While waiting for DMF to pop, MW Monks can make due with
Novice's Staff - Item - World of Warcraft, which although isn't BiS, actually pretty close.
Another interesting thing I didn't know is the Monk-only vendor consumables. Brewmaster Chang sells
Novice's Serpent Brew - Item - World of Warcraft and
Novice's Tiger Brew - Item - World of Warcraft, both of which provide an insane stat boost Well Fed buff for 60 minutes.
So far I really like the healing throughput of my MW Monk, but it's survivability vs all the ferals and rogues is complete trash. With a trinket I'd be able to survive a bit more, but once that cd is spent it's pretty much game over.