Archive for June, 2007

30
Jun

Beef Orzo

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food and Drink

Ingredients :
Red Capsicums
Yellow Capsicums
Shitake Mushrooms
Red Onions
Black Pepper
Lean Beef
Orzo

  1. Fry the chopped onions, mushrooms and capsicums together. Toss in the sliced beef which had been marinated for 30 mins prior. Add more black pepper and dark soy sauce. Toss everything around and remove from fire. Too long under the fire will make the beef tough.
  2. Cook the orzo like any other pasta. Drain. Sprinkle a little salt and olive oil.
  3. Serve orzo with the beef sauce by the side.

Yummy. Simple dish on a Saturday night. Sweetheart happy, friends happy, me happy. :D

29
Jun

Sometimes…

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Sometimes…
when a guy says to a gal that he does not like living life without her, it may mean that he misses her friendship…and not that he dislikes all the other things he has going in his life.

Sometimes…
some folks just work better as friends than as lovers. And some folks just make better lovers than friends.

Sometimes…
it’s hard for folks to think straight when emotions rule the head. I know, cos I have been there too.

Sometimes…
I feel like shouting out to the guys "Why don’t you just come out clean and tell the girls the WHOLE truth?? Forget your worry that they cannot take it. They will have to take it. In fact, they would prefer it. I am a girl. I know!"

Sometimes…
I have these thoughts in my head but most of the time, they will stay just that. Thoughts in my head.

‘Coz most of the time…the world finds it hard to understand and accept what I have to say.

28
Jun

Super Duper Kiasu

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Film

"Hey Eleen, I am gonna be watching Transformers this Sunday. My friend damn kiasu…bought 7 tickets for us to watch at GSC. Hehehe.."

"Izzit?"

"Yealoh…so when are you gonna watch it?"

"Let’s see. I believe we purchased 19 Premier Class tickets for tomorrow night…and they were purchased last Thursday. Yes, that will make us SUPER DUPER KIASU!!!!"

*LOL*

28
Jun

Just Follow Law

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Film

There are not many movies that can make the audience laugh and cry at the same time. This has got to be one of them.

     This Jack Neo’s 2006 production is indeed a gem! Especially for us Malaysians and Singaporeans…and especially for those who have to deal with corporate redtape all the time. This movie is actually a satire of the Singaporean government but I find that it’s very relevant to what’s happening in our corporate world today.

Bits to look out for :

  • Acknowledging the presence of bootlickers (PHORfessionals) amongst us
  • Actual definition of Professionals : Work Hard, No Guarantee, Must Pay
  • Importance of emails to ‘arrow’ (hit) each other
  • Definition of CC (Cover Ca-Ch’ng) and BCC (Better Cover Ca-Ch’ng)
  • Importance of Black n White (written communication)
  • Concussion = Kong Kah Khiau = Mati !!!
  • The poor Security guards who are constantly trying hard to do their jobs right but always getting shit from employees for clamping their cars or requesting for their employee badges (Dellians will relate SO well to this! *lol*)
  • The comical code-switching between Singlish, Hokkien and Mandarin (peppered with Malay and Tamil)
  • The family values inserted into the story line

Lastly, I strongly believe that Fann Wong and Gurmit Singh (yes, everybody’s favourite yellow boots guy : Phua Chu Kang!) definitely deserve awards for their SUPER convincing role switches. Makes us think abt things that we take for granted as a woman and as a man.

Thanks, baby…for getting me this DVD which helped to cheer me up when I was down with this horrible bug.

27
Jun

Honk if u dare!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Penang drivers are known to be the worst amongst their fellow countrymen and I am constantly reminded of that fact by my out-of-town relatives and friends who drop by for a visit.

     Over dinner today, my colleague from Hydrabad surprised me with a totally different observation of our Penang drivers. His remark "You folks are really disciplined drivers here" had me going "Huh? Penangites? Disciplined drivers? Yea rrright!!"

     Although I have never personally been to India, I have heard enough about the country to know that their drivers put their hands on the horn perpetually ALL the darn time. So, I decided to ask my colleague the question I’ve had on this issue for the longest time.

"If you honk all the time, how do you know which honk is for what?"
"Oh yes, we know. It’s an untaught law. Once you start driving in India, you will know. Basically, we have 3 main types of honks.

  • the honk that says to other drivers "I am here. Pls do not hit my car."
  • the honk that says "WTF?!? Don’t make sudden turns like that! I may hit you!" (this one is familiar. We do this here)

      ….and my favourite honk….

  • the honk that is a pass-it-on honk. This is used when the line is too long to see the first car in front which is going too slow and holding up traffic. So, the last car in the line honks this pass-it-on honk to the car in front of him, and so on…till the honk gets to the first driver. *lol*

Hmmm…I wonder if there is a honk for "Cops ahead. Prepare small change if you were speeding/talking on the mobile/doing something that will give them reason to stop you"….

     If there isn’t, we may need to invent it soon. The high beam method that is being used today doesn’t seem to work anymore. The cops have gotten smart and put really big shrubs on the dividers these days.

