What People Don't Talk About

Miscarriage.

A word that people tend to tiptoe around whenever they hear it. For me, it started on a Tuesday afternoon. It was my first ever scan at 12 weeks of pregnancy and I was all kinds of feelings. The first sign that things weren't all it should be was when the lady who was scanning me went all quiet when she first saw the sonogram. I remember looking at her and searching her face for any kind of news, but she was squinting hard at the picture in front of her, as if looking for a needle in a haystack. Eventually, we got our news.

The foetus was only measuring at 6 weeks along with no signs of heartbeat (as it was too small). Due to my long period cycle, me and Mr Husband was only expecting a 10 weeks gestation. The result of the scan was a blow to our earlier jovial excitement. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the moment. 

We weren't given any confirmation regarding the progress of the pregnancy, so we were asked to come back for another scan in 2 weeks time. Mr Husband was devastated. On the drive back, he was already talking about making plans for the worst case scenario. I blanched at the thought, yet tried to keep a sense of optimism even if I felt like crying. I had only begun to come to terms with the pregnancy and to have it taken away from me like this was awful. 

The house was quiet that night.

And on Wednesday, I started bleeding. 

I tried to keep it to myself initially. Between the two of us, Mr Husband was the worst one off in taking the news. I didn't want to upset him any more than necessary. I was already making plans in my head to go see the midwife the next morning by myself. But by night time, the bleeding got worse and I started getting awful stomach cramps (which I found out later was actually contractions) that had me struggling for breath. This did not go by unnoticed by Mr Husband, so I had to finally confess to him the whole truth. 

When he insisted that we go to A&E immediately, I finally broke down. There was no sense in keeping my optimism any longer. I was about to lose my pregnancy and it was devastating to come to terms with. 

It's been a week now since then, and I am still being managed by the hospital for incomplete miscarriage. It's still a bitter pill to swallow and I don't think I've fully grieved the loss yet. I'm trying to keep my mind occupied so that I'd stop thinking about the loss. I've tried talking to a few friends about it and everyone tried to be understanding but I don't think they fully comprehend these feelings of loss. I mean... how do you grieve for something that never was? And yet it was there. The pregnancy was there with me for 3 months, and I had built my futures around it. And when it's not there any more, I feel lost. The one comfort that I take with me every night is that I still have Mr Husband, and for that I am always grateful. 

Hello 2012!

Hello.

How have you been?

I'm fine, thank you.

Sorry it's been awhile.

Can't believe it's already 2012. I'll be 27 this year. Damn. That's old. My mother had me when she was 27 years and 6 months. I am 26 years and 7 months at the time of writing this and I'm definitely sure there's no bun in my oven.

Heh.

*shrugs*

My 2 years wedding anniversary is coming up and I must admit that I've been yearning in jealousy seeing my friends who had gotten married after me, now happily minding their own children. I want babies. I do. I do. And here I was thinking that I'd never come to a point of wanting to start a family. Mr Husband has been at that 'point' for a long time now and I must say that I'm grateful that he has been patiently waiting for me to get there.

So... am I there yet? Well. Let's just say that I see the meeting point and I can see Mr Husband waving at me from that point. I no longer need a telescope to see that point. Maybe still need my glasses... but that's just me being blind.

The bottom line is this: I've set a date to meet Mr Husband on that proverbial 'point'. And I'm trying my best to get myself sorted and tick off what's left on my 'To Do Before I Have Children' list. But it's not a black-and-white thing. I just made it up in my head as I'm writing this.

And while I'm at it... any 2012 resolutions?

Hmmm... I'll get back to you soon on that.

See you soon!

A Country Life

I'm sorry that I've been lazy. And I'm really sorry if you're still waiting for me to start writing about my wedding day for... ooooohh... urmmm... (uncomfortable silence)... (crickets chirping).... (counting my fingers to see if I've got 10 of 'em)... heh. *sheepish* Let's say it's been awhile. But I must congratulate you if you're still here and reading this! 

