Tea Ceremony - 14th Dec 2008

This is just a narration of what's happened on the 14th Dec 09. How I feel about it, I'm going to mostly keep it to myself as I realised it's really hard to write this article about something that happened 6 months ago...

After a tiring day on the 13th, I barely had enough rest before having to wake up in the wee hours in the morning to get my make up done by Cynthia Lim. While having my make up done, the house was already buzzing with activity. My aunts were busy in the kitchen, while Oka-san went out to collect the kuih-muih. It was later when my 'jee muis' arrived, they started their preparation as well. Surprisingly, Oto-san was sporting enough to lend them the mahjong tiles for one of the games! Later as the relatives slowly made their way to my parent's house, we started taking photos before the groom and his entourage arrive.

It took a while for them to arrive, and the lack of parking space in our condo didn't help either. Firstly, Ototo-san have to open the car door, but he had tricks up his sleeves. Apparently he negotiated the price of the angpow by showing my hubby pictures of a Nokia handphone, Wii and our ROM photo. Apparently he was speechless with the value of the first two angpows, but let my hubby out after the third round. No choice la...

As I remain in the room wondering what's going on outside, the groom and his 'heng tais' have to face-off with my trusty jee muis and their games. There was the hilarious session of yoga, followed by drinking of sour, bitter, spicy and sweet foodstuff and drinks. My special request was for him to eat bittergourd, of which he obliged. Since the heng tais were sporting enough, they also did the picking of 發 mahjong tile from a bucket full of ice.

Once that was over, Oto-san gave my husband his blessings to come into the house. But, it's not so easy! Hubby has to sign a contract, of which stating the number one rule : The wife is always right! We already came up with the rules prior to the wedding day since it would be almost impossible to get him to write anything during that short period of time. He also had to sing a song before going into the room. He chose "Because You Love Me" by Celine Dion as it held great significance during our courting days. So sweet of him, my heart melted that time!

After we shared a kiss and photograph, we proceeded out for a short refreshment According to Hokkien custom, Ototo-san had to present a bowl of bird's nest to hubby. After finishing the bird's nest, we kick started with the tea ceremony. I can only recall the entire scene as 'chaotic' since there's so many relatives, and the entire house was so noisy! An unexpected moment occured when supposedly Oka-san's family go ahead first for the tea ceremony, but all of the uncles were not around because they went to help my cousin who just arrived to carry luggage. So no choice but to switch back to Oto-san's family. I panicked for a moment!

After tea ceremony, it was the time the kids look forward to - the bride and groom giving out angpow to them. I have a lot of cousins so that took a bit of time as well. One of my indirect cousins - a little girl perhaps around two - decided not to take one but the entire stack! A hilarious moment for us! Before proceeding to the groom's house, it's group photo time! The first few with family members, then we went to the pool to take photo with the jee muis and heng tais. Mega posing session!

Our journey back to the groom's house took an unexpected twist when we arrived ahead of the photographer. Apparently he used GPS and took a wrong way instead! Hmm, GPS unreliable? So had to wait a while for him to arrive. Next is his brother - now my brother-in-law - to open the car door. Lucky no further negotiations as we ran out of time.

We quickly settled for the tea ceremony. His extended family isn't too big, plus they have more space than our condo, so it was slightly more relaxed. Even the kids receiving angpow are much fewer. Phew! We wrapped up the day with group photos with family and friends, and the dog! The dog was the hardest to shoot, because she was extremely angry that morning. She was kicked out from her favourite spot, and not understanding what's going on, she refused to take photo with us! It was through my hubby's 'persuasion' of which we manage to get a good potrait with her.

Once that was over, we took a quick break before heading on to Sunway Resort for preparations of the wedding reception. Half a day gone but we were so tired already!

To be continued...

* All photos taken by Exes Studio *

Money's Warfare

Ah, finally!

It took me more than one year to finish off this K-drama Money's Warfere. One reason was that I couldn't find any links to watch it since Veoh was not made available in Malaysia anymore. Secondly I didn't have the time due to wedding preparations. Thanks to Li Li's recommendation of mysoju (yes, I remembered!) I decided to finish off this drama once and for all.

What made me had interested in this drama even after such a long hiatus is the intriguing storyline and a great cast. The story is about a man called Geum Na Ra (played by Park Shin Yang) who became a moneylender after witnessing how his parents became victims by loan sharks. He met Seo Joo Hee (played by Park Jin Hee) while trying to collect her debts during her wedding. Joo Hee was supposed to marry off to a rich guy to settle her family debts. Joo Hee wanted revenge for ruining her wedding plans, but ended up falling for Na Ra instead. Na Ra works for a ruthless moneylender called Ma Dong Po, whom Na Ra eventually outsmarted and took Ma's money as his own. He faces off with Ha Woo Sung, a ruthless and ambitious moneylender, and protege of Madam Bong, whose granddaughter Cha Yeon used to date Na Ra until he was forced by Madam Bong not to see her in exchange for money to repay his father's debts.

