OakMonster's Den

I’m one of those fortunate enough to have and hang out with diverse groups of friends, both in real life and out here in the blogosphere and twitterverse.  All of them different shapes and sizes in colors of the rainbow with even larger variety of interests and points of view.  All have great sense of humor and never take anything too seriously.

But those we pull no punches on the most are Brandon’s circle of friends.  The boys have known each other since high school and once we’re welcomed to the family, you’re also fair game for endless teasing and good natured banters.

For example, we were over at James and Aurora’s for pizza on Friday night.  Just so you know, James has always been the token Jew of the gang while I’m the token Asian.  Well, then again, you could be token anything in this group. A token redhead. A token happa.  A token Marine. A token Superman (Justin is a Marine veteran amputee AND an ER doctor in residency AND his wife is pregnant. So there, Superman!)  So that’s always fun.

But anyways. On with the show.

Bob was going over what was in the pizza order James placed that he had picked up.  One was mushrooms and olives and the other was pepperoni and sausage. Brandon pointed at the meat fest.

Brandon: I voted for that one.

Me: Hey, how come I didn’t get to vote?

James: Because you’re a woman.

Me: [Single finger salute]

James: AND you’re a minority.

So we grabbed our pizzas and settled down for dinner.  James had asked for some crushed red pepper flakes.  Aurora had set it on the table in front of me so while he was busy conversing, I started peeling the stubborn “freshness seal” off this new bottle.  The fucker just didn’t want to come off.  James, getting antsy for his turn at the pepper flakes, looked over.

James:  Oakley, can I help you with that?

Oakley: No!  I started this war and I’m going end it, goddamn it!

James: Oh, but how many LIVES do you have to ruin to win this atrocious war!?

Oakley: Just the Jews.

Payback is pretty sweet.

Uncle Pete ::  Jimmy Dean’s The Sun

Tabatha from Tabatha’s Salon Takeover :: A Na’vi

I mean…really.

2009 in pictures

*

2009 Awards

Drinking Buddy of the Year: Brandon, actually. Surprise!  The mister doesn’t usually party down, but he has taken up a beer here and there this past year, a stressful one for his work.  So we had gone out for a beer together more than the year before.  Cheers to you, honey bunny!

Bar of the Year: Hennessey’s Tavern and Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach. These two places never fail to deliver cold pints and some great eats.  They’re our go-to places when we want to run away from the daily life for a little while.

Sorry to disappoint y’all with the lack of Downtown LA’s bar feature this time around.  I haven’t partied in town much at all.  Climate change around the office will affect your happy hour weather, I tell ya.

Newcomer Award: Twitter Gang. I have grown to love folks I met at Tweet Ups especially @dananner, @anaperiodista, @fstop23, @davidmoyle, @sendchocolate, @joncruz, @vbesack, and the disappearing @phraktyl.  We went shooting pictures.  We played Rock Band.  We got drunk.  We had overall great times on and off line.  Great year to make new friends!

High Point of the Year: Watch Thrill the World Los Angeles became the awesome success. From mere 100 last year grown into the thousands. It still blows my mind.

Low Point of the Year: The Christmas Flu and USC Football Rebuilding Year. Yep. Suckage.

Best Holiday: Halloween…again. I mean, prancing through Pine Street as Zombie Princess Leia, rocked that stage with my awesome crew of zombies?  Best. Halloween. EVER!

Song of 2009: Glee soundtracks. I mean, I can barely pin it down to just ONE song!  Almost everything from Glee I totally dig.  I’m especially partial to Somebody to Love, Don’t Rain on My Parade, Defying Gravity (the duet), No Air, Sweet Caroline (Can I get a hell-yeah from Team Puck?), and this one I can’t stop singing.  Lea Michele.  What a revelation!

Movie of 2009: Avatar. I’m sorry, Star Trek and District 9!  You came sooo close!

Surprise Movie of 2009: Bangkok Traffic (Love) Story – Rod Faifa Ma Ha Na Tuh – รถไฟฟ้า..มาหานะเธอ.  I’m soooo in love.

Restaurant of the Year: Bottega Louie. Great food and ambiance.  Totally a favorite place to run away from work to for a long lunch.  Okay it’s a little loud, but what an awesome place to be!  Affordable awesomeness.

