I.Write
An Exercise in Self Expression
The headache before the planning
11 Jan 2010I just started doing research about the wedding today. Some of the Perth-related research started last week whilst we were there, but we planned on starting the process once we got back to Singapore. It’s Day 1, and I’m kinda freaking out about it even though we have about a year to go. The dates aren’t even set yet!
I feel so tempted to engage a wedding planner, but I know that’s just silly cos part of the process is in getting involved in your own wedding. Else it’s just another occasion for show. I love the idea of getting married, but I’m at a loss when it comes to execution. I’m fretting already about forgetting really important things when I have all this time to deal with it. I think I get too far ahead of myself sometimes.
Peeps and I saw a really gorgeous wedding folder whilst shopping for stationery in Perth, and he asked me to buy it cos I was all gushy-gushy about how beautiful it was and how we needed it for the wedding. But the A$39.95 price tag was not what I was prepared to pay, especially since it was just an empty folder with dividers. I still have to sit down and make a checklist of the things I need to do and put that in.
I’m having problems putting together the checklist. Where to start? What to do?
I know, I know, I’m just whining about it when I haven’t even started yet. But going to the usual bridal forums aren’t helping me. They’re just confusing me cos there’s like a ton of information on that and not knowing what I’m looking for just makes me feel overloaded by information.
Banquet venues are another headache. Where to hold it? Peeps wants to do it at an elegant and exquisite location but there’s really not a lot of choices – Ritz Carlton (too opulent for my taste), St Regis (food sucks, ballroom too small), Four Seasons (ballroom too small), Shangri-La (probably closest to what we want, but Peeps thinks it lacks originality and oomph, and I’m inclined to agree cos everyone who wants an elegant ‘do does it there), Marina Bay Sands (Peeps has dissed it as being too common after realising that a ton of people wanna have it there, and I don’t like the sheer size of the location, there’ll be too many weddings at the same venue at the same time), Resorts World Sentosa (we’re still considering but there’s too many unknowns about the venue at this time, I’m not sure what sort of ballroom they have), Capella (too frickin’ expensive at $1,488+++ per table, that’s over $1,700 per table excluding alcohol and cupcakes and other such things, not to mention it’s not in the best location on Sentosa), and our last ditch, Fullerton (which Peeps isn’t keen on cos it’s not what you’d immediately think of for a wedding, plus its maximum capacity of 48 is cutting it too close. Our conservative estimate of tables is now at 42 tables with 95% confirmed attendance and excluding Peeps’ family’s business associates).
Too many uncertains at this point. And I’m getting a whale of a headache thinking about it. I think I’m just gonna take it easy and wait for Peeps to get home before doing anything. That’s what I love (and hate) about him. He’s all take-charge and all I have to do is to execute without having to make any decisions, unless I want to. I’m becoming lazy about making decisions. These days I leave a lot of decisions to him, that way when something goes wrong, I stick my nose up at him and say, “See lah! Told you don’t do it like that liao!” when in actual fact, I didn’t actually say anything to that effect when the decision was made. Heehee…
Yea, that’s just the headache talking. I’m gonna shower and then watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Peeps picked up the DVD in Perth at Insanity whilst I was shopping for clothes cos he knows that I love that movie.
I’m the luckiest girl in the world!
KL boleh!
3 Jan 2010It was a fruitful, if a rather unnecessarily extravagant, weekend in KL. We bought wayyyy too much even though we had less than 10 hours in total of shopping.
Peeps splashed the most money, but that’s cos he went insane in Ermenegildo Zegna buying two shirts, a jeans and pair of shoes, the latter he excused by saying it was on sale and he needs to buy a shoe for Chinese New Year and a pair of Bally shoes would have cost him the same. But still, I love his new shoes. They’re an interesting shade of dark purple/ grey and black all rolled into one colour. I loved it the moment I saw it.
I was marginally better in that I skipped the designer shopping (cos I’m earning less lah!) and went straight for the high street brands like Zara, Mango, Banana Republic and Club Monaco. Peeps choked when I told him how many items I bought. A pair of jeans, 2 silk dresses, a silk top, a wool dress, two pencil skirts of varying designs, a pair of dress shorts, two dress (work) tops, some private garments from La Senza and that’s just clothes. We also bought a weighing scale for the house (paid only 50% cos we had that many vouchers), foot scrub and buffing polish for my feet (free cos we used vouchers) and two SKII facial items for myself.
