The Honeymoon...

This blog entry is actually the exact notes that we made during the trip with very very slight modifications. Hope it makes for a good read and forgive me if it's a little mushy. Rachel doesn't want to edit them out. :D

Paris Trip

1^st Day (24/5/11) Tuesday

8.40am – Arrived at Orly Airport. Rachel left her camera on a bench while tying her shoes. Had a short moment of panic but a nice family found it and gave it back to us. We then floundered along a little bit as we tried to find a way to get to the RER station. Finally we managed to get on a bus that would take us there. It cost like 2.50 Euro per person for a 3 minute trip...ouch... Once we reached the station we managed to get a 5 day all metro pass for about 64 Euros for both of us. Got our bearings straight and got on the train to Les Gresillons.

11.45am – checked into our hotel called Residhome Aparthotel Asnieres. Found it to be a little small but still it was extremely neat and clean and had a fully equipped kitchen and also a bathtub. The tv was a nice 29 inch full HD tv, which was seriously awesome for a 3 star hotel.

2pm – Had lunch at a cafe near the hotel. The food was so so but like what Rachel said, it was a new experience. We had some minced pork and smoked ham for entree; grilled beef with fries and salmon with fries for plat; chocolate mousse for dessert and wine. Cost: 31 Euros.

Minced Pork with Pistachio, Cranberry and some pickle - not nice...

A garden just behind our Hotel

3pm – Nap time!

9.45pm – we slept 6 hrs and 45 min straight!! For nap!! The sky was still bright so we thought maybe it was maybe around 6pm but we got so shocked when we checked our watches! It was a great nap though. ;) Then we had a little stroll near our area. Wanted to buy some groceries at Marche Franprix (supermarket) but it closes at 8.30pm.

11pm – Zzzzzz.. again..

2^nd Day (25/5/11) Wednesday

5.30am – Woke up to the fresh morning air of Paris! Both had bathes and Rachel washed some clothes.

7am – Had the 1^st of our many buffet breakfasts in the hotel. What a spread! The croissants were awesome. There were 2 types of ham, milk, cheese, lots of different yogurts, hardboiled egg, espresso, coffee, koko crunch and corn flakes, various juices, etc etc.

9am – Took the train to Champ de Mars (Tour Eiffel). Got to say that it was an impressive work of art but still it was a little smaller than we thought. The parks near the tower were very neat and tidy and we hope to have a picnic there one day. We then walked to the Musee Theatre and on towards Champ de Elysee. Lots and lots of shops there! But expensive!! 

A park beneath Eiffel very near Champ de Mars station

The famous Arc de Triomphe

Awesome strawberry pastry...beyond awesome...drool...

3.30pm – Rachel didn’t feel so well because of the coffee effect so we went back to our hotel and had a nap.

7.30pm – had a little grocery shopping done at Marche Franprix. It was a great experience because of all the ‘exotic’ food. And it was definitely a cheaper alternative to eating outside.

8.15pm – cooked our own dinner. Bacon, pita bread, vege salad etc. Got a bottle of cider beer too, wasn’t that good.

9.30pm – TTV, online and tidur!

3^rd Day (26/5/11) Thursday

4++ am – Woke up, bath and washed clothes again

7am – breakfast

8.15am – Took the train to Porte d L’Alma to meet our Paris greeter, Malik. Turned out to be a really nice guy. 22 yr old student studying History and doing this as a volunteer. He took us to various small places and explained to us the history behind the various buildings and area. We got to know about traditional architecture and also the newer Nouvoure style etc. Went to Invalides, various embassies, a bridge with a statue of a soldier to mark the level of water on the Seine river and also the Army headquarters. Saw a Bangladeshi protest going on. We had lunch with him. Had a plate full of raw beef! We also had a plate of 2 different kinds of sausages and a cup of strong coffee. The raw beef was weird...but wasn’t too bad. Had a few different kinds of cheeses that we did not really enjoy. 

All the buildings in the centre of Paris look like this...beautiful...

