Registration of marriage - 08.12.13

Ah... How time flies...

Finally, we have reach this important moment 

~~ our registration of marriage on 08.12.2013 ~~

It was a simple ceremony with our parents and friends to witness the signing.

It only took us 5 minutes to sign the papers.. 

no exchange of vows or rings yet as these will only be done 

on our actual wedding day in the church. 

We are half way to become husband & wife...woohoo! :P 

so happy to be called his wife. ;D

Although legally married, marriage without exchanging vows & rings 

and witnessing by our family & friends, it seems incomplete. 

Never the less, it's an important day to remember. 

Counting the days till we exchange our vows. >>>>> 11days

Our Pre-Wedding Photos

May I now present you my best friend, my lover, my soul mate...my fiance and husband-to-be, Andrew. *grin* I'm counting the days! It's going to be in 32 days time. Exciting and yet nervous at the same time. Wooh! ;D 

Before I go into details about the wedding preparation..let me first show you our pre-wedding photos. Photographer was Sam from France Taipei Ipoh. I would say he is a professional. Worked as a wedding photographer for the past 10 years plus. The photos proved to be good quality, perfect moments captured.. we like our photos very much. 

I have chosen 6 gowns - 1 outdoor and 5 indoors. I was skeptical to the dark brown gown at first but it really looked good on me. It bring out my fair skin. *wink*. The below white gown was the front part of the the gown with the sexy see-through lace at the back. You can check the gown from my previous post. I especially like this hairstyle with tiny braid at the top. 

Outdoor shoot was actually mostly done indoor. hahahaha..because we are afraid of the sun and hate sweating. :P We did it at his uncle's house, on a hill but most of our photos were actually photographed in the house. And most of our photos are not really for the scenery but mainly to capture our faces and the feel. 

I love these pictures! Love the hairstyle..love the poses...especially love the moments with my fiance. :)

Weird phone call

Today I received a very weird phone call from an unknown telephone no. At first, I hesitated to pick up the call. Never the less, I picked up the call after a few seconds. 

A girl greeted me in Mandarin. Although I wasn't properly chinese educated, as a Malaysian, I could understand and speak simple Mandarin and I'm very sure she's asking for me and I answered, "Yes, speaking". 

But I could not understand what she was telling me after that.. =.=' 

I think she was asking me to attend something at Time Square. 

So, I told her politely.. "I'm sorry, I couldn't understand what you have just said." And guess what I got from her?

"Do you want to die??" Ouch!! I wasn't prepared for that. That's so rude! And she hung up after saying that to me. Where's her professionalism as a telemarketer? But what puzzled me is that the call was from Hong Kong! A number starting with +852-9423-XXX. 

Pre-Wedding Photoshoot at France Taipei Ipoh

My fiance and I had our pre-wedding photoshoot last Friday, 23.8.13. I was excited the whole week and couldn't wait to take the shoot with my fiance. I did my manicure & pedicure at La Zen the day before the shoot. Took 1.5 days off just for this special day. I feel that it's really a milestone in my life and an important day to remember. Even though it's not the actual wedding day, but the closeness during the photoshoot seems like we are already married. Lol... :P I don't mean the physical closeness, but the feeling and how we have enjoyed the shooting together. 

Our appointment was at 10:00am. I was nervous what will my make-up artist do to my hair and eyes. But my doubt was washed away when I was ready for my outdoor shoot. :D My fiance was all smile and his eyes were literally glittering in awe. hahaha.. ok, ok.. i'm a bit exaggerating here but he did look very happy when I stepped out from the makeup room. :D

Mandy was my MUA. Yuki, the famous MUA from France Taipei that many brides had talked about in the bridal forum, was there to help around too when her client had gone for photoshoot. They are both very professional and precise in their work.

Our photographer was Sam. I'll have to see the actual photos before I can comment on his skill. 

