Got an interesting tag from Drey yesterday. Decided to take the mini test to see how I fare. It apparently measures one’s addiction to blogging.
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Check out my score here.
Heh….guess I am not as addicted as many told me I am. 
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Who to tag?
Gotta be someone who will actually respond to the darn tag! (you know who you are, lazy pigs! :p)
So, I am tagging Sheryl, Dawn and Siew Leng. 
Archive for October, 2007
31
Oct
Blog Addiction
30
Oct
Learnings & Reminders
Some random learnings/reminders from today:
- Turns out that some folks who got themselves into my ‘friends’ list actually belong to my ‘acquaintance’ list.
- When one dares to be different or to speak his/her mind, one is then labeled a ‘maniac’ / ‘freak’ by others who usually ‘go with the flow’ of society. (It’s always easier to be normal)
- It’s a wonderful thing when your other half is your best friend.
- I am constantly learning and growing to be a better person.
- I am not perfect.
- Time is better spent on improving ourselves than bitching about the imperfection of others.
- I do not always have to surround myself with friends in moments of grief. Seeking solace in myself can sometimes be the best way to get out of a pit.
- Some Americans still believe that we live in trees and do not have minds of our own.
- Sleep is precious.
Life is but a journey of lessons.
Oh, thanks for the reminders too.
29
Oct
The Reasons
I’ve been asked this question sooooo many times that I decided to document my answer into an entry and post it for all my friends to read. So, those who have the question in your head but yet to ask me this question, here is your answer.
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THE Question : "Why do you blog?"
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THE Answers :
- It’s an outlet for my crazy, unconventional thoughts. Some thoughts are just not ‘acceptable’ in society and will get me dirty looks or weird stares if I bring them up as topics of discussion. So, I blog them down and no one can give me any sh!t about it ‘coz it’s MY blog and I get to write whatever I feel like writing! :p
- To document the milestones in my Life so that I will never forget exactly how I felt and what I went through as I met each and every milestone.
- To capture my laughter and my tears as I go through this exciting journey called LIFE.
- Allows me to share with my friends the things that are seen through my eyes. That’s the main reason I don’t accept requests from folks I do not know in person. How can I add them to my Friendster list if they are not my friends?
- To cheer me up when I am down. It never fails to make me smile when I read about the happy and/or crazy things that I did or happened which got captured in my blog.
- To remind me of the little things in Life that I sometimes take for granted or miss out on as I get busy chasing the bigger things.
A friend recently sent me an email :
"Hi Eleen. Found your blog on Friendster awesome and creative. Ever tried freelancing as a writer?"
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Thanks for your vote of confidence, WL, but I ain’t exactly a writer. I write for all the reasons listed above and not to earn a living. There are just too many things in Life I wanna do (which requires me to earn an obscene sum!) and if I attempt to earn a living out of my writing, I believe I will die a pauper and not even get to midpoint of my many exotic, exciting and mind-blowing destinations.
28
Oct
BESTEST Sunday
Reasons why today is the BESTest Sunday ever :
- Had the best early-morning cuddling (and then some *smug grin*) time with Sweetheart.
- Got to the movies before noon (first time ever on a Sunday!) to catch STARDUST. It’s been awhile since we both enjoyed such a good movie, thanks to Neil Gaiman. The movie is a little (maybe a lot to some) different from the book but it’s still a rather good silver screen adaptation.
- Beef noodles lunch at 600cc (we are both suckers for beef).
- Sweetheart headed to his Sunday afternoon agenda while I headed to the gym for yet another great session of Jazz-Yoga.
- Was pleasantly surprised when Sweetheart suggested a shopping trip to Prangin Mall. It was then that Tommy was introduced to Sweetheart. Sorry Tommy dearest, my heart belongs to my man. :)))
- Got to do one of our most favourite things : DVD shopping! Super spoilt for choice. Had to stop at DVD #10. We wouldn’t have time to watch them all, baby.
- Next, perfume shopping. I know I just got my bottle of Mediterranean on Friday but that new scent from Moschino - Funny! … was driving me kinda wild. Then, there’s the other scent from Hugo Boss - Hugo Woman. That drove Sweetheart wild. I couldn’t decide which one I preferred. Being the darling that my man is, he went "I’ll get you both lah! X’mas comes early for you this year, baby!". Was tempted but decided to hold it off a few more weeks. Getting your X’mas present in October feels weird. :\
- Love it that most of the time, he had his arm around my waist as we walked around the mall. At other times, his fingers were laced through mine as we walked hand-in-hand. Simple things in Life that keeps a gal happy, eh…
- Where did the time fly to? It’s waaayyy past dinner time already! Time to fill our tummies with food. Strange how we didn’t feel the hunger pangs till we were done with our shopping.
- Had dinner, bought some bread for our sandwich breakfast tomorrow (mental note to wake up earlier to prepare the sandwiches).
- Time to call it a day, baby.
P/S - I was having so much fun with Sweetheart that I forgot to drop by a Singaporean friend’s place to pick up my bottle of Absolut Pear (yes, another one but hey, one can never have too many bottles of that super yummy drink!).
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*Huge, smug grin*
27
Oct
Tommy
I will never forget Tommy.
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The guy who made me part with $1200.
(for a Penangite, that is ALOT of moolah, okaaayyy :p)
The guy who made the parting so painless.
The guy who slyly convinced me that it’s all worth it.
The guy whom I know will make it BIG as an ISR in Dell.
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Thanks to Tommy (after months of shopping around), I have finally gotten round to replacing my 2-year old phone with the super sexy, ultra-slim, 3G Walkman Phone…*drum roll*…the Sony Ericsson W880i.
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Being a SE fan for years, I knew that I will definitely want to get another SE to replace my older SE. Unfortunately, I searched high and low, near and far…yet, I couldn’t find any SE model that’ll make me go OOooOoooooOOOooooo. Even when Sweetheart got his W850i months ago, I wasn’t that excited about it due to it’s bulky form. Sweetheart loves it ‘coz "I’m a guy and I don’t need an itty-bitty phone".
