.::. Stress .::.

I honestly think that the main factor in the aging equation is stress. Despite all the exercise and healthy habits you keep, you still age in an environment of stress. And of course, child birth causes women to age faster too!

When I'm stressed, I can literally feel it. I'm more sensitive to stress and recognizing it after being stress-free during that one year in Sweden. I felt heavier and weighed down once I got back to Singapore. Then I realized, that is how stress feels like. I've been under constant stress since young that I never learnt how it felt.

I'm stressed these days. With the exams coming up in a week, wedding coming up in 3 weeks and the monitoring of flat selection plus financial planning, I can't help but feel the stress!

When I'm stressed, I need more sleep. It's the best stress buster for me. Nothing beats a good sleep. But sleep sometimes elude me when I'm stressed! Then I become prone to flu, like I am now.

One of the simplest thing which makes me happy is sleep! It's so underrated and taken for granted.

Hello sleep, my stress-buster.

.::. Shrinking .::.

It's been months since I stepped on a weighing machine. I've lost 2kg! *wee!

Not that weight matters to me much at all, since I actually gained quite a few kg after I started working out 9 months ago. But still, it's good motivation.

I had a random thought some days back, feeling thankful that I started my 'Project Shrink-shrank-shrunk' early this year, in time to look good in my ROM dress. I never expected to get married this soon! I have since shaved about 2 inches off my waist, 2 inches off my thighs and an inch off my arms. I'm back to my 'normal' size, though I'm still not as skinny as my skinniest days during JC.

Apart form exercising regularly and being more conscious about what I eat, I generally still eat whatever I like and whenever I feel hungry. I go for my favourite kickboxking once a week which leaves me really drained with muscle aches for days, and also do my HIIT/strength training once or twice a week. I'm happiest this time round because I'm doing it the right way and obviously not starving myself.

Aim this time round is to be toned, lean and healthy - one more inch off everywhere!

On another note, I've this ridiculous fear of aging. I honestly would do as much as possible to stay young:

Exercise regularly

Sleep early

Eat more fruits and vegetables

Drink more water

Stay happy

Laugh

Be thankful

Think positive

Stuff yourself with anti-oxidents such as blueberries

Apply sunblock

Be dilligent in your skincare regime

.::. Package of Love .::.

The girls sent a package all the way from U.S.A for me. Thank you so much my dear Jo and Ju! I really wished you girls were here to share these with me, but sometimes it feels like you've never really left.

The package.

Opening it up.

All the goodies.

I was super surprised when I saw that album, I was thinking how did they make a whole album for us??  How did they manage to get our pictures??

Here's the pretty cards.

And the champagne glasses for toasting.

And this was the insides of the 'album'.  It's not actually an album but a handmade guest book.  I was so touched that I started tearing, and then crying when I read their messages and card.

I'm such a wuss these days.  I cry so much easier as I grow older.

But I'm really touched, and very thankful to have beautiful people in my life.

On a side note, one of my Thai friend whom I knew from Sweden actually booked a ticket to Singapore, all the way from Boston, just to attend my ROM.  I'm really touched because she took the effort to come and because she's flying all the way just for me.  Moreover, her air tickets cost a whooping USD7,000.  I guess the least I could do is offer her free accommodation and pickup service.  =X

 I must have done quite a bit of good deeds in my previous lifetime to deserve such great things.

.::. Lunch @ Ikea .::.

Went for lunch at Ikea with my colleagues this afternoon and had a very rare long lunch.

I love love love long lunches.

The queue was so long!  We starting queuing from outside the restaurant, though it didn't take that long.

Ikea is serving Christmas sets which I ordered.  There's 2 different kind of ham, fries, sausages and broccoli with a corn soup and pancake.  It was pretty good, except that I can't take so much salty meat at a go.  But I sure loved the all-time favorite chicken wings and meatballs.

By the way, Ikea has a damn good deal now!

For every $20 you spend in the restaurant, you get a $5 voucher which you can use to buy anything in Ikea!  There's no minimum spending and you can simply get anything!  I think the deal lasts till end of December, but I'm not very sure.

So, I'm really happy because I got my 3-tier muffin stand for FREE!  I shamelessly used all $20 of the vouchers for myself since my colleagues did not buy anything.  Luckily I didn't spend $50 for the porcelain one we saw at Tangs last weekend.  *wee.  Although the Ikea one is plain transparent glass, I can imagine decorating it with my Tiffany blue ribbons and perhaps heart-shaped chocolates.

