Feelings that I never want to Feel again

Okay, this entry probably has nothing to do with our wedding... but I'm gonna write it anyway.

At midnight, I'll be going to a place far far away from my robot misai jawaku. Yes, this is for the first time I'll be away from him since we're officially in love, and hopefully it will the last.

(Credit)

It feels so awful inside. I need a hug. :(

Oh how I wish we're already married (+ have tons of money, of course..) and take him with me. Dahla I'm going to Europe, which at this time of the year is in sub-zero temperature.. With no one to warm me up during the extremely cold nights.

By the way, have you read the news about how bad Europe is right now? Well, thankfully the Netherlands is not so bad... I hope.

Thank Allah that the duration of the training is reduced from 2 weeks to 1.

Friends,

Please pray for my safety going there, when I'm already there and when I head back home (literally and home = Razi).

E-Day Photos and New Layout (Wooohooo!)

Sorry for the late update, been busy with work. :)

As promised (a long... LONG time ago), here are our engagement pictures. It was just a small ceremony. Bak kata my office colleague: "Sempoi je your engagement." Hehe..

The beautiful purple, pink and white themed dowries from Razi's side:

Oh my, oh my! Cantik kan? Credits to Pak Andam and sister.

And... From my side:

Two heads are better than one! My eldest sister and I came up with a few "crazy" ideas ("crazy" because at first Mak doesn't approve of them), which are:

1. I figured placing some pebble stones around the miniature picket fences would be just right... Considering it looked quite empty without them at first.
   
2. Kakakku found a purdy luggage bag (in a home deco store at Amcorp Mall) while looking for English related things. So I decided to put Razi's Baju Melayu (the one he'll be wearing during our solemnization) inside the luggage bag (sendal beg tu dengan 3 satay sticks wrapped with 2 different ribbons kasi nampak cun sikit).
3. For the sireh junjung, I came up with the idea of having a candle in a wired birdcage (that looks more like a gazebo) hanging beside the sireh junjung bouquet. We couldn't find a mini hook-stand-thingy (we searched high and low for it tau.. Penat je..), in the end, my handy Ayah decided to bend some wires he found around the house, spray some white paint on it and VOILA! Jadilah hanging wired gazebo! Haha... Cantik sampai Encik Photographer tangkap gambar benda tu je, bukan nak tangkap angle yang menampakkan sireh junjung yang sister sulungku penat-penat gubah! Haha, maaflah ye Kak oi...
4. Since decoupage boxes are hard to find (even if we found it, it must be expensive) plus Mak and sister has some background in decoupaging, I guess it's best to D-I-Y the box ourselves. We placed Razi's NB shoes in them! (Sorry, no photos of the DIY decoupage box... He was supposed to bring his assistant along but ada hal la pulak. So maybe he was rushing, tak sempat tangkap gambar hantaran betul-betul...)
   
   
   
5. Remember Sweetie Yummy Cupcake? Well, the owner called my sister a week prior to the E-Day and told her that she's having Dengue so she probably couldn't recover in time to make the cupcakes. Dugaan... *sebut macam cara Pendekar Bujang Lapok sebut ok!* The next cupcake supplier I could think of was my other sister's friend's sister. She makes the best, I repeat, THE BEST red velvet cupcakes ever! (Tapi makan satu je dah muak, takmau makan lagi haha... Bukan tak sedap... Actually it's very VERY rich.) Kakakku dengan bersungguh-sungguh balut kotak cupcakes yang putih, kosong lagi BURUK itu dengan flowery wrapping paper so that it would fit the theme. Hehe..
   

Em... I guess that's all.

See you later in December..


P/S: I JUST LOVE THE NEW LAYOUT.

It's SO ... Clean. :)

Invitation Card: Petal Envelopes

I just LOOOVVE petal envelopes, don't you? :)

Design Credit (clockwise from right): 1 | 2| 3 | 4 | 5

Especially if its made of embossed vellum or tracing paper like this design:

(Credit)

Aww... Nampak suci jer. Sejjuuuukk hati si penerima kad. :D

(Of course if I want to hand them out via postage, I'd place them nicely in another standard square envelope)

Razi and I are thinking about making our own invitation cards. Is there time to cut (at least) 1000 four petal envelope, sampai kedua bakal pengantin punya tangan bengkak-bengkak? (FYI, 500 for bersanding and 500 for bertandang, Mak said 1 invitation card represents 2 prospective invitees)

I haven't tried cutting them petal envelopes but in case if its troublesome, maybe we have to give Scrap 'N Crop another visit and get our hands on a circle cutter! Or we'll retreat to a simpler design like this:

(Credit)

Purdy.

'Till then.

Bye bye for now. :)

One Week After: The Story of Vendors

After spending 6 EXHAUSTING hours (or maybe more) surveying vendors, we finally went home...

The catch of the day:

1. We booked photographers for both solemnization day and reception day. The guys at the Ministry of Moment are SUPER AWESOME okay! I mean, seriously.. They're a bunch of cool people, who are easy to negotiate with and we really could relate to them. We got along really well that Francisco thought that Shafiq (principal photographer and owner of M.O.M.) was already friends with Razi before. It's like CHEMISTRY AT FIRST SIGHT!! They captured a few photos of us posing at their booth (with Razi wearing a free M.O.M. T-Shirt we got for booking our dates) and together with Shafiq as well..
   
   
2. We also placed booking fees for a designer for our reception outfits (my side). I've always heard Lynda Rahim makes beautiful BEAUTIFUL modern wedding dresses. So I thought I want to have a look at her collection. Initially we wanted to rent our reception outfits, but after a lot of thinking and persuasion by Lynda's sister Ella (sorry if I got your name wrong), we decided to have it specially designed to our tastes and our body. Plus Razi, being a fashion-lover himself, wants his outfit to have a little twist.
   And why not have them all for yourself rather than giving them back to the designer, right? Dahlah harga sewa lebih kurang je dengan harga tempah! You can actually wear it on special occasions -- your company annual dinner or even for special moments for you and your would-be husband. (Provided that it is not white in color, because nampak sangat baju kahwin!)
   
   
3. Oh yeah, the best thing is... We booked a package with Lynda Rahim that is inclusive of makeup service by any professional makeup artist, with service charge not more than RM1,000. Kalau lebih, kena bayarlah lebih tu sendiri. They'll call and arrange for the booking of the makeup artist! When I asked who's in the list, Ella said there's Sue Cantik, Ayang Kamell, Tiar Zainal, Kak Sai, Chomel, Nurul Shukor... and many more, you name it!!
   
   
4. Regarding our wedding cards, we have come to a mutual decision that we'll have to look for a company that gives the lowest printing price (not forgetting -- with good quality as well) and we'll definitely design the card ourselves. I have a few experiences publishing banners, buntings, flyers and stuff like that. This would be similar, I guess.. But I need the aid of Razi, from Quality Assurance, to give me some of his invaluable constructive criticism. We work great as a team, right, Honey? xoxo
   
   
5. We did some food testing while we were there. One caterer captured our hearts (more like taste buds! Hehe) -- Anjung Ekslusif Catering! Their Daging Masak Hitam is TO DIE-FOR... No wonder it's their signature dish! And their prices are very reasonable as well: from as low as RM 6.60/head (food only). I'm interested with one of the Hall packages: RM 9.00 per head for catering services including waiters, 2 tier cake, meja pengantin setting, and other tables and chairs. There are other packages too: click here!
   Actually Mak wants to do the food tasting and decide which caterer to hire, but she's at the moment is having fun in Aussie. I think its easier for me to shortlist the candidates of our potential caterer for her. Heee..