26
Jun

Your way, my way, their way…

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Different ways folks deal with issues in Life :

  • those who do not pay as much attention to what was being said as to what was being received by the other party
  • those who are only able to speak out their minds when they are high/drunk, never when sober
  • those who feel that sweeping the ugly aspects of life under the carpet is the best way to deal with them
  • those who jump at the earliest opportunity to ‘iron out’ the issues that prick them under the skin
  • those who thought about the issues to death but eventually do nothing about them
  • those who did too much and end up hurting those around them
  • those who are so deeply hurt by their first experience that their next few experiences pay the price
  • those who are so willing and open to share their hearts that they end up getting hurt over and over again

It’s amazing how bizarrely different folks can be but yet, we find two of the most opposites get together in a relationship. Whether those relationships work out or not will be totally dependant on how much hard work is put in by both parties. Agree? :)

25
Jun

Battle with the Bug

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness

     For the past 24 hours, I’ve been pumping myself with meds and lotsa fruit juices. My temp went up to an all-time high of close to 40 degrees and I was feeling really crappy. Went to see the doc and had to take a jab to bring down my temp.

     All that were still OK with me till the doc said to me, "Be prepared to stay in bed for the next 3-5 days. The bug you have gotten this time is really bad." Huh???? This is really BAD news! I’ve got so many action items planned for 5 days this week! My mailbox is definitely gonna explode! Man, oh man… :(

     To top it off, sweetheart went down as well. Came over after work today and just crashed in my bed. So there we were, 2 very sick persons. Dared not even cuddle ‘cos our bodies were just so warm. It’s funny actually…at any one time, I either had my hand on his shoulders, or he had his hand on my thigh. We were holding each other but not really holding each other. We may laugh abt it another day but today, we were just feeling totally out of sorts. Nothing seems humorous today.

     So it looks like we will both stay in bed tomorrow as well. Not fun to stay in bed and being sick. It’s a different story altogether if we get to stay in bed all day - minus the bug. ;)

Oh well, another day to fight the bug tomorrow. Hopefully, we will win the battle sooner than the doc’s prediction.

24
Jun

Bitten by the Bug

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness

Ok, I spoke too soon.
Looks like the fighter cells in my body are not as tough as I believed them to be.

I had a full Sunday planned ahead.

Tasks on my to-do list :
- go for my monthly aromatheraphy facial
- get a hairwash by the cute, hot chick of a shampoo gal at Chris’ downtown branch
- visit Fluff for my monthly BW fix (can’t belive it has been 4 weeks)
- join some friends on a fruit orchard visit for a…what else??!… durian fest!!!
- do some shopping for some award ideas for our upcoming teambuilding activity
- send Woody for his much needed wash and vacuum
- make a trip to Brothers to get the sleek-looking car seat cover which F has been bugging me to do for months

What actually happened :
- went for facial as planned (only thing on my list achieved)
- woke up sweetheart whom I left sleeping in my bed. Had lunch with him
- dropped him off for his usual weekend activity
- came straight home and KO-ed for the entire afternoon
- woke up feeling crappy.

The bug’s really gotten to me. Heachache, fever, runny nose, cough….urghhh…

Oh well, hopefully…Sunday will end well for me. Sweetheart’s due to come over anytime now with dinner and some TLC. Hopefully, it’ll all go away when I wake up tomorrow morning. I’ve just got too many tasks planned up for the week and canNOT afford to be sick!

Yes, I believe in the fighter cells in my body. I will be strong enough to work tomorrow. Yes, I will be. :)

23
Jun

Saree Saturday

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Current Affairs

It is universally known (and agreed) that the saree is one of the sexiest piece of clothing for women worldwide.

     It was based on this fact that my friends convinced me to attend an Indian wedding over the weekend in a saree. Never mind that I do not own a saree. (The maroon lengha I have ain’t exactly a saree) "Leave it to us" - my galfriends were telling me. OK OK, fine…I will wear a saree to the dinner and I will allow them to be my fashion consultants. Admittedly, I got a little worried when right in front of me, they started arguing abt the style of saree tying which they felt would suit me best. Finally, they all agreed and decided on the ‘unconventional style’. Their justification : "If it is conventional, it is not Eleen!" *lol*

I only have 2 few ground rules:
- no gawdy colored sarees
- no chunky gold accessories
(I can’t seem to agree with the bell-shaped theme for most of the Indian accessories. Give me the simple but classy looking ones anytime)

Check points :

  • We all decided on the chiffon apple green saree with the gorgeous white embroidery.
  • "Nope, she will not be wearing the conventional saree top. Too un-Eleen. Let’s go for a tube. A lacy one, yeah! That’s more like Eleen." I could only stand there and grin as my galfriends got busy dressing me up.
  • I’d go for some classy-looking chunky earrings and will leave my neck bare. "Sexier that way!" the lady at the accessory shop advised and winked at me.
  • "Don’t forget the sticker tattoos!" One of the girls was constantly reminding me.
  • Go for tikka instead of bindi. Bindi’s are common and boring. Tikka is more Bollywood style. Right, stored in memory bank. This weekend, I learnt abt the difference between them.
  • Bangles. No gold colored ones for me pls. Am just not a yellow gold person. Gimme white gold anytime! hehehe…we decided on the green and silver combination. Classy. I like. :)
  • Hair. I think I’ll try a different style this time. Had my hairdresser tie it up with pins (and lots of hairspray! Yuck!) to compliment the tikka. Interesting look.

Thanks to my galfriends, the result was amazing!
My sweetheart loved it, and I loved it too.  Check out the pix. :))))

   Front view Front_view Back_view         Back view

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…Yes, we had FUN!

