selly's cell

i've moved!

2009-02-26T07:41:00.000-08:00

this is my new blog which isnt quite a blog but a "soup"
it's much easier to post to. it's like a mini blog for people who dont have the time/inspiration for a proper full on blog

see ya there!

300

2009-02-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

gav's watching this movie right now.

Kenneth Turan writes in the Los Angeles Times that "unless you love violence as much as a Spartan, Quentin Tarantino or a video-game-playing teenage boy, you will not be endlessly fascinated.

i have to agree.

united voice

2009-02-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Self-Advocacy Society of Persons with Learning Disabilities Selangor and Kuala Lumpur

Todate, UV has about 80 members. UV membership include person with Down Syndrome, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cerebral Palsy and Global Development Delay.

Objectives

To provide a meeting place for persons with learning disabilities where they help and support each other.
To develop leadership, independent skills and confidence among members so that they can speak for themselves and make their own decision.
To speak and act on behalf of other persons with learning disabilities (advocacy)
To promote self-advocacy and form groups all over Malaysia
To make the community more aware of the rights, needs and abilities of persons with learning disabilities.
To create employment for members.
To provide an example to the community of a service run well, for and by persons with learning disabilities.

United Voice will be organizing a Fundraising Fun Fair on 14th March 2009 at Bandar Utama Community Center. There will be food & drinks, games, lucky draws, inflatable castles, sand art, face paintings, performances and jumble sale and many more....

You can help support us by

Sponsoring items for sale.
buying Coupons (RM20 per book)
Sponsoring souvenirs or gifts
Volunteer for the event

Download a copy of the brochure for more information.

If you would like to participate or contribute towards this event in support of United Voice, please contact Yeong Moh Foong at 603-79540701 or email uvfundraising@gmail.com

All cash donations to United Voice will be tax exempted.

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I've got 10 booklets of coupons so please call me if you want to buy some. each booklet is RM20
please click here for the organization's homepage.

this island

2009-01-30T23:52:00.000-08:00

thinking about death.... makes one really reflect on life.

2009-01-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

"every man dies, but not every man really lives" -W. Wallace [Braveheart]

increasing faith

2009-01-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
2 Corinthians 1:20

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poignant time

2009-01-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

We'll be starting a new life soon. We're looking forward to it. We're not afraid although we know there may be much to fear. We are full of hope because we know the Lord directs our paths.

This is such an important time for me because it brings me back to 2005 when I first got back to malaysia. that was the lowest point in my whole life, every day I cried and cried and wanted to go back to australia. and so, for the last 3 years that was my goal-to get back there somehow. and now, after much waiting and suffering, finally, it's happening.

during those long years in malaysia the thought of australia was just so painful, it caused too much heartache to even think of it so i stuffed all memories of it into a drawer that i didn't open for years. i couldn't look at photos taken there without a painful stab at my heart.

but now...i can finally reopen that chapter.

garden

2009-01-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

im going to miss this house we've been living in although we've only been here a few mths! how fast time flies. now we're married and we're moving out in a couple of months. the garden is what i love most. here above is a mango shoot coming out of a mango seed.

luscious looking grapes from the vine! they look good but unfortunately they're hard and sour. terk can tell you firsthand. hehe...
pumpkin plants.

pumpking seedlings

another pumpkin plant.

there can be miracles

2009-01-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

we cried with joy when we got the news.

homemade popcorn

2009-01-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

this crunchy snack is fun to eat because of its crisp mouthfeel and so cheap to make at home compared to the ready poppped ones at cinemas or at the supermarket. making a whole bowlful at home is probably only about RM0.30!
it's really easy, just heat up a heavy based pan and add about 2 teaspoonfuls of oil, heat up on the stove at medium heat for about half a minute then add a tablespoonful of uncooked popcorn.
cook for 2-3 minutes, they should start popping wildly. shake the pan every now and then to prevent sticking and burning. when the popping slows down take it off the heat immediately then pour into a bowl.
now melt some butter in the hot pan and pour over the popcorn, cover and shake it real hard to distribute it as evenly as possible. sprinkle with salt and pepper.

yakult

2009-01-13T01:01:00.000-08:00

yakult factory visit
we saw how this miracle health drink is manufactured and packaged right here in malaysia. the packaging materials and straws are from japan. i'd always thought all yoghurt drinks were equal but apparently i was wrong because yakult is the only one with 30,000 bacteria that'll cure all your ailments. ok that's not what they said but it was close. apparently this drink will stop all your tummyaches and IBS and digestion and make your gastro-intestinal system work better. and it has vitamins added! plus it tastes good so what's the harm? :D my only gripe is that it's too small, i could drink 5 bottles at one go!
so, after the factory visit and promotional video viewing we're sold! i think gav and i will be drinking yakult everyday from now on.

this is one of the amphibian friends we found in the garden. there're probably hundreds of them.
after observing this one for awhile we let it go of course. they're too small for meat anyway.

Isreal doesn't bomb "schools"

2009-01-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

in response to some who're condemning Israel for bombing children, this writer will explain it more clearly.
-----------------
anyway about my foot, thanks for all your well wishes and concerns. the doc said there were no fractures, and it's only sprained. it's swollen up but other than that, it's fine. no more pain [the painkillers he gave were very very good] and i can hobble around with a crutch now.

where do we go from here?

2009-01-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Ps 16:11

I've asked God that question many times in this life, with the premise that the "right" answer will make me the happiest, and it would be the easiest, with the least difficulties and maximum rewards.

I was only half right. I think going God's way may me fraught with danger, uncertainty at times, heartache, problems, challenges...but it's still be the easiest because we can depend on His strength and not our own.

with this new year come new possibilities, new challenges, new "problems" to be faced. but it's the same God we have whose mercies are new everyday.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed Prov 16:3

wedding details - the veil

2009-01-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

this is just another part of the mostly DIY wedding I had just to document the things I did for future reference. I wanted to make my own veil because just buying one would've come up to RM180 at least! of course it comes in the package if you'd opted for a studio package but we decided against that from the start.

firstly I browsed around the internet to get ideas, in the end I decided on a drop veil coz it was the easiest to make and looks sweet. we bought the white tulle material and the flower shaped lace from Jalan TAR in KL.

then we cut it into an oval, rounding off the edges after measuring and marking the lines with tailor's chalk.

cutting such a big piece of very delicate material wasn't easy as you can see! it wouldn't stay still and we needed weights on each corner.
then we tried it on to see if it fell correctly. we had to re-cut it a few times to get the length right.

it would've worked fine like this but i wanted to have lace edging on it so I got my mum to sew on 4 metres of lace to the edges.

then I sewed on a little comb to attach it to my hair with! that's it!

lessons learnt

2008-12-31T01:22:00.000-08:00

our penang trip was....

both good and bad. i did enjoy many aspects of it but there were some unpleasant moments like how my poor hubby got sick [probably sick of the penang food?]

