~J and N's Life Together~

Honeymoon... Retrospective Post

2011-06-28T22:08:00.003+08:00

As fresh as my memories serve me... I planned the whole "backpacking" trip. We were on budget so I had to do quite a bit of research & also plan our itinerary since N is more a US-type of guy. Not really into museums, monuments & history.

We were to fly into Rome, make a day-trip to Pisa, en-route to Florence, head to Venice before chugging on a night train to Paris & lastly taking Eurostar to London, all in 15 days.

Booked hostels & budget hotels, train tickets etc all online before setting off. As is our first time in Europe, just wanted to make sure we will not go off schedule.

3 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Florence, 2 nights in Venice, Night-Train to Paris (got a glimpse of Swiss Alps in early morning of train ride), 3 nights in Paris & 2 nights in London.

In Rome, we walked alot, used very little of public transport... bad move coz feet ached badly.

Love Pisa, white & pristine building, sun shining in blue blue sky, makes pictures taken look really good & one of the best pasta we've eaten during entire trip was at a restaurant near the leaning tower :)

Florence was also one of my fave destination on the trip, quaint little town, very walkable from sights to sights. Shopping was fun as there were many small unique shops scattered all over... like little surprises popping round the corner en-route to our destination.

Loved the pink facade of the Duomo & waking up to the bells every morning.

Venice was a little under the weather, St Mark's Square was flooded on both our days there... we spent much of our last day seeking shelter in our hostel to wait for night train as rain was so heavy, you'll need boots to survive the flooding.

Night train to Paris was fun, in a bunk... though we arrived much later than expected due to strike in France.
Not very friendly Parisian at train station, as we needed coins to buy tickets to get to hotel, but no one wanted to help change our dollar notes. :( But that was the only negative experience.

Loved Paris, day & night, rather safe & clean, more urban-like, shopping along their shopping strip "Avenue des Champs-Élysées" All my fave brands lining up on both sides of the street.

Lourve was eye-opener & extremely big, could only cover a fraction of it in 1 evening.

Parisian ladies eat very little, I noticed that none of them ordered mains while we were dining in a restaurant. Maybe that is why they are so slim... all of them.

Finally to London, met Yen there :) Been talking about visiting for the longest time & I finally made it! We were covering the usual sights like Buckingham, Tower of London, London Eye, Westminster & Harrods.

We survived! with our rations of instant noodles (to save some $$ on meals), milo, cereal mix, bread & water from local supermarts. Not forgetting our maps & iPhone to guide the way.

Came home with lotsa shopping... snacks, souvenirs & most impt of all: memories of the luggage-dragging up & down trains & buses with my dear N.

Thank you for going along with me for the trip, N!

OMG My First!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-15T13:38:00.009+08:00

N & I were looking at Brea PM, in Amarante. Love the contrast of the white leather with the deep purple body.

Salesperson called to say there was a new piece in store & she has picked out the one that meets our requirements. The previous new one had some pressure marks caused by handle, resting on the side of the handbag.

The 2 new ones that were in store, had obvious marks on the leather. which according to salesperson, we cannot use leather cleaner to remove as it is untreated leather, which will cause the leather to discolour unevenly. uh-oh...

Also, the leather will "age" to become honey brown colour. hmm... will it still look as good? *doubts aplenty*

Salesperson recommended Alma PM in Amarante. Saw this bag online, but didn't look nice on pic. Hmm... try it out.

Ooooh, surprise! It actually looks good, and luxurious. With the gold zip, gold lock, with the deep purple gloss body. Wow! Even N was blown away.

But WHAT?! It cost $700 more than the Brea!!!!!

*thoughts running thru my head* won't have leather aging, colour changing problem. looks more formal than Brea. erm erm everything points to the Alma!!!!!!

Breathe girl, breathe.... ok, any new piece in store? "No." Ok, please help me bring in new piece and I will come down again. Thank you! 2nd time in & out of store, no bag yet.

I had 2 days to think hard about the bags... Alma vs Brea

Phonecall came, Hi Ms, your bag is here. Oh Thank you, i will come down this evening. *panic* *anticipation* *excitement*

2 new bags, some scratch marks on 1 of the body of bag, some scratches on padlock.

Stared, Scrutinized, Surveyed... all this time, pple to my left & right are coming in and out and purchasing bags like buying fast food.

Finally... okayed by N & I, we walked out of the LV shop with my First Bag~ *bliss*

Thank you N!

Took so many pics of my bag when I got home. Love it!
Heehee...

1 Year Anniversary~

2010-01-11T16:47:00.009+08:00

I have survived 1 year of housework!

It's our 1-year anniversary... time flies by so quickly. No one around me could believe it when I told them.

And N was so sweet to organize a short getaway for our 1-year anniversary. :)

He booked 1-day spa/stay at Spa Botanica for us!
Unfortunately, he could not keep it a surprise as I had to select the spa treatment I would like to have.
I was let in on this pleasant surprise on Thursday night.

So we packed and planned to catch a shuttle from Paragon at 8:30am... as expected, we overestimated ourselves n slept past 9am.

We took a cab down to Vivo, had breakfast at BK and headed for a shuttle to Sentosa.

After checking in, we decided to check out the new attraction wavehouse. Unfortunately the venue was booked till 6 pm for a private event.

N and I went to do the Megazip, kinda like flying fox. I did not manage to do flying fox in OBS as it rained on the day our instructor wanted to bring us to the old camp. *completed my little adventure dream*

This flying fox starts on top of hill and goes all the way across the beach, shallow waters & ends up on a platform built on top of the small little island some distance into the sea.

