Hummingwaves - thoughts of a caffeine-mad and now a bride-to-be mind :)

The Bridal Nightmare

2009-12-14T16:22:00.008+08:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a nightmare - that on our wedding day, everything went wrong, I wasn't ready, the wedding entourage started without me, I was holding a bouquet of grass instead of the flowers I wanted, the photographer did not show up and Malvin arrived late and was wearing his favorite red robot tshirt and his hair was shaved to the skin on both sides of his head. I woke myself up and thanked God that it was just a dream.
When I told my sister about it, she said she too had the nightmare (she's also getting married one week after me). So I guess this is quite normal for brides to have these nightmares due to our fears.
But here's another thing - for weeks I had been feeling these chest pains, I had difficulty breathing, plus I felt my heart beating fast, like I was so nervous about something. That's why I've already cut off my coffee intake, I thought the palpitations might be caused by too much coffee (I only have 1 to 2 cups a day usually). It happened intermittently, and usually it happened when I was not preoccupied with something else, so sometimes on my sleep, especially during my one week business trip in Taipei on the last week of November, I kept experiencing these chest pains, like something tight was tied around my chest. Then last week was the worst attack - I really hyperventilated and I did my best to calm myself down. I really thought I was seriously sick but I kept procrastinating to see the doctor. But finally, this morning, I managed to have myself checked by the doctor and I was so relieved when the doctor said my blood pressure is normal and he didn't tell me any heartbeat irregularity or any sign of sickness.

WHEW!!!

As of now, the chest pains are gone. So I guess it's just really anxiety and stress as the wedding day approaches. It's like suddenly there's just too many things to do now to make sure the wedding goes as how we want it to, to make it beautiful, and I got so tensed about it that I panicked. I'm amazed actually because I really didn't expect that I'd be hit by stress from our wedding preparations. I thought I could be cool enough. Apparently, I wasn't. But thankfully, my hubby-to-be is. :)

12 days to go! woot!

The Videographer

2009-12-12T17:44:00.039+08:00

It took us quite some time to finally decide to get a professional videographer for our wedding. At first we were considering just asking a friend to video our wedding using a personal handycam. Yeah, we were being stingy because we just couldn't believe how expensive videography was. We were thinking since we already hired a professional photographer, then there's no need for a video with editing. But good thing we found an affordable videographer!

We met Robin Ow (robin@capturedmoments.com.sg) of Captured Moments (http://www.capturedmoments.com.sg/) to look at the sample videos and Malvin and I were convinced that it's the kind of video we need, simple and journalistic. It will complement the journalistic photography that we wanted.

The Make Up Artist

2009-11-18T18:10:00.005+08:00

I initially thought about doing my own make up for our wedding. The thing is, I'm a bit skeptic because I want to look as natural as possible, I don't want ending up looking 10 years older because of thick make up. But when Malvin's sister recommended her friend whom she says is a make up artist and also a Pinay, I decided to give it a try.

After talking to Myca, I was more convinced that I made the right decision to let her do my make up. She's actually a professional make up artist and coincidentally, after browsing through her website I discovered that she was my friend's make up artist too during her wedding. My friend looked lovely during her wedding and I did admire her nicely done, natural look make up and wondered who did it for her. Now I know ! :)

Here's Myca's site: http://makeupbymyca.multiply.com/

The Food Tasting

2009-11-17T23:59:00.004+08:00

Today is my birthday, the big 3-0 birthday I've been dreading (waaaah!). I told Malvin that we could just schedule our food tasting for the wedding dinner reception today so at least we can hit two birds with one stone (hey, I just realized that this hitting two birds idiom actually sounds morbid!).

So this evening we went to Roland Restaurant, the venue of our wedding dinner reception, where we sampled the menu that will be served on our wedding. Our wedding package includes free food tasting for 6 so we had Malvin's parents, sister and Auntie to join us.

The verdict? Y-U-M-M-Y!

They say that during the wedding reception, the bride and groom would not be able to eat but Malvin and I said, we will eat by hook or by crook on our wedding reception! We cannot miss our yummy 8-course meal! :P

The Hen and Stag Party (Pinoy style)

2009-10-21T15:37:00.008+08:00

Malvin and I were in the Philippines last weekend. It was our last trip there before the wedding so it was the chance to do some wedding shopping and Christmas shopping too. Plus, we got to have our Filipino stag and hen party (more popularly known in the Philippines as "bridal shower"), thanks to our friends in the Philippines.