i love nasi kandar but queuing up this long for a plateful is.... not my cuppa tea. still, i suppose since were in penang we had to do smtg we dont normally do. the line was CLEARLY in view the moment we got on penang road! it stretched all the way to the curb. not bad for a business that's situated in a "lorong" [backlane]

squid egg curry!! cholesterol bonanza
in the end i opted for the chicken in sticky sauce which i assume might be honey based, the yellowed shredded cabbage and rice. that was RM5.40

this is actually my fav penang meal - kueh teow th'ng. really. the porky bits, the fishcake, the fried onion and veggies in broth, it's the most comforting thing ever.
this is part of our ipoh dimsum binge. again, we had to wait in a crowded restaurant for what seemed like forever to get a table! the ipoh folks don't think it's rude to stand around other people's tables while they eat. i personally dn't like that idea though. dimsum tastewise... uhh i think hoong foong in USJ21 is better.
still, as long as there're good people around the table to laugh and talk with it's not too bad.

here;s the apartment gav and i stayed at. we loved it!

and this is the offending curry laksa that we suspect, brought on his stomach trouble! do NOT drink up the soup in penang curry laksa! so we were told by his aunt.

after all that bingeing everyone looked sluggish
so, in conclusion
1. when going on a penang hawker food binge, bring along fibre tablets, prunes, raisins, bananas, charcoal pills and poh chai pills to avoid diarrhea, constipation or both.
2. get EXACT directions for wherever you're going because getting lost and going around in circles in a foreign place wasting petrol is no fun.
3. make sure you get regular bowel movements!
4. do not order curry laksa at 5pm, the soup with coconut milk was probably there since morning! resulting in stomach trouble later. there's nothing worse than having stomach trouble in PENANG and not being able to eat anything nice!

happy birthday kelvin

2008-12-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

he's someone who's always earnest and sincere, ready with a smile and has no pretenses. a good friend, fun to hangout with and tells it like it is, no whitewashing.

although a salesman by profession, he has a strong sense of truth and good conscience, knowing how to point out truths [that may not be necessarily nice to hear] ever so tactfully and respectfully that in the end only adds to the respect of those who call him "friend"

one can't help but feel at home with him around because he doesn't pretend to like you, he really does. [if he doesn't, at least he's not pretending to!]

blessed birthday kelvin. gavin and I appreciate you a lot!

come they told me parrupupumpummmm

2008-12-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

christmas is...... over commercialized and over hyped up but i love it anyway!! especially decorations, carols and presents!
makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. and suddenly everyone's full of goodwill, giving and giving and giving. that's what God did at Christmas and is still doing so now, that's why we give presents. not bcuz we just want to max out the credit cards and get into debt. we're just emulating Christ. so, what's wrong with giving presents?

wedding details

2008-12-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

I'm going to detail the things I did for the wedding in case some people want ideas. mostly for my own memories of the day so that 10 years from now I can log on to this blog and look at it :)

1. the dress

I was looking through dresses online and realized that in malaysia, one only had 5 choices for dresses
- rent it from the bridal studio

this was not an option for me because i didn't want to use the studio packages where the couple pose around against a backdrop. and if u didnt take the package, RENTING the dress would come up to RM800! [minimum!] so not worth it. also the selection of dresses were too limited, it was impossible finding one that with sleeves! and i needed to have sleeves:D

-buy a designer dress [like those from beatrice looi, carven ong, etc.etc.]
also not an option because they start at around RM4,000

- buy a cheap white gown from sungai wang [or anywhere!]
i shopped around for off the rack ones but couldn't find any that fit me properly

-buy it off ebay and alter it
i thought it would've been cheap this way but it wasn't! the dresses still went for about RM400 -RM800 plus more for alterations so it wasn't worth it.

- tailor it

i chose this last option because this was the most cost efficient. so i printed out this picture of a dress from J.Crew and asked ms Kee to make it.
of course it looked SO different on me since i probably weigh 10 x what this model does. also i put the neckline a little bit higher.so this is how it turned out.
cloth+lining: RM48
workmanship RM150

TOTAL: RM 198

not bad for a custom made wedding dress with lining! but then i'll never get to wear it again! wonder what to do with it. maybe i'll put it on a headless mannequin in a tall glass box in a dark hallway....

quotable quotes

2008-12-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

now that the year's coming to an end, i'm pondering some poignant moments of the past year and some memorable quotes.

">If u wanna get upset, u can get upset very easily. But i just don’t bother.
-GL

"How do I get to Carnegie hall?

Practice you gotta practice!"

"to fly we have to have resistance"

love the challenges

Listen to advice

Don’t argue

Don’t complain

Be nice

Be content
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so simple yet... so profound.

ground coffee

2008-12-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

does anyone have a coffee maker/percolator /machine?
I bought some "medium bodied "Colombian ground coffee thinking it was instant coffee and now I can't use it.

so if you want my 2 bags of ground coffee, please let me know and i'll give them to you!

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the wedding part 3

2008-12-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

finally I feel inspired again to document my thoughts on the wedding day, 2 months ago.
after the ceremony everyone headed into the restaurant for some finger food and tropical cocktails made with 100%juice, no water added!

first up were the speeches. i was very touched with my dad's speech, throughout most of my growing up years he hardly ever said anything nice about me but tnoight he did and i was so touched i cried.
he said he was very happy that I'd found someone i truly loved.
then, tucker was on. he's an old friend of gavin's, probably known each other something like 15 years. or more!

and then terk and fanyin and rach [interestingly, all our speech givers were from our respective high schools!!]perhaps this shows that a lot of our most lasting friendships are from high school, not college or uni or work.
all their speeches were so meaningful and touching and full of well wishes and philosophical quotes on love and marriage. i think. i was too happy to remember what they said exactly which is why i can't wait to see the video pat took of the wedding!

the cake cutting was of course, quite fun. i had originally intended to buy a nice metal cake knife and engrave our names and wedding date on it to become an heirloom cake knife but somehow that never materialized and we ended up using the restaurant's very sharp knife! still i loved the cake so much! it was very me, very sweet, pink, girly and original since it was made by my mum, husband and friends [i can't stop talking about how great they are for helping me out!]

then, some of our friends did a few very special romantic songs for us! I know a people who hire their wedding band and MC for RM4K for it all but i think ours were priceless because they're our friends! [and all are very talented and passionate!] carol played guitar and sang, sonia did a very powerful rendition of "from this moment" and albert graced the solo part from "kiss me"

carol and terk did a very nice "grow old with you" from the ben stiller movie. everyone loved it!

i loved the video pat made, it was so meaningful and funny at the same time! so did everyone i reckon! here's everyone watching it
i reckon i'll watch it again on our 20th aniversary and laugh over it again!

then was the "fun" part where I, wanting to hold on to western tradition, threw the bouquet over my shouhlder.
caryn got it! or rather it hit her. I wonder why our girls are sooo afraid of catching bouquets. i mean... it's just for fun and doesnt have to be taken THAT seruiosly. besides, every girl wants to get married so why is it such a bad thing to catch a bouquet? of course no one actually believes in the whole "person who catches will be the next one to get married" thing. that's just old western superstition. this is just for fun u know! I've never been to a wedding where someone threw the bouquet before and of cousre i've never caught one but well, i reckon it would be fun to catch one.
so! that was it, my wedding! going back to the hotel room that night, so much was going through my mind. i wasn't prepared for how sad I'd feel about moving out of my house for good, being out of my parent's house forever. I didn't think of it at all really, until i came back a few days later and found that my bro had already moved into my room when i hadn't even taken anything out yet! it was really sobering to think that I'd never sleep in this room again. and i'd been sleeping in this room for 25 years! life has really changed. also I wasn't prepared for how I wouldn't live with my family anymore. not that i loved living with them so much before, [u know how it is, how they make me come home before 12, don't wash the dishes, etc.etc. hehee] but still, i felt a sense of loss somehow. I can't quite explain why, bcoz I am thrilled to be living with gavin now.

