Archive for July, 2007

31
Jul

What the…???

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Friends

Having lived for a couple of years in a country where same-sex marriage is legal in some states, he has always believed himself to be a rather open-minded person. His circle of friends stretched far and wide, straight and queer.

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About the queer, he has always viewed them as a bunch of cool folks….until a few days ago…when he realised that them queer folks are cool - as long as they keep their sexual preferances to those who share them.

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The music was great, as usual,
The crowd was hot, as usual,
The chicks were dirty dancing, as usual,
He was drooling and fantasizing, as usual,
Ahhh…
That’s the friendly guy he occasionally bumps into at the office,

He’s walking over my way,
To say Hi, I guess…
WTF?! Did he just grab my ass????!! Huhhhh???!
Did I send out the wrong signal?
OK, I don’t like the feeling of that…

Barely two seconds after these tots flashed thru his mind,
The tall Bangkok queer guy sauntered over with a huge grin on his face,
"Hiya! I am gay too!" and danced off with a wink,
but not before giving him a pinch on his you-know-where.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I am as straight as an arrow! Pleassseeee….

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That night, an old nightmare came back to haunt him. He was 17 again. In the service apartment. Trapped with the mean-looking man. Will I escape unharmed again this time? he shivered.

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He awoke with a jolt. Am I awake and back in my safe world or am I still in the nightmare??? He lied very still, in his sweat-drenched PJ’s, until he felt it was safe again to fall asleep.

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Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

30
Jul

Malu-ation

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Social

Thanks to privatization, the service level for most of our used-to-be government offices are rather impressive these days.
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TNB takes about 20-30 mins to arrive on the scene and fix an issue.
TM has given their Customer Service Center a face-lift and they manage customer requests in a rather timely manner.
PBA has been equally impressive with their very efficient numbering system and "Customers First" attitude.
Immigration Office. Getting a passport these days no longer takes forever. Two days and voila, you hold your spanking new passport in your hand.

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Next in line : the police force. Not saying that privatization is the way to go for them but if ever there is one thing most Malaysians are NOT proud of, that will be it.
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  • When lodging a police report abt gangsters’ extortion :
    "Aiyoh…bagi lah mereka. Buat apa nak cari pasal dengan gangster tu. Tak berbaloi lah!"
    (Just pay them. No need to find trouble with them. Not worth it)
  • When lodging a police report abt snatch thieves :
    "Kenapa nak bawak beg cantik-cantik? Lain kali, bawa plastik beg cukup!"
    (Why bother carrying such nice bags? Next time, use plastic bags to carry your stuff)
  • When stopped by the police for committing a traffic offence :
    "Macam mana mau settle?"
    (How do you want to settle this? Read : How much are you gonna give me to look the other way?)

I still remember something an American colleague said to me years ago : "It’s ok if we break the law here. All we need to do is wave a couple of those big, blue or purple notes in front of their faces and we can get away with bloody murder!"

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Not a single Malaysian in the group protested to that ‘coz deep in our hearts, we knew that what he said was not that far from the truth.
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P/S - To be fair, there are some good apples in the basket as well. However, all it takes is just a few bad apples to spoil the entire cohort.

29
Jul

Promise

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Social

Firm handshake. Good sign. Smile that reaches the eyes. Another good sign. Nice-smelling cologne. Reaallllllyyy nice. Tall and nice dressing sense. Plus, plus, plus, plus signs.

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Some songs and drinks later…

"Hi. Having fun?"
"Hi yourself. Yeah, coz I’m having fun. U?"
"Yup. All’s good."

More drinks, good music and great sexy dancing later…

"Hey, still having fun?"
"U bet. U look stoned. U ok?"
"Yeaaaa….I think"
"Here, drink some iced water."
"Thanks…hmmm…"

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He looked deeply into her eyes.
She felt his hands on her waist, gently but firmly.
All their senses were tingling.
Everyone in the room had blended into nothingness.

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Reaching behind him, she gently placed her hands underneath his shirt, her fingertips lightly touching his skin. She felt his hands on her waist tighten. Inch by inch, she leaned forward until there was just a breath between their lips. She felt him gasp for breath and smiled inwardly to herself.

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The skin on his back felt like it was on fire. The trail of her fingertips sent a million sensations down his spine and to places he daren’t think about for fear of betraying himself. As she leaned closer, he felt it harder and harder to breathe. Just when he thought she was gonna kiss him, she moved her face slightly to his right and felt her lips on his neck. He felt the nibbling on his ear and was suddenly thankful that he was sitting down. His knees felt like jello and certain places were just too damn hard for his own good! 

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Feeling that they have reached what she felt was the line for the night, she withdrew herself gently from his hold. She felt him hesitate for a moment before letting go.

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"Enough for now, dahling. Be patient and there will be more to come. Be good and I will take you with me the next time I pay God a visit. I promise." - last thoughts that ran through her mind before she closed her eyes to sleep that night.

27
Jul

T.E.A.M.

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

A little poem I wrote for my team.
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Some go for expensive dinners at 5-star hotels…
Some spent a bundle on impressive-looking gifts…
What do they really get?
Pockets of folks at different tables…
Shinny items that lose their lustre over time…
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Us, where did we go?
What did we do?
What did we really get?
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Everywhere!
Everything!
A TEAM experience like no other!
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A sense of Unity, we felt
A taste of real Teamwork, we experienced
A Winning team, we discovered
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From the outside, others peeked enviously in
From the inside, we smirked proudly out
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YES. We are the RICHEST team! :)

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Key messages shared in today’s team meeting :
- it’s not about how grand the event was
- it’s not about how much budget you’re given for the event
- it’s not about where it was held
- It’s all about WHO we went with and HOW we made the day special

