How he proposed!

The first time i remembered dear mentioning about our future together is at the new playground near my place. We were chit chatting and he suddenly tell me that he has been thinking/dreaming of me being his bride since a long time ago. That was really so long ago, i can't provide you with a specific date.

The second time he 'tested' water was on 3 August 2008. We were on our way back to Hougang from Changi Village, when he started hinting me that he (or rather his 'friend') bought something very expensive. I think i'll need to do a bit of explaining here. Because of my wonderful temper, he knew he had to 'own up' before i found out on my own. I guessed that he bought a ring. But he wouldn't admit it. *Shrug*

23 August 2008 was the day we went to Ritz Carlton to watch the fireworks festival. It was also the day dear first asked if i will marry him. My answer was of course not. Haha! My reason? Because it was not an 'official' proposal. Ahem... (read: empty handed) :P

10 November 2008, also our 13th month together, dear popped the question again. This time, he strongly advertised himself and then kneeled down to propose. He is lucky the venue is my room, cause my answer was "See first". Haha! (He was still empty handed mah!)

09 October 2009, is the eve of our 2nd anniversary. The day before it, dear bought the big Destinee box (with scope but without ring) to my place. He insisted that it belongs to his friend and he is just helping him to keep. *roll eyes* Anyway being the clever me, i know what he is up to. On Friday, 9 October, he came to my workplace to fetch me from work. We went to have dinner and then went home for the daily dose of Hong Kong drama. Dear was pretty restless and keep coming up with excuses to get me to go out of my bedroom. I sensed that he is up to no good so refused! Hahaha!! But in the end i gave in and went to refill water for him. As for the rest of the story, my dear's entry will present it in great details (in his point of view)... :)

Ours will be a pretty long engagement, so our wedding will not be so soon. We have not even managed to secure a flat yet! (Yes we are not one of the 'majority' Singaporeans who skipped the proposal stage and proceed to sign for the HDB flat first!) :)

Will keep updating our progress and 'homework'. We have not attended much wedding shows or fairs recently. So... keep watching out!

The Proposal...... Finally

Yes, the title of this entry rather explains what it is about. Heehee, but i am now going to jot down this beautiful event in greater details. Yes in fact i have bought the ring a year ago. (shock right?) But i have planned to execute on this day( 09.10.2009) instead , because its the eve of our 2nd anniversary. Another reason is , to give ourselves more time to know each other better before giving her my promise. :)

Ok, lets roll. Let me start with the "Layout Plan" first.

From the picture above( might enlarge when clicked), we can see the different parts of her room where i plan to plant my "executers".

So what is and what does my "executers" do? The "executers" are actually Post-it papers. Haha! u may laugh, but they are very important in this mission. The first post-it paper is suppose to obviously let Dear notice. But after she notices and read the message on the first paper, it should suppose to lead her to a sequence of more discoveries of the other post-it paper messages. Which in the end .... I will not reveal now.. read on ;)

But i realise it is not so simple. Firstly i have to plan the sequence of the post it paper messages. So i rehearsed in my mind of her daily routine whenever she steps into her bedroom. Ahh, that is crucial because that will decide where i will plant my 1st post-it message! Normally, i should say BASICALLY, dear will dive into her bed first and then the tv control to watch tv. Ha! so the tv controller is the first place to target. But in order for me to plant all these, i must make her absent from the room. But how? So i begged her to refill water for me...

This is tough because my dear will not leave her bed once she got onto it. Luckily, lazy dear finally went to refill water for me. When the moment she steps out, i "ga lang ga bog"(clumsily) took out all the pre-prepared Post-It messages out from my wallet. Boy! i find them not as adhesive as before. But heck time is running out!! That woman will return very quickly. So I tactically and quickly pasted the first few ones. BUT! Dear steps in and one of the messages i am pasting dropped! i quickly pick it up and chased dear out. Gosh, its a half flop mission. And i guess Dear knows i am up to no good(always)... But heck, it is do or die. So i frantically pasted the rest and make sure the ring was in place...

Ring checked. Sequence checked. Heart beat checked(racing like mad).

Then i asked dear to come in. And i told her the tv off by itself and hint her to go on and try again. Then she saw the yellow 1st piece of paper under the controller. I forced her to see whats that but she refused! Embarassing!! But under my constant pushing, she read the first message. she smiled....

And she opens the small cupboard door beneath...

And she was forced to go to the computer.. haha!

And when she draws out the keyboard , she saw this. Haha! she is getting the hint ... :) Then she walks to the door and prepare to close it when she saw ANOTHER one!

Then according to the message, she went to the wardrobe beside and opens the door. She saw ANOTHER one pasted on the mirror top!

And she looks down...