Wacky_poseImg_0011_1

    

    

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- Did I enjoy dressing up in a saree? (this will be my 2nd saree experience. 1st time was when i was 19 and was part of an Indian fashion show for a school event) I sure did!

- Did I enjoy being complimented by dozens of folks and by sweetheart? You bet! ;)

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- How fast did it take to get out of the saree and into my normal weekend clubbing clothes? 3 seconds! How can a girl do any dirty dancing in the delicate saree?????  ;)

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     One thing’s for sure. I have a renewed respect for Indian women. I don’t think I can manage a saree-tying session all by myself. Too darn stressful trying to get the folds right. The task of trying to achieve a look that is demure, classy, sexy, feminine - all rolled into 1 - is not an easy one.

The result though…is priceless! :D

22
Jun

Wacky Names

By Eleen Por 3 Comments
Categories: Friends

If ever there are awards to be given to the wackiest names, the folks from China will win them all hands down!

Let me share a few of them.
(note : they are but a few drops in the ocean. There are LOADS of them with the wackiest names that we can never, ever, ever imagine tagged to a human being!).

- Energizer
- Child
- Stunky
- Tiger
- Rainbow
- Leaf
- Battle
- Stone
- Heaven Lee (Lee being the last name)
…..and the best one so far…..
- Chimpanzee ("call me Chimp!")

I wonder if anyone ever told them the meaning of those names…

21
Jun

Daily Love for an Aquarius

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

     A galfriend sent this to me this afternoon and I thought it amusing enough to share it here. Hehehe…I am sure most girls can relate to this kinda girlish things we do from time to time and I am also sure the guys will do what they usually do when we get into this kinda mood - roll their eyes. 0^0

June 21, 2007

Daily Flirt:
You may need to slow down somewhat, thanks to a few odd details that don’t match up with what you believe is going on. You can resolve the issue, but only if you take a little greater care.

Daily Couples:
A little flirtation doesn’t come with a penalty or heavy interest, especially if you keep it all in good fun. It can actually pay off if you apply some of that energy toward your honey while you’re at it.

Daily Singles:
Is this friendship? Harmless flirtation? Budding romance? You may be thinking one thing, while they’re thinking quite another. Don’t get too carried away until you’re sure you’re on the same page.

20
Jun

7070

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

I am not a gambler. Don’t even know the difference between 4-D, Toto, Big Sweep, etc…

However, after today’s coincidences, I started having tots of putting some money on 7070 when the next betting day comes around.

  • Firstly, sweetheart’s car got hit on his way to work. Gave me a near heart attack when I got his call this morning "Baby, I got into an accident…". Thank God it’s rather minor and the guy who hit him took full responsibility. So, there’s the first 7070.
  • Secondly, when we were paying for the parking ticket after coming out of the movies tonight, I saw a Waja parked right in front of us. Its number plate caught my eye.That’s the second 7070.
  • As we were walking to my car, I saw a Honda Odyssey driving out of the parking lot. Caught a glimpse of its number plate and pointed it out to sweetheart. He confirmed it to be the third 7070.
  • Lastly, my Woody. I will have to share him with sweetheart until his own car gets fixed. That’s the fourth 7070.

All in one day.

Concidence? I dunno but I definitely know which number to place my bet on. Was told that tomorrow is not a betting day, though. Darn.

20
Jun

World of strangers

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

     It’s that time of the year again. June is supposedly an auspicious month for folks to tie the knot. Doesn’t matter if you are a Chinese, Malay, Indian or “dan lain-lain”, it’s just the month to get hitched.

     What never ceases to amaze me is the way folks put their wedding invitation list together. The wedding dinner sweetheart and I attended last Saturday night had close to 100 tables of guests. 100!! Can you imagine having 1000 faces (some strange, others somewhat familiar and a whole lot of ‘who was that again?’) staring at you and your other half as you walk into the place??

     As I scanned through the sea of faces that night, I saw a lot of familiar and somewhat familiar faces. Heck, I went to school with the bride – all the way from Standard One to Form Six. That’s a whole bunch of years to meet the parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends of the family.

What truly amazed me that night were the folks they invited to the wedding.

  • Schoolmates (even those who have not been in touch since Form 5 days)
  • Fellow Dellians (at certain times during the evening, sweetheart and I felt we were attending a Dell event!)
  • Ex-Dellians too. Hmmm…ain’t that the Sales director who moved to China? And he’s waving at me. Guess he recognized me too. Hiii……
  • Folks from the gym (Hey, isn’t that our Body Pump instructor? Sweetheart was asking me. Yeah, it sure was. And sitting at the same table were a few other familiar faces from the gym.
  • Hey, the lady sitting at that table is the mom of another friend, but hang on, where’s the friend? Daughter not here but mom is here. Weird. I found out later that the bride’s mom occasionally gets a ride from the lady to the market in the mornings. Ahhh, there’s the connection. Weird…but guess a connection is a connection.
  • Hmmm…the lady behind the camera looked kinda familiar. Sometime in the night, she peeked out from behind her camera and grinned at me. Ahhh…I know who she is! The RPM instructor from the gym! Guess she moonlights as an events photographer as well.
  • A whole bunch of elderly folks. Could be relatives, could be friends; but definitely guests of the bridegroom.

     The newly-weds didn’t even have sufficient time to go around to greet their guests. Just too many tables. I feel really sorry for them. I know how tiring it really is. Organized a couple of weddings for my friends (and my brother too) and it helped me realize that when it comes to mine, I will definitely take the road less traveled.

