Archive for November, 2008

30
Nov

First sign of X’mas

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Holiday
Tags: , ,

A couple of weeks ago when the malls started putting up their X’mas trees, I didn’t feel the X’mas mood. When my gym started replacing their Halloween deco with X’mas ones, I was *still* not in the X’mas mood. Yeah, I sing along to the catchy tunes whenever I hear X’mas songs playing in places where I was at (latest being at my hairdresser’s) but yet, no X’mas mood.

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A good galfren decided to change that over the weekend. “No No! We will BRING the X’mas mood to your place! Let’s have a homecooked seafood dinner on Sunday and then, we can sit down to plan the helluva X’mas party you always throw at your pad!”

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So by the end of Sunday night, we had a bunch of stuff checked and booked for the FUNNEST party of the year.

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X’mas tree - Check
Handmade deco for tree - Check (will write abt this in a separate post)
Party date - Check
Guest list - Check
Food list - Check
Color theme for this year - Take a guess… *hint - it’s my current HOT color*

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We’ve still got a couple of weekends till the party but LOADS to do before then. Hope I have time to sleep. But then again, who needs sleep when we have love and lotsa holiday cheers, huh? *LOL*

29
Nov

Balancing Act

By Eleen Por 4 Comments
Categories: Life & Love, Me and Work Excitement
Tags:

Got a weird call yesterday that went something like this.

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Caller : Hi, Ms Por. I am calling from ***** and we would like to invite you to be our guest speaker for a conference that we are organising in KL in February 2009.
Me : What is this conference about?
Caller : It’s titled “Next Generation Customer Management”
Me : Email me the details and I will get back to you.
Caller : Sure thing. We hope to hear from you soon and hopefully, you have good news for us.

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Thing is, I am mighty amazed at how resourceful these folks are. They not only managed to dig out my portfolio, they even managed to get hold of my mobile number to call me directly. That, I gotta give them credit.

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A good buddy who works in the same consulting company told me that I should try to make it to the event coz it’s one of the *best* networking tool. It seems alot of corporate folks use this kinda events to build their who’s who network.

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Am I interested? Maybe. Would I do it? Not sure. Nervous? You think??!?! Imagine presenting to an audience comprising of senior managers and directors of organisations from around the nation.

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At the rate things are happening, I can’t even be sure where I will be in February and how my schedule (both personal and professional) is gonna look like!

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Best I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed and hope that the decisions I make are the right ones that take me to the right direction. And above it all, ensuring there’s always a balanced Yin and Yang in my Life.

28
Nov

Sizzzzzzzzling!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Me
Tags: ,

With just a month to the new year, I am anticipating some major changes for 2009. Truth be told, I have a million mixed emotions coursing through me as my mind reels through them all.

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I thought about it and figured that I have 2 choices. Be wary of them or embrace them. No need that many guesses to know which one I decided on. 

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The whole embracing act started last weekend. Was out shopping with my BFF and bought 4 new tops. 3 of them are RED ones. Hah! Figured I might as well do it with courage and strength and VaVaVooom….and RED is all that, and more, rite? :D

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Then yesterday, I decided to pay my hairdresser a visit. ‘Tis been AGES since I was there last. So, she asked me what I wanted to do with my hair. My answer : “I want a DRASTIC change but don’t cut my locks. Love my locks too much to part with them.”

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This was the result of her work yesterday afternoon.

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Nice? All my frenz love it. I love it heaps too! Wish I’d done it earlier. Hehe…I’ve actually been thinking about going redhead for awhile now but never had the balls to do it. Scared too drastic a change mah. But with the way things are going in my Life atm, what’s another drastic change added to the slew of it coming my way for 2009????

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So, bring it on!!!! :D

27
Nov

“I’ve got news!”

By Eleen Por 6 Comments
Categories: Current Affairs, Food for Thought, Life & Love, Me, People and Social
Tags: , , , ,

Considering the enormity of my news, I was careful not to shock my friends when sharing it with them. Here’s how *every single* one of them responded.

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Me : Hey, I’ve got some news to share with ya. Quite a shocker actually.
Fren : Really??? Watisit???
Me : Make sure you are sitting down and do not have any food/drink in your mouth. Dun want you to fall or choke on your food/drink. Heh…
Fren : Wait…dun tell me. Lemme guess…YOU AND LEONG/AARON ARE GETTING MARRIED?!?!?!?!? CONGRATS!!!!!
Me : Huh??? No no no no no no no …..

