Archive for December, 2008

30
Dec

Pisco Capel

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

Our latest discovery - A Chilean grape spirit that had us at first hello. Check out it’s commercial here.

.
Was chillin’ at TTDI with some good buddies and exchanging recipes and tips with the bartender when a very interesting-looking bottle caught my eyes. Looking like one of those Balinese wood statues, I was intrigued and asked the bartender to show us the bottle.

.
A whiff at it had me totally enthralled. Seduced by its bottle and its scent, I requested the bartender to make us some drinks with it. He gently lifted up the bottle only give us an apologetic grin.

.
“Only one last shot left lah”

.
Damn if I care. I ordered the last shot anyway and told my frenz to back off. Was so not in a sharing mood. LOL.

.
After a brief whiff at it again (just to get that rush to my head one more time), I downed the single shot and as I returned the shot glass to the bar top, there was a silly grin plastered on my face.

.
“Like it?” - Freddie the bartender asked.
“Her grin sez it all, dude” - my company replied.

.
I could just manage to continue grinning and noticing the now empty bottle, I turned to Freddie : “Can I have the empty bottle please? I wanna bring it back to Penang with me.”

.
His nod made my night. Happily, I reached for the statue bottle and sauntered off with my friends to their luxurious pad right above TTDI Plaza. I knew I was gonna sleep with a smile on my face that night.

.
Now that I have found you, Pisco Capel, I ain’t letting go.

28
Dec

Humble Beginnings

By Eleen Por 3 Comments
Categories: Food and Drink
Tags: , ,

There was a time Secret Recipe’s (SR) cake was big among us. There was a SR cake for every birthday, every anniversary, every celebration. Never mind that we were paying through our noses for the cakes. They were everyone’s favourite and we were all spoilt for choices when it came to flavours and types. From cheese to banana chocolate to mango - the list just went on and on.

.
Then the trend died. Folks got tired of SR’s sweeter than sweet cakes. As we got more health-conscious, we moved away from SR. The next big thing (or rather confectionary) that started hitting the popularity charts was Jenni’s Cakehouse. Those of you who are not Penangites and have no inkling to what I meant, it’s a quaint lil’ cakehouse situated in Pulau Tikus that sells the yummiest cakes. Price-wise, it ain’t that easy on the wallet but then again, when it comes to good food, Penang folks will not cringe.

.
However, cakes will be cakes. After awhile, folks started getting a little tired of the super rich cakes. The heat went off a little bit but becos Penang is such a small island with very little choices for stuffs, we still stayed with Jenni’s for our bithday cakes. Occasionally straying to Roti History and its likes.

.
Then recently, something new hit Penang and took over the cake scene by storm. With a name as unique as “Humble Beginnings”, it initially piqued everyone’s curiosity. I heard abt it awhile back but have not been adventurous to try it out. Then my friends and colleagues started raving about their ‘Crepe Cake’. Something to die for - they claimed. Finally, for our X’mas party, a good buddy offered to order one and bring it over to share it with us and our friends.

.
At first bite, I was hooked.

.
The cake plate was licked clean in less than 30 minutes! Yea, it was THAT good! Folks who ain’t exactly cake lovers (like yours truly) and who’d take a teeny bite at all birthday parties can kiss their one-obligatory-bite habit goodbye. I passed a slice to someone who told me that he’s not a cake lover and turned around to talk to someone else. When I turned back, that slice was gone!

.
My “What happened to your slice of cake? I tot I just passed it to you?” was returned by a sheepish “I finished it dee. Phai seh…damn nice ler. Can I have another one, please?”

.
It really is that good. :D
.
Trust me, I’ve never been excited abt Peanut Butter and I’d usually skip the blueberry section when I go grocery/market shopping. However, the way these folks put these 2 together and piled up the layers of crepes on their Peanut Butter & Blueberry Crepe Cake was simply delish!

.
Go here to check out their website. You can order online or give them a call. It’s guaranteed to change your perception of cakes forever. And no, I am not getting paid or free crepe cakes for this post. I just love sharing goodies with my buddies.

.
Now, go forth and crepe yourself out!

27
Dec

TQ from both of us

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food and Drink, Friends, Holiday, Parties and Social
Tags:

To all of you (you know who you are) for your awesome company last nite. And for joining us in our very own X’mas celebration this year. I’d like to write more about the fun we had last nite but time seems to be moving faster during the holiday season! Got to rush off and get ready for another nite of celebrations with frenz.

.
Just wanna write a short note here to thank all of you for making our X’mas this year extra special. It was indeed a wise decision to keep the party small. We got to enjoy ourselves more and wasn’t too knackered by the end of the nite, or rather…early in the morn.

.
Since we won’t be around for the NY celebrations, party hard on our behalf on this island, okay? We’ll do our part down South with more fun folks in Kay-El. ;)
.
To see for yourself the FUN we had last nite, go here. No waxing pix this year though. Too busy eating and boozing the nite away. LOL.

.
Cheers all….and hopefully, I’ll get to update this space for a little bit more before we head down South (high possibility that I won’t be able to update this space then).

.
Lots and lots of love to you all and hope that you had a GREAT X’mas like us..and that all your dreams came true. I know mine did. :D

26
Dec

Diamonds & Dreams

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

Not refering to a woman’s best friend.

.
Meant the premier club membership at our fitness center. Considering that we’ve been regularly hitting a mininum of 3-5 visits per week, Sweetheart and I have decided to upgrade to their premier package : The Diamond Membership. Paying just an additional RM 200+ (bringing it to a total of RM 300+) per month for the next 18 months *only*, we have just signed up for life membership @ CF. With passport membership thrown in as well. Meaning if we find ourselves in Kay-El or Jakarta or anywhere there’s a CF outlet, we will get to use any of their facilities. Very similarly like a club membership except that this is more fitness-centric.

.
Some consider us nuts. Some call it a risky investment. We just call it a commitment. To ourselves and to our fitness. What’s the point of busting ourselves at work and not having the health to enjoy the fruits of our labor, huh?