I have to say the 3/4 of the drama was really fast paced and got me hooked to it, wanting for more. However towards the end it sort of lost some steam due to the awkward plot on Blue Angel's acquisition. I was already forewarned about the abrupt ending, so when it happened it was kind of sad, but once I think about it, the phrase "what comes around goes around" fits the drama conclusion. I can understand many people were upset with the ending, but it is not as ridiculous as the ending for Lovers in Paris (also starring Park Shin Yang), whom to me still hold the dubious honour for having the most stupid ending in a high rating K-drama.

Another interesting point I picked up throughout this drama is the strong message about money. I'm not sure if it's excellent fan subbing, or really reflect the essence of the story, I leave you with some of the more prominent quotes in the drama.

"From my perspective, there are two kinds of loan sharks. One is someone like me busy running around repossessing my claims. Second is someone like you who sits around and thinking about swallowing money from others"

"Don't you get it? One's life or death is manipulated by money"

"Men only leave behind painful scars. Money leave behind interest"

"It is not the person that lies, but the money that make him lie"

"You can't do this job. If you want to survive, you need to throw away things like a heart"

"If you keep pitying those type of cheap people, sometimes you'll be the one ending up dying because of these type of people)."

"You know people will throw everything away including their family, but can't throw money away"

"It's very easy for someone to get blinded by money. If you get dragged by money, from that moment on you lose yourself."

"Don't mistake the difference between sympathy and moral acts. At times showing no sympathy may be the best way"

"Money that was earned without real effort will disappear in a matter of seconds."

"Do you know why money is dirty? It's because at times you must hold hands with those that you don't accept"

"What's your goal in life?"
"Money"
"We have the same goal"
"Our Sense of money is not the same"
"Money changes depend on whose pocket it is in"
"Don't think of me as the same as you, you greedy bastard"

"You only trusted money in this world and that money judged you instead!"

"Do you know what the hardest addiction to quit is?
You can cure an alcohol, drugs and gambling addiction.
But addiction to money is almost impossible to cure.
Acquisition of money feels like heaven.
And loss of money feels like hell."

Transformers 2

Just came back from watching Transformers 2. Thanks to Link for buying the tickets!

The story continues 2 years later where Sam enters college. But before he can even get past the first week in college, he has to once again taken into adventure when the Decepticons return to look for him after he accidentally touched a fragment of the Allspark and gain further insight of the ancient origins of the Transformers. Not only that, we see the essence of bravery and courage of both Optimus Prime and Sam when they try to protect and save each other.

It was a great action movie altogether, lots of eye candy (from both the Transformers and Megan Fox for the guys). I reckoned the storyline isn't too bad nor cheesy too. However, just a couple of rants :

SPOILERS AHEAD!

• Towards the end scene in Egypt where Fallen was on top of the Pyramids waving his staff, he looked like Saruman from LOTR.

• Why they made Devastator looked so clumsy? I was dissapointed to see how it turned out on screen.

• The scene where Sam found the Prime's burial place in Petra reminded me of the last part of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Is it because of the Steven Spielberg connection?

Overall I give it 8 out of 10. Looking forward for more to come!

Our Church Wedding - 13th Dec 2008

Preparations for our church wedding started as early as 5am when I had to wake up and get ready before arrival of my makeup artist May Lim. After make-up and getting dressed, we waited for my parents to arrival for them to put on the veil following Chinese customs. After that was over, we proceeded on to Holy Rosary Church for our church wedding.

We were punctual, but somehow the previous wedding was not concluded, so I had to wait and cool down at the parish office. I was very glad to find out that they have decorated the altar with white and pink roses as I had requested, in addition to the red roses and lilies by the previous bride. As a result, the church decoration looked very fresh and sweet with the colourful burst of red, white and pink flowers. As I waited, my aunts tied the pews with pink and white chiffon ribbons to match the theme.

When it was about time, Oto-san and I went up to the entrance. Over there, my three cousins were getting prepared for their walk down the aisle as ringbearer, flower girl and maid-of-honour respectively. The the church bells rang, and Ototo-san (as the commentator) started to speak. And then they played the song I always dreamed of : Pachelbel's Canon in D. Ever since watching My Sassy Girl I had this crazy obsession with the song, and finally my wish came true :)

We took our place and started walking down the aisle, My arm on Ototo-san's. I can see my husband waiting for me at the other end. It was a nerve-wrecking moment, as I couldn't belive my eyes that this was happening. Thanks be to God!

