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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5 Things To Do When You (Feel Like You) Suck At Everything

Have you ever have a day when you wake up and feel like a total failure of a human being? Yep. Welcome to the land of the unemployed. I’ve been out of a full-time employment for over a year now. While I have been freelancing steadily since August, it was never an easy transition to go back to sending out resumes, waiting by the phone, and getting rejections.  And when working on-and-off like I have been, constant fights with EDD over unemployment benefits never helps either. After so many turn-downs and/or lack of responses, not only I start to doubt...
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Freeing My Creative Mind

It’s  been over 10 years since I worked in a truly creative environment. I had given up on being creative professionally.  When I got home, I didn’t do much either except for the costuming for Halloween/Renaissance Faire, food gift labels for the holidays, and the now-tradition Christmas e-card. Oh, and occasional alcohol-fueled rock star moments at the piano. It only took three months working with and for these guys at Ignited to get me to WANT to be creative. All. The. Time. I was tasked with reviving the company’s social media presence. So, for the next month, I read several...
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Social Media Purists Are Unicorns

Recently, I found myself cursing at how corporate social media playing field has become. Folks are talking brands, driving sales, being all business-like. Nobody is actually interacting any more. Whatever happened to the SOCIAL part of “social media”? I believe in the SOCIAL in “social media”. I believe in connecting with people and sharing my ideas online. I believe in building relationships that lasts and engaging people in what I do and/or am interested in. I’m a Social Media Purist. There, I said it. However, today it seems the real relationship is being eaten up by companies and individuals faking...
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Thailand Flood Relief: Donate to Thai Red Cross Society

Want to help Thai people who suffered the worst flood our country ever had in recent history? Please donate to the Thai Red Cross Society. Your money will be well spent and will get to the flood victims most effectively. You can wire the money directly with the instructions provided when you click on the main, green banner. Or choose another donation method by selecting “Donation Online” banner on the left and choose “”Relief for Disaster Victims and Disadvantaged in Rural Areas”. I’m making this suggestion here and for everyone to spread the words around.  I don’t know what Thai...
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Getting My Eyes Opened

It’s been 6 months since my career change. I have experienced so much in half a year than I’ve ever had in a long time. Obviously, I’ve experienced being completely and totally unemployed. I’ve experienced life as an independent contractor, working with a few clients on a few small projects; as a hired hand for any odd jobs; and as a party hostess and promoter for a product. And now as a full-time freelancer at a huge advertising firm. I’ve always wanted to work in advertising since I made up my mind in 8th grade. I did summer internships at...
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