OakMonster’s Den

Rose. Bowl.

YEAH!

A Trojan girl couldn’t have had a better 30th birthday present!

YEAH!

By the way, last night was massively fun. Will blog about that after I run a few victory laps around the apartment.

YEAHHH!!!!

I’m overwhelmed with happiness!

Thank you everyone who has come by to wish me (and Snoopy) a happy birthday. Your thoughtfulness definitely brings joy to my day and definitely will brighten the year!

(And by the way, bad me for not doing this earlier. Please also say happy birthday to my twin sister from another life and another time, Bua!)

My big day started last night, early morning Thai time, when I called my dad. I didn’t say anything about my birthday, just waiting to see if dad would bring it up. Nothing came up. So…

Me: Dad. Are you forgetting something today?
Dad: What?
Me: You know, today.
[Awkward silent]
Me: Someone is turning 30 today.
Dad: Today’s the 16th????

Yes. My darling dad. He KNOWS my birthday. He knows it’s coming up. He just doesn’t know what day it is right now, is all. LOL.

Speaking of not knowing what day it is, I think my mom thought I was still in Thailand when I called.

Mom: Honey, when are you coming over?
Me: Um. Well. When would you like me to come over?
Mom: Decide for yourself.
Me: I probably can’t come home until after February, mommy. Big event coming up.
Mom: [Quiet for a moment] Oh. Okay. Don’t buy me any more anything from America.
Me: Not any more squishy silicone ball?
Mom: I have 3 already.
Me: How about new flavors of Ensure?
Mom: No. I said don’t worry about buying me stuff.

(Her main source of food for the past 6 months is Ensure. In Thailand they have them in powdered form and only in vanilla. I was actually going to send home some chocolate and strawberry MetRx.)

I must say, the “When are you coming over?” did break my heart. It is also odd that for the first time mom doesn’t remember my birthday. I’m sure she remembers it, but she just doesn’t have the sense of time. Anyways, I told her it was my birthday. She reminded me to pray to Buddha in the morning. I asked what she was having for lunch. It was shrimp hagaw and shumai. I told her to eat a lot for me. Hopefully she granted me my wish.

When I came into work this morning, my coworkers decked out my cubicle. After the culprit came by to sing happy birthday, we took the leftover streamers and balloons and went to deck out the CEO’s office as well.

Yes, my CEO and I have the same birthday. Crazy huh?

My work and home email addresses start collecting eCards through out the day as well as phone calls from friends all over the place. (None from my brothers yet, I might add. You bastards! LOL!) My department got me a gift card to Sur La Table! I’m sure they know whatever I’m getting from there is going to result in some kind of treats for them. Hahah.

The only 2 paper cards I received this year (so far) are from Aunty Tim and the family and my parents-in-law. THANK YOU!

To top it all off, I came home to Brandon doing ALL of the laundry and a vase full of gerberas and daisies is sitting at my computer desk. The man bought me FLOWERS!!!!!

After that, we ordered pizza and watched Tivo’ed NCIS and House while waiting for the laundry.

And I may be back to normal with my stomach and what not. Apparently, pizza sauce is still too much for the stomach to handle.

Thank you again, everyone. I think Amy is definitely right:The 30s is much better than the 20s. I can already feel it!

But seriously, in my mind, I just turned 8 today. Hahaha!

Best. Birthday. Ever! (And tomorrow night, we’re drinking! Holy crap!!)

firstdaywithsnoopy
Originally uploaded by theoakmonster.

Snoopy was born…into my life…on my 5th birthday. He was among the 3 presents I remembered. The other were a cotton girl doll in a velvet dress and came in a cradle from one of the aunties, and the Princess Diana wedding dress my mom had it made for me.

It was love at first sight for me and Snoop. A love that withstood many years of coming and going toys. He was eventually shelfed and forgotten among my huge collection of stuffed toys.

But when I was around 14, after watching “Race for your Life, Charlie Brown”, he came back off the shelf and into my life. And he hasn’t left my side since.

Happy 25th Birthday, Snoopy Dog.

