Our Journey As One

Back to School after 6 years

2010-08-01T20:58:00.004+08:00

Day 1 of MBA

It was indeed exciting to be back at school after 6 years. Since it is my very first semester, I decide to take one module as advised by the school. Interesting enough, many of my classmates are also doing the same. On the first day, we all were introduced to one another and the subject. There were lots of interaction and exchange of idea. Oh, btw, I'm taking Marketing Management.

Day 2 of MBA

I realized that I will be buried in my case studies for many weeks to come. But case studies are a bunch of interesting reads. No problem there. I guess the text will be a little tougher to get through. My classmates are a good enough motivation for me to get reading. Looking around, I noticed many have read through almost all of their readings! Amazing....

Day 3 of MBA

Sleep wasn't that great last night. My daughter woke up every hour but luckily for me, my husband did all of the carrying except the last hour of sleep. Poor fella. Mid-way through class, I was totally exhausted. Coffee had no impact. Lesson learned: I need to bring energy bars or sweets/snacks to boost my energy.

Reason for returning to blogging? Something I learn in my Marketing class.
Overall, an engaging weekend and a good start....

Baby's First Laugh

2010-03-31T19:50:00.000+08:00

Today while playing with her, she suddenly laughed so loudly. We were all so shocked but started laughing together. It's amazing that a simple laughter from her can get us all so excited! :) It made my day. Can't wait for her next laughter.

Baby's 'First' Outing

2010-03-06T10:43:00.003+08:00

Technically, it's not baby's first outing as she had to go out to get her official documents since she was 5 days old. Then she went out with me to Orchard at night on my birthday. I could still remember this aunty's look of disbelieve when she found out my baby wasn't even a month year old yet. After that, she went out for her full moon and cny visits.

I'm very thankful and blessed that she has adapted to her outings which make it so much easier for us.

So what makes this outing so special? This time, I'm planning an outing not for any occasion but just to celebrate her being so brave after getting her painful injection. The needle was so long and her reaction was really difficult to watch. I do not know if I would be able to hold her again for her 2nd injection. At the same time, my husband will complete his exam today. & if all goes well, he has just one more semester to go. It has been a stressful month for him with work, study and baby duties.

Hopefully the outing will be a fun one. And here's a photo of her sleeping :)

My Bundle of Joy

2010-01-19T14:19:00.002+08:00

I've waited for this day for quite a while. It's actually one of my biggest fear- delivering a baby. I've heard countless stories of how painful childbirth would be.

I've always love babies but never really thought I could go through it. As age is catching up, I left it to God's hands and all through my 9 months, I felt my baby was protected, probably through the prayers and well wishes of family and friends. Even then, I must admit that I still worry.

When week 40 came & passed, my anxiety grew, but my doctor assured me baby was okay. I'm also trying to avoid a C-section. But finally, we planned for her to be induced on week 41. As it got closer to the date, I got extremely worried, not only about the baby but (shamefully) of the pain.

But there's no backing out now, the baby has to come. It's not knowing what's about to happen and what is to be expected that had me so worried. Some say it's like your back breaking and others said it's the worse pain ever. And a few said even with epidural they could feel the pain.

At last, I had a 'show' a day before I was to be induced. Somehow I was very excited & didn't worry about the labour pain. Probably because the contraction was so bearable. I had my breakfast, informed my doctor and checked myself (together with my hubby and mum) into hospital. Then the nurse checked me and boy was it painful and my fear grew again. When my doctor came, I was so tensed that I had some kind of gas to relax me and it did wonders within a few seconds. After which, the doctor gave me the green light to have my epidural.

I moved during the insertion of the needle to my back and thus it was very painful. But the doctor explained to me why I'm in pain and it helped. Very quickly it was over. Told the doctor I could still stand the pain and to give me minimal dosage but in a matter of minutes, I could not feel the contractions anymore.

So far so good till my dilation stopped at 3 cm for about 6 hours. My mum went to the hospital's chapel to pray and so did I. Finally, it slowly progress a cm every hour till it was 5 cm. Doctor said the baby cannot be inside for too long without the water bag and gave me another 3 hours for it to go to 10 cm. But thank God, within an hour, I was told that I'm ready. We just have to wait for the baby to descend.

By the time the doctor came, she gave me the good news. And I could feel the contractions. Thus, I could push. And soon I found myself pushing and less than 5 minutes, my bundle of joy appeared. :) ;) :)

It was after that, that I could feel the intense contraction and loss a lot of blood and had to have a transfusion. That was the scariest part of it all. But luckily the doctors were good.

The week after has been smooth thanks to the care of my hubby and in-laws. Though baby wakes up every hour for feeds.

Even after a week, I find myself thinking back of my delivery and instead of being the scariest experience ever, it is one of the most wonderful day!! :D

Waiting Patiently

2009-11-30T22:23:00.003+08:00

It's getting closer... Everytime I feel a 'contraction' or what I know as a cramp, I wonder if I am going into labour. And then the symptom disappears altogether for a few days and I let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Good baby, stay inside till its time", I will tell my lil' one. But then every so often I wonder what it would be like for me to deliver early. For her sake (and to an extent mine), I do not wish for her to come too early. But the thought keeps returning. Also, at times, when she kicks me so hard and pushes down on me so heavily that I really have to use the toilet even though I just went, makes me eager to have the weeks go by quickly.