So, here is how I envision my guest list to look like.

- Me and the lucky man (sweetheart has to work hard for this!)
- My parents and immediate family
- His parents and immediate family
*To hold crazeee informal parties for friends later*

Money saved : Go for honeymoon on some exotic land and collect life experiences that we can proudly share with our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Now, that’s a wayyyy better arrangement for me anytime!  :D

19
Jun

Way back into Love

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Music

     Once in awhile, I get one of those really weird craving and just needed to watch a chick-flick or listen to some emo songs. Tonight is one of those times. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not depressed or anything like that. Just having a weird craving. Just being a woman - unexplainable.

     Got hold of a DVD copy of Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore’s Music & Lyrics. Somehow, the soundtrack just got stuck in my head……all I wanna do is find a way back into love…..hmm hmmm hmmm….

Anyway, here’re the lyrics. Enjoy :)))

***********************

I’ve been living with a shadow over head
I’ve been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I’ve been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can’t seem to move on

I’ve been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need them again someday
I’ve been setting aside time, to clear a little space in the corners of my mind

Chorus:
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
ohh

I’ve been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I’ve been searching but I just don’t see the signs
I know that its out there
There’s got to be something for my soul somewhere

I’ve been looking for someone to shed some light
Not somebody just to get me through the night
I could use some direction, and I’m open to your suggestions

Chorus:
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
and if I open my heart again
I guess I’m hopin you’ll be there for me in the end

There are moments when I don’t know if its real
or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration, not just another negotiation

Chorus:
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I cant make it through without a way back into love
and If I open my heart to you
I’m hopin you’ll show me what to do
and if you help me to start again
you know that I’ll be there for u in the end

***********************

19
Jun

Black Sheep

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Life & Love

     Today, for the first time, I came face-to-face with my neighbour. One of them actually. A chinese family lives next door. Bumped into the grandma when I got back from work and was in the midst of opening my door when grandma came out and started sweeping the floor between our apartments.  Half expected her to give me a full nagging session about the parties I’ve thrown since I moved in.

Ah Ma : Ei…xiao jie…you just got back from work?
Me : Yea
Ah Ma : Heavy rain these days. Dirtying the floor no matter how much I clean.
Me : *smile*
Ah Ma : Ei, you live by yourself? No parents? No tenants?
Me : Nope. Just me alone. *tot to self - ‘cept for sweetheart’s stayovers*
Ah Ma : Ohhhh, your parents are not in Penang?
Me : Yes, they are. They just don’t live here.
Ah Ma : Oh! *very surprised look*
Me : *smile politely* I am going in now. Have a nice evening.

     Poor grandma must be baffled outta her mind. No girl will live by herself in Penang if she hails from Penang. No partner, no parents??? I can just imagine her gossiping abt me over dinner with the rest of her family members. Hehehe….

     Can’t blame her though. I am indeed the black sheep in our serene, conservative Penang society. Oh well, I am just happy living my life my way.

Just happy being me.  :D

18
Jun

Malaysian Durian Dumpling

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food and Drink

     Chanced upon this whilst surfing for chang recipes and couldn’t resist sharing it. It’s a combination of my 2 favourite Malaysian food : Durian & Chang! Hmmm…wonder how they will turn out when combined.

     Oh well, never try…never know! Enjoy!

********************
Ingredients

  • 200g glutinous rice
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 pandan leaves
  • 10 bamboo leaves

Filling:

  • 200g durian flesh
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 1/2 tbsp green pea flour (luk tau fun)
  • 1 cup water

Method
- Soak the glutinous rice for 2 hours. Wash and drain.
- Add salt to the glutinous rice. Mix well.
- Put in the pandan leaves and steam for 15 minutes.
- While the glutinous rice is half-cooked, pour in the coconut milk. Steam for another 15 minutes until cooked.
- Cook the durian filling in a wok until the mixture comes to a boil. Switch off fire.
- Stir the mixture well and keep it cool.
- Put a spoonful of glutinous rice on the bamboo leaf.
- Place a tablespoon of durian filling at the centre and cover with 1 tbsp of glutinous rice.
- Wrap it up to make a triangular shape by turning and folding. Steam for two minutes and serve.

18
Jun

Happy Chang Festival

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Current Affairs

Didn’t realize it’s that time of the year again. It just crept up on us!

     Feeling happy that we finally made it to the gym today (missed it the whole of last week due to work). Was packing dinner and suddenly realised…hmmm…there seems to be many stalls selling changs tonight. Sweetheart gave me a funny look and said "Baby, don’t you realise it’s chang festival already? I have been having chang for breakfast for the past few mornings."

     Ahhhh….that explains it. Hey, I don’t live with my parents and definitely do not know the Chinese calendar off the top of my head. "How I know worrrrr…"

     As sweetheart placed orders for our dinners, I could not resist walking over to the dumpling stall and ordered my favourite "Uncle, can I have 2 of the sweet & salty ones? Oh, and give me 1 of the bak chang as well." Hmmm…my breakfast for tomorrow. Yum Yum…

     Halfway through dinner, the dumplings I packed caught the eye of sweetheart’s mom and she asked me how much I paid for them. I told her and she went "Wahhh!! So expensive ah?!! I used to make a lot of them when your sweetheart was a kid. Can’t believe they are charging so much for them these days."

