Changed da house,
Changed da look.
BTW, my bathrobe's usually pink
and we don't have a fireplace.
Other than that,
it's pretty accurate...
Psst...click the words above to navigate.
Best viewed, unfortunately, in Internet Explorer.
Friday, November 26, 2004
~ Two's company. Try 97. ~
It's one thing to plan a wedding in Singapore when all your guests are a 20-minute drive away from the church/hotel. It's quite another story when you're in a foreign land, planning for a wedding where half of your guests are not even local.
I speak for Tony and I that the real reason we seem relatively stress-free in our wedding planning is that our family/extended relatives aren't in town... yet. That state of affairs will be changing soon and while we recognise that weddings are ALL about family and friends surrounding the couple, I'm confident that any wedding couple secretly swears most of the *situations* that arise are about family and friends, likewise.
I'd like to emphasise at this juncture that I am looking forward to everyone coming in, starting in a week and a half. The fun of staring gooey-eyed at each other as we putter around wedding stuff alone is starting to wear a bit thin, without the hysteria of other loved ones to add crazy joy and excitement to the upcoming event. Half the fun of celebrating a relationship, after all, is the community to celebrate it with.
Having said that, where there is more than one mistress, there is bound to be more than one school of thought in any given matter. I had a telephone conversation and I already have a strong whiff of things ahead. There's always 'the right way to do things', and then there's 'the right way to do things according to X'. And then there's 'conventional wisdom' according to nobody-really-knows, and an expression of concern or mild appallment when the bridal couple does not concur with the conventional wisdom of nobody-really-knows. Then there's the concern about the number of offended parties possibly resulting from the rejection of chosen slice of conventional wisdom, and finally - this part I hate the most - the reluctant admission that it's ultimately the bridal couple's choice. This is usually tinged with the vague and annoying sense of shrugging one's shoulders in resigned helplessness, and waiting for the couple to fantastically screw up.
Usually, what happens here is that I call Tony at work, give him the run-down, he goes "What?!" and I wail "I KNOW!" and then we give a huge sigh... and inevitably work towards giving in to said conventional wisdom. Why? Because it's ultimately easier to put ourselves out than to face the vague sense of I-would-have-done-it-differently and tsk-tsking for weeks.
Weddings are SUCH a joy, are they not?
I speak for Tony and I that the real reason we seem relatively stress-free in our wedding planning is that our family/extended relatives aren't in town... yet. That state of affairs will be changing soon and while we recognise that weddings are ALL about family and friends surrounding the couple, I'm confident that any wedding couple secretly swears most of the *situations* that arise are about family and friends, likewise.
I'd like to emphasise at this juncture that I am looking forward to everyone coming in, starting in a week and a half. The fun of staring gooey-eyed at each other as we putter around wedding stuff alone is starting to wear a bit thin, without the hysteria of other loved ones to add crazy joy and excitement to the upcoming event. Half the fun of celebrating a relationship, after all, is the community to celebrate it with.
Having said that, where there is more than one mistress, there is bound to be more than one school of thought in any given matter. I had a telephone conversation and I already have a strong whiff of things ahead. There's always 'the right way to do things', and then there's 'the right way to do things according to X'. And then there's 'conventional wisdom' according to nobody-really-knows, and an expression of concern or mild appallment when the bridal couple does not concur with the conventional wisdom of nobody-really-knows. Then there's the concern about the number of offended parties possibly resulting from the rejection of chosen slice of conventional wisdom, and finally - this part I hate the most - the reluctant admission that it's ultimately the bridal couple's choice. This is usually tinged with the vague and annoying sense of shrugging one's shoulders in resigned helplessness, and waiting for the couple to fantastically screw up.
Usually, what happens here is that I call Tony at work, give him the run-down, he goes "What?!" and I wail "I KNOW!" and then we give a huge sigh... and inevitably work towards giving in to said conventional wisdom. Why? Because it's ultimately easier to put ourselves out than to face the vague sense of I-would-have-done-it-differently and tsk-tsking for weeks.
Weddings are SUCH a joy, are they not?
Monday, November 22, 2004
~ Hyatt Hiatus ~
It’s not too often that I get to have high tea at a chi-chi establishment, so today was a real treat in itself. Cathy, the Centre manager decided to toast her wonderful staff of 2004 by treating us to afternoon tea at the Hyatt Hotel, which really seems to resemble the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in its old money grandeur, just reeking of good breeding and generations of esteemed horse riders, cricket players, lawn bowlers and women smothered in lace and silk ruffles, with genteel parasols never meant to meet the rain.
And here’s Cathy, with her motley crew of six, cheerfully disturbing the peace and scoffing hors d'oeuvres with their barbaric, bare hands. Good fun.
The topic of weddings came up after the announcement of upcoming nuptials on my end, and the rest of the crew got to hear of Cathy’s wedding in 2000. I’d already heard the story, but I really enjoyed hearing it again because it’s in many ways just horribly fun, and very, very Cathy.
Cathy, you have to understand, is a very bright nutter. I think the most defining attribute about her is that she loves people. Everyone starts with her as Darling and ends as Gorgeous. She’s got a laugh that shakes the building and she is extremely tongue in cheek. When teaching a course on Communication Tradition, she found she had to condense the medieval period, the Enlightenment, post-modernism, Freud, Nietzsche, Darwin etc. within about 8-9 weeks. The only way she could find an enduring strand in the myriad of philosophies was to relate each school of thought to sex. So she did. Freud was easy. By the time she came to the Enlightenment however, it became quite a circus. But that’s Cathy. She is a very charismatic and talented ringmaster, and everyone loves her for it. She is a kick-ass boss, to boot.
So it’s no surprise to all of us that her wedding would have been quite a spectacle in its own right. First of all, she held it on her family’s farm in Yass, which is a small town near Sydney. That meant she had to arrange the transport of everything, from freezers to the reception tables and crockery, out to the farm from Sydney. As it was also wont to be a full-on party, she had to arrange accommodation for every guest because they were all going to be falling-down drunk by the end of it.