26
Jul

Résumé

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

How often do we update our résumés?
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95% (or more) of folks will pull out the softcopy of their résumés and type furiously away for as long as it takes to put in the latest details, then it’s off to the recruitment agencies, or hiring organisations.
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Today, I did a quick check and realised that the last time I updated mine was more than a year ago. Not good, Eleen. What happened to your principle on constantly keeping yourself up to the market value, hmmm? These swirl of guilty thoughts rushed past me.
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No, I am not looking for another job (I still enjoy what I do although it can be a really steep uphill climb on some days) but I do believe I’ve neglected my résumé for way too long.
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One more thing I realised today. I have helped to write so many résumés (for friends/colleagues/family members) that if I lose my job one day, I may very well open up an agency to provide professional résumé-writing services. I’ve been constantly told that I seem to know the Art of Goreng-ing Résumés. *LOL*
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Friends who know me know that I despise trumpet-blowers but if ever there is one instance when I find trumpet-blowing acceptable, that will be in résumés. Why? Becos it’s all about selling yourself (not literally, of coz) to the highest bidder. On paper, the only link that hiring folks/recruiters have to you are the words on your résumé.
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So, blow ‘em off their feet!

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P/S - This explains why I ask all those weird questions during interview sessions. That’s how I filter out the NATO folks. ;)

P/P/S - No boring typical questions like "What is your 5-year plan? or "What are your strengths and weaknesses?". Bleh…

25
Jul

H2H

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

Tonight, we had one of those H2H (heart-to-heart) talks. As painful as these talks may sometimes be, I like them. Not because of the pain but because our relationship moves on to another level after these talks.
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As always, after verbalizing our thoughts and feelings about certain topics, we get a better understanding of what makes the other annoyed, frustrated, excited, sad and most importantly, happy.
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The best part is, he is learning.
…learning to open up his thoughts, his feelings and verbalizing them.
…learning that sweeping things under the carpet does not make them go away.
…learning that some of those ‘tiny inconsequential’ things add up and eventually eat at a relationship.
…learning to be a better sweetheart.
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Me, I am learning too. To be a better sweetheart.
Most importantly, to be a better human being.
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And that, is what Life is all about.

24
Jul

Flirting = Fishing ?

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Some folks equate flirting to fishing, and some think fishing requires the same skill-sets as flirting.
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One thing to bear in mind, wahai flirters and fishers sekalian, make sure you don’t play pull-n-release with the S.H.A.R.K.S! The last time I checked, them sharks do not like being teased with hot water and then dunked into cold water.
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…and when they no like, they no happy…
…and when they no happy, they bite…
…and when they bite, you DIE!

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So, please.
Do not think that bad things only happen to others. Being lucky and not bumping into them sharks does not mean that they will never cross your path, ever. It’s one thing to claim oneself a player, but it’s another thing to act a foolish one.
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So, if you still believe that you can cast the line far and wide, play a little tug-of-war with the sharks, then reel in the empty line…best that you max out your life insurance policies.
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All I have left to say to you will be : Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

23
Jul

Pretty Boy - Part II

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

After ignoring his last email from last week, my friends and I thought that the Spanish guy would’ve given up. Oh boy, were we so wrong! 
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Received one shocker of an email late last week and another one this morning. Man, this guy must be going through a really weird stage in his life now.

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Email from late last week :
I want that you know that my relation with you was precious and who my heart has pretty memories, single I think about being with you algun day, already I saw the photos yours, better not saw.I mean to you is that I want to go to penang to pass the rest of my life with you, if me you allow it. I love you

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OK, this is bizarre. You don’t meet a girl years ago, spent abt a week together, had some fun, said your goodbyes, travelled back to your own world, then send an email to the girl telling her that you want to "pass the rest of my life with you". Someone told me today that it’s sweet. I think it’s downright crazy! Maybe it makes me a cold-blooded bitch but hey, I am practical.

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The next one came in this morning. This time, he did not even attempt to write in his erm…semblence of English.

Hola Ellen, disculpame por haberte hecho  sentir incomoda con mi correo debido a que mi inglés es pésimo y no quisiera seguir quitandote tu tiempo. Lo unico que queria decirte es que ……………..

Translated from free online translator :
Hello Eleen, forgive me for having made to feel trouble with my email because my English is most awful but I would not like to keep on taking your time from you. The only thing that he wanted to say to you is ……………

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Ermmm, am I supposed to reply and ask him why he didn’t finish his email??? "Coz not!" My galfrens insisted. "That is gonna give him false hopes that he can pack his bags and move to Penang. Besides, it wouldn’t be tough for him to request for a transfer from Costa Rica to Penang. Intel has sooooo many plants here for him to choose from!" Eeekkkk… OK, best to ignore his email again.

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Sweetheart’s response : "Horrendous English. That would so turn you off. So, I don’t feel threatened by his pretty boy looks or his tight ass in any way. Mwahahahahhaha!!!"

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Cocky bastard, that sweetheart of mine…but he is right.
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Men.

22
Jul

I do

By Eleen Por 4 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

At a peek or a peep of the word, most hearts will skip a few beats - be it in excitement, or fear or even contempt.

What’s marriage in today’s liberated and materialistic world?
Is it :

  • claim for monogamous rights?
  • emotional commitment? 
  • financial commitment?
  • approval for co-habitation?
  • license to make babies?
  • conformity to society?
  • only for sentimentalists?

Here’s my 2 cents worth for the above.

