OakMonster's Den

I told you about my multi-talented friend Note, the co-owner of Kinnaree Gourmet Thai and tarot card reader extraordinaire.  The latter, at least our group of friends think she is anyway.

I promised Note that I would blog about my month-to-month prediction, so that as time ticks on, we can come back to see how accurate she really is.

Before we get to that, what she said about my overall future gets me giggling.

She said that although I am a team player, I work better alone. Same thing with my social life, great with friends and going out but rather be at home.  She said that I will do well in an international environment. And that if I was to change job, I will find success in working on my own with international connections.

Gee. Doesn’t that sound like I should persue blogging and writing full time? LOL.

She also pointed out that my generosity and willingness to help people will get me in trouble.  Yeah, well, that was proven last year when I loaned money to childhood friend who actually was scamming off everyone she knew. Her poor mom was following her trail paying off the debt, including mine. But I digress.

Also I have to watch my dedication to work. Note pointed out that my doing well at work often means I’m so consumed by it and neglecting the household. Again, that’s true. I lost myself in whatever it is I’m involved in and forget to take care of my personal life.  Brandon knows this well from 2 years of Thrill the World back to back with my Big Gala.

Now, the 12-month prediction.

December: There will be secrets involved either at work or at home. Somebody has a secret and that will complicate things.

January: Watch out for some work harmony issue. That schpiel about me being too generous has something to do with that.

February: Great partnership at work and at home.

March: Other people will have bad news that I would take it upon myself to worry about.  It’s not my bad news but I’ll be bothered by it quite the same way.

April: The lady doth daydream too much. LOL. Something about me not being able to concentrate on the present, instead dreaming about things that could be.

May-June: There will be some obstables I must get over in these two months. Everything will be a struggle but I will win in the end.

July: Disappointment, she said.  That was the only word she gave me for July.

August: Temper rises and there will be some “third hand” interferences in my life. Like someone will try to mess things up for me.

September: I will “lead the army to victory” at work.

October-November: Again, obstacles. This time I will get tangled up in things. I will feel stuck. (Gee…during that time of year, could Thrill the World be something I get tied up on??)

There. You now also have the map to my future year. Stick around to see what may come true!

As for now, Note didn’t mention in her cards but I’m enjoying the time at home.  I had lunch with my family and the Aunties today.  We stuffed ourselves silly with a seafood feast, had great conversations, and remembered mom while at it.  Her friends miss her dearly and I once again serve as the proxy for my mom in hanging out with her friends.

Tuesday is Lalai Sap with the Aunties, movie in the afternoon with a friend, and dinner with Gnarly Kitty.  Wednesday is a day-trip to Aunty Or’s house in Khao Yai now that it’s finished and completed with the backyard orchard, corn field and mini rice paddy.  Thursday looks like a lunch  and shopping date with sister in law and dad. Friday is exclusively all Gang of 4 and a night out with Tong per our tradition. Saturday, last lunch with the family and off to California I go.

International lone wolf, I am!

Sawaddee from the Big Mango, y’all!  A nice, crisp, 75F “winter” Bangkok, no less.  I am enjoying the cool morning here.

I arrived at dawn yesterday and what a day it was!  My brother and sister-in-law picked me up in his brand new BMW X5.  We had breakfast and I was left to myself all morning.  I unpacked, played some piano, and took a crack at the Nikki Heat novel before succumbing to sleep after lunch.

My friend Note called to wake me up and off I went to her condo for a 4:30 p.m. pool party that didn’t happen. LOL.  Another friend showed up and we just hung out waiting for other people.

Meanwhile, in addition to her Kinnaree restaurant, Note has developed a new talent for tarot card reading.  I experienced her talent first hand last night which I will post later. Yes, it deserves its own entry!  Let’s just say that my general card is a Star. So is Lily’s.  It’ll be a good year next year.

The gang later assembled at Kinnaree Gourmet Thai on the back patio, away from general population.  3 other friends showed up for dinner. A few of us partook in a bottle of prosecco.  One of the friends brought home made cupcake and Note was off to assemble an “Earthquake” platter.

Those who are familiar with Swenson’s Ice Cream chain would know that an Earthquake is a big bowl of several scoops of ice cream.  At the request of our gang, Note emerged with a platter of almost every variety of ice cream she had at the restaurant.

I had a plate of half eaten cupcake in my hand as I reached over to get a scoop from the platter.  And SPLAT! The cake landed onto the ice cream.

“Oh my god! 2012 on a plate, you guys! Cupcake meteor!”

We laughed our heads off then.  And of course, I would repeat the same thing a little while later.  After I stopped laughing, I downed the damn cupcake to prevent future disaster.

We then took the party back to Note’s condo where we hung around as two more people get their fortune told, provided commentaries and real estate advise as we went.  All with the background of this cheesy modeling show Thailand has on, sponsored by a “talent” school, teaching modeling, stage presence, acting, and singing type deal. The models were quite horrible less this one girl who can actually act.  There was one hot boy on there that overacts worse than Henry Rollins on Sons of Anarchy.  I thought he was hot until I saw him work the runway. Smarmy and over abundance of narcissism killed it for me. But I totally digress there.

The next thing we knew, the girls’ phones started ringing. It was close to midnight and their moms were wondering where they were at. We knew we all had to go home.

My dad and brother just got back from a business trip this morning. I got to eat breakfast with them, now both are back in bed sleeping off their tiring trip.  I am going off to hang out with Lily and Joy and her kids at Royal Bangkok Sports Club for a swim and lunch.

The plan so far:

Today: Sports Club. Dinner with my bro and his girlfriend. Possible trip to Night Bazaar with my sister-in-law and the girlfriend.

Monday: Lunch with the family and Aunties.

Tuesday: Shopping at Lalai Sap Alley with Lily and the Aunties. Catching a Thai new rom-com hit, almost out of the run, with 2 MD friends later that evening.

Wednesday: The Aunties are taking me to Khao Yai. Aunty Or finally finished her home and they want me to see it.

Friday: Shopping with my gang. Dinner with family.

It’s going to be a busy but relaxing week!

I have been submitting “Action Shots” to ThinkGeek.com for a while now.  C.H.I.M.P. Bunny here and Expendable there.

So when the final purchase of my shirt-tastic shopping spree came in (I mean, Rock – Paper – Scissors – Lizard – Spock!? How could you NOT buy?), it took all of 5 minutes for us to set up this shot Brandon took, and for me to submit with suggested caption of “You Spocking to me?”

Ladies and gentlemen, you are now looking at the winning portrait of  ThinkGeek.com’s Action Shot of April 2009.

It didn’t take ThinkGeek team long to approve the shot.  James was surprised when he was browsing ThinkGeek and found my picture a couple of days later.

“Am I hallucinating or is this you?” he emailed.

I’m sooo certifiably geeky.  AND proud of it!

My mom had always told me, according to all the fortune tellers, that I, like my dad, don’t have any “luck”.  As in, we won’t win the “enter to win” type stuff or the lottery.  Money won’t fall out of the sky or someone would give us anything out of the blue.  We have to earn our success, making our own luck.

So far, I earned a couple of them this year.  First was the Port of Long Beach photo contest which I was one of three winners–one other being Annette (@dananner).

And now this.

Mom and her army of fortune tellers was right.

*

P.S. For those of you oblivious to RPSLS, please edumacate yourselves.

That was then.

This is now.

Still singing the same ol’ song.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!