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Wedding Dash -Pt 2

It's been a few weeks now and things are starting to calm down a bit...even my excitement, to be honest, and the headache is now reduced to a dull pain and not a throbbing pain...hehe...

The restaurant's been chosen and now in the negotiating stage cos mine is a small wedding and hotels don profit much from me so a lot of things are cut out! and I only just realised that in this age and time, mine is a REALLY small wedding cos for some reason when I say I only have 15 tables(it's been increased!), my friends go "What!?! Only 15???" heheh that's when i realised theirs was 100 and 80 tables respectively and I was shocked!!! I mean most are church friends I understand and relatives but do you actually need to invite that many ppl to your wedding? I mean My 15 tables... my 6 tables are for my close friends and their families and another 6 or 7 for relatives and my parents' close friends. I don want to invite friends I haven't spoken to for years. I mean it;s a special occasion and I want to share it with close friends. and the relatives my parents are inviting are close relatives that I know. hmm... now it's how i pay for the deposit when i'm so far away!

My dress is fantastic! and it's been shortened...hehe...i'm wondering if I should post a pic of me in it cos I took a gorgeous pic the other day when I was bored. I've only got my jewellery to sort out now and my hair to decide what to do. let down or put up, veil or no veil... cos I'm probably only to wear my dress for the ceremony and the first few courses of the dinner then I'm going to change into a loose dress to eat! I don care what ppl say, I'm going to EAT! I've given up on losing weight! it'n not workign and will not work so even if i look bad and have a beer belly(as my brother says), I don care!

I'm making the wedding favour sachets..hehe only about 120 more to make!!! sigh! I think i might have taken on more than I can do..but Can't give up!!! and have Mr Rick laugh at me! Sigh!

I wonder what else I have to organise....

Wedding Dash - Pt 1

It's been about 2 weeks now trying to plan for the wedding! I'm totally ready to scream and rant and rave now! Almost everything is based on other ppl and ppl say it's my wedding! No sooner has one problem been talked thru and decided on, another pops up and is again beyond my control... not that I am a control freak or anything... it's just that life has this very annoying habit of trying to throw problems at me and not leave me alone or let things go smoothly for me... If this is wat PNT Pre-nuptial tension is, I hate it! Of course it doesn't help when I'm so far away!!!!

First, it was waiting for my parents to look for an auspicious date. Being brought up in a family that can be amazingly traditional in certain things, this rule has to be followed! And then when I was told when, it didn't help! because it's a Sunday! What official office would open for me on Sunday??? And for the chinese, obviously it's leaving the family home that's important, and to the western part of me and to Rick, the ceremony is more important... It would be wierd to him to have both be days apart and we have to think of the number of days he can get off!!!

Then, it was the photo shoot and album bit which Rick is nice enough to agree to do for me. But the shop that does great dresses is horrible at making the album. And then it was deciding which would be less painful for Rick, the studio pics or outdoor pics. And then I had the idea of doing the photo shoot in UK so I have something to show at the wedding pop into my head. and that didn't help cos it's cold now! and photographers are expensive here!!!!

Then, trying to think about the venue for the ceremony, lunch and dinner. At first, I wanted to do everything at home. It was asking friends for names of caterers and things but now, dinner can't be done at home cos my guest list is too long!!! so I said ok to cut cost, have the ceremony at mom and dinner at the hotel...but apparently this won't work either because the office says I can't do that because Rick's not malaysian! and I have to do it at the govt office! I don fancy that idea! because obviously, the dresscode would be stricter and not as private!

And then I had to find the perfect dress and Rick had to like it enough to buy it on the spot! and it's green and not white. and I have to lose 2 inches off my waist and grow 4 inches in the next 3 months to fit it perfectly!

Argh!!!!! What else can go wrong!!!!!

Friends' Weekend-Pt 2: Shillington

Right, so the next day after dinner with Phil and Sati, we took a train back to Reading in the morning and went over to get our hired car cos we were driving up to Shillington which is north of London I think. It's a VW Polo i think, nice little car.
But first things first, we drove over to See Woo and went shopping for Chinese food!!! Bought enough noodles to last me a month and bought kangkung and seaweed snacks and things to make sushi and bought frozen tilapia and grouper..heheh I never thought I would buy fish!

Then we drove up to see Andy and Kat who just had a baby a couple of months ago. As usual we had to go the scenic route through the countryside. so much I was a bit sick of the countryside after hours and hours of it! We went thru so many towns I can't remember their names and was too busy looking to remember to take pics..hehe...We stopped at Dunstable I think, a place where ppl go to fly kites! there were so many kites and children and adults were having so much fun.

We booked a room at the Yew House B&B and it was a normal sized room but with an ensuite bathroom which was tiny and had a tiny closet built beside the bathroom and there was a sink at the other end of the room.