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....... Yes, this is her infamous Fat Fat pillow! (She loves it more than me).

So she walks over and was going to pick up the pillow but saw the finale under it....
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Immediately, she turned around n asked me to explain this.. And when she is turning back i quickly took the ring i have planted on the bookshelf....

and then i held her hands tight , looked into her eyes and kneeled down... My heart was beating 10X faster. My sweat was oozing. My hand start to shake.

I remembered i was so nervous that my mind was in a blank. I have forgotten what i wanted to say. I could see tears in her eyes. I said some heartfelt words to her. ( i cannot say here. It is only for her.) And finally i sincerely asked the golden question :" Will you marry me darling?"

It is a "YES"!

Although we know this day will definately come, It is still a really magical moment. I really don't know how to describe the feeling. The time just felt it just pause there and its just me and her.

And what happen afterwards i cannot reveal here. ;) But here are some of the "blur pictures" we took. Enjoy !

The most important - The Ring. Spent alot of time on research on diamonds and running around different outlets. Final decision - Destinee from Lee Hwa. Guys, do make sure u do yr homework well because this is the magical rock for your lady. I hope my Dear will like it :)

And the 8 " Hearts and Arrows" under the scope. :)

Although this is not the typical grand and posh proposal which we normally will expect, it is the most original and sincere one i prepared for my dear.

No beautiful flowers, no lavish dinner, .... but there is one thing that is definately worth more.

My True Love for her.

I hope she will remember this forever .....

Rich Account!

Haha! That's the name we gave our first joint account...

BTO - Punggol Residence

30 July 2009 - Launch / apply Residence BTO

4 September - Results for BTO out balloy number 1835!

This is the second BTO we applied for, and our ballot number still sucks! So sad, i really like this project! Sigh! We have to pray hard that HDB will release projects as decent as this really soon ...

:(

Marriage Preparation Workshop

We attended our Marriage Preparation Course on 3 & 5 July 2009.

It is useful for us to understand ourselves, each other and how to better cope with problems we might face. At the very least, we now have a rough idea how each other thinks with regards to certain topics, where our differences lies and how much we have to work out.

We are early attending this workshop. But it is always good to be in the know and be ahead. Anyway, we have yet to go for our individual sessions. 3 & 5 July we did it with another 5 couples. So was really a general overview, not specific to individual couples' situation.

Nevertheless, it is still useful to learn what different sets of issues we might face at different stages. In our group, there are couples who will be living with in-laws, who are counting down to their wedding, just engaged and thinking ahead (like us). So we have a good mix and know what possible issues to expect.

We have another 2 individual couple sessions with our facilitator. But we have not fixed a date yet. Probably not so soon, as it will be more useful if we can do them nearer the date. Will do an update again then. ;)

Whitelink - Review design layouts!

Yesterday was indeed a very happening day. We practically ran around many places within hours!

After a very 'sweet'(YES, i mean very sweet..) breakfast at Kovan MacDonald's, my brave dear decided to revisit the IT Fair at Suntec again. (yes, We already went there 2 days ago..)

Oh did i mention dear has become a very IT GEEK? " Centrino Duo 2, 2GB Ram, Intel lah..." - these terms actually came out from her mouth! ( ahem, i hope she knows the actual thing behind those geeky names.. heheh..)

BUT,BUT..i was wrong. Brave dear was no longer brave.
Yes. We reached the Convention Hall.
Yes. We slowly inched up the escalator to level 2.
We visited the washroom.
We U-Turn and headed for Marina Square.

Yes. We surrendered. Madness crowd. Holy shitty crowd. ;/

We went to visit Chiboi at work, kaypoh awhile and then we head down to WHITELINK! We were supposed to have the appointment at 6pm, but due to some lucky stars, we were re-scheduled to 3pm! Happy! :)

It was pouring monkeys and baboons when we reached. We survived on a sissy puny umbrella. We waded through the flooded walkway and finally we reached WHITELINK, wet.

Haha, this is the main part of this entry! We were seated infront of this large MAC monitor and waited to be served. Excitedly waiting, a nice staff served us with warm tea and Alex came shortly.

After a short brief and explaination, we were shown the 2 album designs. Both landscape and portrait. I must admit Alex and the team did a very good job in retouching our pictures. No oil glow on our faces, slimmer arms(ahem), colour correction ,etc.. I can see the effort put in.

As for the layout and layering of our photos, it was quite up to my expectation. But still we have made some modification and suggestions to Alex after dear and i review. Dear is very good with Proportion and Angle perception(good photographer genetic ;)

Alex was very patient throughout. And I understand its no easy work as design is a very subjective thing. Really.