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So folks, for the record :

  • We are not walking or running or skipping down the aisle
  • Dating someone for close to 4 yrs does not automatically equate wedding bells
  • We are still happily together
  • We still love each other very, very much

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Really. Let’s think Out of the Box for a moment. Everything we do in Life, we do it for a purpose. We work for money. We destress to keep sane. We eat to be happy (well, for me anyways. Hehe). We drink so some folks appear ‘acceptable’. And, we get married to….?

  • Have kids
  • Prove our commitment to each other
  • Bond ourselves together
  • Obtain financial stability
  • Keep loneliness away
  • Have a reason to cohabitate
  • Others?

And my (all rights reserved) answer to all of the above - BULLSHIT.

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So far, no one is able to give me ONE good reason to have a different opinion. Yes, that’s a DARE to ya, you-know-who…

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The only one in the list that is remotely acceptable is the first one (Let’s face it, we live in Asia. Malaysia some more. ‘Nuff said.) and guess what, there ain’t any maternal instinct knocking on my door (now or ever? Maybe. Dunno. Dun care atm) and all the other reasons are total CRAP. Definitely dun need to sign any papers to get all of them. In fact, I *already* have all of them. Those that I want and need anyways. :D
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So for us, it’s really very simple. As long as we are HAPPY together, as long as our love for each other is there to make us wanna BE together, we WILL stay together. No piece of paper is gonna change that. Ever.

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Oh, and my news - is still BIG.
If you don’t already know, call or ping me someway somehow. I promise I will leave no details out. :D

26
Nov

This is it…

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Me
Tags:

It’s done. I’ve finally set the wheels in motion. The clock starts ticking from now on. The countdown has begun…

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I got my 1st reaction today. As I watched the expressions flash across his face and the shocked movements that his body conveyed, I knew then that it’s gonna be the first of many moments like this. And each one is gonna be more emotional than the other. As the grains of sand trickle through the hourglass, I knew that my time is running out. Fast.

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As I go through this heart-wrenching ride …. I know that, above it all,  I will continue to grow. Continue to love. And continue to live.

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Wish me strength, friends. I will need LOADS of it in the next few weeks.

25
Nov

Homophobes

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: People and Social
Tags: , ,

I realised alot of folks in our society today are very homophobic. It’s sad, actually. Coz it forces alot of our PLU (short for People Like Us which is the common term used to refer to homosexuals) friends to stay closeted. A few brave ones proudly announced their personal preferance but face it, we live in Asia. As open-minded as we may be, a large percentage of the Asian society shun the homosexuals like some kind of deadly disease.

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Why, I can’t help but wonder…

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After some thought-exchanges and discussions, here are the possible reasons I came up with :

  1. Lack of knowledge/exposure
    It’s true what they say “We fear what we do not understand”. Alot of folks do not really understand how the PLUs feel/do/go thru and sadly, their first reaction is usually “Eyer! Geli-nya!”. Sorry to say this folks, but the ‘geli’ ones are the ignorant ones. Not the brave ones who dare to voice out or show their personal preferance. Open up your minds to all things different. You’ll be amazed with how much more colorful the rainbow is and how the simple pleasures in Life can be so satisfying.
  2. Lack of maturity
    Now, don’t mistake this with age. We all know that age does not equate to maturity. I personally feel that the level of one’s maturity does somehow help to open up one’s mind to accept anything that is ‘different’.
  3. Personal experience
    It could be a bad prior experience that caused someone to be homophobic. In this case, I feel that it’s unfair to ban the entire basket because of one or two bad apples. I mean, we don’t swear off men/women because of one or two bad relationships, right???
  4. Mob mentality (peers/group)
    The fact that we are born to be social beings make us live our lives and move around in groups. Therefore, it’s a fact that we tend to behave/speak like those we spend a majority of our time with. Alot of folks I know speak and behave like a homophobe not because they strongly feel irrational discrimination against the homosexuals but because most of their friends and family feel that way.

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So folks, think about this for a moment. And then honestly ask yourself if you fall into any of the groups above. Or if there are more categories than what I’ve listed above, do share. I’ve always wondered how the minds of homophobes work.

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Me? I have the bestest PLU friends. FREE is the new word! :D

24
Nov

@ THE Crossroad

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Do I take the turn? Or do I go straight on the same path I’ve been on for like, forever?

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On the familiar road, there may be bumps but they’re familiar bumps. Expected bumps. Nothing that’ll throw me off-track. Thing is, it’s gone rather mundane. Does ‘Mundane Excitement” make any sense? Hehehe….oxymoron, I know. But I can’t think of a better way to describe the road I’m currently on.

