Christmas in 8.

Christmas, my most favourite holiday! This would also mean the year is coming to an end! What a year! 2015 have been fabulous to me. Anyway, back to Christmas. It’s all about the magic that surrounds us, where our real world tries to imitate dreams. Large candylands, lights everywhere, random santa’s, elves and presents. It is as though almost universally the world dreams a better place throughout the month of December.

This year we will be celebrating Christmas and New Years up north in Chiang Rai, Phayao and Chiang Mai with my parents. I hope it’ll be a blast minus the drama.

Very quickly for memory’s sake I would like a quick scroll through my year:

January 2015
1) Strolled through the old part of Bangkok and ended up in a train station.

2) Made pizza for the first time!
3) Then Yuenny & Maren came over for a short trip and I followed them back to KL.

February 2015
1) I was stuck with the name Linda Biloba Khoo for a month (Facebook has a policy where they do not allow you to edit your name for a month), thanks to a terrible bet I lost. Here’s the story.
2) 50 Shades of Grey, the movie, rolled out on Valentine’s Day and my mom asked about it.

3) We had our very first Chinese New Year reunion together, at home.
4) Flew back to Malaysia and prepped for our KL wedding. My dearest fam and friends all did their best for us.<3

March 2015
1) 1st of March, our big day! Chaos, insane, full of love and maybe some tears and panic.

2) Flew to Norway for our honeymoon! Oslo > Bergen > Tromso!

3) NORTHERN LIGHTS!!! WHUT?! YES.
4) Of course the huskies were the 2nd highlight!!
5) Made my first snowman which my mom called it “so ugly”.

5) Nic sang with a bird -.-

April 2015
1) Brother Orange happened.
2) Back in Malaysia again, celebrated Yuenny’s 27th!
3) FRIGGIN SHONDA RHIMES KILLED OFF DR DEREK OF-MY-DREAMS SHEPHERD

4) After falling asleep in the movies, we crossed the street for McD. There we witness an old man having a vanilla cone and then begin to tear up. It was really sad.

May 2015
1) Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather.
2) Jes Wey came to visit! =) We had #spanxadventures

3) Pinky sent a snail mail from San Fran (kinda, she bought it there, mailed it from SG -.-)
4) Got wheeled out of EmQuartier after passing out after less than a quarter of Sangria. Then I was forced to an emergency room with IV drip through my vein. #imsolame
5) Emergency trip back to KL! Again!

6) Yuenny’s back in Bangkok *partays*

June 2015
1) Kanchanaburi roadtrip.

2) Legalised same sex marriage in U.S.A.!
3) Scored a write up on our Thai Wedding =)
4) We had a date night in paintbar.. very fun. No alcohol for me!

July 2015
1) 1MDB scandal broke.
2) Pinky the mantao in Bangkok!

3) First time trying cronut, delish!!
4) Received a postcard from Jacqkie from Japan! Again, kinda, bought in Japan, mailed from Sabah.
5) Flew back to Malaysia for my birthday!

August 2015
1) Celebrated my birthday with fam & friends.

2) A bomb exploded in front of Erawan Shrine.

September 2015
1) Mom stays with us for 2 weeks! The food joy & company..! Late nights and practical nonsense.

2) The Red Shirt Rally </3
3) Had brunch with Felicia at Roast EmQuartier and that’s the start of our TaiTai lives!

October 2015
1) MIL flew over for over a week, but I fell terribly ill soon after.

2) Discovery of Central Embassy & PAUL’S.

November 2015
1) Flew up north for almost 2 weeks to spend time with mom.
2) We stayed in Chiang Rai for a night and bought back too many Orchids which wilted the very next day.
3) Wore wigs for the first time, we’re Kpop stars now!

4) Paris bombings.
5) Yuenny’s back in Bangkok and just in time for Loi Krathong! We celebrated our very first Loi Krathong in Bangkok *omm*

6) Roadtrip to the original floating market, quite disappointed at the size and at the 90%-souvenirs.