Here. Have a cake! I made it myself!

But to be honest. My life is boring at the moment. I'm bored. And maybe I am just making excuses for myself here but life in the UK is not as glamorous as people would've expected. Especially if said life involves being a full-time housewife/part-time student.

Plus, Mr Husband and I had just moved counties. We are now proud residents of Crewe Town! See how I wrote (town) and not (city). Liverpool is a city. Crewe is an ant crushed under the weight of a giant cookie of Liverpool. I could walk from one end of town to the other in an hour - if I brisk walk. It's definitely a country life here. There's a farm on the way to Mr Husband's hospital where I can go and feed the cows. But I suppose I should be thankful that it's not as country as a place with no supermarket. At least here if I get bored, I'd go to Morrisons and see what food I can deprive of myself today (*hint* I'm on a diet *end hint*). 

But the point here is that Crewe is small. And this translates to having less things to entertain me. On a good day, maybe I'd take a walk with Mr Husband to hospital. And maybe I'd go running for a bit. And maybe I'd take a stroll through the town center and just soak up the bustle of people doing their chores. Or maybe I'd go home, clean-up the house, do some laundry, fold more laundry, do some studying and cook dinner. And maybe at the end of a good day, I'd take a walk to the hospital and wait for Mr Husband to finish his shift and I'd sigh in relief that I have somebody else to talk to again. 

But to be completely and brutally honest? On a normal day, I'd sit in my pajamas at home and play Cityville on Facebook. That's how unglamorous my life is at the moment but I'm trying to push for a ratio of 7:3 of good vs normal days. I'm trying to be a bit more productive here so maybe you'll be seeing me blogging more!

Who knows?

I've settled in to life in Liverpool for a good 7 months now. (Time flies!)

And in that time-span: 

(other that the usual upkeep of the house and general welfare of Mr Husband and I)

• I've re-organised this entire flat twice. 
• Baked 4 party-sized cakes (and consume them by my lonesome)
• Enrolled for ACCA classes
• Went to said ACCA classes
• Sat for said ACCA exams
• Grown 4 herb plants (of which 1 died and the rest are in the process of dieing)
• Had a family (the In-Laws) trip to Paris 
• Still actively petitioning for a cat pet with Mr Husband
• Barely runs ... hence consequential weight gain.

My exams were done 2 weeks ago to this day. And now I am bored. OUT OF MY MIND! 

So you can imagine why suddenly I am (not only) updating this blog but managed to get a new layout as well. I've picked up running again - although my fitness is too questionable for me to be proud of. And I was playing a lot of Guitar Hero on Mr Husband's Xbox when I first finished my exams... which ended with me having numb fingers for a few days - thus resulting to me stopping that particular activity. 

Plus, I am turning two-oh-six (*shhh... don't say it out loud!) on Monday and I am dreading it. I've never dread getting older as much I am right now. It's not just a mere number anymore. It's a case-in-point that I'm leaving my early twenties behind and encroaching on *GULP!* the big three-oh! (*shhh!!!)

Yes. I'm freaking out. I've never been much of a freak-out person but I'm freaking out for this. I'm hoping that baking a cake would tempt me to be complacent at least for awhile. Or am I just being irrational here?

A year ago...

(Sorry! I'm still procrastinating and can't make up my mind on a new blog template. In the mean time, read on dear readers.... )

Exactly this time of year 365days ago, I was in Labuan on an outstation job with approx 3 weeks to go to my day. Yeah... you would've thought that I'd be nostalgic about my own wedding day but I had tons of fun during those 2 weeks in Labuan. 

My job was very much stress-free and on the clock 9 - 5 (very different to what I'd have to face on my usual assignments). I was staying in a nice hotel room FoC. Went running at the beach almost every evening. Cheap chocolates. Good companies. Good times. And the stress of the wedding day was out of my mind.