Sue: Yeayyyy!! Dah banyak benda boleh check off!
Razi: Ha'a.. Tapi kita kena buat list baru la!
Sue: Eh.. Yela! I lupaaa... *beams meaningfully*

Thanks for reminding me, Razi..
Macam tak percaya je dah tunang dengan you!


P/S: I don't know about you.. But Francisco's fiancé told us that this Karnival Pengantin is much better than Pameran Pengantin held in KLCC early October -- in terms of that they have more booths, and therefore more choices!

Karnival Pengantin SACC2010?

Thank God both Razi and myself went to Diamond and Platinum's D-Rewards Member's Day (SACC branch). Alice, the SUPERRRR FRIENDLY sales assistant, urged us to come and eat some food they serve there and we thought we'd drop by to say Hello. Haha.. Right!~ ;p

Razi came up with a great idea -- he thought since they're having Member's Day, we could survey for something "shiny" to give me in celebration of our unity in July. (Oh yeah, did I tell you that we're going to get married on the 1st of July? Well, Alhamdulillah.. We already set THE DATE and my parents have booked a hall for the day after solemnization day). I've always love the month of July. I just love how it sounds -- "July~" -- "We're getting married in July~~".. Heeee.. Argh *angau*

*Owhkay, back to the point now, Sue*
*rolls eyes*

Oh well, basically Alice kind of blurted out a question while we were looking for the most suitable ring for Razi.

Alice: Jadi kamu sudah pegi ke Karnival Pengantin kah?
Razi: Uhhh? Kat mana?
Alice: Di Shah Alam Convention Centre lah. Hari ini..
Suzie: Ehhh, tapi kitorang dah lambat dah ni. Nak pegi rumah kawan lagi.. Bila habis ha? Kalau sampai hari Ahad, bolehlah kitorang pegi esok.
Alice: Kejap.. Kejap saya tanya kawan saya. *speaks in Chinese to her friend* Ohhh, sampai hari Ahad lah.
Suzie: Ohh kalau macamtu kita pegi esoklah, ye Abang?
Razi: Ehhh.. [Mr. Francisco's Fiancee] ada ajak kita pegi la aritu.. Tak tau pulak yang ini. *sengih bajet innocent*
Suzie: *tepuk dahi*

So, we discussed with Francisco's Fiancee and decided to get our cute Raja-Sehari-to-be's butts in front of the entrance to Karnival Pengantin once it opens tomorrow morning. Hahaha.. It'll be a double date! Uuuuu... I love double dates!!!

Jadi marilah beramai-ramai memeriahkan event ini.

See you there! Kalau jumpa, tegur-tegur lah ya. *grins*

P/S: Something bothered me though, why is it this Karnival Pengantin event is badly promoted..? Or am I just not up-to-date? *teringat Cik Panda (adik angkat si Razi) cakap bila dia tak up-to-date, rasa macam BIMBO. Hahaha*

Wedding Milestone: Engaged!

Home smells like jasmine yesterday, it still does actually. Whilst my new room has a strong smell of bunga rampai. *sound: vinyl scratch rewinding* CHOPPPP..!! New room? Yes, my mom told me that I can already move my things into the guest room of which my elder sister used as her marital chamber... I guess, it'll be the tradition of our family -- each bride-to-be in this family shall decorate this room and share it with her husband on their first night together. Whoopeee~*

Hello Lovelies,

I'm officially Razi's fiancé =)

And it feels SO AWESOME okay! Can't wait to be officially his wife pulak. *wink-wink*


Other than feeling SO AWESOME, I feel..

• Relieved - especially when you planned your engagement day and it turned out just fine. You faced all of the attention given to you from the moment you walked out of the room until the ring is placed on your finger. Yela bakal ratu sehari has to practice to be comfortable with all the attention, right? At least one event done, three more to go (solemnization, bersanding and bertandang).
  
• Excited - because you're ONE STEP CLOSER to getting married to the person you love.
• Starting to feel a bit stressed - you'll need to consider A LOT OF THINGS when preparing for your wedding. Kalau nak banding dengan E-day preps, memang macam langit dengan bumi!!
  
• Worried - because nobody knows what will happen before you reach the point of marriage. I pray that nothing bad will ever happen to the both of us.. Darah manis kan?
  

Basically it's all mixed feelings. I can't really justify what it feels like to be engaged. Besides, different people may view things differently right? =)

By the way, sorry for not updating this blog. (Nasib baik Sayangku Razi rajin post and replying comments =D )
I'm being secretive at work about my wedding plans. I'm a new staff so I don't want to get caught writing an all-about-wedding entry. Takut kena buang sebab nanti kena mintak banyak cuti. Haha~* But some of my colleagues know about me getting married, so I'm not surprised if the news spread even to the other side of the building. =p

I replaced the engagement ticker with our wedding ticker! Yippppieeee~* At the moment, it says: 8 months and counting.

P/S: I solemnly swear that I'll post some photos of my E-day soon when Kepep the photographer finishes with them k? Till then, have a great week ahead!

Today is THE day!

Haha. tgk tajuk da tau. semangat lebey :P

Malam menjengah

Hati meresah

Menunggu-nunggu fajar menyerlah

Fikiran mencelah

"Takde papelahhhh!" :P

Pak Andam gua Francisco The Magnifico akan tiba beberapa minit lagi...

Siyesly, excited sgt nk share ngan korang gamba2 hantaran.. tapi nnt spoil aa surprise, kan?

Oklah.. ni utk tatapan pembaca budiman (chewah!):

<-- gambar tak berguna langsung

Ha-ha-ha!

Ye aaa...

Mana leh bitau...

Tak puas ati? Nak gambar lagi? Nah!

Ni lagi takde kaitan* -->

Selamat menyambut Halloween!

(if sue ada mesti ckp "potong gila! x romantik trus")

Saya yang sengal (sebab tak dapat gayut dgn Suzie mlm ni :( boohoo),

Razi the Zombie

*gambar cupcake masa jamuan kt ofis td laa

Counting moments and killing time

As I'm writing this, Suzie's already on her way to my office* . And it's raining (should have bought her that cute lil red rain coat at Elle last time, dammit!) I'm sure she's thrilled right now..she's all set up for a manicure treatment at our usual spot, and I'll be joining her later =)

*Haha.. if she ever read my final comment on the previous entry this evening she would definitely say,"haha jakun! seronok la tu.. seronok la tu"

I'm hitting this keyboard basically coz I wanna kill time. Just another hour to go. It has been a week full of boredom at work(but not after, haha!).

What about you guys?

Hehehe. Err.. umm. What should I write now huh?

Hmmmmm

Aaaa

HA!

No. Not that. That's like.. totally.. no.

Umm..

(I guess I write more bcoz of anxiety rather than boredom. Am i.. am i.. nervous?) <-- u turned green when u nervous, right?

Nevermind me.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the works of Anne Avantie (well, I'm not. Where have I been all this while? :P). I'm lovin' her designs.. they are so fan.ta.bu.lous



(at the time of writing, the www.anneavantie.com's server has exceeded it's bandwith limit. Can't show you the exact ones that I like right now. It was there the other day. Pfft)

Ok ok.. i know they are a lil o.t.t but then it's for marriage right? What better excuse can you have.. what other valid license for you to actually dress up LIKE THAT? *drool drool*

[are you in agreement with this? I'm sure Suzie's not :P]

If only I have the means to get her one of those..

++++++++++++++++

On the other hand, we're gettin engaged.. wooo! This is so awesome.. <-- poyo nak mam

Okay..she's almost here..gtg..till later!