A cake from our friends

Malvin and the guys went to a couple of girlie bars. But according to Malvin, there was no stripping at all and the only interesting part about the "show" was the loud thumping sound that the girls made when they jump and land on the floor with their legs split.
WAHAHAHA. Poor guys. :oP

Anyways, the girls and I went first to Starbucks where they gave me their sexy gifts ;P Then we went to a strip bar, that is, where there were men strippers. Most of us were first timers on doing this and we almost backed out. The place was more sleazy than we expected but nevertheless we had fun. We did see LOTS of interesting specimens and when I told my mother about it the following day, she said she wished she joined us.
BWAHAHAHA. Unimaginable. :oP

The Solemniser

2009-09-29T23:59:00.001+08:00

Earlier tonight we met up with our solemniser, Mrs. Belen Tan. I've known about her during a friend's wedding that I attended last year (she officiated their wedding solemnisation). She was as nice as I expected. Malvin loved the idea that our solemniser is a Filipino. We were even more thrilled when we knew that she is married to a Chinese too and so she was able to share with us meaningful insights about intercultural marriage and marriage in general. It was really great, she is so motherly (she sounded like my mother, actually! :) We realized, as we talked her thru about the specifics of our wedding solemnisation, that it is quite important to discuss wedding details with your solemniser before finalizing your programme because it will depend on what the solemniser will allow, like a wedding march, exchange of personal vows, etc. Because the standard solemnisation ceremony, including signing of certificate, takes just about 7 minutes in total! Anyhow, this is also the time to get have your solemniser sign the consent form which you'd need before you can file for a marriage application (though this is not really stated in the ROM website, during filing of marriage application, you'd need the solemniser's ID code.)

So there you go, ladies and gentlemen, as of tonight, Malvin and I has officially filed our marriage application in the Registry of Marriages of Singapore :D

****

Useful link: Singapore Registry of Marriage website

The Wedding Rings

2009-08-19T23:59:00.008+08:00

Today, we bought our wedding rings. *big smile* :D

Our ring is half rose gold and half white gold which matches my engagement ring too. Malvin loves the color of rose gold because he finds it uncommon.

I agree!

One of the distinct things I noticed even from my first visit in Singapore back in year 2003 (I was here for 5 days as a tourist) was how jewelries here were elegantly designed (and later on, I would find that for their quality they were quite more affordable compared to Philippines). I remember I even told my sister to tell my future boyfriend (I was unattached during that time) that if he's going to propose for marriage, I would like him to get an engagement ring from Singapore. Remembering that now,I can't help but smile at how my wish came true..plus more! Heehee :P

Can't wait to wear our wedding rings! :P

The Groom's Barong

2009-08-11T23:54:00.006+08:00

Just got back in Singapore! :)

Malvin and I went on a 4 day trip to the Philippines for my usual quarterly "going back home" and also to start up some wedding shopping which included a...(drum roll please)......barong! :)

Yup, Malvin is going to wear a barong* for our wedding. Right from the start he told me he'd like to wear a barong for our special day. I cannot post pictures here because it is a surprise (well kind of since I already half revealed it :P ) but I tell you that I could not take my eyes off from him when he fit it. My best friends were there too and they all approve! So watch out for it on our wedding solemnization, ok? ;)

Also got the chance during this trip to visit my Lola and show Malvin my birthplace, Nueva Ecija.

********
*barong - the Philippine traditional upper garment and is a common wedding and formal attire of men in the Philippines.

The Quiet Days

2009-07-01T16:27:00.001+08:00

There hasn't been much wedding activities for us for the past couple of months. Most of the urgent major stuff like the venues had been taken care of already. It's just nice, because Malvin and I had the opportunity to focus on other important aspects of our lives besides our wedding, like career. We have to be realistic, now that we would like to start a family, we have to take settling location and finances in mind. The ironic thing was, both Malvin and I had been bumming (he since he went travelling around the world for a year and I since I quit my job in March). Then there was the question of whether we'll settle in Singapore or Australia (Malvin had been based in Sydney for the past 10 years or so).