A year on, I'll be starting classes tomorrow. The weather here in Liverpool is chilly and dreary at times, but I'm just thankful that we've seen more bright sunny days than gloomy ones. I don't run as often as I'd like to anymore, but chocolates here are still cheap. (hee...) Less socializing and less friends here but I don't mind because I'm happily married and (finally!) together with dear Mr Husband. 

Settling In

Settling in to Mr Hubby's apartment and coming up with our very own living arrangement - esp after being years apart - was definitely something to get used to. Especially when said Mr Hubby has been living a bachelor life in the said apartment for the past 6.5 years. For me, that also meant 6.5 years of mess to clean-up! 

So while Mr Hubby are off at work, I got down and dirty and spent a good part of 2 weeks(!!) cleaning up the place. This meant overhauling all storage spaces and reorganizing it, scrubbing down the kitchen and toilet, throw out old furnitures, donate a bunch of old clothes and shoes, and recycling just so so so much paperworks! But it's a well-worth effort really, and now that the place are all spruce up, both of us have been discussing of investing further in changing the wallpapers and windows, and installing a new bathroom in. So those are a few DIY projects coming up later this year.

We've also been doing some furniture shopping at IKEA with our biggest purchase being this new dining table set:

However, lugging it up 3 flights of stairs was not fun at all. (There was definitely much swearing going on on my part.) Originally we made plans to set-up the table together BUT on one boring afternoon (after all other chores are done) I decided to tackle the table myself. Heh.

The man in the manual seems just as confused as I am.

*cue psycho soundtrack* My weapon of choice.

My (would-be) victims.

The crime scene.

Ok. It wasn't that hard to do actually and I've always liked DIY-ing but the multiple hand-eye coordinations and the balancing act required to assemble this ONE chair took me ages to finish! But of course, in the economies of scale of things there is also the economies of skills. Or what normal people would've said that I learnt from experience and the next 3 chairs and a table took me just about 30 minutes to do.

VOILA!

The complete set.

Sentimental

It's very rarely that I get sentimental over anything, but I heard this song by Anberlin yesterday and it struck me how perfect it would be as a wedding song! So I thought I'd share with the rest of the class. Enjoy!

Inevitable by Anberlin

"I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have."

Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Lady Antebellum

"I love when you tell me that I'm pretty when I just wake up."

"And I love how you tease me when I'm moody, but it's never too much."

We're lacking some candid

There was this instance a week before my wedding where Kak Wanie had asked to have some pictures of me and Mr Hubby together to put-up at our guest book corner and my reaction was like.. "Ummm..." 

I had to physically pause and rack my brain because throughout our LDR, we very seldom take much pictures together. And it doesn't help that he's so camera shy and he doesn't approve of my cam-whoring ways!

Now the wedding have come and gone, and we've taken hundreds (maybe thousands?) of pictures together. But there is still a sense of something lacking in the pictures because I realized that when both of us are all made-up and glam-up in our bride and groom attires, it doesn't scream US. It's lacking that chemistry and natural candidness that only comes out when we're together in our own private space. And I can't point my finger on whether it was the occasion itself or maybe the lack of spontaneity in the photographer's picture-taking skills but 8 months down the road I am left with feeling unfulfilled. 

So when I heard that Udey Ismail will be coming up to UK next April for a tour, I messaged him straight away to check his available dates in Liverpool. I've always loved his work, and I would love to work with him in a photography session. And April being Springtime(hopefully), there will be some gorgeous landscape that we can work on. It's still a long way away, and at the moment, the package is a bit costly for  just the two of us so I'm trying to manipulate it to a family photography session instead. But Mr Hubby still need tons of convincing....

A Long Time Coming

Sorry been MIA for awhile but I've good news!

The MR & MRS are finally TOGETHER!

God's willing, my visa came through relatively fast on the 20th of October (ie 7 days!) despite all the dramas that went down in the application process. You've no idea how excited I was when I finally had my passport and visa in hand. I was just so glad that the road for us to be together are finally cleared and all that's keeping me away now is that one-way air ticket to Liverpool.