While we reached the end, in front of the altar, I think Oto-san either became nervous or he forgotten what was the procedure of passing my hand over to my husband. There was an awkard moment there as we debated how should it be done, although in a friendly way. Once settled, hubby and I slowly made our way up the side of the altar as Father Daniel proceeded with the wedding service.

The songs were all praise and worship hymns selected by both of us, hence it was very meaningful for us to sing those hymns praising the Lord on this special occassion. Cousin Zhen Hui did a very good job with the reading as well. I'm very impressed!

After the Gospel reading and homily, Father Daniel proceeded on with the Rite of Marriage. That's when both our dads came up to be the witnesses.

We each took our vows during the Statement of Intent and Declaration of Consent. Next is the exchange of wedding rings. These rings represents symbols of our true faith in each other and always remind of us of our love. I remember letting out a laugh when my husband tried to put the ring into my finger - i think my finger became swollen the night before! Then it was my turn - protocol aside, I remember the joy of putting on the ring for him, yet the responsibility that comes with it for the rest of our lives. Can you imagine declaring your entire life with this person, my partner, my friend, not knowing how life will change after this day...

After that was over, we proceeded with the Prayer of the Faithful, followed by Communion Rite and Nuptial Blessing.

God, our Father, by your power you have made everything out of nothing. You made us in your own likeness and gave man the constant help of woman so that man and woman should no longer be two, but one flesh, and you teach us that what you have united may never be divided.

You have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and His people.

Look with love upon this woman, your daughter, now joined to her husband in marriage. Give her the grace of love and peace. May she always follow the example of the holy women whose praises are sung in the scriptures.

May her husband put his trust in her and know that she is his equal and the heir with him to the life of grace. May he always honour her and love her as Christ loves His Church.

Keep them always true to your commandments. Keep them faithful in marriage and let them be living examples of Christian life.

Give them the strength which comes from the gospel so that they may be witnesses of Christ to others. And, after a happy old age, grant them fullness of live with the saints in the kingdom of heaven. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

After communion and thanksgiving, the service has concluded. We then proceed to the signing of the marriage register. Once that's over, it's a brief photo session with Father, our parents and the bridal entourage. When the recessional music played - You'll Never Walk Alone - I was listening hard for the music but it was drowned by the bells!

It's more photo taking outside before we finally get to rest and have lunch.

Overall, the ceremony was simple as how we wanted it to be. I'm thankful to the Lord for making this day possible with my husband and our families.

So one day down, one more day to go!

Skytrex Adventure

Ever since I found out about Skytrex Adventure early this year through my colleagues, been persuading the usual gang to try it out "before we get any older". After making reservations in April and a couple more months of anticipation, we finally went to Bukit Cerakah yesterday for Skytrex Big Thrill adventure.

There were specific instructions given how to get to the park, and we needed to be there early. However, upon arrival, the bus wasn't there. After calling the organisers, they picked us up on a truck, of which the guys happily hopped behind to enjoy the fresh air.

The guys enjoying the view

Upon arrival and registration, we proceeded on to the gear area to be fitted with harness and safety gear. Next is the training, whereby the instructor will show us the basic rules and instructions how to attempt the various challeges within the Skytrex route. We only have three pieces of equipment with us - a pulley and two carabinas. We were taught how to use these equipment according to the challenges. Next is practice session whereby we get to apply what we learned during the course on a shorter track. How it works is that you are expected to be fully independant and remember the rules. No trainer to guide you how fasten the pulley or carabina because it's really easy. We were lucky to be first to start, as the other group had over twenty people in it.

The starting point

Check out the starting point! That itself is a challenge! It took me ages just to climb up that ladder! Lucky Tham was the first to go, so he was cheering me on while I was almost giving up. After much huffing and puffing, I'm finally up on the first platform!

Little people beneath me

From there on there's no more intense climbing involved, but that's where the other obstacles begin. Some of them are pretty straight forward like walking on a plank, net or zigzag. Some were more tough as it requires some arm strenght and balancing. Should you find it too challenging, there's always the 'chicken exit' which you can head too!

The zig-zag

I personally find the swinging cylinder tubes tough initially, but once I got the hang of it, it's pretty easy, just need to know how to balance myself. The one I sort of cheated was the gorrila swing, where you have to swing across from plank to plank. I cheated on that one because I was really too afraid to swing across the planks, even though it's safe. Have to give kudos to SV and Link for accomplishing it!

Easy tracks

The most fun bit would be the flying fox. We really look forward to that! The 2nd last obstacle was the Tarzan swing. I actually hesitated for a while coz it looks so scary, but once I jumped it was freefall all the way. To a certain extend I felt I was Spiderman or some stunt performer!

The gorrila swing and flying fox

It took us 1 1/2 hours to complete the entire course, and how glad am I to have both my feet on the ground once more!