As for me, friends are making it easy to be 30 so far. Will blog about the phone calls to my parents when I get home tonight.

It’s only fitting that on the eve of my 30th birthday I would post something random.

Something I wrote on the bus on July 5:

LA Sky is blue
Oddly enough
Wide open from the 110
To the Ocean

I’m trapped
In a box on four wheels
Running the same route
Day in and
Day out

Emergency exit is
Shut tight
Barred by red handles

Music in my ears
Shakespeare in my backpack
Notebook in my lap
Searching for something
To fill
My soul
To dull the pain in
My heart

I want to
Hide
Run away
Cry into my hands
Punch through the glass
Shut up
Shout out
Be still
Change at will
Let go
Control
Create
Destroy
Idle
Move

Indecisive on life’s decisions
Like a pace of the 605 car pool lane at 6 p.m.

Stop. Go. Slow. Speed up.

Never the same
Never constant
Never flowing
Freely

Maybe that is the way life goes.

Unlike the blue sky flowing
Freely
Into the arms of the bottomless ocean

Stop. Go. Slow. Speed up.

Maybe this is me
Not knowing what I want
Out of
Life

So I remain
Trapped in a box
Sitting in traffic
Day in and
Day out
Same route

Stop. Go. Slow. Speed up.

Rinse
And
Repeat.

The Answer: “[His] interview, titled “If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened,” will air Nov. 27 and Nov. 29, according to [Fox’s] Web site.

If your question is, “Who is O.J. Simpson?”, you would be correct.

Un. Fucking. Believable!

Also in the unbelievable note…

This humble blog has been visited a lot recently by folks looking to solve the mystery of Anonymous Donor of Jim Sterkel Court at USC Galen Center.

Not quite as interesting as and yet a lot less frightening than the fact that “burping fetish” remains the top search phrase that leads people to the OakMonster’s Den.

Actually, I just NOW found out, if you google “burping fetish”, this blog is #1.

ROFLMAO!

Seriously. Un. Fucking. Believable!!

Most fun I’ve ever had at Homecoming. Ever!

You see, when I was in college, I was with Trojan Pride. So we’d either be painting faces at a booth or at Coliseum 2 hours ahead putting pom-poms on the seat. Although we’d have with us a cooler full of jello shots… But I have never ever tailgate on campus. Not quite like this!

There is no better way to welcome myself back to the Land of the Eating and Drinking than getting fed food and booze by your fellow Trojan brothers and sisters on campus at Homecoming!!

I had the best carne asada on the planet. A beer. A tall cup and a half of the best Mai Tai on the planet. And in there somewhere is a cup of nasty ass Tampico and Prestige vodka. *shudder* *gag* *shudder* And my stomach handled everything just fine. (I am still on double dose of Prilosec though.)

Michael hooked us up with his fraternity’s “booth”–well, it’s a tent with a BBQ a few tables and lots of booze…LOL–and we started at their booth around 1 p.m. Beer. Carne Asada. Tampico and Vodka.

Then we walked over to hang out with my Trojan Big Brother Joel and met his girlfriend Zoe. Mai Tai and chips and dips.

We returned to the center of campus so I can pick up my Riverdance tickets from my bus mate. An Oregonian, she disguised herself in a pair of maroon sweatpants to avoid being mauled by us Trojans. LOL. Then we returned to the fraternity for some more asada.

Finally, I headed back to Joel again for another Mai Tai. Michael came to join me and helped pack up Joel’s tailgate.

We then ran over to find Tiffany and her tailgate over in the Coliseum parking lot. I don’t know how many drinks she had when she gave us direction as to where they were, but for the life of us we couldn’t find them.

Tiffany: Oakley, where are you guys?
Me: We’re on campus still. Where are you?
Tiffany: We’re on campus too!
Me: Where?
Tiffany: (Asking somebody) Vermont and Exposition.
Me: You sure you’re on campus? There’s only one parking lot on Vermont and Exposition now and we’re on it. And you’re not here.
Tiffany: Yeah we’re on campus.
Michael (took the phone from me): Tif. Where the fuck are you?
Tiffany: I’m in the parking lot on Vermont and Exposition.
Michael: You’re at the Coliseum?
Tiffany: Yes.
Michael: Are you sure?
Tiffany: Yes. On Vermont and Exposition. At the Coliseum.
Michael: Not on campus?
Tiffany: I’m on USC campus. On Vermont and Exposition.