Book of the Year: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Seriously. Go read that.

TV Show of the Year: Glee. Duh.

*

2009 Goals Tally:  6 out of 10…kind of.

1. FAIL – Explore Kung-fu.  HAH!  I did not.

2. FAIL – Drink more water.  Did okay for a couple of months before waking up to pee in the middle of the night got old.

3. FAIL -More guitar/piano/singing – at least twice a week.  I did try for once a month, but that didn’t happen since my office got so messy I can’t even get to the piano.

4. PARTIAL SUCCESS -Read more books – One book a month at least.  Actually did 10 out of 12.  Not too bad!

• Water for Elephants, Sarah Gruen – Love it.
• Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, Lynne Truss – Learned all sorts of new things.
• Watchmen, Alan Moore – The movie ending makes a hell of a lot more sense than the book I tell ya.
• Turn Coat: The Dresden Files Book 11, Jim Butcher – Always love Jim.  This is no exception.
• Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert – Definitely love the Eat/Pray part. I could do without the Bali experience.
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith – Best. Book. EVER!
• Bad Things, Michael Marshall – I’m still scratching my head at that one. Whuh…?
• The Foodie Handbook, Pim Techamuanvivit – Totally enjoyable and awesome.  She takes gorgeous pictures.
• Heat Wave, “Richard Castle” – Totally a fun read for us Castle fans.

5. FAIL – Add yoga to the routine – at least once a week.  Not so much.  However, I ended up losing 6 lbs. from September through November with the Thriller work out and stress diet.  Haven’t gotten any of it back…yet.

6. SUCCESS – Take a language class.  Buongiorno! 

7. PARTIAL SUCCESS – Cook one new recipe a month.  I went with a few new ones in a month and then go without cooking for weeks.  But we did try new recipes.

8. SUCCESS – Fix them teeth.  5 more months!!!

9. SUCCESS – Fix them eyes. Well, I *did* decide on not getting LASIK done after extensive reserach and serious discussion with my optometrist.  There’s a 50/50 chance I would come out normal or my dry eyes are going to get more severe to a level that’ll become problematic.  I’ll stick with the glasses with that kind of odds, thanks.

10. SUCCESS – Keep up with whatever is working well.  Still a latte a week here.

I must’ve been bad last year as Santa brought me the flu for Christmas.

I had a fabulous Christmas Eve dinner with Nora’s family. Great time. Tons of presents.  Hope you and yours had a fabulous time as well!

Christmas morning, I woke up with pain in my ear and swollen glands. By noon I was running fevers averaging to about 101. By 2 p.m. I called my cousin to excuse myself from family dinner. By 2:05 p.m. I downed first of many shot of Nyquil of the next 5 days.  By 2:30 p.m. I fell asleep on the couch hugging a pack of blue ice for comfort.  The rest was very much a blur.

Saturday morning, I woke up to 103 fever. Fortunately, the fever stayed put, back down to the 100. No emergency room visit for me.  Yay.  But the date between me, the couch, the ice pack, and body pillow (aka Jerry) continued.  I regrettably had to cancel my appearance at a Tweet Up the following day which I organized a month earlier.  Fooey!  Fever broke once over night.

Sunday morning, ear ache was gone. Things started to drain down the back of my throat, but I wasn’t all that stuffed up. Fever was still with me although a lot less probably it was trumped by fatigue. So Jerry the Pillow and I continued our date on the couch, thinking all the while that I wanted to be at the Tweet Up, playing Rock Band, having Hooters wings and presenting my friend with his Guinness Chocolate Birthday Cake.  By 5 p.m. it was clear I wasn’t at the party nor in any condition to go to work the next day. I had one sweaty night that night, not in a good way but definitely was better for me.

Monday morning came the onslaught of ick.  Things were still draining but I also started the drippy goodness. Fever was starting to subside, though.  I got an appointment with my substitute doctor as my current one is pregnant. The sub swabbed me and cleared me for strep throat (duh, I could’ve told her that…wait, I *did*!), and concluded that I was at the tail end of the flu. She told me to keep up with the Mucinex and plenty of liquid, to call in sick the next day, and sent me home.  I coughed and hacked through the afternoon, feeling worse as I went.  Piles upon piles of tissues were bulldozed scooped into the trash can when I went to bed at 7 p.m. Ah. Another sweaty night guarantee the morning victory!