.::. Pique Nique .::.

We finally went to try out this relatively new all-day breakfast place at Takashimaya.  We have walked past it so many times, and it always smells good.  I can't really tell if it's the KFC next door which smells good or if the smell came from Pique Nique.

The menu.  The prices were surprisingly pretty reasonable.  Simple breakfast set with omelets cost less than $10.

I like the feel of the place.  I would like my dining area to have such feel too.  I love the brick walls and sturdy oak wood dining tables with benches.  Look at those lovely chairs and booths too.

They had cute cups too.

He had the farmers' set, 3-egg omelette with potatoes and mushrooms and toast.  It doesn't look that good isn't it?  He said that it was alright.

I had the eggs benedict set though I'm quite sure I'd be disappointed.  Nothing can match up to the one I had in Montreal - eggs benedict on pancakes.  *yumss.  I still salivate thinking about it.

It looked pretty promising though.

I'm still happy to have my eggs.

I liked the fries, it was made of fresh potatoes and you can really taste the freshness.  I didn't like the sauce, I found it too heavy.  The eggs benedict was mediocre, simply, so-so.  I prefer Wild Honey's though theirs is more than twice the price of this.  I liked the ham though, I could taste the meat and it wasn't the salty kind.  All and all, it's a mediocre dish.

Both of us had lattes to go with our meal.  I liked the latte though, smooth and milky.

The future-husband looking really stoned.  He reported to work at 730am on a Saturday morning and was totally wiped out.  We went to quite a few places to get his shoe, though most men shoes look pretty much the same to me.  We shortlisted a pair from Zara, but he hasn't really decided though.

The food here is really simply so-so.  Nothing to rave about but still a nice place to sit down for some eggs after shopping.  The price is pretty decent and you wouldn't need to queue for hours to get into Wild Honey or Antionette in Orchard on a weekend, nor do you have to go to very inaccessible places for a similar spread.  I really hate it that most places which serve food like this is so inaccessible that it's almost impossible to go without driving, or taking a cab!

So if you feel like having breakfast/brunch with eggs after shopping at Orchard road, Pique Nique could be a decent choice.  While they are always full, queues are short.

.::. DIY Invitations .::.

I finally got my invitation cards ready to be sent out!

My little sister who's really good at design helped me to design them in photoshop.  I gave her a rough direction like the size of the card, the color theme and what I want to be written on it while she worked on a draft.  I made her change the fonts and alignment so many times, and she extracted the lines of the map to fit my theme.  The whole process took about a week or so.  I think we could think of making these for a living.  =p

I'm really happy how it turned out!

The idea behind the invitations is to make it similar to a movie ticket since we are holding our solemnization at the screening room.  It evolved to what it is, though it did not actually turn out to be a movie ticket.  

We made 3 invitations fit into an A4 size for easy printing, but it has to be cut.  I bought shiny cream paper to print on.  I trimmed all the sides to paste it on a card stock, so that I can fit it in

to a DL envelope.  I actually spent the whole morning cutting the pieces up.  

I have got to say that a good cutter is the best DIY tool.  I could easily measure and slice the paper up neatly.  It was one of my first scrapbooking tool 5 years ago, and it's the most used and most needed tool for anyone who likes to DIY stuff.  My CARL cutter was pretty expensive, at about $59.90 then, but I've seen less sturdy cutters for $39.90.  Invest in a good one that could last!

So after all that cutting and trimming, I measured and cut the card stock before sticking the front and back.  It's pretty tiring and time-consuming though nothing difficult.  I guess DIY takes some effort and you need to enjoy doing it and envision how you want your project to turn out.  Personally, I enjoy seeing the my vision materialize.  I got my craft glue Spotlight, it can glue practically everything such as paper and fabric and dries clear and quickly.  I'm intending to use this to glue up my buntings so that I don't have to sew them!  Squeezing the glue bottle takes quite abit of strength!

And after a good whole morning of trimming and pasting, I got to Popular to get cream-coloured envelopes to hold my beautiful invitations.  I put them into envelopes on the train to the city to make full use of my time!

After a long day out, we finally sat down for food and coffee as we addressed the envelopes to our dear family and friends.

I went to get extra card stock and came back home to finish up on the other invitations.  It was another good hour of trimming and pasting.

All and all, I'm really happy how it turned out.

