Any Brides whose HTB is 'Ang Mo'?

[de_luxe]

Hi Comma welcome to the troupe Thanks for the tip. It's just that mom & i went through the guest list ages ago n cuz of the limited seats, she agreed not to invite her frens. So her selective memory fustrates me when she said "But i put her name down already wat!" and after i reminded her that the names have taken out, she said "but i told u that day to put this person's name back." when she really did not.

Mrs N the Jap royalty were here from Thurs to yesterday (sat) i think. The visit is intended to commemorate 40 yrs of S'pore-Jap relations. Think they have now headed to visit Thailand & Msia.

BTW, that was a good idea with the life boats, can consider

Cuclainne how abt naming ur kid after previous royalty?

Good news everyone, GDL went well today. I was really surprised that FH took initiative to do some things on his own. Thought I had to literally do EVERYTHING. Was also afraid that he would pull a long face this morning, but he didn't!! My mom also din take much of the dowry he gave, so everyone's happy in the end.

Things are starting to fall into place. No more hitches i hope. Decided to use the dummy cake from hotel (white flowers one) cuz it seems such a waste to get a real one that prob wouldn't be eaten anyway. Everyone will prob make a beeline for the dessert buffet instead.

Wine & beer ordered, enuff to keep everyone happily drunk

Wrist corsages n head garland for the jie meis n flowergirl ordered.

FH's fren who will be our emcee is back from his hols n we'll be meeting him this wk to discuss the programme.

Photos r being done - photographer said we have so many nice pics he din know which to discard hahahaha

The only big loophole now is the band. The guy just doesn't respond to my calls, emails n SMSes. Till today, we've not received their repertoire n therefore can't choose the songs to be played. I know they are great singers but their business professionalism is real disappointing. I had expected better esp since we're paying gd money n they r pretty well known. Sometimes i just wish they would tell us if they r not interested in our biz, we would then look for someone else instead of this kind of unprofessional behaviour. Anyway, we'll wait and see what gives.

This is a long post. Will leave u gals in peace now!

Cheers!

Oh, before i forget, check out our website and sign the guest bk http://corinneandbertil.weddings.com

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi hi ladies,

I've been reading the threads. Wow! Lots of exchanges! Cool!

Tootsieroll, very curious. Are u also a Catholic? In a few threads, so a but blur. Are u also in the Catholic brides thread? Old liao! Ha ha ha...

Well to go Deluxe! U must be feeling so excited!

Cuclainne, sure u'll find a beautiful name for your little one.

Hi comma, pink candy!

Mrs N, didn't c u online for a while. Busy?

The weather here is getting better. Hot! My FH got me a bicycle finally! We've bn cycling for the past 2 days. Real fun! Nice weather!

Today, his siblings asked us what we want for our wedding gift. They suggested getting us these 4 chairs for our dining table, to make up the other 2 we have. we planned to buy it but have to save up first. They are so sweet to get us the remaining ones. Thank God!

Hmmmm... we still haven't get to our wedding planning. I've to start on making the wedding pillow and hand corsages. Still cannot decide whether to do a heart or square one. I haven't been able to find the veiling for the veil (plan to make one)and nice laces for the pillow. Ai yo! Here can die! V hard to find materials. Wish I were back home now. So easily available and know where to get. Here I have to wait for my FH to bring me to the market and shops in another city.

I will be starting my Dutch class on 19 June, ai ya, 2 weeks, then stop for summer hols. Will start again in sept. Ok lah! At least, I get to revise, learn more for my wedding. Everything is in Dutch. ha ha ha... ya man! Going to try another trial make-up on Tues. Super sian! So hard to find one also, a good one. Wish I have the money to bring my friend here. Sigh! What to do! Praying n crossing my finger that she is good. Don't want to spend so much money on doing trials only. Expensive leh!

Got to go lah! Have a great week ahead!

 

[cuclainne]

tootsieroll, yeah i suppose it must be quite hard to have to adhere to court rules and protocol. at the king's birthday celebrations last year, he was given so many flowers and cards by the children - he couldn't carry them all but he's much loved by the people. when i was there, they even did a news piece on him when he visited the boy scouts .. in a boy scout uniform. haahahah!

mrs n, they were here on a 3-day visit before heading to malaysia and thailand. i read that a german newspaper had printed the interior of the apartment that prince william shares with his girlfriend and that he was going to go to court to stop the intrusion of privacy.

de_luxe, yeah .. actually if it's a girl, i could choose one of these royal names: sofia magdalena or maria eleonora. but i was talking it over with the husband today and we think that sofie for a girl, johann for a boy would be nice.

oh, it seems that you've gotten loads done. i'm so glad to hear that everything is falling into place for you.

if the band doesn't get back to you, i think you should go ahead and look for alternatives. after all, you are paying for it so it's your right.

elizabeth, how are you getting on with your dutch? i'll need to start reading up again on my swedish .. you are so lucky to have such nice siblings in-law. i hope your wedding plans will come together soon.