.
So, we are pledging to maintain our commitment to our fitness and health. For this X’mas and for 2009. Yup, that’s resolution #1 for the coming new year.

.
Now, if only all the clubs in Penang are able to learn from others and ban indoor lighting of death-sticks. That would make our #1 dream come true. :D Yes, I seriously believe that one day, our ultimate dream will come true. I believe in all of you. Really I do.

25
Dec

Merry X’mas 2008, folks!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Holiday, Parties and Social
Tags: , ,

Thanx to Uncle Chivas, Uncle Martell and Uncle JD, we had a blast last nite counting down to the hour. I am proud to say that I put my fear of popping balloons aside and bravely bulldozed thru the dozens of balloons to get to the treasures hidden inside. Some smart ass saw the spooked look in my eyes and immediately starting popping ‘em balloons on my back!

.
All in all, it was mighty FUN. Sweetheart was like a little kid, excitedly popping the balloons and quickly grabbing hold of whatever that fell out. Admittedly, I was feeling like a kid myself as we rallied around our table to tally up our loot with our frenz.

.
From free buckets of beer to free bottles of whisky and vodka to miniatures to gift sets from Martell, Chivas and JD - it really felt like Santa just dropped down the chimney and delivered all these goodies to us! Everyone was just in a super duper merry mood. Who wouldn’t be, eh?

.
As I am writing this, half of X’mas Day is already gone. As expected, we had to take half the day to recuperate from the partying last nite. My man is still snoring in our bedroom. LOL. Will need to wake him up soon for the next round of celebrations - X’mas Day eating & boozing!

.
The madness begins now. The celebrations do not end till early Jan and we are gonna be heading down South for the 2nd part of the celebrations with more frenz and family to usher in 2009.

.
Hope you are having as much fun as we are. Happy Dreams Come True! :D

24
Dec

One more day to go…

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Holiday
Tags: ,

After losing 2 pairs in less than 6 months, I’ve lost all hope and desire to own a pair of training gloves. However, guess what I got for X’mas from Sweetheart this year???

.
Yupppp, a hot-looking pair of Adidas’ ClimaCool training gloves.  Thanks, baby! *muax*

.
Love that Adidas is smart enough to sew a piece of material between the middle and ring fingers. Makes it so much easier to remove the gloves in a jiffy. Wonder why Nike didn’t think of that and do the same thing for their gloves. With just a few seconds to spare before the start of the next song, I’ve always had to rush like mad trying to pull off my Nike gloves for the cooldown track. Now with my new Adidas ClimaCool gloves, I can easily pull them off in a second! Happy, happy me.

.
From the way discussions are going, it looks like half of X’mas Day is gonna be spent recuperating from the partying the night before! LOL. Makes me damn glad that I do not need to go for X’mas Day mass (or X’mas Eve midnite mass) like most of my friends.

.
Merry X’mas folks!!! And party safe!!! :D

23
Dec

Creative Dementia

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

Last year, we purchased the items to hang on our tree.
This year, we decided to make our very own X’mas tree deco. Yes, you read it right. Homemade ones.

.
Step-by-step :

  • Purchase material from craft shop
  • Draw desired design
  • Cut out design
  • Stuff with polyester fibre
  • Stitch around the design
  • Hang on tree

Check out the elves ‘hard’ at work here.

.
That’s just a sneak peek. With still a few more days to go, the stuffing and stitching is going on strong. Hopefully by X’mas, we’ll fill up the entire tree with a few spares as door gifts. :D

22
Dec

BP68 & BC38 are finally here…

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

The new LesMills releases *finally* hit our Penang shores! I’ve been waiting for MONTHS to check out the Body Pump (BP) # 68 and Body Combat (BC) # 38….and finally, it was launched at our gym last weekend.  Ori plan was to head over to the gym last Saturday to participate in the launches but ended up nursing a hangover and all workout plans flew out the window. Thx to a mad poolside party that started serving drinks *super* early. It was a first for me…to call it quits at the bar before midnite!

.
Back to the new releases. Since I missed them over the weekend, tonight was the big nite for me. To get acquainted with BP68 and BC38, that is. However, fellow gymmies who managed to participate in the launches over the weekend had nothing but complaints abt them.

.
“Horrible music!”
“No ‘kick’ at all, sien only”
“Lausee, lausee, lausee!!!”

.
So I braced myself for the worst tonight…..and came out pleasantly surprised. Granted, some of the tracks aren’t that great but some, I rather enjoyed.

.
Tracklist for BP68 :

  1. Warmup track : “Perfect Day” - Indigo
  2. Squat track : “Big Girls Don’t Cry” - Nick Skitz
  3. Chest track : “It’s Not My Time” - 3 Doors Down
  4. Back track : “What Do You Want From Me” - Cascada
  5. Triceps track : “Hook Me Up” - Veronicas
  6. Biceps track : “Start It” - Vanessa Amorosi
  7. Lunge track : “Listen To Your Heart” - Nick Skitz
  8. Shoulders track : “My Game” - Darude
  9. Abs track : “Forever” - Chris Brown
  10. Cooldown track : “Dare To Live” - Andrea Bocelli

.
Eleen’s personal review of BP68 :

  • First 3 tracks were rather boring. No new challenges.
  • Sets of 4 clean & presses are real killers. I could only manage one set at the very end with 15kg (7.5kg each side) of weights. Had to do the first 3 sets with only 12.5kg (6.25kg each side).
  • Lurve the tricep track. Totally couldn’t feel my triceps after the track but hey, it felt damn good not feelin anything! Hah….if that made any sense at all. LOL.
  • The bottom halves for the biceps track seemed never-ending. Urgh. I had to stop several times to allow the fire burning in my biceps to cool down (for a max of 3 secs each time and also becos the instructor screamed at me “Hey you! Why stop?!?!” each time I stopped).
  • Absolutely love the ‘forward-stepping pulsing lunges’. Altho it was damn hard balancing the 10kg weights (5kg on each side) while trying not to kill my knees!
  • Overall, I rather enjoyed BP68.

.
One hour flew by and it was then time for Body Combat. Again, not good reviews from fellow gymmies.