But God really works in wonders. Like a well thought of plan, fate made us both start a new job in Singapore at almost the same time! That was a clear answer to where we should settle down obviously. We had a nice short holiday in Melbourne, Australia when I went there for a one week training for my new work. Malvin accompanied me for 3 days and then he had to fly to China for a business meeting (see, even our first few days of our new work are similar, we both started outside Singapore). Everything really fell into place, even Malvin's dilemma on how to get his remaining stuff in Australia was solved by this trip.

Malfoy in Melbourne, Australia

These quiet days also gave us the opportunity to adjust to new routines - from going to work, meeting out with friends and family, doing sports, or just simply spending our own quality time with each other. Anyhow, this month I am foreseeing that this month we'd be resuming doing wedding stuff again so more stories hopefully soon.

The Bridal Shoes

2009-04-26T23:20:00.002+08:00

Greetings from Guam!

I am here for a one week visit to spend some time with my little sister who resides here.Guam is an island in the Pacific with it's own government but is a U.S. territory.

If Singapore is small (710.2 km2/274.2 sq mi), Guam is even smaller (541.3 km2/209 sq mi)! So there's really not much to do but stroll at the beach and go shopping. Although really, nothing is cheap here except I think for the shoes I got today for my wedding day (around 19.99 USD). Guess where I got 'em from? KMart! hahaha! :P

No, the modern bride is not stingy, but practical ;)

enjoying the beach in the United States Air Force Base in Guam

The Wedding Dress

2009-04-19T08:16:00.012+08:00

Hello!

I am in the Philippines right now, stopping over here for a couple of days on my way to Guam.

Today I met up with my best friends Melanie, Debbie, Alison and Maebel. We've known each other since high school and we've been best friends for 16 years now! (whoa!) It's really great whenever we get the chance to get together when I am back in the Philippines. We had a fun time today going around the mall to look at some wedding stuff especially on looking for that perfect wedding dress that I want.

Yes, you read it right, I only wanted a simple dress and not a gown and I did find the perfect dress today! I cannot tell much details because it is my surprise for Malvin, but what I can tell you is that I would never forget that look on my friends' faces when I fit the dress and showed it to them. Right then and there, we knew it was the one.

Ok, maybe I can tell you one more thing: it costs 2000 Philippine pesos (approximately 60 SGD / 44 USD). No kidding! :)

With my bestfriends :)

The Venues

2009-04-16T08:17:00.009+08:00

One of the first things we did for planning our wedding was to book venues. Yes, indeed, it is never too early to reserve to make sure that you get your preferred venue. Of course, in order to secure the venue, a deposit is usually made so the choice should not really be on impulse too. You can, however, at least check out the dates available for your venue choices and ask them to pencil you in while you make your final decision.

First venue we had to think of was where to have the solemnization. We wanted it somewhere with a garden, in touch with nature. I had a couple of places in mind and the first one we went to check out was Singapore Botanic Gardens. In my almost 4 years in Singapore, I have never been inside there until March this year. Singapore Botanic garden is a popular wedding venue, usually at the Pavillion or the Orchid garden, but for us, we chose the function room. Although an outdoor garden venue would be nice, we didn't want to risk the chances of rain. December is a rainy season in Singapore. Malvin and I both already fell in love with the function room with a little garden on the side and with Singapore Botanic Gardens that we decided right then and there that this would be our solemnization venue. We didn't checkout any other places. Singapore Botanic garden is perfect for our earth and rainbow wedding solemnization theme.

Ok, so next venue to look for was for our wedding reception dinner. Now, this was quite a challenge. We wanted a place that would be complementing our 70's disco theme and at the same time, not expensive. I realized that the bulk of our wedding budget would actually be on this dinner (because we are estimating 200 guests! hehehe) We actually found a restaurant that would've been perfect for it but unfortunately, it was not available for our date. That broke my heart a little but we did learn a lesson on that: secure the availability of the place first even before imagining your wedding reception in there. It got a little frustrating to look for another venue after that because we couldn't find something that fits both our theme and budget. But things happen for a reason, and sometimes they are actually blessings in disguise. Thanks to Malvin's dad's suggestion, we found our dinner venue: Roland Restaurant in Marine Parade. It is a seafood restaurant popular for its Chili Crab dish. The ambiance is perfect for our theme, the staff is nice and most important of all, is within our budget! ;)

The Florist

2009-04-12T23:59:00.002+08:00

I loooooooove flowers!