Here's a preview of some of the gowns that I've chosen for the photoshoot. I still prefer white gown to the others. The actual photos have to wait for the photographer's photos as these were taken using mobile phone. (updated here)

I've enjoyed the shooting very much especially because my fiance enjoyed it too. We had fun trying out different poses. Some easy and some really difficult. But overall.. it's a once in a lifetime event that I will never forget. :D

Manicure & Pedicure at La Zen

Bought this groupon deal for RM60 for 2 sessions of manicure & pedicure. 2 sessions because I brought my mother along for the manicure & pedicure. It was for my pre-wedding photo shoot. I thought I found a super great deal just on time to prep myself for the photo shoot. But it was just a so-so service. 

The deal said that I'll get 74% off from normal price. Well..maybe it's cheaper than market price for manicure & pedicure at just RM30. Usually, it will cost me RM70 just for a normal nail painting. But this RM70 also include hand scrub, massage, callus removal etc. Which means that La Zen is over charging at RM115 for normal price. 

My nail color was nice..I like the light pink but it was only because the color was painted in 2 thin layers. My mom did the same color on her toes and we noticed that the color was darker and looked thicker on her. Inconsistent nail colour application from two different manicurist I guess... 

My manicurist (i think it's the boss) did the nail art on my fingers. I told her I just need simple design and it's for pre-wedding photo shoot. She drew flowers and put some glitters on my nails. The design looked alright at first but with the added crooked lines, it looked a bit too congested. And the flower petals on my thumb and little finger looked like I touched some liquid paper. (>.<) But then, I couldn't say much as I let her do the design freely. Well..she should at least showed me some designs and let me choose upfront. 

Mom had to change her nail colors and paid an extra RM12.00 because her manicurist didn't test the color on one finger nail first. After applying all her 10 fingers, she thought the color doesn't suit her and have to reapply a new color. Hmm...So in the end, we paid an extra RM27.00..RM15.00 was for my nail art. I wonder if i'll return to this shop again in the future. Well, maybe with groupon deal cuz i'm not going to pay the normal price of RM100 over which I can get at RM70 for the same kind of service.

Pre-Wedding Photoshoot Package

This is one of the most important part of a wedding - to choose the pre-wedding photoshoot package. Most people will survey a few bridal studios to compare prices, gowns and services included in the package. But my fiance and I did not take that option. At first, we wanted to check out Bridal Collection as his sister just signed the package with them and highly recommended this place. On our way to the shop, we passed by France Taipei Ipoh and the displayed gowns caught my attention. We went in to have a look at their gowns and what they could offer us. We didn't think twice and straight away, we signed with them. The package is reasonable and affordable to our expectations. Our package price is RM2,388 and include:-

• 6 gowns for photoshoot (5 indoor and 1 outdoor)
• 2 gowns for actual day wedding (include 1 designer gown)
• 35 chosen and edited photos
• 10pgs of 10x30' album 
• 10pgs of 12x16' album 
• 2 x 12x16' photo frame
• 1 x photo frame with 1x5R photos and 2x6R photos
• 1 x family portrait with photo frame
• 1 x 26x48' poster
• 1 x guest signing scroll
• 1 x DVD with 2 songs
• Car decoration, 1 corsage, 1x bridal flower bouquet
• Include eyelashes for make-up except ampoules 
• Outdoor photoshoot only Ipoh area
• Extra photo at RM30.00/pc. Soft copies of only the chosen 35 poses are given, otherwise, they are sold at RM7.50 - 15.00/pc depending on how many you buy.

I think the package is quite a good price. We do not want to hang the big photo frame in our bedroom, so we removed that. We also did not want the 'ji mui' photos. (but later on found out a lot of people want our photo to keep as memory) We replaced them with 5 more poses, a bigger album for the 2nd photo album, family portrait and 1 designer gown which we think are what we want and like to pay for.

Christy is the sales exec who serves us. I'd like to praise her for her professionalism. Her explanation is clear and she did not push us to take up the package. We feel very comfortable talking with her. Yesterday, I had my wedding gown trial. I chose my 6 gowns within an hr and 15mins. That's super fast in my opinion. But the credits go to Christy who know what I like, what will look good on me and she helped me dress up and undress in split seconds. My fiance and my best friend were very helpful. They gave the thumbs up when the gown look good on me and no-no look the moment I stepped out with a gown they don't like. So, in a short time, we have chosen all the gowns.. which include 3 white gowns, 1 light blue, 1 red cheongsam and 1 brown princess gown. 