 

[pinkcandy]

de_luxe: Your wedding must be super soon! Hope everything goes well, right now I am at the "I know I need to get all that done but when?" stage. I am expecting to have a normal banquet with about 30 tables, I don't really have much expectations yet because I don't know what can be done by Ritz.

cuclainne: Your wedding dinner must have been perfect! I can only imagine because I don't think the older folks on my side would let us do something like that - they're probably expecting something more conventional.

 

[mrs_n]

Hi everyone, hope you had a good weekend. It has been hot here too. We were doing a bit of gardening on Friday night and we found a bird's nest with four little chicks sleeping away. They look soooo cute and serene. Mummy bird is quite territorial, yesterday, she was busy chasing all the sparrows away. Guess she didn't want them stealing her food source. Not that there is any lack of it as my SIL who lives next door has bird feed all over her garden. Haha! Talk about a kiasu bird.

Liz I have been flitting in and out lately so that's why you probably didn't catch me. Yup been busy for the last few days with housework and unlumping the stuffing. Takes ages and makes your hands ache like crazy. Hee! Hee! Yeah, must be getting old.

Is your second make up trial with a different person?

cuclainne those names you've suggested are nice.

de_luxe looks like everything is falling into place now. Have you got a back up plan for the band?

Hi Pink Candy, just take one step at a time. Maybe make a list and then crossed them off as you go along. Makes you feel better once you see it getting shorter. That's what we did. I say 'we' b'cos it was actually my hubby who did most of the planning and work, I only had minimal input.

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi Pink Candy,

Ya! I second Mrs N. We also do a checklist and cross out what we've done for our engagement. Here super busy, done checklist but haven't been updating lately. Maybe you can get your coordinator if you've one to help u with it. My Godma did that, went through it with me as my fiance was in Netherlands at that time. Super stress at first without help and have to do all my myself. Now my fiance has to do it all most of the work. It has to be in Dutch. That's why! Ha ha ha... I can't do much...

Hi Cucc,

I have not been doing much in Dutch actually. Waiting for class to start. Went through test. Gosh! So many! One was speaking. Then another day for reading and listening comprehension and writing and plus IQ test. Ya! Funy right! My speaking is the worst. Ha! Only the beginner level. Bad right! The rest is level one. The only best score is my IQ lah! No Dutch! Ha!
My fiance talked to me in Dutch then switched back to English again. NOt used to it! I have to remain him but eventually also forgot! Ha! Have to practise! Or else my wedding is a blur blur one! Ha ha ha... now I can understand a bit of their conversation. Some improvement! Hee hee!

Hi Mrs N,
I didn't come online over the weekend when my fiance is around. No biz! So take a break! Been sewing the whole week. Crazy! Going to start again. Thinking of new design! I think I better work on my own pillow and hand corsage first. Or it will be really last mintue and I m going to get all frust up. Hee hee! My make-up is with another person. SInce I didn't like the first one, better not waste her time but I haven't told her yet. I saw my friend's make-up by the make-up artist whom she recommended. Hmmmm... dun know leh! Maybe show u online n ask u for comments lah! Ok! me hungry! Going to take breakfst liao!

Till then ladies!

 

[cuclainne]

pinkcandy, initially some of my relatives (both maternal and paternal) did enquire about the dinner. my mom told the paternal relatives that dinner is only meant for colleagues (this was when we were still considering a hotel banquet) and immediate family. in the end, the dinner consists of just me and the husband, his family and mine, a few of his friends who came to singapore for our wedding, my maid-of-honour and the photographer. i think keeping it small makes it more intimate and you're able to mingle around more.

thanks mrs n. thinking of names is driving me bonkers!! Hahahahah!

the husband has given up on teaching me swedish, elizabeth. he's now found a more captive audience - my 2-year old nephew! hahahaha.

 

[tootsieroll]

hi Elizabeth,

Yes, I'm Catholic. I have posted a few on the Catholic brides thread as well

Where in the Netherlands are you?

 

[comma]

Mrs N, Cuclainne,
He is not an identical twin and FH is living in Singapore. We actually met in Singapore thru a mutual friend and used to work in the same building.

Pink Lady,
I am also using a checklist and it has help a lot in organizing and planning. FH was no help in that area.
The relatives can sometimes be a real pain. My mothers family are very judgemental and am quite close to them. From we announced our wedding date to trial for dinner, they have been complaining. One aunt even asked why am i making things difficult for them by asking them to come at 5pm for the solemnization before the dinner reception. FH was very very upset, but he learn to ignore them as much as possible, only if they start making me cry, which is quite often.

De-Luxe,
No worries. my mother is trying to do the same. I guess if you have a place to fit them in, then just let it go. if there is no place, just be firm and let her know and hopefully she understand. otherwise the float might come in handy. Your website looks really good and i am sure that evernthing will turn out well.