Thanks to Air Asia X, I managed to grab a reasonable deal to fly into London Stanstead on 12th November. That gave me a reasonable 3 weeks between the day I got my visa to the day I leave the country. However, another bump in my plans was to get a tax clearance letter from the IRB. Bargh!!! I'm 2 weeks into my stay in Liverpool and I've yet to get that sorted! I've done my bits of the process at the IRB branch office before I left, but getting feedbacks from them just take ages! At least the follow-up process I can get my mum to do it for me. (Thank you mummy!)

But other than that, life has been good. The 2 weeks leading up to my departure was filled with dinner plans with a bunch of my ex-colleagues and friends. And I only started packing 2 days before because... well, I'm just too laid-back like that. (*winks*) A bunch of hugs and tears and goodbyes and 13-hours of  (surprisingly comfortable) flying time later, I'm in chilly London!!

Seasons Greeting from Manchester Christmas Market!!

Wedding Venue: ISTAC

I was browsing through a friend's facebook album when I stumbled on a wedding that he attended at ISTAC (International Institute of Islamic Thoughts and Civilization). Oh gosh... this place is beautiful! The building has a lot of Mediterranean architecture influence, and when I first saw the pictures, I thought it was from oversea!

Check out the pictures and see for yourself!
(courtesy of Sham)

In terms of capacity, I think it can fits approx 200 pax at one sitting. Suitable for a small and intimate wedding party. And of course, proper dress codes must be adhere to. For more details, do refer to ISTAC's website.

My Wedding Planner!

When I first got engaged and the wedding dates were confirmed to be sometime in April, I knew for sure that I needed a wedding planner because:

1. I'm too busy with work to have enough time to spare to coordinate all wedding matters.
2. My family are inexperienced. I am (after all) the first to be married in the family.
3. I have very little care about wedding details. 

I have never been one of those girls who dreams about their perfect wedding day. I never had a vision of white wedding lace and veils and flowers and... well, you get the picture. So I never really had an idea of what I want my wedding to be like. 

But I like simplicity. I like clean fresh colours. And after doing some research and asking other b2bs out there, I concluded that I really(really)really like Kerja Kahwin's style. 

Working alongside Kak Wanie has been nothing short of wonderful. When I told her that I planned to hire her as a wedding planner, she was quick and thoughtful to come up with detailed lists and itineraries that would be useful for me. She made the arrangements for all other  things that are required of weddings - even things that I would never have thought of! She coordinates, she made time-lines and she'd even make reminders for me for payment schedules and any other appointments that I needed to attend. And she was very aware of my busy schedule, so we made an arrangement such that any ideas that I have for my wedding, I'll post it on this blog so that she could use it to come up with the concept and deco. How convenient is that! Plus, I've never been very particular about wedding decorations and I have absolute trust in Kak Wanie's vision of my wedding. 

So having her on my side has made my wedding day that much more enjoyable. I need not worry about anything at all (well.. except for that hiccups in regards to the band) and the wedding had turned out beautifully! 

So this post is of course a special dedication to Kak Wanie and her KK team. 

THANK YOU 

(from the bottom of my heart)

And to share, here are a few of my favorites from KK's website:

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.

I'm Flying!

In about... an hour's time, I'll be boarding on a plane to Manchester baby! (ok... technically, I'll be flying into Dubai first for a transit before I'll be officially flying to the general direction of UK)

I'm going on a short trip to visit The Hubster and celebrate 2 weeks of Ramadhan together since we won't be able to celebrate our first Aidilfitri together as a married couple. Yeah... it sucks... but after being in a long distance relationship for so long, I've learnt to give and take. So this trip is the next best thing to nothing and I'm grateful to be able to spend time with The Hubster, no matter how little it is.

