Updating the wedding list

A few more weddings to add to the string of weddings to attend ahead:-

Dec 08: Angie & Boon Kiat (already married)
Jan 09: Barbra & Peter (already married)
Feb 09: Mei Wan & Jiaming (already married)
Apr 09: KC & Peter
May 09: Hwee Peng & Ronnie
Jun 09: Yu Min & Andy
Jul 09: Kara & Randy
Sep 09: Edmund & I, Stella & CS, HL & hubby (new colleague at work)
Oct 09: Ee Lee & Edwin
Nov 09: Zin Ee & Chris
Dec 09: Pearlyn & Andy

Sep looks like a hot month cos besides my own wedding, I have 2 more to attend!

Wedding 3

Couple:
Mei Wan & Kia Meng
(Mei Wan was my Pri 1, Sec 1 & 2 classmate from MGS. She introduced me to the world of shopping!)

What I enjoyed at the wedding:
- Catching up with ex-school-mates. My table had 11 ex-MGS girls and 1 guy.

Venue:
Conrad Centennial (Service by the banquet staff was really good. They spoke well, always had a smile and were really professional.)

First time:
- attending a wedding where there were no photos of the couple in their wedding gown & suit displayed
- receiving a sms from the bride 1 week before the wedding that the wedding was in a week (the sms made a difference!)
- seeing 2 men emcee a wedding (instead of the usual 1 guy + 1 gal combination)

Discussion points:
- Should we get a videographer?
We did not budget for it, but lately I've talked to several people who said it was one of the most worthwhile things they paid for for their wedding. All couples say the day goes by in a blur/flash. The video highlights allow the couple to view and recollect the significant event later when the stress is all over.

See post on Wedding 2 here.

25 random facts about me

This meme has been going on for quite awhile now... I'm not going to tag another 25 people.

1. I have a phobia of birds. All kinds of birds. Their feathers gross me out!

2. I used to collect erasers. I had more than a hundred that came in all shapes and sizes, from biscuit and hamburger erasers to lipstick and clothes peg erasers

3. My aunt took me to get my ears pierced when I was 5. But because I didn’t allow anyone to clean the area around the hole, they got infected. My dad had to use pliers to remove my earrings. I’ve never pierced my ears again.

4. I have a low tolerance of pain. Even the softest massage is painful to me.

5. I like to be tickled gently, not jabbed in my ribs.

6. When I stayed on the 37th & 35th floor I was never afraid of heights. But since we moved to stay in landed houses, my tolerance for heights has gone down!

7. I can’t cycle, skate, roller-blade/skate, ice-skate, ski... you get the picture

8. I can’t parallel-park and I’ve a bad sense of direction

9. The only time I cried for failing a test was my driving test – twice!

10. As a kid, I used to like blowing bubbles with my saliva. There’s photo evidence of that.

11. I’ve had than 40 moles lasered off from my face, body, hands and legs

12. I used to arrange the books in my school bag from the tallest book closest to my back and the shortest book at the front of the bag.

13. I’m marrying my 1st boyfriend this Sep.

14. A holiday without any shopping is not much of a holiday to me

15. I'm not romantic. I don't like dining at dark restaurants. I want to see my food.

16. Fresh flowers do not thrill/excite/surprise me. Give me artificial flowers or nice pictures/cards of flowers anytime

17. I get sore throat immediately after eating a little bit of durian/mango/jackfruit

18. I don’t enjoy drinking coffee or tea. I don’t enjoy going to Starbuck’s, Spinelli’s or Coffee Bean.

19. My favourite beverage: HOT water. Got stuck on it after drinking it as a kid to get rid of my wheezing as an asthmatic.

20. I couldn’t sleep the night after watching “Saving Private Ryan”. I told myself that I’d never watch another war movie.

21. I have very dark eye circles and big eye bags. Without makeup, I look sickly.

22. My childhood ambitions include being a singer, actress, and air stewardess.

23. I bungee jumped in New Zealand when I was 17. I don’t think I ever want to do it again.

24. I only wear my spectacles when I’m at work, especially for computer work.

25. I’ve been driving for about 10 years and I’ve had 2 accidents, both in the 1st year of my driving in Perth. The 2nd accident was so bad my car had to be towed away.

Change 1

Getting married spells change for most people. For me, I have more changes to adapt to. I'm so glad there were wise people who spoke into my life and told me to spread out the changes.

First major thing to change was my job. For the past 3.5 years, I've been working with people I know so well and whom I'm really comfortable with. Monday saw me starting my new job and I'd forgotten just how stressful adapting to a new environment is. I'm SO grateful to God for sending me a new colleague who came in together with me. It makes a world of difference!!!