A lil' sneak peek

As promised, here are some piccas for your viewing pleasure (err, not really :P):

Haha, talking bout being seriously lazy :D

(ek eleh.. baik tak yah)

FYI, that's my side of the story. Don't ask me about Suzie's; she's been insidiously secretive about her dowries(Sue: ala. biarlah. mak kata surprise!) The only thing I know is the theme and the color (so as to not screwing a good E-day -- coordination, right?)Hope those pix will do the talking! =) Will give you more micro-updates like this soon.

Roger and out!

Misteri 10/10/10 <-- entry basi hahaha

TAHUKAH ANDA?

• Semalam dua bas telah terbalik di Lebuhraya PLUS berdekatan dengan Simpang Ampat, menyebabkan kehilangan 12 nyawa dan lebih 40 orang lagi cedera. Kemalangan ngeri ini telah menyebabkan gangguan trafik yang bukan kepalang selama berjam-jam lamanya, sehingga menyebabkan polis terpaksa mengambil langkah menutup jalan lebuhraya di kedua-dua arah dan trafik dialihkan ke tol Alor Gajah untuk yang menuju ke utara dan Pedas untuk yang berhaluan ke selatan tanahair. Boleh dikatakan kemalangan sebegini ngeri yang melibatkan dua bas, sebuah van dan tiga kereta ini amat jarang berlaku.

• Perjalanan yang sama melalui lokasi kejadian menjadi bertambah pelik dengan kehadiran sekumpulan lelaki yang menaiki kenderaan Exora bernombor plat XXX YYYY yang berkelakuan sumbang dengan mengganggu keharmonian perjalanan yang sudahpun sedia terganggu dengan cuba menggoda wanita-wanita didalam kenderaan lain dengan pujuk-rayu bodoh dan menunjukkan isyarat-isyarat seolah-olah mahukan nombor telefon bimbit mereka. [Penulis dan enturaj antara yang menjadi mangsa. "Pelik doh, lama dah aku drive tak penah kena cmni"- Miza (bukan nama sebenar].

• Semua ATM yang digunakan penulis sewaktu di Batu Pahat sama ada kehabisan wang atau pun mengalami kerosakan apabila giliran penulis menggunakan mesin tersebut. Yang tambah menghairankan, kedai-kedai yang dikunjungi penulis juga mengalami gangguan teknikal dan tidak dapat memproses transaksi menggunakan kad kredit*.

• Lebih ajaib apabila seorang jejaka yang selama ini selesa berpakaian kasual dan sepanjang hidupnya TIDAK PERNAH memakai baju melayu lengkap dengan samping dan songkok secara TIBA-TIBA berpakaian lengkap, awal pagi ini.

ten ten ten....

**********************************************

Hahaha. Saje bikin panas. Bikin heboh. Bikin kecoh <-- eh, macam rap plak. Too Phat masih hebat!

Ok. Ok. Let's get to the point:

The above stories are all true (well, almost). The man who actually wears the complete Malay traditional outfit from top-to-toe is my man, Isuzu because he's finally getting married. And guess what? Yeah, you know that already. I'm the -- wait for it -- BEST MAN!!! Whoohoo. It was legendary.

("Lelaki Terbaik", talking about upping your own ego, haha!)

As promised, I will now explain the experience to you; my observations and understanding of the whole wedding ritual. Job scope and some criterias will be added, as well.

[i] Background

I think it's better if I lay out the details of this wedding; it's cultural context, flows and other quirky stuffs and observation. Let's get to the bottom of things:

1. The bride and bride groom's family are very traditional. The former is from Javanese ancestry and has a very profound Java overtones. The latter is from Negri Sembilan and is famous for it's Adat Pepatih.

2. The Malays of Javanese origin are not homonogenous in its cultural observation and as such are not uniform in practice. Yet, they do share some commonalities between, say, the community in Sg. Besar and the ones in Johore. For example, they both still speak the dialect. And some of them do live in a close-knit community; the uncle being just next door, and even second-cousins are all within walking distance from each others' home.

3. Each of the Malay states have their own customs and practices; some are more restrictive than the other, and even then are not exactly observed unanimously. The bride, Dayanah hails from Batu Pahat. Johore, as often understood, stand as the Malay par excellence when it comes to customs, particularly Melayu-Riau traditions: it's accent, religious understanding, cultural practice, etc. However, they have a unique set of customs Marriage-wise and it can only be found here. I will explain more on that later.

To be continued..

P/s: we've been MIA for quite awhile, and we're sorry for that. As you can see from the ticker, the day is almost upon us and preparations are being made as we speak. So, hold on, dear readers. I'll try to come up with a few entry now and then (Sue is busy with her work, pelamin, dowries, and the list goes on. Tuan rumah lah katakan! I, on the other hand, will come to her house leisurely.. jalan melenggang woohoo!)

Progress Report: D-I-Y Hantaran and Doorgifts

How's your week so far, lovelies?

Mine's a bit hectic, considering our E-day is just around the corner. (Sampai tak jadi pegi Pameran Pengantin tu... Boleh bayang tak betapa sedihnya saya? Wuuwu~)

Mak and I are busy decorating dowries (hantaran-hantaran) -- whenever we find the time, we would sit down; and mix and match some stuff, also pintal-pintal some artificial flowers with my own bare hands. Whenever Mak is tired, I'd get into my room and start punching my TQ tags. HAIYAAaa~ Simua pun bikin sakit tangan punya kije lo!

Anyway, we're almost done with the dowries. Just a few more left and we still have to add up some final touches before the actual day arrives. Since Razi could read this entry, I have to save the photos showing the progress of making them later -- after 30 October 2010. =D But here's the theme color:
Pucat kah? Tak "pop" kah? Lantak la... Asal saya suka! ;p

Sue: Musya... By all means possible, jangan sampai sama sangat pulak theme colour kita ye. I dah chop ni duluu.. Nyeh nyeh.. *sticks tongue out and crosses eyes* YA ALLAH, buroknya muka aku!!
Razi: *bunyi cengkerik*
(Sebab tak tau respon dia lagi. Hahaaa)

In one of the dowries, we're going to put (more or less) a dozen of cupcakes. My eldest sister is going to sponsor those, yay! She gave me this link: Sweety Yummie Cupcake and asked me to have a look on which design I like the most. I remembered she ordered some cupcakes from this website to celebrate Mak's and her husband's birthday. It was truly oh-so-yummie-in-my-tummie! Hehe~*

And have a look at this Sweety Yummie Cupcake's design of 2-tier wedding cake. Simple and sweet, just the way I like it!

(Credit: Sweety Yummie Cupcake)

Tangan ni rasa macam gatal je ni nak cuit bunga-bunga kecik tu. Cute sangat!

And I almost forgot: TQ tags sudah habis ditampal! Pasni nak potong itu riben banyak-banyak...


P/S - At the moment I'm writing this, "2 weeks and counting.." can't stop echoing in my head. Don't worry, this is not a panic attack. I'm still keeping myself together. *heeeeee grins*

Tomorrow's mission:
Buy E-day hijab and material for veil.
(ya, saya tahu - sangat SANGAT last minute! Tapi asal siap, kan? ;-)

Review: Zila Ziman Makeup Class... by Suzie the MUA Wannabe!

I wanna do my own makeup on my engagement, so I decided to sign up for a MAKEUP-101. I've done my survey online and Razi and I came to a conclusion that Zila Ziman's makeup course was the most pocket friendly. Plus I've seen the photos of her previous makeup class, which includes photos of her studio -- it's very evenly lit up. And I've always like to be in a small group of students, to maximize the amount of focus given to each student.