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To understand how and why I am soooooo turned on by this new toy, check it out here. I got the black one. Sexier, methinks.
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To further understand why I am sooooooo liking my new toy, check out my first attempt at mobile blogging. Picture taken, text typed, blog entry published - all from Tommy’s booth at Prangin Mall. How cool is that? 
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I know, I know…for lots of folks, this is yesterday’s technology already. However, I will hafta say this : SO WHAT??? Call me ‘jakun’, call me ‘outdated’, call me whatever, I don’t care. I am still darn excited about my new, sexy music-camera-phone-picture blogging device.
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Me happy camper today. So happy that I am even not pissed or depressed about staying home on a Saturday night.
26
Oct
Torture
It was torture, pure torture.
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As I sat there since 9am this morning, she has been messing with my mind. I tried my damnest to concentrate on the guy standing in front of the room…but my mind and my eyes kept getting lured back to her, sitting at the front of the room. The milky white skin, the slender form…she was sexily and tantalizingly driving me WILD!
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Breathe in, breathe out. Concentrate, Eleen, concentrate. The presenter is sharing some really useful information that you could discuss with your team in your next team meeting. Forget the breathtaking beauty in front of you now. You have GOT to stay focused! This is NOT a good time to get distracted.
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At certain points of the day, I thought I was succeeding. Then, all she needed to do was turn her body ever so slightly…teasingly showing me her side form. OH.MY.GOD. I was friggin’ close to getting an orgasm!
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Finally, I decided enough was enough. Fuck the niceties! I am so gonna put an end to this misery before the end of today! Which was precisely what I did. Found out some useful information on where I can find her after work, then go grab her and make her mine!
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Before the sun set today, she was mine.
Jealous? Don’t be.
You can make her yours too for a little under RM 60 from ‘Opera’ at Prangin Mall 2nd floor. 
She comes in silver and gold too. Sexxxyyyyyyy!!!!
25
Oct
Rocking my boat
Things that made me go hmmmmmmm today :
- Had a good full-day meeting with all the right people to help me understand my new role in the MEGA global project (looking forward to more tomorrow!).
- Was surprised with a bottle of Absolut Pear (yayyyyy!!!) by my Singaporean colleague.
- Lacing my fingers through Sweetheart’s as we spent some alone-time at lunch (over our favourite bowls of Hokkien mee).
- Got to put some faces to some names and voices of folks I have been working with for months.
- Was pampered at the Spa just before dinner.
- Had yummillicious Japanese food for dinner (yes, again but so what?!?! :p)
- Enjoyed Ume Choya (Japanese plum alcohol) with some great company.
- Picked up many interesting (and useful) corporate tips from Korean counterpart.
- Confessed to colleague that I’ve always been attracted to nerds, geeks, dorks…whatever you call them. Hey, they rock my boat with wassit they’ve got between ‘em ears!
‘Tis been a good day, albeit a looonnnggg one.
24
Oct
Imperfection
That happy couple with their beautiful children,
That beaming young bride with her filthy rich expat hubby,
That lucky bastard with his gorgeous model wife,
That jetsetting pair who seem inseparable,
That good-looking couple with their fast-paced lives…
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From the outside looking in,
We envy them,
Their beautiful clothes, their devil-may-care attitude, their fabulous lifestyles, their perfect worlds…
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Yet,
They have their fair share of fights, tears, pain,
And many, many other imperfections…
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We tell ourselves and others that we must never compare,
Coz it’s unfair to compare,
Yet, it’s only human nature to do so…
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Go ahead,
Compare and contrast all you want/need to,
But at the end of it all,
Be thankful for who you have by your side,
For no matter how imperfect he/she is,
So are you.
23
Oct
Untouchable
He debated sending that word to her, fearing that she may take it the wrong way. After all, it really can be taken sooo many ways. He worries if it will be ok, if it will be right, if it will screw up her mind…and worst of all, if it will screw up his emotions if she does not reply or acknowledge his word for her. Heck! Even if she does reply, he will still be screwed up mentally and emotionally. So, what the heck!!! He wondered. How long has it been since he last held her in his arms? It felt like a few eternities ago. Yet, at the same time, it felt just like yesterday. The memory of her warm body in his arms, the giddying smell of her hair, the beating of his own heart as he held her close. These memories are now locked up tightly in his heart - its key thrown into the deepest seas.
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She stared at it for the longest time on her laptop screen. Are her eyes playing tricks on her??? She blinked once, twice…even a third time. The word was still there, unchanged. Guess it’s real after all. Not a figment of her imagination. Then when that hit her, her heart stopped beating. For how long, she does not know. She just knows that it stopped beating (or rather it felt like it stopped). After what felt like a lifetime, she came back to Life (and reality). She sighed inwardly. "The pain is but a vague memory now…but why does the love I feel for him still burn so strongly in my heart???" The word he gave her, may very well be the word she will give right back to him!
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Oh well, Life goes on.
22
Oct
T.A.G.G.E.D.
Yesterday, for once, the questions I got in a tag were not questions like "What was I doing an hour ago" or "If I had 3 wishes, what would I wish for" that made me roll my eyes as I read them. So, I decided to keep this one alive (yah, I’ve unashamedly ‘killed’ the rest).
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4 jobs I’ve had :
- Hotelier
- Customer Care Specialist
- APOS (After Point Of Sale) Manager
- Program Manager
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4 movies I could watch over and over :
- Grease 1 & 2
- Ratatouille
- Harry Potter (all of them)
- 300
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4 TV shows I watch :
- Heroes
- CSI (all of them)
- AFC (The F Word)
- Party Planner with David Tutera
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4 places I’ve lived :
- Penang
- KL
- Penang
- Penang
(sad but true)
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4 favourite foods :
- Italian
- Japanese
- Indian
- Penang hawker food (a given!)
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4 favourite colors :
- green
- white
- brown
- black
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4 places I’d love to be at right now :
- California (I fell in love with it in 2 weeks)
- Italy (so that I get to savour Italian food the way the Italians enjoy it)
- In a vineyard (I so love the smell & sight of a vineyard at its full bloom)
- In Sweetheart’s arms (it’s raining and it’s one helluva cuddleable nite!)
