Confession of A Kept Sister

OakMonster.com - Get Along Shirt

You may not think that I am my family’s pariah, but I am. I’m that one sibling you usually don’t bring up in conversation.  I’m the one to be hidden away from view. Or in my case, hidden away in another country altogether. And even that, in the social media age, isn’t far enough, it seems. Some days, it is hard to not think about the pieces of broken sibling relationship on my hands.  Some days, I blame myself. Others, I blame them. Some days, I wish there’s a Get Along shirt that would fit 3 adults across 2 continents,...
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Five for Friday: Saving Lives, Running with Wings, and Breaking Up with Glee

OakMonster.com - Running with Wings

Five for Friday is a weekly (well, almost) series about the five new things I learned each week. (Hey, it’s still technically Friday! Sorry I’m late. Hee.) Actually, I should call this as Five for January. I haven’t written on of these since Christmas!  Well, having the year end recap, my 2013 goals, and Race on the Base updates did throw me for a loop.  We’ll just go with whatever I fancy for the past month, alright? I’ve Learned CPR Oh yes. I now have a CPR card. I just have to remember exactly how many compression (30) and how...
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Can We Agree to Disagree?

OakMonster.com - Safe Ferrets

Politics. This is the stuff that breaks up families and friends forever. In every country. In every language. I had an online AND offline argument with a friend over Thai politics many years ago. We agreed to disagree, and we never talked politics again ever since. Agree to disagree. Some people would consider that phrase a cop out, a surrender, or sometime an invitation to keep laying on their point of view.  I consider it the olive branch. A spirited discussion over politics, fashion, music, movies, etc. is normal in any circle of friendship. Democrats vs. Republicans. Beatles vs. The...
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Don’t Cry Over Un-spilled Blood

OakMonster.com - Almost a first-time blood donor

Today is the 5th anniversary of my mom’s passing.  And I have planned on donating blood in her honor.  This would’ve been my first time ever donating blood. That’s right. Would’ve been. Read on. My older brother has been giving blood for years on his birthday and either on mom’s anniversary and/or her birthday.  Here in the U.S., you have to weigh 110 lbs./50 kg. to be able to give blood among many other eligibility requirements.  For 19 years, I never weigh enough. Finally, I’m fat enough to qualify! I checked the Red Cross website and read up on what...
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London Delayed Air

This is what I have to say about the Olympics Spoiler Hysteria

(See what I did there?) Welcome to the OakMonster’s traditional Olympics rant!  I’ve ranted about Athens. I’ve ranted about Beijing. And now, my dear readers, I shall rant about London. The opening ceremony? I watched a portion of it live over the internet and then I watched the whole thing through–well, almost the whole thing through–with my fellow west coast residents and tweeted my way through the time delayed broadcast.  So very British and so very Danny Boyle. And I love it. (And yes, I *did* catch the TARDIS “parking brake” noise during that crazy British pop medley. Not my...
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Be a Better Pinner in One Step

Be A Better Pinner: Click it before you repin/like it!

There are several websites out there, in addition to the official Pinterest Etiquette, that will tell you the many steps you need to do to be a good Pinterest citizen. Yes, you should be respectful, be authentic, and report objectionable content. Don’t copy the recipe/instructions/part of the article into the comment. Be clear with your comment. Consider your audience. etc. etc. But the cardinal sin of Pinterest is to pin blindly and not checking for the source of the pin. Hello, my name is Oakley. I have been a bad pinner. When I see something cute/funny/yummy/geeky/awesome on Pinterest, my instinct...
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