And I would loooove to have our wedding filled with flowers. But well, believe it or not, flowers are one of the biggest expense (as I have discovered) that a wedding could have, that is, if you hire and buy from a wedding florist!

Yeah, so we thought we'd save up some money and just make the flowers ourselves. Yes, it is possible, coz we did it for my big sis' wedding in California three years ago and I think we did a great job especially on her hand bouquet. ;) Now the question is: where could we buy affordable quality flowers? Well, I got a great tip from Gigi's blog because this is where I learned about the existence of wholesale flowershops at Thomson Road.

I've been telling Malvin about Thomson Road but we haven't had the opportunity to go here since we both have no idea where it was and it seemed like it was ina place where public transport doesn't pass thru. Anyhoo, a couple of Sundays ago, after meeting his parents at Chinatown for breakfast, his Dad drove us all to Thomson Road where we all enjoyed going around this great discovery.

So now, Malvin and I have a clear idea on what flowers we would be buying and how much we need to budget for this. We both agreed that we would most probably do away with the roses because we'd like to have spring themed flowers like daisies and gerbera and then orchids too. And then for my hand bouquet, I pictured it right there, I would be walking down the aisle holding a bunch of colorful tulips. Sweet! :D

The Themes

2009-04-03T23:59:00.006+08:00

While most weddings has a motif, for us it would be a theme instead because there's really no particular color that we'd like to highlight. For our wedding solemnization ceremony, I call our theme "Earth and Rainbow". The women would be wearing pastel colors and for the men would be beige or light brown.

Then for wedding dinner reception, the theme is (drumroll please)...70's!!! woohoo!!! We want a fun, disco party and what more could this be better depicted than dress up with your bell-bottomed pants, big collars, big hairs, clog shoes and retro colorful clothes! Oh yes, guests shall wear their best 70's outfit! ;)

For both ocassions, we are requesting everyone not to wear white as this would be reserved for the bride and groom.The idea is Malvin and I would stand out in white as our guests complement us with their colorful attires :)

The Photographer

2009-03-27T23:59:00.001+08:00

Today, we finally selected and booked our wedding photographer. Our wedding will be done by AM PM Photography.

I didn't realize until we started looking for a wedding photographer that this choice was not something very easy to do. At first, I thought we didn't need a professional photographer in the first place because I couldn't believe now how expensive these services are and I thought we didn't really need all the fancy stuff, all we just needed was a person with a good eye and a steady hand in taking photographs. Then we could make our own layout and photo album.

However, my little sister made a good point. Investing in a good professional wedding photographer would be worth it because the photographs would be your remembrance of your special day forever, and it is something you cannot re-do so you better make sure you are happy when you look at them.

So, ok we decided to get a professional photographer. Then the next question was where do we find them? Well, we considered actually of maybe even importing photographers from nearby neighbouring countries like the Philippines because it might be cheaper. But surprisingly, the rates are almost the same, plus additional costs on accomodation and flight for the photographer! So we decided to finally get a photographer from Singapore since it would save us all the additional costs for flying them over here and also we are more comfortable that a professional photographer from Singapore would be more familiar with the venues here in Singapore and also the ambiance and culture here.

There, now we have limited our search to Singapore photographers. But which one? Well, in Singapore Brides website, there is a list of photographers. Malvin and I browsed through some of their websites and shortlisted our favorites. Then we inquired with 3 to 4 photographers that we were interested in. Then we made an appointment with two. We talked to them to let them know what style of photography we liked (e.g. we wanted more candid photos) and also the type of camera they use and the number of lens (yes, we discovered this was necessary because there are nice shots/angels that could only be taken by certain lens). And of course, the ultimate deciding factor would be how comfortable you are with the photographer(s). We do think it would be very hard to smile comfortably at the camera to a total stranger or somebody without a pleasing personality.

We chose AM PM Photography because we felt very comfortable with Leslie and CS, the owners of AM PM Photography. They are also doing the photography themselves so this is very important for us because we know the photographers personally instead of just expecting some generic photographer from a well-known photography studio.

Ok, so we're now ready to smile and say cheese! :D

The Ring-less days

2009-03-25T23:59:00.003+08:00

Hear ye! Hear ye! My ring finger is again bare and not anymore glittery!