 

[cuclainne]

comma, i had to do much of the planning cos the husband was not here then. in fact, he arrived only two-three weeks before the ROM. by then, the photographer had to be booked, i had to sign up with the bridal shop, etc etc etc. i even joked with him that perhaps i should just send him a invite to be present at his own wedding.

i think a 5pm solemnisation before a dinner reception is reasonable. i had my ROM and wedding lunch/ dinner two months apart. my ROM was at about 3pm at my 'home' (we're renting an apartment). my mom wanted to cater lunch for those in attendance but i told her that a tea reception was better because people would have had their lunch and it was too early to start eating a full meal again. in the end, we still ended up with a lot of food so she asked my relatives to bring some home.

 

[de_luxe]

hi comma take it easy, i always find it best to ignore wat others say abt wat we planned to do, unless their comments really do make sense. You can't make everyone happy at the expense of your own, plus it's your big day.... I dunno wat ur programme for the day is, however, if it's anything like mine (tea ceremony, solemnization, cocktail & dinner all back-to-back at hotel), it actually makes it easier on the relatives cuz they dun have to come to my place late morning for the tea ceremony, go home n then go to the hotel in the evening. All they need to do is to show up at the hotel. BTW, when's ur AD?

Hi cuclainne the names u guys chose r nice

Hi pinkcandy my AD is 8 jul, 24 days away. Have u contacted Ritz yet? Ritz can do a lot, it really depends on how much u r willing to spend n if you have any theme or so in mind. I would think that the key thing for u to do is to work out your budget and guest list. That would help to form the basis of everything else. 30 tables seem a lot to me, that's the usual size if both parties are local. Are you expecting many of his family and friends from home to fly in?

We finally got the band's repertoire... now have to slowly go through 200+ songs... n revert to them before Fri else they r out of S'pore till next fri... *sigh* they seem to think i'm so super free. My colleague who used to work w musicians says it's common for musicians to behave in a boh chap manner. I did express my unhappiness with their services to date but i think they took it the wrong way, cuz the reply email was very defensive. So now i have to sooth their ruffled feathers... xian....

 

[cuclainne]

thanks de_luxe. it hasn't been easy and the husband just told me that he's not satisfied with just one name for the kid, must have several (first name, middle name, etc) .. aiyoh.

oh, i finally felt peanut moved yesterday - yes, that's what we are calling the baby right now. i was lying on my tummy, watching tv when i felt a soft 'poke'. i thought it was gas but it happened again and again at the same spot. so exciting - but when the husband want to feel, he couldn't. hahahaha mommy 1, daddy 0.

wah, i can't believe the band is adopting a tidak-apa attitude. are they really that fantastic that they don't need your business meh?

 

[mrs_n]

Cuclainne actually what your hubby suggested is a good idea. He can pick a swedish name and you can pick a malay one, in that way as least they keep their swedish-malay heritage.

de-luxe oh well, they probably have a bad case of a 'diva' attitude. So long as they deliver on the day. Once that is over, you can give them a piece of your mind!

Comma, it is impossible to please everybody. People usually are a bit skeptical if you don't do things the usual way. Don't let it get to you, just have faith that you have thought this through and what you've decided is for the best for yourself and everybody else. Remember nobody would know your plans better than you do. Unless they do and know the reason why you decided on such, don't take such comments to heart as there is no basis for them. After all, no wedding couple in their right mind, would deliberately make things difficult for their own guests.

Just keep thinking positive thoughts.

Hey Freaky and Pris hope you gals are well.

 

[cuclainne]

actually that was what i told him .. but then it's kind of confusing because which name do we call the child by .. it can't be that when we're in singapore, then call the child by malay name and vice versa for when we're in sweden. he suggested to include either my name or grandma's (mine or his) name if it's a girl cos all boys in his family start their names with Per.

btw peanut has ten toes, ten fingers, four chambers in the heart, etc and it's a ... GIRL! hahahahaha. the husband is still holding on to that slim possibility that the sonographer is wrong though. too bad for him!!

 

[freakyfairy]

Hello ladies, So much to catch up after being away from the forum for a few days!

Mrs N, I'm doing well here. Just got myself a freelancing job which is taking up as much time as working where I was before haha. Only managed to leave the office at 10:30 last night. I haven't seen my gown yet and 90% of things need confirming still. My FH tried his suit the week before and it fitted really well apart from one bit to alter so I think my gown should be fine.

I think it's always difficult doing transits in the middle east with our passport. I was taking Eygpt Air once and they nearly wouldn't let me through. The guy who held me back even threw my passport on the chair and attented the person after me without saying a word to me. There was a kind couple in the queue smiling at me and the guy told me "Don't worry. It'll be fine"

Cuclainne, hehe I always like Nov cos it's my birthday. In fact, it's just one day after your baby is due! Perhaps we might share the same birthday

When I was ribbon shopping last week, I came across a really nice ribbon with dungeree hanging from pegs with text on the top saying 'It's a Boy' and skirt for "It's a girl' there is also another version in cream of footprints. I was so tempted to buy some for further uses hehe.