Nick and Cathy had envisioned their wedding to walk the very thin line between finesse and absolute tackiness. Her wedding invites consisted of a set of 6 postcards of Yass in gaudy pinks and oranges, with the first one of her and Nick sitting on the front porch of the house – her with curlers in her hair and a cigarette sticking out the side of her mouth, and him looking less for wear himself.
Him: You wanna?
Her: Yup.
The rest of the postcards looked like the usual tourist tripe of Yass, except Cathy and Nick were also bouncing around, blowing kisses at each other.
The best part would have to be the furniture, though. Cathy had hired old props from the Sydney Opera House and just strewn them all over her paddock. It was therefore a mash of chaise lounges (upon which her grandma lazed on), huge sunflower seats and gigantuan seashell chairs, amongst others. If it had rained – and it didn’t – she wouldn’t have had a hope in the world of using them. I am dying to see the photos.
Her guests were understandably confused by the invites, and didn’t know whether to dress up for a hoe down or not. I don’t think it mattered, because there wasn’t a chance that any outfit would have been appropriate. The bride and groom wore a gold frock and a suit respectively, although the bride did arrive with aplomb. Her rather inebriated sister drove her in on a ute (the vehicle, not the tribesman) and promptly lost the groom’s ring. Altogether memorable.
It’s a wedding I’d love to have been a part of, but would never want as my own because neither Tony nor I would ever be able to pull that off with any measure of finesse and recklessness. Out of all the weddings I’ve heard and read about, this one would really have to take the cake.
And here’s Cathy, with her motley crew of six, cheerfully disturbing the peace and scoffing hors d'oeuvres with their barbaric, bare hands. Good fun.
The topic of weddings came up after the announcement of upcoming nuptials on my end, and the rest of the crew got to hear of Cathy’s wedding in 2000. I’d already heard the story, but I really enjoyed hearing it again because it’s in many ways just horribly fun, and very, very Cathy.
Cathy, you have to understand, is a very bright nutter. I think the most defining attribute about her is that she loves people. Everyone starts with her as Darling and ends as Gorgeous. She’s got a laugh that shakes the building and she is extremely tongue in cheek. When teaching a course on Communication Tradition, she found she had to condense the medieval period, the Enlightenment, post-modernism, Freud, Nietzsche, Darwin etc. within about 8-9 weeks. The only way she could find an enduring strand in the myriad of philosophies was to relate each school of thought to sex. So she did. Freud was easy. By the time she came to the Enlightenment however, it became quite a circus. But that’s Cathy. She is a very charismatic and talented ringmaster, and everyone loves her for it. She is a kick-ass boss, to boot.
So it’s no surprise to all of us that her wedding would have been quite a spectacle in its own right. First of all, she held it on her family’s farm in Yass, which is a small town near Sydney. That meant she had to arrange the transport of everything, from freezers to the reception tables and crockery, out to the farm from Sydney. As it was also wont to be a full-on party, she had to arrange accommodation for every guest because they were all going to be falling-down drunk by the end of it.
Nick and Cathy had envisioned their wedding to walk the very thin line between finesse and absolute tackiness. Her wedding invites consisted of a set of 6 postcards of Yass in gaudy pinks and oranges, with the first one of her and Nick sitting on the front porch of the house – her with curlers in her hair and a cigarette sticking out the side of her mouth, and him looking less for wear himself.
Her: Yup.
The rest of the postcards looked like the usual tourist tripe of Yass, except Cathy and Nick were also bouncing around, blowing kisses at each other.
The best part would have to be the furniture, though. Cathy had hired old props from the Sydney Opera House and just strewn them all over her paddock. It was therefore a mash of chaise lounges (upon which her grandma lazed on), huge sunflower seats and gigantuan seashell chairs, amongst others. If it had rained – and it didn’t – she wouldn’t have had a hope in the world of using them. I am dying to see the photos.
Her guests were understandably confused by the invites, and didn’t know whether to dress up for a hoe down or not. I don’t think it mattered, because there wasn’t a chance that any outfit would have been appropriate. The bride and groom wore a gold frock and a suit respectively, although the bride did arrive with aplomb. Her rather inebriated sister drove her in on a ute (the vehicle, not the tribesman) and promptly lost the groom’s ring. Altogether memorable.
It’s a wedding I’d love to have been a part of, but would never want as my own because neither Tony nor I would ever be able to pull that off with any measure of finesse and recklessness. Out of all the weddings I’ve heard and read about, this one would really have to take the cake.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
~ Update, for want of a better title ~
Okay, so I'm now at Aileen's place and have moved out of my pad.
I estimate that it took a total of about 20 hours to pack everything and move them to the corresponding houses. Pretty good, considering I was still working 3 days last week and was running around afternoons and nights doing wedding stuff. Here's what we've done this week:
Here's a pretty sight: Tony's presently sitting in the garden polishing his work shoes, while I'm typing you guys. Suddenly, I have a flash of me watching my grandpa polish his shoes, when I was a wee lass. How uncannily familiar...
I took SO MANY pics of my house and bedroom before I finally left my pad in Bruce. Unfortunately, I can't load my pics at present and anyways, they won't mean too much to you because it's really just a stark bedroom in the cool light of day, that's all I got. Being at Aileen's might mean that I won't get to blog nearly as often because I'm not too sure about her internet connection or her phoneline at present. I'll endeavour to write up draft copies on my laptop, and then cut and paste whenever I have the use of Tony's computer on the weekends. It's a pity really, as this would be pretty much crunch time for blogging/wailing/rejoicing/etc.
Having said that, I love being at Aileen's... she's like the English-speaking grandma I never had, and it's been a while since I've been answerable to another adult in the house. I plan to dust out her rice cooker and do some curries in the coming weeks. Should be fun.