Is it because I wanted to be single again so I decided to remove and sell my engagement ring?
Hehehe, of course not!

We went to have my ring re-sized. When I first wore my ring, it fit me fine as I didn't really want the ring to be tight and make a dark mark around my finger. But I don't know what happened, either the ring expanded or my finger shrunk (while all the other parts of my body are expanding on the contrary, hehehe) because I started to notice that after some weeks my ring was getting loose. Although it wasn't slipping off easily, if I did shake my hand, it seemed like it would slide off. So Malvin thought it was better to have it resized. Amazing that when we went to the jeweler and they measured my finger, we discovered that the ring was even 2 sizes bigger than my supposed ring finger size.

Anyhoo, it's going to take some time doing so because of my ring's two-tone design. So I'll be ringless for the next five weeks at most. You single men better watch out! Hahaha, just kidding! ;P

The Pamamanhikan

2009-03-21T23:59:00.007+08:00

Pamamanhikan - the Filipino custom of asking for the girl's hand in marriage.

Coming from two different cultures, what I love about us is that Malvin and I are both embracing each other's customs although it wasn't that hard anyway since we are both not very traditional in the first place. For our wedding, I only had two requests for tradition: that Malvin and his parents do the customary Pamamanhikan, and that my father would give me away during our wedding solemnization.

I was all joy when I learned that even if I did not ask Malvin and his parents to do the Pamamanhikan, they would have done it anyway since they also have this in Chinese tradition. Malvin and his parents asked me what they should bring for my parents, as usually in Chinese custom, the girl's family could ask for something, like a roast pig as a sign of dowry. I told them that no gift is necessary, my parents are not expecting for any dowry but they just would indeed appreciate getting to know their would-be-in-laws.

So on this sunny Saturday noon, my parents and I welcomed Malvin and his parents into our home in Quezon City, Philippines and shared homecooked lunch of Filipino dishes. It was a joy to see both our parents getting along very well from the start. After lunch was the "talk", where Malvin and I discussed our wedding plans and asked for their blessings. It was not awkward, really, and in fact it was quite relaxed. Well, to be honest, it was very touching even, as my parents only asked his parents for one thing -- that they take care of me since they are the ones with me here in Singapore. Malvin's parents replied that they would treat me like their own daughter. I tried to say out loud that yes, they have already been taking care of me and treating me like their own daughter eversince I met them! But I found myself so moved that I just sat there with a smiling heart.

Indeed, it was such a lovely afternoon.

The Mantra

2009-03-03T09:40:00.000+08:00

In times when everything is starting to get into us and we feel like losing heart and breaking down in anticipation, we should always remember to stop and breathe and say to ourselves that everything will be alright. Things will fall in the right place at the right time.

Our mantra...

One step at a time!

Credits to telledizon for this video.

The Magazine

2009-03-02T17:38:00.018+08:00

Last Friday, I told Malvin I'd wait for him at Border's bookstore in Wheelock Place, my favorite place in Orchard road. And so when I went in to Border's excitedly, what I had in mind was to spend some time going around the store and browse through interesting books that might catch my fancy, like usual. However, just a few steps after going into the store, a little shelf of Wedding magazines in front of the cashier caught my sight and in a split of a second, I found myself in front of them. I smiled as I realized that..hey, I am now entitled to buy a wedding magazine!

I looked at the cover of each magazine to decide which I should buy. I was surprised to learn that wedding magazines could cost as much as $16 but anyhow, I was so happy when I found a wedding magazine that just costs $6! And it was a local Singapore magazine so I thought it would be the most appropriate for me since I'd be getting married here in Singapore. Furthermore, it says Wedding AND Travel, I am having a wedding and I love to travel so it's perfect!

So I grabbed it and paid for it and in my record breaking time of around 5 minutes, the shortest time I've spent in a bookstore, I was out of Border's. A few minutes after, Malvin found a one happy bride-to-be seated on a bench along Orchard Road happily flipping through the pages of a magazine.

(Image taken from their website)

This magazine was really a best buy, it was very informational and helpful. It gave me a clearer understanding of a typical Singapore wedding. Even my hubby-to-be enjoyed going through it! :)

The Overview

2009-03-01T03:47:00.017+08:00

Here's some high level information about our wedding:

Our Wedding will be in Singapore. We decided to have the wedding in Singapore because Malvin and I met here.