Alas, a glorious morning without any drippy goodness!  I felt great!  But then my vocalizing “Yey” came out more like a weezy whistle.  With all the hacking yesterday, it seeemed my voice ran away from home.  A few minutes later, the mucus all came back and good feelings proved to be just a flash in the pan.  I cuddled back up to Jerry the Pillow, the second box of Puff with Lotion, and my pot of tea.

I have lost count as to how many pots of tea there have been through these past 5 days.  From PG Tips English Breakfast with sugar and milk on Christmas morning, to the rotation of Yogi Echinacea Immune Support with honey, just hot water and honey, lemongrass and pandan tea from Thailand, and TenRen Chrysanthemum tea with a touch of brown sugar. Something in these teas definitely makes it all better faster. I personally think it’s the REAL honey, avocado honey no less, I got from the farmer’s market. But I digress.

Many, er, “hairballs” later, I started to feel better. By 5 p.m. I actually wanted real food and Brandon, bless his heart for having taken care of me all week, fetched me the patty melt I craved.  Everything stayed down this time.

Hopefully, that was the last shot of Nyquil I will need for a while.

Well, this post started after I watched the latest episode of “Sood Sanaeha”, the Thai soap I’m following.  Long story short, she finally sees what has been in front of her this whole time, and decides to nab the Chef.  The Chef walks away after her big scheme to apologize to him.

I was actually cheering for the Chef.  Good for you for leaving that manipulative, selfish, whiny bitch!

(Well, this is not the finale. Although to me, it’s a perfect ending right there!  Karma is a bitch, bitch!  But this is Thailand, expect a few more episodes of  the scheming to get him back.)

It then dawns on me, oh my god. There is NO MAN on the planet like that guy!  I mean, he actually tells this bitch he thinks she’s perfect to him despite all of her flaws?  He actually LOVES this narcissistic, kniving crybaby?!?!  Seriously!?!?

I love the lovey-dovey thing he’s been doing since he realizes he had fallen for her while she floats around completely oblivious to his suddenly undivided attention.  I hate the fact that we are now fed the image of a perfect man…who doesn’t exist at all.

Hi. I’m Oakley. I am a romantic comedy addict. AND a romantic comedy hater. All at the same time.

I love a good romantic comedy once in a while.  Some of them I can watch over and over again. Even Brandon starts to recognize them because I would stop and watch whenever they are on TV.

Part of me still wants a tall sexy French man to tell me I don’t have to fly anywhere and take me back to the stone cottage on a vineyard.

To go to a pub after a break up and get pissed on Grolsch and meet a funny bloke who quotes Monty Python…then chop off my hair and start my own company, all the while getting over the break up and learning to enjoy life and love again with said funny bloke.

To follow all the signs that lead to that one true love I met randomly a long time ago on one spectacular evening in New York City.

To be loved by a boy for who I truly am despite the fact that I’m a major movie star.

To have a hunky roommate who actually has been trying to show me what the world is really like while I hide behind a theory of why some men are jerks, but yet he is there to catch me when I come to my senses.

To have someone who manages to fall in love with me just by talking to me on the phone and still love me despite the fact that I am not the gorgeous tall blond he thought I was but a nerdy short brunette.

To meet some guy by random chance who adores me even though I seem to be making all the mistakes like breaking his Rayban and his camera, AND still has feelings for me after 2 years of being abroad.

And to realize that what I want for Christmas is, well, you.

[ Oh yeah, name those movies, get some kudos. Leave your answers in the comments.  (Hint: One of these you may find some clues in recent posts.) ]

In other word, deep down inside I still want to dream that big crazy romantic dream of getting swept off my feet and living happily ever after.

But then again, reality is different than fiction.

I guess–no, I know–I am bitter that romantic comedy doesn’t work in real life.  And then I hate romantic comedy for putting a veil over the eyes of young girls everywhere about what love should be like, setting all of us up for disappointment later on.