.
“Crappy choreography!”
“Music and choreo do not match at all!”
“Damn tiring!”

.
Again, I braced myself for some bad music and equally bad chorry. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the rest, I actually enjoyed BC38. A lot.

.
Tracklist for BC38 :

  1. (a) Writing On The Wall - 2-4 Grooves
    (b) Because Of The Night - Cascada
  2. Try It Again - The Hives
  3. Like I Feel (Squad E Mix) - D:Code feat Emma
  4. (a) Headbangerz Rock Da Club - Nick Skitz
    (b) Cold As Ice - Starsplash
  5. The Best Damn Thing - Avril Lavigne
  6. No Good (Start The Dance) - The Prodigy
  7. Raver’s Paradise - Nick Skitz feat MC BB (Stadium Mix)
  8. What Hurts The Most (Al Storm Remix) -  Cascada
  9. When I Grow Up - The Pussycat Dolls
  10. Say (All I Need) - One Republic

.
Eleen’s personal review of BC38 :

  • Lotsa karate movements (blocks, punches, sliding side kicks, etc).
  • The combination of speed balls & jump jabs is FUN.
  • Love love LURVE the 2nd power training track (Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Thing). Dubbed the ’shoulder killer’, I tot my shoulders were gonna drop off! So many upper cuts and jabs. Just when I heaved a huge sigh of relief as the right side ended, the music quickly moved us to the left shoulder. I so know that I will feel the pain in the next day or two. Altho I must say singing aloud with Avril helped to take my mind off the ache in my shoulders as I punched away. Hehe…
  • So we tot that the Esquiva track from BC37 was tough. Then came track #6 in BC38. The combo of the Esquiva lunge with the double front kicks only spelt one thing : PAIN. So, I know without a doubt that this track’ll be one of those early ones to be swapped out by the instructors. Sad, coz I actually enjoyed it. Yes, the pain and all. Me masochist? Perhaps ;)
  • The knee sequence in track # 7. OMG. I counted a total of 128 knees in this single track! That’s 4 sets of 32 non-stop knees : 2 sets on the right and and another 2 sets on the left. Again, OMG.
  • Absolutely LURVED the 3rd power training track (Cascada’s What Hurts The Most). The non-stop jabs, upper cuts and hooks. The intensity definitely makes up for the simple choreography. I was ready to call it quits by the 2nd set but noooooo, our instructor pushed us thru the final set amidst shouts, groans and moans.
  • The abs plank was brought back in track # 9. I’ve always loved the abs plank (horizontally off the floor, standing on just our toes and elbows, with *ALL* concentration on our abs) and so, thoroughly enjoyed this track. Only one complaint. The track was too short. Would’ve loved to do the abs plank for a min more or so. That would’ve given us the ‘abs-fire’. Hehe…yea yea, another masochistic moment.
  • I had to disagree with my fellow gymmies, Sweetheart included, and say that I really enjoyed BC38. They bitched abt the music but hey, I enjoyed it! Especially from track 5 onwards.

.
My only hope is that the instructors will not swap out the tracks too soon. They tend to do that with the tougher releases, like how they did with BC37.

.
Me likey these 2 releases. Really likey.

20
Dec

FB Addiction

By Eleen Por 2 Comments
Categories: Social and Web/Tech
Tags: ,

Founded by a Harvard undergrad (Mark Zuckerberg) slightly under 4 years ago in Feb 2004, Facebook (FB) has mushroomed into the world’s biggest social website. With an annual nett income of USD 50M, the 700-strong employees soon found their plates too full when its users grew to millions across the globe.

.
Folks who started as casual FB users turned into addicts overnight. Within months, these folks cannot imagine life without it. I didn’t realise the severity of this ‘online epidemic’ until my man’s FB account got disabled a week ago and he was beside himself the entire week. He went online to dig for info and found THOUSANDS like him all around the world. Finally today, he couldn’t wait for the admins to turn his account back on and decided to create a new FB account.

.
Then he found an online article that was written by a user whose account got disabled too. Useful tips for us all considering that 99.99% of us all are FB users - active or otherwise.

.
13 reasons that will get you kicked out of Facebook :

  1. You didn’t use your real name
  2. You joined too many groups
  3. You posted too many messages on a Wall or in a group
  4. You posted in too many groups or too many users’ walls
  5. You befriended too many people
  6. Your school/organization affiliation is doubtful
  7. You’re poking too many people (WTF?!?)
  8. For advertising your application on wall posts
  9. Using duplicate text in multiple messages
  10. You are a cow, dog or library
  11. You are under eighteen years old
  12. You wrote offensive content
  13. You scrapped info off Facebook

Go here to read more on how each of the above works. This list is, of coz, non-exhaustive.

.
A couple of months ago, I wrote this. Guess I can safely say that I am not as addicted. Phew! I mean, I use it daily too…but mainly to communicate with friends from all over. I found many long-lost school friends thru FB. For that, I am mighty grateful.

.
However, I know that lotsa folks just add friends to widen their network and with a cap of 5000 friends, everyone practically went on an add-friend binge! So take heed, folks. If you are like my man and play the online games in FB daily, or are guilty of any of the above, slow down……or risk having your account disabled.

.
Happy FB-ing!

19
Dec

Knowing me, knowing you

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Titbit
Tags: ,

How :

… do I tell you that I cannot hold your hands for much longer?
… do I show you that I will still be close in your heart altho I may not be near in person?
… do I give my best without killing myself in the process?
… do I leave a huge part of me behind without losing my bearings as I journey forward?

.
On a separate note, how is it that I forgot the all-important fact that age does not go hand-in-hand with maturity? I should’ve known better than to waste my time communicating with you. From the very beginning, I should’ve trusted my instincts and paid heed to the childish vibes coming from you.

.
I accept the fact that some folks will never mature. Not when they are 25 or 30 or 40 or even 80. Somehow, I do feel sorry for you.

18
Dec

Truer than Truth

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought

Most of these are nothing new to us. Yet, they never fail to make us go “yehhhhhh” or “hhmmmm” from time to time. I like to believe that I am living my Life by them all and if they help you go through any rough patches in your life, I hope that you are living yours by them too.
.