I went to calculate how much my DIY invitation cost me:

Paper: $0.30

Printing: FREE

Envelopes: $0.30

Design fee: FREE

Cardstock: $0.40

An invitation came up to about $1 each and I am preparing about 40 of them.  I spent about $50 on everything, excluding quite a few hours of my time of course.

As much as I love DIY, I don't think I can make my own invitations for my traditional wedding if we were to invite like 400 people.  40 invites are alight, but making hundreds of invites?  I'm still undecided on it.

.::. 26th SEA Games - Swimming .::.

Have you been following the SEA games?

I used to follow things like Olympics and Worldcup since I was a young kid, because my dad always watched them and explained all the rules and stuff of all the different sports.  He still does the same to my little sisters, though they always seem so uninterested.

My favourite events were always Swimming and Gymnastics, sometimes running too.

I feel a sense of pride seeing my fellow countrymen winning.  Actually, the hard work of all these athletes  impresses me so much.  I think I haven't tried so hard for just one thing insofar.  Perhaps I have never tried as hard as them ever.

I think all athletes should be respected for their determination and effort put into one single sport.

My favorite swim for this games:



Did you have that adrenaline rush like I did?

.::. Beautiful Moments .::.

Appreciate the little scenes you pass by everyday. =) I  Singapore, it can be so pretty.

.::. Suited .::.

We finally went to the tailor for his suit.

We have tried so many places, but none of the suits suit him. When the shoulders fit, it simply looks like he's swimming in his suit. He has too broad shoulders and a tiny waist.

I brought him to Kingsmen at my ex-colleague's recommendation. He has always recommended this tailor, he's a long-time customer and comes for tailor-made shirts every year. He's very particular about service and his shirts are noticeably fitted. Upon googling about tailors, I realized that Kingsmen is indeed popular, and peoples' comments are usually 'go for it if you can afford it'. Apart from Kingsmen, there were also a few famous tailors in Singapore, one in Tanglin Shopping Mall and the other at Raffles Hotel.

Prices for 3-piece suits start from about 800, tailored shirts for about 130.

This is where we were served. I was somewhat surprised that this is run by a Chinese family. Just before we arrived, he asked if it was an Indian tailor and I realized that I had no clue.

They were tending to customers when we arrived, but asked us to wait for awhile. The service was really good. They asked you what you wanted, color preference etc. There were also other customers who seemed to be regulars, and you can notice that they really enjoy serving their customers. There was also an ang-moh customer who was featured in the 'Nan You' magazine in their suit.

I guess we were pretty comfortable and the boyfriend can be pretty willing to pay for quality once in a while. After all, it's once-in-a-lifetime and he can wear this for our traditional wedding again while I buy my Vera Wang online! No need for overpriced bridal packages!

There was 2 very old and experienced masters who took his measurements, one for the shirt/coat and the other for pants. They are really old and kept spurting numbers in cantonese while the sales guy wrote it down on a piece of paper. Then they'll suggest certain styles that suits you body shape.

His 4-piece suit with a vest and extra pair of pants was a hefty $1,495. Very pricey, but coats alone (that doesn't fit him) easily cost $599, so I guess it's gonna be worth the buck.

We chose this design, in a darker color. I'm going to buy him a Tiffany blue tie to go with it!

I think he's going to look like a million bucks on our special day.

I was really happy with the personalized service, it's essential when you are paying so much! Good service is really extremely rare in Singapore these days. We are going down for fitting this weekend and collecting the suit in about 4 weeks, a few days before our ROM. The paranoid me actually trusts that they would make it in time without any glitches like they promised.

If I were a man, I probably wouldn't mind paying for 5 new tailor-made shirts every year.

CONTACT US

KINGSMEN SHOP 14, Scotts Road #02-56/57/76/77 Far East Plaza Singapore 228213

Operating hours: » Mon-Sat (11:00am - 7:00pm) » Sun & Public Holidays (For appointments only)

Tel: (65) 6733 3581 Fax: (65) 6733 9258

.::. My Favourite Beach .::.

I'm finishing our Europe Trip photo book. Finally. I'm at our last stop, Sweden.

I feel so nostalgic. Very.

I have spent so many days on this beach, contemplating about life, finding peace, missing home and building meaningful relationships with people and myself.



This was the last time I was there, my last day in Sweden June, 2010. It's been almost 1.5 years!

Even when it was cold and the weather was far from perfect, I still walked to the beach when I felt like I needed it.

And when the weather was beautiful, the beach is stunning.

I even recorded a video and sang him his birthday song here.