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4 names I love but could/would not use for my children :
- names of the months
- Belle
- Dick
- Sue Ellen
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Who will I tag?
Hmmmm…..I think I will go for :
(1) Mark
(2) WP
(3) Joop
(4) Mari
The rest of my friends are too damn lazy to blog.
Then, I realised that the majority of them fall into 3 main groups :
Group # 1
- Those who just wanna check out guys/chicks pictures and see if they get lucky with some smart intro lines. :pGroup # 2
- Those ‘busybodies’ (some of these folks openly admitted this!) who are just interested to see who knows who, who has added new friends, etc.
Group # 3
- Those who blog once in awhile (some more often than others).
Ok, I may have ruffled some feathers…but hey guys, prove me wrong and BLOG!!! :pppp
21
Oct
OctoberFest in Penang
This annual event is a little special for us this year.
Our very good friend, Marc, is this year’s Chairman. Two things we did to show our support.
- Helped to sell the tickets prior to the event. I was totally blown away by the super encouraging response from my fellow Dellians. At one point, someone quipped "We might as well call it DellFest instead of OctoberFest!"
- Made sure we were there to have a BALL! That wasn’t too difficult a task.
As expected, it rained as the party started warming up. OctoberFest in Penang seems to have an invisible tie to the weather year in, year out. ‘Need rain, throw an OctoberFest party in Penang!’.
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As usual, what’s a great event without some pictures to capture the night’s memories, eh? So, here goes. First one was taken with DE man of the night, the Chairman of OctoberFest 2007 in Penang : Marc Mulzer.
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*clap clap*
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The first thing that caught my eye when I walked into the place was : my favourite giant cookies! They were sold for RM9.50 each and they were also selling OctoberFest mugs for RM10 each. Got one for G who was unable to make it for the night due to a last minute trip to Haadyai.
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Got one for myself too. My beer-drinking friends can no longer complain about not having a proper beer mug to drink beer at my parties. Only thing is, they gotta share the mug ‘coz I ain’t getting more than one considering I am not really into beer. :p
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We made many new friends and met up with some old ones.
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Some were so excited to meet each other that they couldn’t decide on which pose to strike.
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And of ‘coz, there is always the excuse to camwhore.
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Yet, everyone’s favourite part of the night was still this :-
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At the end of the night, I realised that there was no pictures taken of the big, fat, juicy German sausages. We were too darn hungry when we got there that we just attacked the food without stopping to take any pictures. Oh well, there will always be next year.
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By 11-ish, our mobiles were going off incessantly. Text messages and calls hurrying us to go over to our favourite spot for the usual Saturday night clubbing. So, from OctoberFest, we adjourned to FunFest at Momo.
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When the club lights were turned on at 3am signaling its closure, some were still unwilling to call it a night. Must be the German beer that got those folks so damn hyper-active! "Aiyah, where to now?" some started asking. "Where else?!? Eleen’s place lah!" Came the unanimous answer.
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So at 4am, I found myself cooking instant noodles to feed the mouths of hungry clubbers. After filling their stomachs, it was on to MORE drinks! By the time they decided to call it a night (or rather, morning), the sky was changing color. As I climbed into bed and into Sweetheart’s arms, I glanced at the clock : 7am.
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What a night!
20
Oct
Happy Birthday, Mark!
I would like to dedicate my 200th post to a very special guy. A guy who was a HUGE part of my life for 4 years (and I am proud to say he is still very much a part of my life, albeit in a different way). He went from friend to good friend to boyfriend to best buddy.
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This was a picture taken of him exactly 6 years ago, when he turned 27.
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He is a man who is always hungry for more of Life. There just isn’t enough time for him to do all the things he wants to do in Life.
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Play the piano, learn how to read and write Chinese (self-taught, no trained tutor), dragon-boating (to overcome his fear of water), rock-climbing (to overcome his fear of height), restoring a super old mini cooper (to satisfy his love for all things old), conquering as many mountains as his legs will permit him (to push himself to the highest possible fitness level his physique will allow him), travelling all over the globe (to fulfill his lifetime need to constantly learn new things about people and Life), getting his shoe polished by freshly-sheared wool at a sheep farm, trying his hand at the hunting methods of the ‘orang asli’ in Taman Negara (to show off!)…and the list goes on and on.
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There was never a dull moment when I was sharing my life with him. We did many things, travelled to many places, met many people from all walks of life, learnt many lessons, cried many tears, fought many emotional battles and most of all, had many ‘best times’ of our lives.
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Although things did not work out between us as life partners, we both agreed the friendship we shared is just too precious to be buried with the romantic relationship that fizzled out. I am truly lucky to be able to still enjoy this guy’s caring and selfless friendship. He constantly amazes me with his sincere and genuinely-friendly behavior whenever he talks to/sees Sweetheart.
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Yes, he still annoys me with his weird need to disgust me sometimes…and he is STILL hopelessly soft when it comes to women; despite the countless lectures I gave him on how to protect his heart and not let it get broken so easily.
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However, despite all his misgivings and shortcomings, he is a great guy. A guy who will fly higher than many guys I’ve known in this lifetime, yet have both his feet firmly planted on the ground.
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Happy birthday, Mark!
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May all your wishes come true and know that you will always hold a special place in my heart, now and forever. *hugz*
19
Oct
Reminder
I realised that throughout the years, I have gone through lots of peaks and pits.
From the peaks, I bask in the glories.
From the pits, I learn from the lessons.
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Then every once in awhile,
I remember…
I am made of so much more,
I am capable of so much more,
I am definitely achieving so much more!
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"Do not let anything/one hold you back from your true capabilities"
My believers will remind me,
"I will not disappoint you, I swear!"
I will reassure them.
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It feels so good to be reminded of things I sometimes forget. :)))
18
Oct
Temptation
The New Taste of Temptation.
Made from Anjou Pears, it seems.
Provocative. Full-bodied taste.
Me likey.
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Me got one bottle of it sitting in me bar. Unfortunately, it is almost empty now. 
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I am desperate. I am almost-dry. I am needing replenishment.