*Sigh* Needless to say, Michael and I wandered up and down the darn lot at the Coliseum and didn’t find the broad.

Anyhoo. We returned to Michael’s fraternity brother’s house to watch the first half of the game where we dominated. And Michael drove me home after that and I watched the rest at home…and we continued to dominate and won the game.

My supersition is that I have to watch the game at home and that Brandon cannot pay any attention to the game. (Look what happened at the Rose Bowl last year and a few weeks ago with the Beavers!)

The question comes down to this.

Joel has a ticket for the Cal game next week. But am I superstition enough to decline the offer and stay home? Or should I head out to the game with Joel? I have to call him back today.

Blogosphere - help me decide!!

*UPDATE*

Superstition wins out. I would never forgive myself if I go to the game and we lose the game we cannot afford to lose.

Next year? I’d be all over the empty seat, Joel. All. Over. It!

Thanks Nan (Owen’s mama) for asking about the health of our messed up household. I figured I might just give you guys an update as well.

Today is the first day I didn’t have the slightest pain in my stomach. Double dose of Prilosec paid off after all. I am still eating with caution and haven’t touched any alcohol or spicy food. But the portion of food I can handle per sitting seems to get closer to the usual amount.

So far, I have been eating every 2-3 hours. I’d start the day with a Prilosec with plenty of water and maybe a chunk of Luna bar on the bus. Then once I get to work around 7:45-8 a.m., I’d have either a cup of yogurt with granola or a packet of instant oatmeal. By 10 a.m. I’d snack. Then 12-12:30 I’d have my small lunch. Around 3 p.m. I’d snack again. On the bus, before I’d curl up for a nap, I’d nosh on another chunk of Luna bar. The moment I get home, I’d take the other Prilosec and nosh some more while fixing dinner.

Since I am keeping up the constant eating habit, I must upgrade my snacks. As of this past week, my choices have been a) gnawing on a Luna bar a day, b) about 1/2 cup of Cheeze-Its Party Mix, c) half a bagel and cream cheese, or d) one mini-muffin sized brownie.

Yep. Definitely need an upgrade.

Well, the feeding schedule I must make permanent. Additionally I must also watch out for spicy food, tomatoes, and orange juice. Alcohol will also be in moderation. Drinking beer 3 nights in a row is not going to be something I can do any more, I’m afraid.

If I’m progressing at this rate, I should be back to normal and drinking again by next week! Just in time for my 30th birthday!

As for my darling white boy with the special flipper, after Thanksgiving he’s going in to get a shoe insert made. The cushion they taped to his foot has been helping him tremendously and the Celebrex did help getting rid of the swelling. So, now the hubby is off the med and relatively pain free.

And as for my mom, last I heard from my dad she’s still holding steady. Her main diet is still consisted of Ensure. She has some cravings for food but would end up having a few bites and stops because she is afraid she’d throw up. Plus her sense of smell being in overdrive, sometimes the food would get there but the smell was off, then she wouldn’t eat it.

All in all, she would probably be moving back to our house at the end of this month. The living room/mom’s room renovation is finally finished!!

The committee (dad and the Aunties) are searching for a physical therapist who would do house calls. Mom has never been a fan of exercise, to begin with. She has been wishy washy about therapy this entire time, but dad said she has been a bit less cooperative this past few months. They are worried that she’d refuse to leave the house to go to the hospital for PT altogether.

Stubborness runs in the family, I think. I may not listen to my mom, but I ALWAYS listen to my doctors.

And finally, a proof that the Trojans fan were not crazy when we protested the 2 game-changing calls made by referrees at the USC-Texas National Championship game earlier this year. Originally reported in full details on Yahoo! but SI.com here sums it up for your reading pleasure.