Hello Comma, it's good to see you here.

de_luxe, do you need help in finding another band? I'm getting A Little Dream to sing for us and the guy we speak to is very nice and friendly. Lemme know if you need anything.

 

[mrs_n]

Hee! Hee! Well just stick to calling them by one name, most people in western cultures have 2 anyway and usually use the first. The second name is kind of optional! I also have a middle name (quite typical to have two in our eurasian culture), but people don't often call me by my second name. Once, when I went to a new class in school, my teacher used my middle name and I didn't realise she was calling me! Thought I was being funny when I didn't answer her. I did tell her after that, that I was used to being called by my first name instead.

I will answer her if she insists on calling me by my second name, but I just have to be sure that she means me and not someone else.

Oh its a girl isn't it? How nice.

Now you can start buying pretty dresses.

 

[mrs_n]

Hi Freaky glad to know you're doing well. Still busy huh? Better take things easy in the next few weeks.

 

[cuclainne]

that's so cute freaky. where did you see it at? that'll be so cool to have birthdays on the same day yah.

the husband has 3 names, not including his surname mrs n. the first one is the same as his dad's (his brother's name start the same way) and then he has two names. he chose to be called by his third name and almost chewed my head off when i wanted to call him by his second name.

 

[mrs_n]

Yeah I heard of that too. My cousin gave his kids three as well! Thank goodness my mum was sensible enough not to go for three. I always thought having two was bad enough ... just too long when filling in forms, sometimes not enough squares to put all the alphabets in!! It certainly didn't help that my surname wasn't a short one either. Hahaha, but it's become shorter since I got married. Hurray! I can fit my name into all the squares now.

 

[cuclainne]

it doesn't help that his surname is misspelt on his official documents - supposed to be martenson, not martensson. he's always gotten angry when people spell his surname with two 's'. he once blew his top at some government office back in stockholm and the lady kindly told him that he should not have waited 33 years to inform them of this - should have asked for amendment or his parents should have realised the mistake when they registered his birth.

 

[mrs_n]

Oh dear Cuclainne did he change it in the end? Or are you Mrs 'Martensson' too? One of my classmates in school had something similar. Parents mistake during registration and they didn't bother to correct it. I guess they didn't bother b'cos the pronounciation of the male/female version of her name is the same, the difference in spelling between male and female is quite substle too, just a matter of an 'a' vs an 'e'. Can be a little confusing if one tries to define gender just base on how a name is spelt.

 

[gottliebt]

Hi gals
I've been so busy in the past 2 weeks! I had one week of GOFEST - which is a 3 day conference organised by Youth with A mission, which is mobilizing 4000 youths from all over the world for one week of training and to be sent out 15 countries in respond to the tsunami that hit Asia on 24 dec 04. So yeah, that was 1 whole week of solid teaching and hearing God's cry for Asia. After that, I went for 4 days of Church camp in Melaka and just came back today... so yeah, I've just been feeding lots and lots on God's word, teaching and reflecting on what God wants to do in the world, in my life etc.... Just drawing closer to God and experiencing a deeper revelation of His love in my life.

Anyways, I wld love to post more... but super tired... so just smth short till next time!

 

[cuclainne]

If I was to get my married name included in my IC, then it would be Mrs Martensson. That's how they spelt his name on the marriage certificate too. He tried to get them to exclude the extra 's' but ROMM said that have to follow official document. I don't know how, when the child is born, so probably will have to get him to get it changed before that.

 

[mrs_n]

Well, both of you could be the patriach and matriach of Martenson with 2 's'. Start your own line with that name! Could be quite a story to tell your great grandchildren!!

 

[mrs_n]

Pris looks like you had an exciting week. Is it an ecumenical programme? So are you going on mission too?

Hope you have got over the pill problem. Take care

 

[cuclainne]

Hahahaha - that is an excellent idea though I don't know how the husband will take to it.

 

[de_luxe]

Hi Everyone

Lotsa posts here.

Freaky Thanks for the offer, but it seems like they've woken up now. I've "kicked" the band in their BIG butt with a very frank mail stating my disappointment with their behaviour. Although they came back with a rather defensive kinda mail, my colleague says she thinks it'll be fine cuz their style of writing also became more formal & i just have to clear the air as they misinterpreted some things. We finally got their repertoire so I just we'll be spending some time this wkend going through the songs. Hope this works out now. I guess they wouldn't try anything funny cuz it's was one of my bridesmais who introduced us and they know each other. I suppose they wouldn't risk upsetting her. (I hope!)