I suppose you dont quite appreciate something until it's gone. Ok i know some of you are waiting for pt 4 when I talk about what happened after going back to the hotel room but i shan't say anymore :D
thanks for being part of my day, all of you! You all made it so beautiful and meaningful! i LOVE you all!

novotel

2008-12-08T23:14:00.001-08:00

novotel hydro majestic kuala lumpur on jln kia peng is a very big name in hotels and we were very impressed with the decor, especially in the lobby. the place is very posh looking and decorated in a modern way. and the rooms were also very nicely done up, colour coordinated and very "modern" hip looking.
however we were up for a very rude shock~ we booked it for our "first night" [u know, on the wedding night!] but they gave us a TWIN bedded room instead of the king sized bed we booked!! [imagine, for our FIRST NIGHT a twin bedded room!! garrhhhh

and, we booked the exec room but they gave us the superior room instead [that means we were DOWNgraded one level although we paid for the more expensive room type] not only that, but we couldnt even check in at 2pm which is the LATEST check in time you're supposed to have.

sigh if that weren't bad enough, the room smelled strongly of sewage [shit] when we first entered!
now if you think that's already the worst of it, it wasn't!
when we complained about it later the manager lied to us telling us that our reservation was only for a superior room but when we went home to check the confirmation letter we found that he lied and we were right all along.

sigh....

what can we do now ? we've already complained several times [through email, through snail mail, and talking to the duty manager face to face] but they just refused to compensate us in any way.

i totally totally cannot recommend this hotel to anyone at all, sad to say.

i've already called 3 times and each time the receptionist said they'd call me back and took down my number but until now, a week later, still no call from them! are they ALL trained to lie and lie and lie????? sickening!

preparing for christmas

2008-12-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

christmas is coming! I love the "trimmings" of Christmas although I know it's got nothing to do with the meaning of it. it's our first christmas together as "married" and it's fun putting up decorations.

i thought it would be fun to put baubles up and apparently terk thought so too. here he is playing "boink the ball" with his forehead.

putting up the lights, writing christmas cards, shopping for gifts, baking christmas cookies, playing christmas music, all that is so much fun !

we spent last sat decorating our pastor's house and it's massively decorated. they have 3 christmas trees and 6-12 sets of lights in each tree [each set has 100 lights! imagine!] and although we spent a whole day there we didnt even complete half of it. there were probably 40 santas, 100 reindeer around and 50 snowmen. ok i didnt count but everywhere you l ooked there was a santa! or a candy cane! or a snowman! or reindeer!

I'm listening to

2008-11-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

this is my favourite Christmas album in the last few years. I just love their version of "Don't save it all for Christmas day" and "We are the reason". Their medley of familiar carols like "O Come O Come Emmanuel/Away in a Manger/O Little Town of Bethlehem" is really really beautiful too.

it's been a painful week [literally]

2008-11-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

first I slammed the door into my thumb which was a major major major painful experience, I thought my thumb had been pulverized! try having to play piano with a sore thumb! now I know how those garlic pips feel when i crush them with my cleaver.

then i twisted my neck in a way i shouldn't have and now it hurts to turn to look right. and i can't even straighten my head so everyone i meet think I'm looking at them sympathetically all the time.

not to mention the ongoing cough that started before the wedding and is still going on now. i've already finished 3 bottles of cough syrup.

hope this string of events end here.

why I dont like to eat out anymore

2008-11-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

prices of everything have gone sky high. nowadays you can't spend less than RM4 eating out unless you just have a beefburger, no drink, no fries. places like the chicken rice shop are so overpriced you feel so ripped off eating the chicken rice [and wishing you had gone to a hawker place for that]. not to mention gloria jean's, charging RM3.50 for a muffin! and portions are so small. we went to mandy's in summitt and ordered our main courses that were served in very big dishes but we were still hungry after eating because the portions were tiny. okay maybe they're enough for girls on a diet but it's so not worth our money, with tax and drinks added you find yourself spending smtg like RM20 per head for a meal that was not so filling and not very balanced. you seldom have proper veggies when eating out, and way too much salt and oil. I think if you want to have too much salt and oil, just come over and i'll cook for you, at least it's cheap salt and oil! ahhahaha kidding.

anyway, last night i made a sausage and mash with onion gravy and salad dinner for 5 with the cost coming up to a total of RM15, which probably could only buy ONE meal if you had the same thing as dave's deli, and the portions would've been a lot smaller.

-to use less oil, bake/broil the sausages instead of frying [less cleaning up too]
-instead of adding butter to the mashed potatoes, just add milk and seasoning. you won't really taste the difference since there'll be gravy anyway

giving to God

2008-11-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

i've a lot to learn from a guy i once met. we didn't part ways that amicably but now I've good memories of him and I hope someday in future we can be friends again.

He said that people are the best investments ever. He has a lot of money so he gives a lot of away to others, to the needy,to his friends, to strangers. I know his parents do the same. Wow.

We know that God saw us people as the best investment ever. He gave His Son to die so we could all be saved. we all know that to give to the needy is giving to God. but is it really because God NEEDS our money? [or time or skills or watever?]

in this time of "economic downturn", should our response be to give give and give still? apparently God thinks so. Ps Mal says God works in a different economical sphere. by grasping to our lives, we'll lose it, but if we give of it freely, we'll gain even more than what we hoped for. how does that work?

*by the way, i dont really know what it means when people say "times are bad"

times have always been bad in malaysia as far as i know. even from when i was born! i dont think times have ever been good in my lifetime, so as far as i'm concerned nothing's changed.

anyway, from

2 Corinthians 9

Sowing Generously

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever." 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

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looking back at the past year I can see how God has worked in my life, despite how certain things did not turn out the way i wanted. for eg. the wedding. things did not work out the way we planned but it worked out EVEN BETTER!!
gavin and I didn't know how we were going to afford a place to stay and a car but God's provided both those things AND more!
I'm so glad we have a BIG God to trust in.

I've learnt that by giving, we're not really giving so that someone can be helped. [ok maybe i might be wrong here and someone will comment on this post arguing with me on that] yes that IS an effect of our giving but God owns the whole world and doesn't NEED the 2 cents that we give but giving changes us. and that's why we have to give...so that we allow Him to change our hearts and make His Kingdom and His people our treasure.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matt 6:21

parenting

2008-11-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

I'm no parent but i know a fair bit about kids since I deal with them every moment of my work.
I've some kids with such good attitudes toward people and learning that they shine every single time i see them. they appreciate the music, the time spent with their parents in class, and they do their best. even if they're not inherently "talented", they do very well.