I estimate that it took a total of about 20 hours to pack everything and move them to the corresponding houses. Pretty good, considering I was still working 3 days last week and was running around afternoons and nights doing wedding stuff. Here's what we've done this week:
- Packed and moved a few boxes everyday to Tony's
- Organised a Moving Out Party that had a small turn out, but it was nice and intimate. Lots of pizzas because I could NOT be bothered to cook, on top of everything else
- Checked out the reception venue with person doing drinks; sorted out PA (they can't do it), manpower from reception place (they can't do it) and clean-up procedure.
- Got the violinist and the piano/guitar player together to test out some songs for the wedding march and other stuff in between. Finally settled on the march. Can't type out the name as yet because I don't really know which prelude of Bach's it is, except it's got an overriding melody line written in by Schumann. Or was it Schubert?
- Cleaned the house for the final time, getting room ready for inspection
- Moved to Aileen's and settled in; did 2 crossword puzzles with her and now I think I'm hooked
- Homemade Sri Lankan Dinner with Van Reyks
- Lunch with Master of Ceremonies where we sorted out the order of proceedings once and for all
Here's a pretty sight: Tony's presently sitting in the garden polishing his work shoes, while I'm typing you guys. Suddenly, I have a flash of me watching my grandpa polish his shoes, when I was a wee lass. How uncannily familiar...
I took SO MANY pics of my house and bedroom before I finally left my pad in Bruce. Unfortunately, I can't load my pics at present and anyways, they won't mean too much to you because it's really just a stark bedroom in the cool light of day, that's all I got. Being at Aileen's might mean that I won't get to blog nearly as often because I'm not too sure about her internet connection or her phoneline at present. I'll endeavour to write up draft copies on my laptop, and then cut and paste whenever I have the use of Tony's computer on the weekends. It's a pity really, as this would be pretty much crunch time for blogging/wailing/rejoicing/etc.
Having said that, I love being at Aileen's... she's like the English-speaking grandma I never had, and it's been a while since I've been answerable to another adult in the house. I plan to dust out her rice cooker and do some curries in the coming weeks. Should be fun.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
~ 4 weeks, 2 days ~
ONE MORE MONTH!
Amidst the packing and the dashing between friends and suppliers over wedding details and the catching up with departing chums and the moving and the church stuff and the University work and the cuddling of the fiance (that's always fun), I've managed to sit back today and just marvel at the fact that it's One More Month until I change my name.
Got a letter from Andrea today and she had written out my future married-name in full (albeit incorrectly, but it's a common mistake) and I just stared at it for a while with mixed feelings. It's one thing to change my surname to Tan or Quek (Heh heh. Quek. That always makes me laugh)... but attaching my already rather exotic first name to something as foreign as H------ really takes some getting used to. It's such a fully ang moh name, you know? And I'm so NOT ang moh, despite how some people might regard my seemingly less orthodox 'Chinese' outlook in life. I maintain, however, that just because I can't speak broken Singaporean Mandarin fluently, that doesn't automatically render me Westernised. If anything, being in Australia has helped me understand exactly how Eastern I am, so there - HAH!
Sore point. Moving along...
ONE MORE MONTH! And we're not any closer to finding a honeymoon spot:
VELLE
Amidst the packing and the dashing between friends and suppliers over wedding details and the catching up with departing chums and the moving and the church stuff and the University work and the cuddling of the fiance (that's always fun), I've managed to sit back today and just marvel at the fact that it's One More Month until I change my name.
Got a letter from Andrea today and she had written out my future married-name in full (albeit incorrectly, but it's a common mistake) and I just stared at it for a while with mixed feelings. It's one thing to change my surname to Tan or Quek (Heh heh. Quek. That always makes me laugh)... but attaching my already rather exotic first name to something as foreign as H------ really takes some getting used to. It's such a fully ang moh name, you know? And I'm so NOT ang moh, despite how some people might regard my seemingly less orthodox 'Chinese' outlook in life. I maintain, however, that just because I can't speak broken Singaporean Mandarin fluently, that doesn't automatically render me Westernised. If anything, being in Australia has helped me understand exactly how Eastern I am, so there - HAH!
Sore point. Moving along...
ONE MORE MONTH! And we're not any closer to finding a honeymoon spot:
TONY
How about we sign up for
the Amazing Race as a couple?
VELLE
You're kidding, right?
TONY
(expectantly)
...
VELLE
You're serious?
You're serious?
(pause)
Um... I'm not sure if I can do the whole
jump-off-a-cliff-and-then-eat-worms deal.
TONY
Nah, we don't have to be competitive!
We'll just let the rest run around and
then we'll just... stroll about and enjoy
the place!
VELLE
You do realise that we'll probably get
kicked out in the first round, right?
TONY
Oh, you mean they kick you out?
(pause)
Okay, I guess we'll have to be
competitive then.
(pause)
But man! With you, we'll just breeze through
Asia compared to the rest of them! We'll be
in (Thailand) and when the taxi (tuk tuk) tries
to take us to some tourist trap, we can yell,
"WAH LAU!!! I TOLD YOU, NO GOLD SHOP!
NO GOLD SHOP!"
I love that man. He makes me laugh.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
~ Much ado about nothing much ~
The pace is definitely picking up with the wedding planning.
But first up, a warm congratulations to Tony's sister, as she just got engaged! I haven't met her yet, and already there's so much to talk about when she finally makes her way to Canberra next month. After meeting Tony this afternoon to recce the reception venue one more time (but this time with Kerry), I had an hour free in Civic before my next appointment, which I spent walking around bookshops looking for the ideal Engagement card and a wedding planning journal. Finally got the former, but the latter made a very expensive gift. The one I was absolutely drooling over cost AUD$39.95. It was gorgeous and I really wish I had found it way back (no use getting it now, since it's only a month - A MONTH! - away) but since I didn't, I'm hoping at least to give it to someone else.
I comfort myself by the fact that such a journal is more ideal for weddings with a 6 month - 1 year engagement. A short engagement such as ours would not justify the cost of the planning journal. Or so I tell myself repeatedly.