So after the suggestions are done and skin material for the album covers are chosen, we shifted to another pc to show alex on our selection photos for the 3-in-1 frame, 8R, Album cover, etc.. We also chose our preferred frame type.

Luckily we have already done our 'homework' by selecting our preferred photos before we came. Or else we have to stay there for another 2 hours or so i guess. :)

Alex told us that the revised version of the design can be ready by next weekend. And of course my Dear was happy and i am eager to see the amendments made. :)

This would be our very first album in our lives. It is definitely a precious and meaningful one. Next will be with Dawn. That will have to wait till later part. I can't wait to have the 2 very different approach albums in my hands! :)

January 2009

Gong Xi Gong Xi! It's the new year again. Time passes really fast. (esp when u are older, dunno why.)

It's January and CNY is here again and it is already the 4th day today! As usual, relative & friend visits, consuming, drinking , gambling and getting the S.O.P questions from relatives: "Why never bring your gf along? Apply flat already? When R.O.M, etc... Well i always have my way of answering back. I know its irritating, but i understand they are just showing concern for me. I would smile back and says : " Soon soon, when i tio the 10million Toto angbow." ;)

After consuming too much heaty junk food and not getting enough good sleep , the sore throat and flu virus has come to visit me. Yes, that's why im here in my living room blogging, and not in office.

January is indeed a very happening month for my dear and I. We had our first ever fitting . Holy..y i was simply in awe when i first saw dear in those dresses. We had our very first outdoor shoot too. Man, it was fun man. But very 'siong', like army out-field. It was all worth while when we saw the end masterpieces. The header pics on Dear's blog and this are part of the collection. :) This is only the sneak preview. Catch the rest on our big day ba!

We also went for our first Bazi analysis appointment with Master Sean. We also recieved our bad news from our beloved HDB. :( What First Timer Priority , it's all bullshit lor. Its more like ToTo Quickpick in my opinion. Well , i always believe in Fate. There are 2 kinds of Fate in life. One is which we can control, for example , doing the correct things and taking the correct path in life. The Other which is beyond our control, like the family you are born in, who you will meet in life, etc.. So i will categorize the HDB thingy to be in the latter. We can't do much, can we? Haha, i believe what will come , will not go. And like wise, what won't come will go eventually if it is not meant for you in life. Nevertheless, we will continue to try. Dear says she got plenty of $10 to spare :/

We will be going to see our first play in 2009 in Esplanade too. Zheng Yuan Chang from Taiwan is the main reason why my silly Dear has spent money again! And having High Tea buffet at Marriot this weekend. Its free! We won it . =)

It will be an exciting new year for us. I hope i can find a better job.(i know its hard in this difficult time, but i will still keep this job and look out for more better opportunities. As the saying goes: A man without a good career is like a warrior without a good sword) More BTOs in the North East to launch. Save more money. A holiday during the second half of the year. Explore new things together. Plan and work harder together for our future.

May everyone have a happy and fruitful 2009 ahead! HUAT HUAT HUAT ar! ( i know my dear will say i sound like ah lao...)

A gentle reminder to all: TOTO 10million draw is on Friday next week. Good luck!

=)

Style Wedding Glamour bash 2008/09

2008 - After work, we rushed to Marriott Hotel for the wedding show. First wedding/bridal show we attended & won 6th prize in lucky draw! :)

We went for the April 2009's bash as well. It was held in Fairmont. And their service and hospitality (and not to mention the desserts) is really comforting. Althought it was a long day and we didn't win anything in the lucky draw, we still enjoyed ourselves.

There is the standard bridal fashion show. (Unlike the 2008's show, there aren't many gowns which i like in this show)

This is one of the small handful which i like. :)



They have setup ballrooms of different themes for us to see. And we spotted this huge VIP table which cab sit up to 20 persons!

Wedding shows attended

Marina Mandarin - 2009

Classy bridal suite, great food.

Poolside was not as nice as we expected, and a
tad pricey.

King Corpthorne Waterfront - Bridal Show 2009

Great lucky draw prices up for grabs, not very fantastic
ballrooms or food.

Won 12th prize in the lucky draw! We'll get to go for
spa treatment! :)

Siloso Beach Resort – 2008

Absolutely stunning venues! And delightful services.

But pricey and troublesome to get to.

Dawn's Wedding - part 1

Timeline:

19 October 2008 - City Square Bridal fair

Dear & I attended the Bridal fair at JB City Square. Got to know of the fair via wedding forums. We watched the bridal show, looked at the wedding albums on display, checked out some of the booths, and then we came to Dawn's Wedding booth. Janet was the coordinator who served us. We were both in awe after looking at some of their albums. And we know immediately the kind of wedding photos we want!