Overall, (I hope I don't jinx myself), my lil' one has been good and I can feel our love for her growing as my belly grows...

What a great week!

2009-10-03T08:34:00.002+08:00

Phew. We have finally moved!! Thought it will never happen. In fact, it was quite a smooth transition thanks to my in-laws, parents, my hubby and some blessings from above.

The past week started out great with us and my parents attending mass for the very first time at a Church near to our new home. The Arch-Bishop was there and the band was lively. The whole atmosphere there was great. What a way to start a new chapter at that church and the week!

And I must really thank God for how everything turned out. I got pregnant immediately after my business trip and that meant that our baby will be born before the (chinese) new year starts. And our home was ready when I was in my early 2nd trimester and everything was completed in time for us to move in by the end of my 2nd trimester. I would not have survived this in my 1st trimester nor my 3rd (judging from the way my belly is growing & the aches and pains I'm starting to have).

The 1st trimester wasn't very pleasant. I was constantly irritated by my lack of energy to do a lot of things around me. My husband was busy with work & his studies (just found out this week that he did well in his papers though :) ) and I must admit that our house only has a thorough mop through when either of our parents are down. In fact, I was pretty put off by the whole pregnancy saga that I'm thinking of stopping at just 1.

The minute I found my energy returning, I couldn't help but be involved in the house renovation. It just wasn't fair for my husband to be handling 6 different parties (Painter, Driller, Carpenter, Developers, Cleaners, Window Guys) when they all showed up at the same time. Besides, I know my baby is blessed and is strong. She has brought us quite a bit of luck too. We won a water feature for our new home and some other smaller gifts.

We also had helped along the way. So far, my developer (Frasers Centrepoint) has been responsive to our requests and so was our ID guy from Unimax (thanks to the introduction from my boss) and even the sales person we chose to buy our electrical appliances from was great. And yes, we specifically chose him when we were browsing around Best Denki. Something about him told me that he was a good salesman and indeed he was. A day before raya, he (he celebrates raya) had to deliver a temporary fridge to us as our fridge was late in delivery.

Our new fridge has now arrived and our carpet too. I managed to clear the load of clothes from my ironing basket (I think it's piling up again) and my hubby cleared all the boxes. The work will always continue but we are in a much better shape entering into my 3rd trimester and he into his new semester of studies on top of work.

And attending a course recently has motivated me to continue to do more and not be too complacent.

6 months on

2009-07-10T23:11:00.005+08:00

6 months later and I finally got back my edited wedding album but am very unhappy as my brothers, SILs and nephew are not in the final version. Sigh, I think it would be easier for me to print out their photo and put it in the back cover.

And today I read an email that wasn’t that pleasant… It’s always sad to hear of a young person leaving… and I thank God for his protection over all of us.

Also recently, having met up with some friends, there were some comments that my brother’s speech about my hubby is pretty accurate. I do not want to crow as we do have our conflicts, ups and downs but I truly am glad and proud that he is my hubby. Since we got married, it has been pretty much a roller coaster ride. Mine include work, adjusting to a slower pace (;0), etc but it is nothing compared to his. He has to juggle work, studies, planning for our family, all house chores (had to take over mine :P) and now planning our home. Sometimes, early in the morning, I would just wake up to stare at this amazing guy next to me. I know he would make a good daddy someday.

But he does get me all worried like when he had a high fever and still wanted to go to work when he felt better. However, I know he will always be around when I need him most. And for that reason, I am looking forward to the next blessed 6 months….

THANK YOU ALL

2009-06-01T00:01:00.003+08:00

My brother just sent me more photos of my wedding day and coincidently my good friend asked me about it too. Since I'm feeling good today, I went through some of the photos and I just realized something.

I forgot to thank everyone for making it such a memorable day. So,

"THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of our hearts!"

Inching out of a nomadic lifestyle

2009-04-10T16:25:00.004+08:00

The next phase has come.... No, I'm not talking about babies... (yet).

We are finally inching closer towards the point where we no longer have to live like nomads. Not that it is entirely a bad thing because we get to experience new places together. However, after moving at least 4 times over 3 countries since we've been together is exhausting. Both mentally & physically. Also, the items we gathered (& thrown) along the way has grown. We need to have a place where we can have a certain assurance that in a year's time, we will not have to worry about having to relocate again.

Though it's still months before actually moving to a place of our own, we have started packing up our things into boxes. The other reason would be that our current place has been put up into the market for sale.

But before moving in, we have to deal with all the legal paperwork that is equally tedious. And as my brother had told me, this is just the start of many more documents to come.

The Story Behind

2009-03-19T01:14:00.006+08:00

Finally!

I've finally found some time to look through the stacks of photos taken during my wedding. But they are stacked up in my hard disk :P.

Let me share some of my pre-wedding events.....

A week before the wedding, 'Guo Dai Lai' or gift exchanging took place.