I'm SUCH a sucker for pretty stationery.
I also met up with Liam, my colleague from the Centre where I work in Uni. He's doing the filming of the entire wedding, and after today's meeting, we're both brimming with possibilities. I'm practically bursting at the seams to write all about it here - but I won't. What I absolutely love about this wedding is that Tony is in total agreement about making this a wedding that really suits our personalities - and once I pitched the ideas Liam and I came up with, he fell hook line and sinker, and is all up for it. GOSH, I love that man!
It seems almost scandalous to say this, but I'm FINALLY feeling really, really hyper about the wedding after the meeting with Liam. I suspect it has a lot more to do with the creative element. I do so love a project within a project, and aside from the design of the wedding invitations, RSVP reminders and the wedding programme, this is another one of the little details that really get my adenaline going because it's so US. I'm also over the moon that Tony's as revved about it as I am. We're quite, quite stoked. This is major fun.
I'm so sorry you guys have to read these never-ending hyperboles about nothing in great detail, and have me go on and on about wedding frou-frous... I just read Celina's blog about her trip to the Maldives and man, that's just more interesting because it's varied, you know? But yah... I'm mildly aware that I'm in great danger of turning into One Of Those Brides, with the obsession about the flowers, and the ribbons, and the champagne flutes, and the ivory white swans that will swim about in the water recess in the garden, and the doves that will be released into the sky after we've exchanged our vows, and the horse and carriage that will carry us off into the sunset ala Pride and Prejudice, and the dry ice so that it looks like we're having a wedding in heaven. But gimme a break. It's 1 month, 2 days to my wedding day and I've finally cottoned on that I'm an excited bride. It's news for me, man! I'm a slow learner.
But first up, a warm congratulations to Tony's sister, as she just got engaged! I haven't met her yet, and already there's so much to talk about when she finally makes her way to Canberra next month. After meeting Tony this afternoon to recce the reception venue one more time (but this time with Kerry), I had an hour free in Civic before my next appointment, which I spent walking around bookshops looking for the ideal Engagement card and a wedding planning journal. Finally got the former, but the latter made a very expensive gift. The one I was absolutely drooling over cost AUD$39.95. It was gorgeous and I really wish I had found it way back (no use getting it now, since it's only a month - A MONTH! - away) but since I didn't, I'm hoping at least to give it to someone else.
I comfort myself by the fact that such a journal is more ideal for weddings with a 6 month - 1 year engagement. A short engagement such as ours would not justify the cost of the planning journal. Or so I tell myself repeatedly.
I'm SUCH a sucker for pretty stationery.
I also met up with Liam, my colleague from the Centre where I work in Uni. He's doing the filming of the entire wedding, and after today's meeting, we're both brimming with possibilities. I'm practically bursting at the seams to write all about it here - but I won't. What I absolutely love about this wedding is that Tony is in total agreement about making this a wedding that really suits our personalities - and once I pitched the ideas Liam and I came up with, he fell hook line and sinker, and is all up for it. GOSH, I love that man!
It seems almost scandalous to say this, but I'm FINALLY feeling really, really hyper about the wedding after the meeting with Liam. I suspect it has a lot more to do with the creative element. I do so love a project within a project, and aside from the design of the wedding invitations, RSVP reminders and the wedding programme, this is another one of the little details that really get my adenaline going because it's so US. I'm also over the moon that Tony's as revved about it as I am. We're quite, quite stoked. This is major fun.
I'm so sorry you guys have to read these never-ending hyperboles about nothing in great detail, and have me go on and on about wedding frou-frous... I just read Celina's blog about her trip to the Maldives and man, that's just more interesting because it's varied, you know? But yah... I'm mildly aware that I'm in great danger of turning into One Of Those Brides, with the obsession about the flowers, and the ribbons, and the champagne flutes, and the ivory white swans that will swim about in the water recess in the garden, and the doves that will be released into the sky after we've exchanged our vows, and the horse and carriage that will carry us off into the sunset ala Pride and Prejudice, and the dry ice so that it looks like we're having a wedding in heaven. But gimme a break. It's 1 month, 2 days to my wedding day and I've finally cottoned on that I'm an excited bride. It's news for me, man! I'm a slow learner.
Monday, November 15, 2004
~ Phonecall ~
Phone rings.
Tony
Tony
Hi... having a good day?
Me
Me
Yes - no - I dunno...
Tony
Tony
(starts chuckling)
Me
Me
Bush-Kerry elections, and some interesting
correlational stats. Do you know that
Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate
out of all the states in America?
Tony
Really?
Me
Me
And that the bible belt has the highest?!
Tony
Tony
REALLY?
Me
Me
The reasons given are that people
in the bible belt tend to marry too
young and have lower family incomes
as a result and tend not to be as
highly educated.
Tony
Tony
That makes sense.
Me
Me
Whereas Massachusetts prides itself
on its emphasis on education...
Tony
Tony
- and therefore tend to marry later, and
they've had more time to think about
things. SEE? I'm almost 30. And educated.
I'm making a GREAT choice now. Heh heh!
AAAAAAWWWWWWW!!! Religion and Politics. This must be love.
~ Here's a Hot Tip ~
More often than not, when someone finds out that we're going to get married this year, she (it's usually a 'she' who will take note of weddings) will invariably exclaim, "Oh! Wow! So many people are getting married nowadays! This is the nth wedding I've heard about this past [insert time frame]!"
And the killer last statement:
"I'm going to go broke!"
I'd like to state for the record that this is a LAOYA reaction on so many levels. Here's why:
When a couple announces that happy nuptials are in the making, the targetted response is sheer, unadulterated bliss FOR THE COUPLE WHO MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT. Not for your daughter's piano teacher's niece. Not for your estranged classmate whom you've barely exchanged two words with in the 6 years you shared a school desk with her. Not even for your best friend's dog who met a poodle in the park and went the family way. And certainly not for Elton John.