Cuclainne It must be so exciting feeling the baby move! Wow! My colleague brought her 3wk old girl to the office today, the dad's ang mo too. She was so sweet, slept through the whole visit even tho she was passed from person to person. Think some of the guys potentially booked her as future gf liao!! Hahaha... I told my colleague that she can expect some of them to call her MIL when she's back from maternity...

BTW, yes the band can afford to pick n choose their biz, they are DAT good, fortunately n unfortunately I guess

Hmmmmm....... Long names might not be the best option, most ppl saddled with one dun like it. My boss has 5, inclusive of his surname. I swear he hates them all, except the surname. I think 2 names are more than enuff, u shld stick to calling the child by 1 name, esp when she's young else it'll be confusing for her. Eventually when she grows up she may decide to use the other one, like wat a fren of mine did.

We met up w our emcee this evening, FH's fren, I think he'll be great. He's American, pretty humourous n spontaneous. He'll even say some things in Chinese (His wife is from China so she'll be coaching him)!

I just can't wait for the wedding to be OVER so i can stop stressing. Now the stupid stupid stupid hotel is adding to my problems. They already changed staff 2x, so now I'm dealing w the 3rd person. He's friendly n all but doesn't reply to SMS n emails. Must call him to get an answer. *ARGHH* And just found out today that the previous person left out impt things during the handover. GGGRRRR.... Now have to do conference call with the chefs next wk. Can u imagine! Wat else will happen next??!! The state of service in Singapore can hardly get any worse!

On top of it all, he just told me that he has been recalled for reservist on my AD!!! So he can't be ard in the earlier part of the day n his deputy will cover for him. Good for him that he applied for leave in the evening so he'll be able to rush back to the hotel beforehand, hopefully in time. I dunno, I'm just so fed up with them now. Of cuz reservist is really not his fault but but but aaarrrgghhh, it really doesn't help at all. I just wish this whole thing is over n i can get on with life!

 

[pinkcandy]

de_luxe: Your wedding's very soon! Yeap, i am expecting alot of people to fly over because they're only from australia so it is not very far or expensive. you seem to be having a hard time with your hotel since the beginning! I hope it all works out well. Don't think i will be using Ritz in the end, they are way to expensive! Got a quote from them already.

You mentioned before you also using Edmund Leong Photography for your PW? How did it go?

I am quite excited to take the PW soon, not sure where to go. Actually wanted to go to australia but hubby say waste time. Edmund just returned me my ROM pictures and they're simply marvelous.

 

[de_luxe]

hi pinkcandy Well, maybe consider other places other than Ritz? Raffles may actually be slightly cheaper. Fullerton is not too bad but their prices are close to Ritz. Wat's ur budget per pax like? Perhaps I can help suggest other places.

Yep, I'm using Edmund for PW (n AD too!). So far so good, he started doing studio shots but i think he's still better outdoors. But then again, the day we had ours, his usual studio wasn't available n he used a new place for the 1st time n this place wasn't too well maintained. Not too worry, with him, ur pics r definately in good hands. If u r using Edmund for PW, ask him for a list of places to go. He has lotsa ideas. Of all the suppliers i deal with for the wedding. He's DA best! I swear!

Well, yes, extremely unfortunate for us, the hotel has really crappy co-ordinators. Always nice b4 u sign n after that it's bye bye... typical salesperson mentality. The 1st person was totally crap, she's not cut out for the job cuz she's not detailed enuff n too careless. The 2nd person i dealt with was great, always prompt n u know she tries her best. The current one i.e. the 3rd is not as fantastic but I dun really blame him cuz the he's not the one who's supposed to manage my wedding n simply got saddled w it cuz the 2nd person left abruptly. He's just overloaded with her work plus his normal work. I just feel shortchanged n really fustrated that handover was not properly done. I'm only lucky that i happened to ask certain questions n that's when i found out that things were missed out. If i never asked, it might have been too late by the time i find out. Plus, i'm from the industry so they can't hoodwink me as much as normal guests i suppose. I just dun like the way they try to assure me that things will be well taken care of cuz i'm from the industry. Isn't it supposed to be all equally good? Why should it matter who i work for? I never even intended to pull strings n din even say that i'm from the industry. Only dropped little hints which were not picked up. It was only much later that we had problems n they found out who my boss is so they kinda wised up a bit, but not too much. I only just told them that one of their own staff will be attending. I'm paying the same prices as everyone else. If I really wanted to, I could have pulled all the strings available to me n prob paid a lot lesser but i din want to do that cuz i felt it wouldn't be fair to them, i've also told them this but *sigh* i guess they just dun get it. And this kind of crappiness is wat i get in return. *sulk*

 

[cuclainne]

de_luxe, yeah the husband has 4 names and i think he hated the second name. We've pretty much decided on a name though we're still calling her Peanut right now.

Oh, it's so difficult to go out nowadays because each time we see a baby, we just have to make fools of ourselves and strain our necks to get a closer look. And the husband is not the most subtle of person - he'd grabbed me excitedly and say rather loudly, 'did you see that baby?!'