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Help?
17
Oct
Re-organisation
I thought the days of night con-calls and crazy working hours are buried deeply in my past. That was a life I led 2 years ago when I was part of the Global Program team but since I moved to the APJ Support team, I have been happily earning my keep during hours when normal people in this part of the world are working too.
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Last week, I received an email that changed my working life, yet again. Due to a recent major GLOBAL reorganisation, we now have to live and breathe GLOBAL. No more regional (in my case, APJ - Asia Pacific & Japan) support. Whatever we do, it has to be able to be a fit-for-all program for all global sites.
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Now what does it mean for me?
Facts to
- Instead of having to put my finger in ALL pieces of the pie, I am now tasked to concentrate on ONE piece of the pie. That means, better focus. No more juggling acts. Easy prioritization.
- No more second guessing what my peers on the other side of the globe are privy to. I will have the same level of access as them. To tools, infrastructure, information, etc… Me likey.
- New boss, new learnings.
Facts to
- More night or SUPER early con calls.
- Gym time may be compromised.
- More remote communication (low to zero F2F)
- Lone ranger in the APJ region.
- No wacky, fun teambuilding activities.
- Working hours turned upside down.
I guess it may be ok on some days/nights and bad on others. Will hafta get used to this, again. Tonight was one of those bad days. Firstly, I had to forgo gym for the con calls. Secondly, I was on the phone from 8pm to 10.45pm non-stop. Two consecutive calls. Thirdly, I missed CSI. Fun…NOT!
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Ok, enough bitching for the night. Time to shut down the laptop and try to forget about work for the next 7 hours or so. Next con call will be at 8am tomorrow. Woohoo….
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Feel better after talking to Sweetheart. Get to ‘manja’ with him for abit. Always good to have a place/person to go to for our ‘manja’ dose.
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Nite.
16
Oct
Indoor vs Outdoor
Many wonder why some pay to exercise indoors (i.e. at the gym). I know many folks who constantly wonder why one favors the carbon dioxide-filled gyms to the oxigen-filled outdoors.
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"Why pay to smell sweat and other ‘fumes’ when you can breathe in the fresh Nature air for free?
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Here’s my answer to all those questions.
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*Note - I am only vouching for scheduled classes like Body Pump, Body Combat/Attack, Body Step, Pilates, Yoga, Yogilates, RPM, Power Stretch, Power Balance, Body Sculpt, Jazzercise, etc. NOT running on the threadmill or working out on any of the machines. Like most folks, I find those boring (even though one may bring own headset and listen to music or watch a movie while working out). I get bored of those really fast*
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- Your exercise schedule/plan does not get affected by the weather.
- There’ll always be a trained instructor to guide you throughout your workout session.
- You don’t have to worry about not having any buddies to exercise with you. You can always go to the gym alone, yet never be alone when working out.
- It’s always invigorating when you get to shout as loudly as you want when you kick and/or punch. Everyone in the room’s doing it, so you won’t get weird stares from others.
- The dance music specially chosen for the class takes your mind off the body aches and pains. You live track by track. You get lost in the music as you move your body to the beat. The hour-long class feels like minutes-long.
- It’s always good motivation when you see others in the room working hard and you will be less likely to give up. You push yourself to fight on even though you are tired as hell. Some call it ‘unwillingness to lose face’, others call it ‘team motivation’. Call it anything you want, as long as it works at pushing you to the next fitness/endurance level.
- Lastly, the choreographed moves are FUN! Never a dull moment when there’s great music to guide your every step.
Having written all that, it doesn’t mean that I do not appreciate Nature. At any chance I get, I still like to go for hiking, rock-climbing, rafting, and any other outdoor activities that gets my adrenaline pumping.
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Yes, it burns a hole in my pocket every month and yes, I absolutely hate the traffic I have to endure just to get to the gym from work on weekdays but for me, it’s all worth it when I feel fitter, stronger and more confident in my physical and mental health.
15
Oct
Sinful Affair
"Best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach"
- I have to state that it applies to not just the men, but to women too!
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Of late, I have been pampered by men with good food. Not the go-to-nice-restaurant-and-eat-dinner kinda good food but the home-cooked-with-lotsa-love-dinner kinda good food.
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As shared in my previous posts, I’ve had the priviledge of enjoying home-cooked food by Filipino men on a few occasions and last night, another good friend offered to cook us dinner. Like I said, I could get used to this! Lucky Sweetheart got to enjoy the yummy food too, of coz. "It pays to have a girlfriend who is so into Life!" he is constantly reminded.
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Here’s the picture of dinner last night. It tastes as good as it looks, okay. :)~~
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All that yummy food inspired me to do my own cooking as well. Those who know me well will know that I seldom cook and when I do, it’s usually when I’m throwing a party or just to experiment on some dishes (Hey, I live in Penang! Food’s easily accessible and damn inexpensive. Why need to slog over the stove to feed myself? :p)
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So, two Sundays ago, I decided to take out the pack of cannelloni which I so excitedly found in one of the supermarket aisle in Phuket, Thailand (I can NEVER find this in any of the supermarkets in Penang!) and try my hand at baking it. Bought some minced pork from the local market and then, back home for my first attempt at cooking cannelloni.
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*On a not-so-separate note, it annoys me that it’s so blardy hard to get a decent cannelloni dish in Penang! The first thing my eyes scan for when I open up the menu at an Italian restaurant is whether they serve cannelloni and more often than not, I have been disappointed. Occasionally, I get lucky when I go down to KL and find an Italian place that serves it but in my heart (or stomach), none has come close to the spinach cannelloni I had at the really nice Italian restaurant at Universal Studios, LA. Sigh…I will keep searching. Give up? No way!*
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Back to my attempt at home-baked cannelloni. Here’s how it looked like. The cheese and butter are visible in the pre-bake picture. I love the golden brown in the post-bake picture.
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We also experimented with pumpkin soup that day. Added cayenne pepper to the soup. Whoah! Gave it the kick I never knew soups could get. Most interesting, indeed. My friends loved it. I felt it was so-so. Maybe I got a tad too generous with the cayenne. Hehe…. Then I forgot to get some parsley. So, no nice deco for the soup. Looks rather plain, eh? Trust me. Plain was not how it tasted!