Congratulate the couple. Make them feel that theirs is the only wedding that matters this very moment, and that they make SUCH a handsome couple and will have bright and gorgeous children. Mentioning total strangers' weddings takes the wind out of their sails, and tells them that their happy news is nothing but ordinary. WRONG! To the blissfully engaged couple, this news is the biggest surprise of the CENTURY, and is The Most extraordinary affair since cloning. Act like it is, and you'll secure your wedding invite to both the ceremony AND the reception.
And the killer last statement:
"I'm going to go broke!"
I'd like to state for the record that this is a LAOYA reaction on so many levels. Here's why:
When a couple announces that happy nuptials are in the making, the targetted response is sheer, unadulterated bliss FOR THE COUPLE WHO MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT. Not for your daughter's piano teacher's niece. Not for your estranged classmate whom you've barely exchanged two words with in the 6 years you shared a school desk with her. Not even for your best friend's dog who met a poodle in the park and went the family way. And certainly not for Elton John.
Congratulate the couple. Make them feel that theirs is the only wedding that matters this very moment, and that they make SUCH a handsome couple and will have bright and gorgeous children. Mentioning total strangers' weddings takes the wind out of their sails, and tells them that their happy news is nothing but ordinary. WRONG! To the blissfully engaged couple, this news is the biggest surprise of the CENTURY, and is The Most extraordinary affair since cloning. Act like it is, and you'll secure your wedding invite to both the ceremony AND the reception.
~ Printed Programme ~
I just finished designing the wedding programme! I even did it in time for a special phonecall from a long-lost friend in Victoria. (Anne, I'm talking about you!) I had done the cover some time before my exams, and after Tony and I had talked over the running sheets for the wedding day proper, I sat down and designed the inside of the wedding programme this evening.
I must say, I'm quite satisfied with it. My only gripe is that I can't print to edge, but otherwise it looks pretty pretty. Tony wasn't sure if we could print the order of events, congregational song lyrics, the list of VIPs AND our vows on one A4 side but hey, turns out they all managed to fit after all. I even squeezed in a couple of pics. This could only mean one of two things:
I must say, I'm quite satisfied with it. My only gripe is that I can't print to edge, but otherwise it looks pretty pretty. Tony wasn't sure if we could print the order of events, congregational song lyrics, the list of VIPs AND our vows on one A4 side but hey, turns out they all managed to fit after all. I even squeezed in a couple of pics. This could only mean one of two things:
- I missed out a couple of VERY important details because of the unorthodox design, and will pay for it later when someone gets hurt.
- We really don't have that many friends.
Friday, November 12, 2004
~ Dreamy Bride ~
I had my first wedding nightmare! Aren't you proud of me?
For some strange reason, it all revolves around my home back in Singapore, and I wake up in my bed in Singapore, only to realise that I've overslept, and it's 6pm when the wedding starts at 5pm in Canberra. For some reason, neither daylight-savings nor the Greenwich time blah apply in my dream because Singapore and Canberra are the Same Place in my la-la-land, and all I have to do is get into my gown, put on my make-up and saunter over to the garden which is just downstairs. Of course.
Except I forgot to call my make-up artist and my hairdresser to come today, so I have to figure out a way of doing everything myself.
Also, I have no bridal bouquet. Diane couldn't get any flowers from Woolies, and I had refused to spend AUD$250 on a bouquet.
Tony has gone upstairs to his hotel room with the boys because the Bachelor Party just started, since they had been waiting for me to wake up.
I try getting ready all by myself and not tell my mother, because she would KILL me if she knows I didn't call the make-up artist. The mobile phone keeps ringing and I know people are still waiting in the garden. My hair is a complete disaster after the shower because it got all bent out of shape - the top is flat, and then it bushes out at the sides and is dry as straw. My skin is dotty, and then when I get into the gown and look in the mirror, I realise it's completely creased because I had forgotten to steam it after my mother had brought it over in a bag from Singapore to Canberra.
Fuuuuun...
For some strange reason, it all revolves around my home back in Singapore, and I wake up in my bed in Singapore, only to realise that I've overslept, and it's 6pm when the wedding starts at 5pm in Canberra. For some reason, neither daylight-savings nor the Greenwich time blah apply in my dream because Singapore and Canberra are the Same Place in my la-la-land, and all I have to do is get into my gown, put on my make-up and saunter over to the garden which is just downstairs. Of course.
Except I forgot to call my make-up artist and my hairdresser to come today, so I have to figure out a way of doing everything myself.
Also, I have no bridal bouquet. Diane couldn't get any flowers from Woolies, and I had refused to spend AUD$250 on a bouquet.
Tony has gone upstairs to his hotel room with the boys because the Bachelor Party just started, since they had been waiting for me to wake up.
I try getting ready all by myself and not tell my mother, because she would KILL me if she knows I didn't call the make-up artist. The mobile phone keeps ringing and I know people are still waiting in the garden. My hair is a complete disaster after the shower because it got all bent out of shape - the top is flat, and then it bushes out at the sides and is dry as straw. My skin is dotty, and then when I get into the gown and look in the mirror, I realise it's completely creased because I had forgotten to steam it after my mother had brought it over in a bag from Singapore to Canberra.
Fuuuuun...
~ Room Gloom part II ~
I just wrote a post about spring-cleaning my room here.
Kelvin's right. The finality of wedding preparations has arrived, and is hitting hard now that exams are out of the way. Moving out of this room, this house, is quite hard. I've really enjoyed my time here. It's a gorgeous place and has become very cosy. For someone who's always lived in the same home and has hardly ever moved for 24 years, moving country to country, and then house to house to house to house is going to be quite emotionally draining for me.
I guess I've always had difficulty with change. I know I'll love the new life I'm going to lead with Tony, and I know I'll fall in love with the new house(s)... but really, right about now? I feel like wailing almost.