Our Paris Greeter, Malik and Rachel outside Invalides

Beef...raw beef...RAWWWW

2.30pm – went to find a Magic shop. Managed to find despite Rachels weariness but I think the shop owner tried to con me because the prices were ridiculous. Nevertheless I bought a pack of cards.

5.30pm – reached our hotel and cooked a meal which was basically the same as yesterday. Slept at about 7pm.

4^th Day (27/5/11) Friday

6.10am – Woke up! Seems like we’re getting used to the time here in Paris.

7.10am – Breakfast!

8.20am – Sleep!

12.30pm – cooked our lunch. Had microwave beef potato thingy which tasted pretty good! Some salad and chocolate biscuits.

1.30pm – Went to Paris! First visited a card shop at Luxembourg. It was actually fortunate that we did because we manage to visit the big Luxembourg park and met a Chinese speaking French baker who helped us take a picture with the palace there. We next walked to the Pantheon which was unfortunately closed. Still, it was a beautiful building housing the tombs of many famous people such as the Curie’s and Victor Hugo. We managed to enter St Etienne du mont church where St Genevieve’s tombstone was kept (her remains were burned and ashes scattered hundreds of years ago). It was absolutely beautiful. The artworks were stunning and the carvings all so intricate. Visited another card shop but it seems that everything is expensive in Paris. Took the metro to Notre Dame and started walking there. St Chapelle Chapel was closed (both the Pantheon and this chapel was closed due to a strike). Managed to enter Notre Dame while a service was held. It’s a huge church but somehow it’s interior artwork and sculptures did not impress us. On the outside however it was beautiful. We then walked to the Pont des Arts were couples locked a lock onto the railings and threw the keys into the Seine river to symbolize their love. Weather today: cold and windy...

Latin Area with the Pantheon in the background

Inside St Etienne church, intricate carvings

Notre Dame - The person who helped us take this photo accidently added the frame, still nice though

Free Locks! No keys!

9.40pm – reached the hotel.

5^th Day (28/5/11) Saturday

7.30am – woke up and online and discussed with Rachel where to go today. Either to go Montmarte – LaFayette – Eiffle or Eiffle – LaFayette only to shop the whole day or Eiffle – LaFayette – Montmarte.

8.30am – breakfast and getting ready.

11.30am – left the hotel to Galleries LaFayette. A truly chic place with everything being really expensive. Unfortunately was treated a little rudely by one of the staff at LV. Had a McDonalds. Next we took the train to Sacre Couer but got a little lost when we arrived there due to Adrian being a little stubborn and not wanting to ask for directions. Fortunately a nice guy showed us the right way and off we go! It was a magnificent church standing on top of a hill. We could see a breathtaking view of Paris. It was awesome. Laid down on a grassy area at the hillside and just relaxed. Inside the church was a huge mosaic of Jesus on the ceiling. We just wondered at the amount of work done to finish that mosaic. Everything was pretty solemn though.

The roof of Galerie LaFayette, interior view

Sacre Coeur on Montmartre hill, Beautiful beautiful day

Last pic before we left Sacre Coeur...

6pm – Had our dinner and finally we manage to have it at the terrace of a cafe! Unfortunately it was dusty lol. We also had our first taste of foie gras which was totally bad for us hahaha. Walked around Montmarte Village and saw a lot of old artists drawing portraits, a lot of cafes and restaurants, and a lot, a lot of tourists! We then sat on the entrance steps of the church again to just relax and enjoy the view. The street performances were pretty good. We then walked around the streets at the bottom of the hill and went to Carrefour to buy some groceries including some champagne. We then rushed off to Eiffel because we wanted to catch the light show at 10pm but we didn’t make it in time. Actually saw a minor scuffle in the train. Rachel got quite worried and scared.