However, as Dawn is over the causeway, and we all know that City Square isn't the only place with bridal shops, we tried to be cautious, and decided to walk around a bit more and discuss between the two of us first. In the end we still decided to leave RM$150 as deposit for the package we negotiated.


23 November 2008 - Confirm package

Between the bridal fair and 23 November, we searched the website and looked up forums on raves and reviews on Dawn and JB wedding studios in general. Dear even managed to find a Dawn photographer's blog! Looking through his blog (then), we were really impressed with what we saw. (I believe he has taken down a lot of the wedding shots he took.) But as his blog grew in popularity, this new blog appeared. And in it, we saw even more wedding or rather pre-wedding shots done by their other photographers!

If you have the time, do go in to take a look at their works. I really love what i saw, especially those done by Z-Feng. And thus when we went back to confirm our package, we were really happy. The service was good, even though they were swamped with customers on that day (a weekend). We managed to go through our package, and customise it to our liking. They were even flexible enough to let us take out time to go back for the actual shooting within FIVE years!

The price is half of what you can find in Singapore, and the quality and style is so much better closer to what we want. As the photos will be taken in Malaysia, it will be taken 'overseas' in our perspective!

Of course, there are disadvantages too. For one, we need to travel in and out a number of times, to confirm our package, choose the gowns & suits, take the photos, select the photos, review the designs, collect the albums, not to mention with the shifting of the JB customs, City Square will no longer be as accessible as it once was. But then nothing is free, and we firmly believe Z-Feng has the ability to make these all worthwhile.


As for when we will be doing the shoot, i really have no idea at this point. But i'm pretty sure it will not be for at least another year or two. ;)

Summary of our 'homework' so far ...

We started doing our 'homework' in the second half of 2008. By homework i mean flipping wedding magazines, reading forums (which according to dear, he started looong time ago), and of course attending wedding/bridal fairs, visiting various vendors ... etc.

First item on our list was actually the marriage preparation workshops. But that item still remains unchecked. I hope we can get it done in 2009. But it will really depends on our schedule. By the way, it is really tough trying to dig the information for the workshops over the internet. Sigh...

From the wedding magazines, we got to know of many Bridal events/fair by the bridal shops and hotels. We have actually went to a couple of them. (Separate entries on those)

The next very important thing that would come to mind is the date. Yes, at this point when the proposal is not done yet, setting the date would seems very weird. Anyway, we made an appointment to see a Fengshui master to see our Ba Zi. (another post on that)

Believe it or not, we have also been to see wedding bands! Yes i know, we are skipping steps ahead. But who can resist seeing the lovely blings? Haha. We have been very disciplined so far. It is all seeing (and trying) only.

We have also been into at least two bridal shops. And both of them we have signed something with them. *Shock!* Haha... (again, another post on those)

There is something even more substantial that we have done. And that is, to apply for a flat! (Yes very smart, it will be on another post)

Now not everything will be in 'another post'. Below are some of the things we have discussed:

1. When is a good time for us (We are looking at 3 years)
   
2. How much is our budget ( ... ... have setup an online wedding budget at weddingwire.com)
   
3. The kind of wedding we want (But that is not cast in stone yet)
4. The approximate number of people we can have at our wedding (200 to 250?)
   
5. The possible venues
   
6. even the kind of wedding favours to give! (We dislike those which the hotels provide. There is no personalisation to speak of...)
   

We will be looking at the above issues in more details and also at other issues. I believe it is not just the actual day that is called the wedding, but the whole process of preparations as well! So we should enjoy this whole process.

Do join us in our journey as we venture through.

:)

World of Fortune appointment 1

Our first appointment with Sean (Fengshui consultant) on 16 January 2009!

We sent our eight characters (Ba Zi) and the Chinese zodiac of our parents to him sometime before, and we got our Ba Zi reports from him in this first appointment.

We also got some favorable dates from next year till 2012. (We might get more dates just in case our flat application takes too long)

However, as we do not have much details, our Arcadia BTO result is impossible, and very importantly we are not even 'officially' engaged so to speak, we are not able to fix any other dates as such.

So we spent the hour asking him questions and for the rest of the items like detailed date selections and unit selection, will have to wait till we have some success in our future BTO *cross fingers*

:)

BTO - Punggol Arcadia

Just a simple timeline to commemorate the very first BTO we applied for.

14 November 2008 - applied BTO online

15 November 2008 - went to HDB hub to view showrooms and make enquiries

16 January 2009 - Results of BTO out ballot number 1132!

:( Pretty sad, but then we are not in a big rush anyway. So will wait for other upcoming BTOs.

In the meantime, these are the photos we took when we went to the showrooms at HDB hub...

What i thought our future home would be like.

Ahh... Too bad. May we have better luck the next time. :)