Don't stress over the small things yah .. I'm sure things will work out in the end. Everything will end up just perfect..

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi ladies,

Peisay! Peisay! Always browsing through very quickly over the thread! Been busy! Went airshow for 2 days, a bit burnt!

De_luxe, don't stress out. I was super stress for my engagement and about the drowy, had some arguments too with my mum. Rest assured in the end, it will turn out fine. Now fo rmy wedding a little stress too, couldn't even find a good make-up artist to do my make-up and hair. Sigh! Have to let go and let God for me. We still have a lot of things to do also. Just remember that day is your day and enjoy, that is the most important thing. The wedding is you n your FH, your day. Parents can be a bit difficult at times but in the end, they do love us and want us to be happy. Reading from your threa, you are going to have a lovely wedding I'm sure. Relax n stay happy! Be a cheerful and radiant bride! Yeah! Telling myself that too!

BTW, congrats on your wedding in advance just in case I'm MIA again!

 

[liz4jeroen]

Hi tootsieroll,

I'm in Schedam, near Raotterdam. No wonder I find your nickname familiar. Where r u now? In singapore or other part of the country?

 

[mrs_n]

Hi everybody, hope everyone's well. Just back from camping in the lake district. It was fun but also tiring. The weather was good on Saturday and we went hill walking. But Sunday was a bit cloudy and overcast, good thing we had packed up the tent before the rain came.

However, we still managed a 2 hour walk along the coast before the heavens open and showered us.

Going to Siloth on Solway, was a walk down memory lane for us as it was one of the few places we visited when we first got together. Only that time it was sunny and we got sunburnt while watching the sunset behind the hills of Scotland. Yesterday it was so cloudy that we couldn't even see Scotland across the Solway Firth. But still we managed to have a nice time.

Hi Liz, did you enjoy the airshow? Must be a sunny day in the Netherlands if you got burnt.

De-luxe, I think its normal to be a little stressed in the run up but on the day itself, you'll probably won't notice or care if something went wrong or not. I know I didn't. Just felt so happy and excited. So you just concentrate on being happy and everything else ... well, they'll just fall into place!

Tootsieroll, hope you had a nice lunch cruise down the River Thames on your anniversary. I think the weather was better in London than in the Lake District.

Cuclainne I didn't dare drink much water this weekend! Was too afraid got no toilet in the hills!

Hi Pink Candy, you should put up your photos sometime, so we can all be kaypoh and see!

 

[tootsieroll]

Elizabeth,
I'm in the UK, in a place called Brentwood which is just outside of London. Is your FH paying more attention to the world cup or your wedding?

Mrs N,
Sounds like you had a good weekend. Memory trips are always nice. How long had it been since both of you first got together? Sounds like a little anniversary in itself

Hmm, the hills are one big toilet!

 

[mrs_n]

Tootsieroll, it's more than three years ago since we started dating. I think we got together around easter - new life, new beginnings I guess!

But we were good pals for about a year before that.

Well, it was a sudden decision on my husband's part. Guess he felt guilty going off gliding last sat and leaving me home when the weather was good ... not that I minded! Still it was nice going away, though I don't particularly recommend going camping in a bright yellow tent in summer. Its just makes everything so bright even at 4 am!

Yup, the hills are certainly one big toilet for the sheep! There is no end of sheep pooh

 

[pinkcandy]

deluxe
Oh dear, that's a whole lot of messy situation with them. nevermind, i am sure that the situation will fix itself in the end, chins up! not much time left so now just enjoy urself lah!

Mrs N
I also want to share, actually was about to but the hubby said that he isnt comfortable with the idea of our images floating around.

 

[tootsieroll]

Mrs N,
Wah, so romantic. I suppose it's a stronger relationship if you first start off platonically. Did he formally ask you at easter time 2003?

I think I've peed in the wild outdoors couple of times....didn't care so much that there were people looking (because there were none), but more paiseh because the mama sheep was staring at me!

BTW, has anyone bought HDB flat with their hubby/FH? I'm toying with the idea, but seem to recall we can't do it if the spouse is foreign?

 

[comma]

Hi all,

Cuclainne, congratulations on the daughter. 4 names might be a mouthful but you get options. FH is looking at both english middle name and chinese middle name. so i have got no idea how many names will our future child will have.

Deluxe, not very good on the Ritz. but i am sure that it will be fine in the end. All your guest will only be interested in telling you how gorgeous you look on the AD and not realized what is going on during the reception.

Pink Candy, am having my AD at the Raffles. The lady that is helping us was abit unreliable in the beginning but after we sign up and negotiated, she was fine. It was actually easy negotiating with her. we reduced the price by half.

Mrs N, its was nice to have a good friend as a partner.

tootsieroll, i have looked into buying HDB with FH. If he applied for a PR, then you could buy the HDB with no problems except for new build as there is an income ceiling.