Kelvin's right. The finality of wedding preparations has arrived, and is hitting hard now that exams are out of the way. Moving out of this room, this house, is quite hard. I've really enjoyed my time here. It's a gorgeous place and has become very cosy. For someone who's always lived in the same home and has hardly ever moved for 24 years, moving country to country, and then house to house to house to house is going to be quite emotionally draining for me.
I guess I've always had difficulty with change. I know I'll love the new life I'm going to lead with Tony, and I know I'll fall in love with the new house(s)... but really, right about now? I feel like wailing almost.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
~ Absolute Blissage ~
I had a MOST satisfactory wind-down dinner, after getting all keyed up with endless assignments, and then exams. Absolute blissage, as Celina would say.
Rather than go over to Tony's last night as I usually do on Tuesdays for dinner, I decided to stay in last night and mug like the closet nerd I am, and meanwhile plot a steamboat dinner for tonight in celebration of life and Prawns On Sale. My rice cooker had died on my housemate about a fortnight ago and this week, he had bought Tony and I a replacement rice cooker as an early wedding gift of sorts. Since Tony already owns a rice cooker, I decided that this one could be The One We Use For Steamboat Dinners - except they call it Hot Pot here. Steamboats to them are the moving chunks of metal floating about in the ocean in the days of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.
I traded my laptop with a housemate's television for the evening, and we settled down to a good TV dinner that lasted 2 whole hours. (Literally, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.) We had Tom Yum Soup as a base, dumped some prawns, cut corn cobs, cabbage and dollops of mushrooms, and just had a gorgeous time watching a documentary on British Brats put into a special rehab programme not unlike the one they have in Samoa, where the kids get shipped off to the middle of Utah to whinge and whine (and trek with big bags) for as long as it takes in the snowy mountains, until they experience a fundamental change in attitude and character.
The other show we watched on SBS was an episode of "Everyone loves a wedding", also a documentary, about intercultural weddings in Australia. THIS WAS ENTIRELY TONY'S IDEA. He was the one who suggested that we watch this, because I didn't even know the series exists and you know what? Good choice.
Ladies, if your man suspects your wedding planning is over-the-top, get him to watch an episode of this wonderful series. Then you get to interject helpful comments such as, "Wow. Aren't YOU glad you don't have to sit on someone's shoulders and boogie in the middle of the dance hall with me, in plain view of everyone else!" as well as "WHOA! CHECK OUT THE GIRTH OF THAT MERINGUE SHE'S WEARIN'! Looks expensive. I bet it didn't cost S$800. Dry-cleaning bill must be painful."
I kid. Tony has never really complained that I've gone OTT. We take stock every now and then, and as he gets greater exposure to the Wonderful World of Woolly Weddings, he realises that our wedding budget is waaaay below average, and yet still tasteful. After this episode, he's also realised that:
Rather than go over to Tony's last night as I usually do on Tuesdays for dinner, I decided to stay in last night and mug like the closet nerd I am, and meanwhile plot a steamboat dinner for tonight in celebration of life and Prawns On Sale. My rice cooker had died on my housemate about a fortnight ago and this week, he had bought Tony and I a replacement rice cooker as an early wedding gift of sorts. Since Tony already owns a rice cooker, I decided that this one could be The One We Use For Steamboat Dinners - except they call it Hot Pot here. Steamboats to them are the moving chunks of metal floating about in the ocean in the days of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.
I traded my laptop with a housemate's television for the evening, and we settled down to a good TV dinner that lasted 2 whole hours. (Literally, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.) We had Tom Yum Soup as a base, dumped some prawns, cut corn cobs, cabbage and dollops of mushrooms, and just had a gorgeous time watching a documentary on British Brats put into a special rehab programme not unlike the one they have in Samoa, where the kids get shipped off to the middle of Utah to whinge and whine (and trek with big bags) for as long as it takes in the snowy mountains, until they experience a fundamental change in attitude and character.
The other show we watched on SBS was an episode of "Everyone loves a wedding", also a documentary, about intercultural weddings in Australia. THIS WAS ENTIRELY TONY'S IDEA. He was the one who suggested that we watch this, because I didn't even know the series exists and you know what? Good choice.
Ladies, if your man suspects your wedding planning is over-the-top, get him to watch an episode of this wonderful series. Then you get to interject helpful comments such as, "Wow. Aren't YOU glad you don't have to sit on someone's shoulders and boogie in the middle of the dance hall with me, in plain view of everyone else!" as well as "WHOA! CHECK OUT THE GIRTH OF THAT MERINGUE SHE'S WEARIN'! Looks expensive. I bet it didn't cost S$800. Dry-cleaning bill must be painful."
I kid. Tony has never really complained that I've gone OTT. We take stock every now and then, and as he gets greater exposure to the Wonderful World of Woolly Weddings, he realises that our wedding budget is waaaay below average, and yet still tasteful. After this episode, he's also realised that:
- I'm not that fussy - I haven't even dragged him to a cake shop. (Apparently, all the women in that show do it. I don't get it either.)
- I don't have gradiose ideas of walking down a tall staircase on his arm, wearing a big, poofy white number with a huge, fairy-tale cloud billowing at our feet. Not that that's a bad idea, but I honestly don't see myself pulling it off, and he doesn't have to worry about me tripping and falling over as a result.
- I may be Chinese, with as complex a wedding culture as the Macedonians, but we've simplified it heaps and heaps and oodles.
~ 25% paper ~
I can't decide which is more exciting... the fact that my University Life ends in 3.5 hours, or that my real wedding preparations begin proper in 3.5 hours.
I think the latter. The first one comes close.
I think the latter. The first one comes close.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
~ Present State of Mind ~
The Question:
Imagine that the ComfortAssured is a 180-room Winnipeg Hotel with assets of $10 million and liabilities of $7 million. The hotel's owners are seeking a 14% annual ROI. The hotel is subject to 40% tax and pays 9% interest on the loan of $6.75 million. Other fixed costs, which include administration, depreciation, and energy, total $2 million per annum. The food and beverage department generates $400,000 in profit prior to the deduction of fixed costs. The hotel projects an average occupancy of 65% and is open 365 days a year. The rooms department has estimated a variable housekeeping cost of $15 per room sold.