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On the other hand, if I take the turn, I’ll find myself in a totally unfamiliar space. Freaky…but exciting at the same time. One that’ll take me into a whole new world. And I’ve always been intrigued by new challenges. By the unknown. May be a painful process but heck, I’ve never been afraid of the dark! :D
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The decision may seem like a no-brainer at first glance/thought, but as more variables get thrown into the picture, it gets more complicated. Alot of grey areas get exposed and more questions steadily crept into my mind.

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Oh well, whichever road I pick, one thing’s for sure. I’d need to stay strong (in fact, be stronger than I normally am!) and keep my record of ZERO regrets as I proceed on this exciting journey called Life.

23
Nov

Eat Well, Exercise Well

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Cooking, Food and Drink, Friends, Health & Fitness and Social
Tags: , ,

Together with my bff, we decided to put our Nihon cooking skills to the test since it’s been awhile since we last cooked Japanese food. Happy to say, we’ve still got the touch. :D
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Go here to check out the pix of the food and the peeps.

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It was actually very easy to cook for this bunch of folks. Considering that we’ve sweated, shouted and pushed ourselves to the brink of physical limits together….we actually shared the same taste in food as well.

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Curry : No santan (coconut milk), no oil. Just lotsa potatoes (for the energy!), carrots, onions and lean pork.
Soup : Clear miso soup with clams to sweeten the taste. No oil either.
Vege : Stir-fried with very minimal oil.
Chicken : Breast meat only. The leanest part of the chicken. No skin, no fat.

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See? Super duper easy. T’was all whipped up quickly and the peeps dug into the food like there’s no tomorrow! Man, I was amazed at their super healthy appetites. No “a little bit for me enuf dee” or “I am on a diet lah, duwan to eat too much” kinda nonsense. In fact, the full pot of rice we cooked was scrapped clean in minutes! I had to quickly cook more rice to feed these folks.

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Thanks for your great company and fun times, gymmies. Eat as much as we exercise, huh??? ;) Definitely more makan sessions to come!

22
Nov

H2H

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Life & Love
Tags: ,

It zapped all energy from us,
It invoked a million emotions from within us,
It blurred our Friday into Saturday,
At certain point, I actually thought it’d kill us.

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However, it brought us closer together,
It joined our hearts as one,
It reminded us of our strong love,
And how much we mean to each other.

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I woke up with a silly grin on my face this morning,
And a fuzzy feeling in my heart,
Watching you sleep quietly next to me.

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As you slowly opened your eyes,
That adorable pout that I love so much crept unto your face,
I reached over to give you a morning kiss,
Only to giggle in amusement as you flipped me over,
And proceeded to make me forget about time and space.

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Oh, how I love our H2H sessions…

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As emotionally-tiring as they may be, the results are always worth it. Our love gets stronger and I am reminded again of how much I love US.

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*happy sigh*

21
Nov

I died & went to Malay Rice Heaven

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Food and Drink
Tags: , , , , ,

For the longest time, I kept hearing great stories about this place in Tanjung Bungah that sells the *best* Malay rice on the whole of Penang island. I don’t dislike Malay rice but I am not that nuts over it to wanna seek it out as I do with other food (case in point : BM & CLP yam rice).

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Last weekend, I finally decided to visit this Malay rice place to check out the truth behind those stories. Boy, that trip changed my perception of Malay rice for life. It honestly totally blew me off my feet! In fact, it wasn’t enough that I was there last weekend….I decided to give that place another visit this week. Hmmm, looks like it’s gonna be added to my must-makan-at-least-once-a-week food list. :D
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Check out pictures of the food and place here.

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Another place I visited TWICE this week was the ever-famous ‘Or Gio’ dessert in downtown Jetty. Most foodies I spoke to know of this wonderful stall that serves the most orgasmic dessert one can ever dream of having on a humid day in Penang.  And just weeks ago, my mom intro’d to me this no-name stall that is right opposite the ‘Or Gio’ stall that sells a really unique food that is not found anywhere else on the island.

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At first glance, this no-name stall sells the regular deep fried yam kuih, peanut kuih, banana fritters, etc…but there is this one type of food that looks simple but tastes like HEAVEN! It’s actually 2 small pieces of plain white Gardenia bread wrapped with some sweet corn, dipped in light batter and deep fried to a perfect golden brown. It needs to be consumed while still hot for optimum enjoyment. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a tinge of sweetness from the corn. Hmmmm-mmmmm!!!

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Check out the pictures of ‘Or Gio’ and the deep fried bread here.

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Someone told me I am a ’sek san’. Haha! I told her I’m more a tham-ciak than anything else….but then again, how can one live on Food Paradise Island and not be tham-ciak, right??? ;)

20
Nov

AMAN, my foot!