No photograph is allowed. But my fiance managed to take one from behind.. :P but only a blur one. The nice photos will have to wait until after we have our photo shoot. ;)

This will be my outdoor gown. :D We chose a slightly different style with frills halter neck and some buttons at the front. Hope the photos will come out great with this gown.

I had a splendid time trying wedding gowns at France Taipei Ipoh. Will update more on my photo shoot experience in my coming blog post. ;D

Getaway in Cameron highland

Just came back from Cameron Highland. Haven't been up there for quite some time, notice a lot of developments going on and wonder whether our Mother Earth is able to survive all that construction work. The weather seems not as cold as before (a few years back) even in the morning at 10am. 

I was here in this Boh tea farm about 7 yrs ago and I can't remember there's this tea shop with so many tourists!! The queue to get a cup of tea is so long!! We had no chance to sip some tea and have some bread. But well..we were going to have our own English tea and scones soon. :D Anyway, it's worth the drive and climb because the scenery was superb! :D The tea farm is so pretty and perfect for a wedding photo shoot. The only turn down was the haze. Otherwise my photo will have the right sunlight. 

Came up here for a weekend getaway with my cell members. We stayed at Crown Imperial Court. An apartment can fit in 10 ppl. But we were more than 20 people and so, some had to sleep on the sofa and sleeping bags. Although slightly lack of sleep, we had so much fun together, laughing at each other jokes, having barbequed scones with cream and strawberries (we don't have an oven, just bbq grill) and english tea (brought all the way from the UK), steamboat (we brought our own fish balls and meat from Ipoh), and a lot of good food around there. 

This was my first time making scones.. Acelin helped me with the dough making. We put too much milk and it became too sticky. Added more flour in. Luckily, it wasn't too dry and the taste turned out ok. Just slightly burnt at the bottom. Will try again at home using the right temperature and oven next time. ;)

Bought some super delicious strawberries. :-)

Love these hydrangea flowers. Would love to have them in my house garden next time. :D

Of course the most important thing is to have fellowship and strengthen our friendship bonding and to learn to be more obedient disciples of Christ. There were time for fun and time for worship and bible study. Although sleep was not enough, we had a great time together away from the hustle bustle of the city life and enjoyed the green scenery. 

By the way, I saw these flowers that would be wonderful to decorate the wedding hall. :D Well, that is if they would have been cheaper and easier to transport to Ipoh... 

MaDly in LovE . . . . . .

I'm engaged. Yes.. you heard me right, I'm not joking! :D 

God is gracious to me. I didn't do enough to deserve all the blessings He has showered upon me. But His grace is ever loving and ever flowing in my life. He loves me and I know it, He understands and knows my heart's deepest desire. 

Each time I look at this wonderful man that God has put in my life, I can't stop smiling and give thanks to God. I said to my Lord, "If You are willing, I'd love to serve You and worship You with the man of my life... I'd love to build a family with him" and by God's grace, my prayer is answered, well..partly, because there's no children yet. On that part, I'll have to pray much harder! hahahaha...

At His appointed timing, I met the love of my life... in church. :P And I know instantly that he's the man whom God has prepared for me. Someone asked me "Are you sure he's the one? Are you certain to marry this man?" I said, "Yes, I'm very sure!" I don't know how to explain it, but I just know it. God's peace is with me.

By now.. You'll be asking who's this wonderful guy? :-)
I'll introduce him when the time comes. For now, I'll call him A. *wink*

The 5 Love Languages

Recently, I've discovered that love languages are actually divided into 5 different aspects. Well, sort of discover because I think I know, but I've never really given much thoughts about it and I've never really think about which of these love languages are my emotional preferences. These love languages do not have to be a romantic relationship, it is how we express love and affection with our loved ones like our families, friends, or special person.