The groom's side sents over some items and the bride's side will return on a smaller scale. The 'tai kam che' gave a pretty long list. :) After that, we visited our grandparents before finally returning home. The cakes are then distributed to relatives.

During the week leading up to the actual day, we had to send the car for decoration, prepare the house (eg: hang the red cloth on the door, etc.), collect the hand bouquet, prepare for the games on the wedding day and items for 'Shiung Tau' and make sure there's food for the morning of the wedding day.

Oh, and not forgetting to prepare myself - manicure, pedicure, *all the pampering needed* ;D

The night before, both sides had dinners with our own family, followed by the hair combing ceremony.

If the before seems like a lot, wait till I tell you about after the wedding ;).

Photos from My FairyTale Wedding

2009-01-11T01:11:00.015+08:00

Here are some photos that were taken by Pin & Adam and also shots from videos by Andrew & Lee. Enjoy!!

~BRIDE'S PLACE~

Makeup & Hairdo by Remy

Me writing a note to my hubby

~GROOM'S PLACE~

~FETCHING THE BRIDE BACK~

Ladies in Pink with Hand Corsages are the Chi Muis, handing out brandy shots

Feeding him Wasabi on cracker

Kissing & Waxing (Look closely, there are 2 photos)

His BestMan must have been to the gym recently! :)

Was surprised & excited that he got so many of the Q&A right!

He said my chi muis were very nice to him..... He still had angpows left.

Aaarr.... Finally the veil's off... :P

According to the Tai kam che, this is something I must do... :) Was okay with me... :)

Walking around the car 3 times symbolizes that 3 days has passed (My interpretation)

Thank you ChiMuis, Heng Tais & Heng ChiMuis (Guy Chi Muis)

Leaving my house

Entering His Home

~PALACE OF THE GOLDEN HORSES~

A Big Beautiful White Horse Drawn Carriage

(I hope the horse was not injured in the fall. Luckily she had the patch to block her view of the crowd)

Entrance Accompanied By 'From This Moment On'

Cutting of The Cake

Regal Orchestra In Their 'SAMFU'

2nd Entrance (after Parents Entry)

'YAM SENG', Toasting

My Speech

His Speech

GoodBye....

~THE END~

Morning Fast Edit Photos

2009-01-03T17:29:00.004+08:00

I just had time to take a look at my fast edited photos taken by Pin & Adam during the tea ceremony. Love their photos. You can view them at my Facebook!

Wedding Diary & TQs Summary

2008-12-29T12:00:00.004+08:00

The Date: 27th December 2008

Rewind to 20th December, it was the day of Gift Exchanges and Prayers, followed by Christmas.
Then came 26th night where we had our individual gathering and 'Hair Combing' Ceremony.

When 27th came, I was already up before 5 am. In total, I and many others only had 3 hours of sleep. By 6.30 am, my Makeup artist, Remy was already outside my house. So was Adam, my photographer. While Remy was fixing me up, Adam went around snapping photos. By 7.40 am, my cousins/chimuis were there, to start preparing the games ingredients. My guy cousins sportingly volunteered themselves to be guy 'chi muis' and came all dressed in pink too... :D
Later, the videographers arrived.

Everything was zapping by quickly until I had my parents put the veil onto me. Then I was alone with my bridesmaid in the room. Suddenly, time slowed down. I waited anxiously in my room and paced up & down my room. Realizing I was starting to sweat, I sat quietly under the air-con to cool myself down. It was past 8.45am, but my groom was nowhere to be seen. All my chi muis & guy chi muis are all ready. Finally at 9 am, I could hear the car horns. My heart was beating so fast. I peeped out the window & saw the bridal car and all the heng tais. My elder brother and SIL made it in just in time before the groom came out of the car. I could not describe the joy I had. While the roast pig was being delivered, the tai kam che came up & gave me some advice.

Then the games were on full swing. I tried to peep out my window but could only hear them shouting the letters 'L', 'O', etc.... I guess I have to wait for the videos. After many many games, they finally arrived right outside my room. Then they had to do push ups. I must say his best man and heng tais were really good. One even did the push ups with one hand. After that, my chi muis just couldn't block them any longer. In he came with the bouquet of tulips ready to lift my veil. It was a moment to remember.

After the tea ceremony at my place and family photos, we returned to his home to do the tea ceremony there. It was then followed by the bed ceremony. A lot of bling blings were given to us as part of the chinese customs.

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

Soon, it was time to get ready for the night. My wedding planner, East and her crew were already at the hotel preparing. I must say that night, I had the best crew ever. The makeup by Remy was beautiful. The videographers were good and I just loved the photos taken by Pin and Adam. All of them have been up the whole day but were still doing an excellent job. Pin was all smiles and Adam was full of creativity and so were the videographers, Andrew, Lee and Liew. The band Regal Orchestra played wonderfully and most importantly, East and her crew co-ordinated the whole thing perfectly. I wouldn't be able to manage without them.

Arriving in the horse carriage was one of the highlights of the night as I didn't expect such a beautiful white large horse to fall just as I was arriving. I hope he/she isn't hurt by the fall!!