I was told my weight is too light, I may end up stranded near the beach n become a new attraction. *panic*
So the guys taught me to bring my knees high n try to stay "aerodynamic"

Fortunately, i managed to zip all the way to the platform on the other end, while a guy weighing 82kg next to me hung above the waters and had to be reeled in by the staff (btw i am not talking bout N, we both made the platform successfully)

Since we had time left for only 1 more activity before our relaxing afternoon at the spa, we were deciding if we should do the Luge. But we have already done the "mother-of-all" Luge in NZ twice. It is supposedly the first Luge/Luge track in the whole world. So we thought that this one at Sentosa couldnt possibly top that. Skip!

Someone banana-boating caught N's eyes. We decided to give it a go, though I have done this before in Batam like 15 yrs ago. Seems they have an alternative to the Banana Boat, called the Fly-Fish. The float literally lifts off the waters intermittently. Sounded fun, so we decided to try it out. The float looks like a big air mattress, where we lie on side by side and the entire float is towed by a speedboat.

Bad idea that N's weight & my weight cannot balance out one another. Anyway, we flew into the air so many times i lost count. I was holding on for dear life, as the impact on landing after the "flight" was quite strong. Especially when it landed on my side, and with N's weight adding to the impact from the other end.

One time, where the speedboat went real fast, we flew so high i got slammed real hard when we landed.
I could not hold on to the ropes anymore so I let go. Not such a great idea, i landed in the water rather violently.

Without me in the float, N could not balance on his own & flew off the float.
Getting up from being "capsized" was another huge problem, so i had to wait for N to get up & help pull me up.

Fun factor was really high, worth a try if you love roller-coasters.

After this adrenaline pumping activity, we got hungry, but oh no, we realized we do not have time to catch lunch. Quick drink from Coffee bean, my all-time fave ultimate ice blend, whipped cream yes please.

And off we went for our relaxing afternoon as the Spa.
Sea Salt Scrub with Vichy shower
Massage with oil of choice
All this in outdoor pavilion and the cooling breeze of the monsoon. *heavenly*

We tried out the mud pool (mud was cold..brrr) floated in the pool on pool mat. and then a invigorating jacuzzi before a nice warm shower. this is nuah-ing haven.

We then headed back to the hotel for seafood buffet dinner at the terrace. With a table overlooking the sea.
As we enjoyed our dessert before we headed back to our room.

Think we were too relaxed after the spa, that we could not even stay up to watch phantom menace. We fell asleep the moment our heads hit the pillows.

Next morning, we were hoping to play some tennis before breakfast, but the spa was truly too relaxing, we slept in, had buffet breakfast at the poolside at the hotel, and went back to our room to sleep.

Late check-out at 2pm, we caught a shuttle from hotel to Orchard.

N brought me to LV to check out the bag he intends to get for me. Excitement!!!
Love the bag, vernis is my fave. But they did not have new pieces in the store.

Left my number to wait for salesperson to call me again.

Anticipation has never been this enjoyable!

Thank you N for planning such a thoughtful & lovely anniversary celebration!

Amazing~ I'm surrounded by quirky people

2009-07-10T01:05:00.002+08:00

My sis is very goofy... i have finally confirmed it. Since she was little, she frequently has bumps n bruises on her legs and arms. No, they were not from me! Well, she has what i would describe as poor spatial sense.

She is quite hazardous to herself in a funny way.
She kicks her own toe nail into the heel of the other foot while walking, bumps into the leg of my bed when trying to walk to the windows (mind you, my bed has been in that position for years, but she's still not gauging it right)

She also has slow reflexes too, she told me she once burnt off the hairs on her arm coz while she was cooking some noodles for herself, she felt cold, so she put her arm near the stove to "warm" herself. Then she smelt something burning, and then she realized the little hairs on her arms have "melted" into black dots. She said she did not feel any pain.

Then, when she was making pannacotta for my friends, she was looking over the pot of cream on the stove, she did not have her hair tied back and 1 chunk of the roots of her hair got burnt.

Another quirky person in my life is N. Poor at regulating his body temp, he starts going a little nutty when u bring him out on a hot n humid day. He starts to display all sorts of facial expressions he can contort his face into and he'll start to mumble to himself to (in his own words) "calm himself down". At this point, nothing you say will get thru to him, until he gets into an air-con area and has time to cool down.

Then when he gets hyperglycemic from a full meal, he becomes a little loony. Kinda like me after a snickers bar (Fiona will vouch for this)

The Difference btn a Family with Sons & a Family with Daughters

2009-04-13T16:25:00.004+08:00

In a family of 4 with sons, dinner is a ricepot filled to the top with rice... by that I mean like 6 cups of uncooked rice. The only time I see a ricepot filled to the brim is at chap chye pung stall & chicken rice stall. In other words, only in commercial areas....

On the table will be like 4-5 plates of assorted vegetables, meat etc. All these plates are piled up to look like mini mountains.

In my family, with 3 ladies & a man, my mum only cooks 3 cups of rice in our ricepot for our dinner.
Dishes will consist of a plate of vege (not mountain-ful) , a steamed fish and soup.

When N comes for dinner, he is always amazed that we eat "that little".

I always tell N he is fed like a p*g in his home, thus accounting for his "mass". Unfortunately, I have not been able to improve his eating habits. Its still more more more, or not enough, not full yet.

Help me shrink his appetite!

House needs a system

2009-04-09T17:56:00.003+08:00

Aim is to get our home ready for house-warming in May-June.

What a daunting task! For those who have not been to my place in the past 2 weeks, you would not know what I am talking about.

House is a mess... with things strewn all over the place. Mess from reno tools & paint cans etc; mess from post-travel purchases; mess from things brought over from both our houses... with no cupboards or wardrobes to put them into... ya i know, we need to plan to purchase some storage.

Need to have curtains n grille installed too... hopefully now, with the economy not doing so well, we can get better value for money.

Back from Trips~

2009-04-09T17:52:00.002+08:00

Always feels nice to go on a holiday, to take a plane and everything that you were busy with, in Singapore just takes a backseat for a while.