7) Went to a husky dog cafe. These particular bunch aren’t very I-want-your-love dogs. Makes me miss my give-me-all-you-have dog back home.

December 2015
1) Chand joined us! 3am’s, eyebags.. fell sick again. Worth it to have these two!

2) My best girlfriends took Spot out for a day of fun. Bet he have never been happier.

3) Spot’s with Dee now. Showered with love and attention. Daily snippets of his adorable nonsense.

xx

What I watched growing up.

Movies, articles and even fairytales have told how us as kids watching our parent’s relationship affects how we would like ours to be in the future. So when you’re off searching for the parts you like and prefer not to live with, how far off the checklist does it get before love blinds it all? Or do you think love will conquer it all and there comes unity? Or maybe you’re the one who thinks you’re practical and push your perception of the unrainbow of a marriage?

I grew up with my parents showing affection. Not kisses, but spending time together, the real kind. It starts off at breakfast, then it leads to an evening walk, gardening together, occasionally afternoon naps and the sitting through the moonlight. There are times they even took showers together and us as kids sneak the keys and barge into the room because we thought it was a mission to. There really is no better reason. I guess that’s the start of my checklist.

Some time ago, I realised, there is another side, my partner’s side, how was the relationship when he was growing up? I can only tell what I see today. To me, they seem like they live in a same space but in a separate world, individually independent. Perhaps it works for them.

And now I’m at my story, there are the habits that I prefer to avoid or the telltale signs of “that’s what a marriage is in 20 years”. I want the fairytales, I want the love stories, I’m a romantic, I grew up with mountains of storybooks and classic Disney cartoons. Maybe it will all end someday. Like how the articles and movies are these days, some where down the road it fizzles out, the spite gets ugly and nasty, and love no longer triumphs above it all. If one day it does lead to that, I believe I’ll go again. Because that was what I watched growing up.

#theWparty – Part 2

Bridezilla. I have painted the picture of my dream wedding a long time ago. Now it’s time to realise it.

Reality: My husband is surprisingly open to what favours me and seem to share the sentiments of a wedding. However, the chinese part of our family doesn’t. Of course, the actual reality check.

Size:

I like my wedding small, those who know us as a couple, sprinkle a little bit of those who you grew up with along the way. Basically those who you actually have a picture with. Somewhere down the line there’s the grandma’s cousin or your parent’s cousins’ cousins’ aunt. Save them for a 60th birthday party maybe?

Venue:

Nature. That’s hard to come by in Malaysia. Recreating it comes with a hefty price tag. Maybe modern? That’s tough to swallow for the older crowd. Hotels are great and grand, but terribly formal for a couple like us. If you know us, we rather pull a seat up at your table and tell a joke. Chinese restaurants, let’s not go there.

Decoration/Theme:

Those yellow rice lights you get at Christmas? Lots and loads of it. Flowers, fresh flowers all around. I’m calling it yellow, grey & nature.

Entertainment:

How to make a wedding reception fun? I don’t want to host a wedding that when it hits the final dessert, guests start to leave the room and the newlyweds find themselves rushing to thank and say goodbye. Hey, hey, now, isn’t that rude? So we want to make our reception a party. A true party. Maybe with live stations for food so that people are always up and about. A karaoke corner for the tipsy and the bold. Setting off lanterns into the sky with kids playing with sparklers. And those performances from our friends (after attending my best friend’s wedding, it was a true gem to see people you love come together to do something for you as a couple. It’s real personal).

Photographer/Videographer:

Photographer, there are a few we really adore. Videographer, they are tough to find! Or is it just me?

Invitation Cards:

Urm… I did complete the Thailand one, does that count?

Wedding favours:

Urm………..

Wedding dress & Tux:

Yeah, we’ve looked and looked, alright it was just one weekend, no luck just yet!