With clouds.

In the evening.

When the sun sets.

When it's still frozen.

With friends.

=)

I miss Sweden so much.

Luckily, I know I savoured every single moment there. It couldn't have been better.

Hopefully, I can be back someday, back to my favourite beach.

I have been contemplating whether or not to take pre-wedding shots. But I have decided not to, because it's meaningless taking pictures in the studio to me. Many people head to places like Paris to take wedding shots, it's really pricey and too common these days. Taiwan is cheap, but I don't like the style. I like things to be meaningful, so unless I find a meaningful place, I prolly wouldn't spend my money on wedding photos.

The only place I want to have my wedding pictures taken? In Sweden. I can think of so many picture-perfect places which meant something to me and how we had a long-distance relationship then. But then, airtickets alone for 2 of us and a photographer would already cost $6k!

My favourite beach shall stay in my memories for now.

A friend posted this on her Facebook wall:

Once, someone asked the Dalai Lama what is it about humanity that surprises him most, he said:

"Man is willing to lose their health for money, and then to lose money to restore their health. Man always concerns with the future and does not enjoy the present. The result is that he really does not belong to the present. Or even the future. He lives as if he is not dead. And then, he dies, never have existed."

Isn't this so true?

I'm going to enjoy every moment. Now.

.::. Dior Fall 2011 .::.

This took my breath away. I like the layers on a simple tube dress! If only I had nice legs and money, I would have gotten this for my ROM...

.::. RAPE .::.

I pray with all my heart and soul that all men who statutory rape a young girl below 16 goes to jail.

Seriously.

If you really love someone, you need to let them learn and bear the consequences of their actions instead of helping them to cover up shit.

.::. Starry Night .::.

My favourite Van Gogh painting is coming to Singapore!

I visited Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam but it wasn't there. I visited Orsay, and it should have been there but it was out touring.

Alas!

It'll be at our national museum, admission cost $11. HSBC card holders get 50% off.

.::. Going Ahead .::.

She finally gave the nod, and it seems like I won't have to convert anymore!

Honestly, it's not like I haven't tried and give thought to it. But it really feels beyond me, like every cell in my body is rejecting Christianity. It's not god I'm rejecting, it's the bible I'm rejecting. I can't accept many of the teachings inside although most of them must be good. It's my identity, I simply don't see myself as a Christian and living for god and god only. And why is it that only certain religions makes people convert more than others? I still love going to the temple when I'm troubled, 拜虎爷，求签，and pray with joss sticks. Making me stop doing this is like, asking me to be vegetarian. Part of me wonder if this is about family politics or really religion, but whatever it is, I'm glad it's over.

For now, things are the way they are and we just have to move on and look forward to the better things in life. There's still a long road ahead, more challenges, more obstacles and also more happy moments to cherish.

It feels so surreal. I'm really getting married, to the guy I've dated for 7 years.

My aunts came over on Sunday night for dinner, and I feel loved. It's interesting since one of my aunt is Catholic and the other is leaning towards Taoism?

I've got my aunt to do my hair for me since I'd really prefer to save some money. I'll be doing my own makeup too since none of the makeup artist impresses me. Moreover, we are really using up all our savings for the house and every little bit counts.

This is my favourite hairdo.

This is another try.

And this was what she did for me when I was young, as a kid.

Super funny.

I'm all ready to fight for my own happiness.

.::. Oh my god! .::.

Deep within me, perhaps I have already knew all along that this will come someday.

He is Christian, baptized as a child but never been to church for the past 10 years and probably doesn't know much about the bible. I'm a free-thinker who goes to the temple and follows some Chinese traditions I grew up with. Between the 2 of us, religion has never been a problem as both of us are not religious. Right from the start, we have came to an understanding that I will not convert even if I marry him some day. He doesn't expect me to, and it's not important to him. It was crucial for me, because I can never be able to do it and wouldn't have started a relationship with a religious person in the first place. I hated people who preached and evangelized, who tried to convert people and imposed their values on others. It was a form of disrespect for me, and if you really respected another individual, you wouldn't keep trying to change them but accept them as they are.

I believe in god. But I never believed in religion. I have read enough history and sociology to realize how religion could be a double-edged sword. People could be so consumed by their religion that they end up doing things against humanity, yet still believe that they are doing it in the name of god. Even people of different branches of the same religion could fight for years, resulting in countless lives lost. I don't believe that there is any religion which would condone killings and discrimination, yet as a matter of fact, lives are lost in the pursuit of religious beliefs.