10.50pm – Arrived at the park below Eiffel. The tower was all lit up and was really pretty. There were a lot of people just sitting down to enjoy themselves and the view. Many people selling beer and wine. The light show started promptly at 11pm and it was quite dazzling. Went on for 5 minutes and abruptly ended. We continued to sit there and we had some cider drink and prawns with sauce, nice...felt really sleepy even though it was cold. Had to leave to catch the train before midnight as our visitors pass ended at that time.

12am – reached our hotel and sleep! But Rachel slept at 1.30am because she needed much longer time to bathe and put a lot of stuff on her face and hands and legs.

6^th Day (29/5/11) Sunday

7.50am – Woke up and had our breakfast which was pretty much the same things again. Some things were missing though, guessing it’s because it’s a Sunday. No milk!!! Rachel so so sad! And no cheese, no egg...

10am – Sleep!

12pm – Lunch in the room. Just mee cup.. then bathe then sleep again!!!!!!

5pm – woke up and ate microwave tartiflette (potato and ham and cheese gravy), choco cookie, pita bread with salami bacon thing and cheese and salad. Then watched TV and lepak and discussed with Rachel whether to go out today.

7pm – wanted to go to the Eiffel and get our souvenirs but unfortunately the station was closed and the ticket machine wasn’t working so we decided to walk around the Asnieres area. Went to a grocery shop and bought some food.

8.45pm – reached back at the hotel, dinner, TV, sleep.

7^th Day (30/5/11) Monday

8am – woke up, breakfast. Rachel wanna puke already coz it’s the same food AGAIN!!!!!!! We miss Malaysian food very very much!!

10.30am – left hotel to go to Versailles Palace. The journey was pretty long, waited long and many train stops.

12pm – Reached the station (Versailles Rive Gauche) and bad news: the palace is closed!!!!!! AWWWWW MAAAAANNN!!!! Rachel was very upset and disappointed and when Adrian saw her face he felt like punching her. We then strolled around the palace and the garden. Huge, huge gardens with lakes and lotsa trees. Marble statues were everywhere too. We sat there for awhile to enjoy the view and our camera’s memory card was full!!! Had to delete some photos.  

The Versailles...huge...

The Garden of the Versailles...huger...

2.15pm – strolled around the town to find food. Lotsa shops but mostly closed! Finally we stopped at a gambling bar cafe and had our lunch. Just ordered one formulae: entree (mixed salad) + plat (fish with buttered rice, plain pasta and long beans) + dessert (mixed fruits pie with custard). Choon Hui loved the fish! It made her think of Malaysian food even more.

3.30pm – Left for the hotel because Choon Hui didn’t feel so good.

5pm – reached the hotel and slept but Choon Hui didn’t manage to sleep. Adrian woke up at 7.20pm. Wanted to go to the Eiffel but felt a little lazy and it was pretty late, about 9pm so we watched tv and surfed the net and said lovely things to each other. Ate some maggi and drank milo.

11pm – Rachel slept dy. She’s so pretty...

8^th Day (31/5/11) Tuesday

8am – Woke up!

10.30am – left hotel and took trains to La Valee. Dropped by the entrance of Disneyland for awhile and took some photos. It was rather cold and windy there.

1pm – finally we reached Val de Europe. We walked around the shopping complex and Rachel saw a very nice yellow colour Folie Folie long purse. She was totally attracted to it! But she didn’t buy in the end. We then bought a set of salad with bread and choco cake and Oasis orange syrup and ate at La Valee Village. Everything was bad except the choco cake. It was great! Something even greater happened.... Rachel bought a Burberry bag!!!!! A super cheap Burberry bag!!! 6.30pm – dinner at Hipopotamus, ordered awesome fried vercimillie spring roll thingy for entree, Hippo Steak for plat and crème brulee for dessert. 

La Vallee Village...girls, go there, seriously, go there...and bring your savings

7.30pm – continued shopping. We bought a bottle of Zara perfume, Swarovski crystals, Sephora Paris liquid foundation + loose powder.

9pm – rushed to train station. Decided to stop nearby Notre Dame to get some other souvenirs. Good decision. It was really beautiful at night. It was really really cold though... 