The 5 love languages are :-

Words of Affirmation

Quality Time

Receiving Gifts

Acts of Service

Physical touch

Well..somehow, after realizing this, I have started to think about how I'll response to certain situations that will make me feel loved but still, I find myself a complicated person. LOL.. i don't really know what I prefer. So, I checked out "the 5 love languages" website and came to know that they have a quiz for you to find out your love language preferences.

All the while, I thought "words of affirmation" is my love language. But after completing the quiz, I realize I actually prefer quality time with my loved ones. ;D But yeah, our love languages may change at times depending on the situation. But all in all, I agree with what the author of the website is telling us - discovering our love languages will help us to connect with our loved ones and enhance relationships in our life. So, why not check out the quiz and find out your love languages too? ;D

Lim Ko Pi (啉咖啡)

I first visited Lim Ko Pi in March 2013. I passed by this road now and then, but I usually turn right at the traffic light and hardly notice there's a kopitiam that's calling for attention. It's so red, you won't miss it unless you are like me, only looking to the right. =.='

I was mesmerized by the beautiful interior the moment I stepped into the coffee shop. It just brings out the atmosphere and oldtown feel.. if you know what I mean..

There's even a garden for a coffee out in the sun 

Of course, the architecture should not be the only thing you are looking at. There are a varieties of food offered, which is somewhat different from the other kopitiams in town, eg Oldtown, Pappa Rich etc. They even served homemade cupcakes. I only had the cupcake on the day I visited the kopitiam.  Too busy talking I guess.. ;P For more information on their food, check this out. 

It so happened that when we were there that Sunday, there was an exhibition showcasing miniature models of Ipoh heritage buildings. Some buildings from Taiping were also featured in the exhibition. The exhibition was held on the upper floor of the coffee shop. 

  

 

They are open from Tuesday to Sunday at 7:30am - 5:00pm. Come early as they have limited servings. More information can be found on their FB page. 

Beautiful Ipoh

Took this photo from Kinta City, Ipoh, car park. 

It was a mesmerizing scenery showing Ipoh with its mountainous surroundings. 

Although it's not one of the best shot.. 

Yes, Ipoh is such a beauty. 

A friend who stayed in Hamburg most of his life visited Ipoh 

and told me that Ipoh is an exciting city, not boring and flat like Hamburg. 

It's true....

Driving to work everyday is not boring at all. 

I'm always in awe of the beautiful sky and clouds on the mountains top. 

Secondly, traffic is usually smooth. ;) 

Except for public holidays where tourists flock to Ipoh for good food la!

Talking about good Ipoh food, will try to update more on food post. *wink* 

Visit from a good old friend

My good old friend whom I met when I was studying in Germany was here in Malaysia for work early last month. I was really overjoyed that she took the trouble to come visit me in Ipoh. *big grin* 

So here we were at our first stop, all smiling because we were so full - Foh San Dim Sum! But we didn't take any photos of the dim sum, all eaten and forgotten. hehehe..

Foh San Dim sum

Next, I brought her to Perak Cave Temple for a walk up the hill since we were so full with dim sum. ;P The weather was nice with blue sky that day. Behind the temple, there were stairs going up a hill. Mind you, it was quite steep and when I was not even half way up, I was exhausted. See how weak am I. :P

We rested at one of the podiums/pavilions and enjoyed the scenery of Ipoh city. 

Well..next up is Burp & Giggles! ;P This place deserves an individual post but I'm too lazy to write..so here are some photos we took while enjoying coffee and juice and desserts. 

Behind Burps & Giggles is Sekeping Kong Heng where you can experience some of Ipoh old town heritage. The building remains as it is with its architecture. Some paintings from local artists were on display and they are also for sale. 

At night, we had dinner at church (yeah, i brought her to church, *grin*) and later we went for a walk at Kinta Riverfront. The next day, I also brought her to church...hahaha.. hope to bring her to know Christ. Had chicken hor fun for lunch and she left for KLIA. It was a great sight-seeing and eating trip for me as well as a Ipohan. I don't do this often and it was really fun showing her around Ipoh. :D

Thank you..