The white door is the ensuite and the blue door is the closet.


This next one is a pic of the common bathroom outside. I love the mirror and the faucets and the landing decorated with the wooden horse. And there were lots of chinese vases all over the place so I asked the landlord and he said he's been collecting vases and china antique pieces for years now.


ok. then we went to visit Rick's friends and I love the dog. She is gorgeous!
We had chinese takaway for dinner and Rick had a lot of fun catching up with them and seeing the baby and drinking wine, while the dog had fun sitting on me.

The next morning, it's breakfast at the conservatory while looking out the windows at the gorgeous garden.

Then it's time for one more picture before hitting the road home and as usual, it was the scenic route home before he got tired of driving and we took the M4 home quick..haha...

It snowed!



Rick was away that week..this was a video i took on 28 Oct 2008... it had been raining the whole day that day and it was freezing! at night it got to -2 degrees i think. I was watching tv when suddenly i looked up and saw this outside the window. I was wondering whether it was hailing but i thought it looked a bit too feathery to be hail...so I got my bum off the sofa and went and looked... heheh it was snowing!!!! in oct!!! apparently the last time it snowed in Reading in Oct was in 1974...hehe..and Rick missed it... there's something about snow that makes people go all happy and giggly inside...wonder why... it doesn't look like much in the pictures but trust me it was beautiful!... as little snow as there was...

Friends' Weekend - Pt 1: London

It was time for me to start blogging again in case anyone's interested in what's happening in my life since I've been here.

I have been falling ill quite often since I came here, but it hasn't stopped us from enjoying ourselves. Way back in September, we went to the Museum of Natural Science where we saw exhibitions of dinosaurs, mammals and reptiles...it was fantastic but since it was so long ago, I'm not going to post any pics. However, I am going to blog about our trip to London first, then Shillington where we had a very nice time with Rick's Friends.


Rick's friends, Phil and Sati, invited us for dinner and spend a night in London with them. It was very nice of them to do that because normally we go up to their house in St Albans to see them and the kids. This time it was a grown up only dinner. We got in to London late afternoon and checked in at Jurys Inn London. It was a 3-star hotel and the rooms were a bit run down but hey! it's in London!

I love the bathroom fixtures!












It was a small room overlooking the back roofs of the bulidings at the back but it was right in London near The British Museum. We went to the museum for tea and had a bite to eat and I was complaining about how we didn't go into the shops the last time we were there, so we looked in the shops before we left...every one of the shops...hehe

Look at this!!! First tier was sweet dessert things, tarts and cakes..my tier. Second tier was wierd sandwiches-Rick's, figs and something in one, stinky cheese in one, smoked salmon in another. Third tier was scones with jam and clotted cream-shared tier...yummy!!!

I took this shot while waiting for the food to come... the roof of the museum...gorgeous!

Bellys filled...I couldn't resist and Rick obliged me, bless him!...A very nice lady offered to take a pic for us.. so I jumped at her offer. Behind us is a totem of something, an exhibition downstairs.


This was on the way down for drinks before we went out for dinner cos dinner was...... at 9pm!!! good thing i convinced him we needed to have tea first. I had one margarita which was amazingly strong and sips of Rick's many wines...these ppl can really drink! between Rick and Phil, i think what they had at he bar was equivalent to 2 bottles of wines...before dinner and I as usual started coughing after half a glass...

Then finally we went to dinner at a restaurant which had very good reviews-unfortunately I can't recall the name of the restaurant. All the names of the dishes to me are wierd and whatever I ordered suited Rick more so in the end I had whatever he ordered and he had mine. I had a Pig's Head dish for starters and it was braised pork. I hated my traditional meatballs so I had Rick's Lamb. Safe names weren't safe. Dishes with funny sounding names were good. but by then I was so weak from coughing and the asthma attack, I was too tired to care really. but we had more laughs and more chats and the men had more wine...apparently the tolerance for alcohol has to do with the genetic make up of asians and europeans. That's why they drink alcohol like water. And the tolerance for alcohol also has something to do with lactose tolerance, hence many asians are lactose intolerant and asians can't hold their drink.

So, conclusion, it was definitely an enjoyable evening with friends albeit the asthma attack.

My Masterpiece

I recently got back in touch with William and finally got him to take pictures of the table for me... He bought this gorgeous table which has a glass panel on top and another panel under it which you can decorate. And I did... hehe I have to make it very clear that I decorated it.. cos William loves to tell people he did it... Hmph! I hope you are reading this, William!So anyways, we went to Pangkor and decided to make a beach-like motif. He bought 2 gorgeous dried starfish, and shells... and i made him bring home a plastic bag of sand from the beach... hehe... and viola!Come to think of it... it doesn't look like much from the pictures but if you look at it in real life,... it is a gorgeous piece of work! You wouldn't believe I made it...

Homesick...