  • claim for monogamous rights?
    If a man/woman feels the itch/need to stray, words of "I do" fly out the window. No amount of signed documents will keep the person faithful.
  • emotional commitment? 
    Putting a ring on a man/woman’s finger does not guarantee ‘Forever and Ever’. Human beings evolve with time. If they evolve in the same direction, all’s good but otherwise, what emotional commitment???
  • financial commitment?
    Every single day, folks declare bankruptcy while others hit the jackpot. Riches are too darn liquid to stay committed to anyone. Under the attack of hunger pangs in the stomach and the need to fight for survival, what’s a couple of signatures on a piece of paper?   
  • approval for co-habitation?
    Most folks are already doing this today without having to put their signature on a piece of document. The sad thing is, some get emotional blackmail from their families. Be it to ’save face’ or to save themselves from being thrown into the gallows of immoral hell.
  • license to make babies?
    The last time I checked, the registration office does not require a marriage certificate to fill up a birth certificate. So, this is not legally-driven. To me, it’s more societal-driven.
  • conformity to society?
    Not many are able to accept the anomaly nor willing to live the stressful life of a black sheep. However, there is a common trick/excuse used by most young couples today. Move out of hometown and work outstation/overseas. That way, the couple gets to ’save on expenses’.
  • only for sentimentalists?
    I believe that most, if not all, of us are sentimentalists. It’s just the degree that differs. Some are overly-sentimental (which can either be viewed as an overkill or as a hopeless romantic) while some only allow a teeny bit of it into their hearts. Me, it all depends on my mood. On days when I feel really sentimental, then I am all for "I do" but there are certain (most) days when I feel that ‘officially yours’ are merely words.

For now, until someone can come up to me and give me a reason that is better than any of the above, I will hold on to my current stand. The way I see it, I am enjoying the life but not having to deal with the shitty bits. How much better can it get??? ;)

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P/S - I still believe that I can grow old with the man I love - with or without signing on the dotted line.

21
Jul

Richest Day

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

What’s a great teambuilding day without some great shots to remember it by?
So, here they are.

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Breathtaking view of Lookout Point.
Lookoutpoint_1


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Team-strategizing for Game #1 : Tallest building game.

Group A       Img_0087 Img_0088              Group B

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Winning smiles of Group B
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The fallen tower of Group A

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Lesson learnt : Plan and strategize before taking action. Do not jump the gun. Also, having the boss on your side does not make you a winner. You have got to be the winner YOURSELF!  ;)

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Getting ready for Game # 2 : Pass-the-message game
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Lesson learnt : Clear and concise communication is key to all successes. Validate the message. Do not hesitate to filter out NOISE. It is the killer of all communication.

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Our favourite game for the day: Grab-the-bone game (since there was no bone in sight, we improvised by using a bottle of mineral water)
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Lesson learnt : Patience is a virtue but we must always have results in mind. Strategize and then work towards the results.

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Next : Stuff-ourselves-silly-with-tropical-fruits activity.

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KM’s smile says it all abt her love for durians.

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"Our durians in Philippines don’t smell like this!" N****e exclaimed and wrinkled up his nose.

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"Yummmmmiiieeee!"
A & L were 2 very happee girls.

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"Gimme gimme gimme!"
My cubemate seemed to turn into a durian monster under certain light and in certain environment.

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Img_0133"We like these hairy redballs! So pretty too. Can never find these in Hydrabad."
M & wifey were all excited abt the rambutans and packed some back to savour over the weekend.
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"Me like these little purple and also these red hairy things…but pls, no spikey smelly thingie for me"
Poor C was just too faint-hearted for the King of Fruits.
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Img_0128 "Yes, shake it like that. That’s how you test the ripeness of a durian" Uncle John was telling me and this picture is proof of my educational lesson for the day.

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Someone had a bright idea to drown the black ants in cold water so that he could bring home the rambutans ants-free.

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Weird-shaped cempadaks but man, they look totally different (any yummy too!) on the inside.

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We came prepared with empty containers to pack more sinfully-yummy durians. Sweetheart’s mom’s eyes glazed over when I brought over a container of this later in the evening.

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Img_0144"Look! A fresh durian just dropped on the overhead net. Talk about durian-runtuh!"
I insisted for a picture of the freshly-dropped durian with our website guy. This will definitely be uploaded to our team website.

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…and the best picture of them all…
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The man who made it all possible : Uncle John
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(W & A just couldn’t resist posing for this pic with DA man!)

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This day will definitely go down in our history books as the ‘richest’ Penang experience we have had as a team.

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Saya anak Penang! :))))

20
Jul

2007 - 2007

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

20th July 2007 

0800 hrs : Con call with the global team on best practices sharing. US folks were impressed with our sharing on China’s OBCM system.

0930 hrs : Team meeting. Boss shared globalization activities that are currently HOT on our plate. Most exciting times ahead for us!

1100 hrs : Con call with leader of Channel Optimization team. More exciting discussions on projects to be linked to globalization activities.

1130 hrs : Enuff of con calls/meetings already! Off to cafeteria to pick up packed lunch for team.

1145 hrs : Off to Secret Recipe to get birthday cake for the July babies.

1220 hrs : Got back to apartment and packed stuff for the afternoon.

1230 hrs : Team members arrived at meeting point.

1300 hrs : Final headcount check - 18 altogether. Ok, let’s move it! All packed into a Wira, a City, an X-Trail & an Unser. FINALLY left meeting point. Those of us who were early/on-time had to take shit from our Filipino colleagues on "Malaysian timing".

1320 hrs : Reached destination # 1 - Balik Pulau Lookout Point. Great view. Weather was perfect. Nice breeze too. Strong enough to keep us cool but not too strong to the point of irritation. It’s gonna be a perfect afternoon.

1330 hrs : Lunch! Everyone was so hungry. Attacked the food like pigs.

1400 hrs : Done with lunch and enuff of the camwhoring already! Let’s start the FUN games. We discovered that most of our team members are competitive and darn aggresive. Someone commented that I will make a mean coach with my constant reminder "Focus team F.O.C.U.S!" to my team members. Heck, we are winners and nothing less!

1430 hrs : Cake-cutting time. 2 birthday babies for this month. Everyone loved the Chocolate Moist Cake. Good selection, Eleen!

1445 hrs : More games. This time, even the quieter team members seem to turn rather aggresive. Looks like it’s contagious. LOL.

1530 hrs : Ok. Everyone is so tired out. Too much excitement in one afternoon. Next on the agenda plzzzzz…

1540 hrs : All 4 cars drove out of the Lookout Point and headed to destination # 2 - Uncle John’s fruit orchard. 

1600 hrs : Reached Choo Villa. Wow. So many rambutan trees looking like the red’s about to explode from the trees. Parked cars and did a mini hike into the fruit orchard.