By Eleen Por 8 Comments
Categories: Rant
Tags: , ,

Mention KLINIK AMAN to any Penangites and 9 out of 10 folks will snicker and the remaining 1 will just roll his/her eyes.

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The last time I was at this sorry-excuse-of-a-clinic was yeearrrrsss ago when I stupidly chose that clinic to seek medical advice. I have nothing against locums but damn, at least have a certain set of standards that those locums need to pass before recruiting them and putting them at the doctors’ desk! Not some young ciku who’s just trying to earn some extra cash while studying to be a doctor.

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The minute the dude took out his textbook and said “Wait ah, the medical term you asked me is very familiar. I know I read it somewhere in here….lemme check.” I should’ve turned on my heels and walked out to save myself a scarring and unpleasant experience. Nope. Stupid me stayed and let’s just say that by the time I walked out of that clinic, I swore to myself that I will *never* walk into that place again if I can help it.

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Fast forward a few years, I found myself in that same dump. Not by choice, mind you. It was a decision that was not mine to make. I was there for a routine checkup. The usual X-ray, urine test, blood pressure test, etc.

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Our conversation went as below.

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Locum : Hmmm, do you smoke?
Me : No. *alarmed* Why? Do you see probs with my lungs in the X-ray???
Locum : Oh, no lah. I tot I saw some inflamation but since u said u don’t smoke, I guess those are regular inflamation that happens to anyone.
Me : *Tot to self - Does this dude know what he’s talking abt?!!?*
Locum : Ok, we detected protein in your urine.
Me : So, what does that mean? Shd I be worried?
Locum : Well, there shouldn’t be protein in your urine.
Me : Oh? Is it due to my diet? Or what?
Locum : No no…nothing to do with your diet. *Repeats like a robot* There shouldn’t be protein in your urine. Btw, do you take protein supplement?
Me : No, I don’ take any protein supplement but didn’t you just said it’s got nothing to do with my diet? So even if I take it, wouldn’t your question be irrevelant?
Locum : Ermm…yalah yalah. it’s got nothing to do with your diet! *looks annoyed about being asked ‘hard’ questions*
Me : So how?! U got me worried now…
Locum : It could be becos your kidneys have problems.
Me : WHAT?!?!?! MY KIDNEYS HAVE PROBLEMS?!?! I do a full medical checkup every year and donate blood every 6 months. If I have such a serious medical condition, it would’ve came up in any of those tests I’ve done regularly.
Locum : No lah. I just say only lah. Your kidneys could POTENTIALLY have problem. I am just saying worse case scenario lah.
Me : Then better not say anything you are not sure of. Especially something as serious as what you just said! *glares at locum*
Locum : Never mind, never mind. You come back in a week to do a retest. Alot of folks who have protein detected in their urine come back for a retest and usually, the results will be normal then.
Me : *tot to self - Am not gonna waste any more of my time talking to this nincompoop*

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Then, with a “Whatever”, I walked out of the ‘doctor’s’ office and immediately made a call to my medical friend.

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Me : Hey, need to ask you something. If protein is detected in my urine, should I be worried?
Fren : No lah. It’s quite common lah. if you ate something that is slightly high in protein, it is definitely gonna show in your urine. No biggie. Did you take any energy bar in the last 24 hrs?
Me : Yes. Had one before I went to the gym yesterday.
Fren : Then, there’s your answer. Unless you have medical history of that problem, there is nothing to worry about lah.
Me : Thanks, man!

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“Nothing to do with your diet at all lah” - so he said. Maybe an old grandma would believe every single word you dish out but not educated folks who can ask around and google up information in a jiffy, you idiot!

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So, if you are reeealllly sick and in need of medical attention and advice….even at your deathbed, avoid KLINIK AMAN like the plague!

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Was it a surprise that ALL of my frenz who heard about my recent KLINIK AMAN experience told me they had similar bad experiences as well…mainly due to the unprofessional and inexperienced folks staffed there? COZ NOT.

19
Nov

POLE is coming to town!

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness
Tags: , , ,

I waited and waited and waited. Days turned to weeks which turned to months. Before I knew it, it’s been 6 months since I got excited about this. Was almost ready to give up on it….then I saw the below notice at my gym tonight.

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POLE Jam is coming to Celeb! Come be part of this exciting event!
Date : 29 November 2008 (Saturday)
Time : 1.30pm (Intro & Media Launch), 2pm-3pm (First class for members & Friends)
First come first serve. Register yourselves as limited poles are available.