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All these food’s making me feel guilty. All the yummy home-cooked dinners, Raya makan-makan…and not as much exercise at the gym. Oh, we have another dinner invitation for tonight at an expat friend’s condo. Hmmm…better go bust my ass at the gym for at least an hour before dinner time. Sitting in front of the TV and my laptop ain’t gonna help rid of the guilt sitting on my head. :\
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Off to the gym now. Ta.
The celebration started with a small group of six. Dinner reservations were made at this tucked-away place called ‘Summer Garden’ in Tanjung Bungah. Except for the birthday boy, it was our maiden meal at this quaint lil’ family-owned cafe.
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Food was above average,
Service could be better,
Price was reasonable,
Ambience was nice,
Company was great!
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I ordered their house speciality : The BBQ pork ribs.
"Surprisingly better than I thought but not as good as what they used to serve at Chasers", retorted Sweetheart after pinching some of my dinner. After a few bites, I decided to abandon abit of my table manners (not all!) and eat my pork ribs the good ol’ fashioned way.
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Good wine, good food, good company.
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After dinner, it was off to Momo for celebration with a bigger group of friends.
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Elated birthday boy.
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Below picture was taken with the man responsible for the VIP treatment we get at Momo every weekend. His gentle and sweet demeanour makes it easy for us to forget that he’s one of the most important man in the club. He raises an eyebrow and some crew will come a-running, I swear!
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I’ll end this post with some interesting pictures of our beloved Fanny.
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Yet another great birthday celebration. Thanks all! *hugz*
Entire Morning :
Slept in like a pig.
12noon :
Dragged butt outta bed to get ready for a full day ahead.
12.45pm :
Picked up galfren and headed towards FLUFF for BW appointment.
1pm :
Arrived at FLUFF and proceeded to be taken care of by my favourite therapist, Charmaine.
2pm :
Over to Nails Hansen for a feet-pampering session - pedicure!
3pm :
Had a little ‘catfight’ with a certain bitch abt galfren’s less-than-satisfactory BW session. Charmaine called to apologise. Made a mental note to talk to their towkay-soh, Sonia.
Between 3pm and 4pm :
Received call from schoolmate about the passing away of another schoolmate’s dad. I just bumped into him some months back in front of the movies. I’ve known that family for more than 2 decades. *made mental note to pay final respect before the funeral tomorrow*
4pm :
Hungry! Realised we’ve not had lunch yet. Galfren received call from a Muslim colleague to go over for Raya makan-makan.
4-ish :
Two hungry gals arrived at Muslim friend’s place. Both attacked the mutton, prawn and chicken shamelessly. Realised the host actually sits a few cubes away from me in the office. Question to self "How did I miss that cute face???" The guy’s equally cute galfriend said to me "You look familiar. I think I’ve met you before." and then realised she knows Sweetheart. Penang is indeed a small place.
5pm :
Two full and happy gals proceeded to the final pampering session for the afternoon. Hair-therapy. Got my Hair Spa treatment while galfren had her hair trimmed.
6pm :
Numerous calls from friends to confirm dinner and clubbing plans for the night. "Can’t hear over the hairdryer din…call you guys back later!"
6.30pm :
Done with hair. Both gals left the shop lightheaded (and lighter wallets too!). Dropped galfren home and headed back to get changed for dinner.
7pm :
Last minute change of mind. Decided to stop by schoolmate’s place to pay final respect to her dad and pass them the ‘pek kim’. Everyone seemed busy with prayers. Couldn’t talk or even go near schoolmate and family. Time check. Darn, need to get home soon ‘coz Sweetheart’s coming over in a few minutes. Decided to leave schoolmate’s place and stop by later on the way to dinner.
8pm :
Got back home to change, jumped into Sweetheart’s car and headed back to schoolmate’s place. She was still in the middle of prayers. Managed to speak to her mom and passed the ‘pek kim’ and my condolences. Sweetheart said prayers could last for at least an hour. Decided to leave for dinner and call her later.
8.30pm :
Got to dinner place. All other friends were waiting. Apologised for being late but they understood why we were late. So, no dirty looks.
8-ish to 10pm :
Food surprisingly good. Service so-so. Price so-so. Ambience really nice. Bumped into the cute gal from the scrapbook shop (Smida). Saw Sweetheart’s cubemate and some friends having dinner there too. Nice choice for dinner, we were told.
10.30pm :
Done with dinner and headed to MoMo for the birthday celebration with TH. Waited for his other friends to turn up.
1am :
Party in full swing. Birthday boy was presented with birthday cake.
1-ish :
Hmmm…why is that cute tall guy standing there giving me a funny look? He does look kinda familiar… Waitaminit! We recognised each other at almost the same instant. The last time I saw him was almost 10 years ago and he was not THAT tall. He was still in primary school then! Darn…that’s the baby bro of my first boyfriend. "You look exactly the same as when you were dating my brother then." He may have gotten smooth as he grew up but I’d like to believe there was some truth in his words.
2am :
Danced with some new friends. Interesting….but a tad too timid. Got turned on dirty dancing with them. Sweetheart got the number of one of the girls. May turn into new clubbing friends. Maybe. Hopefully.
3am :
Club lights turned on. Time to go home. Tata everyone. Thanks for a GREAT time.
4am :
Snuggled in bed with Sweetheart. Nite Nite. Love ya too.
What a day!!!
12
Oct
Filipino Men
I have to say this : The Filipino guys really know how to treat women right.
Sure, there may be jerks amongst them but I have been lucky to only meet the sweet ones. :)))
- They will be the first to jump out of their seats to offer you their places.
- They will be the ones to hold the door for the ladies.
- They dash right up to you and offer to remove the laptop, power adaptor, mug and notes from your hands as you are seen juggling with those items walking out of a meeting room.
- They will make a conscious effort to step away from non-smokers when they light up.
and my favourite…
- They happily offer to cook dinner AND take care of the washing up!