Yadayadayada~*

Now, now... As promised, this is a review on the makeup class I attended last Saturday. It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Makeup Class Aidilfitri 2010
conducted by
Zila Ziman
2 Oct '10 @ 1oAM - 5PM
Zila Ziman's Studio, Damansara

(Photos courtesy of Zila and Azwan)

There's so many things I wanna talk about but I'll start by using the above photo as a guide. Or else, I'll end up with a super long entry! Haha

Clockwise from top-left:

1. This is Zila Ziman. She's once a B2B blogger (she blogs here), now happily married. Come to think about it, I came to know about this class from her blog. After seeing her face-to-face, I can see that she has got one of the BEST complexion I have EVER seen. Unlike me yang ada jerawat (and parut jerawat as a bonus!) serata muka.
   
2. Next, these are products and tools used in class. The products are from Kryolan, M.A.C., Bobbi Brown, Revlon, Maybelline, BodyShop, etc... Rambang mata tengok semua ni... Bestneee jadi MUA!
   
3. Hi, it's me! I was putting eyeshadow base on Asmaa's eyes. She did my makeup, I think Kak Asmaa is a natural artist... Plus, she's got such beautiful features. Jealous sangat! On the background, you can see Thirah (Zila's younger sis) doing Liyana's makeup.
   
4. Azwan took this photo at the end of the class, with us holding our certificates, masa semua dah santek-santek belaka. *Hihi*
5. Zila Ziman's studio. It looks so cool, right? Well, it's cooler when you get to see it in reality. The room is SOOO evenly lit up, which is SOOO important for makeup!! Azwan made all this for his wife. Aww.. Sweet kan?
   

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

At the start of the class, we were given a set of papers that has a list of essential tools (different types of makeup brushes and other tools) with pictures on them! Nanti nak buat reference senang... These are necessary for professional makeup (ya, bukan mekap cikai-cikai ye..). Then Zila introduced us each of the tools and explained their usage.

Afterwards, she started a demonstration on Thirah. (Tengok kulit dia pun cantik jugak. Memang ada gen kulit cantik kot? Zelesss...) What I like about Zila's touch is that the outcome looks more natural compared to the works of most MUAs I've seen. Tak caye, tanya Razi... Dia lagi fussy tentang makeup dari Sue tau. Cantik sangat...

When you observe how a MUA does his/her work, it looks so simple. Well, it is kinda simple and easy. But only once you've practiced over and over again; and gained a lot of experiences, of course...

Just after the demonstration has finished, there was a Q&A session, which lasted for a few minutes because obviously we didn't have much to ask -- we haven't even gone through the practical yet! Hihi. Lepas hands on je terus tanya macam-macam.

Right after lunch and Zuhur prayers, kami mempraktikkan apa yang telah diajar. She pointed out heaps of useful tips and tricks during practical session...

The BEST part was we get to play with her tools. Semangat kemain masa makeup.. Tapi ada jugak gelabah-gelabah because it's our first time kot! ;p I screwed up one time sebab nak cepat. I used a concealer brush as a lip brush. Hehehe~ Maap ye Ciku Zila...

It was an invaluable educational experience for me. For only RM250, I get to experience all of the above and Ciku Zila siap cakap: "Kalau ada apa-apa soalan, email jela." Thanks to her, sekarang dah berangan nak become a MUA someday. Perhaps I'll start with my own circle of friends first. Haaa~ Siapa nak jadi mangsa pertama aku? MUAHAHA...

Kisah Bapa, Anak dan Keldai

Hai kawan-kawan!

HaisSSs.. (tiru pelat Razi.. Hehe) Sue ni mimpi apa tulis dalam BM pulak?! Haha..

Saje tukar mood. Selama ni tulis dalam BI sebab tiap-tiap hari cakap BM je dengan semua orang, bila nak praktikkan ilmu BI yang dipelajari? Kalau tak guna, lama-lama karatlah..

Okay, bila baca blog B2B pasal persiapan majlis perkahwinan, semua (atau hampir semua) sebut pasal apa mak ayah, makcik-makcik, tok nenek, jiran selang 20 rumah cakap pasal majlis kita.

Masa mula-mula bercinta dengan Razi dulu (ceh macam lama sangat je bercinta), dia pernah cerita kisah ni pada saya. Tak tahulah apa sebabnya, tapi pendek kata mungkin saya terlalu risaukan apa orang lain cakap pasal saya.

Sekarang saya mahu kongsi cerita ini dengan pembaca blog ni... terutamanya untuk para B2B.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Suatu ketika dahulu, sebelum terciptanya kenderaan berenjin seperti motorsikal, kereta dan keretapi, manusia menggunakan haiwan berkaki empat seperti kuda, keldai dan unta sebagai pengangkutan.

Pada suatu hari, seorang bapa yang sudah tua bersama anaknya yang berusia 10 tahun pergi ke pekan untuk menjual seekor keldai peliharaan mereka. Bapa dan anak tersebut berjalan kaki sambil menarik ikatan keldai yang hendak dijual itu.

Semasa dalam perjalanan, mereka terserempak dengan dua orang pemuda kampung itu. Mereka terdengar perbualan pemuda kampung itu...
“Bodoh betul bapak dan anak itu, ada keldai tidak mahu ditunggangnya”.

Si bapa tua tadi pon memanjat belakang keldai bersama anaknya. Mereka meneruskan perjalanan dengan menunggang keldai bersama-sama.

Tidak lama kemudian mereka terserempak pula dengan sekumpulan makcik-makcik yang sedang berbual-bual di tepi jalan. Mereka terdengar makcik-makcik tersebut mengata...
“Tak berperikemanusiaan betul bapak dan anak itu, keldai yang kecil itu ditunggangnya berdua...”

(Photo Credit: Kevin Kelly and Source: Click here)

Terdengar kata-kata itu, bapa yang tua itu pon turun dari keldai itu. Bapa tua itu meneruskan perjalanan dengan menarik keldai yang ditungangi anaknya.

Selepas itu mereka terserempak pula dengan sekumpulan remaja yang sedang bermain guli. Mereka terdengar perbualan remaja itu...
“Teruk betul anak orang tua tu, tak patut disuruh bapanya yang dah tua menarik keldai tu...”

Si bapa terus menyuruh anaknya untuk bertukar tempat. Si bapa menunggang keldai dan si menarik keldai yang ditungganginya. Mereke pon teruskan lagi perjalanan.

Sampai di satu simpang, mereka beselisih dengan sepasang suami isteri yag sedang berjalan kaki. Si bapa tua terdengar pasangan itu bercakap sesama mereka...
“Kasihan budak kecil itu, tidak berhati perut bapanya menyuruh anak yang masih kecil menarik keldai yang ditungganginya..”

Mendengar kata-kata sinis itu, si bapa tua turun dari keldai dan berjalan kaki bersama-sama dengan anaknya seperti mula-mula mereka keluar rumah.

Sebelum sampai ke pekan mereka bertembung dengan beberapa orang lagi yang bercakap-cakap tentang perihal mereka. Tetapi si bapa dan anak itu tidak menghiraukan cakap-cakap orang itu. Mereka tetap meneruskan perjalanan mereka dengan cara mereka sendiri.

Akhirnya mereka sampai ke pekan dengan senang hati, tanpa mempedulikan kata-kata orang di sekelilingnya.

(Source)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Jadi, tanyalah diri korang sendiri, majlis yang korang buat ni majlis siapa? Nanti muka siapa yang monyok dan tak berseri kalau dah asyik kena ikut cakap orang lain je?