We went to China in Feb, courtesy of N's family.

And we have just returned from NZ trip, courtesy of my family.

I feel very blessed to have both our families so concerned & caring towards us.

Hope that things in both our families will only get better, everyone will become more close-knit.

1st V-day as Mrs. T

2009-02-16T01:49:00.002+08:00

Finally, in a place of my own, no need for cooking at my parents' house & bringing food over to enjoy v-day dinner.

I cooked for our v-day dinner in my very own kitchen!

Menu for the night >>

Starters: Butter Garlic Mushroom
Main course: Seafood spagehtti, complete squid & prawns (de-shelled & de-veined of course), topped with with salmon fillet baked in basil & butter.
Vanilla Ice Cream with Warm Crumble & Cranberry Sauce

Drink of the day: Watermelon juice (as u can see we are no liquor fans)

Dinner was shared at our chandelier-lit dining room :)

After dinner snack: After-Eight Chocolate Mint

I must say my first experience with cleaning out a squid was quite unforgettable.

N outdid himself by surprising me with a bouquet :) Thank u!

I have not received flowers from him in quite a long time. The most recent flowers being from bridal shop for my wedding.

Strange Dream today

2009-02-05T21:32:00.002+08:00

Had a strange dream this morning.

I dreamt that N was pregnant... hahahaha and we were rushin to the hospital for his delivery.

He had to have 1 leg amputated to deliver the baby (no hole to deliver hahahhahahah), was told his leg can be reattached afterward (wat a strange idea!)

anyway twins were delivered, duno boy or girl then i woke up :P

weird things happen in my subconscious it seems

Thoughts Afterward~

2009-01-13T10:03:00.003+08:00

It's funny how I stubbornly thought that having a wedding (complete with traditions & dinner banquet) is simply "going through the motions" for the people around us to see. Thinking that being with one another for 10+ years, what else can change between us.

Although I must admit, every girl, at some point in her life, has fantasies of wearing her "dream wedding dress" complete with her prince charming at her side. I am not an exception.

But the hassle of all the "needed-to-be-done" tasks were making me dread having a wedding.

My close friends all know how many "to-dos" I had before the big day, it was killing the joy of things.

Somehow, on that day, all thanks to my galfriends (can't do without u, ladies!) I could float around & simply do whatever N & I were told. They covered me very well, that in the morning I was hardly stressed.

Dinner was another story entirely, delays & delays & delays. Sorry to all those who were putting up with your hunger...

Strangely enough, after the whole madness of the day & "going through the motions", the dynamics between the 2 of us feels different. I do not deny that being called Mrs Thia felt 'nice', but it seems more than that. Like somehow having the day's event actually happen, our mindsets tweaked? I'm not sure how to explain. Was it reciting the vows or doing the tea ceremony? I don't know.

Like N told me, after the the 'guo da li', he actually felt that he had to take care of me, after asking for my hand, from my dad.

Like I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with him, but now I really am going to.

Whoa What A Day!

2009-01-12T11:10:00.006+08:00

Wow... the day is over. All preparations (or lack therof) can never be ready for the chaos of the day.

The confusion, mess and unexpected happenings of the day.

To be honest, the only time I was truly stressed out was when we were in the hotel room, trying to finalise which video clip to be used during our dinner. Making sure all the video & music files work.

And my makeup artist was late, so I did not get to do tea ceremony for quite a number of relatives, as pre-planned.

We wanted to start at 8pm but unfortunately, due to all the delays, we only marched in at 8:30PM.

Then the rest, for those who were there, is history.

Although I personally thought the whole evening was rather messy, things were not in place, and generally everything needed our attention.

What did you ladies think?

Oh, and we were both trembling on stage while reciting vows, thank goodness our JP did not leave in a huff although things were delayed by half hour.

Finally, after all these years... Mr & Mrs Thia :)

48 hours to D-Day!!!

2009-01-06T22:29:00.003+08:00

It's been a roller-coaster ride the last couple of days.

So many happenings, all very stressful... with every day comes more situations that we have to tackle...

Who-ever said organizing a wedding was easy....

Anyhow, N & I will get thru it... despite all the many many challenges of the events of the day, ultimately i remind myself, its just about us...

BTW we went down to ROM to collect our solemnization documents today, all couples there seem so happy... y isit that we are the only ones who r so stressed out...

To all my galfrens out there preparing for your big day, chin up!

Countdown! 7 days to my big day!

2009-01-03T09:03:00.004+08:00

Only 7 more days to my big day... *wow*

It feels so surreal. Many people ask if I'm excited... I don't really know how to answer that question. Deep down inside, I guess I am excited, but then I'm being bogged down by lotsa outstanding stuff needed to be done that the excitement has not taken over yet.

Or maybe it just hasn't sunk in that 9th Jan is almost here. Don't get me wrong, N is helping out with stuff. Maybe I'm what you would call a Bridezilla... hahah crazy neurotic bride-to-be who wants everything to be 'perfect' on her big day.

In this quiet hour in the morning, I realise that this is the day I have been dreaming of & looking forward to for the past 10 years. So yah, I can understand why I am a little neurotic at times... since J1, I have been waiting for this day. Wow... it's finally a week away.

This feeling, few can understand... amongst my girlfriends, only 1 or 2 have relationships as long as mine or even longer *bow in respect* At times, it was difficult, but its been more good than bad... otherwise it would not have lasted like it did.

When N & I started out, I knew we were both not looking for short-term relationship. But I never really expected to have a relationship this long... so he is my first BF. Call me nuts but I knew, in sec 4/J1, that this was a guy that I loved & would take care of me for the rest of my life.

~the big day~

Thank you!

2009-01-03T09:01:00.000+08:00

Thank you to all my galfriends! *muak*

Really appreciate all of you taking time-out to join me last night!

Hope you had fun & learnt something useful for yourselves.