1615 hrs : Durians, mangosteens, cempedaks, rambutans!!! All the locals attacked the fruits like there is no tomorrow. The foreigners were more cautious and decided to observe us before they start. The braver ones attacked the durians together with us. The others just stayed with mangosteens, rambutans and cempedaks.

1700 hrs : "Urrgghhh..I think me tummy is gonna explode", someone whined. "Hah. Tham ciak lah!" someone else retorted and the rest laughed. Uncle John insisted we pack the remaining fruits. He is sooo generous. Charged us only RM 12 per person. All that fruits for RM12 each. Geeezzzz…

1710 hrs : All packed back into the 4 cars and drove back to my apartment.

1730 hrs : Split all the bags of packed fruits amongst us. Boss thanked everyone for a great Friday afternoon and off we went to our own weekend lives.

1800 hrs : Sweetheart called "Hey baby, u done with your teambuilding already? Had fun?" I was just too tired to give him the details. Told him I’ll update him later tonight. Need a shower really bad.

1830 hrs : QM called to plan for the night. Discussed plans for Friday night (I’ll skip dinner, thank you. Me think me too full to eat anymore for the rest of the month!).

2000 hrs : Ok. Time to get changed and start Friday night. Am feeling really tired but hey, am not gonna stay in on a Friday night. Will just not stay up too late. Got a breakfast date at 9am tomorrow. Crazy but necessary.

I will remember this day for a loonnnng time to come. Thanks, team…for a great teambuilding day! Love you all! Muax!

19
Jul

Pretty Boy - Part I

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Friends

Not a single one of my friends could decipher this email which got into my Inbox today:
"Hello Ellen, I hope you are ok, for months ago I was writing you but not I did not have answer yours, either you I am reproaching nothing, but if i will  like  know of you, I know  that I not response you when  when your done it, please want that you excuse to me, response or you can call to me to the xxxxxxxxxx."

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For reasons I cannot explain, I can somehow make out the message to be :
"Hello Eleen, I hope you are ok. I have been writing to you for months but have yet to receive any answer from you. Either I have been ignored but if I know you as the person I believe I know, you will not do that to me. So, if you have indeed responded to my emails, please excuse my missing them out…and resend your responses to me. Otherwise, you can call me at xxxxxxxxxx."

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This was from a Costa Rican guy whom I met yearrrrssss ago. Ermm…talk about REAL communication issues. He had to get us 2 copies of Spanish-English pocket dictionaries so that we could communicate with each other. His English was….erm…I reckon you can guess from his email excerpt above. My Spanish - Cero.

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Friends knew that communication is # 1 to me and were naturally stumped when they saw him lasting more than one night. Fine, so I cut him some reeeaallll slack but hey, no hot-blooded gal could resist that super tight ass and man, that gorgeous face with model-like features. Puurrrrrrrrrrr….

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However, there is only so much bad communication a gal could take. Even the novelty of a pretty face wears off after awhile.

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He lasted all of one week.

18
Jul

Schmerz

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness

That’s German for PAIN and that’s how I feel all over my body. Never mind that I was full of spirit and determination to kick some ass today at the Body Combat class. My body just refused to listen to my mind today. Nope…no sudden movements, no sitting down cross-legged (thx to the lunges last nite!), no squat toilets for me plzzzz…. Man, can’t believe how much physical damage 5 weeks of weight-free days can do to me. Urghhh!

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So not fair. Sweetheart’s not feeling any of the pain at all…and he was as much weight-deprived as I was for the past weeks! Hmmmm…now I understand why he cut down on the weights last nite. Instead of the usual 10kgs, he was only lifting 5kgs. Cissss….

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*rrrrinnnggggggg*

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Sweetheart : “Hey baby, how’s work coming along?”
Me : “Still ploughing on. So tired but got so much more to do before my presentation tomorrow”

Sweetheart : “Ok lah. Will not disturb you dee. Let you get back to work. I’m gonna go cheeep cheep dee. So tired. It’s been a long day for me too.”
Me : “Eeee…me wanna cheep too but can’t. Got more work to do before the nite is over.”
Sweetheart : “Muscles still hurting all over?”
Me : “You think leh????”
Sweetheart : “Oklah. Let you go back to work. Nite nite. Luv ya.”
Me : “Nite baby….luv ya too”

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Hmmmpppffff….me still boh kam buan. Me suffering from muscle aches all over and still gotta stay up to work while my sweetheart is going to bed already…and it’s only 10pm!!! He’d better make it up to me kau-kau over the weekend. *dusshh*

17
Jul

I feeeeel good…ah-huh ah-huh ah-huh…

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness

It has been 5 weeks since we went for the Body Pump class and tonight, we decided to brave ourselves and go back to the regime of pumping weights.

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Man, it was harrrdd..very hard. Can’t believe that a couple of weeks could make so much of a difference. Never mind that we have been going for the Body Combat classes in the past 2 weeks. The pump class is in a category of its own. A different category of pain. However….call us crazy but we dig this kinda pain. The pain which confirms that our muscles are working hard. The grunts and groans were just too obscene to be written in this blog though. *LOL*

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Thank God for a good friend who has arranged a massage session for us this Sunday morning. At least I know I will get some pampering this weekend after working hard throughout the week.

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So, Body Pump. Here I come tomorrow and Friday!!!

16
Jul

Ignorance or cultural deprivation?

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Penang got its 15 seconds of fame today through Astro Channel 11’s show "Bizarre Food : Asia".

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     However, what the producer was trying to portray as interesting gourmet-sharing with the world turned out to be a slap on their own faces. The things that the show host said really make non-Asians look TOTALLY silly. Didn’t get his name..some balding fat guy who should be earning his living doing something with his mouth shut; not full and talking at the same time.