For some reason...I have been feeling homesick lately...night after night I dream of at least one of my family...I wonder why...it could be because I have been sick again lately... or it could be because as a family, we have grown so much closer since May. That made it harder to be away now...or it could just be because I'm sick and I want my mummy and my niece!!! sighhhh!!! I wish I can stop being sick here. Things used to be simpler with this stupid disability! ah well,...at least I'm here...

well, anyways, I find that when I am sick, I crave for Chinese food...and since we can't go out and eat everyday cos it's expensive, it's a good thing I can cook. I made Ginger Onion Beef...I don't even like beef to be honest.... and fried rice. I hate fried rice here... I need to practise cooking fish though... I don't like fish, right... so it's a bit more difficult for me to cook that properly... I'm great at deep frying fish but other ways ...50-50...


and you can probably tell from my blog lately that I am bored as hell!!! It's either internet, play computer games, read, draw, knit, crochet or watch tv everyday. People think that not working and doing whatever you want is fun...I can tell you that it is not as fun as you think it is... I went through this last year and I think I have already done almost everything I can do..and it's only been 2 months now and already, I'm dying to do something... of cos it will help if I am the type who can do the same thing for long...unfortunately, I'm not and I can't...

A friend commented the other day, when I complained that I am bored, that I am very lucky I have nothing to worry about now except enjoy myself and my days without having to work. I can do whatever I like. Well, it's not true. I'm not the type who can go through my days without a purpose. Nothing to worry about??? Ya right!!! I have loans and bills to pay for! And with no job... I am forced to depend on Rick for money. You think I'm lucky??? Yes, I am because Rick can afford to give me some money. But my pride if a bit too big for me to feel fortunate...

But then I chose this life and I don't regret it... I'm complaining...yes, I am... but hey! I have nothing else to do, have I???

Anime

when a person is bored, it's amazing what they can come up with... what do you think? I know the colours are not right and the proportions are out a bit, but close enough, yes?

My Nails



Now that I'm finally recovering from my bout of sickness,...I'm bored again.. Been really moody lately too...and since I bought a set of nail things, thought maybe it's a good idea to do something about my nails...hehhe I forgot it'll stink up the house..poor Rick... hehehe... this is all I managed while watching Strictly Come Dancing...hehhe

Things to Do when You are Bored...

Rick was away for 5 days this week so I was really bored at home... you can only blog and update facebook and reply emails for a couple of hours... I was bored..so what do you do when you are bored???

TAKE PHOTOS!!! heheh I love these...



and I have taken up a new hobby...I'm learning how to draw... what do you think? this is my first attempt....

Summer Holiday 08 - Langkawi

Hehe.. Holiday this year was in
Langkawi because Phi Phi was too expensive and Rick had to fly to KK first. So the trip started with two overweight luggage...hehe...the flight was horrible! sigh! Rick said it's because of the small plane...hmmm... On the way to the resort...hehe... it was like going thru a very big kampung with lots of resorts scattered all over! I thought Langkawi was like a mini city!!!


So we got to the resort, the first thing that greets you is a wood carving of many fish swimming! Fantastic work! you have to see it to understand what I mean. The receptionist was so courteous! And Rick wanted to fight with the porter to carry the bags to our chalet...sigh! Lucky we needed the porter to show us to our room...

The room is a bit run down to be honest but everything else was good cos the resort was very eco-friendly, like they plant lots of fruit trees everywhere and they have an adopt-a-tree programme. The beach was fantastic! Not crowded, lovely long stretch...we walk from end to end every morning and evening. It's really really romantic while burning calories!!! hehe...and the sunset is gorgeous!

Oh and Rick even donated blood cos there was a Blood Donation drive for the Staff but he went and I couldn't because I replaced the blood for my grandmother. oh well,...and he got a free dessert for his effort from the resort!!!

We walked to Pantai Cenang, the shopping part and bought myself a red bikini...hehe...We rented a car cos he couldn't ride a motorbike on his driver's license. We drove to Makam Mahsuri. Finally, i know what the legend is. Then we went to Black Sand Beach which was a disappointment because only a small part of the beach had black sand which was actually granite silt. We also went to Kuah Parade(I think) and got some photos developed and bought a pair of sunglasses for RM 14 on discount. Rick was very impressed. My favourite place was the beach at Tanjung Rhu. It was beeaaauuutttiiiful! White sand, calm blue waters, islands dotting the horizon, very few people... I think because this was the expensive part of the island. Another favourite was Underwater World. Fantastic collection of fish, penguins, birds and a few snakes and the world's smallest monkey(can't remember what they are called) but the place was a bit small for the animals and the 3D show was a disappointment. I'm not even sure what the point of it was and the show was a bit outdated I feel. Anyways, my favourite was the sea dragon, the most beautiful sea creature I hv ever seen!