I'll disseminate info to all my helpers by today, please check your emails k?

*MUAK*

Can be a breeze or a pain... u figure it out

2008-12-29T14:28:00.003+08:00

It's always great to have people around you helping you with wedding preps.

Thank you to all those friends who have helped or offered to help in one way or another.
All help & offers are deeply appreciated.

Unfortunately, some people/family do not fulfill their tasks & others who offer to help are not able to help with our current outstanding tasks. Such as friends who offer to help, are not able to help us with traditional stuff which only family members can carry out.

If you have supportive family members who step up during such times to fulfill what is needed of them, then your wedding is going to be a breeze.

RSVP can also be a pain.... the headache arises when relatives do not RSVP & either over-attend or under-attend.

There are also overtly helpful relatives who start asking you about the most minute things that "are supposed to be done" as part of "tradition". Where to draw the line?

So if I were to tell you, my stress is just overflowing from the top of my head, you know what position I am in right now...

Guo Da Li DONE

2008-12-29T11:49:00.004+08:00

Guo Da Li took place yesterday.

In the morning, the groom's side (along with family members & even grandma) came over to my house bearing gifts. Both families simplified the process, minimal items were required from each side. So it is not an elaborate affair.

N & Family brought:-
- Dowry
- 2 bottles of liquor
- "Si Dian Jing" (4 pieces of jewellery)
- 2 pairs of "Long Feng" (Dragon/Phoenix) candles
- 2 boxes of Bird's Nest
- 12 Oranges
- 12 cans of pig trotters

My Family returned:-
- Half the dowry
- 2 bottles of orange juice
- My own diamond jewellery set from my mum & dad
- A pair of Phoenix candles
- 12 Oranges
- 6 cans of pig trotters
- New Pink Bedsheets
- A pair of bedside lamps
- Sewing basket
- A baby's potty, packed with sweets & wrapped with red paper
- Tea Set (for tea ceremony at N's place)

What was left at my parents' place

What was brought back by N

N's family sat down chitchat a bit, then we went for lunch with grandma & family.
We headed to our bridal studio to do last fitting, have N's family see our pictures from photoshoot & fitted N's dad with a jacket to loan on our big day.

Last but not least, we had to go back to N's grandparents' place to pray to the gods & ancestors to tell them of the impending wedding.

Woopie~ Christmas Bells Ringing

2008-12-18T13:10:00.000+08:00

Christmas is coming and this is the time where your various groups of friends will call you up for a date! They seem to like the pick the same days!!!!

Hee... i'm having a dinner get-togethers with 3 groups of gal friends, read 12 ladies... read present shopping *wallet bleed* and some trickling of guy friends

Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to all these get-togethers, it seems to give reasons to pple (who are usually hard to book a date with) to make themselves available. Great opportunity to catch up, with everyone at one go~

But it's just a crazily packed 2 weeks... I have my sofa in my house, dining table is coming in tomorrow *excited* This saturday, i'll be hosting the first dinner party at my place (another friend is having our annual x'mas gathering at HIS place on the same evening, sorry I can't make it).

Charlie, Charlie's fiancee & Angels, don't you feel lucky! to be my first guests to be in my guest-ready home?

Next tuesday, dinner party #2 at my place, another group of friends also wanted next tuesday but sorry it's booked before this week. So that group is rescheduled to Monday, after my japanese supp paper.

Friends who have been to my place recently, like last 2 weeks, will know I have A LOT of cleaning & packing up to do... *headache* Lotsa lotsa work to do... i'm gona have to go grocery shopping for potluck this saturday & swing my kitchen into full gear: oven, stove, pots & all!

On top of all this, N & I have to settle details for our big day with our various partners: bridal studio, hotel & relative-attendance-taking.

Having multiple groups of friends asking me out, thinking about it, is afterall a good thing. This means I have cherished groups of friends who love me as much as I love them. :)

This is the kind of crazy schedule where I am busy, probably will be very tired but I am happy.
I'm a lucky girl!

Furniture Hunting

2008-12-18T12:58:00.002+08:00

Did I mention that after soo many months of furniture hunting, N & I finally ordered our sofa 3 weeks ago & now it is sitting in our living room!

Also, our dining table, after soo many trips to sungei kadut, ubi tech park, and all the furniture shops big & little, near & far, I have finally placed an order for our dining table, due to be delivered tomorrow!

*Excited & looking forward to setting up my living area

Pictures are out!

2008-12-18T12:51:00.002+08:00

N & I went to pick out photos from our photoshoot... the downside of having 2 days of photoshoot is that we have 500 over pictures to choose from. Making it harder to filter.

And having over 8 outfits to change in & out from, for the 2 days, then it makes choosing which pictures to keep and which to eliminate a tougher decision.

We are given 40 pictures in our package. We took like 3-4 trips to eliminate pictures & capture the essence of the 2 full days of photoshoot. This is done with the help of numerous friends, thank you very much, you know who you are.

To save cost, we managed to narrow our choices down to 40 pictures.

I will publish on my private page once I have the soft copies of the photos.

Love you all who have offered to help in my wedding preps in one way or another! Thank you very much!