—

4 months to wedding in Thailand. 6 months to Malaysia’s. We need that whip!

Being a house manager.

Growing up, I never had a maid. My parents, started us young (my sister and I), the chores. We weren’t lying in our Pendidikan Moral when it came to the house chores. At the age of 7-8, it was our duty to wash up after dinner. We’re small, so we used stools to reach the sink. Then we graduated to scrubbing toilets, washed our clothes, fold everybody’s clothes, ironed our uniforms, scrubbing pet cages.

To make sure we take ownership of our chores, my parents will not assist in any manner, if we don’t do it, we’ll have no clothes to wear, we’ll face punishment if the toilet’s unwashed or the pet cage is too dirty. To make it feel like a true, true blue chore, I’m pretty certain my dad has OCD. The moment the gates parts at 6pm, we have to look like we are clearing up, normally, we choose ‘fold the clothes’ act, because we get to watch TV as well. And every single dinner, as long as I’m living there, it was my duty to assist my mom in the kitchen and also to cook.

So yes, I’ve had my fair share of house chores for years. So when I got married and had to move to our own home, it wasn’t daunting to me. My mother-in-law wasn’t sure if I could clean or cook, she was asking my mom if they should start teaching me. What am I to say, ‘hey mom, actually, I know how to even before I learnt timetables?’

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I grew up in a neat home. You should see my car. It may be 10 years old, 25 years old or 1 year old, its like brand new. It even still smells brand new! It’s my dad’s thing.

Now that I live in a home with Nic, I have to admit, it’s tough. His lack of urgency, I can’t brain it. ‘Eat > Wash up > Enjoy’, not ‘Eat > Enjoy > Wash up’. Items lay around for days or even weeks (non degradable). Put it back where it belongs! This would mean, it bugs me, therefore I would benefit most from it being stowed away. But time after time of picking up, I feel like a maid. It’s not my job, but if I don’t do it, who would when we don’t hire one? Rationally, it wouldn’t kill me doing it all. Though what it brings is something greater, nagging.

Do you know why women nag? Men know why, they choose to ignore why.

Wanting my home to be neat all the time, that was how I lived. That’s what I call home. My room could be a mess, but never the common areas. Maybe it would be different if cleaning is therapeutic. Being your own home manager is rough. How do you change to be bit more lax? Maybe there’s a Stepford Wife in me.

I may have made it seem like Nic shakes his bootie around and not place effort, he tries to mop when he can, washes the toilet and after dinner. Oh and of course, take out the trash. Classic TV.

 

Last weekend in Malaysia.

Husband: Have you packed?
Me: No..
Husband: Wait what?

Right. It’s not that I’m not ecstatic or excited over shifting. I am! It’s just that my room is half filled with sewing materials and equipments, so I’m pretty lazy to shift it away and lug the luggage out to pack.

Saturday:
Attended sewing class for the last time. I don’t particularly like my sewing class. I don’t really want to write out why in public, but let’s just wrap it up as: it’s sufficient knowledge if you would like to sew clothes for your toddlers who wouldn’t know what fashion is and could be your guinea.

I also finally collected our wedding bands. Really. Finally. At first I loved Love & Co because of their service and their selection. It then lead to frustration of the time length it took for just engraving. We left our rings for it on 6th April and I only managed to get it back on 24th May. A little absurd if you ask me. Although they said they could ship the rings to Thailand, they told us we’d to pay for taxes and what not, so I gave up on ‘searching for other options’. They told me because of the very lengthy delay, they prepared a wedding gift. I deliberately acted cordial when I was told so, to make sure the highlight of my concern was solely on the delivery of the rings, not that my happiness could be bought (It would have been a lie if it’s diamonds). The gift:

Turns out it was lucky I wasn’t enthu.

Good news is, I think I’ve finally settled on a venue. Nic’s asking me if I do like it, if I do, we’re ticking it off our list! Let’s see how the final negotiations go.

