OakMonster’s Den

Bits and snippets vverheard on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, where the immigration march tomorrow is going to vastly affect everyone’s commute home.

A: Why do they have to pick the rush hour to have an assembly? This is so inconvenient.

B: Um, isn’t that the point of a protest?

A: Yes. But what about MY rights to go home on time? MY rights to not be stuck in traffic? MY rights not to have to take the day off so I don’t get stuck in all of this mess?

You know how we can disperse the crowd really quickly tomorrow? Put up immigration check points along the route with transport buses at the ready.

C: Why don’t we just declare May 1st a holiday every year then, so we don’t have to be stuck in this mess all the time?

D: Because they would just pick another non-holiday day to march.  Like May 2nd.

C: Oh.  Well, they should just march on the weekends when there’s nobody here.

Why don’t we do this? On May 1st, we all head down to Mexico City and block THEIR traffic during rush hour.

Our usual bus route is going to be affected and therefore the bus buddies have been plotting a way to work and home since Friday. We saw the “alternate route” plan on the bus today, and we all had to laugh.

The “alternate route” not only explain how they’d get from the depot, passed City Hall and into my side of town. You know, the City Hall, where the assembly of 100,000 strong is supposed to gather?

The only change on the route is to alter a right turn 2 blocks earlier than the usual route, which still leads into the tail end of the assembly.

OCTA don’t seem to do their research.  That is just sooo Orange County.

But anyways. As for me, as a LEGAL immigrant who paid my way to be here legally–and no, I’m NOT getting into that again–I am working from home tomorrow.

I couldn’t take the bus if I want to get home before, oh I don’t know, 8 p.m.  And driving in is certainly going to be a mess.  Thank god I have a project that is needed to be done but I couldn’t get my focus on.  And then I also volunteer to use the high focus time to attack another project as well.  My boss is kind enough to let me work from home.

I have been having a horrible case of ADD in the office.  It’s not completely self induced but the environmental wasn’t helpful to me keeping my focus either.  So much is going on and so many people are asking for so many things.  Way too hectic (and sometimes just too much damn drama) to concentrate sometimes.

It’s funny that I need to be a home to actually find peace to work.  I am super excited about it.  Can hardly wait to get this project out of my hair!

I returned to writing for Thai-Blogs.com after a long hiatus (read: writer’s block of a massive scale) with this lightly saucy entry about a report that 70% of Thai women don’t have orgasm.

The first draft of this piece was pretty much that, plus some personal experience.  But then I read it, and I wasn’t sure if I want to include that much information.  Then I tried to tip-toe around it and talked about my experience without actually saying it.  It was just dumb.  So I left it out altogether.

I know I write a lot about my personal life.  I spill a lot of my guts and tears here.  But even with all the bodily fluids contributed to the existence of this blog, there are still some place I wouldn’t go.

I’m mature enough as a blogger to have a bit more of the self censorship now.  Although only gods know that self censorship only works when I type and not when I speak.

I witnessed a first up close and personal cat fight this afternoon, right in front of our door.

A REAL cat fight. Not the human kind.

It was Athena v.s. “Muffins” the Other Stray/Outdoor cat. (The girls downstairs called it a him and named him that.)

I picked Athena up from downstairs instead of having her trail me when I came home. She didn’t protest any and made herself at home the moment she came through the door. She was eating in our doorway as usual, but then I spotted Muffins outside the door.

Athena looked up from her bowl and slowly walked out. They were face to face. Muffins backed up ever so slowly as Athena approached him.

And then…

“Mmrrrawww!!”

“Whoa! WHOA!” I yelled out and opened the screen door. Both of them looked at me, and then Athena ran downstairs. Muffins stayed put on the steps, and looked at me for a second.

“Oh, no. You’re not sitting here.” I shooed him down the stairs.

I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that at all.

Brandon said to leave the door open just in case Athena would come back up. I had a bad feeling about this so I went downstairs to investigate.

Sure enough, Muffins took a post the bottom of our stairs. Athena retreated to her wicker chair. I shooed Muffins off some more but Athena wouldn’t even left the porch. I had to go sit on the planter/wall in the courtyard, where we first made acquaintance for her to come say hi again.

I pet her and picked her up. Muffins was still by the stairs, and I shooed him off. All the while telling my Athena that it’s okay. I brought her back upstairs but she only stayed for just a little while and promptly ran off.

This Muffins cat is wrecking the new found comfort zone for Athena and our brand new relationship. I mean, it took Brandon a week to build the trust with Athena. And this cat waltzed in and changed the game altogether.

I really don’t like this guy.
Brandon and I went down to feed Athena instead. We sat at the planter and she came up to eat. I started to brush her and she didn’t mind that at all.

Oh yes. We just bought a 3-lbs. bag of dry food, a pair of catnip toys, a brush and a flea treatment for the Cat That Is Not Ours. But I digress.

All the while, Muffins was eying the food and stalked toward us. I got up and shooed him away a few times. He ended up in the bush just 10 feet away from me and Athena.

We felt bad not feeding him.

So Brandon, the Cat Whisperer, grabbed a handful of food and stepped to the side, far enough away from me and Athena. He started tossing the nuggets to Muffins. He definitely more feral-ish than Athena. Either that, or he’s some unfriendly outdoor cat.

I got to observed the damn cat. He’s not only looking healthy and fluffy. He has a belly going on, that cat! And he’s here bullying my little girl?

I now have a spray bottle ready for the next time he shows his face around here. Seriously, he’s ruining the dynamics we have with the community cat. We can’t have that.

Suddenly, Athena took off toward the parking lot. Kara, one of the girls downstairs, came home and she went to greet her. This is when we discussed the Community Cat situation as well as our mutual feelings for Muffins. Kara says he likes to stare at her when she sees him. He does that to us too. It is a little creepy.