Our reception team also did a great job there, so did the chi muis & heng tais. Our parents were very handsome & pretty. So were my brothers, sisters and cousins. My FIL gave the speech of the century and my brother's speech brought tears to many.

Our friends delivered two very different but great speeches. Thank you!

We are sorry we were not able to go to every table individually especially to those who have travelled many hours just to attend the dinner. We are indeed honoured and humbled to have all of you share that night with us.

Our MCs had also liven up the night and the ambience wouldn't be as good if not for Aunty Lucy and her entire family.

And thanks for attending my wedding even though you had to rush off for another wedding.
Lastly, I have to thank those whom I did not mention but worked behind the scenes, you know who you are.

Thank you for all the kind messages and a wonderful day to remember.

Adios, wait for my photos.... :D

8 days to go & lots more to do....

2008-12-18T00:21:00.002+08:00

Can't believe there's less than 10 days to go... There are still so many things to do. My mums just did their round of shopping for the guo dai lai (exchanging of gifts) and shiung tau (hair combing).
Heard that there were many things to get.

All of us are also busy arranging the seating arrangements. I just received some good news from one of my good friends from college. She informed me that she'll be flying home for Christmas and will be seeing me at my wedding after all. Boy am I excited! :)

When I go back, there will be a lot of people trickling down to KL for the wedding and I love a good crowd but my nerves are slowly setting in.

Food Tasting & Making of the Dress-Part 2

2008-12-01T22:10:00.002+08:00

Just had our food tasting over at Kim Ma restaurant, POGH. Our parents, two of my uncles and family friends gathered to taste the food. The presentation and dishes were to our expectation. Hopefully, it will turn out alright on the actual day. The chef promised he’ll be around to supervise on the day itself.

Do let me know how you like the food next day! :)

Next was the refitting of my wedding gown. Guess what? No alterations need to be done. It fits me exactly. The bad news is, I did not lose any inches. On the bright side, I didn’t grow fatter too. :)

Ties & Games

2008-11-16T23:20:00.003+08:00

As I am preparing for the morning event, my hubby graciously gathered all the things I've been working on - the corsages, buttonaires and ties and captured some photos of it.

Here are 2 photos that I like:

~ Dinner Theme & Itinerary ~

2008-11-08T00:52:00.004+08:00

Invitations Cards R On Its Way To Your Home

What's in store that night

You can come in your sexy cheongsams ;)

~ TESTING the LOOK ~

2008-10-29T22:14:00.006+08:00

PREPARING FOR THE MAKEUP SESSION

I went back over the weekend and had my trial makeup by Remy. Was very happy with the outcome. Kudos to her for taking the time to do my makeup properly and I liked her style and to my hubby for being my photographer that day!

ENJOYING MYSELF

WHAT WAS I DOING??? :P

'KEEP STILL NOW'

LOOKING AT SOME HAIRSTYLES...

ALMOST DONE....

TADAA...... hehe

ALL THE PIMPLES & LINES ARE GONE! :D

PS: The lovely pots/deco behind me are the work of my mum-in-law :)

Rage & Disappointment

2008-10-22T20:39:00.002+08:00

Today I received some bad news from my bridal studio. I have opted for 2 photographers and today, the photographer who was originally supposed to do my actual day photo shoot is no longer available. And till today they have yet to inform me who my photographers will be. And they previously promised that only 2 of their 4 top photographers from their studio will do the shoot. If this issue is not resolved this weekend, I might consider asking for a full refund since all my friends/relatives have not had any issues with their bridal studio. Any recommendations?

"29/10/08- I went back over the weekend and was told that my two AD photographers are Adam and David. Adam is one of the top four so I am pretty happy. As for David, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will be good."

Corsages & Box

2008-10-18T00:09:00.005+08:00

@>----'------

My eyes are teary, my back is aching, my neck is strained and my fingers are burnt; But I've finally finished making my corsages, boutonnieres and hong bao boxes. They all have roses. Though it isn't as nice looking as the professionally made ones, I am quite happy with the end result.

Next on my list is compiling some of my old photos..... I think this would probably be the last self made project for my wedding. Hopefully after this, I can shift my focus to the wedding dinner itself! :)

-----'-----<@

Map to Palace of the Golden Horses

2008-10-08T23:18:00.007+08:00

Hi all,

Below is the map to Palace of the Golden Horses. If you need further directions, do not hesitate to email me.

*Click on map to enlarge*

Love, ML

Stop the needle!

2008-09-21T23:27:00.002+08:00

Aarrgghh.... the needle is moving the wrong way. My mum visited us over the weekend and my diet went out the window. I even had supper the past few days. In the end, the weighing scale showed that I had gained weight. :P With more gatherings coming, it's going to be an uphill task!

Current status: +0.5kg off my target of 5kg.

Finally, the scale is moving

2008-09-13T23:01:00.007+08:00

The weighing scale is finally moving. Last week when I was back home, I complained about not being able to lose any weight. Thanks to my hubby's uncle (Uncle G)'s advice and tips, I finally saw some movements in the needle, albeit a small one. Something is better than nothing :P.