Thanks for all your encouragement. I have most of the stuff arranged now for the wedding and need to have fitting for gown, discussion with photographer, make up artist, band and JP. Otherwise all is good!!!

 

[cuclainne]

Mrs N, sounds like you had a good weekend. Hahahahah - don't let that stop you from venturing in the nature yah .. like tootsieroll mentioned, it's all one big toilet out there.

Glad to hear you've had a good time on the river cruise, tootsieroll. Did your little one enjoy it too?

A lot of restrictions if spouse is foreigner, unless he/she is PR. Plus there is the income ceiling to think of. At the moment, I co-own the HDB flat my parents stay in with my sister. The husband and I decided to just rent a place because we have no idea of how long we'll be in Singapore.

pinkcandy, what i did was post my photos onto a site which requires one to have the exact address to look at it. you can go one step further and put a password on it and mail it to only your friends. you don't have to post the address here .. we would really love to see your photos but if you're not comfortable, no worries ok.

comma, sounds like you've got almost everything sorted out. Now you just need to wait for the day to come by, and enjoy!!

Today is the husband's birthday and I still didn't get him a gift. Yikes! But we went for a nice dinner at Top of the M which is a first for us, never been to a revolving restaurant before. Not exactly cheap but worth it - the husband really enjoyed it. Makes me feel better for coming present-less. Hahahahaha.

 

[mrs_n]

Tootsieroll, hahaha no he didn't. Nothing really romantic! Actually I was very mad at him the Friday before Holy Week. We weren't on speaking terms and I reluctantly prepared myself to accept the end of our friendship. But somehow I felt prompted to call him on easter sunday, so I swallowed my pride, prayed about it and left the rest to the almighty (b’cos apart from ‘Happy Easter’, I hadn’t a clue what else to say)! Well, the walls which we had built against each other were broken that day and it was then that we realised how much we meant to each other. Yeah, Easter 2003 remains a vivid memory, the year we walked through Calvary and through God’s goodness survived to see the light of the resurrection! It was certainly some easter!

Hee! Hee! He asked me formally to be his girlfriend two weeks before he proposed! By that time, we had been together for more than a year already!

I know of two others who bought a HDB resale flat and their hubby was foreign (not PR). Not so sure how they did it. I'm sure it won't be as straight forward as for the case for both singaporean spouses but you can always find out the details from HDB. Are you thinking of moving back to S'pore in the future?

Yes Comma, it’s great to have your hubby as your best friend. We can thrash things out with each other and still know that underneath all that, the other person still cares deeply for you. I guess it helped that we were both involved in the same church ministry and often prayed and supported each other and our friendship was made more solid because we shared the same vision about our faith.

Pink Candy, no worries if the hubby feels uncomfortable.

Cuclainne, glad you both enjoyed your dinner outing. I've never been to Top of the M either. Is there a nice view from the top? Never mind about being present-less, just give your hubby a big cuddle ... that would be priceless!

 

[cuclainne]

Mrs N, it was a lovely dinner. It takes about 2 hours for the restaurant to revolve fully so you can get a 360 degree view of Singapore so you don't feel it that much. I did feel a little queasy when we first got that but slowly got used to it. We took a set meal but was very surprised to get two starters and two desserts. Yummy. The husband also complimented the chef because he said his dish was very well-prepared. Since it was supposed to be a quiet birthday celebration, both me and the husband were a little uncomfortable at having the 3-piece band play at our table so we told the senior server and she quickly told them to skip us. Overall, it was good food and good service - well worth it. Only thing is that it is cold in some parts of the restaurant.

 

[tootsieroll]

Cuclainne,
Sounds lovely! I've always wanted to go to Top of the M, for something like a birthday or anniversary....glad you had a good experience. Was the food good?

Mrs N,
Wow, truly meant for each other then! Why were you so mad that you actually contemplated ending the relationship? Glad you did sort it out though!

Thanks to those to replied regarding the HDB flat....that's what I thought, that there is an income barrier. My husband's not a PR - I don't even know if can apply for PR for him based on marriage or not. Cuclainne, your buying a flat with the parents is a good idea actually

Are we allowed to buy new flats with the parents, or is it just resale?

 

[cuclainne]

tootsieroll, i spent days thumbing through the Singapore Tatler 2006 restaurant guide - it has the reviews/ ratings of many places in it. It was either Top of the M, San Marco (a French restaurant at the lighthouse on top of Fullerton hotel) or Halia at Botanic Gardens. In the end I decided to pick Top of the M cos they rated it 9 for food and service. I was initially worried that the husband might not like it but he likened it to be comparative to a Michelin-star restaurant so it can't be that bad yah.

I'm not sure if we are allowed to buy new flats with the parents. The flat was initially under my parents' name but since my dad has retired, me and my sister decided to buy over from them two years ago so less stress for them to deal with.