  1. I love you not because of who you are but because of who I am when I am with you.
  2. No man/woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won’t make you cry.
  3. Just because somebody doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
  4. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.
  5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can’t have them.
  6. Never frown, even when you’re sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
  7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
  8. Don’t waste your time on someone who isn’t willing to waste their time on you.
  9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before we meeting the right one,  so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
  10. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
  11. There’s ALWAYS going to be people who hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust the next time round.
  12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else, and expect them to know you.

.
Ring any bells in your head? Made you nod or smile or sigh as you relate them to your own Life?

.
My personal fav is # 1 and # 8. My daily mantra.

.
My least fav is # 11. Once my trust is broken, my heart will be forever closed to the person. My solution - Stop caring for those who don’t deserve my love and trust. As the caring evaporates, so will the hurting.

.
Yes, I can be Love personified as well as your deepest, darkest nightmare. Now, you can’t say I didn’t warn ya! ;)

17
Dec

A Material World

By Eleen Por 5 Comments
Categories: Life & Love and People
Tags: ,

Recently, a friend got attached and when I asked her why she decided on that particular dude after she has rejected so many who had been standing in line and working hard at winning her heart, her answer shocked me to silence.

.
“Because he bought me the latest ***insert the brand name of a super expensive watch*** model which I’ve been eyeing for awhile now”

.
Huh??!!? For a few seconds there, I could say nothing but gape at her in disbelief. Only to be shocked a 2nd time when another galfren said “It’s OK if you don’t really feel that hot about him now but over time, I’m sure you will grow to love him”

.
What?!?! When did I go to sleep and wake up to a whole new, materialistic world???? I was *so* shocked that I had to excuse myself from those women and took some time to regain my composure.

.
That got me thinking. How many percent of women in this world today think like them and how many of the rest are aghast at those tots like me? And it made me think about past conversations I’ve had with other galfrens which I’ve not given 2 hoots about, mainly because i don’t agree with them. I guess it wasn’t because the world changed when I blinked but more a case of denial on my part.

.
Some of the past comments from women all around. Some I heard first-hand. Some were passed around as ‘useful tips’.

  • How much does your bf/husband give you for pocket money each month? (doesn’t matter if you have your own career or not)
  • Make sure your bf/husband takes you on a vacation at least once a year. Must make it an annual habit so that he ‘gets used’ to it
  • Ask for at least an expensive gift (better if it’s a branded handbag or shoes that cost a couple of grand) for your birthday/X’mas
  • Make sure you NEVER pay for your own meals/drinks/movie tickets when you’re out with him. EVER!
  • Dudes who drive foreign cars (ie : not Proton or Perodua) score higher points in the courting phase
  • If he is not willing to spend alot of money on you, he is not worth it. There are many other (richer) guys out there!
  • If he offers to buy you a biz class flight ticket to go for a vacation, DO NOT BE STUPID and insist on an economy class ticket! (I failed miserably in this category)

.
The list actually goes on for a few pages but I think you get the idea. Some are so ridiculous (IMHO lah) that I LOL-ed so hard and had me going “Are you kidding me?!?!?” a couple of times just to make sure I heard them right.

.
So, it all boils down to : To each her own.

.
And I guess I will always be the ’stupid woman’ to the other ladies who get to show off their branded watches, handbags and vacation pictures while I will most probably be watching pirated DVDs at home with my man.

16
Dec

又瘦了!

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

Tell a woman that she has lost some weight and you will be rewarded with an ear-to-ear grin. However, that line has somehow lost its appeal to me these days. Y’see, I don’t mind if I get that from folks after spending hours at the gym….but after being sick and then being told :

.
“为什么你突然间瘦到这么多?”
wei shen me ni du ran jian shou dao zhe me duo?
Translated to English : Why did you lose so much weight all of a sudden?

.
My reply to him with a very sad face :
“因为我病吗”
Yin wei wo bing ma
Translated to English : Because I got sick

.
To which I got a “I-feel-so-sorry-for-you” look from him. Damn.

.
Then at work today, one of the big bosses was having a F2F meeting with me and kept giving me funny looks. At the end of the meeting, she pulled me aside and whispered to me “What happened to you, Eleen? You’ve lost so much weight!”. My answer : “Gym & falling sick due to too much work stress”

.
Didn’t stay long enough after that to ask her if the weight loss was a good or bad thing but judging from the concerned look on her face, I am guessing that it’s getting to be abit of a worry for folks around me.

.
So folks, I am OK. Really. Contrary to your beliefs, I *do not* starve myself. I eat just like any tham-ciak folks in Penang and I still love my food. My tank capacity may not be so big anymore (no thanks to my falling sick and shrinking my stomach capacity) but I still eat healthily.

.
Just don’t ask me to cut back on gym. I am TOTALLY, ABSOLUTELY, HOPELESSLY hooked on ‘em cardio fixes! The only times I give them a miss is when I am sick and too weak to survive the session. Other than that, I NEED my cardio fixes, okayyyy. So please do not ask me to cut down on them. Really.

15
Dec

Beatitude

By Eleen Por 5 Comments
Categories: Life & Love

… is when I wake up to a gentle kiss on my forehead
… is when I see the sparkle in your eyes as you look at me
… is when I cook you meals

.
… is when you tease me about being a pig-pig for needing my beauty sleep
… is when you hold me on my waist
… is when you pout and then demand for a kiss to remove the pout

.
… is when we have our H2H sessions
… is when we lose ourselves in each other and forget all about time & space
… is when we see God at the exact same time

.
I promise, I will love you and I equally. And as our 4th year rolls around the corner, I am reminded of the journey we have taken to get us where we are today. Guess they can’t say that we aren’t committed, can they? ;)

14
Dec

Freaky

By Eleen Por 5 Comments
Categories: Rant

The fridge is bare except for the beer bottles stocked up for the year-end partying. Damn, even the instant noodle supply is running low. After spending a quality Sunday with her Sweetheart, she decided to make a short detour to the 24-hr mini market on her way home to pick up some groceries and stock up on the usual essentials for her pad.