I can also tell when a kid is giving his/her best and when the kid is just plain uninterested/lazy/uninvolved.

for example,take Daphne* who's never had any initiative or even an attention span to begin with. she's lazy and spoiled and her mothers makes it so much worse by allowing her to control both the mum and dad. all she has to do when she wants to get out of doing anything remotely useful is scrunch up her face and pretend to cry. at ONCE her silly and affected parents cave in to her desires and immediately say "it's okay darling, you're doing a great job, you're the best in the world! mummy won't scold you anymore okay sweetie? will you forgive mummy?" this was after her mum tried to get her to listen to me showing them how to play a new song. wow. so, if she doesn't want to listen, her mum apologizes for trying to help her listen? reminds me of Gwen from Malory towers.

she's not been able to play anything for mths now but her silly mum still hasn't wizened up and is throwing her money down the drain. all 9 of the other kids are now able to play both hands for this new song but she still can't play even ONE hand and doesn't know where "Do" is although we've already learnt it 8 mths ago. this is what happens when the parent doesn't discipline the kid at all! even when i try to help correct her, she doesnt want to play and if i try to take her hand to show her, she pretends to cry and buries her face in her mum's chest. when all the kids are singing in front she just goes back to her mum halfway through when she feels like it! she has absolutely no respect for authority at all. then, when i get all the other kids to perform in front and she can't, she cries and runs to mummy again. sobbing that she can't play like the other kids. never did it occur to her that it's her own fault that she can't play.

in the same class, another girl, Marjorie* is always always cheerful, and happy to come to class, she tries her best and althugh she may not get it right the 1st time, she does the 2nd! her mum is encouraging but not smothering. she listens to me and does what I ask. although only 4 years old her attitudes toward other people and learning are way way way more mature than Daphne!

*names have been changed for obvious reasons

the wedding part 2

2008-11-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

gav arrived first because he had to go hunt for his missing coat! damien's car looked smashing!
for wedding favors, each guest were given a little bag of heart shaped cookies, either one BIG one, or 2 smaller ones, representing one Big God, and 2 of us joined in holy matrimony. these cookies were baked by all my very special girls from CBC!

now one thing that i really really am so grateful to God for is that we had perfect weather. i was worried that it would rain bcoz it was raining in subang and the weather forecasts said heavy thunderstorms! here's the forecast for that day, "snapped" by munkeong bcoz he believed that God would do a miracle.

in fact it was nice and cool when it was time to start! and no mozzies coz they'd JUST fogged the area. i loved my chuppah [jewish wedding canopy arch thing] that was made by gavin using poles and cement and flower pots and organza. Ben helped to set it up and my friends sewed on flowers and put fairy lights on.

it was so pretty and one of a kind! according to jewish tradition, we were supposed to stand under it but we ended up standing beside it instead.

damien was waiting at the hotel's entrance for us and while were in his car driving to the venue he called kelvin saying "the hawk has landed". i felt really excited and nervous at the same time. when we pulled in and i saw the place for the first time i was so so so overwhelmed at how beautiful everything was and how great everyone looked! although there was no grass it looked so cool because of a beachy themed thing with the sand and all. the sweet pink flags waved gently in the breeze.

i was so glad that some of my guests complied to my pink and brown dress code and that really made eveyrthing look so sweet and happy! i was so excited to get out of the car and see everyone
my dad went to wait at the wrong place so we had to call him over to start walking from here!
most people look at the bride when she walks in but i think seeing the groom's expression during this time is really special
walking down the aisle with my dad was a surreal experience. everyone was looking at me and i didn't know whether i was supposed to smile, or look solemn like those other brides i've seen do. in the end i just smiled and smiled bcoz i was so happy and so overwhelmed with joy. it was so much fun. I wasn't brief on "walking down the aisle etiquette" so i didnt think it was inappropriate for me to whisper to kimkim "this is so much fun!" while i walked past her. hey, everyone's smiling at you. it's not nice to just go by without saying hi right??
one thing that struck was how short it was! i mean, these few seconds are probably what a bride thinks of and anticipates most about her wedding and yet it's over within a few seconds. in a blink of an eye, you're at the front! and your dad is giving you away!
my dad was quite happy to do so. here's the handover.
then we worshiped God, singing one of my favourite songs "made me glad"

then pastor mal talked about marriage and how we will now interact with the world in a different capacity. although we are 2 individuals, we have become one unit. how we will live and die for each other.

and then, the moment!

just looking into his eyes i felt an overwhelming joy. it was such a beautiful and meaningful moment. after 4 years of courtship, here we are, at the culmination of our time together. through all those years we had to spend apart, all the hardships, all the heartaches, all the missing each other, all the joyful reunions and tearful goodbyes, we were finally here, at the altar, about to pledge our lives to each other before God.

here i am, marrying the man i love so much. I couldn't help but tear up! and apparently, so i was told, so did a few of my friends!

the rings symbolize the promises we made to each other, to love in times of sickness and health, for better or for worse. to encourage, to support, to comfort, to cherish.

after that was the lighting of the unity candle. ours looked so DIY because they were DIY. we could've gotten very elegant ones from teddy tales or something but somehow i just didnt think of it. it never occured to me that i could've gotten them ready made!

adeline tied the pink ribbon on and terk gave me suggestions on how to tie the ribbons on the others. the rhinestones were glued on with UHU glue.
the 2 candles represents us as individuals, and the big one represents that we've now become one.
and then it was time for gav to do his thing !

and then we're married! for the recessional, our guests in the aisles threw pink flowers at us. i was really happy. i couldnt stop smiling. later my cheeks ached.

it was funny coz after walking out, we had to walk back in again to pose for photos.
ok this is the end of part 2! part 3 will come later.

the wedding part 1

2008-11-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

a whole month after the wedding and I realized I need to write about all my thoughts on that event so that I have it immortalized before I start to forget! God gave us so much more than we ever ever hoped or dreamed of. only last year I was thinking of how I wanted my wedding to be and I thought it would be impossible to have a really meaningful wedding full of our closest friends helping us out since Gavin's been away for years and they dont really know him but just seeing how our church family have come alongside us to make this day so truly beautiful really touches my heart so much! I wanted a garden wedding and I thought it would be impossible finding a beautiful place but my team of friends made it so much more beautiful than I ever thought possible! the sand on the ground made it look beach-themed. the chuppah with the pink cloth and fairy lights and little sakuras sewn on looked smashing! yes, most things were DIY and to me that meant so much more bcoz it means there were loving, caring people involved. some things just cannot be bought with money.

one thing gavin and i felt so strongly about was that we wanted it to be meaningful, and we didn't want to buy into that whole commercialist/marketing ploy that since it's your wedding, you ought to spend the most money and buy the most expensive things.

the fanfare started on the Thursday before the wedding when we had the hen's night, it was somewhat of a girly themed party with everyone wearing dresses.

everyone
looked so pretty! some brought nice gifts for me. some were kinky gifts, some were perfectly innocent ones.

and we had tea with scones and other tea time treats although it was an evening party. the food was really yummy and although it was "dinner"time we had cakes and cookies and ice cream. haha.

