The Failed Adventure Cove 2

Yes, there was a first failed adventure cove [read here]. Yes, I managed to fail having a full experience in a luxurious water theme park in Singapore twice. 

This time, the failure only applies to me because lo and behold, the afternoon before the fun day, I got my period. My monthly reds are never on the dot (haha) but I can usually guess the week I was getting a visit. Another special exception was that the trip was made for Mom who needed an escape. Abg Jamil & I had no choice but take a chance for her sake.

Well, chance was not on my side so I turned Adventure Cove into a seating place to read an e-book on the handphone while Mom, Abg Jamil and Jhon had their fun. It was a perfect day too, the day was cloudy with the right amount of sun shining through. Before they went to leave me, I forced Jhon to take ridiculous amount of photos of me since the lighting was perfect. Haha

I won't deny it, it was sort of depressing but I told myself it was probably the hormones talking and let myself engulf in a horror book in handphone app, Wattpad.

5 hours passed quite smoothly and we headed to Abg Jamil's house to rest and have supper. All went well actually despite me being left out because by the end of the day, this outing was for Mom and as long as she is happy, I am happy.

   

Random Wedding Research

Technically, I have started with my wedding random research on and off for many months. Like many bride to be (BTB), I didn't know where to start so I just typed Malay Weddings Singapore and see what comes up. =P

Now, I pretty much have a huge list of vendors to go through mostly thanks to KahwinKronicles and I am in the process of shortlisting them. It was also the time I realized how old-fashioned traditional I am when I learnt that specially made desert tables and photobooths (which are the in thing at the moment) are not my cup of tea. In a way, it's good because it means cutting of costs and 2 less vendors to worry about.

What I also learnt that BTB can be very particular to the T. To a point their 'kompang' group is important too. I just thought a random and affordable 'kompang' group will do but to some, it matters. hur hur. To each his her own yeah?

So basically my process of short listing vendors is by specific preference, price and overall assessment. Systematic or not? But very tedious especially going through Bridal & Deco because there are MANY. Catering is another story since taste is also a factor so that 'letak tepi dulu eh?'

Stalking BTB's conversation at Cozy Cot forum was very useful too. You can tell which vendors are popular and which vendors that has complaints. =X Some BTB were even super helpful and transparent in sharing quotations. It helped me a lot because I can take note which vendors I should stay away from due to bad reviews or to prevent over budgeting.

Amidst of the research, I came across this, the ever infamous qoutes from Amy Cheong from many years back.

It reminded of the 'tak ade kerja' origami I did last year with my $50. hahaha Oh Amy, your ignorance was amusing but if only $50 was truly what it takes to have a Malay wedding. You missed the amount a minimum of  $31,950 and that excludes wedding ring & gifts.

Anyways, I am going to end this post with a small rant.

Why most bridals do their eye shadow makeup 'bertepek' and with overly done fake lashes?? I know most ladies likes to be transformed 'macam' transformer but it's not my preference. Royalty for the day but you don't see real royalties wearing that kind of dramatic make up right? I managed to find a couple that provide what I want but hopefully I can find more for back up.

Abrupt end with photo.

   

Syihab turns 3

Ah.. Syihab, my doe-eyed nephew turned 3 last month.
 (pardon outdated because laptop lags when it comes to photo editing)

He is becoming cute than ever although I might be biased because I am his aunt but serious! He is such a cutie especially his adorable antics.

He was slow in his speech and finally caught up with new words although majority is baby talk. At least there is progress and Albert Einstein  only learn to talk at 9 years a old. He is also less of a cranky boy now but when he does get cranky, he would be in a bad mood the whole day.

Other than that, he has been nothing but a bundle of joy and cuteness.

Happy 3rd Syihab!

   

The Proposal And What Comes Next

The proposal is not the lovey-dovey type most girls crave for but I am not most girls. Okay, I admitted, I had ever day dreamed about having chili crab dinner overlooking fireworks with Coldplay’s Fix you playing in the background and a ring gingerly pinched by the mouth watering crab claw. Hahaha =X

But I rather have him do the best and comfortable way he can. At least I know it's sincere and it comes from the heart.

Anyways, believe it or not, 2 years into our relationship, Jhon bought me a SK 0.3 carat diamond ring as the initial declaration of this long term commitment to me. I don’t want to call it a proposal because it’s not ‘set in stone’ (it’s not that we are going to get married right away) although it’s the first real stone anyone ever bought for me.

I cried as soon as I saw it after he gave a small loving speech at night on a pathway we have walked a thousand times. I didn't cry because I was surprisingly touched but I felt guilty that he spent so much on me pertaining to his situation at that time. (He comes to Singapore to work to support his family not spend $$$ on a girl -_-) And I suppose that’s what makes him wants me more as a lifetime partner and knew he had made the right decision.

Ever since, we dabble on wedding plans here and there, while keeping the declaration a secret because we knew we had many obstacles to overcome before THE day. After 3.5years, I was ready to take the plunge. We had an in-depth talk, setting timelines and budget. (Read post)

First line of business was to enroll in religious classes (read post) and Jhon to apply for Permanent Residence in Singapore (for the 2nd time, failed on 1st attempt). But before that, I decided that we should share the news to our family. When Jhon went home to the Philippines in February 2013, he did, and their reaction? “Well, it’s about time” Yes, he is the oldest child and parents are itching for a baby and they knew by Islamic/ Malay’s practice/custom, pre-marital babies are a no-no so they have been impatiently waiting for us to wed.