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Boy oh boy oh boy!!! Was I excited when I saw this notice. Immediately, I headed to the front desk to lock down my name as well as the names of some galfrenz. They did say “members & friends”. So, am definitely not gonna let my galfrenz miss out on this exciting event! First time ever in Penang! Woooohhh!!

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On a separate note, it’s amazing (and a tad scary) that my next 4 weekends are already booked! And I just found out today that CNY is gonna be in end-January. And something *BIG* is in the pipeline. Something life-altering. Think I will not get to slow down till February at the very least.

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Ain’t Life so full of excitement and surprises??? Like yeahhhh!

17
Nov

Good Fat vs Bad Fat

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness
Tags: , ,

Thanks to the hours @ the gym, I’ve lost a fair bit of weight. So much so that folks who see me on a regular basis are telling me that I’ve lost weight. Not to mention those I don’t see often enough.

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Initially, I was happy. Happy that those hours sweating it out at the gym had been paying off. And the 2 rounds of detoxification helped heaps too. The great thing is, I did not stop eating all my favourite food. I just increased my intake of fruits and H2O.

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Then, someone made a passing remark to Sweetheart….“Ei, your girlfriend is losing alot of weight lah. Too much actually. Tell her better stop dee.”  I laughed it off when my man passed that message to me. “Aiyah, I’ve still got *SO* much more to lose. Not enough yet lah. Am gonna work harder at the gym”

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Sweetheart shrugged it off too.

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Then, last week….we were fooling around and Sweetheart suddenly stopped, poked my ribs and said “Baby, I think you are really too thin now. Better stop losing weight dee. Cut down on those cardio sessions and just go for the pump or ABT (Abs, Butt, Thighs) classes. And please eat more.”

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Har??!! I stared at him in disbelief. Then protested, “But I’ve got so much more fat to lose! Especially on my lower body!”

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Then I realised I’m stuck in a tight spot. I read somewhere that when it comes to fat distribution in our bodies, it’s done automatically. Same thing when we lose weight. We don’t get to choose where we want to lose and where we want to keep. I mean, we can do certain exercises that concentrate on the areas that we want to lose, but our bodies will automatically *still* lose fat in the areas that we don’t want to lose! :(
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So it all boils down to good fat (boobs) vs bad fat (tummy, butt, thighs). From now on, I’m gonna read up as much as I can on how to lose the bad fat and keep the good fat. And perhaps Sweetheart is right, I need to cut down on the BodyCombat classes. They are *krazee* fat burning sessions, and basically I burn fat ALL over. Sigh….time to get back on the boring treadmill again, I guess. Urgh.

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Oh, I read tonight that when doing push-ups, better to do it on our knees than on our toes. That way, we don’t push our chests too hard and burn off the fat in our boobies. Damn! I’ve been rather proud of my recent accomplishment of being able to do my push-ups on my toes after yeeearrss of trying unsuccessfully. Felt my arms and abs were getting stronger but guess it kills the good fat on my chest. Need to stop that. So ladies, if you wanna keep your boobies….stop doing push-ups on your toes!

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Ultimately, I guess we just need to be proud of and accept the body that God has given us. I am happy with what I’ve accomplished so far and no, I will NOT consider implants or jabs :P

16
Nov

Weekend Reflections

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Friends, Parties, People, Social and Weekend Update
Tags: , , , ,

Things I learnt in the past 48 hours :

  • Reminder not to count the chickens before they’re hatched
  • Beef has taken over pork in my life
  • Mutton soup tastes AWESOME with a dash of Dewar’s. Honest!
  • Beer is still yucky…can’t ever get used to it
  • Fitness fanatics can be reeeally fun folks outside of the gym. Amused that some are pretty darn good at sucking face. LOL.
  • The Tg Bungah floating mosque Malay food is DEE best on the entire island
  • An old, geeky schoolmate turned out to be quite a hottie!
  • Men will always be men, no matter how high they’ve climbed in the corporate ladder
  • It’s not about the looks, but always about the attitude that spells S-E-X-I-N-E-S-S

The next 48 hrs is gonna be filled with even more mind-blowing stuff, life-altering even. With much excitement and anticipation, I await.

13
Nov

Juvanex-ified!

By Eleen Por 7 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness
Tags: , ,

6 months ago, I did this.

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A galfriend and I decided that Juvanex seems to agree with our bodies and has done wonders for us in terms of spring-cleaning our systems. Even our celebrity local blogger, the 5xmom, sang praises for this detox program. Read about her detox adventure here and here.