    Oh well….I guess as we all get sucked into today’s busy working lives, the art of making dumplings will be lost. Our children will never get to sit in wonder watching the adults bend the bamboo leaves this and that way before folding them using the special technique. The things we see through our eyes as kids will be totally alien to them.

What a pity…

17
Jun

Get a Life!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Annoying. Demented. Pathetic.

Those are the words that came to my mind when I get messages like the below in my message Inbox.

*****************

Subject: hi Eleen

> > > > hello this is zam here
> > > > > hope u r fine everthing fine is herewell as
> > hitup
> > > > on
> > > > > ur prfile found it best good &prety well.so
> > > > suddenly
> > > > > word shoked my mind .i jot it down male &
> ur
> > > > > reading.i hope we can be good friends nice
> > > > > meating u &love to know some thig about u
> > > > > my mail (same_zam@yahoo.com)
> > > > > all right
> > > > >
> > > > > thanx
> > > > >
> > > > > by
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > many hugs 4 u

*****************

If these guys are just throwing out the line hoping to get lucky with some girls…any girls, at least have the cow sense to compose a proper message! Not some truncated message forwarded so many times that the original message gets totally jumbled up. Do these guys have any brains? At all???

17
Jun

License to Swing

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

No, I am not refering to the dance lessons that our moms go to, nor about our favourite bottle of Johnnie Walker.

     This is more applicable to those who are in monogamous relationships; either dating or marriage (only difference being a piece of legal paper).  Either one or both parties can decide to grant the license to swing. The validity of the license is very much subjective to the individual couple. Some could issue licenses that are only valid for one usage…while some may agree on a as-long-as-both-are-happy-with-this-arrangement basis.

     So, the couples meet. Usual social scene. All parties like what they see, learn about each other…and there is mutual agreement for further ‘research’. Swing licenses are then issued. Everyone have their fair share of fun (not necessarily at the same venue, lest some mistakenly label this as an orgy, yet again :p) and at the end of it, all parties go back to their own partners.

     Now, here is the tricky part : while most guys can clearly separate out the physical from the emotional aspects of it, only some gals can do that. Most gals who claim they are OK with that are only saying that because they believe that’s what their men want them to say.

     So, those women who truly mean what they say about their liberated view of swinging - they are the REAL gems! And to the men who are with these gems, all I can say is "U lucky bastards!!!"

:D

16
Jun

The Exes Club

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Friends

Was having tea with QM yesterday…winding down on a Friday afternoon after a long, hard week.

     We talked about a whole bunch of things and it felt like old times. When we used to sit in the lounge room after getting home from the gym/office…talking about anything and everything. Topics ranging from work, the ketat guys at the gym, family, friends to sex. It was refreshing to both of us that we can talk to a fellow galfriend abt sex without the other party giggling or going "Aiyoh! So crude ler u!". Hey, facts are facts. Whether it’s abt sex or having tea.

     So there we were, updating each other on stuffs. As usual, we covered a lot of topics but the one topic that stood out was about our exes. We talked abt how grateful we are that we enjoy healthy, positive friendships with our exes.

     Yes, I am indeed grateful that all my exes are able to maintain good friendships with me regardless of the nature of our break-up’s. I love it when I could sit down at the same table with my past and present sweethearts…and there are no bad vibes in the air. Hey, I am excited to meet the girl who is currently rocking my ex’s life! Been bugging him to set-up a lunch or something. ;)   

     I tell sweetheart the same thing. If we do not end up sharing this lifetime together as life partners, I want to at least share a lifelong friendship with him. I realize it’s a tall order for some…but for me, it’s a basic requirement. It takes a high level of maturity and a VERY big heart but hey, that IS the basic requirement of any man in my life! :D

15
Jun

The Art of Ampu-ing

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

The many forms of ampu-ing (slang for buttering up) :

  • ampu-ing your seniors at your school/college/workplace
  • ampu-ing your rich and famous friends
  • ampu-ing the boss
  • ampu-ing the elders (i.e. your partner’s relatives/folks)

I will dedicate this entry to the last form of ampu-ing listed above.

Looking back at the guys I have dated in my life, I have come to realize one thing : they all have different levels of ampu-ing ’skills’.

  • Most are average ampu-ers. Just the average ‘Hi Uncle, Hi Auntie’ greetings delivered with a huge smile.
  • Some are totally awkward at it. A very shy "Hi Uncle, Hi Auntie’ exchange and then retreat to a safe corner.
  • Some, are so darn smooth that your mom cried when you broke up with them! They never hesitate to go up to your relatives/folks to give them warm, big hugs.

They either have it, or they don’t. Totally can’t fake it at all. Well, those who are not natural-born folks ampu-ers, they can try to upskill themselves but they can never be as good as the natural-born ones.

     My poor sweetheart is in the 2nd category. Totally awkward at it. Don’t blame him though….considering his lack of experience and exposure. Oh well, more training is in order. Actually, I don’t expect him to ampu. Just expect him to know (and master!) the basics of getting on the good side of my folks.

     My most recent ex was darn good at it…so good that ALL my relatives gave me shit for breaking up with him and my mom was still crying months after we broke off. Geezz…

     Me? I have been told that I am the guru! *LOL* Dunno how true that is but I do know that my friends’ and boyfriends’ (past and present) folks are very amazing and fun people! I still send X’mas cards to B’s folks in Cali (hey, they are cool folks, k!). Maybe I should test out this theory with sweetheart’s family. Hmmmm……   

14
Jun

U think ?!?!?