Travel to and fro work time has changed from 7 mins to 35 mins and this means less sleep. The body needs time to adjust! Subsciously I think I am stressed because I haven't been sleeping well.

Stress + lack of sleep = Falling ill (Sue Ern's physical equation)
I fell sick on Thursday and am still having difficulty sleeping well despite the drowsy medication cos of the drippy back-flow nose, sore throat and dry cough.

I hope I get well by Monday because I think I'll really need a clear mind to learn all those new stuff!

Seed money

We got our 1st angbao for our wedding today and it was from Boon Yeow and Faith. I'm really touched by their gesture and generosity cos I know they have been saving for their studies in Queensland.

It's a real pity they won't be back for our wedding, but the past years and months of friendship and the possibility of being neighbours in Seng Kang is more precious than their presence at the wedding.

Thanks Boon Yeow & Faith! Your absence will be greatly felt!

Photo courtesy of Kara: Farewell lunch for Boon Yeow & Faith at Peranakan Inn

Last Fai-Fai day

It was SHOPPING today with Ju Lee.

It all started when I asked Ju Lee if she wanted to take a weekend trip to Bangkok with me before my new job started. Our dates didn't quite fit and I decided that shopping in Singapore would still be more worth it without having to pay for the airfare and hotel accomodation. With that, Ju Lee offered to take a day's leave to go shopping with me in Singapore.

Ju Lee is an ex-colleague from KPMG (my very first job straight out of uni). There were 17 of us from my batch and I was the first to leave! Ju Lee's my closest colleague from KPMG cos she's easy-going, really sincere and the only other christian girl in our batch. I'm so glad Ju Lee and I are in contact even though it's been 6 years (Horrors! Time flies!) since I left KPMG.

Sep 2005

There's a possibility we might get to spend more time together after I get married cos work and church will be much nearer her!

Non-stop

My fai-fai days are nearly over. I had a packed program today:-

8.30am - overdue exit interview at Macs

9.45am - walk to OCBC to close my investment account
[I was facinated by the diamond rings (3 to be exact), diamond tennis bracelet, diamond rolex watch, diamond pendant and diamond earrings the manager serving me was wearing! I thought it was a bit of a diamond overkill!]

11.00am - order Pizza Hut delivery to Sharon's place for later & discuss cake plans with Alice

11.30am - drop off "sai4" sample at the doctor's for our pre-marital health screening
[I'm sorry if you are grossed out! ;p]

11.45am - pick up Alice from the MRT station and head to Sharon's house

12.15pm - arrive at Sharon's place just slightly before the Pizza Hut delivery guy came and had unhealthy lunch!

Chat, yak, talk, help clean baby's poo, cut cake, eat cake, take photos, chat, yak, talk.


Sharon (my wedding coordinator) with baby Nadine (I love her chubby cheeks), and Alice (my assistant wedding coordinator). I've been so blessed by their friendship!


3.50pm - head to meet the gown designer with Alice

4.15pm - arrive at Fleurlicious and see the drawings Corinna had done.
[Find out my gown designer and I are of the same age and went to the same primary school. We just never were in the same class. Small world!]

5.45pm - send Alice to Novena and headed home for dinner

7.20pm - take the train to Sengkang for more flat-viewings with Edmund, Daniel & Ivy
[Daniel's car battery died mid-way through and we had to borrow cables and another car to jump-start it. Encountered a horrendously rude ah-beng agent and was rather disappointed with the 4-room flats we saw.]

10.15pm - reach home

A day well-spent

Since the photoshoot had to be postponed and Edmund had already taken leave, we decided to go cycling at East Coast Park!

I haven't cycled in 21 years! The last time I cycled, it was on a yellow BMX bike with 2 trainer wheels. Yup, I CANNOT cycle.

We took a tandem bike so I just paddled along and I enjoyed myself tremendously! Edmund cycles regularly for exercise so he was really good at handling the bike and me (who was so worried that we'd (ok more like I'd) fall).


After cycling, we headed to Marine Terrace for Wagyu beef rice. The beef was yummy, but the service from a foreign national was quite unappetising.


The 90 mins of cycling left me a shade darker and super exhausted! I slept all the way to AMK where we went to collect our rings, all the way home from there and carried on sleeping the afternoon away at home.

While I was blissfully napping, Edmund updated the wedding to-do list and happily declared that he's got all his reponsibilities done up till end Mar 09. Now I'm the one with a lot of outstanding stuff to get done! He's really efficient man!