Hey, I was once the citizen of Planet RomCom too.  It took many years, several heart breaks, and lord knows how many gallons of tears to realize that life and relationship is NOTHING like the movies.

I know a few people who still wait for Mr. Darcy (both Jane Austen’s and Bridget Jones’) and keep throwing away opportunies or perfectly good relationships because it didn’t fit what they have in mind.  You know, how it should be on Planet RomCom.  They’re miserable for that.

It’s back to that Team Jacob v.s. Team Edward conversation we had recently.  Do you want something real or do you want something to swoon to?  I chose the practical love I can rely on with not a lot of swoon factor.  Hence, the stack of romantic comedy I have around the house.

I guess swooning is like a drug.  Once in a while you need a fix. And since we can’t be 16 again to get the full effect of raging love hormones, we go to our “dealer” and get a romantic comedy.

So, scoot on over, darling.  Tonight, I need me a little “Pretty in Pink”.

I’ve done my share of long distance traveling.  Every time some one gasps when I tell them how long it takes to fly to Thailand, I chuckle a little bit inside.

“Well, it’s 11-12 hours with a 3-hour layover in Taiwan/Hong Kong/Japan, and then another 4-5 hours to Bangkok. OR I can fly direct for 17.5 hours.”

“OH MY GOD! / Da-yam! / Are you kidding me? / I could never do that!?!”

Then I will tell them that it’s not so bad any more.  On Thai Airways direct flight, even Economy seat has its own on demand TV and Interactive center.  (Seriously, Jet Blue? DirecTV in every seat is supposed to be a big deal? Puh-lease.)

Sure, some flights are worse than others.  But hey, if you ever plan to travel the world, get a grip on those hours of flights, people.

Like the jet lag I’m suffering the tail end of it right now.  I’m staying awake as long as I can so I don’t wake up in the middle of the night again.  But so far Melatonin has helped plenty.

That brings me to the list of things I have learned NEVER to get on a plane without ever again.  (Not counting a bottle of water here since nowadays they supply you with plenty of water. Thai Airways handed me a bottle and told me to keep it for refill during flight.)

1. Bonine

The wonder of a motion sickness pill!  Unlike Dramamine, this thing doesn’t make me drowsy and it lasts for 24 hours.  Being as sensitive to motion as I am, flying has never been my forte. I HATED flying and scared out of my head with every tiny little dip in the sky.  I also used to have to sit by a window or I get super dizzy very quickly, worse when we hit turbulence during meal service.  With Bonine, I don’t feel any drops except a significantly big ones.  Last year, on a boat touring the islands of Phuket, I was so adjusted to the motion that I misstepped a few times because I actually couldn’t feel the boat tilting.

Bonine is chewable but dang the “raspberry” flavor is nasty.  You’ll need to wash that down with some water.  It works like charm on a road trip and most boats.

2. EarPlanes

I discovered these over one trip when I still had sinus infection before getting on the plane.  Some forums suggested using the EarPlanes pressure regulator earplugs.  They really helped.  I usually have problems popping my ears on the way down that would either leave me kind of deaf for a few days or give me severe ear pain during and/or after the flight.  Since I got these, landing is quite music to my ears.

3. Sleep Mask

Boy did I wish I have the complimentary one of those you’d get in Economy Deluxe class of seats over the last trip!  My seat was aisle, one behind the front row with access to the bathroom. However, the green “bathrooms are free” light was so bright the entire trip there was no way I could escape it where I was sitting.  And of course, there is always a jack ass somewhere with the reading light on.

4. A well tested travel pillow

I made sure my friend got a good one before he got on his long flight to the East Coast.  Dude still thanks me for it.  Personally, I have a child’s travel pillow, pink and funky-shaped, for my daily bus commute.  You need to really test out your pillow at home first.  I don’t recommend the blow-up kind. Those things SUCK!  The buckwheat-filled beanbag pillow fits me better than any of that donut neck pillow or the oddly-stuffed one on the plane ever will.  It’s just a tad heavier than the foam bubbles but definitely more comfy.  A perfect companion for all the long hauls.