I’m on a serious no-shopping diet until the end of the year. It was way too much money to spend when you’re planning for a wedding in a year’s time. Thankfully I’ve been keeping up with my monthly facials for the last few years so I’m not gonna drop another couple of grand on some drastic aesthetic treatments. Loads of water, monthly facials and a good diet are all I’m gonna count on cos I can’t afford anything else!!
Happy New Year all!
Peeps and I are in KL right now. Internet is free at the hotel, and we decided to come back for a short break between shopping our socks off. Post-Christmas sale is everywhere, and while they’re probably not as good as the sales in Europe and the US, there are still bargains galore.
This is what we lugged back from our shopping trip whilst at Suria KLCC between 11 am to 3 pm today. That’s not including my brand new Cavelli bolster (cos it’s all wrapped up in plastic and won’t photograph well) and Peeps’ Chinese New Year clothes from Ermenegildo Zegna (which we’re supposed to collect after 8 pm tonight cos they need to do alterations to his jeans) yet.
I was stunned myself by how much we bought – SKII cleansing oil, 2 pairs of Quiksilver board shorts for Peeps (2nd piece at 60% discount), a lovely halter top for me and a casual tee for Peeps from Club Monaco (between 40% to 60% discount), a baby blue tee from Levis for me, a bolster for me from Cavelli, 850-thread count (per sq 10 cm) full set of sheets from Garcia, 2 silk dresses and a silk blouse from Banana Republic (from 40% to 50% discount) and a shirt and pair of jeans from Zegna (30% discounted) for Peeps. I have a full day of shopping again tomorrow, and I’ve deliberately stayed away from Mango and Zara since we got here cos I want to dedicate at least an hour per shop tomorrow cos they’re both on sale!
I’ve made myself a promise not to buy anything in Perth, other than 2 pencil skirts for work cos I stock up on pencil skirts in Australia for their better designs and quality. We’ve already spent too much in Bali and KL. Plus, we need money for the wedding! Eeeeks! One year more to me becoming a Missus! Weeheeeeeeeee!!
Smelly, aches and pains
29 Dec 2009I’ve been on a health kick lately. Well… not so much of a health kick than just plain ole’ on a diet.
Went to the gym yesterday and today even though I wasn’t feeling well yesterday. But my weight loss plans won’t wait, and May is coming round in 5 months! I have 10 kgs to lose in 5 months. Mission impossible. The first 2 or 3 kgs are gonna drop off pretty quickly, but after that, the remaining 7 kgs are gonna be a lot harder.
Burnt 160 Kcals on the treadmill yesterday – 2.5 km at 7.7 km/h average speed. Today was tougher cos some neighbours were using the both treadmills. I had to go on the cross trainer, and that was horrible for me. I only managed 500 metres and had to get off or risk a heart attack. Are cross trainers generally tougher to work? I don’t really get it. Covered another 2.4 km on the exercise bike. I swore that I would do 5 km on the bike to make up for the sloth today, but my heart really felt like it was bursting out of my chest by the end of 1 km. Even the weight training seemed doubly hard. Maybe cos I was already fatigued from yesterday?
Back to the treadmill tomorrow. Hopefully I can cover at least 4 km at 8 km/h average speed this time. I need to build muscles to start burning fats.
I allowed myself 5 spoonfuls of ice cream today – our latest discovery, Marble Slab Creamery. We drove by the outlet at Cluny Court yesterday on the way home from Peeps’ parents’ and I was craving ice cream, so Peeps dropped me off to get a Sweet Cream kiddy cup with Oreo cookies and chocolate chip. It was seriously good stuff. Even Peeps liked it, and he doesn’t have a sweet tooth. I think it’s cos they make it with loads of cream (as opposed to milk, I think?) so it’s a lot more robust on the tongue. When I extracted the takeaway pint of Chocolate Swiss from the freezer earlier, the ice cream was still creamy and a spoon could make inroads into the ice cream easily. It wasn’t at all frozen. Udders and Daily Scoop pints always come out half frozen from the same freezer, so I guess it must coming from a difference in the amount of cream they use.
But I completely busted my calorie allowance for the day. Lunch was too spectacular. Had a mini negi chilli ramen, salmon sashimi salad and 2 pieces of california maki. Which would have been fine, but the Gelare waffle I had (half-priced Tuesday!) sans ice cream kinda pushed me over my limit. No more desserts and sweet drinks until I’m a good 5 kg lighter!