Ambil iktibar dari kisah diatas dan renung-renungkanlah... (ceh macam Ustazah pulak. =p)

Sekian.

Mekap-mekop dan Gubah-gebah

As I'm writing this, my darling Suzie is attending her course on makeup at Zila's. (Takpe kan yayang?) Since we love the idea of having a hands-on approach on everything (because of both fun and economic reason :P), why not D-I-Y all the way, even makeup right? So instead of spending some more money on some MUAs, better invest it in some education, no?

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" - Confucius

"Hire a woman a makeup artist and she will look great for a day. Teach the woman to make-up and he (the boyfriend/spouse/partner) will die waiting for his whole lifetime * "

hahahaha
* - due to prolonged duration from sayang-jom-kuar till the actual start of the date

Ok-ok stupid joke. I know. Moving along...

I know I've been neglecting this blog for quite sometime. Been very busy, with work and Ramadan and then Eid; with the preparation and everything. <-- alah, ke alasan je ni Razi? C'mon admit it: u're a procrastinator! :P (hey, that made it two of us, Suzie! Talking about being soulmate huh? (albeit in a bad way)) So, while she's busy with the M.A.C. set and some Bobbi Brown brushes, why don't I keep you -- dear Readers -- busy as well. Nak? nak? (kalau nak tengok before-and-after pictures, then you guys have to ask her yourself k?)

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

All right. The engagement is approximately 684 hours from now, and yet my hantarans for her is still in its conceptual stage. I've a few options, but in order to make this event more eco-friendly (and also pocket-friendlier that way :P) I managed to actually gather up all wedding-related stuffs from my relatives; to see whether some of them still reusable or could be deconstructed and remix into something new. I admit that I don't have much at my disposal right now, but you can never know how a little bit of creativity could save a lot of money :D (effort too!) So here's a sneak peek of one that I really like (sorry gamba burok; pki fon camera je):

Razi: Honey, i concur with you. We better get ourselves a good DSLR lah

Sue: Kan i da ckp.. lama dahhh

[DISCLAIMER: The final product might be different altogether; you know with the oh-tu-tak-cantik makciks and baik-buat-camni kakaks]

My plan is quite simple for the gubahan hantaran:

1. Dig up the old stuff (completed) -->
2. Go to SSF with my fellow Pak Andam, Francisco The Magnifico (hahaha toksah la nak Google plak. I know that's a bombastic name but he's not established like Nas Great Idea) to take note of things and their price -->
3. Go to Nilai 3** If they are found to be really cheap than I'm gonna bag them all mwahahahaha -->
4. End of journey

** - Suzie actually just went there the other day with my in-laws <-- kalau Suzie ada skang mesti dia ckp "amboi amboi, blum pape da panggil shentu? Perasan!" and I'll answer in a hip hop manner "SSap Mak! Ayah!" (ada beran ke ckp cmtu in real-life en. Razi? :P) She said actually sama je. Ada yg even mahal daripada kat sini.

If you want to know what will be in those trays, stay tuned. (might leak a few pix later, hehe)

Now, now. Where am i? Sheesh. This always happen. Dah la dulu punya entry pun dok lamaaaa dlm draft. Ni kena lagi. Haih

Oh, ok. baru ingat.

I'm the designated Best Man for my bestie, Isuzu. His will be on this coming 10/10/10 and I'll be in Johor starting from the 9th (don't miss me that much my dear!). I'm hoping that the experience will give me more insights into the whole procession, and observations that I'll make could help me in avoiding the same pitfalls (if there are any). For the moment I was only briefed to wear my full prim and proper Baju Melayu with the Songkok all through the day (hahaha, the very thought of it makes me laugh. Never once wear the full attire in two straight hours, let alone the whole day -- dengan songkok plak tu. Mati aku!) Plus, I might have to wear something that could hold a lot of envelopes -- apparently I'm entrusted with keeping the whole "toll" expenses along the whole majlis, heheh! Will write the full report next week.

Roger and out!

P/S: Baby, I know I owe the readers that little story of which you've already photoshopped the pix -- I'll finish them later aight?

This entry is actually written on the noon of 2nd of October 2010 as a surprise but due to his abovementioned friend's arrival to pick him up to go to an open house, the author had to save the entry first and had only been finalized just now.

Can't do without you, Burt..

You're the drug that I'm addicted to. I need you every 30-minutes or so everyday... Burt, next time I'm going to have a detecting device so I could have it stick on you so I can locate you every single time I lose you.

Because you're a tiny...

(Source)

Lipbalm. (Yes, I call it Burt). Herkkk~

This is my drug. I've already become dependent on it.

Because it feels soooo good on my lips!

This is by far the best lipbalm I've ever had (and trust me, I've searched high and low and I've tried almost all lipbalms available out there). I have super dry chapped lips. One of the things I hate (I repeat, HATE) of all time would be chapped lips. Because once I start trying to scrape the dry dead skin cells off of my lips (seriously, dah jadi rutin sampai dah tak sedar tau), hey waddaya know, it'll result into a DISASTER , where blisters and some blood will involve. And I'll look like I have rotten lips. Haha~

Yesterday I misplaced Burt in my huge bag when I brought it to the family gathering in our lovely pondok at Batang Kali. For not applying Burt on my lips for just about 24hours, my lips has got that familiar excessive/severe dryness it has been having on and off since I can remember! Eee~ But once I got home this afternoon and settled everything down (including cleaning up my baby nephew's shit-covered bum), I quickly applied Burt on my lips vigorously (mainly because of geram.. and rindu (haha~ Razi jangan jealous please)) and I immediately felt the reaction. I felt some stinging and I could even feel blood rushing towards my lips as though my body itself is working together with Burt's combination of 100% natural ingredients to repair the condition of my lips.

Active ingredients: Camphor (0.6%) and menthol (0.6%) for external analgesic.

Inactive ingredients: Grape seed oil, beeswax, coconut oil, lanolin, shea butter, anise oil, cardamom seed oil, commint leaf oil, eucalyptus leaf oil, spearmint leaf oil, clove flower oil, vanillin, calendula officinalis flower extract, lemon balm leaf extract, black current leaf extract, golden seal extract.

You can find Burt's Bees at these places:

• The Curve
  G Floor (next to Borders)
  Tel: 03-7725 4006
• The Gardens Mall
  LG Floor (next to Cold Storage)
  Tel: 03 - 2287 7450

Pendek kata: My lips feels better now.

Note to Sue: You're running out of Burt. Please buy 10 more if you have to. =)

Inspiration: Gubahan Hantaran

I have just more than 1 month left to go before my 2nd-big day -- aha, mestilah majlis pertunanganku. ;p

My Mak, eldest sister and I myself are in charge of decorating gifts that I'm going to give to Razi (Hello, Razi? Senyap je.. Ehe, mesti busy cari future-duit-nafkahku.. Haha)

(Eherm, well.. To the point please, Sue...)

I wanted something different with a personal touch. So there I was browsing through the Web like it's no one's business. And BAM! I found a perfect english cottage theme! It's a combination of my all-time favourite things (background music = "My Favourite Things" by Julie Andrews), and I bet Mak will love it too.

Can you imagine the sweet and soft pastel colours combined with roses, hydrangeas, ribbons and wooden trays/boxes decorated with decoupage roses. Kalau takleh imagine, sila tengok gambar dibawah ya:

(Source)
Credit to Lace&Beads for the awsome idea!