Determine the average room rate required to provide the owners with their target ROI.
The Answer:
I dunno. But I hope it won't be too expensive in March 2005, so Tony and I can get a really decent honeymoon for AUD$1,000 in South East Asia.
Imagine that the ComfortAssured is a 180-room Winnipeg Hotel with assets of $10 million and liabilities of $7 million. The hotel's owners are seeking a 14% annual ROI. The hotel is subject to 40% tax and pays 9% interest on the loan of $6.75 million. Other fixed costs, which include administration, depreciation, and energy, total $2 million per annum. The food and beverage department generates $400,000 in profit prior to the deduction of fixed costs. The hotel projects an average occupancy of 65% and is open 365 days a year. The rooms department has estimated a variable housekeeping cost of $15 per room sold.
Determine the average room rate required to provide the owners with their target ROI.
The Answer:
I dunno. But I hope it won't be too expensive in March 2005, so Tony and I can get a really decent honeymoon for AUD$1,000 in South East Asia.
~ Premonition of Honeymoon Photos ~
Okay. Tony and I are bona fide LAOYA shutterbugs. We can happily cart a camera along with us, and then forget to take pictures the whole day. Tony's Pan-America Baseball Adventure (PABA) is evidence that the man IS capable of taking lots of photos... provided very few of them have him in it. I'm not even that conscientious to take scenery. It's a real good thing I didn't take the photojournalism class in NP. I would have flunked out majorly.
I just visited Kelvin's blogsite, which has lots of really nice photos of his recent mini-break with Hwee Yee. See? That's what mini-break photos should be like. Just lots of pictures of the couple smiling and doing silly stuff. I think Tony and I have taken quite a few trips together; 1 church camp, 1 young adults church camp, a trip to Bateman's Bay, a trip to Sydney... but we've hardly any pics to prove it.
So for the honeymoon? Really don't bet on it. I can just imagine us remembering to whip out the camera while we're on our way there... and again, on our way back. And everything else between would be lost forever.
I just visited Kelvin's blogsite, which has lots of really nice photos of his recent mini-break with Hwee Yee. See? That's what mini-break photos should be like. Just lots of pictures of the couple smiling and doing silly stuff. I think Tony and I have taken quite a few trips together; 1 church camp, 1 young adults church camp, a trip to Bateman's Bay, a trip to Sydney... but we've hardly any pics to prove it.
So for the honeymoon? Really don't bet on it. I can just imagine us remembering to whip out the camera while we're on our way there... and again, on our way back. And everything else between would be lost forever.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
~ Looking Ahead ~
Like any young, naive couple, Tony and I got to thinking about all the Great Stuff We Want To Do Together once the Wedding's Over and We're Married.
The list includes playing badminton together on Saturday mornings (starting next Saturday at Erindale), enrolling in a first aid class with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and the Heimlich maneuver so I'll know what to do if Tony chokes on my cooking, and taking up Karate or Hap Ki Do lessons so that he can defend my honour.
This is where married people laugh their heads off, wipe tears, and tell us that they used to keep a list too, but it's now junked somewhere with the unused badminton rackets, first aid box, and Karate uniform.
The list includes playing badminton together on Saturday mornings (starting next Saturday at Erindale), enrolling in a first aid class with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and the Heimlich maneuver so I'll know what to do if Tony chokes on my cooking, and taking up Karate or Hap Ki Do lessons so that he can defend my honour.
This is where married people laugh their heads off, wipe tears, and tell us that they used to keep a list too, but it's now junked somewhere with the unused badminton rackets, first aid box, and Karate uniform.
Friday, November 05, 2004
~ Birds and Blur Brides ~
Sarah called me yesterday, and we had quite a bit of fun nattering about wedding preparations... or rather, the lack thereof.
Both of us have come to the emphatic understanding that we've been so busy doing 101 other things of equal importance (yes, equal importance to, say, our WEDDINGS), that we feel very sheepish every time we trundle into any social setting (especially church), get asked by well meaning and very loving people if we've thought about the colour of our eyeshadow yet, for instance, and we look at them all in a rather dazed fashion, and manage to mumble, "Er... wha?"
I had a similar conversation with my mother a few twilights ago, and was telling her about my quandary everytime I get people asking questions. Primarily because I feel like a complete failure when my answer is any of the following:
"Uh... I hadn't thought of that yet. Does it matter?"
"OF COURSE IT DOES!"
"Uh... okay."
"Um... no. Not done that yet."
"Uh... I started, but I haven't been able to finish it off."
"Tony's mother is doing the decor."
"What does it look like?"
"Uh... I don't know."
"You mean... I have to do that?"
It's rather demoralising, especially when you take into account that I used to be an event organiser.
The topic of Honeymoons also came up. I took the mickey out of Sarah when she confided that she was considering the whole Disneyland Wedding, replete with built-in honeymoon. I shall state for the record that I had actually looked at the same wedding package and even considered it for a second, so hey... equally guilty. Mickey Mouse, the wedding celebrant in the Wonderful World of Disney.
She in turn laughed her head off when she realised my options for honeymoon places in Southeast Asia have been halved in some ways, primarily because Tony's Australian. (She had thought about going to Bali, and I had paused and said, "Well, it's not like I have THAT option, now do I!") I guess that's why I have a kindred spirit in Sarah.
My mother has ruled out Koh Samui for both of us, because of Bird Flu. Honestly, I hadn't heard a peep about the spread of bird flu here because neither the Australian media nor Channel News Asia, for that matter, have mentioned bird flu. Its salience is nowhere near what SARS had been. That's not to say that people aren't dropping like flies from it, I suppose... but Tony did some investigation with this government-funded website for travellers called SmartTraveller, and this is what he found out:
I'm not making light of this, though. This has been something that puzzles Tony and I. We're hoping that the bird situation improves by January next year at least. We're giving the birds 2 months to clean up their act. We checked the rest of the website, and if you think the website tends to underrate such epidemics as bird flu, we want to assure you that this website errs very much on the side of caution.