I reckon it really boils down to one's belief system and values, and religion is a very sensitive issue. It's an individual's choice and way of life, it's not something that could be forced upon.

So, what do you do with stanch Christians who insist that you have to convert to Christianity to find happiness in life? I avoid them like a plague.

But what do you do when your future mother-in-law insists that you MUST go to church and convert to Christianity before marrying her son?

I know family is important and a marriage is not simply about both of us. But his paternal side are Buddhists while his mother is a Christian and brought him to church as a child. It really does not make sense to force a religion upon me and insist that I change. Moreover, we have been dating for the past 7 years and he has also told his mother about my stand on religion and to seek her understanding and acceptance some time ago. She has not ever spoken to me directly about this nor really tried to make us go to the church the past years.

Yet now, when we are planning to ROM, religion becomes a big issue.

She thinks that a couple must have the same religion, namely Christianity, for a relationship to work. She says it's too soon. Too soon when we've dated for 7 years, will be getting our flat keys within the next 6 months, have stable jobs and are in our mid-twenties? It's hurtful. Does that mean that she never expected us to get married or that she thinks that I would naturally convert when we get married despite knowing my stand on religion? I went to read up about it and indeed, Christians perceive non-believers as 'evil' and would lead Christians astray. Thus, it's essential for a non-believer to convert to find happiness in marriage. I don't think she ever knew me as a person, and she knows nothing of our relationship and how much we have been through the past 7 years. It hasn't been an easy journey for 2 of us to survive so many different stages in life for the past 7 years. It's hard enough to find your soul mate in life and make a relationship work!

The most frustrating thing is that I am never spoken directly to and it's the boyfriend who has been bearing everything. I can't even speak up for myself. I know how overbearing and dictating she can be, and he has always yielded to her wishes and avoided confrontation mostly. This makes it harder for her to swallow, since she's so used to getting her way.

I have considered what it takes to appease his mum and make things easier for us - to convert. But I simply couldn't do it. It's not me. And if I lose myself and my identity, I lose everything. You can't love someone when you don't love yourself enough. I would like to believe that it's one of the reason why he's in love with me. Given my strong individualism, it's easier to leave the relationship and lose a part of myself than lose control of my life for the next 50 years.

I don't think it's possible to change her mind either, not that I intend to. I can just hope that she can accept our differences and still give us her blessing. All I can do is prove that a relationship can work even without having Jesus in the equation. Can't she see how happy we both are together?

Religions are not intended to be sources of conflict. Some values transcend all religious beliefs, all cultures and all races, and form the basis of all relationships.

I honestly think that mutual respect is the basis of all relationship. It's one thing which the boyfriend taught me throughout the years. There are times when we quarreled and I get really frustrated and question why is he the way he is. It was he who told me so earnestly to accept him for who he is and love him for it instead of trying to change him. It made a very big impact on me and how I handles conflicts and our differences. He is a man of a few words, yet when he speaks, he makes a statement.

The thing about mutual respect is that it embraces a lot more than simply being nice or polite to someone. It encompasses accepting others the way they are and appreciating their differences without trying to judge or change them.

I can't embrace religion, for I think that it would make me narrow-minded. Do Christians really believe that non-believers are 'evil' and must be rescued lest they go to hell?

As much as I try to keep an open mind and try not to let things bring me down, I can't say that I'm not upset. It's painful, but I need to keep a part of me safe to keep myself sane. I can only trust and have faith in him. Even if things don't work out, I'm lucky to have been in a beautiful relationship for the past 7 years and there are still so many other things in life to look forward to.

I once read a quote which I really liked. Nobody can make you sad if you don't let them. Once you adopt such a mindset, it's like you are untouchable, above all things else. I still have the power to make my choices in life, and I will never yield.

How now? I be patient, wait and have faith. It may be the final challenge to go through before we can really be joined in matrimony. He always reminded me that I'm marrying him, not his family, and I hope he meant what he said. I believe that god is a reasonable person and would not make things difficult for a couple really in love.

Whatever it is, life goes on and I refuse to spend another day in my life wallowing in sorrow.

I need to find peace and start having me beauty sleep again. I can't believe that I have totally lost my appetite these 2 days. I ain't even tempted by BBQ Chicken Wings, barely finished my lunch nor my tom yum noodles tonight.

Seriously, oh my god. WTF? I thought things like that only happened in the movies.