Took a break from blogging though I can say that time was spent meaningfully. More time was spent with God though I admit it's not enough. :p God will never say enough too, I bet. Lol...

I'm so, so thankful to God for listening to my cries and prayers. One thing I'm sure is that the Lord I trust is a living God and will bless those who seek Him first. :D Because I'm really blessed! 

May all who seek His will be blessed and filled by His love forever and ever. 

Matthew 6:33 says

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"

Adventure with BBQ cake

It was a lovely Saturday morning and perfect day for baking cake. I've already planned the baking session with mom as 'sifu' the day before. The cake was for a CNY gathering on that night. Everything went well from weighing the ingredients, cutting the peaches & plums, melting the butter and mixing the ingredients together. Not long after the tin of mixture (not yet become a cake) was placed in the oven, disasters kept coming! First, the oven went 'pop!!' and before I knew it, mom was shouting, "The oven exploded! Your cake, your cake!". I was washing my hands in the wash room when the explosion happened. Not sure what happened to the oven though... and before we checked the oven, we quickly save the cake first. 

Everybody started to think of solutions. (everybody here include mom, me, my sister and an aunt) We tried calling the nearest aunty to our house, but she has no oven. Tried another aunty, but she's out in town. We must cook the cake as soon as possible, otherwise the mixture with all the fruits inside will sink and I can't imagine what will happen to the cake! I was so nervous! 

Mom was quick in thinking of a solution. She suggested using a wok to cook it. At first, I thought she meant steaming the cake which is absolutely no good for a crumble cake. But actually, she just meant heating the cake in a hot covered wok. I took this photo as fast as possible and cover the wok with a lid. ;D But a few minutes in the wok.. gas went off! While changing to a new gas cylinder, we really wondered whether the cake can still survive or not.. lol

After 15 minutes of cooking the cake in the wok, the temperature still did not rise to the desired temperature. It stayed at about 130C, but we required 175C. And the crumble was melting slightly. Not sure who came up with the idea of using the BBQ grill. We were brain-storming of whether we should cut the cake smaller and bake the cake in the oven toaster, and someone suggested grilling the cake. :D But we couldn't start up the grill! I thought that's the end of the cake... but glad that the BBQ grill was able to start-up after a few more attempts. hahahaha..

Checking the cake in the BBQ grill

Anyway, the cake was a success though it was a bit burnt at the bottom from the fire of the BBQ grill. But glad that everybody enjoyed the cake and the humour behind the cake baking adventure. ;D

Cooling down the cake after BBQ

Taste yummy! The crumble, the peaches and plums all came out OK after moving from oven to wok and to BBQ grill

CNY Dinner @ Warm Snow Beer & Dine

Every year before Chinese New Year, my colleagues and I will organize a dinner together to celebrate err.. Chinese New Year! Hahaha.. of course. Actually, it is called "收工酒" and it's usually held by the company to thank the workers for their hard work for the past year before the company closes for Chinese New Year celebration. But instead of that, we make it a tradition to have a small dinner for ourselves (just our department) just for fun! 

So this year, our CNY dinner was held at "Warm Snow Beer & Dine". Why did we choose this restaurant? Why not a Chinese restaurant? As there are only 7 of us, and we are all girls, normal 7-9 courses meal at Chinese Restaurant will be too much for us. After searching high and low for a suitable restaurant,   I found this groupon deal which is quite a good deal at RM80 for 7 of us. Though the deal does not include drinks, it is a 2-course meal with a main dish and a salad. For more information on the deal, click here. 

For salad, there are Spicy Thai or Citrus Garden Salad to choose from. Both are good. Look exactly like in the deal. But Spicy Thai is more tasty. If you prefer a simple salad with a touch of orange sourness plus sweetness, then Citrus Garden Salad would be your choice.