Food Tasting Menu

2008-11-19T12:56:00.003+08:00

8 Course Dinner

Appetizer
Cold - Salad Prawn
Japanese - Chuka Hotate
BBQ - Roast Suckling Pig
Grilled - Unagi
Deep Fried - Seafood Dumpling

Soup
Braised Shark's Fin soup with Crabmeat & Crab Roe

Abalone
Braised Whole Baby Abalone with Chinese Spinach

Seafood
Stir Fried Fresh Scallops with XO Sauce

Fish
Soon Hock steamed with Superior Soya Sauce

Meat
Pipa Duck

Noodles
Fried Crispy Noodles with Prawns

Dessert
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts

Drooling already? We are going for food tasting on 9th December... yum yum

Wedding Cards~

2008-11-19T12:53:00.002+08:00

Picked up the wedding cards from our coordinator last week~ take a look at our options.
Call me traditional, but I prefer the red one

Outstanding Things~

2008-11-18T17:17:00.014+08:00

I decided to type out all my outstanding tasks for the big day (52 days to go)

Pre-Wedding Day Tasks

Register on ROM - DONE
Guo Da Li (Dowry preparations & official asking of hand - the traditional Chinese way) - Date fixed - DONE
Engraving on our wedding bands (any suggestions on what we should engrave?), polishing too - DONE
Auspicious timings for various tasks required on actual day - Verified to be 7-9 Am
Confirm timing with makeup artist for morning & night
Confirm attendance for tea ceremony
Meet with "Jie Meis" & "Xiong Dis" to confirm outfits, tasks & roles
Confirm drivers/car for N & Me, and our entourage
Make arrangements for buffet for both extended families & entourage
Buy outfits for both mums, collect jackets for both dads and dress for my sis - My mum's, dad's DONE
Pick up our outfits from Bridal shop, outfits altered & cap-sleeve to be included
Have bridal car decked out by Bridal shop
Ensure wedding album ready along with small photos & Big photo with frame for bedroom
Ensure guests flying in will be taken care of (transport, attendance in day/night)
Ensure jewellery & heels for me, shirts & socks for him already bought & ready - DONE
Prepare Ang Baos... meaning go to bank to exchange for new notes & get hundreds of red packets & start filling them up!
Ensure that our actual day photographer & videographer are available & equipped
Accommodation for relatives (dad's taking care of this)

Wedding Dinner Related

Ballroom setup - still looking & deciding
Wedding Invitations (To Print, pack, write & Send!) - 80% DONE
Food Tasting - DONE
Rehearsal (may have to rope in some "jie meis" & "xiong dis" to help)
RSVP List
Attendance for "Make-Up" tea ceremony
Confirm with solemniser again on date, time & venue
Montage ? (still thinking whether to put up cheesy & boring montage)
Prepare MC & our own speech (MCs, you know who you are!)
Programs during dinner (actually N & I are clueless bout this... any one with bright ideas?)
Digital photos to prepare for screening in reception area
Music compilation for march-in & dinner?

House related

Doors fixed up
Tile change (1 last one)
Last round of wiring
Electrical works
Mountable items to be up
Sofa set to be in - DONE
Dining table to be indented - ORDERED
Window grilles
Curtains
Some display shelves
Final Painting
Packing up of bags & boxes
Shoe cupboard (eyeing Ikea one)
Clearing of bomb shelter
1 last wash-up
Putting up of "wedding-essentials" plus lamps

Wow... think I may have missed out some more stuff, I'll add on when I recall them.
Meantime, I may need help for certain menial tasks like packing of wedding invitations so please help me out k? thank you thank you!

Busy is an understatement

2008-11-13T15:50:00.000+08:00

Long time since I last posted anything...

Busy is a word I have been using too frequently these days, but I am definitely not exaggerating.

Japanese exams papers, spread over 2 weeks.

Picking out photos from photoshoot, preparing for end of month trip to my dad's hometown for a good friend's wedding.

Also, having to juggle hunting down the last few pieces of furniture lacking in my house, settling the last touch-ups, along with doors and window grille, having to meet up with friends for discussion of our outfit for another friend's wedding next year.

My invitation cards yet to be printed, food-tasting not yet done, viewing of ballroom setup unfinalised....

Last but not least, still not registered on ROM website yet...

And the big day is less than 60 days away!

Photoshoot Part 2

2008-11-13T15:17:00.003+08:00

Started off at 10AM on a Tuesday afternoon...

sky was somewhat grey but not raining, fingers crossed.

1st stop Marina Square stairs facing Esplanade, where I first met N. in outdoor gown... was prespiring under the hot sun.

Went back to bridal shop for change, we headed out to SJI Chapel, N used to study there, n called up to request to take pics there... approved by a very kind Brother. Chapel pics turned out nice, plus pics taken on the track were really nice.

Headed to Botanic gardens, took some pics, somewhat ordinary and cliche.

Labrador park... didnt reach there in time for sunset. so pictures were taken mainly in the dark. Rather nice pics, if I do say so myself.

Last stop Henderson Bridge, in another outfit. I like the nite scene there, pics turned out real nice.

Finally back at bridal shop to take pics in my school uniform n N's uniform. These photos, i like the most, we took pics with our PS3 game controllers... love these pics.

Again we ended after 10, so got home at 11 plus...

Our indoor shots turned out real nice, went down last saturday to pick out pics, preliminarily... whittled the numbers down to 250 from 500+ in total....

Going down again this weekend to do final selection... Phew*

How to keep to the stated 40 pics on album? I have absolutely no clue...

Photoshoot... Fun & Pain all rolled into 1

2008-10-02T20:22:00.003+08:00

If anyone told u their photoshoot was fun, then I'd like to congratulate them.

Maybe it's coz I tortured myself, in a way. I put on coloured contacts, with heavy eye makeup, my eye was irritated the whole day.... tearing n tearing away

We took some pics in traditional costume at the temple just opp the bridal studio. Then came back to studio to change outfit hairdo n makeup.

Sky was dark, we decided to head out to Botanic gardens anyway, just to see if we can get some shots in b4 the rain falls. That was not to be, we headed back n spent the rest of the day doing indoor shoot. 9am - 10pm...

By the time we packed up n got into the car, it was 10:30pm. reached home at 11:30 coz we grabbed dinner on our way back.

TIRED~

New Little Bundle of Joy~

2008-10-02T20:16:00.006+08:00

Cheers to my good friend & her husband, their little bundle of joy has entered this world on the 30th Sept 2008.

Congratulations!! And of course, this little god son of mine was super cute when we visited at the hospital.