by now my overseas guests had arrived so it was really like a fun reunion, leon arrived from brisbane, ben from hobart, adele from singapore and albert from the UK.
the moment Ben arrived he was put to work, he had to draft out the master schedule for the day for me because i was panicking and stressing but still getting nothing done.
they took the daunting task of baking the wedding cake out of my hands. i was so tired i gave them the recipe from donna hay and ingredients and i went to take a nap. when i woke up, the butter cakes were ready!
the next day we had the wedding rehearsal at church, then to petaling st to buy the flowers for the bouquet, i LOVED how auntie uma made my RM18 [total!] worth of flowers look like these
petaling st was tiring though! it was jammed like mad. still we shopped around a bit and rachel pressured me into buying more lingerie. i also bought the white shoes for the wedding day [these are the 4th pair of shoes i'd bought for the wedding, long story!]
i had to wear flats because heels hurt my feet so so much and i wanted to be completely comfortable for the wedding so that I'd enjoy this day to the fullest instead of being sucked up into a tight and heavy dress, my feet bound up into tight uncomfortable shoes and feeling like i can't wait for it to be over. i wanted this day to be most "fun" and relaxed instead of stuffy. and I wanted to walk around freely without having to be encumbered by my shoes.

when we got home i was so knackered. gav brought our overseas guests to buy dinner at the ramadan bazaar but there were only leftovers left. albert serenaded us in the living room with his violin since i wouldnt get to hear him the next day. soon after the cell members arrived to start decorating the car. it took HOURS to decorate the car! here's the toyota after their hard work. poor damien had to drive it in to work like this on that day! hehe

i got the idea from a martha stewart magazine from 1999. as for the car, unlike most other people i didn't quite care what car i came in, really. the wedding was not an opportunity for me to "Show off" anything or how rich i am. in fact since im not rich there would be nothing to show off anyway. i decided on damien for the driver since he likes driving and so we used his own car since it's the most practical thing, after all he'd be most comfortable driving his own car right?

meanwhile i still hadn't decorated the wedding cake!! it was already friday night, less than 24 hours before the wedding! i am really the most disorganized bride ever and i kept procrastinating and being lazy so finally Ben and Adeline decided to take things into their own hands and decorated the cake themselves. it was a small round butter cake with 2 layers and jam in the middle, covered with sugar paste icing. Look!!
it was the top white cake that they made, all the little chocolate ones were made by my mum.
they did a wonderful job!! before this I'd looked at some very beautiful cakes from shops like choffles and so on but they were all within the price ranges of RM400-RM1400 which seemed extravagant to me. this one's entirely homemade by my friends/mum and that made it even more special.

Saturday -the big day!!
the whole day started out pretty normally, I woke up in my own bed at home in SS17.
I was so dead tired the night before but today I couldn't sleep in although I tried . so i called fanyin and asked if her dad could take me along to go to uncle hong teck's house [hereafter known as "the house"] At the house, everyone had assembled, matt and yuenching, munkeong and suetbeng, ben and adeline, auntie uma, rach, fanyin and reb, and of course terk too. Gav was nowhere in sight though!
when he finally turned up he shoved his scuffy shoes at me with some shoe polish and told me to polish them. I didn't really polish them properly though! still they looked okay.

meanwhile, the flowers were in the fridge and all the "props" were lined up in a row by the door ready to be whisked away. the house was very busy with lots of people bustling in and out, auntie allison even made an appearance. the atmosphere was very busy and noisy and cheery,
I however was in a bit of a daze and wondered if I should go along too but auntie uma strictly forbade that and so off they went!

the house suddenly seemed so quiet and lonely after they left and I had a few moments of quiet to myself. I sat down with a cup of coffee and looked at the leftover durian puffs in the fridge that fanyin had bought the day before. i hate durian. but my mum loves them so i gave them to her. I took a shower upstairs and waited for mum to take me to the nail salon nearby to have my nails done. [it's called "WOMEN FACE AND BODY", which i told the proprietor, was not a good name. it's a little shop next to leonco hardware on bakuteh row]
I chose to have a french manicure.
the plan was for my dad to take me to novotel to dress up but he took the wrong way and we got stuck in a jam for 2 hours! if only my dad had consulted gavin on this but when i asked him before if he knew the way, he kept assuring me that he did!! the fact was that he knew the old way. i was getting so stressed and worried while being stuck in the car and it looked like we wouldn't get there on time and the photographers and makeup artist were there already!!

meanwhile my wonderful team were decorating the place and making it spiffy. about 4pm
gavin decided to walk to where we were stuck [hang tuah] from jln kia peng to come get me. he really IS my knight in shining armour! there i was, in the car stressing away and at the pudu jail intersection i saw him coming toward me braving through the heavy traffic! he came and opened the door and told me to come along with him. so, there we went, in our sweaty tshirts with me carrying the dress and veil in paper bags walking through jln imbi and going through the back way, past pavillion and into novotel. i was SO glad to see him!

at the hotel, munkeong and suetbeng were just leaving as i arrived and i remember how happy i was to see his pink shirt and brown tie!! it's so perfect. soon, the makeup artist got busy.
and so did the photographers. i quickly hung the veil up on the lamp so that the wrinkles would go off, and my friends got busy too. while i was having my makeup done they [including gavin] were getting ready too. dad showed up awhile later saying that the moment i left the car the jam eased up!

while getting ready in the room terk assured me he was already dressed but when i turned around he looked like this
some of the others were waiting to shower, and gav got ready too. that western superstition on how the groom's not supposed to see the bride at all on the wedding day was totally lost on us!

anyway so after i finished the makeup gav put the veil on

then he realized that his suit wasn't there! apparently matt had taken it, so the boys went down to go to the venue. meanwhile the evening started out for our guests with some classical pieces by dr phang, our violinist. he played beautifully and with lots of "expression".
i hope the guests enjoyed it, even if they were not musically inclined, im sure the whole atmosphere was one of serene sweetness and makes one feel "OOohhh this is so nice!!". i wanted the whole feel of this thing to be sweet, fun, relaxed, meaningful, elegant but not expensively, ostentatiously glamourous.
the place looked just fantastic!! i get really happy when i see a lot of pink!
while waiting, my girls and i posed a little in the hotel room.

then it was time to go.
That piece of paper i'm holding is rachel's printed schedule for all of us!
meanwhile the guys were having their own bit of fun
thengyik's the highest! terk's feet are the highest but that's only coz he bent them, hehe. ben looks like he's being sucked up by an alien spaceship
ok this is the end of part 1, part 2 will come later!

starcruise

2008-11-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

our honeymoon was a really luxurious cruise along the straits of malacca. we were on the ship named "gemini" and it was my 2nd time cruising on this ship. the staff were so excellent! from the moment we stepped onto the jetty we felt like we were being treated like VIPs

we didn't expect it but we were upgraded 2 levels up to junior suite! actually there wasn't much difference btwn this room and the one we booked except that now we had a bigger window.
the space between each cabin's door was really narrow so we thought the room would be tiny but it was actually spacious enough for us and it felt so cozy and posh. just being on a ship was great fun! we could feel the waves gently rocking us to sleep sometimes, other times it was really rough and choppy. when the sea was rough the glasses on the tables rattled and clinked.
standing at the ship's helm was great fun too coz you get to feel like you're "flying" with the wind beating on your face and fresh sea air. i especially enjoyed seeing the various types of jellyfish in the water.
of course the glorious food was one thing we'd look forward to everyday, for every meal.

we could choose between the buffet restaurant or the fine dining restaurant everyday. the food at both places were excellent each time! here's gavin's roast duck. he loves duck. i dont like duck though i think they're cute as pets.
here's the dessert aisle at mariner's buffet breakfast was my favourite everyday. here i had eggs benedict, which were poached eggs with a slice of ham on toasted english muffins and hollandaise sauce. it was heavenly! i savoured each bite knowing that it'll be years before i get to have another one of these. the pork sausages were delicuios too, juicy and porky!
of course there was bacon everyday and hash browns. here was one morning where I had the pancakes.
although the room was smaller than your average hotel room it was full of mirrors so it made it seem a lot less "cramped".

