Silver Fox Project

OakMonster - Silver Fox Project - Granny Hair

Guys, I’m going au naturel. With my hair color. You know, I’m low maintenance. I don’t really do much of anything, but I do have some beauty routines. Of all of those, the one I hate the most is spending hours at a salon to get my hair colored. I’m 40 years old. I have a house. I have something better to do with my money than coloring my hair. Well, I’m saying this now. This might just be “alternative facts” a few months down the road. We’ll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, say hello to the Silver Fox...
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You’ve Gotta Have Faith

OakMonster - Flore Amore - To Have Faith - Deviant Art

I can’t help paying my respect to the late George Michael. But I am about to talk about faith. So it is appropriate, right? Well, people’s faith awes me. You see, I am not religious. If you ask me, I’d say I’m Buddhist. I can’t really say I’m a non-practicing Buddhist just because I don’t go to the temple. (Long story.) I am practicing Buddhism in my everyday life. I believe in karma. I try to be mindful. I seek balance and moderation. I want to treat others the way I want to be treated. I was raised in a...
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Changed For Good

OakMonster - Doctor Who - We all change

2016 has been ridiculously colorful, eventful, and emotional for all kinds of reasons–personally, professionally, politically. My job changed at the end of 2015, and it’s been an interesting and fun journey since then. I said goodbye to my childhood home in Thailand in March. Brandon and I moved into our first home in August. I enjoyed springtime in Scottsdale, fell in love with Chicago early summer, and grew to despise the convention/tourist side of Orlando in the fall. In June, after a few years of trying to get the ball rolling, I finally took “Be Kind For Khun Noi” from...
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Castle Boren

OakMonster - Buying our first home

Friends, we’ve adulted. We’ve just bought our first home. And we dub it Castle Boren. Well, I’m calling it #CastleBoren. It fits the description. 3 stories with bedroom suite on the top floor. And with just the 2 of us, having 3 bedrooms is a lot of house. Best part? 100 yards down from where we’ve been renting for 10 years. It all happened so fast. We weren’t quite expecting to buy a house this year. At all. But as those who’ve read “The Alchemist” knows, when things are meant to happen, things will happen. It started when I went...
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Reading Challenge: Fahrenheit 451

The Simpsons - Book Burning Mobile

Reading challenge #9: A book that was banned at some point. Note: This is NOT a book review. It’s more of a story as to why I chose the book for the challenge and my reflection after having read it. See full challenge list at the bottom of the post. This challenge is the irony to end all ironies when the book is “Farenheit 451.” F451 was not on my high school reading list, so I never read it. I came to the U.S. for my high school junior year, remember? And up to that point in my life, the...
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Oakley Dokely Karaoke

OakMonster.com - Lost In Translation - Karaoke

I love to sing. Y’all know that. For us Asians, singing is in our blood. It doesn’t matter if you can carry a tune or not. If there’s music, by god, there will be singing. Naturally, our brothers and sisters in Japan invented karaoke. Karaoke is a community event–in a bar, in private karaoke room, or in your friend’s living room. You don’t have to be able to carry a tune to enjoy this singing activity with your friends and total strangers. Alcohol is not needed but it does make things more fun and less awkward for everyone. 😉 The...
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