Though I must mention, his mother looks like she's not gone through that much of a "traumatic process" that we all thought delivery would be. She looked so well when we popped by the hospital in the evening.

CONGRATULATIONS Y & G, on their little boy ZH!

For sake of privacy, I shall keep the pictures of my little god-son to myself :)

Home Sweet

2008-09-24T02:34:00.003+08:00

Yup, I have officially been staying at my new place with N for 2 months now.

Only our room is habitable, we have not cleared the other 2 rooms or the living area much as there are still some touch-ups, paintworks, drilling n all that needs to be done.

Kitchen is halfway up, started cookin already but not as much as I'd like to.

Washing machine n dryer are running on weekly basis, internet is up so we are able to play our FF game at our new place.

Housewarming will probably be held in 2009 after my big day. As my wedding banquet will be a family+close friends affair, my housewarming will be open to my colleagues & more friends, so I'd like to have them be able to see my wedding pics.

Honestly, I always fear that it is boring visiting my house as there is not much entertainment, PS3 is only for 2 players at any one time, then TV will be used if PS3 is being played.

I get images of friends sitting around n looking real bored... hmm how to entertain large groups of pple who come in for a housewarming.

I'd much prefer something more personal n cosier, like having small pockets of friends 5-6 come over at any one time, we cook together or I cook n then we can talk over a meal.

I'll have to get the dining area set up for such hosting that I always dreamed about.

Gotta go furniture hunting again real soon... but probably not this weekend if I can help it. Too much prep work needs to be done just before the photoshoot...

Gown & Photoshoot Update

2008-09-24T02:16:00.003+08:00

By now, all my jie meis should have seen the gowns I've selected for my big day.

I will be having 3 sets of gowns, one white one (which I took darn long time to find), tea dress which I decided to settle for a modern-looking cheong sam (Loved the cheongsams in Lust, Caution, does help that the male lead is my fave actor :P ) & an evening gown.

I'll put up pics of my photoshoot n the big day when I get them. Until then, secret lies with my "Sisters".

Next Monday, 29th, will be my photoshoot day 1, I am having 2 days of photoshoot as my make-up artist can make it for a full day within Sept/Oct, due to the numerous weddings taking place.

Had a lot of things lined up my itinery to do before photoshoot.

- Haircut/Colour
- Eyebrows Trim & Tint
- Facial - DIY face mask like once in 2 days for the past 2 weeks.
- Sleep Well
- Eat fruits++ (those who know me will know that I am such a meat&carbo-lover, seldom factor in vege & fruits unless it is already served up with my main course)
- Drink lotsa water (also another bad habit, I am one dehydrated gal, surviving on 2 toilet visits per day, on the average)
- Whiten teeth (Already doing, its a homekit that I obtained from the dentist, who made a custom mould for my teeth)
- Keep nails (so i have the option of doing medi/pedi b4 the shoot)
- Get shirts for N
- Check weather for the day (weather so erratic these days, I've been testing the weather outlook for next 3-days on the website & it hardly hits the nail on the head)
- Get shoes

So much discipline goes into looking good... I can hardly fall asleep peacefully. I keep waking up in the middle of the night thinking of what I have not done.

ZZzzzzzz Tired but waiting for whitening timing to be up before washing up n retiring for the night~

We Shopped & Shopped

2008-09-24T02:09:00.004+08:00

Here are pics of our wedding bands we bought.
We plan to get them engraved before the wedding, still thinking of meaningful things to engrave in the band.
We were told to give the shop 1 month's time to complete engraving services, just in case.

Its white gold/yellow gold. Looks normal from the display, but it looks nice on our fingers. Was hard to find something that looks nice on both our fingers as we did not like the idea of different design rings.

This is my engagement ring... love it, it's my first solitaire diamond :)

Newer Pics

2008-08-13T14:50:00.004+08:00

Bedframe was delivered

Now mattress put on~ 14" thick, makes it difficult to buy bedsheets

Now sheets on ^^

Traditional Opening Ceremony for our home.
First experience of squatting in front of this charcoal stove & fanning the flames like I'm cooking traditional medicine.
Took long time to get water boiling. N was laughing away at the side.

My Humble Kitchen

Our source of entertainment... coz no Internet

My Dresser complete with lights

Well... not quite, I am short of a few bulbs, as you can see.

Our hotel-like bathroom...

Moved In!

2008-08-03T18:33:00.003+08:00

Thank you for all my dearest friends' concerns... my house renovations are 90% done!

I have officially moved in on Wednesday 30 July 2008! Supposedly an auspicious day. (Also before the lunar 7th month)

I had to fire up a small charcoal stove & boil water on it. So primitive but rather fun :)
I was fanning the flames & trying to speed up the boiling process... hahah like old ah-ma cooking medicine

It's a Hokkien tradition to have family member drink the water that was boiled from this kettle.

I will be posting a little less as I have no internet access in my new place, as yet....

Counting Down~

2008-07-28T00:05:00.003+08:00

Counting down... 3 more days before the 7th Lunar month.

We are working on tight schedule so move, move, move!
2 and half more days to do works.... Wednesday afternoon till evening will be when appliances n furny come in.

*fingers & toes crossed*
Please be on time.... *drifting into lala land*

Phone Wacko

2008-07-27T14:03:00.004+08:00

My phone's acting strange in the past 2 days. Still trying to find out what's wrong with it.

Keeps hanging on me, turns off messaging mode when I'm in the middle of typing an sms.

Turns on & off randomly. Seems the software may be corrupted....

So to everyone of u out there wondering y i didn't reply ur sms, it's probably coz i didn't receive it. Best to call me, my phone is still able to receive calls.

You have been told.

My Dresser ^^v

2008-07-24T20:37:00.000+08:00

Maybe Delay, Maybe Not?

2008-07-23T21:46:00.003+08:00

My ID is doing up carpentry work for our house, there are some touch-ups & some major overhauls.
Will this delay our moving in?