Sunday:
I woke up real late. Back in high school kind of late: 12:45pm. I guess my body’s catching up on sleep as I really do spend my hours/that’s what I like to tell myself. I practically prepped sewing materials for the remainder of the day. Whipped up a simple dinner for the family and went back to it. OH, I PACKED. Yes, that I really packed. I did my laundry and I packed.. half a luggage. The other half’s just shoes! It can’t be kept just yet.

Also I’ve planned my outfit for the entire week. All dresses for a quick folds before leaving for good! Let’s see how I’d planned my week:

Monday: Dins with R&D Team ❤ I heart them to bits. I really do. They are all boys/guys/men/whatever and they tend to lookout for me. Regardless of how many pranks I pull on them or how merciless my public shaming them gets (in a funny way! Not the i-want-you-to-look-bad-in-front-of-your-peers).
Tuesday: Meet with the venue people and drop by the in laws’/my house.
Wednesday: Dins with my favourite people in the world. </3 I’m going to miss them so much.
Thursday: Grandma time.. I really should.
Friday: I’m guessing packing? Packing. No sewing.

On another note, I’ve packed up in the office. I don’t want to be carrying out this box on the last day. I rather slip away unceremoniously.

Want to see my wedding bands?! I’ll post Nic one’s up when it reaches his finger alright!

I love the rock. I love the bands. The engagement ring is held by two hearts. He told me he’s giving his heart to me. *shakes sappiness off*. The Wedding Bands are in tri-colour. Yellow Gold, Rose Gold and White Gold. I love how skinny the bands are and also how it completes this entire ring to something unique. I’m all for the odd if you know me. My husband once told me:

Because I know you. And you, like to be different.

I guess that’s why I said yes!

#theWparty – Part 1

I’m looking at the calendar and I know we’re running out of time. We are excited for the wedding parties! However we’re so caught up on the big move and the travelling plans that we’ve let our wedding party planning slide. I’ve seen the wedding event check list, utter madness but very necessary. I’ve got it saved on Google Docs I swear.

So here goes:

#theWparty – Thailand

As half of my extended family resides in the north of Thailand, we will be hosting a traditional Thai wedding at my parent’s home. We’re keeping it simple for this, so I’m thinking my check list should look like this:

• Invitation
• Itinerary
• Decoration
• F&B
• Wedding outfit
• Entertainment
• Accommodation & Transportation
• Photographer

We have got (only) 2 things checked!

1. Itinerary

Nic and I, we’re both into apps. We constantly exchange the latest gem we find. Nic’s more into the productive/latest game app. I’m more into the photo editing/anything-that-is-clean app. Nic’s latest find ‘Quip‘! The best part of this app is that you’re able to edit on your desktop, realtime together and it comes out in a pretty format. So Nic and I both stayed up one day writing an article-like itinerary for our guests:

 

Every single itinerary was personalised and sent off. We just sent the last batch out! Alright, kitchen’s closed.

2. Accommodation & Transportation

This area is a mini district of Thailand. Which apparently meant this town only have 1 nice-ish hotel. Even so, it’s a tiny hotel. We ended up booking the entire hotel! There’s no need to place a deposit because your word is golden. Uh huh, they still live by those rules. And that hotel isn’t enough, we’d to book another in the main city, also the entire hotel.

As for the transportation, we’ll be renting chauffeured minivans as the GPS will probably lead them into the middle of a paddy field or a buffalo.

—

So what’s left?

• Invitation – by Sept
• Decoration – start in June
• F&B – I suspect this has been taken care of.
• Wedding outfit – start in June
• Entertainment – KARAOKE ala village style
• Photographer – start in June

Did I miss something? Probably. Probably.

 

Whirlwind month.

Where did I last left off?

To my tiny pool loyal readers of mine, apparently 2014/2015 is looking like this for me:

Let’s click pause and take a step back.

