Eternal memories

Ah...the pre-wedding photoshoot. The dream of every girl and the ordeal of every guy. I faced that day with a little apprehension because it has always been a 'bad' experience for everyone I know. It was bad as in tiring and hot etc etc.

However, when the day came, I was pretty ok with it. Felt a little lazy of course as we had to wake up early and I had to wear a suit and a tie and all that. I hate wearing ties...

We had our first session in Janda Baik, located somewhere near Bukit Tinggi and therefore it was a pretty cold place, well at least for Malaysia. I was happy about that as I am a person who perspires really easily. It was about a 2 hour drive from Klang. When we arrived I was pretty contented because I've always loved the outdoors and nature and stuff and the place was beautiful. We started at a fully wooden building which was large enough for a standard ballroom hall and some offices. Girls, take notes: You MUST have someone who will help you get in and out of your dresses and also carry all the props that you need. Do not rely solely on your husband to be because half the time he would be like "What am I suppose to do?! I'm not good at this!". Well at least that was the case with me. We were fortunate to have her sister with us and she was just great throughout the whole thing.

I have a big confession. When it comes to posing and taking pictures, I am really really KAYU. Ask a piece of stick to pose and it would probably do a better job than me. Luckily this was offset by Rachel's natural ability to pose really well. I really don't know how she does it but the camera really really likes her. On the other hand, I think the camera wants to gorge out its film, unravel it and strangle me to death. Talk about feeling awkward... I would credit the cameraman as being a little bit of a saint. Any other guy would have torn his hair out, screamed at me and in a couple of months time be convicted of murder. That was how bad I was.

What's the moral of this story so far? Guys, do a little bit of homework before you go for your photoshooting session. Practice in front of the mirror for a couple of hours until you get things right. It would save you guys a lot of time on that day. I did flip through some magazines looking for some hints on how to pose well and I came to realise one absolute truth. Male models who pose for cloths do not smile (unless its some sort of casual clothing and all you see are candid 'action' poses). What's the matter with them? They literally just stand there looking hunky. No help there.

I have to say that Rachel just looked gorgeous that day. At least I had something to look at while I was struggling to smile or put my hands here or there, cross your legs like this, look here, no no look there, wait...look here again, look...there's a little birdy...zzzz....  And of course I perspired heavily in the cold mountain air, arrrggghhh... Fact: Wearing a suit is like having a portable sauna.

We had our second photoshoot session in Malacca which is my Kampung (yeah, we're really blessed). Now THAT was a hot day. We were around the Jonker street area and it was only then did I realise that it was a truly beautiful place. Well, I've also always liked historical places and such. Some guys just absolutely hate other guys looking at their girl but I the kind who is just proud that they do. Hey, it just means she is Hotttt! :D It did feel a little weird to be posing in the midst of all that hustle and bustle but it was all good. Love it when the locals and also tourists stop by to give a little thumbs up or congratulate us. Heck we didn't mind them taking some shots of their own.

All in all it was an experience that is eternal. I would not go as far as calling an experience that I truly enjoyed but I would say that it is something that I am glad I went through. To my beautiful bride to be, thank you for being so patient. Thanks to you the kayu became a little more malleable that day.

Wedding preparations and a heartfelt gratitude

It's been a pretty hectic past two months. I would freely and embarrassingly admit that I'm a person who seem to do things at the last minute. It is unfortunate that at the same time I seem to always 'make it' on time and therefore I have not learned a lesson hard enough to change my attitude. However, I always have that nagging thought 'Have I done enough?' or 'Darn, if I would have started this earlier, I definitely would have done it better'.

Choon Hui and I were supposed to have our wedding ceremony and dinner on December last year but due to a pretty horrible mistake by the hotel we had to delay our wedding to May this year. All in all I actually think that it was a blessing as we actually managed to actually finish the draft of our thesis and had more time to prepare. The representative of the hotel has been extremely supportive so far and has been really attentive to us.

A wedding involves a LOT of work. I'm not really sure about weddings conducted by other races though I think it would be about similar, the amount of thing that we had/have to do! So many people has helped us prepare for our big day. First and foremost would be Jesus! The amount of times He has responded to Choon Hui's prayers is incredible. I absolutely believe that He had a hand in solving so many of our problems because whenever Choon Hui prayed, the solution just seem to come just like that without us actually actively doing something to get to that solution. It's amazing... We both would like to give a huge thank you to my parents and my sister for arranging so many things for us. We would have been so lost without their guidance. From the hotel booking both in Shah Alam and Malacca to the whole list of things to do, they have been just awesome. My sister have been such a great sister. Following us to bridal shops, makeup shops etc. I'm sorry if we didn't take a lot of your suggestions but it was all your recommendations that allowed us to learn more! Car decorations, flowers, preparations for the Holy Matrimony etc was all her work.

Choon Hui's family have been great too. They have been so generous financially. Her third sis is such a nice person to have actually arranged 2 wedding photo shoots AND followed us to attend to our needs during the shoots. A big THANK YOU! Her family has been so supportive morally too, I'm guessing Choon Hui drew a lot of strength from them. It's also great that her parents is 'cincai' and not fussy about all the traditional arrangements. They are just great! The marriage counseling sessions with Pastor Ronald actually helped us a lot. I really have to say that I approached it without expecting much but we really learned a lot. And it has been so interesting with him relating his own stories.

I'm really touched by all the sincere offers of help from my friends. I pray that I can be a friend like that too. Daniel, Hyon Le, Hanxue, Wee Min, Muthu, Evonne, Kwang Yew, Melvin, Xiao Yi, Joyce etc, you guys are just great. There's too many to mention here but all our heng tais and ji muis, thanks for 'going to be' there! :D In the future, call me if you need any help, I will try my best to help! All those who are coming for all the celebrations that day too have our warmest thanks for supporting and sharing this day with us.

Oh yeah, I would like to thank all those who wished us but couldn't make it. I know you guys would love to come especially Yun Ping, Jeremy  and Pamela. We'll miss you guys!

It sounds like I'm giving a speech lol. But actually this is a blog entry about thanks. Once again, THANK YOU everyone!

Before this, I had the mindset that a small wedding with a few relatives and close friends would do. But now I think that a big wedding is pretty alright too. It is quite rare to enjoy and share a big occasion with so many people.

I am now really looking forward to that day. Previously I wasn't actually looking forward to it but I have changed my mind. A friend of mine told me that he doesn't put much emphasis on weddings but how you actually live your marriage is more important. I do agree with him about the part where the actual rest of your lives is more important but the whole celebration itself is important to me too. Sure the preparation is tiring and at times frustrating but I think I will enjoy that day very much. It is a great feeling to actually announce our love to the world. It is all worth it in the sense that not only are we the couple are happy, but our family members and friends share our joy too. I always notice a lot of smiles and laughter during the 'Fetching the Bride' thing in the morning and also during the ceremony and dinner.I think it's worth it for all the happiness that day. I guess I remembered that in the end, a wedding ceremony is about celebrating love and sharing that joy with people that we know.

There's still quite a bit to do but I shall look at it in a positive light. So many things have been done and I love it when everything starts to fall together nicely.