It will be on December 27, 2009 (read here why)

It will be solemnized under the Singapore Rites of Marriage (ROM). This is the equivalent of what we call civil wedding in the Philippines.

There will be a wedding dinner reception.

Details to follow... ;)

The Budget

2009-02-27T15:59:00.003+08:00

As per the wedding timeline, the wedding budget is one of the first things to do in planning a wedding as obviously, the budget would be the foundation of everything. For the tool, a simple spreadsheet listing down all source of expenses with one column for estimated amount and another column for the actual amount would do.

When we did our budget this week, I realized that even with a simple wedding like what we want, it was way beyond what I thought it would cost. And I have not even started converting to Philippine peso.... hehehe. :P

The Timeline

2009-02-27T15:59:00.002+08:00

One of the first things that came into my mind about planning our wedding was to make a wedding timeline which would be our guide and checklist to make sure that we could track everything that we need to do and do it at the right time. At first I thought about making my own spreadsheet with fancy formulas and graphics but because of my limited skill in Microsoft excel, I scrapped that idea and decided to find something on the web.

When I googled for "wedding timeline", however, I discovered that wedding timelines are just in a simple list form. And so, yeah, come to think of it, I realized that I really didn't need a fancy one. I settled to use this free site from Toptableplanner. You just indicate your wedding date and it gives you a list of your to do's month by month. Since I only have 10 months to prepare, a lot of the tasks are already in the time "As soon as possible", wehehehe. :P

Of course, the list there is just a guide and should not limit you from adding other applicable things and removing unnecessary ones or moving tasks on the time you think they are more appropriate. Their list is quite comprehensive actually, even to some little details that you might not even think about but is actually a very good tip like, "Wear-in your wedding shoes (indoors) so they don't rub on the day" , makes a lot of sense doesn't it?. Then there's even some tasks that I found funny like "Investigate wedding insurance" and "Put together an emergency kit" but hey, why not consider it, perhaps they do make sense when you think about it, right? hehe.

Anyhow, I am happy to note that what Malvin and I have been doing so far are on the right track of prioritization. Yay! ;)

The Announcement

2009-02-26T08:29:00.000+08:00

So, how do you tell the world about the good news?

While inside me I was screaming and jumping of happiness about it, I found out that in reality, I didn't know how to actually announce it. Or I wasn't even sure if I should even announce it to everyone in the first place? (Like a press release? Haha, as if I'm a celebrity). I know Malvin was so excited about it and would readily announce to everyone that we're engaged but being the "wait-I-suddenly-got-shy" me that I was, I asked him to be discreet about the engagement first. It's really something new for me, breaking a big news such as this, so I wanted to be careful in doing it. I guess I wanted to be ready with any reaction, given that Malvin and I have only been dating for just barely 3 months and this decision would most probably create a lot of doubts.

But what I was sure of was that I wanted our parents to be the first ones to know about it. It was perfect timing (and location too! -- at 7107 Flavors, a Filipino restaurant) that Malvin and I had a scheduled lunch with his parents and sister the day after Valentine's day. And so, there we announced to them our engagement and I could never be more happy when I saw how his parents were happy for us after hearing about it. His dad even held up his glass of drink and offered a toast to us, it was really heart warming. That night, I also called up my parents in the Philippines to announce to them the news and as I have expected, they were not surprised about it. I guess they saw it coming when I brought Malvin home to the Philippines last January to introduce him to them (it was Malvin's idea, he said he wanted my parents to get to know him and assure them that I'm dating a good man! ;)

I still wanted to be discreet about the engagement after telling our parents and then my immediate family about the good news but I realized that it won’t sink in to me and prompt me to start the wedding preparations until I do make the “press release”. And so, three days after we got engaged, I did the first step, and which was also the fastest way to declare it to the world: I updated my facebook profile status as being “Engaged” (tadaaaaaaaaa! :P ) Then I sent emails by groups of friends and families. And for those family and friends we meet personally from day to day we just suddenly blurt it out and show my ring finger. It’s fun and exciting, especially when you see their face lit up in astonishment.

As of now, I think I have done all the necessary “core” announcements. Now, I can just rely on the power of my family’s super fast human satellite system (i.e. word of mouth, hehehe) to spread it to the rest of the clan.