As we've discussed, Indonesia for Australians, or indeed anyone, is not the optimal place for a peaceful honeymoon. SmartTraveller has rated that country's danger level as extremely high - "Australians in Indonesia," it says, "who are concerned for their safety should consider departing."
By that same token, it says similar things, albeit with less alarm bells, about Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.
This is probably one of the rare times in history where being a white man has proven to be greatly disadvantageous.
Both of us have come to the emphatic understanding that we've been so busy doing 101 other things of equal importance (yes, equal importance to, say, our WEDDINGS), that we feel very sheepish every time we trundle into any social setting (especially church), get asked by well meaning and very loving people if we've thought about the colour of our eyeshadow yet, for instance, and we look at them all in a rather dazed fashion, and manage to mumble, "Er... wha?"
I had a similar conversation with my mother a few twilights ago, and was telling her about my quandary everytime I get people asking questions. Primarily because I feel like a complete failure when my answer is any of the following:
"Uh... I hadn't thought of that yet. Does it matter?"
"OF COURSE IT DOES!"
"Uh... okay."
"Um... no. Not done that yet."
"Uh... I started, but I haven't been able to finish it off."
"Tony's mother is doing the decor."
"What does it look like?"
"Uh... I don't know."
"You mean... I have to do that?"
It's rather demoralising, especially when you take into account that I used to be an event organiser.
The topic of Honeymoons also came up. I took the mickey out of Sarah when she confided that she was considering the whole Disneyland Wedding, replete with built-in honeymoon. I shall state for the record that I had actually looked at the same wedding package and even considered it for a second, so hey... equally guilty. Mickey Mouse, the wedding celebrant in the Wonderful World of Disney.
She in turn laughed her head off when she realised my options for honeymoon places in Southeast Asia have been halved in some ways, primarily because Tony's Australian. (She had thought about going to Bali, and I had paused and said, "Well, it's not like I have THAT option, now do I!") I guess that's why I have a kindred spirit in Sarah.
My mother has ruled out Koh Samui for both of us, because of Bird Flu. Honestly, I hadn't heard a peep about the spread of bird flu here because neither the Australian media nor Channel News Asia, for that matter, have mentioned bird flu. Its salience is nowhere near what SARS had been. That's not to say that people aren't dropping like flies from it, I suppose... but Tony did some investigation with this government-funded website for travellers called SmartTraveller, and this is what he found out:
So there you have it. On the one hand, we could just stay in Singapore and have our honeymoon on Sentosa because even Malaysia seems to have the bird flu. On the other hand, we could risk it at a 5 star resort, eat pork and beef for about 2 days, and if we happen to come in contact with any chickens, make for the hills and die from the lack of vaccine."Avian influenza has recently been reported in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The World Health Organization has reported a number of human deaths from avian influenza in Vietnam and Thailand as a result of the recent outbreak. People are only at risk of contracting bird flu if they have close contact with infected chickens or other birds.
"Australians (especially children) are advised to avoid situations where they may have contact with farms and live birdmarkets in areas that report outbreaks of avian influenza. The virus does not spread easily from chickens to people. There would be a very low risk of contracting the disease from occasional contact with an infected chicken such as when travelling on public transport.
"The Department of Health and Ageing advises that all uncooked chicken meat and eggs should be handled hygienically with careful attention to handwashing after handling. Proper cooking will destroy the virus in chicken meat and eggs."
I'm not making light of this, though. This has been something that puzzles Tony and I. We're hoping that the bird situation improves by January next year at least. We're giving the birds 2 months to clean up their act. We checked the rest of the website, and if you think the website tends to underrate such epidemics as bird flu, we want to assure you that this website errs very much on the side of caution.
As we've discussed, Indonesia for Australians, or indeed anyone, is not the optimal place for a peaceful honeymoon. SmartTraveller has rated that country's danger level as extremely high - "Australians in Indonesia," it says, "who are concerned for their safety should consider departing."
By that same token, it says similar things, albeit with less alarm bells, about Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.
Australians in Singapore should exercise a high degree of caution. The risk of terrorist attacks against Western interests in Singapore remains, particularly in commercial and public areas known to be frequented by foreigners such as, but not limited to, hotels, clubs, restaurants, bars, schools, marketplaces, places of worship, outdoor recreation events and tourist areas. Premises and symbols associated with the Singaporean Government are also possible targets.So yah. If we were to take SmartTraveller at their word, Bird Flu is manageable, Terrorism is Not. Don't take a honeymoon anywhere except perhaps New Zealand because even Sentosa isn't safe, being the mecca of uneducated tourists. It certainly makes things difficult for Tony and I at this juncture. Do we 'throw caution to the wind' and have the holiday we really want in Thailand and just not eat chicken? Do we stay in Malaysia, where there's also reports of bird flu and terrorism? Or does conventional wisdom dictate that really, nowhere's safe... running to Indonesia might be testing God, but the rest, we can get away with?
This is probably one of the rare times in history where being a white man has proven to be greatly disadvantageous.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
~ Honeymoon shortlist: ~
1. Koh Samui
2. Langkawi
Neither of which Tony has any familiarity with. This should be fun.
2. Langkawi
Neither of which Tony has any familiarity with. This should be fun.
Monday, November 01, 2004
~ Whiter shade of Pale ~
Kelvin claims that the colour of my lipstick was too strong in the other photos. Therefore, I've decided to attach the following pic to give some comparison... and perspective. *wink*
(Isn't that an AWFUL pic! DUUUUUH... *LOL*)
(Isn't that an AWFUL pic! DUUUUUH... *LOL*)
So much for Glamour.