the only bad thing about it was that after the 5 days on water, when we finally stepped on land we felt like the ground was floating and moving. the feeling lasted about a week which made me really dizzy and disoriented.

lying

2008-11-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

ystd we went to Enata Digital at Ampang Park and came across the sign saying "40cents per print" for digial photos. we were overjoyed, because the one we usually go to in SS14 charges 60cents.
we asked the lady, just to clarify, "how much to print 4R prints?" and she answered "40cents"

since we were only going to be there for less than an hour, we asked whether it could be done now, since there were no other customers in the shop and she was sitting there doing nothing. she said "ok"

but later when we went to collect the 12 photos, she said it was RM12!! we were shocked, and wondered how it could've come up to that amount. she said because it was "express" it was now RM1 per piece! i was livid because she did not inform us at all, moreover we asked whether it could be processed now, but we didn't ask for the instant photos. so I confronted her and asked why it was RM1 when she earlier said 40cents. she acted stupid and said "i didnt say 40centst". we were really angry so we told this chinese guy whom we thought was the owner/boss/manager but he didnt even bother about us and instead asked her if we'd paid, and when she said yes, he just shrugged and said "too bad".

seruiosly!! i was livid. not only did they lie but didn't even try to make it up to us, the customers! we were tricked and swindled by these theiving, deceitful liars. so please don't ever patronize their shop.

the Bible says it doesn't pay to do evil though.

Ps 1:6 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

did you know that as a consumer, you can complain about goods or services here?

Kavern

2008-11-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

here he is again!!

please pray that he'll be healed once and for all and completely and wholly!

One thing that really touched me was how cheerful and thankful Kavern is all the time, more than I am although he's gone through so much. He says that no matter what, God's never left him and he doesn’t have a doubt in his mind that God loves him so much and will take care of him.

praise God!

no camera= no blogging

2008-10-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

my camera decided to checkout a few months ago and since then i've been left with nothing save for borrowing cameras from family members.
hence the lack of blogging.
recently i came across
the bless shop at midvalley megamall and semua house.

the one at midvalley is tucked behind "the machine shop" at south wing, not noticeable at all except to those going into the lift. nonetheless they're there for a good cause. it sells 2nd hand or some new things donated by people at very cheap prices and all proceeds go toward supporting the poor in Kuala Lumpur as well as a drug rehabilitation ministry by SIB.
do check it out! gavin and i went there and bought some nifty things, all a steal! I also donated some of my old clothes that i cant fit into anymore. they also take shoes, belts, bags, books, jewellery, scarves,toys, anything. watever you donate will be packed or hung up and displayed nicely.
so this is a chance for you to go through your clutter and try to declutter your life while supporting a good cause! also if you feel like shopping for bargains, this is the place!

too bad i dont have a camera or i'd have snapped photos of these shops. the one at semua house is bigger and more comfortable and feels like a real retail outlet. at midalley it feels more like some stand they set up in the empty waiting area by the lifts....

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Recycling and trying to reduce the usage of plastics is what gavin and I strive to go everyday although in malaysia it feels so futile, with every vendor at every stall being so eager to fill your life with plastic bags. yet we press on! I want to encourage all of you to recycle and reduce your waste! especially plastics because

"They clutter landfills. They flap from trees. They float in the breeze. They clog roadside drains. They drift on the high seas. They fill sea turtle bellies.......Once in the environment, it takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to breakdown. As they decompose, tiny toxic bits seep into soils, lakes, rivers, and the oceans"

on our cruise earlier this month we loved looking out the deck for jellyfish and we saw many of them. the ones near penang had long streamers and floated around like ghosts. the ones nearer to port klang were round like mushrooms and glowed a ghostly green. but there were a few times when we THOUGHT we saw a jellyfish but it was actually a plastic bag! imagine what would happen to a turtle if they saw it? that's how a lotta turtles die, from eating what they thought was a jellyfish!

this other article is more sobering, asserting that creating the plastic itself as already the most hazardous thing and no matter what you try to do to recyle or reuse it, the damage has been done so the only way is stop using it altogether.

there're some easy ways to do this. we keep a very big box at the back of the kitchen and put all our plastic bottles and tubs in there. all the soft drink bottles, contact lens solution bottles, shower gels bottles, anything plastic - go into there. then when it's full we drop it off at the recycling centre in SS17. we have another bag for tin cans, and one for glass. it doesn't take that much effort.

another way to reduce the use of plastic is by bringing your own canvas bags when you go shopping, even to pasar malams. most places would allow you to do this, except mydin which to me is the most environmentally unfriendly hypermarket EVER!! they put every single item you buy into a plastic bag, even a thumb sized piece of ginger!! and they wouldn't let us bring in your canvas bags. horrible! but well, even if you don't have a canvas bag, you can just bring your own plastic bags. every home has too many plastic bags everywhere, so just bring your own when you go shopping so that you dont have to use more.

there! i hope this helped a little bit. if you want to reduce production of plastics, stop buying soft drinks {hehe] it'll be good for you and the environment.
also, only buy what you need. I find that we have too much "stuff" that we don't use. hence my cleaning up of my clutter and trying to donate it to a good cause. I will expound on that more soon, till then,

reuse, reduce, recycle!

married life

2008-10-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

these days I've been sleeping earlier and getting up earlier because of gavin. i like making him breakfast and see him off to work. of course this arrangement is only for now, while im working at night and he in the mornings. perhaps in future i'll be off to work in the mornings too. who knows?

this is a particularly meaningful blogpost which i THINK was about gavin and i. if not, it's meaningful anyway.

a few people have asked "how's married life?"
I dont quite know how to answer. it's quite like life before I was married. the only difference now is that I have a roomate and this means that i can't just fall asleep whenever I please, because i'm a light sleeper and i need total darkness and he likes reading in bed with the lights on.
also it means we get to save petrol since he doesn't have to drive me home every night. hehe

the wedding cake

2008-10-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

i blogged a bit about the food on our cruise and the wedding cake here!

photos

2008-10-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

here're hwok lok's photos from my wedding!

we're still waiting for the ones from creativeclicks.
anyway,
we just got back from the honeymoon...it was so great!
however after being on a ship for 6 days... we now feel that the ground is moving and it makes me dizzy.
i was about to faint yesterday while teaching the kids esp coz one kid kept jumping up and down!

just a bit here and there first la

2008-10-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

hwoklok took pics! here's daddy looking VERY happy......

i LOVED the pink chuppah, it was so perfect... gavin made the poles and stands, ben helped put up the cloth and terk apparently pinned on the flowers. of cousre my whole decorations team did such a great job! especially the fairy lights. it was so beautiful, i loved how unique it is and how there isn't one like it any where in the city!
the veil was cut my gavin, and my mum sewed on the lace edging.
it was indeed one of the happiest days of my life..i couldnt stop smiling till my cheeks ached afterwards...
my wedding cake was just so unique and gorgeous with chocolate fudgy cupcakes made by my mum, and the top tier was a butter pound cake made by ben and adeline. the stand was made by gav and yuenching arranged it all very splendidly! I just love it when things are home/handmade because they're so much more meaningful that way that store bought.

ok will blog more when more pics show up

slideshow

2008-10-05T00:15:00.000-07:00

here's the slideshow of the wedding prepared by my photographers, darren and sze.

the photos aren't ready yet though! so i cant really blog about it...yet!
tmr's the honeymoon. we're going on starcruise! yay

still not yet...