______________________________

Here are some of the things I tried out the last week:

(1) Cut down on my carbo - ie, rice.

(2) Resistance training for 15 mins but I only did twice :P

______________________________

My goal was to lose 5 kgs. Now it's 4.5 kgs. :)

Wedding Photos

2008-09-08T23:13:00.004+08:00

As you know from my other blog (2 days, 2 weddings – http://miu-blogazine.blogspot.com/), we had two weddings to attend. On Sat. morning we had to get up early for the tea ceremony of one of the weddings. Thus, when collecting the photos, we were pretty tired. When we saw that the frame colour was wrong, that added to our unhappiness. Then, realizing no touch up was done for one of the photos with an obvious red mark on my hubby’s lips, we complained. We were really irritated then. However, the manager and Katheryn, who attends to our wedding album, etc agreed to change it. I must give her credit for handling the situation well. In addition, she chose a few gowns that suited me.

Now, I’m in trouble. I had already bought an evening gown thinking that I would not be able to get a nice gown from them. I have previously expressed my interest to my husband indicating I would like to mingle with the guest prior to the dinner. Thus, we decided that I will wear one of the gowns for the cocktail segment. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will go well.

I also liked how the photo video turned out though I wished there were words. In addition, Katheryn also confirmed that Kurt will be one of photographers for our AD and we are pleased. He has done a good job with the pre-wedding photos. I hope the other photographer will be good too (whoever he is).

Lastly, we had to choose the flowers. We chose a simple and nice one. May it bring happiness to the person that catches it :)

Best Buddy --> Best Man

2008-08-13T23:50:00.001+08:00

I have written about my girlfriends, now let me share with you something about my hubby’s best buddy from Primary school. I have good friends from kindergarten to primary, primary till secondary, secondary till now but not one from primary up till now. That’s the friendship they have.

They met in primary school and clicked and went to the same secondary school. Then my hubby went abroad to study. When he got back, the two of them went to the same college and then the same university. When I first found out, I was amazed. This kind of friendship is really precious.

Now, guess what both of them are doing?? Working in the same industry, doing similar things. Talk about great minds thinking alike :). Thus, I was naturally thrilled when he agreed to be my hubby’s best man.

Specially for ‘u’

2008-08-06T22:28:00.006+08:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I am working on my simple gift for some of you. It’s something made so try not to have too high of an expectation. :) In fact, with the limited time I have, you can even lower whatever expectations that you currently have. :P

Here’s a peek into what I’m preparing.

With Love.

150

2008-07-29T22:11:00.003+08:00

That’s the number of days left till the BIG day… :D

Not the Olympics, but a marathon nonetheless.

I’m starting to feel the pressure of it all. I have started typing out my guest list and my family’s guest list. So the invitation cards will be coming your way in approximately 2 months time (maybe 3). If anyone reading this has not been invited, just drop me a mail. I probably wanted to invite you but there’s a bug in my Excel doc… hehe.

I’m also planning the song list with my hubby and m-i-l. My biggest problem is the Chinese songs, so I’ll leave that to the experts :).

My mum also informed me that I have to wear something white the night before. That reminded me of my cousin’s marriage whereby I was stunned (more like afraid… :P) when she appeared in white (at night) for the ceremony the night-before-the-actual day. And my cousin was fair too. Luckily she had rosy cheeks. :) She's so gorgeous, she was featured in Female BRIDES magazine.

Next on my list - Informing my bosses that I’ll be taking leave at year end since I’ll likely to be busy then. All this has made my diet go out the window the past week. In fact, I called last week my ‘holiday from diet’. Hopefully, with my 150 days count down, I will be able to kick start my diet again. And yes, I hope to get a weighing scale soon… :P

PS: I heard apple cider vinegar is good too!

Bridesmaid or Bridesmen?

2008-07-23T23:44:00.009+08:00

My husband asked me today if I would have a guy as my bridesmaid. If I could, and society would permit me, definitely. Why not??? :)

I think most of my guy friends would look really pretty as my bridesmaid… haha. And I would finally be able to allocate something to some of my best buddies who are not of the fairer sex. Currently, the most they can do is take photos and probably think of ways to get me to drink on my wedding day… :P

Initially, I wanted to have a few bridesmaids for my wedding. These are the people whom I shared a great bond with and have became part of my lifelong pals. However, 3 of them are currently working overseas, 1 has gotten married and the other is on my hubby’s side. Thankfully, my cousin, who is like my elder sister to me when I was younger, is working in KL, is pretty and not married and of course comes from my side of the family. Best part is, she knows everything about me and I can share everything with her. I know I will be pretty stressed up that day and having her with me would be great! :)

But now back to having a man as a bridesmaid. I googled the internet and found that this has actually happened but this is not very common yet. Most call them ‘bridesmen’ or ‘groomsmen’. As for woman being the best man, some suggestion for their naming is ‘groomsmaid’. But I guess ‘Best Maid’ should work too. Most were for it but there were some against it. However, so far, almost all agreed that the ‘bridesmen’ should just stick to tuxedos and not try on a dress… :D