I hope not.

Here is how my kitchen looks like, minus the solid surface top. Looks patriotic? Just in time for our National Day too!

No, I'm not *that* patriotic, just that I happen to like red, a lot.

Carpentry

2008-07-21T21:05:00.012+08:00

I'll be posting many pics of reno works these days as there is quite a lot going on.

This is my mirror frame... just waiting for lightbulbs to be fitted.

This is my bedroom wardrobe. Don't worry, the protective plastic is still on the door :)

Kitchen half done

Other side of kitchen.

All the cabinets not yet put up. My toilet bowl had to migrate to the living room coz bathroom doing touchups. Big business in the Living room with panaromic view, anyone? :P

Banquet

2008-07-20T21:44:00.002+08:00

Like wedding gown package, everyone should read the fine print on banquet package brochures.

Many hidden costs could be left out from the main list of items they provide.

N & I ploughed through like 10 hotels' banquet package, before shortlisting 5 to view the venue.

One of which being Grand C*pthorne Waterfr*nt. Grand ballroom, high ceiling, very nice hosting area for guests. But N was not impressed by the humble bridal suite. *fail*

Another was swiss*tel, but service & follow-up was rather poor. We had to "show" ourselves to the ballroom to take a look.... *fail*

Ballroom of Meridi*n hotel looked quite nice, big with high ceiling, lifts from carpark looked like they needed a lot of sprucing up. *fail*

Tr*der's Hotel's ballroom was rather small, only could accommodate 22 tables. That is the number of tables N & I need for all of our relatives. so strictly NO FRIENDS! *fail*

M Hotel was a good balance. Ballroom had high ceiling, overall the hotel looked relatively new. It could accommodate enough tables for our close friends & family. N liked the bridal suite.

We placed our booking fee at the Grand C*pthorne Hotel Group Show, to take advantage of the perks available during the show.

To all my jie meis: you gals can see how nice the bridal suite is on the actual day :P

Gown Hunting

2008-07-20T21:09:00.002+08:00

Where shall I begin?

Before I went gown hunting, I dug all the pictures of bridal gowns I have collected on my computer. So that it'd be easier for the bridal studios to help me find something that I like.

Armed with pictures & brimming with excitment, N & I went to the where most singaporeans begin their gown hunting - Tanjong Pagar.

To date, N & I have been back to Tanjong Pagar at least 5 times. We browsed the various stores there, along the many streets. Entered the doors of many well-known names in the industry, tried on various designs.

The process was tiring, many tried to get us to sign the package. (Sales talk) We were insistent on finding *THE* wedding dress before we commit to any shop.

We went to Orchard Delfi too and so many other places that I have already lost count of the number of wedding gowns I actually tried on.

Eventually, N & I did agree on 2 dresses that were more outstanding in a particular shop in tanjong pagar.

Anxiously, N brought his mum & I brought my sis to see these dresses to get a second/third opinion.

Upon N's mother's scrutiny, we found many tears & loose sequins on the dress. N & I had not noticed on the first visit. Thinking back it could be that the lighting was rather dim at the fitting area, as N is quite sharp to spot problems.

The design had puffy sleeve, very princess-like. But apparently it does not look great in pictures as I have had poor reviews from my jie meis when I showed them the gown on my phone.

The bridal studio was unable to fully repair the gown, and offered to make a brand new one if we top up $500 on top of the package. N refused, so we have not returned to that shop since.

Neighbours!

2008-07-20T18:07:00.006+08:00

Yesterday was a rather exciting day~ We met our next door neighbours who were also at their new flats to check their progress of renovation. One couple was actually moving electronic appliances into their done-up house!

Next door to us are "C" & Meredith, diagonally opposite our unit is "L" & Rosalyn.

Both couples are looking to move in around September, after the 7th Lunar month.

As for us? Well, it's all up to Derek!

Lights UP!

2008-07-20T17:47:00.005+08:00

I tell my electrician that he creates magic by installing lights into houses...

It just adds the icing on the cake, I personally feel.

Away with Cement Floor~

2008-07-20T17:35:00.014+08:00

Finally~ our laminate floorboards are put in our bedrooms!!!

So exciting, no more cemented floors in any part of our house.

The house looks much more inhabit-able with all flooring done up.

Take a look...

Customs & Beliefs

2008-07-18T01:24:00.003+08:00

Finally, after coercing from my friends and me coercing N, we went to a "shifu" to get auspicious dates.

Firstly, bad news, its not good for N, born in the year of goat to get married in the year of the cow, which is after January 2009.

Me: What?! We have to get married sooner????
N: Hmm... shifu says not good for me
Me: Oh no, i thought we'd have enough time to get things ready?
N: Just book venue n choose gown, no need a lot of time right?
Me: Errr.....

So we asked "shifu" for dates from December 2008 - January 2009. As CNY comes early in 2009, we only had option of up till 11th January for the year of 2009. Shifu said weddings cannot be held within the fifteen days before Lunar New Year.

With these limited dates in hand, we sought out hotels which we have shortlisted.

The restrictions we may have to adhere to, just to follow beliefs, not sure if we should be obedient and listen to elder folks, but nevertheless we did, just to avoid causing any unhappiness.

Wedding Venues

2008-07-18T01:08:00.004+08:00

We looked around at wedding packages once we knew the day to collect keys was nearing. This was some time in February 2008.

Banquet packages are so expensive. We sourced around for nice venues with less pricey menus.

Grand Plaza Park Hotel was sourced by N, package was within budget.
I always loved Oriental, but package is a tad steep, just KIV.
Grand Copthorne Waterfront ballroom looks good, plus their Sunday dinners were priced as weekday charges.
M Hotel looks classy, package also within budget.
Meridien's ballroom was big, with high ceiling, just that it looks like it needs a little refurbishment.