11.15pm – It’s our second last day in Paris and we didn’t want to go back to hotel even though it’s late and we were super super tired. We stopped by Eiffle Tower to see it again. Beautiful. Cold.

It was super cold...but sweet

11.50pm – train to Les Gressillon. Tired.

1.30am – zzzz..

9^th Day (1/6/11) Wednesday

8am – woke up. Online awhile and breakfast. Online again. Bought some local cookies and chocolates for colleagues and friends.

10am – left hotel and went to Champ de Elysee. Rachel bought a Sephora Paris makeup travel kit and 2 Swarovski crystals as souvenirs for her sisters.

1pm – lunch at Quick. Paris’s McD. We just had to try but it wasn’t good. We still love McD, totally.

3.30pm – reached Musee du Louvre. 10 Euros per person for entrance. We saw some Roman, Greek and Italian sculptures, paintings. Paintings, finally, we saw the ‘great’ Mona Lisa by Leonardo. Lots and lots of tourists rushed to take photos of this painting, including us. :D Rachel was amazed by some gigantic paintings such as ‘Sacre de Napoleon I. A Notre-Dame de Paris’ and ‘Meduse’. ‘Feast of wedding’ was nice; sculptures like ‘Cupid love’, ‘Aphrodite – Milo’ and ‘Dying Slave’ were impressive too. I didn’t have enough shopping so was quite impatient when Rachel was mesmerized by the paintings and sculptures but I love her very very much so I just waited for her lo. 

The famous glass pyramid, the entrance of The Louvre - designed by architect I.M Pei

Sacre de Napoleon I - the crowning of his Queen

6.30pm – left Musee du Louvre and strolled awhile around the museum.

7pm – reached Galerie LaFayette. Shopping!!! We managed to buy 4 Longchamp bags for my mom and rachel’s sisters. It was too bad that the shopping complex closes at 8pm. Why????!!!!!! One hour is not enough!!!! Sigh..

8.30pm – dinner at Cafe Gallery. Leng chai waiter served us very well. The food wasn’t great but the weather and feel were both awesome. We had chicken and grilled beef and red wine and choco sundae for RM180. Expensive but the experience was invaluable.

9.30pm – left Cafe Gallery.

11.30pm – reached hotel. Packed, bathed, online, slept at 1.45am.

10^th Day (2/6/11) Thursday

5am – woke up. So so so so soooooooooooooooooooo tired!!!! Had some hot cereal drink and prepared pita bread with ham and cheese.

6am – checked out. 

Goodbye Paris...

7.30am – reached Orly Airport. Had some last pastries because Adrian couldn’t tahan already. Was about 3.60 Euros each but they were awesome…

10.45am – took off..

I think we could not have wished for a better honeymoon. Thank you Lord and Rachel's parents for blessing us so greatly.

The Wedding

I would rank this as one of the most important days of my life. It would be great to say that everything went smoothly and it was perfect but I guess we all know that weddings are almost never like that. One thing that I really appreciated was when Choon Hui suggested that we make a pact that no matter what happens, we would not allow anything to spoil this day and that we would never argue no matter what. It was a great agreement.

The night before was the usual last minute 'settling' of things that have not been settled and I actually slept at about 2am. I would be honest and say that I actually did not have the pre-wedding jitters and I did sleep pretty well but definitely not enough as I was awaken by my mom at about 6+ if I recall correctly. My dad was already out buying some of the gifts that we were suppose to hand over to the family of the bride and also to get breakfast for all my heng tai's and the other guests. Roy and Francis was kind enough to be my photographers for that day and I really think they did it well. I setup-ed the tables and chairs etc and my heng tai's begin to arrive. These are guys that I know from every phase of my life, from kindergarten to primary to secondary to University. Honestly, I would love to have asked some other guys to be there like Tay, Ah Fuh etc but I didn't want to 'mafan' them to drive so far. The other guys that came were Daniel, Hyon Le, Wee Min, Zhe Kang, Beng Hoong, Ah Hwee, Hanyi, Ah Hau, Ming Jian, Jimmy, Pei Quan, Hanxue and Jarald. Chin Chye couldn't make but dude, seriously thanks for the effort to come to my house even with a badly strained knee.Ah Fong came as well and I really appreciate her coming so early.