Okay, I got to go. Mak dah panggil. We're going to Batang Kali for a family retreat for the weekend (well, half of the family, actually)... Bye bye pollution and stress, hello fresh air and tranquility. =)

Budget Doorgifts, anyone?

I am on a tight budget, but still I want to give something nice to guests on our engagement day. After a couple of months of browsing the Web + listing out my alternatives + striking all but one out of the list, which is...

D-I-Y Brown Paperbags!

(Sorry for the bad quality image. I need to get a digital camera, quick!)

I've re-engineered a few ideas found through Googling. I think it turned out quite well, don't you think? ;)

About the tag:

Malas nak cutout the 1st design so I came up with an alternative. Whoever wants to use these designs, do request the file from me (via the Contact form) okay? =)

Well, here's the budget for one doorgift:

1. Brown paper bags (Mydin || RM 3.20 / 100pcs)
   = RM 0.032 / 1 pc
   
2. Ribbons (had to buy an expensive one because of its rare color. Bought at a gift shop in Tropicana City Mall)
   = RM 0.40 / 1 pc tied into a bow (approx.)
   
3. Thank you tag printed on 230gsm Cardstock in white (yet to be bought)
   = RM 0.10 / 1 pc of tag (approx. with printer ink)

TOTAL = RM 0.632 only

(Psssttt... I still haven't confirmed the goodies within. Maybe a RM 1.00 muffin. Yummyyy~)

I also bought Marvy Uchida 2 1/2" Scallop Punch (from scrap-n-crop.com physical shop || RM 89.90), can be reused again and again..

P/S: Please buy your scrapbooking supply from scrap-n-crop.com. Not only you'll get a far cheaper price than other craft shops, you get to help Bryant's family gain extra income to cover his medical expenses. You see, he's one of the many victims of medical-related recklessness. Brain-injured since birth (due to a doctor's absence during delivery), his family could never see him live like a normal child and doctors suspect that he would not live long. Razi and I almost cried hearing this. The fact that neither the doctor nor the hospital (which is one of the first-class hospitals in Malaysia) has any remorse towards what happened is just terrible! Siap cakap, "Sebelum ni ada kes macam ini tapi mereka tak kecoh pun!" Isk jahat...

Blog Updates

1. Engagement Checklist
   
2. added a Contact Page - here

Robust August!

Okay, first up: Lets start today's post with a list! Yay!

1. My Facebook account was dead for the first half this year.
   
2. I already have several blogs that has been shut down due to being "hiatus" for months. Mind you, they are quite successful as I gained many hits.
3. And this blog has not been updated for almost a month.
   
4. SMS and ask me about anything, I'm sure I'll reply within the next day (that's the earliest, I guarantee). Come to think about it, most of the time I don't reply at all! So, do call me if it's really important.
   (Razi sudah biasa dengan perkara ini and I am NOT PROUD of myself because of this.. =( )
   

The reason(s) why I do the things above, which is in least-to-worst order, is/are ...

1. I'm a procrastinator; atau
   
2. I am lacking in common sense; atau
   
3. kedua-duanya sekali
   

Waaa~ Why la am I so terrible at updating anybody about anything...???!!!

TRANSITION: Please take note that the above question is not meant to be answered by anyone but Sue to herself.

♥♥♥♥♥

(To Razi: Dalam my entry ni I wat '♥' ha.. lagi comel tau ha.. Jangan jeles..)

There's only so many things that had happened this month! But I intend to make this entry short because I tend to write such long entries and that would probably bore people so I think I better make this entry REALLLY short. (*sigh* why do I talk too much?)

August

1 - Razi's Mama's birthday @ his elder sister's place. I was invited and I brought yummy yummy Lasagne I made early that morning. Met his sisters' family for the first time.
3 - Razi requested for leave. Went to KL with him and Mak. We surveyed stuff for hantaran (artificial flowers, ribbons, baskets, etc..) and Mak bought the essentials to make 'bunga dip'. Got home. After having tea later that afternoon, Razi and I went to Subang to check out Rumah Kebaya but it was closed and we found a bridal boutique instead.
7 - Survey Dermalogica set for me. Bought Bodyshop gift set for Razi.
9 - Joined Razi's family bowling at Summit USJ. =) Met his elder brother and future fiance for the first time.
13 - Went to Ikano Power Centre. Survey shades and some furniture at Macy.
15 - Trial makeup. Both of us surveyed some furniture at Klang.
19 - Searched hi & lo for the new Bright Sail Bridal Gallery at Sg Tua. Thank the Good Lord there is GPS! Went to Esprit outlet store @ somewhere in Cheras and bought Razi a nice brown leather wallet.
20 - Mak persuaded me to go to Sogo with her for some mother-daughter time (shopping together to be exact! =D ). Bought Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink gift set untuk hantaran for myself (HAHA, ta malu!!!!). Last minute arrangement to SUPER DUPER FUN buka puasa with Razi's family at his sis's crib. Got to know his family better this time with his father present. =)
21 - Razi bought Dermalogica set for me (3-step, hydrating masque, booster, total eye care, UV-shield, and... well, maybe I forgot some other facial products teehee). Discovered Zleqha at Ramadhan Bazaar @ Tropicana City Mall! (Muslimah clothing line with a twist! I am practically in love with their jubah designs but I HAVE TO WAIT until I am financially stable to buy any. *sighs*) Went to FJ Benjamin store at Klang Centro Mall hoping to find suitable gifts of shoes/handbag. Surveyed shades. Went to Diamond & Platinum @ SACC Mall to finalize order for my engagement ring (syked!), Razi paid in full. Alhamdulillah! Buka puasa with his boss.
28 - Went to FJ Benjamin sale @ Park Royal. Bought watches for both Razi and I (marked down but without boxes; tahulah kitorg nanti nak letak kat hantaran macamana =D ) Walked back to Pavillion and Razi and I chose a pair of really purrrdy Charles and Keith shoes as hantaran for me. *wink2* Buka puasa and family gathering (my dad's side) @ my uncle's house. Had a few questions regarding the-lucky-guy-a.k.a.-Razi and my engagement/solemnization. ;)
29 - Went to Midvalley hoping to find a nice handbag to put on the dulang but I got myself some great lookin flats for almost-everyday wear (I'm not as shoe-crazy as what most women should be *shame2*). Razi and I head to Serendah to buka puasa with anak yatim and enjoyed a few (singing) performances by his friends... dan kami juga sempat camwhore dengan anak-anak yatim. =D

(Ceh, kate nak short je.. )

So basically Razi and I spent most of our time together surveying and shopping for barang hantaran, and I had early bonding sessions with my future in-laws. Hehe~

Blog Update

And last but not least: today I updated the Engagement List! ;) Check it out, peeesh..