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

On her way out of the office today, my boss bumped into sweetheart.

"Hey, gonna call it a day soon? Or waiting for Eleen to finish up? She’s still at her cube. Just finished a con call, I think."
           "Yeah, am waiting for her to go for dinner soon."
"Ok, enjoy yourselves then. Don’t work too late, ya…you do look rather tired and stressed out. Eleen has been rather stressed out this past week too. Hmmm….perhaps you passed your stress to her! *wink*"

     He had to bite his tongue REALLY hard to avoid blurting out "Oh, so you noticed that my sweetheart is stressed, huh? Perhaps you should also begin to notice that YOU are the one giving her the stress!" …but instead just managed a grin and a polite "Enjoy your Thursday evening".

Duhhh……

14
Jun

Sh!t is sh!t

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

"Just imagine your audience naked."
That’s the infamous saying to help folks overcome stage-fright.

This morning, a fellow colleague cracked us up with his theory of overcoming intimidation.

"Listen…this is very important.
If you ever feel intimidated by any of those big dogs,
If you ever feel that what you have to say may not seem important to the big guy in front of you,
If you ever feel that your presentation may seem like a joke to ‘em corporate hotdogs,
Just remember one thing…
They need to shit as much as you too!
So that makes them the same level of human as you are."

"Yeah, but I bet they think their shit smells better…LOL"

"Whatever. Shit is shit."

13
Jun

Late

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness

Stress screws you up mentally and physically.

Mentally - you are damn tired but sleep keeps evading you.
Physically - your cycle gets screwed up.

Since I have been introduced to Loette, Life has been beautiful. I believe it’s man’s best creation. However, once in awhile, life gets a little complicated. Like stress…and it really screws you up.

Take today for example, I am 24 hours late. No biggie…I can already hear your thoughts out there. I know I know…it may be no biggie but since Loette came into my life, I am almost never late. If I put all those late times together, I see a trend and it starts with a capital S. 

…and it is damn late now…I am tired outta my mind…but sleep just won’t come!

Don’t like this one bit. 

13
Jun

Ex…&…Why

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Friends

Ex…yea, indeed she is. My ex’s mom.
Why…because I still care about her.

     She has got to be the zippiest 60-something woman I have ever known in my entire life. When shopping at the mall, I have a hard time catching up with her! She is just so full of energy. Even when we had lunch together last weekend, she was going a million miles an hour. I still thank my lucky stars that she does not hold any grudges against me for our break-up. I truly believe she will make a mean enemy. :\

     Me not dating the guy anymore does not mean that I sever all ties with his parents. They are great folks and have a great son. It is just not meant to be that we share a life together. 

Hey, I still give him tips on how to score with the girls! ;)         

12
Jun

Survival

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

Today, I learnt some very important corporate lessons.

  • It’s not how much you really know but how much others think you know that matters.
  • It’s not how right you are but how loud your bark is that matters.
  • It pays to snarl back and show some teeth once in awhile - even if it’s to your boss.
  • If you hit a brick wall, just walk around it. No matter how high the wall is (or which level of management the jerk is at).
  • It’s all about how good a player you are to keep your ass safe from the other corporate beasts.
  • It’s all about the Art of ‘Goreng-ing’.
  • Corporate dogs can sniff uncertainty and insecurity a mile off…and they will jump unto it like hungry packs of wolves.

If you remember these lessons well and play them excellently, you will go far and high in the corporate world. That…is the absolute truth. Honestly.

11
Jun

UV Nation Party - Update IV (Exhaustion)

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Current Affairs

Nobody will believe this…even I wouldn’t…if it had not been our personal experience.

We left the party scene before midnight! *GASP*
I know I know…WTF??!??!?

     Over lunch the next day, the extended group got together to perform a post-mortem. Possible reasons that we came up with:

- The party started SUPER early for us. We were there by 7-ish. Before the clock struck 9, the party was already in full swing. We were all drenched from the dancing (and the earlier drizzle) even though the crowd wasn’t really that big or crazy yet. We were just there for ourselves..dancing and having loads of fun.

- Sweetheart and I were finding it hard to breathe. Imagine at least 60% of 20,000 people puffing away like chimneys. D was starting to give J dirty looks. I was again reminded of how thankful I am that sweetheart hates ciggies. One of the many things we both feel really passionate about. Says who that all party lovers are death-sticks fans? ;)

- The crowd went totally bananas when Benassi came onstage! There was zero space for us to dance or even move our bodies to the dance beat. I mean, how could they expect us to stand still like mannequins when such great dance music was being played by the world’s most prominent turntablist??? The catch was…how to dance when there was 0.0001 inch between you and the folks around you?

*Update from my other friends who stayed on till 2-ish :
Scott Project came onstage much later in the night (at 1-ish) but only performed for abt 45mins. By then, the booze were totally gone and everyone was getting very pissed at the poor event management. Just as well that we were cosily snuggled in bed by then. Hehehe*

- For us ladies, our feet were killing us. For very obvious fashion reasons, we could not go in our sneakers (and I don’t own a single pair of flats). Foot massage, sweetheart. If you love me and want me to live, foot massage! Yea, it was a matter of life-and-death that night.