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On belachan : "This smelly thingy looks weird"
On mamak food : "I am surprised to see they serve mutton here" (right, says the folks who eat red meat everyday - retorts sweetheart)
On teh tarik : "How unusual! They pull their tea! It is drinkable after that?"
On horseshoe crab : "This has got to be THE weirdest seafood in the sea" (Man, you need to take up diving)
On fish maw : "Hmm…does that look strange or what???!"
On lok-lok : "Oh, strange looking food in sticks cooked fondue-style!"

…and the best of it all…

On durians : This guy walked around town trying to collect public feedback on this King of Fruits. Then went on to Balik Pulau to visit a fruit farm. Finally, decided to give the fruit a try. Put a small seed in his mouth and spat it right out.

Show host : "Urgh! It tastes like slimy, rotten mushrooms!"
Local guy : "Don’t worry. It’s just a fruit. It will not make you sick"
Show host : "Hey, I’ve eaten lots of bizarre food. Believe me, I am the KING of bizarre food. I’ve eaten sooo many bizarre food and cannot believe that a FRUIT beats them all!"

At the end of the program, he smiled at the camera and said his punchline "All I really feel like now is a cheeseburger".

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I’d like to believe that not all non-Asians are this deprived. I agree with sweetheart. Sad, sad, sad man.

16
Jul

Channel 111

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Music

Of late, the music from this Astro channel seems to make me smile…a lot. :)))

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* Cheers me up when crappy’s in town for a visit,
* Makes the world more cheerful despite the moaners and groaners amongst us,
* Makes love beautiful even though the hurt sometimes kills us inside,
* Makes me wanna love those around me more instead of destroying their hopes in me,
* Rejuvenates the passion I’ve always believed in,
* Picks me up from the depths of negativity,
* Pushes me to drive harder to get what I want at where I want,
* Reminds me to stop and enjoy the music of Life.

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…and there was once I heard them play my all-time-fav jazz song. Brought me back to the days when the tunes from Wilson’s skillful piano-playing and Ruby’s melodic singing reverberates off the walls of The Mansion (they still perform on weekends but have since moved to the dining area and no longer perform at the lounge room). As we sat there enjoying our glasses of wine and cocktails (some opted for coffee), mesmerized by the soulful tune…we can’t help but be totally spellbound.

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So, let me share this song with you, my friends. Johnny Mathis’ Misty.

*****************************************
Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree;
And I feel like I’m clingin’ to a cloud,
I can’ t understand
I get misty, just holding your hand.

Walk my way,
And a thousand violins begin to play,
Or it might be the sound of your hello,
That music I hear,
I get misty, the moment you’re near.

Can’t you see that you’re leading me on?
And it’s just what I want you to do,
Don’t you notice how hopelessly I’m lost
That’s why I’m following you.

On my own,
When I wander through this wonderland alone,
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove
I’m too misty, and too much in love.
Too misty, and too much in love.

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

15
Jul

Absolut-ely Hellacious!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food and Drink

This post is specially dedicated to all vodka lovers out there, specifically Absolut fans. (I can already picture N**tie going "gimme gimme gimme!!!" with his hands fully extended and all thoughts of spreadsheets, schedules, abandonment rate, peak queue time flown out the window)

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Here’s the picture I’ve promised a lot of my friends for a long time.

Taken under my bar’s blue lightsAbsolut_miniatures_dim_2

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Taken under regular lightsAbsolut_miniatures_flash

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Got these 6 from my Langkawi trip in May. Can’t find the miniature for Ruby Red and Pears, though. Maybe they are too new (altho theoretically, they aren’t really that new anymore).

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Needless to say, the miniature special edition ones are even harder to find. I’ll just have to save the 1 litre bottles of my Absolut Bling Bling and Absolut 100 till I can get my hands on their miniatures.

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For now, I will just enjoy what I have in my bar. And yes, that makes me absolut-ely happeeee.

14
Jul

Shopaholic

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Beauty

Most female shoppers can generally be categorized into 2 main groups.

Group A : The true-blue shopper

  • Their lives are dramatically changed by any announcements of mega-sales, warehouse-sales, shutting-down-sales, i-think-i-ran-over-a-cat sale, or I’m-pissed-at-my-mother-in-law sale.
  • They are the ones who get hyper excited when they hear of friends making shopping plans, even though they are not part of the plans.
  • They can spend an entire day at the mall and come back with not a single purchase and yet are fully satisfied on a well-spent day. Sometimes, they may end up buying some stuff but those are far and in-between. (note that not all of these true-blue shoppers are rolling in dough)
  • They will diligently cut out discount coupons, sign up membership at a dozen stores, register their email addresses at every other store, and be the first few ones to squeeze into the invitation list of any opening/kick-off events.

Group B : The only-when-I-have-to shopper

  • These folks plan their shopping trips. When to go what to get and how to cover the most area in the shortest time possible.
  • They zip in and out of the stores satisfied with their planned purchases for the day.
  • They get super annoyed if they walk out of the stores empty-handed. Maybe it’s becos that means their plans just got flushed down the toilet and they will have to reschedule everything else.
  • They can never, ever understand all the hype and trouble folks go through just to get that 30% or even 70% off. They would rather pay full price on another regular non-sale day just to save the time spent elbowing through a mad crowd and waiting in a never-ending line just to pay for the purchases. Their reasoning…their time IS money.

Of coz there are other smaller categories like window shoppers and impulse shoppers but like I mentioned earlier, most women can generally fall into the above 2 categories. So, which group do you belong to? ;)

13
Jul

Friday the 13th

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Here’s my scary sharing for today.