Keeping My Options Open

Hello, Sweets...
(ceh poyo jer, konon ramai la yang baca blog kita ni =p)

These past few days I've been surveying quite a number of blogs belonging to makeup artists and also those of photographers. The good news is that I reside in Klang Valley, so I have a wide selection of MUA and photographers to choose from. =D But the bad news - there's always a downside of everything, huh - since I'm currently unemployed, I have to really, SERIOUSLY minimize my spending on my engagement. I don't mind a simple engagement, but since my sister had set the standard (kind of) high, I have to at least have an engagement ceremony that is level to hers. I have to meet people's expectations lah kan, heh~

Makeup Artist

Saya la kan.. Paling pening pikir pasal mana nak cari makeup artist ni. Since the last minute of setting our engagement date, I am left with only a couple of choices of good and pocket friendly makeup artists, which apparently are those who are not slashed out below:

1. Madam Hana
   • Service Charge: RM 250
   • My first choice..
   • Too bad she's already been booked by someone else. =(
2. Fadh Adnan
• Service Charge: RM 120 (Trial RM 50 [for confirmed customers]/ RM 70)
• Long story, but lets just say that I've been her fan since I saw her work through my own eyes, not with the aid of digital camera and some even manipulated the photos of their customers to hide any imperfections. That's kinda like cheating right?.. Thankfully I'm not easily deceived when it comes to amateur editing. uhu~
• Tapi macam dah tak available je because on my engagement day she already has one customer to attend to. =(
  


3. MUA X (Razi's friend's wife)
   • Service Charge: RM 50
   • Murah kan? But sadly, she's not available on that day..
     
4. Eyra Rizal
   • Service Charge: RM 200
   • No response yet.
     
   
   
5. Amy Ameera
   • Service Charge: RM 200
   • Also, no response yet.
     

Psst... Lepas email both No. 4 and 5, I found out that they're actually business partners. Hehe.. Tu la tak buat research awal-awal...

Photographer(+'s')

Since I want to save as much spending as I can for Tunang, I decided to just spend money on photography service, which means without any customized albums and such. Unlimited shots in DVD for 3 hours. I can always edit my own photos later and make my own custom album at Photobook Malaysia. Cheapskate? I know, that's who we are... (Razi and I) =). After much time spent searching for a photographer, we finally decided to hire Kepep, Razi's schoolmate merangkap childhood friend. He's a part of this group of wedding photographers called KarpetMerah Photography. He said something like I'm going to have 2 photographers on my engagement day. Hehe~ Habisla nanti macam paparazzi pulak daa...

Engagement Outfit

Well, the one thing that I had made a constant decision about would be my outfit for that day. I always wanted a really nice modern-meets-traditional wear for me to use later on for dinner or other special events. And since solemnization outfit is always restricted to only monochromatic colors, so for my engagement ceremony I decided to buy a few meters of brightly colored lace and lining material from Jakel and send it for tailoring made by my family's favorite tailor in KL. I think I (ceh, ta malu, dah la pinjam duit Razi!) bought the materials for RM360, which I think its fair considering how happy buying it made me feel. (Dah lama tak shopping for kain! Heee... Shopping is always good therapy!)

I bought a lime green lining and teal colored lace. Together, they make a perfect match! ;)
(Razi wants to buy that shirt he's been eyeing since April to match with my outfit. Yay!)

About the design, I really really want a tiered modern kurung since I saw this picture from Unaisah's Studio Twenty Six. (Check her out. Her bridal wear designs are really magnificient!)

Tiered kurung: Second from right. Love it!

Alrighty, I think I'm gonna end this post right here.. I have to wake up early tomorrow to cook lunch early with Mak (mestilah ada training before jadi isteri orang.. Hehe), then we're going to head out to KL to hantar kain for tailoring (also for baju Raya).

Gee, it practically took me more than 24 hours to complete this post. Poor Razi, he gets so excited whenever I told him that I'm writing. Pastu kena tunggu since last night.. Hari ni pulak tertidur tunggu I habis kemas dapur and basuh kain. *sigh* It feels weird not to hear his voice through my kurap handphone before I go to sleep.

P/S: Last Sunday I was formally introduced to his family! I have yet to write about that experience but I managed to squeezed in some Sunday-night photo editing. =D

Kehadapan Kekanda Razi yang sedang asyik bermimpi indah,


Why don't I hand the photos to you, darling.. And let you tell the story instead.. =D

Cube tanye audience: korang nak Razi yang cerita kan? Sedap betul baca karangan dia. Kan kan?
Jawapan: *senyap sunyi sepi tanpa suara*

Haaa.. Diam tu tanda setuju!


Yang CintaRindukan kamu,
Dindamu Sue

Welcoming Note; or Portrait of A Young Man as A Wedding Enthusiast

“Youuuu.. Jgn buat lawak boleh tak? Kitorang tuang air ni kt muka you karang!!!”. That’s the spontaneous reaction I got from my closest girlfriends once I told them that I actually chose HER out ouf everyone else. Miss Ayam, Miss Panda and Miss Chia (don't ask me why), or collectively known (somehow) as MEW --- they have been trying for hours to guess which girl is the girl of my choice. I've given them 5 options, then another 5, then another.. till they all but have exhausted themselves. None of the girls (or women) they mentioned was right. Somehow it never occured to them that I would ever take the hand of this special girl. She was deemed "not my taste" by them, I guess. So they don't even once consider her (only a by-line mention by Miss Panda). But that's pretty fair considering how much I've spent time telling them my life story (all of them are younger than me, hence the name 'Kakak Sulong").[on second thought, maybe I did not spend enough time with them hahaha].I guess I was tired with the same kind of "type" they have been guessing me with. I guess I was acting out of the norm. I break my own habit and I think I took the road less taken because I can sense that there's more to this girl than meets the eye. So I chose Sue.

[i]

Ingat lagi masa first time jumpa dia <-- chop chop chop! This is too cliche. Biasa sangat starting new story or paragraph macam ni. Poyo sial

[Disclaimer: Tolong la jangan percaya sangat. Our so called 'memory' sometimes tends to deceive us. We unconciously select and deletes part of our life story.. leaving the rest intact. That's why it's called Selective Memory]

Well, okla. To tell you, dear audience, the truth, I never once believed in the concept of love at first sight. I guess it's for those who are shallow and/or too naive to know that it takes more than just good looks to be a good partner. But I don't deny the power of first impression. And I guess for simplicity's sake, and time (or the lack of it) it would be easier to judge a book by it's cover. It's considered.. natural. That's why it took some considerable patience and exercise to actually restrain yourself from doing so and give people the benefit of the doubt. And that's exactly what I did. I gave HER the benefit of the doubt. I can't remember what she wears exactly or how did she enter the class that very first day of our meeting (Sorry sayang! :P) But I remember that she instantly became the talk of the class (and the fact that she came in late. a l l t h e t i m e). Us seniors - guys I mean - we're making jokes like "eh, tu aku punya" and so on and so forth. I took a view, recognized her appearance, in the nod with the rest of the guys and acknowledged her beauty and that's that. I moved on. I let the other guys continue their drool (and they did! For the whole semester) "Baik sangat untuk aku". I admit that she triggered my hunting mode but I suppress that impulse quickly (Maybe because I thought I'll never even win her, haha!)

Time passes by. Till one very fine day, she brought with her some chocolates and decided to share it with a few people sitting close to her (FYI, if I remember correctly, she always brought something to class [oh, rupanya usha la selama ni kalo tak macamana leh tau!]) And that very day, I was one of the lucky few to actually get to share the chocolate. We get to tell jokes and share a few anecdotes over it.

(please note that the following conversation is not the first contact I had with her. There were a few before that but they are not oh-so-memorable compared to this one)

Razi: bla bla bla

Sue: blu blu blu <-- eh eh ada karer la. mcm karaoke!

[.....]

*rising anticipation. interest are high*

Razi: um, u suka chocolate la?

Sue: a'ah. u?

Razi: i pun suka gak. i suka dark chocolate <-- ni bukan ayat manis eh, gua mmg suka cokelat

Sue: eh, i pun! sama la <-- dan dan! tapi hati aku da melompat2(tapi btol la dia suka coklat)

Razi: well u know what they say about people who loves dark chocolate right?

Sue: ape?

Razi: bla bla bla

Sue(muka terkejut): ha? takmola sama dengan u camtu.