Wedding Details and Recommendation

2008-07-17T20:27:00.007+08:00

The following are just suggestions, no obligation to follow but feel free to leave your opinions. :)

Hotel: Palace of the Golden Horses
Royal Ballroom (Without Décor) – No pillars, can fit 50 to 100 hundred tables.
Staff – Haven’t contacted her (manager) lately but so far seems okay.
Food – Yet to taste.
Recommendation: Maybe

Bridal Gown: Silverlining (Designer: Jit)
Price – Reasonable by Singapore standard
Style – Can be discussed. Specialized in bare-backs. Like his designs.
Service – One man show but very friendly
Recommendation: Yes

Bridal Studio: Van Gogh (Now Touch Group)
Price – A tiny bit higher than average
Photography – Tried for pre-wed (Kurt) and was impressed, good
MUA – Used for pre-wed (Corinna) and like the look
Album - Yet to collect
Gowns – Limited and good ones are usually only available for studio usage
Service – Friendly but inefficient, didn’t respond to my emails
AD – Yet to try
Recommendation: Undecided

Videographer: CF Video Photo (was recommended)
Price – Reasonable
Service – So far so good
AD – Yet to try
Recommendation: Maybe

Wedding Planner: Ever After (East)
Price - Reasonable
Service – Just started her services, so far quite good
Recommendation: Maybe

Makeup artist: Remy (recommended by my hairstylist)
Price – Reasonable
Service – Yet to try
Recommendation: Undecided

Band: Regal Orchestra (recommended)
Price – Reasonable
Service – I like their performances so far. Up till now, no complaints
Recommendation: Maybe

Wedding Favors:
Price - ??
Suitability: I believe so, tell me after you’ve received it :)
Recommendation: Yes

Wedding Invitation: (recommended by East)
Price - Reasonable
Quality - Yet to see
Recommendation: Maybe

Sharing The Love

2008-07-15T22:11:00.013+08:00

I had planned to stop writing for a week as I am very busy the past few days. I even had to fit in a visiting friend into my lunch. While rushing around, I managed to break my manicured nails (from photo shoot) but it was no surprise as in my line of work, it was just a matter of time. :/

But when I got home, my friend’s fiancé (soon to be wife…:)), wrote me a mail. She is very friendly. Actually, both of them are. I was really excited to hear (a year ago) that they will be marrying around the same time as us. We have been sharing our wedding details. She mentioned that she liked reading my wedding stories and that motivated me to write another story. A story of a wedding I last attended and the next one that I will be attending. I hope they won’t mind, but I would like to tell you about them, from my perspective…. :)

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My best friend from High School , Marianne

I got to know her in High School and though we are quite the opposite, we shared a lot of things. Of course, I did most of the talking and she the listening…. hehe. Her wedding was a beautiful one. I haven’t seen her for quite a while and when she walked out of the car looking so pretty in her beautiful gown with her dad by her side, it just brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t tell you how proud I was of her. And again, I could feel the goose bumps coming up when she exchange vows with her hubby.

That night, it was her hubby who gave me the goose bumps when he did an impromptu and sang her a beautiful love song-live. It was superbly touching. They now have a son who is super super cute…. :) I am so glad to be part of it.

My new found friend, Sasa

I first heard about her from her then boyfriend about 2 years ago. He is a very funny and good hearted person. And from him, I found out that his girlfriend is just as care free and nice. This was confirmed when I met her for the very first time during CNY this year. He spent many months planning his proposal. The proposal was lovely from what was told. I did not ask for their permission, otherwise I’ll divulge more… :P

They have also just taken their wedding photos and from what I know about the studio and their personalities, it will be lovely… I wonder if they will have some soft copy for me to put it up here??? :P

Otherwise, I would just have to test my photo skills by taking some shots of their actual wedding day. I will be attending their church and dinner ceremonies and I am sure she will be a pretty bride and he …. Urm….. a well -dressed ‘Doraemon’?? :P

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Thank you for sharing your marriages with me and may you have a wonderful journey together in the years to come. God Bless!

Pre-Wedding Photoshoot

2008-07-13T19:55:00.008+08:00

Some have asked me why did I choose Port Dickson to do my photo shoot?

While searching through magazines and attending bridal fairs, I have come acrossed different types of albums. Some with the most beautiful gown, most beautiful buildings, most beautiful landscape, most beautiful backdrops and most beautiful photo stories.

I pondered long and hard and discussed many times with my hubby. In the end, we wanted something that in 20 years time would still mean something to us. Something that we can show to those around us, our children and their children and tell a story about us.

Hence, I wanted to return to the places that we’ve been together, places that hold our memories. The first place that came to my mind was my university as that was where we first met. Unfortunately, the campus has shifted to a new site and it wouldn’t be the same.

And that’s how we chose to have it at Port Dickson (PD). Our very first holiday together was to PD, back in 2002. It was also the last time we went there up till our photo shoot. I still remember very clearly getting our parents’ permission and driving there. As students then, we didn’t want to spend too much $$$ on the hotel but yet have a good hotel to stay in. So we actually drove to almost all the hotels to check them out. It was exciting and fun. I can’t recall now which hotel we ended up in and sad to say I couldn’t find the PD photos at the time I am writing this. That night we drove out of PD town in search of good food and found a restaurant that serves good tasting food. We ate till our hearts content and even packed some back to the hotel. That was the beginning of many more wonderful holidays to come!!