All coordinators asked the same question, "So when is your big day?"

N & I: We've not picked out a date.

Some coordinators: We're fully booked for weekends up till October /November 2008, better get a date soon. Else, you may not get your desired venue on your big day.

We have been warned...

How the ball started rolling~

2008-07-18T00:59:00.002+08:00

In January this year, N & I had news that keys were ready for collection sometime after February.
Since our neighbours in other blocks have already moved in end of last year.

So that means we would have to tie the knot within 3 months of key collection, according to HDB ruling. Pay the initial payment for flat too.

Seems many Singaporean couples' wedding plans somehow begin with HDB :P. Mine's no exception.

Anyhow, we thought that we'd like to schedule our wedding to be in 2009, somewhere between March - June. I secretly was hoping for the big day to coincide with our anniversary date.

Many friends tell me that we should pick an auspicious date soon, as it would be difficult to book a hotel venue for banquet, less than 1 year in advance.

Big Step... excited and anxious

2008-07-18T00:25:00.006+08:00

The day has come~ I took leave from work to go down to HDB office with my N.

Took our queue number and anxiously waited our turn.

Me: So this is it.... our own house (wow, so surreal)
N: Ready? Are you able to get along with me?
Me: ... (if i can't i wouldn't have "survived" all these years right? i thought to myself)
N: Really... this means commitment
Me: ... (i don't think i spent the last 7 years of my life with you for NON-commitment... ^^;)

Our queue number flashed on the board... deep breath and in we went.

The lady at the computer told us the units left for BLK 79C (the one with 2 units facing City/CBD/Suntec view) were 12th floor and below. What bad news! We already agreed beforehand that we do not want any units below 15th storey for that block as it is facing Toa Payoh library, potentially happening place for GeTai and pasar malams and all sorts of noise-related activities.

Me: How about BLK 79A?
HDB Lady: All units available.
N: Wow!
Me: Ok, let's take #27-XX! (27th of a particular month is our anniversary date :P)
N: Erm, the flat behind this block is 25 stories high, so at 27th floor, we'll be staring at their water tank.
Me: But, but... how often can you get a unit number with your anniversary date?
N: View blocked = bad.
Me: *sulk*
HDB Lady: 40th floor? Top floor, you know?
Me: Hmm... i remember pple saying water pressure at top floor is not as good?
N: Then choose another floor.
Me: #XX-XX then. (since i like that number)
N: Ok, take that.
Me: At least we have quiet scenery, windows will be away from road.
N: Yes.

Paid booking fee of $2,000, and it still has not quite sunken in, that we finally put our names on the dotted line and got ourself our very own flat.

Flat estimated to be ready in 2009~

We'll have to work hard and save up in the meantime!

And watch our flat build up to 40th storey as days go by.

Results of the Lucky Draw!

2008-07-11T14:07:00.004+08:00

Congratulations! We received a letter, some time in September 2005, stating our queue number was 105. Yes, some of you may tink this number is fantastic... so why am I complaining?

Well, considering that there are only 117 units of 5-room flats for this project, this queue number means we will get a 5-room unit, BUT there may not be any choice units left when it comes to our turn.

So, we tried marking out units which we would like... *fingers crossed* that one in a million chance that they will not be taken up when it came to our turn.

Well, to explain a little, there are only 3 units of 5-room in all levels of this project. 2 units are in Blk 79C, living windows facing Suntec City area, and the view is gooood. (I know that, coz my parents' house has that view... we get to see fireworks at esplanade & for National Day Parade every year). The 3rd unit is in Blk 79A, living room windows facing north.

Anxiously, we awaited the day of our appointment to pick our house (still didn't sink in that we are getting a home of our own) *fingers & toes crossed*

Delays Delays...

2008-07-11T14:03:00.012+08:00

I need to let this out... we are being delayed again! If this goes on, we may end up moving in during the Lunar 7th month... argh

More Pics More Pics~

2008-07-05T13:27:00.005+08:00

More Pics of the dining, kitchen...

Lights, indeed, "make or break" the look of a home

Skipping Ahead~

2008-07-05T13:12:00.009+08:00

Ok, I can't wait any longer.

I will continue from the ballot saga & how we went through all the pre-reno headaches another day.

For now, to share my excitment with you all!

Happiness~ the lights were put up in my home this week :)

Paintworks were carried out last week and the walls are multicoloured.... soooo preeeeeeeeetty

Show u some pics!

How We Came to enter the Lucky Draw

2008-06-28T14:22:00.001+08:00

Let me start with N & I making a bet.

It was end of 2004, we were having lunch at our regular coffeeshop at TPY Central, with my favourite goreng pisang & rojak stall (yes, fans of rojak at the basement foodcourt of TPY interchange, this was where uncle has been hiding since silver stream closed down).

Block 79, the old slab-block, opposite the coffeeshop was being torn down.

N: They will build a shopping centre, afterall TPY doesn't have a shopping centre yet.
Me: They will build flats.
N: No, I'm sure its going to be a shopping centre.
Me: Ok, if they build flats, then we will apply~ *its a dream location*
N: I think I am right. Agree to bet.

Months passed, HDB finally put up signs that it was an en-bloc project, hee hee so who was right? :P

Fast-forward to mid 2005, got a franctic call at work, N said," Today is last day to ballot for Blk 79, how?"
Me: Then GO!
N: 4-room or 5-room?
Me: No money, 4 room pls.
N: But 4 room friggin small
Me: $$ problem....
N: aiyah 5 room 5 room...
Me: watever u like~ just go!

N complained that we did not have time to even view the showflat.

That ends the ballot saga~

Why am I Blogging?~

2008-06-28T14:14:00.000+08:00

I am starting to blog, so that with this blog page, I can remember all of the times I've had, even the tiniest incident. Nothing will not be forgotten... good or bad~

This blog is overdue, but its better late than never~