I’m gonna go for light meals all of tomorrow. Cereal and milk with two soft-boiled eggs for breakfast, fish soup with half rice for lunch and loads of fruits for snacks and my Lean Cuisine chicken carbonara with more fruits for dinner tomorrow.
I’ve got to drag my ass up at 6.30 am tomorrow for (hopefully) 4 km run on the treadmill so I’m gonna go and catch some beauty sleep now.
To lithe slenderness! And my pre-Peeps weight! I need a miracle.
My VS loot
In: Iwrite
29 Dec 2009I received my first batch of pre-Christmas Victoria Secrets order yesterday.
2 pink tees
1 black toga top
1 bright pink and white polka-dotted bikini top
1 bright pink matching bikini bottom
There’s one more batch pending shipment cos Peeps wants to buy a sink caddy from Simple Human but we haven’t actually gotten round to buying it yet. I’m more excited about the second batch cos there’s two lovely (cheap-ish) dresses that are supposed to be my wedding garb for the series of weddings I have to attend over the next 14 months.
Receiving parcels from Victoria Secrets is wonderful. It’s like receiving Christmas presents. While the clothes are not drop dead lovely, they’re way better than some of the Taiwanese/ Korean/ Japanese stuff I’ve ordered online. For starters, they actually fit! Which makes a nice change cos the TKJ apparels are usually made for tiny girls who wear size 2 or 4. I look like a giant whale in all my purchases from these TKJ sites and I don’t even think I’m all that fat. With Victoria Secrets, an M hangs off me. Thankfully all the clothes I’ve bought so far are meant to be loose fitting.
Bali Sojourn
28 Dec 2009We’re back from Christmas weekend in Bali with Peeps’ family!
I was PMS-ing through all of it so it really wasn’t that fun for me, especially when Peeps tried to act cute, it just grated my already brittle nerves. But still, it wasn’t too bad, all things considered. Managed to finish The Other Boleyn Girl on the plane to Bali and Coco Chanel (the biography by Axel Madsen) whilst on the roads between attractions, so a pretty fruitful weekend, albeit an expensive one cos I could have finished both books and more if I’d just stayed at home. But there were good stuff as well! Like the villa, and my first taste of Indonesian durians, and nasi goreng!
While we’re touching on the subject of nasi goreng, it’s weird that out of the 5 times we had nasi goreng in Bali, only one of it was memorable enough. All the others were disappointing considering that it’s a staple food item for Indonesians. I’ve had better nasi goreng in Malaysia. But I guess it’s a good thing for me cos I’m supposed to be on a diet!
(click to enlarge)
1. The glass bottom boat on the waters of Tanjung Benoa looking at fishies.
2. Peeps and me on the boat
3. Peeps and me at Kintamani, a rare moment of peace from the street vendors
4. Peeps and me again at Jimbaran Bay for dinner on the first day
5. Awesome peanuts, seriously the best I’ve ever eaten. Salty but good like hell.
6. Coca-Cola in a bottle
7. Peeps and a bird at the Turtle Island, access via Tanjung Benoa
8. Diners at Jimbaran Bay
9. Stopping for Indonesian durians on the way down from Kintamani
10. Jimbaran Bay
11. Peeps and me at the villa
12. Homegrown Bintang Beer
13. Sundown at Jimbaran Bay, seriously beautiful
(click to enlarge)
1. Door of our bedroom that opens to oversee the pool
2. The gorgeous private pool with a yin-yang symbol at the bottom
3. The living and dining areas
4. Walkway to the bathroom
5. The third bedroom that was located across the pool, very poolside-cabana-esque.
Shopping in Bali was, by no means, cheap. You get the cheap stuff, of course, but for the quality you’re getting, I thought it was a bit of a rip off. I went there with all these ideas of getting pretty and cheap sundresses, but the cheap ones were either hideous or of really bad quality, and the nice ones weren’t cheap per se. But in all fairness, while they weren’t USD 5 cheap, the good quality dresses were definitely cheaper than what you would be getting in Singapore for the same thing. It was with that mindset that I convinced myself to buy the prettiest dress I came across whilst there.
