Wedding: Marriage Preparation Course

We have registered ourselves in the marriage preparation course (MPC for short). The brochure stated that the course hopes to curb the rising rate of breakdowns in marriages because young couples "ride on their feelings of love, which eventually fade as problems start to emerge".

It's a 6 week course, comprising of 3 half-day Sunday sessions at a common location and 3 half-day sessions on weekends at the homes of the couples who I believe are presenting, or conducting, the course.

I wonder if the MPC is compulsory here. I wonder if lots of couples forego this if they could. I also wonder if some wished for a course like this, not knowing it exists.

As a relatively older bride (haha), I am quite certain I know what I would be like as a wife. Thankfully, my fiancé is also older (and wiser, one would hope), having experienced love, loss, fear, pain, arrogance and humility.

But how will we solve issues together? We honestly haven't had fights or major disagreements. However I'm sure there are some important topics to explore.  Something to look forward to in July. :)

Wedding: When Again?

Yet another date change.

Now its September 6th. After my fiancé's mom consulted the Chinese zodiac and calendars online, she decided that September 6th was a more auspicious date.

So now after finally getting 3 (York, Peninsula Excelsior & Riverfront) out of about 30 hotels to reply my emails and calls positively (yes, the 27 or so I contacted are booked up on October 18th), I am going to badger all of them again regarding the 6th of September.

Some are hearing from me a third time since I asked many about the 11th of October initially. I haven't even called to check with the church!

52 Saturdays in a year. How does one choose? Sigh...

Wedding: Auspicious Dates

Looks like we have to change our wedding date. Heh.

It's been fun yet stressful thinking about the wedding on October 11th 2014. We set that with the church. However, after my fiancé's mom checked with a geomancer regarding the dates in September and October, we ought to follow these auspicious dates and times, according to our birth dates and times. The photo in this post features the dates written by my fiancé's mom on the back of an old calendar page. So cute.

We aren't superstitious actually but it's fine to change our dates and we want to please our parents. They did a lot of us raising us and though my dad won't be there, I have decided to make a small little video to sort of share his legacy with our guests. Gotta be careful not to be too indulgent there. My pragmatic brothers will keep me in check.

Settling on a date was easy. The church only held weddings on Saturdays. Fiancé dear wants to have the wedding only in October. So... drumroll... it's gotta be October 18th 2014! He was also amused at the fact that our initially chosen date was only auspicious for 3 hours. :)

Now I had no idea october 18th 2014 was so popular. Every hotel and restaurant contacted has that date booked already! And I emailed and called at least 20. I wonder if we can hold a nice dinner for our guests then. Maybe we have to consider venues like the exhibition halls or restaurants in far corners of the island. Even though it's still an island, the traffic and the distances locals are accustomed to will usually present these places as "wa so far and ulu ah?"

Well, let's hope something opens up or we find a couple who needs to let go of their dinner on October 18th 2014. Fingers crossed!

Where & When?

Well, we set a date. But it's still open to discussion since my fiancé's mom has yet to see the geomancer. My mom isn't bothered with auspicious dates. My fiancé and I are happy either way. So we'll just wait for the date. No sweat.

The date, however, is a necessary piece of information to present before we can confirm our venue.

Which brings us to the question of where...

I was very keen on this beautiful ballroom. It evokes a sense of grandeur, fairytales and magic. As if anything is possible that night and everyone has been transported to a majestic palace, the sort you only read about in fantasy novels.

It isn't up my mother's alley though because she feels it's very inconvenient for most people. Sigh... here it is, my dream ballroom which will remain just that, a dream.

Photos here pulled from the Orchid country club website and some bridal forums. Won't you fall in love here as well?

A New Chapter

So a new year is here. Hello 2014.

I am planning something new this year.

I'm planning my wedding. Heh. I always was fiercely independent and stubborn, afraid to rely on anyone else. And here I am, looking at spending forever with some random soul I met.

Or is it really random? What makes true love true?

For years, I avoided the idea of marriage for many reasons. One being my fear of loss. I learnt that it is not easy for me to get over such loss from my hamster's untimely kidnapping, from missing my grandpa's departure, & barely catching my father's last moments. So creating that possibility of a husband or child dying before I do? No, thanks! I'd rather not love at all than suffer that pain of separation.

But oh well, I went ahead and fell in love. Darn it.

I'll just plan the event they call a wedding then. Not too big a deal to me since the main focus is the marriage. Updates to appear here.

Flaws

Lately, I have learnt how I am affected by moods and atmospheres on set or in a recording studio. If everything is serious, I may absorb and spew that same energy. If the mood is light, I might take that on and add to what I do.

It is great in theatre and live performances where the energy of the audience is something to play off on. Since I am aware of the desire or need to push a story or emotion forward, a negative or unreceptive audience serves as a positive challenge.

However, it might work against me in a recording studio or film set. I don't think about it but subconsciously, I suppose I react the same way. I am not as aware of needing to push the story or emotion forward so I may end up overwhelmed by my environment. I must say that to myself, this discovery is disturbing, frustrating and disappointing. I hope it isn't so to anyone else though, and that I always managed to deliver eventually and do justice to my characters.

I suppose I need to learn to encapsulate myself in a separate world more distinctly on set & in studios. I'll be more aware in future. I would like to think that I can only improve.

Organic Soap Nuts (from The DIY Secrets)

I just received my soap nuts in the mail!

Soap what? Well, soap nuts are fruits from the Sapindus trees in Nepal. In our daily cleaning, many of us release toxins and chemicals into the sewage system which in turns affect the environment in a myriad of ways.

Besides being a biodegradable and organic way to clean, soap nuts are ideal detergents for anyone with skin allergies. It's also safe ans gentle for babies!

I have been reading online how these can be used in the bath, shower, for hairwashes, and for dishes. It's most common use, I think, are for laundry. Also, it naturally softens your fabrics. The nuts can be dried and reused until they don't sud anymore. Usually that means 3 to 5 uses depending on the temperature of your water. I must say at this point that I haven't used them yet. This is all just me being excited. :p

How did I find out about soap nuts? Well, it was my good fortune to have met Lee Cheng of The DIY Secrets (visit http://www.thediysecrets.com) at the recent Ascendas Green at Heart campaign for which I was an emcee. She was so sweet to mention me in her blog on her site, and even more so to send me a kind handwritten note.

I took advantage of their Christmas Sale on December 3rd 2013, 20% off a 1kg bag (usually S$39) with free delivery. Keep a look out and you might be just as lucky, or luckier!

Check out the warmth and festivities in the photos below!

Above: a nicely boxed package, ordered online on Dec 3rd. It arrived timely on Dec 6th.

Above: presented in a soft cotton drawstring bag made in Nepal. And a bonus festive red ribbon!

Above: click to enlarge to read all the wonderful details on why and how soap nuts can help you. Don't forget the lovely card from Lee Cheng!