.
As she was debating on which canned tuna spread to put into her shopping cart, a guy at the same aisle turned around.

.
He : Excuse me, I am looking for a brand for tuna spread. Which brand is the local brand ah?
She : Erm…I guess AYAM brand is the safest. You can get TC Boy also but I personally prefer AYAM brand.
He : Oh ok…but erm…urm….
She : *waiting and after seeing him umm-ing for awhile, decided to be polite* What are you looking for actually? How can I help you?
He : Errmm…I dunno lah…..aahhh….
She : Ok, anyway. Here’r the choices you have. Think abt it and if you need any help, go ask any of the personnel around here. I am sure they are more than willing to help you. *walks away*

.
Bumped into him again at the fruit drinks aisle but politely kept her distance, thinking the dude’s a little…erm, weird?

.
20 mins later.

.
Paid for items and headed out to car. Saw same dude again at the entrance of the grocery store. Didn’t pay much attention to him cos was busy trying to remove the grocery bags from the cart and attempt a single trip to the car. As she was putting the last of the bags into the car’s backseat, the same dude walked up to her again.

.
He : Abt the AYAM brand tuna spread, you like that ah?
She : Erm, yes. *beginning to feel abit freaked out* Why?
He : Sorry….urm…actually, that was just an excuse to talk to you. Can we be friends? Can I have your number?
She : *Tots of maniacs flashing thru her mind* No, we cannot be friends and no you definitely cannot have my number cos you are freaking me out. Can you please stay away?
He : *looking lost* Oh? I am sorry….erm…didn’t mean to scare you…urm…
She : Yes, you did. Good nite.

.
She quickly got into her car and locked the door. As she drove away from the store, she sneaked a look at her rearview mirror and saw the guy still standing there at the curb. As she turned out of the main road and into the road that leads to her home, her eyes kept darting to the rearview mirror to ensure she wasn’t being followed.

.
Finally as she drove into her apartment compound and parked her car, she heaved a huge sigh of relief. Definitely no more late-evening grocery shopping for awhile.

.
As she sat down sipping her hot milk to unwind for the evening, her mind went back to the grocery store scene and she actually felt sorry for the dude. He did seem rather harmless and to his credit, didn’t try to push it when asked to keep his distance. He does, however, need to polish up his pick-up skills though. And try not to chat up a woman in the local grocery store at 11pm.

.
It’s just … freaky at worst, wrong at best.

13
Dec

The countdown begins…

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Holiday and Parties
Tags: , , ,

As things at work are being wrapped up for the year, these ‘essentials’ are slowly but surely taking up space in my mind and Life.

  • X’mas tree? Check.
    - Guess what color theme we’ve chosen for this year. Hint : My color for 2009. ;)
  • Deco for tree? Half-check.
    - Opting for homemade ones this year. Still in the process of completing the sewing. Trust me, they’re gonna be awesome! (altho unlike the ones we hung on our tree last year, these cannot double as door gifts..hehe…)
  • Deco for pad? Half-check.
    - Put some up but some still in the boxes. Work’s madness with a capital M!
  • Send out invitation for private X’mas party? Check.
    - Had to keep the list below 50 this year. Last year was a hard lesson. Too big crowd, not much chance to enjoy our own party!
  • Food list for party? Not check.
    - Have 2 more weeks to sort that out. At least turkey’s taken care of already. Thx WP sweetie! :)
  • X’mas shopping. Not check!
    - Will do it last minute like how it is every year. So many things to do in so few weeks.
  • Plans for NYE party. Check.
    - This one’s gonna be a blast! We’re gonna be chilling down South with some cool Kay-El buddies with lotsa good food and good booze. Can’t wait!

Am sure the list is gonna grow as the countdown to X’mas and New Year begins. Time for mucho love, laughter and happiness, eh? ;)
.
Hope you’re having a blast preparing for the holidays too!

12
Dec

Eris Quod Sum

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Food for Thought and Movies
Tags:

Yuppp…the Heroes fever is back. Been having an on-off affair with Season 3 for the past couple of weeks. It’s taking me longer than usual to go through the seaon though. Mainly becos work and gym takes so much of my time already, with whatever extra time sync-ed into ’us’ time.

.
I love Episode 7. Mainly becos of its title : “ERIS QUOD SUM : I was what you are. You will be what I am.” If we take some time to think about it, we will realise that there are certain folks at certain points in our lives that relate to us that way. In fact, I can already think of some folks past and present who touched my life in that special way.

.
Think about it. Think about it real hard. And put the face(s) in your mind. And thank God for all the memories, good and bad, shared with that individual(s).

.
Suddenly, I am reminded of how truly blessed I am. Thanks for all the love, you!

11
Dec

Dorsett Toilet Paper, anyone?

By Eleen Por 4 Comments
Categories: Rant
Tags: ,

Ok, I am officially pissed! Pissed that some marketing folks in some organisations run around with the mindset that the public are brainless nincompoops who make easy prey to their ridiculously-stupid ’supposed’ great deals.

.
Here’s the scenario :
We received a cash voucher from Dorsett Hotel, Penang (those of you Penangites who don’t know where it is, it’s actually the former Sheraton Hotel on Larut Road).

.
Ts & Cs of the voucher :

  • Valid for room only, no F&B
  • Valid for Deluxe room category and above only
  • Redeemable against published/rack rates
  • Not redeemable for cash or cash refunds on balance value
  • Not valid with any other promos, packages or contracted rates
  • Valid till 31st December 2008

.
Rather short…no no…SUPER short window time for us to redeem the voucher but hey, it’s free. So shut up and utilise it, I tot. Called up the hotel and after a short conversation with them, realised that we’ve been duped. Like you-guys-are-total-idiots kinda duped! Why do I say that? This is why.

.
Voucher value : RM 335
Published/rack rate for deluxe room : RM 552 nett
After voucher redemption, amount we have to pay for a deluxe room : RM 217 nettt (RM 552 - RM 335)
Walk-in promotional rate for a deluxe room : RM 240 nett!!!