Best part was on the night of the Beijing Olympic Games Closing Ceremony. They had a buffet dinner and they seated us right behind the projector in front of the outdoor screen! hehe...but we had a misunderstanding after dinner and for the first time, he was so angry with me that I was scared of him and I didn't know why he was angry. But we made up after that so everything was fine again.

One whole week on a beautiful beach with a gorgeous man
, beautiful sunsets, lots of sunshine,... sun, sea, sky and man...what else can a girl ask for???




Manukan Picnic


Finally after 2 weeks of holidaying and getting used to my new routine, I have now uploaded some pics taken on the picnic to Manukan Island. It was a beautiful day if I remembered correctly,... a bit too sunny with a shower on the boat back to kk... Everyone arrived on time, in fact, we had to wait for the boat to take us there. Being me, I hate boat rides. Rick was there. My friends were there. It was a good start. You can see so many fish there. You can see the fish very clearly because the water was so very clear! The beach was fantastic. Long white sandy beach and we found a corner all to ourselves. The table was covered with food! and drinks... hehehe... it was so full, the table top couldn't be seen at all. Martin and Rick were boring mat sallehs! hehe.. Martin only had his tuna sandwiches and Rick had his 'shau nyuk' and 'char shau'. the rest of us had egg and another type of sandwiches(can't remember what), fried chicken wings, 2 types of fried sausages, shau nyuk and char shau, keropok, apples, and can' remember what else. I had the whole bottle of Fanta Fruitade which I refused to share more than half a cup with Niv, Vun, and Keona. hehe... The baby protection was hilarious to the point of being ridiculous(bless them!) and Alexia was gorgeous(ah! the joy of youth!) Baby going tada! when she made a 'sandcastle'(so absolutely adorable!) the food( courtesy of the moms!) my Fanta(thanx to Vun)... fantastic! Will be a long time before we go on another picnic like that together again I think!

My New Necklace!!!


Isn't this just the most gorgeous necklace you have ever seen? In case you can't see it clearly, it's a dragon...a chinese dragon curled around onxy 'pillar'. Rick bought this for me in Langkawi. We went into the jewellery shop. He knows I love jewellery. He saw it and called me. I fell in love with it at first sight!. I knew I had to get it but my brain was still functioning in Ringgit and it wasn't that cheap so I waited till the last day in Langakawi and then we went back there. I knew I had to get it so he bought it for me... hehhe... isn't it gorgeous???

Tribute to my Popo...



My Grandma is the bravest and sweetest woman I know after my mum. My grandma lived by herself because she didn't want to be a burden to other people and she loved her freedom. I can't say that I have been a very good granddaughter because i visited her only when I had time. But the one thing that nobody can take away from me is the fact that I loved her very very much and she loved me and her courage and independence make her one of my role models(my mum is my other roole model).

My grandma had always been around. She brought us up and I can't even list the number of times I fought with her or the trouble she had with me when I was little cos I wasn't exactly an angel. But my grandma never complained...even though she did joke about how no man would ever want me because of my temper. She had always wanted me to get married cos she always claimed that she would be deep in her grave by the time I got married. Sigh! I thought my grandma would live forever. I wanted her to be there for the tea ceremony when I do finally get married, but that is not to be.


It's been months now. But tears are falling while I am writing this. When I think about the time she fell and the time she was sick in the hospital, it still breaks my heart. I miss her. I miss her nagging me to get married and I miss her nagging that I don't visit or call her enough. I miss her nagging that I smoked too much. I couldn't write this before and I'm not even sure if I will finish writing this cos it is very hard to see when you are crying...anyways, I will finish this...

Everyone who has met my grandma agrees that she was a very nice and sweet woman. My ex-boyfriend thinks she's very cute. Rick thinks she was lovely. Everyone knows she was very independent even after she fell and hurt her leg. To me, she was a beautiful woman, both inside and outside. She always had a smile for everyone. She covered her mouth when she laughed and I think there's where I got it from. And she always had a jade bangle on, which I copied. (I keep having to correct my tenses...it's very hard to think of her in the past tense)

You know how you are supposed to think of all the good things when someone passes away? I wish I could do that... I have all the happy memories of my grandma...and I don't think it's fair that she died in the hospital instead of in her sleep. And to have suffered like that at the end is not fair at all. And I don't want to mention all the stupid things that had happened... ... But I suppose something good has come out of all this... She doesn't hurt anymore and doesn't have to be humiliated by having to be taken care of by others...and she can be with grandfather now. She had always dreamt of him all these years... ... ... I can't talk about this anymore...

I love my popo. I miss her smile. I miss her.

BBQ at home


Rick came over to KK for a week before we went to Langkawi for a week of sunshine. Coincidentally, dad wanted to have a BBQ for the family to get together and have a meal. So I invited Vun and Alexia to come join us. Here are some pics from the bbq.