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This time round, which is the 2nd time of Juvanex-ing, I was surprised that my physical reaction to it was totally different. While I was feeling the tiredness in the first few days during my 1st attempt, it was the opposite on my 2nd attempt. Felt totally energised in the first few days and then WHAM! Last 2 days felt like I got hit by a supersized tanker. Felt super duper exhausted and needed to sleep so, so bad!!!

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Unfortunately for me, things at work are at a peak right now which means 3x more con calls, crazier schedules and more things to keep me up at nights. In other words, my mind *refuses* to sleep no matter how badly my body needs it. What does it spell - MADNESS!

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However, as tired as I felt towards the end of the 7-day program, my body felt lighter and definitely healthier. I know I said this before but I will say (write) it again - I LURVE this particular detox program becos it does not state stupid rules like “Strictly no rice/carbs” or “Strictly vege and fruits diet only”.

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Come on….be realisitc. I live on Food Paradise Island. ‘Nuff said.

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Definitely, definitely counting the days till my 3rd spring cleaning session with this wonderful product. If you haven’t attempted detoxificating before, honestly. You should try it. You’ll be amazed at what it’s capable of doing for you physically. :)

12
Nov

Appreciation

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Life & Love
Tags: ,

“The staple motivation of a man from a relationship is appreciation. All men want to be looked up to, particularly by their partner.” - a tip I got from this dude.

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Again, thanks for sharing and for the reminder.

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When I first met him, he was suffering from acute lack of appreciation. For years, he believed that he did not deserve to be appreciated. That it’s OK to be put at the bottom of everyone’s priority list. So for years, he was miserable. He kept it all bottled up inside until the day the dam burst. And boy, did it burst!

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I told myself then that I will do all I can to appreciate all that he is, all that he could be and all that he soon came to mean to me. Admittedly, I missed a few steps. I faltered a little but hey, I never claimed to be perfect.

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All I can promise is that I will do my very best. To be the best of me. For the best of him.

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And hope with all my heart that he will do the same for me too.

11
Nov

Just being ME

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Me

I live my Life free.
I live my Life happy.
I live my Life knowing that I do my best to be a better friend, a better partner, a better daughter, a better sister and most importantly, a better person.

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I do not expect others to agree with my POV.
I do not expect others to do the things I do.
Heck, I do not even expect others to understand the things I believe in.

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What I do expect, is to be respected.
To be left to my own devices.
To be appreciated.
To be loved.

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It’s not my problem if one does not share my sense of humor.
Or my beliefs.
Or my wants.
Or my needs.
Or my loves.

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So, if you don’t appreciate nor understand all that I stand for -
Leave me alone. Thank you very much.

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Not being witty, nor cocky, nor smart. Just being REAL.

10
Nov

Chai Leng Park ‘famous’ Yam Rice

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food and Drink
Tags: , , ,

“Yam rice? Go Chai Leng Park! Best of the best!”
“Penang yam rice not nice wan lah. You must go to Chai Leng Park.”
“Why go all the way to BM for yam rice? Go B’worth and head to Chai Leng Park lah! It’s the best!”

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Praises for this place were flowing right, left and center as soon as I mentioned yam rice to friends. Admittedly, It got me mighty piqued. Being an islander, it’s not often that I venture out of the island for food (not often meaning not a weekly affair).

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In the past months, I’ve driven twice to Bukit Mertajam (BM) to savor their yummy yam rice and am now a loyal fan. Read my reviews here and here. Last weekend, I decided to finally try out the much talked-about Chai Leng Park yam rice.

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Name of place : KEDAI KOPI SOON LONG
Location : Chai Leng Park, Butterworth
Opening hours : 9.30am to 4pm
Opening days : Mondays thru Sundays (only closed during CNY)

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Click here for map, direction and pictures taken of the food.

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Verdict :
Disappointment! The soup was just average, there were no huge fragrant chunks of yam in the rice as I expected, the vinegar pork knuckles were mighty salty and there is no extra side dish of taukua and hardboiled eggs. Again, disappointment. :(
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I bitched abt it to friends who sang praises for that place and then one of them told me :

“Actually, their standard went down a little bit dee. It was better when the dad was running the business. Go try the other one in the same area. It’s called KUAN NAN and serves yam rice too.”

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Aiyoyo! Why lah didn’t tell me earlier to go KUAN NAN first, then only go SOON LONG? At least I won’t get so disappointed. I know I can be really scarifying when I get disappointed with food. Oh well….never try, never know, right? Thx for your recommendations anyway. Will go check out KUAN NAN another day. Maybe not so soon since I need to get over the sub-standard yam rice. Ish…

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They say taste is very subjective. I so agree. What is OMG-U-MUST-GO-TRY-THIS-FOOD to someone may be WTF-IS-THIS-THING-U-CLAIM-TO-BE-FOOD to someone else. Tiok boh? Hehe….