5. A warm hoodie

The plane could get incredibly cold and incredibly warm.  The long haul usually ends up being cold. Best to get comfy.  And have contingency plan to cover your eyes.

6. A book and/or a loaded MP3 player

Entertainment center died on us 6 hours into the 17 hour flight. I did have my netbook loaded with a few movies but the batteries were dying after one and a half of them.  So, back to a book first, then music later.  A laptop/netbook is nice but some times I really wonder if it was worth the extra weight I have to carry.

7. A passport holder

I always ended up rummaging through my stuff for my green card to go with the passport and then I didn’t remember where I put the card or had to put it back somewhere else. ETC.  I spent a few bucks and bought a vinyl one from Target to hold my passport on one side, green card and Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer card on the other with my itinerary.  They fit into my hoodie pocket. Perfect.

8. A pen

Seriously. Everyone is looking around for a pen when the flight attendances came through with immigration form.  Duh. Carry a pen, people.

9. Melatonin pills

This is NOT for during flight but your first night in town when you cross time zone(s).  Someone told me about Melatonin “therapy” to get people back on track after traveling back to the US from Asia.  It supposed to help you adjust your internal clock to darkness better.  I took it before bed my first night in Thailand and I actually slept through the night on the first night!  Usually I’d be up at 4 or 5 a.m.  Victory! Second night was also a success. That was all melatonin I took.

On the way back, so far I’ve bounced back a lot quicker.  I took it the first night and slept for 12 hours. LOL.  Brandon dragged my butt outside of the house for some daylight therapy which you also need to get your clock back to normal.  What should’ve taken 4-5 days or for some people a whole week to get adjusted back to, I am doing it in 3 nights with melatonin AND getting out in the sun.

Now that it’s nearing midnight, I think I’m tired enough to actually sleep through the night on my own.  Cross your fingers!

Optional: Goldfish crackers or some other snacky foods

Domestic flights don’t really feed you any more so you’ll have to take your own.  And sometimes you’re just too darn lazy to go the back of the plane for a snack during a long haul international flight.  But if I fly Thai, I’ll probably won’t bring that any more.  I’ve found on board Thai Airways this time that their mid-flight snacks are much better than the crackers.  They have bananas, apples, and oranges back there with cheese and crackers leftover from another meal service.  And if you want a cup-a-noodles, the attendance will hook you up with one.  Neat, huh?

That would be my travel essentials.  How about you?  What else do you or would you bring on a long flight?

As previously stated, I am not a Twi-hard. I haven’t read the books, and I haven’t even watch Twilight until a few days ago on Thai cable at the urging of my sister-in-law who insisted that I knew the story before we see New Moon.

Being a pop culture fiend, I did know that story. Going straight into New Moon wouldn’t be a problem. I mean, Kuri’s attempt at reading Twilight for the rest of us got me to know enough of the sap involve that I personally don’t want to get in on that crap.  (Thanks again, Kuri for taking one for the team!)

But hey, I know how night time Thai TV could be. Twilight was a better choice.

As I mentioned in the other post, my interst in New Moon was purely out of lust.  Helllooooo Jacob!  I actually wanted to see it more after having seen Twilight because of the adorableness of Taylor Lautner even before the beefyness.

From both movies, I learned to really dispise Edward and Bella and for the lessons they are teaching teenage girls everywhere.

• You should love your stalker because he cares so much.
• It’s okay for him to sneak into your bedroom while you slept and watch you sleep.
• He confesses that he could physically hurt you and possibly kill you and he can barely restrain himself when he’s around you, BUT he loves you too much to go away. And you should love him back because that’s all about love.
• You should hide your boyfriend from your dad.
• Because your first (and who you think is your true) love moves away, you should be depressed and want to risk your life so you can just get a hallucination of him (aka your conscience…and probably your guts) telling you NOT TO DO THE STUPID SHIT.
• Your boyfriend should want to kill himself if you were to die.
• You also should leave your parent worried to go save said dumbass boyfriend.
• You should take advantage of another boy who also likes you, leading him on so he could fix your bike and run to you to protect you at will. But you will drop his ass the moment the “true love” is back in town. (…what a whore…)

I also found myself giggling in the theater every time Edward uttered the “You’re my only reason to live” crap.  Not swoony giggle but give me a fuckin’ break giggle.  Well, I guess if he’s over 100 years old, you get that right to use that type of language.  But still, hot dang.  I haven’t seen that much cheese since what was on Brenda’s Oktoberfest platter.