.
So, why bother giving out these ‘free’ vouchers?!?!!
For a mere RM 23 extra, I might as well check in as a walk-in guest and pay RM 240 nett for a deluxe room! Why bother with the stupid cash voucher?!?! Totally no value watsoever!

.
Y’see, I don’t mind forking out an additional RM50 or maybe even RM100 and redeem the cash voucher for the room. But to pay another RM 217 (which is only RM 23 short of paying the full promotional price of a walk-in guest!) just to stay one night at that hotel???? Hah!

.
Total BS!!!!

.
My toilet paper has better value than this so-called cash voucher.

.
P/S - To the mgmt of MoMo, please do not take this as me being ungrateful for the ‘free’ voucher. Am just pissed that Dorsett Hotel has taken us all for a ride with their crap. Bleh!

10
Dec

Bon Voyage

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

As I write this, I know that you are a few thousand feet up in the air across the great oceans heading towards the adventure of your life. I really meant what I said to you the other day. You are living the dream of many folks across the globe.

.
While most of us dream of having those great adventures across the many gorgeous cities in Europe, only a *very* small handful get to actually live that dream. Most of us usually hop straight out of Uni/college to our 1st job. I actually know someone who planned for a trip like yours at least a year in advance only to have it all thrown out the window when he received a job offer on his graduation day. He is still sore about that till today.

.
So while you enjoy your hash brownies in Amsterdam and go shopping in London, think of me, ok? And as you ski down the Swiss Alps, think of me too, ya? I am not sure when I will have the chance to get my own adventure….so in the meantime, I will hop unto yours! ;)
.
Thanks again for the little surprise you left on my bed the day you left. Silly me didn’t realise it till at least a day later. Yup, did my usual thing of falling asleep on my comfy couch.

.
I had alot of fun during the short time we got to spend together. It was initially a little weird having to share my pad with someone else but over time, I guess I kinda got used to having you around and am actually missing you now. Yeah yeah! Gloat all you want! I will eventually move on :P
.
Party hard, be safe, and collect all those great memories which will be cherished for years to come. Till our communication lines are open again in mid-Jan, unleash that krazee spirit and go grab the adventure of your lifetime!!!! :)

09
Dec

Oxymoronic

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Me and Rant
Tags:

Have you ever felt excited and bored about the same thing/person at the same time?
Looking forward to something, yet kinda dreading it too?
Feeling really passionate about something but kinda loathing it and wishing it never existed?
Embracing certain ideas only to hate having them clog your mind?
Loving the thought of doing something yet dragging your feet just to get started?

.
Not sure if it’s the end of year when everything seems to be happening at once. So many things to cramp into so little time. Head’s bursting from the party planning, the schedule checking (to make sure no plan clashes), the KL time, the Penang time, the work mgmt, the global expectations and the list just goes on and on! But then again, it’s the holiday season. We should be merry and jolly, rite??? But I am, I am!

.
I’m *so* looking forward to 8 weeks down the road, yet am kinda fearing it. And even worse, dreading yet looking forward to what’s gonna happen in the time before I reach the end of the 8-week journey.

.
Confused yet? LOL. So am I.

08
Dec

Happy 60th, Mommy dearest!

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Birthday and Family
Tags: ,

Exactly 6 decades ago, a wonderful woman came into this world. A woman who soon blossomed into a super human being with awesome multi-tasking skills. Balancing her many roles as a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, a niece, and an aunt to perfection.

.
Although her mother was the typical, conservative Chinese woman who placed all her hopes and dreams on the sons and had little love nor affection for her daughters, this lady never once complained about it. Till today, she remains a filial daugther to her aging mother.

.
Her husband is an eccentric man who got along with very few people in the world they both lived in. Yet, she stayed by his side. Never once did she entertain the thought of giving up. She soldiered on with the belief that her family deserves the BEST and if the world is not gonna serve it to them on a silver platter, she’s gonna fight with all her might to make sure that they don’t lose out on Life’s offerings! Never mind that she had to take on several jobs or that she had to go hungry so that her husband and her kids can have food in their stomachs. Her sacrifices were endless.

.
Through my growing up years, I fought her hard. Always adopting the victim mentality and blaming her for the things that didn’t go as I wanted them to. Still, her love for me remains steadfast and she never stopped believing in me. Even when others had doubts, she still stood by me. For that, I love her with all my heart.

.
Mommy, we may have our many differences. Could be generation gap, could be personality conflict, or could even be plain old stubborness. However, never doubt for even a second how much I love you and how much you mean to me. I know I am not the perfect daughter and may have said and done things in the past that hurt you. I am sorry for them all and will do my best to keep the tears away and the smile not just on your face but also in your heart for a long, long time to come.

.
I love this recent picture taken of us. It captured your beauty perfectly. In my eyes, you will always be the most beautiful woman in this Universe!

.
I love you very, very, VERY much, Mommy. You may never read this post (but Life is so full of surprises, so who really knows, eh!) but know and feel in your heart that you mean alot to me and to all our family members - both immediate and extended.

.
Wishing you many more years of wonderful times and never lose that positive personality of yours (I think I got it from you!). You never fail to amaze me with your abundance of love to give. If there is an award for the person with the biggest heart, I swear you’d win it hands down!

.
I look forward to hearing your travel stories to Japan and Korea next year. And many more other stories that you want to share with me. I promise that I’ll be here for you, mommy. Love you!

07
Dec

Blood is thick

By Eleen Por 1 Comment
Categories: Family and Social
Tags:

“My friends are my family” : this seems to be a popular line with many young folks today. We read them in blogs, in magazines and we hear them in interviews. It seems most young folks today are feeling less connected with their blood members than with their friends.

.
Admittedly, I’ve never been close to my family (both immediate and extended) growing up and the gap just increased over the years. I’ll honestly say that I was happiest the day I moved out of my parents’ place 8 years ago. Some pin it on generation gap but I personally think it’s a personality clash. Labelled the black sheep of the family, I was always the first to speak my mind and the first to call things out as they are. Now as we all know, that is not the way the Asian culture works. We do not question the elders (never mind that some of the ‘laws’ do not make any sense), especially if your chromosomes are made up of “XX”. That never sat well with me.