For main dish, we can choose either 

1) Grilled Coriander Chicken

2) Pan-seared Dory 

or 3) Salmon Carbonara 

We all like the chicken the most though the gravy was slightly too spicy for me. The carborana was not bad either, just that the sauce was slightly thin. But it's good enough because otherwise, you will feel bloated after eating the whole plate! Fish is a no-no. Fortunately, the fish was ordered for everyone to try since we were only 7 but the deal was for 8 persons.

Almost everyone complained about their drinks. My ice-blended Ribena was so diluted / thin. Hardly can taste Ribena. As it was a hot day, I was expecting icy cold drink.. but the ice was not the usual blended drink. Ice was too big size! Actually almost all the drinks were slightly diluted. Anyway, we were arguing on whether to use 'thin' or 'diluted' to describe my drink. Well, I guess either one can be used, right? Just that diluted is mostly used in our lab! ;P

Probably I may go there for their Carbonara or try other foods on the menu. But the restaurant is so warm (no air-cond). Probably this is why they are called "Warm Snow Beer & Dine". We should drink some beer to cool down. lol...

If you would like to try their food / drinks, here's the address:-

16-18, Medan Ipoh 1E,

Medan Ipoh Bistari, 

31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 05-5491321

Oh yeah...forgot to mention that we really dislike the choice of table cloth they used. hahahah! It has nothing to do with the food though...;D

Random post

* 酸角糕 = Acid horn. Can't stop smiling when I found the English translation of this China product.  ;D It's actually Asam Jawa or Tamarind. 

* J is now "legally" married with Matt. They signed the paper on 4.1.13. If you read the year first, it will be 13.1.4 and in cantonese, it sounds like 一生一世, which means everlasting. Saw their photo in newspaper the day after their ROM. However, as it's Chinese tradition to have the groom with his entourage to "fetch" the bride on the actual wedding day + having tea ceremony + wedding banquet , they are still not "officially" married yet.. (Ya, Chinese tradition is a bit complicated..) and the actual day will be in Dec. I'm so looking forward to that day. ;D

slightly blur cuz I took the picture from the newspaper

* Did not use gloves for an analysis the other day and my fingers became so dry and lost its sensitiveness. Thought it will be a fast analysis and I won't touch any chemicals. Wearing gloves are sometimes quite troublesome when handling things like opening bottle insert or peeling labels or holding tiny things. But yeah.. i learned my lesson. No more bare hands when handling chemicals especially toxic chemicals like chloroform. Oops.. 

* Visit a colleague's new born baby. Cute, tiny little girl.. ;D

* Was at All Inn Dessert some time ago with a group of friends. Didn't manage to post review on time. Anyway, we had a good chat but they don't have the normal types of '糖水' (cantonese for sweet soup) like 花生糊 (peanut paste soup), 紅豆沙 (red bean paste soup) or 黑糯米粥 (sweet black glutinous rice soup). I was expecting those but probably they are sold out or they don't have it at all. Can't remember whether they have it in the menu. Those in their menu are too fancy for me. Haha.. just not dare to try la! To be safe, I ordered "Dates, Aloe Vera & Longan" dessert which was slightly too sweet. Well..it's not too bad and not too expensive. It's actually a nice place for a quiet, chill out time with a few close buddies. "wink"

CNY decorations

Finally! The decorations are ready! ;D 

The firecrackers really took us some time to combine together. They just didn't want to stay at their positions and kept messing around. We later  found an easy way to stitch them together with the all-purpose cellophane tape. Added a crane in the centre of the lantern. It also took us some time to hang it as it was not easy to reach the ceiling with only a stainless steel stool.

Close-up of the lantern with fire crackers

After hung up onto the ceiling

A bigger view of the decoration

More lanterns were made later and hung on the ceilings.

This lantern has three stars (by KP) and a smaller lantern at the bottom (by SC)

Took me quite awhile to stitch this together. There are one little crane in each of the lantern and two fishes at the bottom

Decor on the wall

Now, you can really feel the festive mood swinging in. Hope this will liven up the working environment and reduce some work stress. ;) Thank you all for the contributions.. I hope this activity helps to build up team spirit among fellow co-workers too and instil cheerfulness in everybody who's working in the office. ;P