  • had a short discussion with one of the big boys. Darn, his expectations of one of the the projects I’m on has just sky-rocketed. Looks like I’ve to step on the gas to rope in more results faster. More MBWA is in order.
  • the China and Korea folks seem to understand me but can’t seem to be able to articulate their responses. IM (Instant Messaging), people, IM…the software is not there in our systems to make us look or feel good.
  • one of my team members is moving on to another team within the company. No backfill. Less people to do the same amount of work. Delegation, sweetie…delegation.
  • got tired of the food in the FTZ area. Decided to drive downtown to Salsas for lunch. They only serve set lunch. Service was fast and pricing was reasonable. Food…I’ve had better.
  • last con call for the day. Draggy. Sweetheart had to make it worse by coming up from behind and distracting me. Thank God for the mute button on my phone. OK, concentrate concentrate…

Finally, Friday evening is here. Having dinner with sweetheart soon. Hmmm….I need some appetizers. Ah, I almost forgot abt those chilled cherry tomatoes which had been sitting in my fridge for the past week, soaked in Absolut Ruby Red. They’ve gotta be REALLY good by now….yummy….heeerreeeee I cummmmmmm!!!

Happy Friday the 13th, people! Hope you’ve had a scary day today. :|

12
Jul

House-Proud

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

I remember this to be the favourite word whenever the topic of getting our own place came up. Many moons ago, QM and I talked a lot about how we envisage our own place to be like, how we would like to customise it and inject the Eleen/QM essence, make it into a sexy-yet-practical love nest, ensure it’s always party-ready and of coz, how it will be our very own sanctuary.

     A year ago, this dream became a reality and for the past few months, I have been living this dream-turned-reality. As I reflect on the many heartaches, frustrations, and hair-pulling moments, I can’t help but be totally and crazily house-proud! 

  • Yes, I am PROUD of the way the furniture were put together (the many, many hours of shopping for just the ‘right’ ones were so painful but so necessary)
  • Yes, I am PROUD of the bar which started from a single piece of blank paper and after numerous drafts, we managed to come up with a design that fits the perfect corner of the apartment. Talk about great space utilization and maximization!
  • Yes, I am PROUD of the classy color combination which helped to liven up the apartment and give it character.
  • Yes, I am PROUD of the sexy lighting which makes me feel like doing naughty things in different corners of the apartment!

A dear friend asked me a few days ago why I am so conscious of my place. My answer : "No, I am not conscious of my place, I am just darn house-proud!" :)))

11
Jul

MBWA

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Work Excitement

Management By Walking Around

     For years, managers in most corporate organisations have believed and practised it dilligently. It was only recently that I find myself doing a lot of it. The weird thing, it wasn’t even a conscious decision.

     It could be due to the demands of my current role which requires a lot of networking across the hierarchical group in the Asia Pacific region. Coupled with the fact that the ‘work family’ I belong to consists of approximately 700 employees regionally.

     Gone are the days when I have the luxury of getting some decent work done from my cubicle. Of late, I found that the best results can only be gained if I applied the MBWA concept. Whether it’s liaising with immediate ‘family’  members or with folks from other ‘families’, it helped tremendously when I removed myself from the comfort of my cube. I didn’t even have to work half as hard as I used to and results were pouring in twice as much.

     When I realised what has been going on in the past few weeks, it was definitely a ’slap-over-forehead-duhhhh’ moment!

DUHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

10
Jul

A balanced Life

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

Dreams, we chase
Beliefs, we fight for
Hope, we pray for
Goals, we drive towards

     …but at what cost?

Is the mental torture justifiable?
Is the heartache worth it?
Are the lessons too painful?
Do others have to pay the price becos of you?

Whatever the answer is to the above questions, we need to evaluate all that we hold dear to our heart, soul and mind. Then, and only then, can balance and contentment be achieved in Life.

     I tell myself everyday that everything I do in Life, I do them because I believe they add to the "Make Eleen happy" list. As I go through this demanding but exciting journey of Life, I am reminded everyday that it’s all about striking a balance. So, no matter how annoyed and displeased I am about certain things and folks in my life, I endeavour to also appreciate them for the parts that I find pleasure and happiness in.

Yes, I love and appreciate…
- my sweetheart
- my family
- my friends
- my job
- and most of all, myself.

09
Jul

Deprivation

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Health & Fitness

After being deprived of the gym for 2 whole weeks, I was begining to get withdrawal symptoms. Not good…so not good.

     We decided that we are NOT gonna let work screw up our gym schedule again this week. At exactly 6.30pm today, sweetheart and I agreed to shut down our laptops and walk out of the office. Worry abt work later in the evening. We need our adrenalin shot at the gym OH so bad!!!

     Walked into the gym just in time for the Body Combat class. Oooh…the Brazilian cutie colored his hair back from that ugly dirty blond to his original hair color. Nice. Cuter. More distraction from the tiredness, which is always a good thing. Hehehe…

     Ouch! I think I punched too hard and pulled some muscle on my left arm. Damn. That is so gonna hurt tomorrow. Nope. Am not giving up. Will do my damnest to make it to the gym again tomorrow. Am gonna ‘poh siew’ for the lost gym time.

     Ok. Better post this up and then get back to my presentation slides for the big boys. Tomorrow is gonna be an early start and a looooonnnnngggg day. Woohoooo!!!

08
Jul

Forgotten Beauty

By Eleen Por 5 Comments
Categories: Social

"I feel so layjee"  *strettccchhhhh*
"U always feel layjee!"
"Where got????"
"Got ler…"  *planted a gentle kiss on my forehead*

It was what sweetheart said to me this morning that pushed me to get out of my cosy apartment today. After the heavy downpour in the morning, it was just so hard to move my ass outta bed.

     OK, fine…fine. I will take those guys who have been bugging me to show them the other side of Penang - the rural part of the island. Little did I know that not only will my expat friends learn a little more abt this island but I too will get a refresher course of how beautiful the island really is. We get so caught up in Life and work that we forget there is this part of the island we live in that is truly beautiful and unspoilt (for now!).

Lemme share these pockets of info with you, my beloved friends.