And, indeed, it is sinking in: I am getting married soon!!! Woohoo! ;)

The Date

2009-02-17T15:47:00.000+08:00

December 27, 2009

Yup, this is the date we chose which is just roughly 10 months away. This creates a lot of curiosity amongst people, as I think usually wedding engagements last for at least a year until two. And of course, usually, couples "rush" their wedding because of a one more important impending event: a baby on the way. But well, sorry to disappoint those who thought that was our reason, it was definitely not, hehehe. :P

We choose this date for practical and customary reasons:

My younger sister's church wedding would be held on the first week of January 2010. We have a Filipino custom that siblings should not marry on the same calendar year (otherwise it would bring badluck*). Since Malvin and I cannot wait for 2011 (hey, we're not getting any younger! :P), our wedding had to be this year.
My family from the USA and Canada would be flying over to the Philippines for my sister's wedding and we thought to take advantage of this opportunity for them to to attend our wedding too.
It is a Sunday and not too close to Christmas day. Saturday would have been ideal but December 26 is boxing day and people would be most probably just recovering from the Christmas rush during this day (i.e. Shopping for ultimate discounted items! :)

There ya go.

And by the way, I did ask for my sister's blessings for us to have our wedding one week before hers and just as I expected, she agreed and was happy for us (thanks, sis!)

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

*Sukob - this is the Tagalog term for siblings getting married on the same calendar year. It is considered badluck in traditional Filipino belief.

The Proposal

2009-02-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

After five days of being away from each other during a week long business trip in Paris, I could not contain my anticipation as I boarded that plane that would take me back to Singapore from a cold, cold Paris night. A one hour flight delay even made the anticipation stronger. But finally, after the longest fourteen hour flight of my life, I saw him waiting for me behind the glass walls of the airport.

As I walk fast, pulling one luggage with me, I remember the previous times this scenario has happened: last Christmas after I spent it in the Philippines and last January when I went to Brunei for a short holiday. There he was, Malvin, the man I love, as always, waiting for me excitedly as I exit the glass doors.

He handed me a bouquet of half dozen white roses, tied up nicely with a gold ribbon, which he said he arranged himself. I could never be more proud, how lucky am I to have such a man. We took a taxi home, he had been telling me all week about a surprise he had for me for Valentine's day. So finally, we reached my place and he told me to wait outside my room. A couple of minutes after, he told me that I could go in now and when I stepped in my room, I could not believe what I saw - my bed full of rose petals and a little table set up with candlelight, wine and cakes.

So we had a "dinner" of different cakes. I took a red envelope and read the Valentine's card he gave and it said "You are the only person I want to be with for the rest of my life and grow old with." My heart melted of course, as these were the words I wanted to tell him too but to which I contained to myself and I wrote something else in the postcard I gave him in return. I didn't want to be too assuming if I wrote something like that, right?

We were sitting on the floor, with my back leaned on him, when he said he had another gift for me. He pointed to a square box on my bed. I opened it up and got a cute little cow stuffed toy with an orange ribbon tied around it. It was cute but it made me wonder because Malvin knows very well that I am not into stuffed toys, especially for a romantic gift. But well, I thought the candlelight surprise was romantic enough, so the cow was just something cute to add. After accepting to myself that yeah I got a stuffed toy for a gift, I got curious about how the orange ribbon was tied around it's body. I asked Malvin why it looked like he wanted to strangle the cow while I tried to untie it. Then finally I came to the last knot where it was looped under the neck of the cow and that's when I suddenly noticed something hanging on it's neck...

A diamond ring!

Oh my God! My heart started to race as I looked at the ring and I turned around and looked at Malvin, waiting for him to say something to confirm if I was thinking that it was indeed what I was thinking. He looked at me and smiled back and started to struggle to say something in Tagalog...

"Magpakasal na kayo", he said and I laughed while I was on the verge of crying. I corrected him by saying "Tayo"* and told him to just say it in English. So there it was, he said the most magical words I've ever heard,"Will you marry me?". In a millisecond of time, I said "YES!", half laughing and half crying. I felt like I was in a dream, I could not believe that I was finally experiencing every woman's dream.

He put the ring on my finger and this was the start of it all, on the loveliest Valentine's day of my life.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

*Magpakasal na kayo means "You get married" in Tagalog. The correct sentence should be "Magpakasal na tayo" which means, "Let's get married". :)