CalPac boys are up to. 

See y'all when I get back. 



KEEP SMILING

Land Recon

Awesome Truck inside the family properties. 

This afternoon, I reconnoitered the family properties.  My first trip in, since ever since, I wanted to make sure that my truck can fit through the easement.  My last truck, a Ram 1500 Club Cab 4x4 scrapped the walls and boulders of the newly made road.  I didn't want to rub up on anything with my new truck.

I did a quick, but slow 4 low, recon in and out.  Mud Hopper did great, of course with me behind the wheel guiding her in.  As I exited the area.  I called my brother and asked if he wanted to come in and check it out.  Stopped by the store to get some drinks, then straight away to his house to pick him up and his grandson, Dayvon.

On the way back in, we stopped by our auntie's house to check in.  She was glad to see us but exclaimed that she was more than upset of who drove into the access road, in a big white truck.  I explained that it was me and that I just wanted to go in and see if I can fit my truck in there.  I wasn't sure it could since it had been a long time since I've been to the family property.  But I needed to try.  I apologized for not stopping by first.  And in the future, I will. 

We placed this pipe in '05.  It's still there.  Added new tape.

Once inside, we found some but not all the markers along the property line.  We weren't sure which was the beginning of one lot and the end of another.   Most of the markers we put up eight years ago were gone except for one.   However, we found two that we couldn't find back then. 

Plans were made to figure out our next move.  First on the list:  Open a dedicated access other than passing through my cousin's property.  We have three options:  Reopen the road that has overgrown along the valley.  Pro:  It's the shortest route.  Con:  We don't know how much of the road is washed out.  Other option is to open by the circle at the back.  that's a 250+ route to open up.  But the most stable.  Last option is to open on the road prior to the family road.  It's a short run too.  But it has a lot of large rocks to break.

We're going to shoot off this marker to confirm ours

In the meantime, we'll continue using the access from my cousin's property.  We just have to stop by our auntie's house to let her know we're passing through to get inside.  I have to gather up my used wooden power poles to use as fence posts. 

Hopefully this year, we'll be on the property ranching it.  Matua Ranch will be moved there in the future.  I'll  need to get fence posts, fencing, water troughs, and other necessary supplies and equipment prior to moving the animals in there.