Besides that, my hubby has always loved the beach and he proposed to me in a room facing the beach too. As I was looking through the photos in search for my PD photos, it saddens me that my granny is no longer here to celebrate with me but yet happy that the new generation of babies are coming…. :) 2 groups of friends are also getting hitched and in my family, I think there will be 2 to 3 more in the next few years….. With all these changes, I wanted to ensure that we will always remember what our parents have done for us and how they are part of our journey. This is why our parents will be part of my wedding album too….

Lastly, why I chose a Kua was because I believe this is a traditional costume that’s quickly being replaced by the modern cheongsam and in many ways, I can be quite traditional, so this is something I would like to preserve through the album!

I would like to extend my appreciation to my cousin, parents & m-i-l for all their good advice along the way....

Feelings

2008-07-09T23:14:00.006+08:00

Happiness and Gratitude….

A big THANK YOU to all of you (you know who you are… :)) for taking the time to message me one way or another and for all of your kind words. I am really lucky to have family and friends like you. And I will pass your messages to my designer and photographer when I see them.

To those that I did not manage to inform personally but you somehow stumbled into my blog, my apologies as I have lost your numbers. My handphone drowned in the washer… :P Can you kindly sms me your contacts again?

Guilt and Joy

As you all know, I tore my gown during the photo shoot and felt really bad. So I called Jit, told him all the bad news and arranged to meet him today. When I arrived, the place was beautifully litted. It was my first time over there at night. He saw the gown and said it was no problem. Phew… Always so nice… But he told me I would have to take sewing lessons from him… haha. Of course he was kidding. I wouldn’t mind actually. Maybe I can be half as good as him… :P Then I asked him if I could put his photo on my blog and poor fella, ‘no’ was really not an option… I will take a proper one with my gown next day… :)

Joy and Love

The excitement is finally starting to subside. Maybe just an inch… :)Hehe.
But the memory will always be there. And I am glad that my husband, parents and parents-in-law are in it too… They are a huge part of this process… Now, all I have to do is to wait for a hard copy of my memories…. :)

Love you all …. XOX

The Making Of The Dress (Part 1)

2008-07-07T23:09:00.002+08:00

I have always wanted to make my own beautiful gown…. That way the gown could hide all my flaws… After some searching, I found a designer called Jit. He is always smiling, even in his emails…. :)

As usual, I left it in the hands of the expert and he immediately sketched me a beautiful gown. After the first try and some alterations, I was happy except for the loose top. However, he told me he doesn’t want to have any flesh bulging out. So I went along…. :) (See A Journey Outdoor blog on how it went on the shooting day).

He also suggested a champagne coloured sash instead of the white one only. I was a bit hesitant as I thought it would clash but he said the photographer will know what to do. He was right. It turned out beautifully in the photos. Thanks to Kurt too, my photographer.

Everything was going fine right until Sex and the City was airing at the cinemas. After watching the show, I asked Jit if he could make my skirt puffier like the one Sarah Jessica Parker had in the movie. But at the back of my head, I knew it won’t look nice. :P Anyway, no harm asking. And he confirmed it, it would not suit me but always informing me nicely. So I took it back as it is for the photoshoot but it will not return as it is… :P It has some rips on the can can.

I will continue with Part 2 after returning the gown to him for fixing. Hehe

A Journey Outdoor

2008-07-07T20:46:00.014+08:00

Cuckoo cuckoo.... It's friday, 4th of July, Independence Day and also the day I am finally going to have my photoshoot- in my wedding gown. I have dreamt of this day for ages and it's finally here. That's why I'm up way before the start of my photoshoot. Couldn't really sleep the whole night. Not exactly what I had planned. I was told to have plenty of sleep the night before.

Leading up to this day, I was silently counting down the days on my calendar. I had originally scheduled my photoshoot for June but as my photographer, Kurt was unavailable, I had to postpone it to July. So as it got closer, I kept my finger crossed that I do not have to postpone it again.

But to my horror, it started drizzling in the morning. But through the drizzle, I could see blue skies. So I prayed to God for a good day. Will see how that goes.

When I finally arrived at 10.10 am (Somehow I managed to arrived late :P), I rushed in and saw my makeup artist, Corinna waiting for me. She was very friendly. After asking me some questions, she proceeded with my makeup, explaining to me the process. I told her to go ahead and do what she needs done... :) I closed my eyes, soaking in everything and enjoying the moment.... Slowly drifting into a daze. That's when I heard my parents. :) Not too long later, I heard my in-laws. Yay, everyone was here. I can't wait to move on to the photography.

Then Kurt and his assistant Lok came (or maybe they were already there earlier). Showed my hubby some clothes. Not bad so far.... So it's my hubby's turn with the makeup while I go and help my mum with her makeup. When I next saw my hubby, he was all cute and charming... :)

I changed into my Kua and we started off with a family portrait. Kurt was trying to get us to smile and smile naturally, not a fake smile. You know you are not really smiling when he says 'hou kah' (very fake in canto).