     On the drive back, we decided that it was wayyy too early to call it a night. So, J&D insisted that sweetheart and I help them finish the bottles in their bar. "We will be going back to Sydney by end of the year and we definitely cannot finish all these drinks. You guys gotta help us." Now, we are not talking abt the 750 ml bottles we get from the clubs. Most of the bottles in their bar are the 2 litre bottles from duty free shops - thanks to D’s extensive travelling. Uh-oh…

     OK, we all decided to take our showers and get those UV cream off us before we get wasted. Sweetheart and I were done before they did. So, we decided to snuggle in bed while waiting for them to start drinking. "Hhhmmmm…this is nice, baby. I could fall asleep with you in my arms like this" sweetheart mumbled. No! Don’t sleep yet. We have to continue drinking with them. However, seconds later, we were both totally KO-ed.

     I opened my eyes to complete darkness and shook sweetheart. Baby! We were supposed to drink with J&D. We fell asleep! Sweetheart mumbled something and wrapped his arms tighter around me. No no no…this is sooo embarrassing! We fell asleep while our hosts were waiting for us to drink with them! I tiptoed out to the lounge room only to find everything in pitch darkness. Checked the clock - 3am. Oh well, guess they have gone to bed as well. Climbed back into bed and back into sweetheart’s arms. He mumbled something and shifted into his favourite spooning position. Poor baby…it has been a long, hard week for him. Guess we were all really exhausted.

     So, there’s our UV Nation partying experience. Yes, we had fun. What made it so much fun was GREAT friends. Love you all, guys! *muax*

11
Jun

UV Nation Party - Update III (Observations)

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Current Affairs

Observations of the event.

  • Great 4-room concept.
    1. Main Arena featuring dance music.
    2. Urban Space featuring Electro, Hip-Hop and R&B.
    3. Chill Out Zone featuring chill out music. They set up activities and F&B booths in this zone too. Cool.
    4. The Lounge for VIPs.
  • Good equipment setup.
    The huge projection on the 180° LED screens and all the full UV gear. Great stuff. There was also this giant crane with a rotating camera tied to the end which was sweeping right across the entire Main Arena - Hollywood style. Every time the crane swept past the crowd, it was Wildness personified! Oh, although this may not be an ‘equipment’, we were having so much fun with the UV cream! Smeared it all on our hair, arms and faces. Drew alien-like symbols on some guy’s arm with the cream. Fun!
  • Good medic support.
    We spotted a couple of ambulances parked nearby. They set up a medic tent and stationed a couple of those white uniformed folks all around. I walked past the tent a couple of times and saw the poor folks being bored in there. Guess they wanted to party too but gotta be on duty. Poor souls…
  • Poor organization skills.
    Before getting into the place, we had to wait in a queue that stretched for 3-storeys! We found out later that it was because they had to perform ticket authenticity check - one by one. It seemed there were 3000 counterfeit tickets floating around the city. WTF???!
  • Poor security.
    Sometime in the middle of the night, J & I needed to pee really bad and the idea of the Portable Potty wasn’t that appealing. So, we went up to one of the guys in black with the word SECURITY on his back and batted our eyelids. "Can you please show us a decent restroom we can use and we don’t mean those horrible portable thingies? It’s like a maze in here!" Sure, there is…our knight in black said to us and asked us to follow him. Our sweethearts didn’t trust him and decided to tag along as well. The guy took us to a side door behind some counter and told us to take one flight of stairs down. "Can we come back thru this door when we get back?" Sure, you can. Unfortunately, it seemed those guys in black do not talk to each other becos when we tried to walk back in thru the same door, a different guy in black stopped us and refused to let us in…even though we showed him the UV chops on our hands and the tags we had on our wrists. To cut a long story shory, our men showed some REAL displeasure at the unfriendly guy in black and he reluctantly let us back into the party area. Looks like those hours at the gym were worth it! Our men actually scared off the baddy. Our heroes….!! LOL
  • Poor drinks planning.
    It was only 10.30pm when the bar ran out of chilled beer! They were practically passing out beer cans from the carton - totally warm. Funny how J went "Beer is beer, even when warm!" Crazy gal!
  • Poor crowd relief planning.
    There were at least 20,000 people and 6 Portable Potties. Need I say more?

Observations of the crowd.

    • Are they really above 18??? That bunch shuffling over there don’t look a day over 14!
    • Since when did hoods and white sunnies creep back into the party fashion? Maybe it was supposed to be a UV theme…
    • Are they giving out smokes for free??? Can’t believe a huge open space like this could get this suffocating!
    • Ooohh…HOT chick! I wouldn’t mind going down on her. "Can I watch?" The guy next to me said with a huge grin on his face. Huh??? Did I say that out loud? "You sure did, my dear". Whoops…Sweetheart! Come here and rescue me before I get myself into MORE trouble!
    • Saving the best for last - Benny Benassi. The crowd went totally wild when he came onstage. Fireworks were released to announce his arrival. Made the crowd go even wilder! ‘Nuff said. 
10
Jun

UV Nation Party - Update II (Lessons)

