More Than Meets the Eye

Tucked away in a corner of Ampang village, Jo made a priceless discovery. You wouldn't think much when you first see the place, nor would you expect anything great in return. Nonetheless, Jo decided to give it a shot since the tailor was recommended by a family friend who had had her clothes made there.

Still not entirely convinced that she should entrust the tailor with the female bridal party attire at that point of time, Jo had her sister stand in as guinea pig so that she could evaluate the end result before any final decisions were made.

Communicating with the tailor was quite hilarious as Jo only had a limited Cantonese vocabulary. The tailor on the other hand, was not too well versed with English. But mom came to the rescue and stood in the gap by helping to explain what Jo had in mind until both parties were on the same page.

Several weeks passed, yet there was still no news as to whether the dress had been completed. Then one night, Jo chanced upon the garment lying on the sofa when she returned home.

Much to her surprise, Jo found that the dress wasn't too far off the mark. Some adjustments needed to be made for sure, but Jo was pleasantly satisfied with the finished product. The best part? The dress only cost a fraction of the price Jo had budgeted for so it was definitely a steal!

Finito!

Seven months and four days.

That's how long it took us to get through our marriage preparation workbook. It was a bittersweet ending for us as we met with our counsellors for the last chapter several hours ago. Bitter because we would miss the warmth of their home which we have grown so accustomed to, sweet because we have officially 'graduated' from the gruelling homework we had endured for more than half a year.

All said and done, we are truly greatful to them for taking us up on our offer despite not having done this before. It was a journey which we enjoyed travelling with them and we trust that this first experience will spur them on to many more sessions with prospective couples in the coming years :)

As for us, we're praying that the theory will be put into practice effectively as we live out the practical aspect of 'Before You Say I Do'.

Bridal Entrance

Today makes history. After more than four years, the long awaited completion of the new church building becomes reality. In a trial run cum briefing session, the wooden doors opened to reveal a spanky and contemporary sanctuary; complete with wooden paneling, timber flooring and lime green walls.

Spanning three stories and an upper room, the new place will definitely take some getting used to - what with all the extra seats to fill and unchartered ground to explore. Even familiarising ourselves with the multiple staircases and passageways was - and is - enough to keep us on our toes!

Every space, room and staircase had been carefully mapped out and given a reference name, right down to the lone grey door situated at the back of the hall. Aptly named 'bridal entrance', it is our hope to do the honours in being the first couple to walk through that door.

Over-baked and Crumbled Chicken

The endless headaches from chasing guests for RSVPs to making sure that they got what they asked for was like a time bomb waiting to explode. And with all the other last minute details that need to be attended to, the alarm bells were a sign that perhaps we should keep things simple.

To solve the problem, we decided to adopt the authoritarian style where everyone gets the same thing so that no one has any reason to be difficult. Somewhat unadventurous maybe, but before you start getting all upset about not having your beef or lamb or fish, let's just say we tweaked the rules a little and will be serving you the 'over-baked' and 'crumbled' chicken.

Sorry, but you don't get both types of chicken. Neither is selection an option. Come to think of it, don't you have so much to thank us for now that you have a perfectly valid reason to strike up a conversation with the gorgeous guy or stunning chick seated beside you? Bon appetite!

Enigma Eros

To the writer of Enigma Eros with many thanks for his contribution, involvement and well wishes.

The story of our lives captured in a nutshell

Glimpses into early days of bliss

A lifetime of love and the chime of wedding bells

These were penned by a dear friend who's missed

Forgetting us was the last thing on his mind

For he left but a simple yet meaningful note

Along with a book which he hoped we would find

Enticing enough to keep our excitement afloat

Adieu

We bid farewell to three good buddies within days of each other. All headed for the land of freedom and plenty, their absence will be sorely felt - both in our weekly encounters with them and certainly at our wedding.

But life must go on, and so we send them off with our prayers, best wishes and His abundant blessings as they embark on their respective journeys and endeavours.

You are, of course, most welcome to join us in our celebration if for whatever reason you are heading back here in December! :)

A Reason for Everything

Sometimes it's hard to believe that He gives what He knows is best. When things don't seem to turn out the way we expect them to, the first natural thing to do is to point fingers and look for someone else to blame. The victim always feels victimised, and questions whether the actions of others are neccessary or justified.

'Why me?' we ask. 'It's not fair' becomes our constant complain. Disappointments, set backs, let downs ... inconveniences that are a necessary but uncomfortable process in building stronger roots that will be able to withstand the elements and blows that come our way.

What we often don't realise - or conveniently choose to forget - is that EVERYTHING (the good, the bad and the ugly) happens for a reason. Though we may not see the rationale of it at that time and cannot for the life of us understand why certain things have to happen the way they do, He has allowed them for reasons only known to Him.

For our part, we are just called to wait on Him and move as He leads.

How Much are You Worth?

Having worked on our marriage counselling assignment a few days back, we both realized that our total net worth did not equate to much. It's not surprising as Jo only started working about a year ago and Anderson has all the while been earning a modest wage. To top it off, most, if not all, our earnings are currently being chanelled towards paying off wedding expenses and settling credit card bills.

Yesterday was somewhat of an achievement for us as we purchased our first item of furniture without so much of an argument. We weren't exactly looking for a kitchen table set when we ventured into Ikea, but knew right away that that was what we wanted to get when we laid eyes on it. Though we had to part with some of our hard earned cash, you could say that we are now worth a few hundred ringgit more compared to two days ago.

This is Your House

This is Your house
Father, come and dwell
This is Your house
A holy house of prayer
Where the lost and the lonely
Bring their burdens and their cares
This is Your house
Come and dwell

How apt that we learnt this song at choir practice today. With only a month to go till the new building is completed, His timing could not have been better.

As of today, it is exactly five months to our wedding. And on the scheduled completion date of August 15th, it will be precisely four months; nothing more, nothing less.

A case of mere coincidence? We choose to believe that this is His continued faithfulness towards us and the church at large. Indeed, the new building is Your house ... come and dwell.

Recce

It was an 'auspicious' day indeed - the seventh of july, two thousand and seven. While many other couples around the world were declaring 'till death do us part', we were excitedly checking out our wedding venue to catch a glimpse of what it would look like on the actual day. (Actually, it was more the case of toying with ideas and knowing what NOT to do so that ours doesn't end up looking all gaudy and fru fru!)

In days when things seldom come for free, we were pleasantly surprised when our new found 'kau foo' announced that he would throw in a couple of AV requirements for us for naught :) Amazing how He chooses to bless and how He has always proven to be faithful in providing for our needs. It was a worthwhile trip for sure, and we left the place happy and contented, knowing that the pieces of the jigsaw are slowly being pieced together to form a complete picture.