At about 8.45am I was all suited up, hot, a little sweaty and raring to go. I have every right to be excited :D, I'm going to fetch a wife! My sister was the 'gift-bearer'.

Wee Min kindly agreed to drive us (thanks bro!) and he even compiled a mix to serenade us while in the car. Awesome... So a convoy of err...7? cars made it's way to Taman Botanic where the lovely girl resides. The customary blaring of horns started when we were approaching the house and firecrackers was lit (highly illegal, highly illegal :) ). My sister went down first, carrying the price I had to pay to buy a wife (wahahaha sorry dear, you're worth some sweets, a little bit of pork, 2 bottles of wine, some oranges and some cash, I'm so dead when she reads this...). Her cute nephew opened the door of the car for me and literally, let the games begin. There was an army of beautiful girls barring our way into the house. We had to appease and fulfill their insatiable appetite for male embarrassment before we were allowed to enter the house. This was were my army of handsome guys had to sacrifice themselves so that I can make it through.

Sometimes I wonder if breakfast before going to fetch the bride is a good idea. Inevitably there will always be games that involve consuming items that can barely be called edible. The first thing the guys had to do was to eat some bananas. They were not 'normal' bananas... one of my heng tai's said that it was a little like rubber and they were really big bananas. Next up was a concoction that contained a blend of stuff that when drank, might be able to lure the bananas back out of the stomach. I still have no idea what was in it but all i knew was that all of them said it was, to put it mildly, horrible... The guys took it all in stride. Seriously, you guys are great! I, on the other hand, was forced to eat one of my foody nightmare, celery. Sure it's good for you, sure it contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6 and C with rich supplies of potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and plenty of essential amino acids, sure it contained eight families of anti-cancer compounds, sure it does plenty of other things that might just allow you live to a 100 years old (my humble thanks to Google) BUT it sucks. I hate it. I despise it. It should have just remained a shrub that no one knew was edible. Wait, it's not edible...it's poison. It's a stick of pain and pallet torture. Halfway through it Francis helped me discreetly dispose it. Thanks a million bro!

There were a few more games after that and after a little bribe the finally allowed us to enter the house and go upstairs. There was another game waiting for involving lipsticks and manly guys. Seriously heng tai's, you guys were great enduring everything the ji mui's threw at you. A million thanks again for being my brothers that day! I had to write something sweet in order to gain entrance into the bridal chamber and so I did, I think Choon Hui still has it. When the door opened...

There she was...the most beautiful girl in the world. I thank the Lord for her. My bride, my best friend and my soul mate. She looked resplendent in white and for that moment the world revolved around her. Or at least my world... 

We did take quite a few photos here as there were a total of 3 photographers and one videographer present (thanks to my sis and her 3rd sis). We then went down for the traditional tea ceremony to show our respect to her relatives and elders and also to receive their blessings for our marriage. I strongly pray that these traditions will never fade away because it's just something special. 

There were lots of group photographs after that which was nice of course. We then proceeded to my house with the convoy honking again as we approached it. Welcome home! Little Nigel opened the door for us, with the help of his dad of course.

It was then lunch for everyone and more photographs were taken with the both of us. I managed to grab a bite and chat with the guys while Choon Hui prepared herself to go to the hotel for our wedding ceremony. When we finally did arrive at the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised by the room that they prepared for us. I didn't know at that time but they actually gave us the presidential suite instead of the honeymoon suite. Thanks Zubir from Concorde who went out of his way to make this day a great one for us. We were both actually quite tired by then but Choon Hui had to go through another make-up and hair styling session. Thank God I'm a guy. :p My best men Hyon Le and Daniel came over to prepare some stuff and of course poke a little fun at me. 