2008-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

im still too "busy" to blog about the wedding so here're some links to others who did:

carol

soo soos

i had such a great time

2008-09-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

i will blog about the wedding soon

but for now, here's a pic of one of my wedding presents. it's "naughty dice" [trademarked by yuenching] im sure none of u need the directions to this game...

cookie cutter

2008-09-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

i've been putting ben to work ever since he arrived this morning. everyone loves photographing the waterfuall outside. it looks prettier in his photos than it does in reality.

a muddy coloured frog that was sooo lethargic. it didnt move after being poked countless of times so i picked him up and tried to drown him in the water. he crawled right up. for a frog, he didnt seem to like the water that much.
these three are so talented that if u'd just walked in and heard them play, u'd never have realized that they're not at their respective instruments!
last sat gav and i went for his friend's wedding. they looked so happy together . that's what i want too, just to be happy on that day together, appreciating each moment together, not stressed or rushed.
----------------------------------

The term "cookie-cutter", when used as a noun or adjective, can also mean "lack of originality or distinction" ^[1], a reference to the uniformity that results from the use of a cookie cutter.

----------------

the thing i despised most was "being like everybody else" so i went through great lengths to be original. but at the end of the day, i realized that just like everybody else, im getting married because i want to be with this guy I love, forever.

as long as i get to do that, i'll be happy.

thank you all

2008-09-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

thank you all
thanks for praying for kavern. he's now at HUKM and hopefully will be operated on soon! here's a photo of him and gavin from 2006....
right now we're praying that his eye will be saved., but most importantly of course is that his life will be saved. thanks for your contributions and prayers and support! God has really blessed us and provided everything we needed...

killing mozzies

2008-09-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

that's us decapitating a mozzie. that's one of our favourite things to do [killing mozzies]
everyday we get bitten by these bloodsucking vampire bugs, even after sprayinig on the repellent! they are unafraid! please somebody come up with an idea to kill them!

mundane, everyday.

2008-09-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

eating at "chuan" teacheow porridge place in ss14 has always been a regular affair.
the food is relatively cheap and you get a taste something "almost" homemade. plus there's free soup.

we ordered the fried fish with black bean sauce and onions [very tasty] the spinach [i love spinach] and the fried pork. the szechuan style eggplant was really good too with bits of dried shrimp i think.these salty things are perfect with plain porridge.

now for a bit of shameless advertising. right here in our home we have this very eligible bachelor who's not afraid of taking care of his health nor getting his hands dirty helping out around the house! here's terk doing a bit of domestic stuff. he's slicing dragon fruit for us. yummy purple antioxidants! we had it with the dragonfruit enzyme drink here. needless to say the next day we were shitting purple.
speaking of purple, these are random shots by matt.this strawberry flavoured wheaty cereal made the milk all sweet and pink. yummy.
walter sleeping.

tokyo nights

2008-09-12T02:17:00.000-07:00

Rachel JUST sent me the pics and i JUST COULDN'T WAIT to share them on my blog!!!!
this one was taken while billions of mozzies were swirling around our ankles

the title has nothing to do with anything. just a song from utada hikaru that's playing in my head.
I was telling gav about how my friends think he's really great and he said "what's the use. not like i can make money out of it"

on the contrary! it says in proverbs 22:1
A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

-------------------
this new blog is harder to maneuver than MSN spaces. im such a HTML dummy

i've moved blogs

2008-09-09T00:16:00.001-07:00

here's my new home.

dont ask why.
im bad at HTML and haven't a clue about how to make this space look 'me"
i just had to run away from stalkers at the old place. im sure some of u might understand.

wedding posts

2008-09-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so blessed to have a team of great people who gave of themselves and their time and their talent in helping me out!!!

i love you all!!! {muaks}

here're the lovely angels hard at work.

this pretty elf is surely in the running for "homemaker of the year' award.

charlene made yummy hotdogs for lunch. the macho hairy guy in the blue shirt made himself very useful as well, helping to stir the cookie batter and ferry my mum around that day.

the ooi bros surely put their muscles into good use!

look at him go!!

cookie cutting time! I didn't have to tell them what to do. it's as if they magically acquired the skills!

sealing team at work!

thank you ALL for helping us out!! I don't know what I would've done without you girls! [and 3 guys] :D

I hate going to KL because it's so congested, noisy, polluted and crowded. this day was no exception... but we had to go there to buy more wedding stuff. the KTM we tried to take was stalled 4 times and it took us an hour to get there from subang!

sigh. anyway this is the place to go to get cloth and wedding stuff.

lotsa lotsa shops selling the same things!!

bunga reben. my fav shop to buy ribbons, beads and sewing stuff.

i want an arch like this, does anyone know where to get one? please!?

I like malay wedding gowns SO much better than those from Chinese shops. really!! they're the only ones who can make gowns that don’t reveal the shoulders/arms. they make the bride look so elegant and sweet without having to reveal too much skin. i couldn't even find ONE evening gown in a chinese owned bridal boutique or formal gown boutique that covered my arms and i don't like revealing my arms! those strapless/sleeveless ones are only suitable for those skinny/ thin girls and i couldn't find anything suitable although i went to so many shops. so in the end i opted for a bespoke dress.

all those chinese salesgirls tried to tell me that i MUST wear a strapless gown in order to look elegant and it's absolutely necessary and if i don’t i'll look bad. but the fact is that you CAN look elegant and attractive without having to reveal too much flesh!

bukit bintang at night. so many people. so much commercialism and consumerism and hedonism. gav and i agreed we'd had enough of those to last a month!

idiosyncrasies

I knew gav was a hoarder bfore i said "i will" but i didnt know he was a real life monica [from friends]

we were putting on his bedsheet today and as i was about to tuck the edges under the mattress, he stopped me and said we have to flip it. but why??? i thought.

apparently the motif on the sheet had teddy bears on the ground and stars in the sky and he says that when you walk into the room and see the bears, they have to be at the "bottom" of the bed, where he puts his feet because obviously the stars are up in the sky where his head is!!!!

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he says he doesn't want to see an upside down bear!!

if you were to ask me what is the single most influential thing on my views toward weddings/marriage it would have to be this chapter in one of my favourite books, "little women" by Louisa May Alcott.

In many ways, I see myself in Meg most of all. Perhaps a little rebellious like Jo, homely like Beth, maybe a bit vain like Amy. but most of all, Meg. a romantic at heart, trying to be responsible as an eldest daughter should, loving yet sometimes selfish.

