December

four weddings. furniture shopping with the family. that pretty coco inspired dress. the mug i've been eyeing from cly. hanging intricate ornaments on the christmas tree. two amazing movies. hot chocolate at borders bistro. playing tennis with the boy. learning to drive around braddell. outing with the kids at kallang river. the funny jordan and joey cookies baked by the crazy kids. sharing the joy and heartaches of the young ones when the results were released. the most yummilicious chocolate almond daim cake from lane. delicious food with the dg. the christmas ritual of watching Lord of the Rings. the boy and the ikea dog we've decided to call 'funny bunny'. the toffeenut frap at novena starbucks. the cozy dinner at the rustic la villa. the quick walks in the rain. the not so nice quarrels that in the spirit of christmas are quicky resolved. the birthday at fourseasons. the giant ham. playing uno as we count down to christmas. the family buffet. the gifts. japanese lunch with the herdies. catching the year end flu. resting at home. wishing i'm samantha brown. going on the american road trips with jamie oliver, being amused silly by the lads in top gear and last but definitely not the least, forever dreaming of europe.

i am...

in love with the little cousin. i think it is pretty evident by now how i can't stop gushing over her. indulge me please. she is coming to 8 months and has just started learning swimming...or rather floating... in a tub. she is starting to look more like a boy. an uber cute one, therefore, the need to dress her up in girly hats and pastels. i'm not sure about the blue frock in the last pic but still...she is too cute. her eyes are HUUUUUUUUUMONGOUS. needless to say, i simply couldn't resist putting up one more. oh yes, if you're wondering about the hair.... let's just say i had little hair when i was a baby too. so i'm not too worried. :)

daydreaming about the lovely day. after browsing through my favourite sites for endless inspiration, I am more or less set with the colour palette and ideas for invites

listening to Bruce Springsteen and adding this to the list of songs

awed at this gorgeous glass chapel (Thorncrown Chapel) via mandy lynne. what a stunning place to wed.

feeling crafty. arranging flowers after chancing upon the brilliant blue chrysanthemums.

also writing a report... that is causing some damage to the brain. seriously. i've sat on this... stared at the screen for eons... and the words are taking an awfully long time to materialise.

smitten with Little Part 1 cafe... flowers. glass jars. fairylights. chalkboard.

looking forward to

- five weddings over the 2 months! 27th, 28th Nov. 12th, 13th, 25th Dec.

- moving to the new place at the end of dec after staying at aunt's place for some time now.

- December. the season of peace, love, joy. of fuzziness. hot chocolate. endless fairylights and friends.

lifted up by this which gives me hope,

"Last week, a very hateful group announced that would be protesting outside my college's center for Jewish life. They planned to carry hateful signs and to jeer at Jewish students. When they arrived, they were met by 1,000 students and professors standing in the rain, and left quickly because they could not be heard over the songs of love."

tickled by buddy and the boy

thankful.

two martinis please...

Under a wooden canopy, they sat. As they sipped from their glasses, the boy and girl talked about their dreams...sharing a quote she came across earlier...

"There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there.

These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, 'How good or how bad am I?' That's where courage comes in."

They realised that while there are a few things they would like to do, they're pretty close to their dreams. And there's really no place she'd rather be than right there. beside him.

Getting lost

in the grandeur of this amazing architecture is what I want to do right now...

to the lovely bride to be...

Da Paolo Il Giardino at Cluny Court. bamboo. wood. candles. water. glass.

:: 'bridal' bouquet ::

lovely bride to be.yummy bread. fantabulously delicious pasta.

camomile tea. heart to heart. candle light.

Dearest bride to be,

In ten months, you shall be a queen to a wonderful boy. Thank you for being there through everything. I miss our nus days... and this photo sure brings back a whole load of memories. thank you for being there through every tear and every giggle. for every hug and every flower. for those painful times of loss and heartache. for those beautiful moments when our hearts are in sync in appreciation of all things beautiful. Thank you for being the warrior princess that you are. for trudging on in the face of trials. for doing what you're doing. for going forth and fighting for Him and walking with Him in faith and in grace. for being my inspiration. for loving me. you know what dearie... my world is definitely a prettier place because you're in it. I thank Daddy for you!!! Here's to your birthday! to our sneaky snaily days long gone and church bells ringing days to come.. cheers!