The heart-warming sound of the pitter-patter of the rain outside my room woke me up from my nap. Good thing the photoshoot got postponed otherwise it would have been so wet outside! God IS good! :)

Disappointed

I had just finished preparing all the stuff needed for my pre-wedding photoshoot tomorrow when Dom called to say he sprained his ankle!!!

I had to cancel with the makeup artist and will now have to see when I can take leave at my new job before re-scheduling for the photoshoot.

Poor Edmund. He rushed down to the tailor to collect his suit and spent the night ironing his outfits for the photoshoot.

Good thing I decided not to go for manicure/pedicure and Edmund didn't go get his haircut specially for the photoshoot today.

SIGH...

Maybe God has a better day in store for us for the shoot! :)

Shock Discovery at Medical Check-up!

Entry by Edmund...

I must first of all say that Sue Ern is really good at this!=) I like reading her blog entries though I'm a tech-dino=P

Today we went to do a pre-marital medical screening. Sue Ern was so nice as to go to the clinic first & take a queue number, so that I could do what I needed to do at home & come later. When it was my turn in the consultation room, I heard news that I wasn't prepared for.

Don't worry, I don't have any funny disease. For some reason, the doctor & I ended up talking about my CMP. It's a medical condition whereby the meniscus on both knees have worn out & the knees experience pain when e.g. running.

That's why I can't run anymore. The cardio exercise I do now is biking, since swimming is also out because of my ezcema. (I know, I know, I have a lot of medical problems. Wait til you hear the rest...=P) So anyway, the doctor was surprised I haven't recovered from my CMP, which was about 3-4 years ago. He started straightening my legs & moving my knee caps around. I didn't know my knee caps could move!=P

Then he looked at my thighs and said, "Your thighs are too small!" My underdeveloped quadriceps are why my knees experience greater stress than usual during exercise. He suggested exercises that could strengthen my quads & told me to go easy on the cycling.

I thought I had to give up the OCBC bike challenge this month which I signed up for & had been looking forward to. Good thing he said I could go ahead!


Yippee...

Boon Yeow & Faith

Over the last few months, Boon Yeow and Faith have shared a lot of their wedding preparation experiences and contacts with us. They also played a huge role in helping me get my new job.

We went out tonight for a farewell dinner. I wish they weren't leaving for Australia for their studies so soon. It would have been nice to see them around at work and at our wedding. But nonetheless, I'm really grateful for their friendship.

MOF Suntec. Photo courtesy of Boon Yeow & Faith

I hope we'll be able to find a flat near them in Seng Kang and have the opportunity of being neighbours when they return.

Auntie-days

It wasn't a fai-fai day on Wednesday because I had to go back to office to finish off some work I promised to do.

Facial on Wednesday left me with a pretty bad allergy reaction starting with a growing itch on my cheeks. By Thursday morning, it was red, itchy, patchy and swollen. So I ended up cancelling my fai-fai appointments to pack my perpetually tornado-struck room.


I hope to clean up my room in time for the photoshoot next Wednesday. More importantly, I need my face to heal (finish up with the flaking) well enough by then!!! Argh!

Fai-Fai Day 2

Since Edmund's off on Tuesdays, we went for an excursion today!

Edmund's favourite pose at the Marina Barrage.

In the evening, we went to view 3 flats in Ang Mo Kio and 1 in Serangoon Central. We quite liked the 1st flat we saw, but it doesn't seem walkable to the MRT. Next viewing location should be Seng Kang!

Fai-Fai Day 1

A fai-fai is a fake tai-tai. (definition from cousin Grace)

Since I have 2 weeks off before my new job starts, today was the start of temporary fai-fai-dom! Happiness!

I went to visit my beautician at her home. We've become friends over the last 5 years. I meant just to return her some stuff she let me try but I ended up spending a fai-fai day with her.

We talked and lazed around over super sweet honeydew, Marks & Spencer puff pastry had Pizza Hut delivery lunch. She introduced me to Pet Society on Facebook (yah, I know I slow) and even received an ang bao from her! (it was an ang bao bigger than what individual relatives gave me! She said "last year already la")

I asked her if she would come to my wedding if I invited her and she said she would! I wasn't quite sure if she took me as client or friend. Both la.

Then it was off to meet Edmund to go check on our custom-made wedding bands that have already been made and to let the lady know what we want to engrave on the inside of the rings. The rings were not polished and sprayed matt yet. I sure hope it looks nicer and looser after all that's done!

Since we were at Ang Mo Kio and still had some time to spare before dinner, we drove around Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Serangoon Central to see the kind of flats we like. I don't think we'd be able to afford the cash-above-valuation for those...