.
I was stubborn and adamant to make my stand. I vowed to gain my financial independance and prove to the elders in my very conservative Chinese family that women are not necessarily the weaker sex and we do not have to select life partners like we shop for the best deal in town. Over the years, as I gained my financial independance, respect from my family members slowly but surely started grudgingly coming in.

.
However, of late…I am begining to realise that there really is no replacement for blood ties. No matter how less-than-pleasant the relationship is, blood is blood. There may be many things we’d go to our closest friends but there is this unexplained bond with family that no friendship in this world can replace. I am not even talking about organ donation/compatibility. Just plain ol’ family connection.

.
I actually figured out a solution to my family ‘dillema’. Spend quality time with them but before it gets stiffling (my personal term for when they start to get on my nerves by ’suggesting’ how I should live my life), I am already outta there. Cool idea, huh? Would you believe that it works??? :D
.
The results? We enjoy each other’s company more when we do get together. My cousin’s wedding recently was a perfect example of that. We had a ball for a few hours during the day for the ‘chuah sin neau’ event (literally translated from Hokkien to English : ‘Picking up the bride’) and then a couple more hours during the wedding banquet in the evening.

.
View pictures taken during the day ceremony here and the dinner pictures here.

.
I actually met some extended relatives that I’ve not seen for the past 20 years and that was pretty cool! A bunch of them got excited when they saw Sweetheart and insisted that I intro’d him to them. Some of my immediate cousins (aka the mabuk ones) tried to drink my man under the table but thankfully, he had enough practise from his own mabuk frenz. Not drinking practise but ‘tai-chi’ practise. U guys who’re reading this….you know what I am writing about :P
.
Yuppp, I like this approach with my family and will maintain that for a long time to come. As long as I am comfortable with when I can detach myself when the need arises, I believe I will be happier with these blood bods.

.
Guess I am just selfish with my personal space and time. Friends nor family, no one’s touching that with a ten-foot pole! :D

06
Dec

Embracing Change

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

“Change is the only thing constant in Life” - how true. I can’t help but be amazed by the reality of it. I thought I wanted and needed certain things and people in my life. Then Change came and wiped them off my plate. Putting new things on it and reminding me that there really is nothing constant in our lives.

.
Slightly more than 8 years ago, I moved into a new world that soon moulded a huge part of my identity today. For close to a decade, I lived….I learnt…I loved…I laughed…and I was happy. Then Change came to visit. All things familiar suddenly needed to be replaced by the new and the unknown. As anxiety fills me up, I consoled myself with the fact that I have the strength and the resilience to bring back the rainbows into my skies.

.
Four years ago, I was at the carefree peak of my life. Ever hungry for new challenges, Life to me then was a wanton breeze. The Devil could come knocking at my door and I would scorn at his face. Yes, I was that fearless and that carefree.

.
Can’t exactly put my finger on how and when Change came into my life but today, I realised I have evolved into someone more stable. Someone who knows what she wants for the long term but is also not afraid to throw it all away in exchange of something else which she knows will reap better and happier future results. Yes, she became someone who made difficult decisions like drinking water on a parched day. WIthout a moment’s hesitation. On a survival’s instinct.

.
I am sorry, galfriends. About what happened at the club. Trust me, I find them as tempting and as delicious as you all do too. But as I was wrapped in the arms of the leader of the pack, I didn’t feel the rush of excitement as I thought I would. Maybe 4 years ago, it would come flushing through my veins but this time round, it was different. As much as I wanted to make sure you girls get what you wanted, I also had to be fair to myself and get me what I wanted. And I must be honest with myself and with you that all I wanted then was to be back in my Sweetheart’s arms.

.
Believe me, it was not because Sweetheart was not OK with it all. We have both evolved into a stage where we are comfortable with what we each want as long as it’s openly acknowledged and each others’ comfort level respected. He was totally comfortable with where we were at but I didn’t want what you girls wanted. Like I said, I just wanted to be back in my man’s arms.

.
Consequently, you girls didn’t get what you wanted and for that, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. I really wish I could’ve done a lot more for you girls but I also knew that it’d be wrong to do something which was missing my heart and soul. I’d be lying to myself and I hate doing that.

.
So folks…do not fear Change. Embrace it and acknowledge that it’ll always be an intergral part of our lives. Some of those changes may be hard and require us longer time to get back on our feet but bounce back we will. It is true that what does not break us will definitely make us stronger.

.
Hoo! Haah! :>

05
Dec

Wacky Weekend Ahead!

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Current Affairs, Family, Holiday, Parties, Social and Weekend Update
Tags: , , ,

Long weekend ahead - Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon - yet, so much is cramped into the next 4 days that I’m not sure if there’s enough time to do them all! Love it that my weekend is starting on Friday. Hate it that I’ve to cramp the entire week’s work into the remaining weekdays that I barely have time for anything other than the W-word. Not much sleep and definitely no gym at all. Oh well….we win some, we lose some.

.
Highlights for the next 96 hrs :

  • Some super delayed self-pampering time (God knows how badly I need this one!)
  • The once-in-a-blue-blue-moon extended family gathering in the form of a wedding banquet. Poor non-Hokkien-speaking Aussie cuz made me swear not to leave her alone with the other relatives. It continues to amaze me how lots of folks are not aware of the fact that speaking in Chinese in front of a non-Chinese-speaking person is somewhat rude.
  • Sweetheart will be meeting some of my relatives for the first time. I know some of my out-of-town cousins are keen to meet him. He ain’t exactly Mr PR but hey, he’s my man and that says alot already about him, eh? ;)
  • Quality time with Baby J. Can’t wait! She is *soooooooo* adorable and my heart instantly melts at the sight of her cutish smile.
  • It’s Jazz Festival time again. Dunno if we will have time to join our party friends coz there’re at least TWO MORE parties on the same night! How to split into 3 so that we can go for *all* of them???
  • Food Hunt! Can’t believe it’s been an entire year since I zoomed all over town looking for clues and famous food, and finally emerging 2nd runner-up. Wonder how the turn-out this year will be and if we will win more prizes than last year.
  • More quality time with Aussie cuz before she heads off to UK (lucky biatch!). Dunno when we’ll get to hang out again. Altho I’ve been feeling abit weird about not having my pad to myself for the past week, I think the first few days after her departure will leave a strange void in my pad.
  • Material shopping for homemade X’mas tree deco. So few weekends left to D-Day, so much to do to prepare for D-Party!
  • Don’t think I’ve ever been *this* nervous about putting my signature on a dotted line. Come to think of it, even signing the S&P for my apartment slightly more than 2 years ago wasn’t this scary!
  • And above it all, making sure there’s quality time put aside for us. After all, we’ve both been sick and strange as this may sound, I miss *US* time.