Happy birthday my friend

Here's to all the years we've shared together

All the fun we've had

You're such a blessing

Such a joy in my life

May the good Lord bless you

And may all your dreams come true

something old, something new

March 2005
Our first celebration.
turning three.
by the lake, under the stars
picnic basket. fresh flowers.
light coming from the laptop.
watching before sunrise.




July 2006
the one
before you left.






valentines 2008
clinking of glasses
monochrome love

Cluny park.
A spot so familiar to us.
I can walk the same path a million times and know that every walk with you is just as special as the previous one.



----------------------------------------

Our new haunt.
rustic surroundings
quain little houses
green green grass
complete with art galleries
few restaurants and a piano bar

we could laze around on those soft cushions all day basking in the sun and digging into the rich chocolate ice cream of Laurent's cafe & chocolate bar.



A place with swings is definitely one worth visiting! love the gorgeous greenery.

March was a busy month for the the boy and I so celebrating our big SIX came later. The evening started with a bouquet of daisies- reminiscent of the first blooms i recieved from the boy. We went back to club street, hoping to have dinner at Union Bar where we celebrated our one yr anniversary. BUT, the restaurant was gone! so we headed down to SENSO instead. Really really pretty. i love the deep red and beige hues. so italian. so cozy.

We turned 6!

long overdue

2007 has been a memorable one for us. From the reunion at Barcelona in May to the 26 days trip around Barcelona, Italy and Prague (which is truly a dream come true for me, thanks to you and a trip i am determined to finish blogging and uploading the pics) to having you back for 7 months now, every moment with you has been exciting. While i should be the one bringing you around and showing you all the new places and happenings around the little red dot, why am i not surprised that you're the one who ends up bringing me to to mysterious and eclectic treasure coves?

Like this sweet cafe at Arab street... cafe le caire. and there's Blujazz cafe: good music and psychedelic quirky decor. where the boy's friend Kerong plays the keyboard for Greg Lyons' Monster Quartet. (Sandra, if you're reading this, do check them out. i'm sure you'll love them!)

Blujazz sure holds some memorable moments for us.

Twelve hours ago I was at Blu Jazz Cafe with Joey watching Kerong perform, sitted at the same table as Sylvia and her two other friends whom we bumped into. It was fun. Two hours before that I was trying out a new dining place along Arab street at which I had shawarma: I missed it very much, having had it last in toronto. It was a really wonderful date. Post-Blu Jazz Cafe, Joey and I walked towards what I think is called Parkview Square. By then it was past midnight and that rather eerie gothic building looked, to say the least, in its element. After gauking at the bizarre Gotham city facade I suggested taking a short cut through the field towards where I parked the car. Because it rained hours ago the field was wet and rather muddy. In a moment of spontaneity and foolishness, and maybe chivalry because chivalry is to a large extent gracious foolishness, I carried Joey ostensibly so she wouldn't get her shoes wet and also because it was just quite fun and I think just because. It was that nice a date. Halfway through the field, a gaping pothole set itself up to make a wonderful date just a tad more interesting. Fast forward 30 minutes, I was at SGH's A&E laughing/wincing at how all good dates do not go unpunished. ------------ the boy Dec 16

of course, there's hanging out at your place as well and being presented with meals deliciously and lovingly whipped up by you- my very own Jamie oliver.

last but not least, the arrival of snoopy, your second girlfriend. I do get jealous of snoopy at times, coz you're so meticulous with her. but, she is really cute and i do have a blast polishing her so i shall put up with her then.

:: catching up ::

:: A simple fare at Crystal jade ::

Hey kailin, i thoroughly enjoy every single minute of catching up with you. i know that time and distance will never be a barrier to our friendship. it's been 10 years! and there's always so much to talk about every time we meet. probably that's because we meet once every 2/3 months. =) thanks dear for the amazing friendship. i know whatever happens, i can always count on you to be there.

:: An english afternoon ::

Clydie! haha we're back at Fosters again. Fosters fosters how do i love thee? let me count the ways.... let's see... this should be our 4th visit to Fosters? what else can i say... my tea/chocolate/ice-cream/ballet/flower buddy :) i am so looking forward to this coming sat... Russian Stars ballet! wheee... we shall have a magical evening.