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Ok ok. I will get off my soapbox now. You go try it, then go try the BM version…and let me know if you agree with me. :)

09
Nov

Apologies

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Blogging and Weekend Update
Tags:

My sincerest apologies for the lack of update in this space during the weekend. Was too busy trying to fit 25-hrs worth of activities into 24-hrs (excluding sleep time too!). Consequently, I was a physical wreck. Needed to recuperate and recharge. Fret not, I am back now! :D

06
Nov

Gift from the Sea

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Books, Food for Thought and Life & Love
Tags: , , ,

“I read this today and thought of you, Eleen” - he said to me.

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Great excerpt from Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s best-loved book ”Gift From The Sea” :

“When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way from moment to moment. It’s even a lie to pretend to.
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And yet this is exactly what most of us demand.
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We have so little faith on the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible in life, as in love, is in growth, in fluidity … in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.
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The only security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping even.
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Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what might be in dread or anticipation but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now.
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For relationships, too, must be like islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, continually visited and abandoned by the tides.”
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So beautiful. :`)

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Thanks for sharing … and thanks for looking out for my heart. I am truly blessed.

05
Nov

Yet another one, QM!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Birthday and Friends
Tags: ,

Yet another ‘Time flies!’ moment. Sigh. Really. WHY does it have to zoom by at such breakneck speed? Why can’t it slow down a little? Har???

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Another 365 days have passed since I wrote this.

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No thx to Friendster’s tight quota, I can no longer share pictures in my posts. So, will have to point you to a link and hopefully, you can view it even tho you are not in her friends’ list.

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This has got to be my MOST fav pic of her thus far. Such poise. Such cheekiness. Such sexiness. Such joy. Yesss, that’s the wonderful, sexy, crazy QM.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOT WOMAN!!!

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Sorry I can’t be there to hug you in person or to join in the celebration this weekend but know that I am there with you in your heart. Drink LOTS and party HARD on my behalf, okayz? *muax*

05
Nov

Power Jump Release # 16

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness and Music
Tags: , , ,

One word to describe it : AWESOMENESS!!!

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Since I missed its launch @ the gym last week on Halloween Day due to another event that was waaayyy on the other side of the island, I was really looking forward to checking out release # 16 this week.

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Here’s an idea on how much fun we had with the new release.

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For those of you who are unfamiliar with Les Mills or Body Systems‘ programs, there’s a new release every 3 months or so. New choreography, new music/tracklist, new moves - basically something new and fresh for us to look forward to. See what I mean about how one cannot get bored of working out with these programs?

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There’s mixed review about this release. For those who are not into clubbing, they complained that the music is too noisy. Heh. For folks like me, well….let’s just say that I was enjoying the music sooo much that I totally forgot about how tired my legs were and how hard I was gasping for breath. Never mind all that. The music had taken over my body, mind and soul!!!! :D
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Don’t believe me? Check out the track list here.

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In the site shared above, you can view the music video of each track and there’s lyrics too. Love that gem of a site! Thanks baby, for discovering it. Happy, happy me. Tired too. But more happy than tired. So all’s good. :)

04
Nov

Baby Chart

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Family, Food for Thought and Titbit
Tags: , ,

Disclaimer :
“This is not shared becos I have a sudden need to reproduce *shudder*. Was having a conversation with a galfren who is planning her next baby and she shared this piece of info which I felt was interesting enough for me to share with you here.”

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Ok. Now that I am done with the disclaimer, let me elaborate on what this post is all about.

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This chart was actually discovered about 700 years ago in a royal tomb near Peking, China. It is believed to be 99% accurate and was used to help Chinese women plan their pregnancies. As we all know, the traditionalists are always putting their hopes and money on the baby XYs. So this chart was their Bible when it comes to planning their copulation activities.

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Here’s how it works.
The woman’s age is at the top of the chart (1st chart is for ages 18 to 31 and 2nd chart is for ages 32 to 45). The months on the left column of the chart indicates the exact month the swimmer reached the egg (when the baby is conceived lah!).

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B = Boy / Male / XY
G = Girl / Female / XX

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I tested it out on my mom’s age when she conceived me and my brother. Both are accurate as per the below chart. A few other galfrens tested it out on their own siblings/kids/relatives and they all came back correct! Interesting, eh?

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You try it. On your own birth details, your own kids, your own family. Then feel the goosebumps of how spookily accurate this chart is!