Chanced upon it in a local boutique, Uma & Leopold (website), whilst shopping along Jalan Kunti which was just outside our hotel on the day we were flying back. It’s made of good quality chiffon that drapes at the right places and fits like a dream. I loved it the moment I saw it and decided I had to have it after trying it on. But at Rp 650,000 (~S$ 93), it wasn’t cheap. But it was gonna cost me well over S$100 to acquire a layered chiffon dress like this one in Singapore. So I whipped out my credit card and bought it after Peeps bargained it down to Rp 500,000 (S$71). I’m also thinking of modeling my bridesmaid dresses after this dress, so it serves two purposes.
Peeps and I also managed to get an abstract art piece from the local artist’s studio. It’s one art piece spread over three horizontal canvases. Peeps thought it would look gorgeous along the walkway that leads to our bedroom. So we bought it. He said the retail price was Rp 900,000 (S$129) but would give it to us for Rp 600,000 (S$86). Peeps managed, with interjections from his family, to bargain it down to Rp 280,000 (S$40). I’ve seen much uglier pieces of art work of a similar size going for S$249 in iwannagohome, so I thought it was a pretty good price.
So strange that I’m actually shopping for home pieces whilst traveling overseas. I’d always been more concerned about buying clothes and food before we got our home. But it’s a nice change, a good progression.
So all in all, it was a pretty good Christmas weekend, even if Peeps was a tad grouchy and I was feeling irritable from the cramping and Bali was sweltering. Looking forward to our romantic Perth getaway next!
The miracle facial broth and Peeps’ homecoming
In: On Love and Roses (thorns and all)| Superficial Bimbo Moments
21 Dec 2009Peeps bought me Gel De La Mer on his recent boys’ jaunt to KL! *squeals* And no, it wasn’t cos he thinks I’m getting old and wrinkled… I think?
It’s cos I was always yammering on about the fact that it was my ultimate cream, to be used only for two purposes – one, before my wedding so that I’d have perfect skin, and two, when I’m older (and richer) and need a lot more help to keep my skin in prime condition. So, that, I would like to think, is why Peeps bought it for me cos the wedding’s coming up in a year!
So bimbotic, I know. But I’m just pleased as punch that Peeps is home! He keeps nagging at me, especially about the plants. He’s been awful about watering them in the last few weeks and now that they’re barely surviving, I’ve been trying to revive them by watering them twice a day – 8 drinking cups each time. And he rolled his eyes and said they’re not humans that need 8 glasses of liquids a day. It wasn’t my intention to feed them the same as what humans need! I was just making a gauge of what I thought they need and it coincidentally happened to be 8 cups to make the soil look less parched!
So yea… he’s naggy, but I’m still mighty glad he’s home. Even though both TVs are now blaring at almost full volume on different channels and he’s walking around packing up, watching neither. Even though he’s pottering around in his bedroom slippers (I don’t even wear one at home!) and making a racket cos the flip-flopping sound follows him wherever he goes. Even though he insists on washing and drying his clothes at 11 pm at night. It’s a marked change from the silence that’s been enveloping the house the last 2 days he’s been away. No more marathon DVD sessions, no more quiet reading sessions that can stretch from an hour to ten hours, no more long leisurely baths, no more running off to watch DVD midway through vacuuming cos I got tired and just didn’t wanna vacuum anymore.
But still, I like him being around, annoying little quirks and all.
And my skin feels smoother! Peeps says it’s utter rubbish and I’m just imagining it cos the cream can’t work its magic twenty minutes after I put it on. But really! I think it feels much smoother. Yay!
Blue…
20 Dec 2009…is not the colour of my mood. =)
Christmas is coming round! Ok so fine, it’s really not all that Christmas-y this year, but I had a secret wish, and my wish is coming true this Christmas! I’m gonna be an engaged woman this Christmas. I love that.
Peeps has been away since yesterday – boys weekend out. But no matter, we’re gonna be away as a couple this week and next. So I’m pleased as punch. *grins* Plus today I found out that Peeps talked to my aunt some weeks ago, just after the engagement, and when she asked where we were intending to hold the wedding, he told her he knows I want to hold it at St Regis or Capella. I’m soooooo touched! He remembered! Not that I have to hold the wedding at either of these – it’s just sweet that he remembered, especially when I change my mind every so often. The two hotels in the front-running right now are neither of these, but still… I’m marrying my best friend, it could even be a 25 people event in Bali, and I’d still be pleased as punch. Really!
