Waiting to be His Wife

I thought I'd share about my current status as a wife, now that I've been married for 6 months. (^__^)

It's no secret that Mr Hubby currently resides and work in the UK, and I am here in Malaysia - which basically makes this an LDM (long-distance marriage). It wasn't much of a sacrifice in the beginning since both of us have a mutual understanding that I have some work commitments to take care of, which meant that I can't join him in the UK a.s.a.p. But I've been commitment free for the past one month now, and this also means that I can finally join him in the UK for good! 

Gosh... this has been something that I've been waiting for - to be with him in person - for the past 3 years! (Yes. LDR sucks.) Now... to get over that minor speed bump called 'visa'. 

Now, under United Kingdom's visa rule, Mr Hubby currently holds a Tier 4 General Student Visa. (Why he is still classified as a student despite already working? God knows...) And in order for me to join him there, I need to apply for a Tier 4 Dependent Visa. Basically, this visa allows me to be in the UK piggybacking on Mr Hubby's visa AS LONG AS my application meets a few requirements. The UK Border Agency's website have some pretty extensive FAQ here.

Application for a UK visa from Malaysia needs to be made directly with the visa agency, VFS instead of the British Consulate. VFS website has been very useful in providing step-by-step guidelines on how to make an application IF you know exactly which visa you should be applying for. If (like me) you're not so sure, the UK Border Agency's website is still the best point of reference.

Once everything is in order, you can arrange for an appointment with VFS online OR you can just drop in to their office at Menara MCA (Jln Ampang). The difference is that, with an appointment, you can basically skip the waiting game but you can still make an application with/without a prior appointment.

In my experience, you can have the best application form and all the supporting documents in the world but that does not guarantee you to make an application on the day itself. As VFS is only an agency, they will go through your application and your original supporting documents with you and advice you whether you can or cannot make an application on the day itself. They are NOT in the position to give an opinion.

I had to go through VFS people 4 TIMES(!!) before I can submit my application. And within that 4 visits, 4 weeks has passed... the visa fees had been revised upwards... Mr Hubby had to courier 3 sets of documents to me on 3 separate occasions because every time I go and see the VFS people, they'd ask for 3 different documents. 

Yes. It is very frustrating indeed especially when I've been making plans to join Mr Hubby sooner rather than later. And every time I visit VFS, that plan kept postponing. But thank God, 4th times the charm and now it's just a matter of a waiting game.... waiting for my application to be approve within the next 5 to 15 days!!

Here's to hoping (and praying) that things will OK in the near future.

Of Sweet Tooth & Babycakes

Are you in on the latest food fad? Well... here's a few hints for you.

Small.Cute.Colourful.Not a cake.Not a biscuit.

Figured it out? It's MACARONS!

These cute little sandwich cookie has been sort of a staple in dessert buffets for it's colourful arrays of finger-sized sugar rush. They've got quite a legendary reputation in Paris and a huge following amongst hardcore bakers, but it's popularity in Kuala Lumpur itself is still rather small. These sweet things are hard to come by ie. most are only made available by order, and as far as I know only a few high-end bakeries and hotels actually make them. And even when it is made available to the mass public it is either:

(a) very pricey

or

(b) low quality.

And this is where I come in with good news! I finally found a place that not only sells these sweet babies at ultra reasonable prices (ranges from RM2.20 to RM2.50 per piece) but... the macarons are oh-so good too!

BABYCAKES Sweet Shoppe

Tucked away in a corner of the new G City Club Hotel in central KL (across Ampang Park, along Jln Tun Razak), this small shop specialises in macarons and floral decor. Me and my sisters have been going on a macarons binge the past few weeks (even resorting to making our own! which was a bust... ) and by far, the sweet offerings at Babycakes are on my top 2 favourites (sharing the spot with Nicole's Gourmet). Here, the sweetness of the macarons shells are delightfully balanced with the dense flavors of its fillings, with enough bite to satisfy the sweetest of tooth.

Available flavors: Red Velvet, Lemon, Bitter Chocolate, Green Tea, Strawberry, Black Sesame, Cherry Chocolates and Salted Caramel.

You can drop by their shop at G City Club Hotel which operates from Monday to Friday (10am- 6pm) and Saturday (10am to 3pm). Or place an order (1 week notice) with Nicole Lynn at babycakeshoppe@gmail.com

A Beautiful Wedding!

I'm so so sorry(!!) for the lack of updates... but I just had to come out of hiding to share some gorgeous wedding photos of Mrs Iliyana & Mr Ihsan courtesy of Fad Manaf.

I totally {heart} this pelamin! It's so unique and simple and colourful! I absolutely adore the creative use of origami spinwheels in multishades and hues. And... it goes to show that you don't need to go over the top with fresh flowers to have a beautiful wedding. Now that's the best way to Go Green!

More pictures of the deco and a nice corner for the musician! Love the blend of the wooden backdrop and the tree and hanging lights.

A 'Mr & Mrs' table! I'm really digging the trend of using 3D wordings for main table deco. Love the signage and simplicity of the decoration for the main table.

The guestbook corner. Again. Simple and rustic and looks very 'homey'. Gosh... wish I had this wedding!

For more pictures, do check out Fad's album of the wedding at his Facebook page here.

ADD! Thanks to anonymous person, the decorator for this wedding has been found! Do check out Party Popperz  for more info.