:: many little things ::

i had a lovely time just now with Clydie at Fosters! it is our annual christmas ritual isn't it? the place is just so pretty... the sofas are soooooooo comfy... devonshire cream as delicious as ever...the candles casting dreamy glow to the setting... we chose to sit further in this time near the signature rose oil painting and the pictures we took looked really different from the previous year. the present ones were richer & darker in terms of the colour... hues of burgundy & red with the candle glowing while last year's one was much brighter... i loved that we were able to capture the distinction... the rose is gorgeous.

Clydie, i'm so happy we found this place together and started our devonshire cream ritual. i am so happy for you.. where you are now... from the conversation about our future and 'the one' at starbucks to God's amazing love and sovereignty in leading you to where you are now... so happy for you. indeed trust in Him and rest in Him. thank you dear for bringing my attention to the passage. i pray for us both that we can truly discover the loveliness and power of submission. love you sweetie.

:: Fosters'06::

:: Fosters '05 ::

helped out at Xiaoxi's farm on thurs & friday and wheeee i felt like a superwoman after that... conducted a tour and managed to catch the frogs... hold them in my hands singlehandedly! they were huge! Bullfrogs! i was scared at first... the tadpoles and little frogs i could handle but the big ones i was still scared up to the point when i had to demonstrate to the tour group the differences between a male and female frog. i asked for 2 volunteers.. and the cutest little boy in front raised his hand,"Me me me!" haha that means i had to muster up the courage and catch those frogs! which i did! and it wasn't as scary as i thought! i was so excited that i caught them! i even conquered the fear of handling dead skinned frogs and packed them into packets for a walk in customer! so yup my first breakthrough! hearing my experiences with the frogs.. the boy was so amused and shocked.. he asked me not to touch him after i touched so many frogs. =) oh the common corny question posed to me over the 2 days at the farm by customers was : is there any frog here that turns into a prince? *faint*

On thurs, i sat on a motorbike for the 1st time! i was scared at first. But Ying was so sweet to come down to the farm to give me a lift so we can go have a nice dinner after her paper. i hopped on and we travelled for a solid 40 mins. it wasn't as scary as i thought. in fact it was pretty fun. i must add that it does not mean i'm not scared of sitting on motorbikes in the future. i think i will only sit on Ying's bike. i trust Ying. and she made me feel safe for the entire ride. the other bikes i saw were scary. they were going so fast. so yeah.. that's why i felt like a superwoman for the 2 days.. and yes Ying is a superwoman! she can drive, ride a bike, and fly a plane. How cool is that. Ying dearie.... i'm here no matter what k. keeping you & ur family in prayers. love ya. hugs.

The wedding at trinity theological college is beautiful. Once again, like aaron & shirley's wedding a year ago... the heart melts.. especially when lichuan serenaded Huiling with 2 songs. hehe loretta and i teared up. ooh and the swordbearers lining the aisle was such a nice touch. i want swordbearers too! too bad Jordan's not an army guy and that's the last thing he will be. evangeline and jeremy were at the wedding and they look so sweet and compatible. they should marry soon! haha i'm looking forward to the weddings of many many peeps. Mili! i'm eagerly anticipating yours!

:: Lichuan & Huiling's wedding::

Sunday was nice and cozy. sermon on the meaning of Christmas. It's all about You Lord. =) followed by lunch at the boy's place. Yummy porridge. watched HK dramas with the boy's mum and took a nap. then it was yummp fish steamboat at AMK S11. had an unforgetteble conversation over the phone with him. the connection was bad.. his words were so muffled and he ended up speaking to me in mandarin (coz the chinese words are more distinct) and it was hilarious. he can speak really well it's just so weird to hear him speak in mandarin while i was responding in english. it was great. thanks for bringing me so much laughter. i haven laughed so hard in a long time. How has the boy been doing so far in Toronto? he's been having a blast... now it's his time for essays and exams. i think he looks adorable in the fall clothing and the preppy look. e halloween getup is cute too. Please eat more and put on weight!

so what else has been keeping me up these nights this holidays. none other than Kiefer Sutherland and 24! i have finished 2 seasons now - 48 episodes! and now i'm into the 3rd. it's really exciting! the plot is so good.. keeps me at the edge of my seat. kiefer is cool. the intensity he brings to the screen.. wow...but i was so sad that terri died. i bawled like mad.

bugis shopping tmr with peggy & teresa! see ya sweets! and summit on wed- fri! wheeeee!