  • The laksa stall in Balik Pulau offers 3 varieties of laksa. (There are 2 laksa stalls at the Balik Pulau junction. Go for the one at the corner coffee shop)
    • Assam laksa : the regular sour soupy type
    • Lemak laksa : for those who love the coconut-ty taste in their laksa
    • Mixed laksa : assam and lemak combined. For those who can’t decide which to order. I decided to be adventurous and order this just to explore how the combined taste will turn out. Yummy!
  • For those coffee lovers who prefer our local "kopi-peng" vs the RM10+ cup of Starbucks Coffee, you must…simply MUST order the kopi-peng from the corner coffee shop at the Balik Pulau junction. I am not a coffee drinker but decided to try it and it has got to be the most aromatic local coffee I have ever had! My friend spilled a little on the table and you know how the drinks will flow messily all over the table when we spill our drinks? Well, this spilt coffee just stayed a blob on the table. Heck, the shape of the blob stayed that way the entire time we were there. That shd give you an idea how thick the kopi-peng is! (WP, you will lurrvee this kopi-peng, I swear to you) Price : RM0.90
  • As we all know, there are many varieties of durians. D600, D700, Ang Heh (’Red Prawn’), etc. Today, I was introduced to the Ganja Durian. After having only a few seeds, I soon realised how it got its name. The flesh is so rich and creamy…that it gives us a high feeling after consumption of only a few seeds. I swear, I am telling the truth! The uncle at the stall told us that the high is from the richness of the taste. We could only take a few seeds each before we raised our hands in surrender. Decided to move our attention to rambutans and mangosteens after that.
  • When you select your mangosteens, keep in mind to check under the stems of the fruit. For some strange reasons, the black ants lurrvee to hide under the stems and the second you try to crack open the mangosteen to get to the sweet flesh inside, a thousand black ants (ok, so maybe I exaggerated a little but heck, those buggers can really cramp into those stems!) will crawl all over your hands. Only saving grace is that the black ants are not as mean as their red cousins and don’t leave painful marks.
  • 10 km may seem like a short distance if we drive from town to Bayan Lepas but from Teluk Bahang to Batu Feringghi, it feels like 100 km! The snakey road all the way seemed never-ending to me. Perhaps with a speed of 40 km/h or less, coupled with the winding road, 10 km is a reeeaaalllllyy long distance.
  • No matter how many times I drive through the road from Balik Pulau to Tanjung Bungah, the gorgeous scenery never fail to take my breath away. Take your drive during the tropical fruit season and you will be rewarded with the explosive sights and smells of durian, rambutan, cempedak, langsat, mangosteen and many, many others.

     I realised today that out-of-towners pay a lot of money, take a lot of effort and spend a lot of time to explore and get to know this beautiful part of Penang. However, we as Penangites easily forget that we are truly lucky to have all these richness in our own backyard. No need to fly a couple of thousand miles or drive a couple of hundred km.

     So, my dearest friends, no matter how busy you get with Life and/or work, please do stop and smell the roses (or in my case today, smell the durians!). You will be amazed by how happy those little often forgotten things can make us feel.

07
Jul

07.07.07

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Social

     This day will go down in our personal history book as ‘The-Day-we-had-WILD-fun-with-a-bunch-of-Thai-gay-guys’! We have many gay friends and some are really close friends but these guys we met…man, they are just TOTALLY crazy!!! And there wasn’t much booze involved…so, it wasn’t just the booze working. It was real, genuine FUN.

     One of them is really cute too. Tall…really tall and has a sexy tattoo on his right arm. It was this guy too who kept hitting on sweetheart. Of coz I had a fun time watching one very gay guy and one very straight guy having good, clean fun. *LOL* At one point in the night, when I was dancing on sweetheart’s lap, the tall guy came up behind and pretended to dry-hump me. Hahaha…Total wildness!

     One thing I regretted was the fact that I did not have our camera with us. So, no pictures to capture the night’s crazy experience. Oh well, we’ll have to rely on the camera in our minds.

     Next holiday destination : Bangkok! We have been talking and thinking abt it since we came back from our Phuket holiday in April and I think it’s high time we start making concrete plans. Besides, we have also made some new friends who can show us the clubbing scene in Bangkok - both the straight and queer ones. ;)

06
Jul

Journey of Life

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

To be truly happy with another…

Is loving with one’s whole heart and soul enough?
Is one’s willingness to make life-changing sacrifices enough?
Is total disregard of the other’s jarring shortcomings enough?
Is wanton physical intimacy enough?
Is a shared dream to grow old together enough?

At 21, the answer would be a resounding ‘YES!’,
At 25, it moves to a ‘Maybe’,
At 28, it becomes ‘If only…’,
At 30, with life’s tough lessons thrown in, it will turn to be ‘Yeah, right. Life is never that easy and straightforward!’

     As we reach each crossroad, we stop and re-evaluate our definition of ‘Happiness’. Each time, it evolves and we can’t help but be surprised (some take it well, some don’t).

Such…is the journey of Life.

05
Jul

Only in Penang

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Life & Love

     I decided that I needed to get away from the southern part of the island. Too many hours are spent daily on this part of Penang. Need a change of scenery. So, off we went to Batu Ferringhi for dinner and for some DVD shopping.

     Dinner was nice, really nice. I’ve always loved the soothing sound of waves breaking gently on the seashore. Over a bottle of Heineken and some lamb chop, I got the relaxation I needed after another long, hard day at work.

     After dinner was when the adventure began. As usual, we were at our favourite DVD stall, working hard to make up the 11 movies quota for the night (Buy 10 Get 1 Free!). Then just as we walked up to the towkay to pay for them, the place was a sudden hive of activity! In seconds, all the DVD’s disappeared…the player was shut down…the workers walking away from the stall…

     We looked at the towkay and saw him quickly shove some DVD’s into the back of his pants. When he saw the DVD’s I had in my hands, he hissed to me "Keep them in your handbag! NOW!" With a heart pumping what felt like a thousand beats a second, I quickly shoved all the DVDs into my handbag and thanked my lucky stars that I had the foresight to use one of my bigger handbags today.

     Then in another breath, he hissed "Go walk around! Shop..whatever! Don’t just stand there! Don’t worry, you’re a regular customer so I am not afraid of you walking off without paying me for those DVDs!"