It’s just one of those “Peeps is such a great fiance” kinda days. He’s great. With all the disappointing discoveries I’ve been making with regards to my wedding recently, to have a fiance this awesome is well… awesome!
Been watching the second season of How I Met Your Mother, and it’s one of those that makes me wanna keep watching. It’s not like Two and a Half Men haha-funny, but it’s hilarious in a more real way, feels like something I can relate with, and that’s why I laugh. I love that. Especially since Marshall and Lily are in wedding planning mode.
I’m gonna watch Samantha Who? once I’m done with the third season of How I Met Your Mother. After that, maybe the second season of The Adventures of Old Christine. I would really like to watch all 11 seasons of Frasier. That’s my favourite sitcom of all time and it’s a pity that I only got to watch the last 4 or 5 seasons cos I didn’t catch on early enough to watch it on Channel 5.
I love Happy Holidays season. Always feels like an extended holiday of sorts. Well, except for work.
Anyways, HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!
Diet Log – Salvaging a naughty Tuesday
15 Dec 2009I did so much today that I scared myself!
Today was by-best-intentions diet day – which means I have to eat light and try to keep within 1,200 Kcals a day so that I can be my target weight by May next year when I get measured for my wedding gowns. Breakfast was a reasonable 180 Kcals for two mini butter buns. I gave myself 500 Kcals for lunch, but lunch with Shuz at Pudong Kitchen at Balmoral was nowhere near 500 Kcals. Try 800 Kcals, with all the oil and starch from deep fried 锅贴 and 小龙包 (with very thick starchy skins) and 辣酱面 which was all starch! I had to literally restraint myself from walking over to the 泡泡茶 stall to buy red milk tea with coconut jelly cos that’s what I always have after a Chinese lunch.
I cooked dinner myself which means something light cos I can’t bear the idea of frying stuff in my kitchen and having to wipe down every surface and mop the floors. I cooked 老鼠粉 (aka bee tai mak) with two large glass prawns, 150g of minced pork and two pork balls which came up to about 350 Kcals cos I only added half a portion of 老鼠粉. BUT (there’s always a BUT on diet day, despite my best intentions) the denial of fattening food meant I suddenly felt the urge to bake cookies. So I stopped by Cold Storage on the way home and bought Quaker oats to make oatmeal cookies. And obviously when I make cookies, I have to eat at least 1 right? So I did, which probably added another 80 Kcals to my caloric intake for the day.
That brings us to a total caloric intake of 1,410 Kcals for the day.
BUT, there is a saving grace. Heehee… at about 9 pm, whilst I was lazing in front of the TV feeling guilty about my naughty day and telling myself that I’d make up for it tomorrow, the little white angel in me poked me on the brain and said, “Why not make up for it today?” The lazy devil in me didn’t even respond to that (she must want me to look good in my wedding dress!) and off I went to the gym.
Given the late hour, I thought I would do a twenty minute walk on the treadmill and get back up in time to watch the second half of Together (I like Jeanette Aw, not in this series, but in general. She’s psuedo-intellectual, but it beats the hell out of actresses who don’t even pretend to have half a brain left!). But by the time I came back up, it was a few minutes after 10 pm, and I’d spent 45 minutes on the treadmill doing a fast walk at an average speed of 5.8 km/h which meant I covered about 4.35 km and burnt 230 Kcals! Hurray for me! I redeemed myself today cos 1,410 Kcals less 230 Kcals = 1,180 Kcals!
Even Peeps said I was a good girl, which is rare cos he always complains that I don’t exert myself enough in my half-baked attempts to exercise.
Yay, I’m starting afresh tomorrow. No chicken rice, char siew rice, 小龙包, KFC or any of those forbidden foods when you’re on a diet! I can start pigging out in the 2H of 2011. Not before then. And I bought fruits for tomorrow’s breakfast and snack. I am gonna drop these niggin’ 10 kilos even if I drop dead doing it. No, not really, I’m kidding. But I’m gonna drop these 10 kilos in a healthy, controlled and no-eating-disorder-developing sort of a way. After all, I do have 6 months.
Yay!
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- In The News These Days (4)
- Iwrite (3)
- My Growing Wish List (2)
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- On Love and Roses (thorns and all) (12)
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- Our Own Reality Home Improvement (23)
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- When We Go Hunting and Gathering (2)
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