And all hope was lost :(

[ii]

"Jadi yang empunya badan setuju lah ye?", asked my dad. Sue is Sue; being the tough girl and in the comfort of her own home, surrounded with people who loves her, solemnly and confidently replied, "Setuju" (that's my girl! :D ). And it's done.

Yeap, you guessed it right. That was the day my parents and I went to her house to meet her parents. Previous week was the time that I went out of my way and personally ask for Sue's hand in marriage from her parents[Phew, thank God that went well -- Kindly refer to previous post]. I can still remember the scene: me sitting in the middle, this end of the table with her facing directly in front of me, albeit at the other end. And our parents are on the side of the table; there we sit, all 6 of us and it was magical! It's like a glimpse of the future that we will have. I'm already halfway through heaven =)

***********************************

Those are some episodes worth mentioning; retrospective testimonials that enrich my life story. It became our life story now, as our destiny are now intertwined with each other. And it will become more and more intricate that the density will be too much to handle - eventually, the demarcation line is no more and our life will be in a state of union: one.

*suara makmum lepas dgr suara as-Sudais: aaaamiinnnnnnn*

To those who stumbled upon this blog hoping that we will blog about wedding preparation and stuffs, you've come to the right place [Soundtrack queue: All ABOARD!!!]. But it will not be limited to that. It is also the documentation of the state of our mind, as a lovely young cant-wait-to-wed couple [MEW cheers Hooray!]

It have come to my attention that bridegroom-to-be don't really blog about their wedding. It was perpetrated as if Marriage and Weddings are of the female domain and has been their preoccupation since they were little girls (FYI, that was this blog's initial name). I don't know and could not care less whether my attempt here at blogging this is somewhat groundbreaking or not. But I have to admit that marriage intrigues me so much, it's just a pity that I'm no son of some rich b*s*t*rd ... (ok ok I've promised her not to swear. sorry hunny!) or else I'll be rocking this Wedding till the roof goes off! (Or I'd made a fortune being a Wedding Planner - i'm telling ya, it's lucrative business!)

That's it for now peeps. An introductory note from your friendly-neighbourhood Male Wedding Enthusiast (erk, that doesn't sound quite right). Will be updating with tons of wedding infos, points and head ups, as well as some sneak peek to our own wedding preparation and eventually, our own perfectly executed, cost-effective, eco-friendly, syariah-compliant wedding (and hence, our life)

Heading towards a New Chapter =)

When I was a child I always wanted to be a wife and a mother. I don't know why, I always thought of marriage as something pure and beautiful; and I wanted to love a man who loves me back. At that point of my life, I don't care whoever it is, I just want to fall head over heels with prince charming with hopes of becoming his wife and also the mother of his children. It's almost as if my whole life's purpose was to get married and have a family of my own... Naive, aren't I? =D

But after many years since puberty and loads of heartbreaks throughout my love life (up until now, of course) plus advices I got from me mum, I learned that marriage is not as easy as ordering pizza on the phone. It can't be delivered on your doorstep while you're busy playing Cafeworld in Facebook. It needs tremendous effort and sacrifice of your time and money. Also, there are tons of things that need to be carefully thought of.

Firstly, you need to think about the best approach towards your parents to let them know that you want to get married, so that they don't get completely shocked about it... (when I say 'shocked' - that is... in a bad, bad way, of course)
One Saturday morning, Razi told me to ask my parents whether they're free on that day because he wants to meet both of them. He said, "trust me", and I did. So that afternoon, he managed to talk through our wedding plan with them. Thankfully, my parents were expecting this and they agreed to meet his parents the following weekend, which will be this coming one. (Note: I am so excited that I'm going to meet his parents the first time, but DEAD NERVOUS at the same time.) Its kind of like Merisik, if you ask me, but well... It'll just involve me and my parents, my uncle & his wife, his parents and his uncle. Wish me luck, please... ~

Besides that, you also need to think about how your wedding is going to be - simple/moderate/extravagant. For me and Razi we were hoping that we could have a simple and cost effective wedding, yet memorable and to our taste, and most importantly, to have it as early as possible! *wink wink* You know, our aim was to have it in December, GILA TAK? =p
But well, it's easier said than done, plus we only thought about ourselves, disregarding both of our families. So... Long story -> SHORT:

• Initial choice made: Nikah ONLY
  At first we wanted a truly simple wedding, like those without Tunang and Walimah (reception), we would love to only have the Nikah ceremony done.
  
• 2nd choice made: Nikah and Joint Walimah
  But after considering how our friends and relatives would feel if we didn't invite them to our wedding (simply because Nikah has always been done within a small crowd), we decided to have a joint Walimah. That means, guests from BOTH sides are invited to one wedding reception.
• 3rd choice made: Nikah and Separate Walimahs (Sanding & Tandang)
  Well, after telling my parents about our idea, they disagreed and decided to have a separate Walimah for guests from our side. Their reason: "Jemputan dari Mak & Ayah je dah 1000 orang" Waaaa... Nasib baik laaa kenduri Mak Ayah yang sponsor! ;p
  
• FINAL CHOICE: Tunang, Nikah and Seperate Walimahs (Sanding & Tandang)
  Tunang? My parents' wishes, yet again... 'Nuff said.

But WAITT! I haven't finished yet...
So, since we have four seperate ceremonies, there's obviously more stuff to think about and things to be done! Hantaran, duit hantaran, henna, baju tunang, baju nikah, baju sanding, baju bertandang, theme color for each ceremony = theme color X 4, photographer X 4, videography (maybe? so, X 4?), guests, door gifts X 4, venue X 4, and the list keeps going on and on and on and on........... *sigh sigh SIGH*
And since we have to be engaged first, our tying-the-knot too have to be delayed. =( Hmmm...

LESSON LEARNED: Marriage doesn't just involve the union of two lovebirds, but it is the union of two families. (Ayat jahat = Bila kau nak kahwin, sebenarnya kan... Macam parents kau yang kahwin. Hahaha. Mana taknyeee... Semua benda diorang nak decide.)
Therefore, future-brides-and-grooms-to-be, do not - I repeat - DO NOT make wedding decisions on your own! You'll just get disappointed... like I did. *sigh*

But I believe everything happens for a reason. Both me and my dearest Razi are trying our best to be optimistic and just go with the flow. We just hope for the best, that everybody would be happy... Because we believe in tolerance and respect, don't we, Razi? =)

And last but not least (actually there are only 3 ideas that I could come up with at this moment =p)... You have to think about after the wedding. After spending tons of MONEY on your wedding, can you survive with the amount of $$$ you have left?

Well, Razi and I still have a long way to go after we told the good news (pasal marriage-laaa) to both of our parents. We just graduated but have long decided to get married, even at the earliest stage of our relationship. Because the feeling of knowing that you've FINALLY MET YOUR SOULMATE is like nothing that we have ever felt or even KNOWN before. It's undeniably and completely indescribable... *ANGAU*

. . .

Well, back to the point where I left off - we have long decided to get married, but the need got stronger after both of us went to Pameran Pengantin at Midvalley Exhibition Centre last 4th of July. Razi became really enthusiastic about this and thought out our wedding plan. We started surveying wedding outfits, halls and even makeup artists. (Ngeee.. Ta sabar! =D ) I myself have started making budgets for our wedding ever since. So far, the experience of planning our own wedding is REALLY exciting! OUR OWN WEDDING... Geee... I'm finally old enough to get married. Yay for me!

If we want to make this plan work, we need to stop shopping for clothes (fyi, we can go nuts, you know, just by browsing around shopping malls) and start saving some cash! Thank God Razi dah keje!

But, eh... first, I need to get a JOB, like.. NOW! Chop chop CHOP~