Side note - It is recommended to check the condition of your sport shoes before attempting Skytrex. Hubby brought an old pair of running shoes and lost both the soles along the track! You can say he left his 'soul' or rather 'sole' back in Bukit Cerakah!

The people in Skytrex and generally very friendly and helpful. They also keep their distance from you when you are attempting the challenges as not to obstruct the fun. However, if you really need help you need to shout real loud and then they will only come. Else, they'll leave you alone to figure out how to untangle yourself, which I guess is part of the learning and discovery.

On our way back, we boarded the bus whom the bus driver was very chatty with us. He even gave us tips how we should climb up the tree - which is to bend your body like a monkey so as to lessen the pressure while climbing. Good tip if he had told us earlier!

Overall, I'm glad we went for Skytrex knowing for the fact some of our friends are afraid of heights, yet none of us chicken out from the tracks! Tham's already asking us when is the next time we tackle Extreme Challenge. I guess not so soon as we are still recovering from body aches!

A Night of Unexpected Events

Last night was supposed to be a belated birthday celebration for Tham with the usual gang. Since the birthday boy requested to go to Jogoya, we made reservations and met them up in the restaurant itself.

This was my 2nd time to Jogoya. Apart from the fresh sashimi and oyster, I don't see anything fantastic about the place, except for the dessert counter. We went for many rounds of Haagen Dazs ice-cream and coconut water! Halfway throughout dinner, Link showed us her iPhone which she was forced to buy because of "company requirements". My dear hubby was so fascinated with the basketball game. To make it worse, Tham went to beat his record, so he was so engrossed in playing just to beat Tham's high score!

After dinner, Tham asked where should we go next, since we are already in KL and the night is still young. Apparently. We opted for two rounds of bowling at Berjaya Times Square. I haven't bowled for quite a long time, so it took a while to warm up, by which the two games already ended. It was crazy bowling as usual. The first round tends to be a bit more competitive, while all sort of antics came about during the second round, such as using two hands to roll the bowl, rolling the ball with your other hand, etc etc. It's great to have friends cheer for you when you score a strike or spare :)

Now came the unexpected bit - we then proceed on to Neway for karaoke session at midnight. Now I don't personally fancy karaoke, and had never gone singing with this gang before. Nevertheless, we thought might as well do something different and we probably will leave within a couple of hours time. Once in the room, Link kicked started off with Abba songs, followed by Taylor Swift's Love Story. We quickly chose some 90s hits from Boyzone, Michael Learns to Rock and Backstreet Boys to kick start the singing session. Surprisingly, Tham and Eric had a lot of fun singing, especially Tham coz he's crazy enough to change the lyrics and making fun of the MTVs. Next up is Just Dance by Lady Gaga, whom I just belted it out with Link. Tham did the rapping part which was totally hilarious since he haven't heard of this song before. SV was probably the quieter one coz I guess she usually sings mandarin songs and not english songs. The only Chinese song we sang was Michael Wong's 童話, of which only hubby and Eric didn't sing along becasue they don't understand mandarin. We also sang light-hearted songs from Sam Hui and McDull, not to mentioned making fun of Hanson and The Moffats! I wonder who else sings theirs songs now......

Probably the highlight of the karaoke session is the 'emo' song - I don't wanna miss a thing by Aerosmith. Here we have the guys imagining themselves as Steven Tyler, belting out the song the most emotional way possible - which translates to a lot of drama, wailing, screaming, shouting etc etc. Tham did such a good job so we played that song again as our last karaoke track. This time all of us took part and I think we brought the entire room down! Talk about a couple of hours, we left Neway around 3am!

I woke this morning with a sorethroat and migraine (not enough sleep) but the gathering was worth it. Will meet the gang up again next week for Skytrex and Transformers 2. Can't wait!

The Art of Forgiving

Just to share this meaningful article I found on the Internet. I learnt about forgiveness and letting go last month, but nothing speaks more clearer on forgiving than this :

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The most creative power given to the human spirit
is the power to heal the wounds of a past it cannot change.

We do our forgiving alone inside our hearts and minds;
but what happens to the people we forgive depends on them.

The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who does it.

Forgiving happens it three stages: we rediscover the humanity of the person who wronged us;
we surrender our right to get even; and we wish that person well.

Forgiving is a journey;
the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.

Forgiving does not require us to reunite with the person who broke our trust.

We do not forgive because we are supposed to;
we forgive when we are ready to be healed.

Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.

Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain but to heal the pain.

Forgiving someone who breaks a trust does not mean that we give him his job back.

Forgiving is the only way to be fair to ourselves.

Forgivers are not doormats;
to forgive a person is not a signal that we are willing to put up with with what he does.

Forgiving is essential;
talking about it is optional.

When we forgive, we set a prisoner free
and discover that the prisoner we set free is us.

When we forgive we walk in stride with the forgiving God.