Ahhhh…it feels good (?) to be trusted by a DVD towkay. Errmmm…

     Almost instantly, a whole bunch of mean-looking guys walked past the bare DVD stall and sniffed around. I swore my heart was beating so fast that I believed any one of them would turn around at any moment and go "U! Apa u ada dalam handbag tuuuu?!!" (translated : "What have you got in that handbag??!"). Of coz that didn’t happen. Just my imagination going into overdrive, yet again…

     As soon as the mean-looking guys left, the DVDs came popping right out. Without any further delay, I walked right up to the towkay and said "Here. I have selected my 11 DVDs already. Here’s RM40 for them all. Thanks for a most exciting night!" He gave me a wink and said "See you next month!"

     Now, can I get this kinda excitement anywhere else??? So no way! ;)

04
Jul

*Koff*Koff*

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness

It’s been 1.5 weeks and this darn cough is still lingering around. The fever’s gone, the flu’s disappeared…but the bloody cough seems to have found a comfortable spot and keen to stay for awhile!

Mid-afternoon today, an IM window popped up on my laptop screen.

"Hey gorgeous!"
"Hey u!"
"How have you been? Feeling better?"
"Darn cough still around"
"Oh? Izzit the kind with phlegm or the dry kind?"
"A little of both"
"Ah..and it hits you hard at night and keeps you up, eh?"

At that point, we were interrupted by a phone call from Sydney. So, had to minimize the IM window and give some attention to the Aussie guy on the other line. Couple of mins later. Attention back to the little IM window. Thought abt it for 2 seconds before typing my reply.

"It hits me most when I am abt to get my O’s…just when I am about to get sweet release, it hits me and *koff koff*. Darn irritating!"
           ~shocked silence~ then…
"Hahahhahahaha!! Good one!" :D

Hey…scout’s honor. It IS darn irritating!

03
Jul

Reminiscence

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

In my chit-chatting session with sweetheart’s mom over dinner tonight, I found out some interesting titbits about his parents.

  • they spent many a-dating days at the movies at the old Cathay Cinema on Penang Road (back in those days, there were no cineplexes)
  • they used to go for makan-makan at the corner coffee shop at Kampung Malabar (I had no idea where that is till tonight when she described its location to me)
  • their favourite makan spot is at Padang, the huge field behind the Dato Keramat police station, where an old uncle sold lok-lok from his ‘kandar’ (a pole hoisted on the man’s shoulders with two big baskets at both ends of the stick) and his customers had to sit on stools to enjoy his lok-lok
  • the best char koey teow and chee cheong fun was sold at ‘Magazine Circus’ (I didn’t even know this place was called this!) - the area around Magazine Road where Traders Hotel (previously known as Shangri-la Hotel) is at
  • they used to enjoy Mee Agong at CRC (this hawker was recently featured in The Star) for lunch on Saturdays
  • sweetheart’s dad used to travel to SP daily to work and sweetheart’s mom will hang around town at her mom’s place, enjoying the good food downtown at Church Street

So, it seems to me that no matter how much Penang has developed over the years, one thing will always remain the same - its many places to eat and eat and EAT!!!  :D

02
Jul

If only…

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

If only…

She can be happy for the good things that are happening to him,
She can understand that true and sincere friendships are hard to come by,
She can realize that dreams may be powerful but if we get too lost in them, all the many other important things in Life will slip away,
She can learn to see Life from a different perspective;

If only…

He can stop torturing himself for something that happened 7 years ago,
He can believe that not all girls will put him at the bottom of their priority list,
He can stop allowing himself to be taken for granted,
He can understand that no matter how much the truth hurts, lies hurt a thousand times more;

Then…perhaps, Life may just be beautiful for them again.

01
Jul

Eleen : In a package

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

LOVE. Yes, I believe in it and that without it, life will not be as colourful. I am addicted to the warm, tingling sensation when I am loved and when I love in return. However, I am also very practical-minded to acknowledge the fact that we can’t survive on love alone.

SEX. Yes, it is important no matter what folks say (or do not say) abt it. Without it, life will be oh-so-boring! Everyday, I thank my lucky stars that I am multi-orgasmic. So, I get to visit God a couple of times at once. Yes, life is sweet that way. ;) And oh, I believe that sexual compatibility is crucial in all romantic relationships.

GOD. Yes, I believe in the existance of God but I do not believe in preaching my belief/faith to others. As long as I don’t do/think/wish evil deeds unto others, that is good enough for me. Thanks but no churches or temples or whatever holy grounds for me. It’s not about being shameful of my faith in God. I just do not see the need to go anywhere to pray to God. I believe that God is in me - wherever I go.

HEALTH. I believe that we are what we eat. Regular exercises (bedroom ones count too!) are crucial to keeping a healthy body. However, a healthy body is useless without a sharp, healthy mind. So physical and mental health must be maintained at all times. No matter what. No compromise.

AMBITION. Without it, life is pretty aimless. It helps to guide us go places, achieve things, and experience Life. It gives us the purpose to drive ourselves towards our goals. It helps steer our ship of Life. It is this that drives one of the many maxims in my Life : Try anything at least once.

DREAMS. Most folks have dreams but only a handful will realize their dreams. I have many dreams - some meant to be realized, some meant to stay as dreams. Unlike some dreamers who believe that ALL dreams are ‘realizable’, I believe that there will be some dreams which are best kept as dreams. I am proud to say that I have realized a whole bunch of my dreams. Am I happy? Yes. Am I satisfied? Yes. Am I hungry for more? Hell yeah! My list of dreams grow every single day. They help me grow - emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

PASSION. This is most important to me. I like to believe that I live my Life passionately. Without it, I am unable to get out of bed in the mornings. Without it, I am unable to love the way I love the people in my life, do the things I do in my life, and get the many achievements I’ve obtained in my life.

…and these…are the reasons I believe in living my Life happy wihout any regrets - every single day. For no matter how hard we pray, wish or dream, we can never bring back yesterday.

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