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Current Affairs
  • Lesson # 1 (most important lesson, ever!) :
    Don’t drink beer at rave parties. Drink Chivas Coke, Gin Tonic, whatever…just not beer. Why? ‘Cos it makes you wanna pee all the damn time! At huge themed parties like this, the organisers have to pick huge open space areas and the only way they can provide relief for the crowd is ‘Portable Potty’. ‘Nuff said. (There were only 6 portable potties to be shared between at least 20,000 people last night!)
  • Lesson # 2 :
    Either wear really comfortable heels or flats or even sneakers. That is the only way you can survive the night without having to swing your heels over your shoulders and walk barefooted to your car. Also to avoid thoughts like "I will pay anything, ANYTHING for a foot massage right now. NOW!" running through your head during the 2nd half of the night…thus disrupting your having fun.
  • Lesson # 3 :
    Ditch the cool, dark colored party clothes and stick to plain ‘ol white. That is the only color that is dee coolest for a UV party. Duhhh…we all felt like slapping ourselves!
  • Lesson # 4 :
    Forget the handbags, even the small ones. Just pass your mobiles to your partners (hey, guys have pockets in their pants!) and leave the rest in the car. Once it gets really crowded, it’s really hard to try to hold on to your handbag with folks pushing you from all corners. Also, it’s damn hard trying to dance with a handbag over one shoulder (that is provided you didn’t opt for a clutch bag that night). Finally, there are no hooks under tables for you to hang your handbags like there are at nightclubs. ;)
  • Lesson # 5 :
    Go for clothes that will not interfere with your having fun even when you are drenched from head to toe…from the dancing, from the thousands of people packed in one space (albeit open space)  and from the heat of all the exciting things happening all at the same time!
  • Lesson # 6 :
    Do NOT wear long, dangling earrings. When the crowd gets tight, at least one side will get lost. If you are lucky, you won’t even realize the loss. If you are unlucky, you will FEEL it oh-so-much and wish that you never owned any of those damn things…or that they were NEVER invented!

Some folks say Life is all about lessons; good and bad ones. I hope the lessons I have listed above will be useful to you, someday…somehow…sometime… :)))

10
Jun

UV Nation Party - Update I (Windfall)

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Current Affairs

I can think of many words to describe our Rave Party experience over the weekend…but I will settle for 4.

1st word : Windfall
2nd word : Lessons
3rd word : Observations
4th word : Exhaustion

     We decided to purchase a copy of the UV Nation compilation CD. Price for it - RM 25. Sweetheart handed a RM50 and a RM5 note to the girl over the counter, and waited for his RM30 change. She passed him 3 notes which he immediately put into his pocket. We were on our way out of the place then.

     Ok, so everyone was hungry and wanted supper. I wanted some roti kosong. Sweetheart ordered for us and dished into his pocket for the change he got from the UV Nation girl to pay for supper. In the bright, fluorescent lights…there in his hands…were 3 notes.

- 1 RM10 note
- 1 RM10 note
- 1 RM100 note!!!

Reasons why we didn’t return the wrong note.

  • We had driven all the way to Desa Sri Hartamas by then.
  • Sweetheart wouldn’t recognise the girl, it was too darn dark in there.
  • He truly believed that he got back the right change at that point in time.
  • Morals and all aside…who would be so STUPID??? :D

     So, windfall. It was one after another since the day we decided to make a trip to KL for the UV Nation Party. Firstly, we got complimentary tickets to the event. Secondly, we ended the night with MORE money in our pockets than when we got there! ;)

So, there you go.
The first word to describe our UV Nation experience.

09
Jun

Key Party

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

"You guys don’t have key parties here?"
"Key parties? What’s that?"
"Man, you guys are missing out on SO much fun here!"
"So fine. Enlighten us. Educate us. What the fook is a key party???"

That was how the conversation between D and I went as we sipped our triple shots of Chocolate Mint Bailey’s on the balcony of his 15th floor Mont Kiara condo…enjoying the night view of our nation’s pride, The Petronas Twin Towers.

*Note*
The lights for the towers are timed to go off at 1am everyday. So, if you wanna show off the gorgeous lights of our nation’s pride to your foreigner friends, DO NOT bother after 1am.

So, here is what I learnt about key parties.

Type of group : Folks who are open/keen to meet new friends.
Size of group : Number of XY must equal to number of XX chromosomes.
Type of venue : Somewhere cosy with not too loud music or many distractions.
Rule # 1 : No swapping!
Rule # 2 : No denying!

How to play :

  • All the guys are to put their car keys into a basket/container/whatever that can hold many car keys in one place.
  • Count car keys to ensure number of car keys equal to number of XY’s in the group.
  • Put container aside till end of night.
  • All parties to mingle. Usual social scene. Meeting new friends. Learning more abt each other. Sometimes, finding out that more weirdos walk the face of the earth.
  • Couple of hours later, take out container and get all XX’s to select one car key from the basket. (here is where the rule of NO SWAPPING comes in. You stick with whichever key you pick!)
  • All XY’s to claim their own car keys from the XY’s (here is where the rule of NO DENYING comes in. The XY’s cannot deny ownership of their own car keys!)
  • XX and XY goes home with each other (they can go to the park, to the movies, back to their places, or for a drink, whatever…totally up to them).

*Note*
‘Coz there will be some XY’s who will cheat by hinting to the XX’s they like in the group on which car key belongs to them. Also, it’s up to the XX to select that particular car key or not…hehehe…I so love being a woman!

Objective of key parties
Widen everyone’s circle of friends. Most importantly, everyone gets to go home with someone. Some lucky ones get laid, not-so-lucky ones….well, at least they got a date for the night!

To me, I see it as :
- Meeting new friends.
- Having fun.
- Exploring new experiences.
Lastly,
- Destiny.

(Hey! there are folks who meet their future wives/husbands in parties like this…so D claims..)

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