As for my family, I tried to announce when we had our dinner after an Adventure Cove outing but it kinda failed because family members was either busy smoking or catching up with the running kids. But somehow I managed to tell my sis and told my mom personally the next morning. Their reaction was “ahhhh… wahh… That’s good” hmm.. I know right? Not exactly jumping with joy but I guess we have been dating for so long that it’s just a matter of time.

So the journey begins… Jhon’s appointment date to REGISTER ONLY is on September 2013 and who knows how long they will tell us the verdict. Whether he will be a PR or not will determine on the type of house we can apply for, government HDB or private property and THAT is another financial haul. (We need a house before marriage)

No point researching for houses and locations since we can’t narrow down what we are even applicable for. So as for now, what we can do is research on wedding preparations just to get an idea what we want and its budget. It’s going to be stressful but I am so grateful Jhon is always hands on with everything. We have similar tastes, goals and he always have useful opinions but that does not mean there won’t be disagreements! =P

I will be sharing our thought process although we won’t be finalizing anything at the moment but it’s always good to plan ahead for plans A, B, C so that it will be less stress when the time actually comes.

Wish us luck!

   

Our Road to Learning Islam Pt 2

Prologue: Relationships and religions

Our Road to Learning Islam Pt 1

Alas, it was 8 June 2013 and it was time to attend our Beginners Course in Islam 2 (BCI2). After BCI1, you can either register for Solat (Prayer) 1 or BCI2. It’s up to your preference although if you want to convert as soon as possible, you need to go through BCI1 and Solat1. Since we are not in a hurry, we just pick what we fit best. Jhon wants to learn the entire ‘theory’ part so we focused on the BCI courses first.

Our BCI2 was held in a small training Room and it was full on the first Sunday. Our slot was 4:30pm to 6:00pm. Brother Anis Marica was nice and accommodating as we last met him in Knowing Islam Session and he was rather engaging.

No books were provided so you could either bring Essence of Islam given on BCI1 or a note book for notes. Brother Anis refreshed our memories from BC1 and continued with the course. It is basically a more in depth background on Islam, touching base on history, trials and tribulations.

Brother Anis would share his experiences and anecdotes which I always love from teachers. He tends to stray away slightly and his memory can betray him which is understandable since obviously we are not his only students. After a while, it has come to our attention that the teacher who was supposed to guide us was Brother Fadrullah and Brother Anis was simply substituting for the first few classes.

I admitted, I was uncomfortable with that announcement because I don’t want just any teacher but there was no choice but move forward.

After 4 classes with Brother Anis, Brother Fadrullah came in. I admitted, when he first came into the class, I thought it was a young IT guy. Haha So I was surprised that he was our teacher. He admitted that is new and it was his time teaching, I could feel the tension.

I could tell Brother Fadrullah was nervous too but after 30mins or so, everyone relaxed and the class went smoothly and rather well. Unfortunately, as weeks passed, the class became smaller. Perhaps because it was fasting month or maybe they insist with an experienced teacher, only God knows but it was really not that bad although can’t be compared with Brother Bani & Anis but we gave him a chance. I got to admit, there were times when he can stray quite far away from the slides but generally okay lah.

Our last class for BCS2 was on 4th August 2013. It was supposed to be earlier but due to postponed classes, it was pushed forward. The last class was one of his best and it ended smoothly and wonderfully.

Next stop, Solat Course 1.

   

I Quit!

I resigned from my job of 6 years. It was my first job ever since I graduated. It was tough it terms of leaving a place that I have grown familiar with especially it was the place where I first met my boyfriend, Jhon Tolentino.

There were many reasons of leaving, mostly personal but what I can say is stress is breaking me down. Emotions aside, I also do not see myself working in the same company in the coming years so why would I allow myself in such a position I am not passionate about?

I also quit without a door readily open for me which is technically career suicide but don't worry, I had my finances in checked so I have a few good months to gather myself. It has been 3 days since my last resignation which many colleagues find unnecessary but what do they know?

All that is in the past now.

As for now, I am resting and help around the house. Jhon has been sick lately, I would like to think it is because he misses my daily companion so much but it's more to his usual office back and shoulder pains. He just need a good massage.

So far, I have no regrets and I know it will stay that way.

   

Kueh Siput

I had always love ‘Kueh Siput’ and it’s a rare found during Hari Raya, at least in Singapore. I remembered hogging the entire bottle at my late grandma’s house during Hari Raya. I love the crunchiness, flavorful spice and aroma.

2 years back, I had a craving for it. I even bought the ‘papan’ thingy to make it look like a ‘siput’, hokay. Previously, Mom used to just cut the dough in stripes and with a scissors, cut into diamond shapes. But I wanted the full pledged original to the T.

It all went well until mom helped fried it. EPIC FAILURE! The dough didn’t hold. I partially blame my mom because she loves to change recipe and asked me to use self-rising flour instead of wheat flour. My mom has this obsession with self-rising flour.

Ever since, I gave up. Until this year, I craved for it again and the fact that my cousin also indirectly asked for it too. For the first try, my sis and I tried it, from the book. It was semi okay but not as flavourful as it was supposed to be.



1 week later, mom tried her ’main campak’ version (which I have been asking from her but she keep insisting that we follow a cook book -_-) and as expected, it turned out yummy although it needed some modifications; add more spices. We were almost there!

Eventually, I got the ‘Kueh Siput’ that I wanted and started with the ‘mass production’. Mind you, even though it was quite easy to make the ‘siput’, it was tedious because of the size and amount but was it worth it? Yes.

Yey! I got my ‘Kueh Siput’ this year! My precious, kueh siput...
*hiss* Kan dah jadi Gollum kan..