"Meg had spent the time in working as well as waiting, growing womanly in character, wise in housewifery arts, and prettier than ever; for love is a great beautifier. She had her girlish ambitions and hopes, and felt some disappointment at the humble way in which the new life must begin. Ned Moffat had just married Sallie Gardiner, and Meg couldn't help contrasting their fine house and carriage, many gifts, and splendid outfit, with her own, and secretly wishing she could have the same. But somehow envy and discontent vanished when she thought of all the patient love and labour John had put into the little home awaiting her; and when they sat together in the twilight talking over their small plans, she felt herself the richest, happiest girl in Christendom."
"...Meg looked very like a rose herself for all that was best and sweetest in heart and soul seemed to bloom in to her face that day, making it fair and tender, with a charm more beautiful than beauty. Neither silk, lace, nor orange flowers would she have. 'I don't want to look strange or fixed up to-day,' she said; 'I don't want a fashionable wedding, but only those about me whom I love, and to them I wish to look, and be, my familiar self.'"
"...and Meg opened her arms to her sisters, who clung about her with April faces for a minute, feeling that the new love had not changed the old"
"I'm not a show, aunty, and no one is coming to stare at me, to criticize my dress, or count the cost of my luncheon. I'm too happy to care what anyone says or thinks, and I'm going to have my little wedding just as I like it."

after the wedding, Sallie [the rich girl] commented to her husband:

"That is the prettiest wedding I've been to for an age, Ned, and I don't see why, for there wasn't a bit of style about it..."

dont you just LOVE MY INVITES!!!!! Rachel's design!!! wheeee!!!!

there are some times when you're all pumped up and full of bubbly cheery "happy" and can think of 101 reasons to feel alive.
others, you're too tired to try to convince yourself that u should be happy.

this is one of the latter times. [don't continue reading if you're not interested in listening to me feeling sorry for myself]

ever since i was ...maybe 15-16, i knew i wanted a garden wedding. i had it all planned in my mind... fairy lights, candles, flower petals, organza drapes.
pink and brown flags. when gavin made a proposal i couldn't refuse, it was all finally coming to reality, all these dreams and fantasies.
i wanted a small, intimate and personal wedding, surrounded only by our closest friends who truly loved and cared about us.

so, i wanted 2 things
1. small, intimate, personal
2. garden

however the parents wanted a huge dinner where you invite every single person you'd met ever since you were born. so, to reconcile these 2 differing expectations, we decided to have 2 celebrations. one, the ceremony that would be in a garden, with only120 of our closest friends. all the other people who didn't konw us personally and who'd only come to give my parents "face" would go to the chinese dinner. this sounded like a plan that would suit both our wishes. so we had a "friend" who said we could use his garden. i thought everything was so perfect and i was so happy about it.

little did i konw that a few months later he'd go completely insane and was absolutely uncontactable for weeks. phone off, didnt reply emails although i emailed asking about things and telling him about our plans to have a meeting to plan the wedding. absolutely nothing. this person wouldn't talk t anyone at all so we realized he was not going to return to be our "friend" about 2 mths before the wedding.
as the malays say,

"kalau nak tolong pun, hati tak ikhlas" [translation: whats the use of your good deeds if your heart is not sincere nor willing?]

i wasn't about to spend the most impt day of my life at someone's house who isnt willing and doesn't even want to act civil to me, much less be a helpful and willing friend. i didnt want to spend the whole day thinking about how he's probably sulking somewhere in a corner. it would totally ruin the experience for me.
so we sought another place.
but since it was in such short notice all the places with gardens had been fully booked for the next 10 mths.

finally we found a place.... that looked good. although it was an expensive place, we quickly paid the deposit for fear of losing it...because this garden wedding meant so much to me. gavin just wanted to grant me this one thing that was so close to my heart... i really really wanted a garden wedding, so much.

but when we finally went there to see the "Garden" we found that it was nothing more than gravel and sand, with no grass. it was so ugly.
dejected, we settled for having it indoors inside the restaurant after all. but really...if we'd known we would've just settled for church coz it wasn't gonna be a garden anyway but we'd already paid the deposit, and printed the invitations so what could we do?

so now, we have to pay for 2 expensive dinners, but still no garden.
if we'd known earlier that all this was gonna happen, we would've just settled for having it in church, at least it would've been cheaper... all this has sent our expenditure through the ROOF.

sigh.................

all i wanted was a simple garden wedding... i didn't want to be extravagant so i opted for very budget things..my dress costs only RM200, we didnt opt for a studio photography package bcoz it was too expensive...my shoes, only RM24.90. i wanted a simple garden thing that didnt cost much ... and yet, it was not to be. a series of bad bad bad decisions, trusting the wrong people.............
now we're going to end up spending more than the average malaysian chinese couple's wedding.

feel so tired and so frustrated and so fed up of it all right now.

throughout the hard times in the many months leading up to the wedding, Gavin's always been there with me, feeling my joy and my pain and my frustrations. throughout all of it he was always supportive and encouraging and reassuring, and its so good knowing that there's that one person who wants to make me happy. I know God will still come through for us despite all the setbacks and at the end of it all, im' really really thankful that i'm marrying gavin. that to me is already the most priceless thing ever...
and no one makes me happier than he does.

i will be rejoicing on that day, not bcoz the decorations looked perfect or that the people are enjoying themselves eating caviar canapes, but bcoz i'm marrying the best husband i could ever dream of.

the mourning is for one of the carps in the pond who passed away today. the tadpoles starting eating its flesh. poor Fabian the fish. he was a good fish....

anti commercialist wedding

2008-09-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

1. prepare for the circumstances you didn't prepare for

2. give each other personal space to do your own stuff otherwise nothing will get done!

3. keep reminding oneself that it is not a "show" nor is it an opportunity to "show off" your "riches" or whatever. I started out with this mindset but later the media, magazines, Internet sites, mum, family members and friends kept drumming the idea into my head that I've to get the best, the most expensive, be the most beautiful I can be, image image image, what will people think??

I wanted to wear this simple pearl necklace that was probably RM25 but mum insisted that I HAD to get something expensive instead.

I wanted to have a simple dress but my aunt was convinced that I'd be making a HUGE mistake because expensive is BETTER! she was SOO concerned that out of her concern she decided to take me out shopping for an expensive dress.

the truth is, who'd be looking at my necklace or judging my dress? it's a celebration of our love and i want THAT to stand out more than anything else.

all this commercialism and consumerism has taken away from the real meaning of the wedding day, which is to pledge one's love for the other, as long as one lives. I imagine that many brides spend the whole day thinking "do i look perfect?? do i look fat? is my makeup alright?" instead of revelling in the romance of the moment.

Gav and I have decided to enjoy this day to the fullest, and take our time to enjoy it, in the way that we'd most enjoy it. I wont force myself into an uncomfortable, too tight gown or a tight corset or be worried about whether my hair will get messed up if people hug me. I won't wear too-high heels that i can't walk properly in. I want to be completely comfortable and completely at ease so I can move about and enjoy myself as I please. I won't be stressed out about what my guests about not serving alcohol. "how can? later people will say you're not high class" - said my dad. who cares? people are not here to criticize my dress or the food.

also, I won't let anything spoil my mood for the day. no matter what happens, nothing can take away from the most impt fact that we're celebrating, namely the fact that gavin and i love each other and we're going to declare that in front of our family and friends. so, even if any "unforeseen" circumstance occurs, we'll carry on and be happy.

p.s. this dress was made by a very talented tailor, miss kee from happy garden. it's not keith kee, but i'm perfectly happy with it.

ugh

2008-04-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

i dont like this blog bcoz i dont know HTML so my pgae looks like shit