You can apply for PR for your husband based on marriage or he could apply on his own but would need supporting letters from work. The husband has a colleague (he's French) who's married to a local lass. Shortly before they got married, he applied for PR on his own and within 6 months, his application was approved. The husband has asked for both sets of forms (you can get these online) but papers are just collecting dust on the table. He went for his Basic Theory test a few weeks ago with some colleagues and passed but it's a standing joke that he will probably have to sit for it again because he takes ages to do anything (thinks about it a lot first) and he would pass the expiry date to get his license converted. Hahaha.

 

[freakyfairy]

Hi Ladies,

I hope everyone is doing good

Mrs N, hehe your story reminds me of my FH's mum. She was intending on breaking up with her boyfriend then (who's now her husband) on the day he proposed! Reason being that she thought he's not keen on going further in the relationship. I wonder what would had happened if he didn't get to propose before she mentioned breaking up.

Deluxe, I'm glad to hear that the band is getting back to you now

They must be really good that you're so persistent on getting them. Did you say they're playing somewhere before? It's very stressful when they don't seem to care while we're nearly tearing our hair off. How is your preparation going? I've confirmed the menu and going for food tasting next week and meeting the florist to discuss about the decoration. Actually I haven't seen my gown yet haha. I've seen something similar but instead of a bustier top, it's a long-sleeve high-necked jacket thing and it's beautiful! My designer told me he's still finishing off the detail beading and it'll be ready to try on late next week. I hope I'm still the same size as in Feb!

Cuclainne, I saw the nice baby ribbons in a shop along Arab street. It's somewhere at the end of the street nearer to Beach Road. I don't think you'll miss the shop as they have all sorts of ribbons in there. I didn't find what I was looking for though but found one close to the shade I wanted. hehe I think I shall pop by there to get the baby ribbons. I love the 'It's a Boy' one.

My FH's mum being Italian, had 4 or five names before she changed it to something a lot shorter after the wedding. Seems like people with long names hate it haha. One of my aunt gave all her kids very complicated chinese name to make them learn and write the difficult characters haha.

 

[mrs_n]

Hee! Hee! Cuclainne, now know who to ask if I want to know a good place to eat the next time I'm back in S'pore.

You can be online restaurant advisor!

Tootsieroll and Freaky well, I've always believed that there must be a reason for our paths to cross under the most ununsual circumstances. Two weeks before I came to Sheffield, I was at our weekly prayer meeting in my parish church when a caucasian stranger plonk himself in the seat in front of me. Apart from shaking hands at the sign of peace, I didn't say a word to him. Hadn't a clue about his name or where his was from. Afterall, I was leaving soon and with so much on my mind, I couldn't be bothered to find out. I completely forgot about this incident until ... one day in Sheffield, about six months later, I was feeling spiritually dry and restless so I decided rather reluctantly to attend a prayer meeting at the cathedral. Wasn't looking forward to it, b'cos on a cold winter's night, Sheffield city centre is anything but nice! Anyway, went along to it and met a nice bunch of people. The leader of the prayer meeting was quite friendly and we started chatting. So you can imagine my shock when two or three meetings later, I discovered that he was the stranger who was sitting in front of me and the one I couldn't be bothered with, six months ago when he was in S'pore! Big joke huh? God has a great sense of humour! I guess if He took such great lengths to bring us together in the most unlikely of ways, the least we could do was to try and overcome the obstacles that were in our way and not give up so easily. If only I knew what I had gotten myself into by letting God take full reign in the choosing of my life partner ... sending both of us half way across the world so that our paths could cross twice! Hilarious!

De-luxe, nice chatting with you the other day. Sorry got cut off! But hope things goes well for you (same for you too, freaky). Will you be having a wedding rehersal? Could be a good idea to let the kids or their parents (if they're too young) know what they're doing. Then at least they know what to do and expect, and won't be too frightened on the day.

 

[cuclainne]

Thanks for the directions to the shop, Freaky. I think I've been there once with two ladies from the forum - shopping for fabric at Arab St for their weddings, me just curious to see what's available.

Tomorrow i'll be heading to Straits Kitchen for buffet dinner .. will let you know what i think yah. I just luuuuurve food!!!

 

[mrs_n]

Hope you enjoyed your dinner Cuclainne!

Have a nice weekend everybody!

 

[cuclainne]

Oh yes, we had a good time Mrs N. There were so much food that we didn't know where to start and in the end, was soo full. But the husband is now unwell but it can't be the buffet because I am ok. Don't know what it is but I sure wish he'll get better soon - worse than when I'm unwell.

 

[mrs_n]

Oh dear, hope he gets better soon. Maybe it is just a case of too much food! Glad to know that you're ok though.

 

[cuclainne]

He got better over the weekend, Mrs N. Now it's my turn to be unwell .. sigh.. always one thing or another.