He gave be a large purple box in 2013, told me what each compartment is for and said the other was a secret. Barely a year after, I found out what that compartment was for, a ring box. We were actually house hunting, drawing out the ID, we settled on where we would like to begin.  Then suddenly it was ‘I’ve-got-the-job-I’m-leaving-in-a-week-baby’ kind of thing. So we switched over to Plan B, moving abroad. We both don’t hate our country, and we are definitely not dying to get out. It was a great opportunity at a city that we both frequented and can see ourselves living in so, yes, opportunity grabbed!

So do I just wrap up my life here and leave?

> Job

I was in the operations team for quite a while, headed it, loved it, then I saw the need to grow so I stepped out. However, I was enticed by app development, so I stayed back and tried it out. It’s an odd circle, for App A, from brainstorming, to design, to everything that is needed to be done except coding was completed. For App B, we were pulled in for launch, debug, working on what was completed. Then App C, it was the whole jingbang. However, this role took an old turn, and in a bittersweet way it was at that perfect time to bow out. So I did.

> Family

My family frequent Thailand a lot, so I don’t see it as a problem that they will not to continue to do so. I’ll miss my brother the most but he’ve got to head off to study somewhere soon anyway.

> Spot

Spot, yes, my pet dog. I wanted to bring him over, however, our new home wouldn’t allow pets. I’ll make sure our next one does. Then I’ll fly him over.

> Friends

We have more chat groups than we can keep up with in all platforms you could ever imagine, well maybe except for Snapchat. For some, I’m counting on their yearly Bangkok shopping trip.

So it looks like a yes!

As for the sudden proposal and getting married, I was caught off guard. It was too sudden, if I were to guess when it would happen, I would have bet on when I moved over to Bangkok but definitely not within the week that he said yes to the new job! For deets, the lazy me will just link the details:

The Proposal

The Courthouse

I’ll write more on the Wedding prep soon.

My baby you’ll be.

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.

Bye Bye Birdie.

I could have, I would have, I should have loved you more than life.

How did it all began.

I got a text from my friend telling me Nic fainted. I recall being in a mall, standing in front of a mirror. We worked in the same office space. Nic was always working too hard, made more double dates than a person should. So when this actually happened, we simply concluded, it must be work. I dropped him a text, asking if he’s alright and his favourite reply was/is “Yo wassap?”. Maybe he thought it was cool (probably still think it is).

He is always hungry, I guess it didn’t strike me at that time when he said “Is there anything to eat in the office?”, and I offered my one and only Dove chocolate bar. I must stress how precious this bar is to me. At this point, Dove wasn’t even in the market just yet! And I actually saved it because when I took a bite from others, it was one of the smoothest commercialised chocolates I’ve ever tasted. Beats Cadbury! But you know, I didn’t want him to faint again so I just passed it over “Here, have it.”

About a week later, he walked over to my place, opened my drawer and put his hands in it, digging, and out came that chocolate. Shocked me, “What?! You hid it there??” Right under my nose, within my eyeshot, he hid the chocolate bar I gave him, still brand new.

Now this funny act of his caught my attention. So I guess, that is how it all began. For me.

He said it was when I handed him that bar of chocolate, how very nice of me to offer (but he didn’t say no). And the reason he hid it at my place “because it was the safest place I could think of.”

However, from the day I gave him that bar, till the week later when he was caught in my drawers *wink*, the boxes and boxes of the samples that were passed in the office, all gone, devoured by greed of the samplers. So when he retrieved that bar, and they saw him holding it, shouts of “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!” “I THOUGHT THERE ISN’T ANY LEFT!” “CAN I HAVE SOME?!”, we aren’t in Bosnia people.

Though he denied them all, proclaiming it was given to him and it is his.

So I guess, that is how it all began. For him.

A story aged older than two. I suppose there’s a handful more of history and pranks to be told. Maybe one day, and some to be kept as secrets.