Girls Only

Jo's amazing girlfriends who made it all possible - thanks guys! :)

What do you get when you put six girls together for an entire night? Why, a solid few hours of good food, fun, nonsense, mind-boggling games, laughter and a sleepless night for the neighbours.

It was the start of yet another weekend, but this weekend was different because it had been blocked for a girls' night out. If Jo recalls correctly, the last time she actually hung out with the girls was a good eight years back when all of them were still young, ravishing, eager beavers who were looking for every and any opportunity to spend the night at someone's place.

With those days long gone and everyone getting caught up in the rat race and their own commitments, it was a nice change to once again re-live those memories and rekindle friendships that have been tainted by the elements of time and circumstance.

It was guised as a simple farewell dinner for one of the girls who was to leave for distant shores in a couple of weeks. Over plates of humongous pizzas, extra cheesy pasta, and a semi-melted dessert, the evening was shaped by mindless chatter and amateur shutterbugs having a go at the best artistic shot they could produce.

Our scrumptious dinner turned supper - yum!

With everyone's tummies filled and some whose brains were already in hibernation mode, we headed back to where we would spend the night. An episode or two of Style by Jury was followed by a round of card games and eventually the 'surprise' bridal shower programme that all of the other girls knew about.

It was a hilarious, yet meaningful time as each offered some words of wisdom and presented their meaning-laden gifts which ranged from cereals to body scrubs to abstract piano pieces. While these items will eventually deplete with consumption, the memories will last for a lifetime. And to help us reminisce on the good times a few years down the line, here's a record of what we were up to that night:

Behind the scenes ...



... and what transpired after.

(Food, was of course, still an integral part of the programme!)

Wedding Registry

People generally say that it is always better to be debt-free rather than possession-rich. So, even a few simple coloured notes are always better than nice little gift items. But if there are those among you who really feel strongly about getting something for us, here are some examples to get the ball rolling:

1. A DIY veggie tray/rack (those hydrophonic ones complete with instruction manual and seeds) - We were told recently that most of the vegetables for local consumption are imported from Thailand. Apparently, the ones we import and eat do not gain entry into the Singapore market due to the high pesticide level.

2. Space travel - It is Jo's greatest wish to do a bit of earth orbiting. I think the Russian space programme has provisions for people with some loose change of about US20 million to spend on a seat in a rocket. If that's too excessive, I personally think Jo will settle for a multi-day hiking trip in New Zealand.

3. LCD TV (DONOR IDENTIFIED!) - We know, we know ... everyone wants one too. So, maybe if you are planning to buy one for yourself, just check whether if there is a 'buy one free one' offer. We don't mind taking the black one.

4. Free laundry and ironing services for a year - Since we do not have a washing machine, we're still debating who is to do what. I wash and she irons or I fold and she dries or I see and she does? Such services will help solve our problem. We just need to decide who drops off the clothes and who picks them up.

5. In-built oven - We hope to use the house we have been blessed with for hospitality purposes. I was told that Jo makes a killer English bread pudding. An oven will ensure that our guests (like yourself) get the chance to enjoy food which is not grilled or fried (OK, OK, fine - I want to eat too).

6. Elephant ride - We've booked ourselves a flight to Chiang Mai a few days after the wedding. My personal opinion? Forget about the night bazaar, the craft market, the ancient city walls and the numerous temples - a ride around the city on elephant back would be oh-so-fun!

7. Canon IXUS 960IS - Ever since someone got her new 8 megapixel 4x zoom complete with image stabilizer camera, we have been envying her with disgust. It's a little silly, yes. After all, Jo's 4 year old 3.2 megapixel still works albeit some kinks here and there. Humans are just so materialistic, huh?

8. Cool-ish car - Our marriage counsellor claims that husbands should never buy their wives half-past-six cars. He says that cars bought for wives should look decent and presentable in the eyes of her friends and colleagues. He says that because ladies are only concerned about the car's look and will probably keep them for ages, it is alright to buy them nice enough cars. Now, there goes my plans of getting her a Volkswagen T1c Kombi (Transporter) or a Land Rover Series III (1971-1985).

9. Grimlock, dinobot - Apparently, the Classics line was released in December 2006. Grimlock, the leader of the Dinobots was repackaged with a totally new mold and a flexible articulated tail. A 3-inch titanium version was also released that same year.

10. You - While a cash gift or any one of the ideas above will be useful and nice, ultimately, your presence at our wedding is what we will truly value. So, lets get those RSVPs going ok?

Dreams

The edge of her dress got caught under the door and ripped. Some well meaning soul came to the rescue by snipping off the jagged edges but that only made things worse as her train was now asymmetrical. Horrified, she tried not to let it bother her by focussing her attention elsewhere.

As she made her way out the door, she realized that she hadn't shaved and headed back into the bathroom to get it done. Her gown got soaked and she came out dripping, as the floor was still wet from her earlier bath.

While all this drama was going on, a few hundred guests were kept waiting in the church for more than an hour, wondering when she would finally arrive. And when she did, the alarm went off, awakening her from her sub-conscious that seemed all too real.

Overtime

Long days, packed weekends and lack of sleep is a sure recipe for exhaustion. It's a wonder that we haven't dropped dead at the rate we are going! With less than three months to go, the amount of work is building with deadline after deadline to meet.

Put simply, we clock a seven day work week now - with paid work to sustain our expenses on weekdays, and wedding related work reserved for after hours and weekends. And to think that the added stress of relocating hasn't even been factored in yet!

One good thing which may possibly ensue is a natural remedy for weight loss.

Holes In Our Pockets

Hotel accomodation, 100 THB.
Air tickets, RM305.
Transportation, 500 THB.
Gifts for attendants and helpers, 7000 THB.
Trip to Bangkok, priceless!

Ahh ... our recent shopping escapade was definitely a fruitful one. Considering that we left with hardly any luggage and came back worrying whether the customs officers would tax us on our purchases, it was a very successful, albeit short trip.

Barely into the second day and hardly a few hours at Chatuchak, we found ourselves running out of dough! Try as we may to stretch whatever cash we had, we resorted to desperate measures even if it meant losing out due to unfavourable exchange rates.

(Our travel buddies were rather amused that we actually went back to Chatuchak the following day despite having spent a full day there. But hey, we find that there's never quite enough time to browse through every single stall no matter how many times you've been there before!)

With our cash well spent and bags loaded with goodies, we survived our final day in Bangkok by making sure the places we patronised accepted 'plastic money' as payment. Perhaps we overdid it a little as our indulgence in pork ribs at Mr Roma's reached the point where we over-estimated how much we could actually stuff in to our tummies :p

Monday Blues

As it is, not many people look forward to Mondays when the routine of work kicks in after the weekend. Add on a massive traffic jam which triples your usual travel time and the frustration of barely being able to go past second gear, no one in their right mind would want to start the week on such a footing.

Unfortunately for Jo, she was one of those who was caught unaware of road closures leading to the city for Merdeka Day rehearsals until it was too late. Travelling at snail's pace for most part of the journey, she eventually arrived at work one and a half hours later.

Jo wished all the more that she hadn't crawled out of bed that morning when she stepped into the office only to find it in total darkness! This surely couldn't be happening - not after braving the traffic and having to endure sore leg muscles.

To cut a long story short, what seemed like a bad start to the week actually turned out for the better when Jo's boss announced that they could work from home. And so work from home she did, while squeezing in a visit to the printer's and shopping for furniture - all this without having to take an off day!

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!