Tonight, we were treated to some more scrumptious home-cooked Filipino dinner. I know, I know…it has been barely a week since they cooked for us but hey, I don’t mind this turning into a weekly affair!
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Here’re the pictures of our prawn and beef dinner.
We were introduced to a new part of the cow : the bone marrow. Not the bone but what’s in the middle of the bone that’s edible. Man, it is friggin’ good! The weekly drive Sweetheart and I make downtown for our favourite beef noodles lunch gave us the false confidence that we have tried ALL parts of the cow (including the ’sup torpedo’ at Hameed’s on clubbing nights!) but we were humbled by the Filipino guys tonight. Oh well, we learn more about our food each day.
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And we learn more about men each day, too.
11
Oct
In ONE word
They were supposed to use 1 word to describe me.
Some cheated and used 2 words.
- Cool
- Adventurous
- Fabulous
- SexCiting
- Eccentric
- Fun (this word seems to be a favourite, more than 5 folks came back with it)
- Leader
- Social Butterfly
- Confident
- Sensual
- Hazel (I found out later this word has got nuthin’ to do with me! It was coz that was the only word in the guy’s mind 24/7. Dush!)
- Hot (tempered or hot-HOT???)
- Quirky
- The Bomb
- Game (for anything, she says)
- Undomesticated (*growl* :p)
- Stimulating
- Sassy
- Sexy
- Vivacious (this is also another favourite)
- Clubber
- Dopey
- Untamable
- Wet! (So says cheeky Sweetheart with a twinkle in his eyes)
And my favourite was from my ex.
- "Does an orgiastic "OH, GOD!" qualify as one word?"
My reply to him : "Now I know what you miss most about me! "
All of a sudden, I am reminded of an old love.
It has been such a long time since I last indulged myself. Just thinking about it is enough to give me goosebumps. *shiver*
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Rewind back a few years, in the rented double-storey house at 63, QM and I used to spend lotsa time in front of the TV. Not watching TV series or being couch potatoes. We were constantly looking for MTV clips of our favourite soundtracks and then dancing along to them. They provide the best workout ever. Honestly.
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There was a time we were hopelessly hooked on the upbeat MTV from Kal Ho Na Ho - It’s The Time to Disco. Rewatching the MTV makes me wanna jump up and dance to the catchy beat. Of coz the good-looking faces of Preity Zinta and Sharukh Khan helped to provide extra motivation.
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Other than the fantastic choreographing, I have always loved the gorgeous costumes worn by the actresses. I think it was Preity Zinta’s breathtakingly-sexy light blue lehenga that made me fall in love with the 2-piece and made me swear to myself that I MUST get myself one of those gypsy-skirts worn with a choli. I found out later that they are *not* cheap. Prices here range from hundreds to thousand of ringgits! The one I finally got myself was the most reasonably-priced nice-looking one I can find in Penang’s Little India…and it cost me a whopping RM 250!
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Check out the costumes worn in the "Mahi-ve" MTV clip ("Mahi-ve" is Hindi for "My Love"). Today, years later, I am still mesmerised by them. Sigh. Aren’t they just so beautiful?
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Ok ok, this happens to be a rather chicky post but so what???
A gal is entitled to her chick moments. :p
09
Oct
Wedding Bells
No, it’s not mine. So, don’t get all excited, my dearest friends :p
I dunno when I’ll be ready for that kinda commitment but I will let you folks know when it hits me, ok?
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Anyway, this post is about a happy couple who will be tying the knot soon. Here’s a picture of them (taken from Drey’s Facebook).
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Lookin’ good, right???
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Plans for the engagement party was initiated today and it got us girls all excited. By the end of the day, the email discussion covered topics like color theme for the day (sea blue & green…how cool is that, huh?), ’saree’ for the girls, ‘jippa’ for the guys, song selection for the day and of coz, accessories for the girls. I was reminded of the grand engagement scene in the 2003 Bollywood hit : Kal Ho Na Ho. I bet the beaming bride will look as gorgeous as Preity Zinta in her engagement dress in that show.
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We will have to take a Friday off as the engagement activities are to start in the morning and at certain selected auspicious hours. The entire entourage will be making a 1-hour drive from Penang to the mainland for the event. It will be outrageously FUN!
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Will provide later updates on the day’s events together with pictures to mark the special day. November 16th couldn’t get here fast enough!
08
Oct
Malu-fy-ing
You know how folks say that in real Life, grand plans tend to get screwed up? They were right.
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We had this grand plan of going for double workout tonight. First, BodyPump ®…then, BodyCombat ®. Should be manageable considering that we’ve been working out dilligently every week, right? WRONG! Not that it’s wrong to go for 2 classes back-to-back, but wrong to think that things would go as planned.
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1st *toot* :
We got to the gym 10 mins late despite sprinting out of the office by 5pm. Blardy gym too damn far and blardy after-office-hour traffic too damn heavy *grumble grumble*. By the time we got there, almost all of the free weights were gone. Fark it! I decided to opt for RPM ® instead. Sweetheart went ahead with the limited free weights he managed to find.
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2nd *toot* :
It has been at least 5 months since I last went for RPM ® and I just realised tonight no matter how many Pump or Combat classes one goes to, the cardio speed and intensity one experiences in Combat is NOTHING compared to RPM ®. I think I almost died in there tonight! :\ Never mind the fact that I have not been on the bike for months. The instructor was just pushing me to pedal harder and faster. In my semi-KO state, I could hear the words "Faster Eleen! Faster!!!" ringing in my ears. By the time I walked out of the RPM ® room, my legs felt like jello and my heart was thumping so loudly in my ears that I couldn’t hear a damn thing around me.
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3rd *toot* :
While I was still trying to catch my breath, Sweetheart came up to me "Baby, Combat time. Pick your spot." Although my body was screaming for me to walk towards the locker room for some rest and shower, my thoughts were "No harm trying to continue with Combat. I can always pace myself and go easy on the punches and kicks."
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Thoughts to myself as the Combat songs came on - track by track:
1st track - "Hmmm, this is OK. I can still manage this."
2nd track - "Ok, go easy, Eleen. Don’t punch and kick too hard. Energy level’s kinda low."