After the shots, we changed into my wedding gown (see The Making Of The Dress (Part1) blog). I felt the top was a bit loose but now as I am writing this, I know why Jit, my designer made it that way. So that I can do all the difficult poses while still breathing. :P Though during the photo shoot, I was a tiny (maybe more than tiny) bit conscious.

Then we took more shots indoor and moved on to more difficult poses and hotter poses. And by hot, I mean sweating hot and the sun was showing off its might. Hehe.
I think our photographer was feeling the heat too as he asked us to quicken the pace. :P

Then off we head to Port Dickson in my wedding gown, all the while looking around wondering what other drivers will think. Two cars went. One, with 5; Two of us, Kurt, Lok and Corinna and a whole lot of stuff. The other, my parents.

I was disappointed my camera was at the back of the car. Otherwise I could have taken some photos to capture our journey there. :( Anyway, I just wanted to get to Port Dickson as soon as possible. The sign says 9km. My heart is beating faster… Only to find out from Lok, the sign is incorrect. Sigh, we still have another half an hour.

Tick tok, tick tok… Are we there yet? No….

Half an hour passed and we are finally there, at 3.30pm…. A dying patch of grass which I must say looks good in the photos. My prayers were answered… The skies are blue and clear. Thank God. But it was also burning hot. Nevermind, a hot sun will not stop me from enjoying it all. Corrina says the boys can go out to prepare first while we girls stay in… :) But it only lasted a minute… :P

Then Kurt appeared with a pink towel around his head. I asked him if it is for the protection from the heat or rather to make us laugh naturally. Both I guess. :D So off we went with all the poses. Always looking at Lok’s hand as a guide on where we should look, even when his hand is right in the pathway of the sun. I kept wondering if I will go blind looking at the sun.

Two memorable things was my hubby carrying me up. I am not exactly small and I was amazed he could lift me up long enough for a good shot. The other was us running as Kurt lay on the ground. I kept thinking of the possibility that I will crack his skull. Corinna told us we look quite humorous and told us we are actually quite lucky to have some wind as usually there’s none. Zilch.

Next stop was the beach…. Finally…..

Off I went into the sand. My hubby and Kurt took off their shoes. Bad idea, the sand was hot. But unfortunately, my hubby had to bear with it. I had flats under my gown. Snap, snap, snap. Laugh and laugh we did. It was fun. Kurt and Lok purposely or not, made us laugh. One funny moment was Lok throwing the aeroplane. No matter which angle, direction, help or no help of the wind, the plane would not fly into the photography view. It would just make a u-turn at the last minute. My hubby had to throw it by himself eventually. There’s a photo that puzzled me - A hand holding the plane. I’m still wondering whose hand it was. :)

While we were on the jetty, another couple came. No worries, we were up, they were down (But in a test shot, they were in it and I liked that shot, so we had to crop them out). While getting up, I managed to tear my can can lace. I hope Jit will not mind fixing it. He is very nice after all. I will tell you his expression when I inform him of the tear. I also had a splinter in my feet. While taking it out Kurt appeared and somehow managed to capture the moment. Good shot! Did I mention I had to climb up rocks in my dress too?

I was really enjoying myself. But it’s time to change gowns. I changed into a gown they provided and a super long veil. It should do a better job at covering my arms. My mum brought 3 bagfuls of beautiful pink and red petals but we only used a box of it. What a waste. Initially we wanted to make a heart from it but I think that it’s quite the norm so we skipped that. We also skipped an old building cause it looked haunted… :P (but that’s just me)

Btw, did I mention that I like the makeup that Corinna did? Earlier and now for the second outfit. Very natural looking and she managed to cover a pimple that appeared too. Bubbles were next. And again, the bubbles just goes everywhere except to us. Finally Lok shoot it from our backs. I must give him compliments also for hiding behind the tree while throwing up my veil. Now I know why the veils are always so flow(y) in photos. There’s always a Lok to throw it up. :)

I can’t believe how time flies. It’s 5 something already and off we went to change into our casual wear and another round of makeup. Lok took some candids too. Quite good. Finally, we were off again with my in-laws’ corals and seashells in hand. Rather, in a box as they were big and beautiful. We were told to take a stroll while Kurt snaps and Lok arranges the shells. Love that shot. The sun is starting to set. The wind is blowing. I feel like I am on a holiday. I don’t want to leave…. The shots after that were easy and we both could go on and on…… Unfortunately, it’s already 7.30pm and it was time to go….

The whole day was fun and beautiful. I wish I could do it all over again. My only regret was forgetting to keep my false eyelash after removing it… :P Oh, and not applying mosquito repellent as I have 8 big bites that won’t go away and keep on itching ….

I have seen the photos and I must say thank you to Jit, Kurt, Lok and Corrina for doing their job well for my journey outdoors….. :) And of course, to our parents! :)

NOTE: I received a lot of feedback that my photos are too small.... You can actually click on my photographer's link on the right to see a larger version of the photos.