Went down to the wedding hall to get prepared and Daniel was running around making sure things went smoothly while Hyon Le prepared the audio visuals. Larry consented to be my MC for that day and I wanan say thanks again man. The hall looked great and the hotel really deco-ed the place well. I really liked the whole setting and all. More pics will be up later as I haven't gotten them all. I have to say that this time I was nervous. I actually don't really know why but I just was and my heart was beating a little faster than usual. She came in to the song of Canon and again she was just magnificent. We had a short praise and worship session and scripture reading. Pastor Henry officiated our ceremony and I have to say this, I totally expected a normal preaching and all but his words that day were extremely meaningful to the both of us. I think the advices that he gave concerning marriage were great. Even Choon Hui's sis came over to say that he preached really well. Some things would not be easy to do such as 'the guy should always try to reconcile first after a fight' lol, I'll have to learn how to swallow my pride..a lot. 

I don't know, I think there's something really beautiful to come before God and all our love ones to officially cement (is this the right word?) our marriage. It was really then that I come to the full realisation that marriage is for life, that nothing should tear it apart, that it is a union that is holy and well, a great example of love. I really have to say and quote, the greatest of all is love. When I prepared my vows, I wanted it to convey what I really feel and what I would love to promise. Unfortunately I have the tendency to write things a little too formally. Her vows on the other hand really touched my heart. No fancy words, no long eloquent sentences, just purely sincere words. And then there we were, husband and wife. I'm married! 

There was the lighting of candles to show our oneness and also the cake eating. I think it was delicious. It was a pity the both of us couldn't eat more of it after the wedding dinner because the hotel staff actually mistook it as leftovers and sapu-ed them... Darn...

We then went to another room nearby to have the tea ceremony with my family members. It all felt a little grand as the hotel prepared those classic wooden big chairs with all the elaborate carvings. More photos! Talk about being superstars for a day. We then went to prepare (yet again) for the dinner. It was nice to wait for the guests and mingle with them a little before the dinner started. A thousand apologies to whoever I fail to greet or had to hurry away from. And a heartfelt thanks to all those who came to celebrate this day with the both of us. Choon Hui's sisters 'manned' the guest table/booth thingy and I think they did a great job. 

Typical of Malaysia, the dinner started a little late. There was some confusion on what time the doors should be open but the ever reliable Daniel calmed me down when I panicked a little. Thanks man. I was actually very nervous the whole time because of the surprise I had prepare for Choon Hui. I played an instrumental for her on the guitar. It was a song that she liked and I just wanted to serenade her at least once today. I didn't sing because well, I think I don't sing that well haha. The look on her face when it was announced that I was playing and also during my performance was totally worth all those hours of practice. Too bad I didn't play as well I hoped for, I was just so nervous! 

The picture was taken by Hyon Le behind the stage. Awesome pic man. I like how it captures Choon Hui's face. Brilliant and thanks! The toasting followed and everything was going on well. I was glad that the guests liked the food and also the wine that night. I didn't have much of it though, just really enjoyed the prawns. We didn't manage to cover all the tables when we went around toasting because we actually started a little late. But I really enjoyed the whole dinner just because there were so many people that I know and love that came. We then waited at the doors to say our thanks and shake hands with everyone and of course take pictures with as many as we could. 

After all the things were cleared and the bills settled we could finally retire to our suite. Unfortunately I will not write naughty stuff here heheh but the reality is this, we slept...as in literally slept due to sheer exhaustion. It was a great wedding. It was near perfect for the both of us. Everything came together really well and we were blessed to have so many good people helping us. I really can't say thanks enough to everyone. Both our parents went through a great deal to prepare for this wedding also. The greatest thanks that I give them is not the work they have put in for our wedding, but for bringing us up. Thanks Di, Mi, Pa and Ma. My sis and Kwang Yew and all of Choon Hui's sisters are also the best. I highly doubt that the marriage would have gone so well without all their support and help. Here is to a start of a blissful marriage and the union of two families.