MONTH \ AGE

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Jan

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

Feb

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

G

Mar

G

B

G

G

B

G

B

B

B

G

B

G

G

B

April

B

G

B

G

G

B

B

G

G

B

G

G

G

G

May

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

G

G

G

G

B

G

G

June

B

B

B

G

G

G

B

B

B

G

G

B

G

G

July

B

B

B

G

G

B

B

G

G

B

B

B

G

G

Aug

B

B

B

G

B

G

G

B

B

B

B

B

G

G

Sept

B

B

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

B

G

G

Oct

B

B

G

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

G

G

Nov

B

G

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

G

G

G

B

G

Dec

B

G

B

G

G

G

G

B

G

B

G

G

B

B

.

MONTH \ AGE

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

Jan

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

Feb

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

Mar

B

B

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

Apr

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

May

G

G

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

June

G

G

G

G

G

B

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

July

G

G

G

G

G

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

Aug

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

G

Sept

G

G

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

Oct

G

G

G

G

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

Nov

G

G

B

B

B

G

B

G

B

G

B

B

G

B

Dec

B

B

B

B

B

B

G

G

G

B

G

B

G

B

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For those of you who are trying to make babies, this info may be God-sent. :D For those of you (like yours truly) who saja wanna kaypoh, this is interesting info.

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I mean, other than the usual mumbo-jumbo on timing, positioning, stimulating and food-intake…this is one other thing to consider when trying to play God. Hmmm?

03
Nov

Gestation Goss

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Food for Thought and Titbit
Tags: ,

Did you know that elephants go through the longest pregnancy amongst all the land mammals? While humans go through a 9-month pregnancy, elephants go through a 22-month ordeal!

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Can you imagine that??? 22 months of backache, eating discomfort, hormonal changes, and all the other pregnancy-related issues. Urgh. Go here to view the gestation table for some selected animals (yes, we humans are animals too. So, we’re included in the list). 

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I already have a hard time imagining the discomfort a pregnant woman has to go through but the poor pregnant elephant..!!! Sigh…the shit female mammals have to go through, huh?

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YOU MEN OUT THERE! APPRECIATE YOUR WOMEN!!!

02
Nov

Zealand Seafood Dinner

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Birthday and Friends
Tags: , , ,

“We should come here for dinner one day, baby. Remember my friend I told you about? The chef and owner of this place? The food’s pretty good and my family makes it an annual tradition to eat here a few times a year. I wanna share the good food here with you.”
- Sweetheart’s words to me a few weeks ago.

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So that was how we ended up at Zealand Seafood Restaurant on a Sunday evening having the belated birthday dinner for our beloved Emily.

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Pictures taken that night can be viewed here.

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“Darn, we forgot to get a birthday cake!” - I whispered to Sweetheart halfway thru dinner.
“No need. I duwan birthday cake” - B’day gal sitting next to me whispered back.

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Eavesdropper! :P
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Oh well. We still had fun minus the birthday cake. The food was stupendously yummy. Price was decent too. Total bill inclusive of food and drinks (many, many repeat orders of food AND drinks!) came up to RM203 for 7 of us. Rather reasonable pricing, we reckoned.

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Titbits on Zealand Restaurant :
Facing the sea at Gurney Drive. Right next to Corner Club which is adjacent to Evergreen Laurel Hotel. It’s opened during the day to serve BKT (Bah Kut Teh). Never tried the BKT before. So dunno if it’s any good. At night, it’s only opened for ‘chu-char’.

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Just before we left the restaurant, Sweetheart went to his buddy to thank him for the really good food and also to introduce me formally to the dude. I must say I was mighty pleased with his handshake. Spoke volumes to me.

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“What’s a handshake gotta do with anything?”, you must be wondering. Well, I’ve always been aware of how folks extend their handshake.

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Firm shake - firm hands, firm personality, good first impression.
Lame shake - lame hands, lame personality, bad first impression.

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Get it? Well, it’s a personal opinion…so you don’t have to agree with me. :P

01
Nov

ABT : Abs, Butt & Thighs

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Health & Fitness
Tags: ,

It screams out in protest,
It cries out in pain,
It begs to be left alone.

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Relentlessly, I pushed on,
Unabashedly, I turned it up,
Confidently, I knew my reasons are sound.

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Never mind the aches,
Ignore the sting,
Know that as we push harder,
It’ll all go away.

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And what is left behind…
…is a sexy, proud image thru the mirror.

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ABT, you have not conquered me.
It is I who have conquered YOU.
BRING IT ON!!!