3rd track - "Whoah, my legs feel funny…"
4th track - "Too much shuffling in this track ler. Damn tiring!"
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….and midway through the 4th track, I fell! I was shuffling to the right and my super tired legs just decided to stop working. Damn malu-fy-ing! I just sat there on the floor…stunned, for a few seconds. No one else noticed (or they did but just continued with the kicks and punches) except for Sweetheart who stopped to make sure I was OK. After about 4 seconds, I stood up and regained my footing. Then continued till end of the track. Hey, gotta gimme some credit for the determination. However, when that track ended and the instructor announced "Next track is Muay Thai time!", I knew it was my cue to exit. No way will I survive the Muay Thai track in my enervated condition!
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For now, I feel physically OK. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning and not feel like a 100 year-old lady. :\
07
Oct
Filipino Fiesta
There are lotsa folks who enjoy eating (if you’re in Penang and you don’t enjoy food, something’s seriously wrong with you!) but there is only a handful who can cook up mean dishes.
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Last night, we were invited by some friends for some really yummy home-cooked Filipino food. Yes, lucky us! Sweetheart was the happiest of us all as the Filipino’s favourite ingredient for most of their cooking happens to be his as well : Pork (in fact, any kinda meat is his fav….my baby is a carnivore!!!)
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It was a fairly simple dinner but it was really good! We had 2 dishes with rice. Both were pork dishes. ‘Sinigang’ tastes a lot like our very own nyonya dish, the ‘kiam chai boey’ but it looks more like broth. The 2nd dish, ‘Adobo’, is fried pork with pepper. Tastes really good but super oily and sinful! Here’s a picture of those 2 dishes.
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After dinner, we played some poker. Some called it ‘Texas Holdem’ but we just know it as ‘American Poker’. Whatever it’s called, it’s definitely lotsa FUN as seen in the below pictures.
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There was no money involved, just chips. We started out the night with equal amount of chips and see where the chips ended up at towards the end of the night. The guys call it ‘Beginner’s Luck’. I call them ‘Sour Grapes’. :p
I love these guys! They are a cool bunch, can cook up a storm, and best of all, they are die-hard vodka fans!
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Oh, one more thing. They are one of the most chivalrous Asian males I have ever encountered. I love our men but they really have LOTS to learn from these guys. :)))
Here’s a list of things that always give me a good high.
- Cuddling with Sweetheart
- Lunch time quickies
- Ume fruit liqueuer on the rocks
- Life at its dips and peaks
- Getting pampered at the Spa
- PJ parties with galfriends
- A good workout session at the gym
- Stolen moments at the backseat of the car
- Cooking for those I love
- Sight, smell and taste of good food
- Meeting milestones at work
- Ice cream
- Dirty dancing
I’m sure there are more but for now, these are what I can think of on a lazy, dazy Saturday afternoon.
05
Oct
Differences
"Why is it so blardy hard to get our messages across to the Japs??!?"
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Reason # 1 : Language
Reason # 2 : Communication style
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Since I have attempted Jap lessons and failed miserably (this was many, many moons ago), I decided to explore reason #2 and work at tweaking my own communication style to adapt to theirs.
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Here’s what I learnt this week from my cubemate who is in Tokyo for work. She has kindly shared with us her learnings during her time there. She’s only due to come back week after next and I can’t wait for her return! I miss having someone to gossip with at work. Guess that’s the downside of working in an area where it’s more than 80% filled with testosterone.
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The first graph depicts the communication style of our culture. We apply the ‘Answer First’ theory in most, if not all, of our communications.
Eg :
I like the food here. (Answer first)
It’s not too sweet, right amount of chilli, correct combination of spices etc (Explain later).
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Totally different from us, the Japs will dive into a series of explanation of how the world spins before they provide their answers. It’s their way of being polite.
Eg : It’s cooked just right, not too salty, a tad too sweet (Explain first) but overall, I like it (Answer later).
So, what is the key learning here?
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Bear in mind that they will NEVER go straight to the answer. Be patient! Listen to them explain the details and once you got the message, clarify all your conclusions to ensure you are on the same page as them.
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Ok, time to go practise with my Japanese counterparts :
Negishi-san, Sato-san, Yamamoto-san and Sugiyama-san.
04
Oct
The Inspiration
Radiant. Sensual. Captivating.
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I’ve always liked Catherine Zeta-Jones with her deep, sexy voice. Now, I like her even more because she is endorsing my current favourite Elizabeth Arden fragrant : Mediterranean
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Catherine’s paid line for it is : "Where the sun coaxes you to be a little less shy"
Me likey, me likey! :))) The oval design for the bottle is really simple, but elegant. Nice shade of blue too. They call it cerulean blue. I just call it blue. Nice.
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Now, the question is : When do I get it?
Get it now and pay more for it or wait till Glow (our favourite perfume supplier) stocks it up. Their price list is a cool 20% off the regular price at the Liz Arden booth anywhere.
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That’s enough savings to encourage me to wait, I’d say. For now, it’d be my faithful Femme from Boss.
03
Oct
Give Thanks
Received some more pix taken at Ham’s birthday party two weekends ago. Better late than never. Here they are.
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As it was a Saturday, the night started with the guys paying more attention to some men chasing a ball than the belles at the ball.
Once the game ended, birthday boy was able to pay more attention to his *koff* bitches *koff*…erm, I mean, good friends.
On the other hand (pun intended), birthday boy got groped front, back and center…but I am sure he enjoyed it!
Check out all the happy faces…yes, FACES….look at the happy faces below and nowhere else! *censor censor*
Thanks to God, thanks to MoMo, thanks to Sam, thanks to Ham, thanks to all the boys & girls…men & women, thanks to me & you, t’will be a night to be remembered for a long, long time.
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Amen
Found a scribbled piece of paper in one of my drawers at work this morning. A closer look at it reminded me of a task long overdue : Documenting our Phuket expenses.
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I had been meaning to transfer the scribblings into a properly documented list 6 months ago but never seeemed to get it done. Today, I made a resolution that I will get down to it by TONIGHT. No more delay.