Now, you turn around and take a look at Jacob.  He is her friend first. They share laughs. They had a great time. He actually runs off when he finds out he’s not good for her…unlike Edward who keeps it going and going…Jackass.  He actually stays and fights to protect her instead of throwing her in a car so they could run away.  Even when she denies him, he still hangs around the make sure she’s okay.  A much healthier relationship over here than oh my god I’ll throw myself over a cliff because he’s not here kind of thoughts.

I guess I am too practical for that romantic notion of love.  Dont’ get me wrong, I still swoon over romantic comedy.  A few days ago I watched a Thai romcom, “Bangkok Traffic (Love) Story” (Rod Faifa Ma Ha Na Tuh) and came out of the theater starry eyed.  (Then again, it did end in the planetarium…)  I appreciate the sweet story however the sap I can no longer handle.

Call me jaded, but I’d take the more practical application of love than the swoony kind.  No bullshit kind of love.

Hence, Team Jacob here.  Straight up I love you and I’m here for you.  I could be a little nutty so back the hell off or you’ll get hurt…which is every dude when they’re angry anyway.  But I’m here for you.

Pretty much the love Brandon and I have. No sugar coating type of love.  I love you.  Here it is.  So Team Jacob = Team Brandon too.

And he definitely doesn’t sparkle in sunlight…albeit occasionally I think he glows in the dark.  Heehee.

I am not a Twi-hard but I am willing to go cougar for Taylor.

I haven’ t read the book nor have I seen the first film but from New Moon trailer, I am Team Jacob all the way, baby.

Besides, it comes down to that Werewolf v.s. Vampire debate.  Who would you rather have, a vampire or a werewolf?

Not counting Taylor, my vote has always been for a werewolf.  Why? Let me count the ways!

1. He’s alive. Duh.
2. He eats like normal people. If you can’t share my love for food, you can’t be here.
3. He’s warm. Yep. I need that.
4. He’s definitely not  going to be skinny.
5. You can actually have a normal life with the guy during daytime AND nighttime. Hey, I’m old school. Don’t be talking to me about Daywalking business.  Unless you’re Blade, fuck you and the whole vampires sparkling during daylight crap.
6. He only goes “native” once a month.  And us girls KNOW exactly how to handle that time of the month moodiness. Ain’t that right, ladies?
7. He has a tail.
8. He’s comfortable going around naked.
9. What if I get scratched and become one? That’ no problem. I’ve always wanted to have a tail!

Now yourself.  Werewolf or vampire? Jacob or Edward? Taylor or Rob? Take you battle to the comments!

Halloween night? Massive fun. My team of Thrill the World LA and OC kicked ass at Halloween on Pine. We literally rocked the stage. I mean, the fucking thing was swaying with our every moves! Not once, but TWICE! It was complete and total rockage.

Brandon was a complete trooper, escorting me up and down the street and once again played photographer and roadie to our rag tag team of zombies.

Obviously, I barely watched USC…and even more obviously, I had a bra on.

Sorry, team. My bad. Moo. Moo…

Sunday came easily. First Sunday with zero schedule. No Thriller. No meeting.

Holy shit.

I had no plan.

I took it in stride and parked on the couch for the first half of the day, picked myself up to go get a massage, took luxurious long shower, and went out to dine stress-free at James & Aurora’s.

A normal Sunday, I quit you for so long. It’s so good to have you back!

How was your weekend?

Oh hell yes.2,300 or so on paper but it felt/looked like 6,000 out there in the plaza!  Brandon shot over 700 pictures and I had another 200.  (What a trooper he is, braving the Blue Line and all!)

Worldwide, last counted, 23,000 people.

What a moment.  What an adventure!

You can’t see me in this clip though they did close up on me for the “Coming up next” before this section.

Life is slowly getting back to normal.  I have to lead my little Long Beach team to perform on Halloween at Halloween on Pine and that’s it for Thriller for a while.

This one I’m on the right toward the front.