Replay officials at last season’s Rose Bowl were unable to properly review a Texas touchdown that should have been overturned because the wrong television feed was plugged into a monitor.

That’s right. THEY. FUCKED. UP. The monitor was plugged into a crowd shot. D-fucking-UH! Apparently, the same thing happened with Reggie’s attempt at backward pass as well. If they noticed the problem the first time, why the hell did they not fix it??

At least we know we REALLY got cheated out of that victory instead of just thinking we did.

110806_2046a.jpg
Originally uploaded by theoakmonster.

This is Nalin, the Coolest Little Indian Dude (TM) on the planet. He was in town from NYC this week. So, I rallied up 6 other former coworkers from the dot com era walk down memory lane with drinks in hand.

Well, *I* didn’t drink because of my stomach, but gosh, I’ve forgotten how good Shirley Temples are!

The gang gathered for grubs and beer at the Farmer’s Market then moseyed down to the Grove’s Whisper Lounge for something harder.

Remember I talked about finding your real friends while getting sloshed? It was with this bunch here that I came to that conclusion. We didn’t quite get to the same point of philosophical jibber jabber last night (although Julie-anne and I broke into fantastic renditions of “Tie me kangaroo down, sport” and “Waltzing Matilda”), but we did end with a very poignant note.

Me: Nalin, I’m so glad we could do this with you, man! We’ve missed you.

Nalin: You guys should do this on your own more often. I mean, how come you don’t just hang out like this on your own?

Matt: Are you kidding? Nalin, you’re the glue! We gathered here because of you. You’re the glue that holds us all together.

Kil: It’s all about the Curry, brother!

Indeed, Kil. It was all about the Curry.

*Ulcer Update*

Nope. No ulcer. Just really wicked case of acid-y stomach. I have to continue taking Prilosec twice a day and go easy on food. Hopefully, everything will go back to normal next week. So, yep. I can’t put that much food in my stomach at one time and walk away comfortably right now, so I’ve been noshing through out the day. Not much fun.

102506_1534a.jpg
Originally uploaded by theoakmonster.

Only a girl who’d boldly put a basket on her head could get away with such act of craziness in front of the company’s CEO.

Not the wearing of the basket, mind you. Well, I could get away with that too. But here’s the story.

I was assisting our CEO with making copies of a large poster. I had to walk away to get a kleenex because with the Santa Ana wind blowing out there, even my prescription nose spray wasn’t holding down the allergies.

When I came back, sniffly with a kleenex, the Cool Cat VP was just around the corner.

“Oakley, are you okay?” asked CCVP. He looked genuinely concern.

I threw myself at him.

“Oh, CCVP! Life is just so sad!!” I fake-sobbed and clung to his arm.

Laughter all around. I let go of him and started back toward the copier and CEO. The CEO was smiling broadly.

CCVP said after me, “Wow. It’s that bad, huh?”

Still fake-sobbing, “You have no idea, CCVP! I would jump off the window right now but it’s closed.” And I went back to help the CEO with copying.

We’re on 30-something floor and windows are sealed. The CEO was now chuckling.

Another coworker chimed in, “Oh yeah, if you were to throw yourself out this window, all you’re going to get is a broken nose.”

I came around the corner again, throwing myself at the Coworker, “Oh my god, Coworker! That’s even worse! I am NOT going to make a pretty corpse!”

Now the CEO lost it, walking away without another word with his finished copies.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Will be here all week. ;-D

Yes, kids. Tonight is the full moon night of the 12th lunar month, known to Thais as Loy Kratong.

Well, I already wrote about it once on Thai-Blogs today so please go over there to read my account. You will not only get tonight’s story but also a bit of history of my Loy Kratong in America.

And yeah, Brandon asked me if I was going to sing the song. So I did. In Thai AND in English. And I did “ram wong”, traditional Thai folk dance, around him on the beach too. That was kind of funny.

What amazes me the most is that I learned the English version of the song YEARS ago when I went to the international summer camp in 6th grade, and I still remember the words! Well, 95% of it anyway.