.
Crazy, eh?
But then again, who would want a boring Life with non of the maniacal stuff to keep us spinning? ;)

04
Dec

I told you so…

By Eleen Por 4 Comments
Categories: Friends, Life & Love and People
Tags: ,

These are 4 of my least favourite words. Especially if I have to be saying them to someone dear to me. ‘Cos more often than not, the situation will be a painful and emotional one. And although true, those words are actually rubbing salt to the wound.

.
Rewind 1.5 years, a galfren came to me announcing that she was getting hitched. Now, I will be completely honest to say that I was not too happy with that news. Mainly becos she’d only known the guy for 4 months and as we all know, the first few months (up to a year) is the ‘honeymoon period’ and always the most exciting. The sex is great, all his/her idiosyncrasies are cute, and everything is a YES! YES! YES!

.
No?

.
After the first year, and especially if the couple starts to cohabitate, then all the ugliness surface and that is when the rest test begins. How strong the love is will determine the make or break of the relationship in the face of all those ugliness.

.
I’m not sure about you folks but I personally need at least ONE YEAR (may be more, depending on the guy!) to get to know a guy inside out. To decide if I can have him in my Life - all the good and bad of it all. If  I can deal with the whole package. If despite all the things I may not like about him, will make me happy. And of cos, vice versa. I want the guy to take time to know all of me. Then decide if he can bear with my quirks and still love me enough to want to spend his life with me.

.
So, I am sorry galfren. I really really really HATE to say this now but “I told you so!” :`(

03
Dec

Good riddance to bad rubbish

By Eleen Por 4 Comments
Categories: Rant
Tags: ,

Never mind that U took gym time away from me.
Never mind that U took the enjoyment out of food for me.
(everything tasted so bland and dissatisfying!)
Never mind that U burnt me up so bad that rest eluded me.
Never mind that U got my Sweetheart pretty bad too.

.
All of the above, and more - U worked hard at keeping me down and out. Didn’t ya!

.
BUT……I am surrounded by wonderful folks who pinged me daily to ask if I am doing OK. If I need any food delivered to me. If I need any errands to be done. If I need a ride to the doc’s. The offers totally and completely overwhelmed me. I had to reject them all ‘coz all I really needed was rest and strength to fight you off.

.
The one offer I did accept was an offer to cook me some homecooked seafood over the weekend. I repeat, homecooked seafood! How could anyone with a sane mind (top physical health or otherwise) reject THAT???

.
View the pictures of our homecooking-seafood adventure here.
Trust me, it was a lot more fun than it looked! ;) It was quite an experience trying to chase a crab all around my kitchen-top and all the time trying to avoid its mean-looking claws.

.
As the evening wore on, I felt stronger and happier. Maybe it was the company, maybe it was the promise of a yummilicious dinner or maybe I am just tired of your company. I knew it was time for you to go. And time for me to get back into the game again.

.
I smiled up at God and thanked Him for all the wonderful, caring folks he sent my way. And a strong resolution to never take them for granted, EVER.

.
As for you ….. ZAI JIAN. SAYONARA. BAI-BAI. Don’t come back. I will not miss you.

02
Dec

Beer-y good beauty tip

By Eleen Por 5 Comments
Categories: Beauty and Food for Thought
Tags: , ,

Scenario : Sitting in the doc’s waiting room, flipping thru old magazines.
Atmosphere : Bored, and feeling crappy (no thx to the dang bug).
Highlight of the day : Came across an interesting article in an old copy of Health Today.

.
“Beer is proven to be good for dry hair. Not consumed orally, but applied on hair (stop groaning guys!). Fill a small spritz bottle with some beer and spray some on damp hair just before blow drying it. Don’t worry too much about the smell. It disappears fairly quickly.”

.
I must admit, it really got me thinking. Considering the ’stress’ that I’ve put my hair thru lately…it might actually be a good idea. However, the smell of beer on my hair, even for a short while, ain’t that appealing.

.
I know my beer drinking frenz are gonna be screaming “BUT but but that’s sacrilege to good beverage!”. Hey…if that’s what the experts say, we can’t argue with that, can we?  ;)

01
Dec

Bugged by the Bug

By Eleen Por 0 Comments
Categories: Rant
Tags: ,

It’s been more than a week and the blardy bug just wouldn’t blardy go away! I just simply REFUSED to let it get me down but who has to suffer from it?

.
My cousin who is visiting from Down Under. All our original plans to go shopping and have fun together got thrown out the window. Only managed to take her out once last weekend but it was not that great a night out. Hopefully, we’ll get luckier this coming weekend. Poor gal has been stuck with me at home most of the time. Thank God for Astro and the Internet!

.
My Sweetheart who is now badly infected by the bug as well. We tried, we really tried. To not cuddle as much but it’s hard, y’know. When we’re sick and needing TLC. Can’t really stay away from the TLC provider, rite??? And I think the poor guy got burnt a few times when my body heated up like a furnace halfway thru the night. He had to wake up to get me more medication to bring down the fever. Sorry baby!

.
Me? I try my DAMNEST not to let it affect me. Not easy considering that it’s taken one of the most important thing away from me - Gym time :( And I missed the POLE JAM event that I was *sooooooo* looking forward to last weekend. DAMN. DOUBLE DAMN.