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So, here’s the list of expenses we incurred for our Phuket trip in early April this year.
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*Note*
This is total expenses for 2 persons on a 5D4N trip to Phuket on everybody’s favourite no-frill airline : AirAsia.
(No direct flight. So, it was Penang –> KL –> Phuket. This was before FireFly came into the lowcost flying market)
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Flight & Hotel package - RM1220 (RM610 x 2)
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Day 1 : Total = RM196
- Prepaid Thai SIM cards - RM60
- Beer @ a-go-go Bar (our virgin experience of a lame attempt at a ‘tiger show’) - RM60 (RM30 x 2)
- Dinner - RM40 (RM20 x 2)
- Sunglasses - RM30
- DVD - RM6
Day 2 : Total = RM388
- Breakfast (woke up late and missed hotel buffet) - RM10 (RM5 x 2)
- Lunch (local roadside stall) - RM10 (RM5 x 2)
- Souvenir shopping @ huge bazaar in Phuket town (I think the place is called EXPO) - RM68
- Dinner at local Thai restaurant - RM30 (RM15 x 2)
- FantaSea Cultural-Illusion Show - RM220 (RM110 x 2)
*Forget the dinner plus show package which cost a hefty RM200+ per person. The buffet food is lame. Best to go for your own local Thai dinner before going for the show, which was what we did. The show is a MUST though. This theme park is Phuket’s greatest pride & joy* - Picture taken with tiger on FantaSea grounds (milk bottle and cub included) - RM50
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Day 3 : Total = RM236
- Lunch - RM22 (RM11 x 2)
- Grocery shopping at local supermarket (lots of Thai tomyam packs) - RM58
- Thai massage - RM50 (RM30 for mine & RM20 for Sweetheart’s)
- Seafood dinner - RM66 (RM33 x 2)
- Drinks - RM10
- Drag Queen Picture Posing - RM30
*They ambushed us, kept saying "Take picture with us!" and even though the picture was taken with our own cameras, they demanded for payment! Claimed it’s payment for the makeup and costume. They practically dug out Sweetheart’s pockets for the money! Thank God he only had THB300 with him at that time. Scary shit*
Here’s the picture taken with them.
Day 4 : Total = RM345
- Island Hopping (Pipi Island Day Package inclusive of lunch) - RM190 (RM95 x 2)
- Flipper rental - RM20 (RM10 x 2)
- Park Fee (just to walk on the famous beach in Dicaprio’s movie "The Beach") - RM40 (RM20 x 2)
*Not worth it. It’s just another regular beach. Nothing spectacular. Great view but one can enjoy it from the boat*
As seen in the below picture, the beach is constantly overcrowded with tourists.
- Belly rings (purchased from night market) - RM60 (RM30 x 2)
- Flower (Lei) - RM5
- Drinks @ pubs (we went pub hopping on Bangla Road) - RM30
*The night comes alive in Phuket! Check out what they have to offer here. DO NOT hibernate in your hotel room at night! You can’t say you’ve been to Phuket without checking out their after-dark scene* - Birthday cake for Sweetheart - FOC (sponsored by Els & Lee)
Day 5 : Total = RM292
- Last minute grocery shopping (more tomyam packs!) - RM40
- Car Rental for 4 days - RM160 (RM80 x 2)
- Gas/Petrol - RM92 (RM46 x 2)
*Note* Car rental and gas was split equally between the 6 of us.
Our designated driver, Fanny, posing with our rented Isuzu 4-WD. She fell madly in love with it and I swear that if we did not talk some sense into her, she was seriously wanting to bring it back with her to Penang!
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GRAND TOTAL for 2 persons:
RM1457 for expenses + RM1220 for flight and hotel = RM2677
01
Oct
Flower Biz
A good friend from KL emailed me today asking for some online florists to order some flowers for a family friend in Penang. I’ve never ordered flowers online before, so had to ask around for some info.
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Managed to get these from another friend : Blooming.com and Flowers.com. Good info. Thanks, sugar! Someone else highly recommended Noel.com but I think they are only good for KLites. Don’t think their biz extend all the way to Penang.
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After much Net browsing, my friend still couldn’t decide on which florist to order from. So, I offered to order the flowers for her from my favourite florist in Pulau Tikus. They have a website too but it’s currently down for maintenance. I think they need to pay someone better to spruce up their site. It’s kinda, erm, pathetic (compared to their competitors lah). Never mind, they are still my fav and I always trust them to come up with something satisfactory.
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So, here’s how our phone conversation went this afternoon.
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*After the usual niceties of ‘how are you? Haven’t spoken to/seen you in awhile…etc..*
Me : Hey M. Need to order a wreath from ya.
Florist : Sure, sure. Send to where?
Me : Batu Gantong Crematorium
Florist : Ohh…Hall B.
Me : Ermm…I am not sure which hall worrr…
Florist : I know lah. I just had 2 other orders for the same person. A Mr Lim XX, right? A lawyer?
Me : Wahhhh…you damn up-to-date ler. Yes, that’s the one!
Florist : Of coz I have to be up-to-date. It’s my bread & butter lehhh. Ok, so how much is your budget for the wreath?
Me : RM 100
Florist : Can, but are you sure you want the RM 100 wreath? The other 2 ordered the RM 150 ones worr…
Me : Eeek! Really ah???
*totally trust the florist to speak the truth, as usual*
*caved in to his great upselling skills*
Then better go for the RM 150 one or it’ll look puny next to the other 2.
Florist : Ok then. RM 150 wreath will be sent out by today. Details please.
*I then provided all the relevant details*
Me : What time do you close shop in the evenings? I will swing by on my way downtown to the gym to pay you.
Florist : Aiyahhh, no hurry lah. Like I don’t trust you meh?? Also, I can always call you if I am making any delivery to Dell. You can then meet me at the reception to pay me mahhh..
Me : Ok good. Its’ a deal then. Thanks M!
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I was actually rather surprised (and pleased) to find out that I have a credit account with my florist which I am totally unaware of. Now, how can I leave this great island when there are sooo many perks one gets to enjoy here? Yes, I love Penang.
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