“That cat looks like he has no soul and he’s ready to steal yours,” she said.

He does look scary. But he’s not scary enough for me. I’m still going to spray his tabby little ass next time I see him. Trying to scare my little Athena away? That kid got something else coming.

Did I mention that Athena is technically not our cat? Hahah. And we are all so protective of her right now.

I mean, look at this little video here and tell me if you can say no to her purring at your door.

Matt the Lost Boy launched his top 100 Thailand blogs ranking.

Guess who came in at #21? ETA: Ranking changed daily.  So I’ve dropped like gazillion spots since the launch.  Haha!  Get over there and help me at least stay on the list, okay?

I am surprised and honored to actually get to share the edge of the spotlight where the really good blogs about Thailand are featured.

My blog is more of a personal rant and rave with some Thai flavors. Well, heck, I’m Thai! What other flavor is this blog going to have? Even my husband says that despite all of my American-ness, my instincts and habits are very Thai.

My life stories listed here also serve as a cultural study of Thai cultures. I’m one of those more previleged ones from a famous family. And I happened to be laced with some royal DNAs. My story and point of view is going to be different than others.

But I guess being a Thai living in America, writing about things on both sides of the ponds, does represent my motherland. I’m totally okay with that.

Thanks for the love, blogosphere!

Someone asked if I’ve heard this one yet.

“What do you call two Mexicans playing basketball?”

I replied, “jumping beans?”

“No…” the someone laughed. “That’s so wrong.”

“Well, what do you call them then?”

“Juan on Juan.”

Yes.  We both will be keeping our day jobs.

I believe we are now officially properties of Athena the Cat That Is Not Ours.

Then again, I think she knows she has us since the day I started to bring her treats.

Also, television still owns my life. I have been looking forward to the return of LOST all day.

The best text message ever.

Nicky: “May is going to the Olympics!”

My “cousin” May is going to the Olympics!

MAY IS GOING TO THE OLYMPICS!!!!!! 

Oh my god.  OMFG!  OMFGBBQHOLYCRAPJESUSMARYANDVISHNU!!!!!

I am sure the entire family is going with her.  May has been working hard for this.  Hell, the entire team has been working hard for this for YEARS.

And Uncle Don, the guy who made it all possible for the U.S. to have a badminton team, he is just THE MAN of the hour.

This is just way fuckin’ awesome!!

Last night at 410 Boyd, my drinking buddy Big Papi talked about life as a minority at an Ivy league university and in the mainly old white dudes law practices. He said that he actually appreciates the fact that other people underestimate him.

“They think I’m lazy or stupid or something else. So I work harder. And when it’s my time to shine, those fools won’t even know what hit them,” he said.

“The Art of War,” I added.

“Damn straight!” He put ‘em up and we high-fived.

Same thing applies to the administrative professionals. Some people think of them as the lower class citizens of the corporate ladder. Kids fresh out of college. Adults with GED. Or somebody who are somewhat not very qualified to be doing anything else but “assist”.

Think again.

These guys are the ones keeping things rolling for an organization. Imagine the workload or what all you’d have to do without those guys! Who would help you collate stuff? Who would pick up the phones or screen any calls? Office supplies? Forget it. That meeting you want with an exec–both in or out of the office–never going to get it without the help of an assistant.

It’s like what Chef House said that you should never piss off your wait staff. In your office, it’s these hard working folks who you want to appreciate the most. Your life is a lot easier because of their help.

I would advocate being good to your admin folks year long, but since it’s a designated day, be extra nice. It’s like Valentine’s Day for your special coworkers.

The reason why I feel a little bit passionate about this is that I used to be an admin professional too, so I get it.

Therefore, my admin ladies all got a sunflower on their desks today.

…for my smart ass mouth.

*

A coworker walked by saying something something…either “I could eat a horse” or “I just peed like a horse”.

Me: Wait. Did you just say a horse or a whore?

Him: *laugh* Both.

Me: So…you’re a whore horse?

Erin: He could be a horse whore.

Me: A horse whore?

Erin: [Knowingly] …yeah…

Me: But being a horse whore, isn’t that kind of…

Erin: I’m not going there…

Me: …donkey show-ish?

Erin: …and you just have to go there, don’t you?

When I told this to Brandon later last night.

Me: You know, nobody else in the office would go there. But I just had to. I mean, if it’s not me, who else would go all the way?

Brandon: People at the donkey show would.

You see why we get along so well?

*

Apparently, folks on the bus were talking about luxury cruises out in the Indian Ocean getting robbed and hijacked.

Tony: Do you guys remember that one ship? The [Insert a Ship Name Here]? They got hijacked a couple of years ago?

Me: You mean that one where Steven Segal popped out of the kitchen and saved the boat?

*

Brandon and I went to pick up fish and chips last night. Brandon went up to the counter to pay for the food, and then we spotted IBC Root Beer and Jones Soda cream soda we suddenly must have.

Brandon discovered he only had a dollar left.

Brandon: Babe, you’ll have to pay for the sodas. I don’t have any more money.

Me: Well, what the hell kind of a date are you?

The fish lady had a field day laughing.

*

So I take the bus most of the days for my 30+ mile weekday commute.  Not only I was doing my part on saving my mental health by doing that, I was also helping the environment by not driving.

Of course, it would only be appropriate that on Earth Day, I drove to work.

Even more appropriately, I had to drive to work because we’re going to happy hour tonight.  Indeed, I HAVE to drive to go drinking.  Fucked up, isn’t it?

I think I am now qualified as the High Priestess of the Cult of Fresh & Easy.

I just put the Fresh & Easy blog on my Google Reader.

ETA: I started a new blog - Temple of Fresh & Easy.  Join me in my obsession, won’t you?