So consider this a quick and short update. Sorry for being AWOL for a bit there, but I'm hoping that with some spare time on hand in the coming week, I'll be able to re-organize myself and post some (belated) updates on the wedding. So feel free to drop a comment on what you guys want to read. Anything at all! Don't be shy 'kay.

See you guys on the other side!

What do you do with your dress now that the wedding is over?

So now that the wedding is over, what do you do with your lovelylovely dress?

Yes. The very one that you've painstakingly dreamt of since you were a lil girl. 

I wore it to play my Guitar Hero.

.... and also to fool around in front of a camera.

Light blue french lace and gray satin - one of my 'hantaran' when I first gotten engaged. My lil' sister chose the materials and color combination. She was 10 years old at the time. Me? I was sitting at one of the sofa, curing a massive headache looking at all those cloths! (Can you tell that I dislike shopping?)

The solemnization outfit was desgined and tailored by none other than Unaisah.

She's such a lovely lady! I met her 3 times and she was nothing but polite and helpfull the entire time. Despite getting the attire the day before my solemnization, I had absolute trust in her handywork. I know some brides would throw a fit or a tantrum if their dress is not yet ready so close to the WeeDay, but I wanted Unaisah to actually enjoy making my dress instead of slaving over it. Because it is obvious that she loves doing what she does, and I am honoured to be able to wear one of her handyworks.

Thanks so much Unaisah!

PS: Still waiting for my wedding pictures from Ariff. *sigh* I can't believe it's been 3 months and I have yet to see the unedited pictures!! Should I throw a tantrum?

Official Songlist

I am very much a music person - although I must admit that I am not actually priviledge enough to claim that. But I like music and I can at least comfortably say that I know what I like - folk, acoustic and rock. So...2 weeks before the wedding I was to send over a songlist to Ezura ( of Ezura Entertainment ) so she can consider to play on the W-Day itself.

Now... I know I've mentioned this before  but coming up with a songlist was the easiest (and most fun!) part of the wedding planning. I know some brides would just throw in a Wedding Songs OST and be done with it. But I think a songlist is a perfect start to set a mood/ambience for your wedding. So I thought I'd help out all b2b out there by sharing my system in coming up with a songlist.

** Tip #1: Choose songs that you actually like listening to. Coming up with a songlist doesn't mean it has to be tacky with heavy fully-loaded ballads (100 Greatest Love Songs of All Time OST!!). Plus, sharing with your guests the sort of music that you appreciate will give your wedding a more personalised touch.

but....

** Tip #2: Do consider the music taste of the oldies as well - ie. The Parents. Mix it up a bit, but your parents preference should never dominate yours. Just... be considerate enough so that the old people can still enjoy the music as well.

** Tip #3: Always go for light and easy. If you want upbeat, go for swing or jazz numbers. Poco-poco are always fun at a malay wedding but if possible avoid rock songs because it just kills the mood.

** Tip #4: Do self-censorship. After you've come up with a songlist, have a go at listening to all songs and be extra aware of the lyrics and its subtext. At least let the songs be PG-13.

** Tip #5: If you're hiring a band, please be mindful of the range of songs that the band can play. If possible, come up with an extensive list of songs and give to your band for their consideration. The band can't play songs they are not familiar with. So if you insist on having some particular songs played during your wedding, highlight these to your band so they can have enough time to practice and do their own music arrangements.

And now... without further ado, I present to you...

MY OFFICIAL SONGLIST:

(Songs highlighted [*] are my personal favourite)

1. * Back to You - John Mayer  >> Such wonderful song paired with such sultry voice! 
2. * Virginia Moon - Norah Jones & Foo Fighters >> This is a wonderful (and unexpected) collab!
3. * Sempurna - Andra & The Backbones >> I know it's overplayed at weddings but its all for a very good reason!
4. * Kau Ilhamku - Manbai  >> A play on the word based on Hubby's name. This song is extra special to me because it dates back to before we were dating.
5. Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith >> If I had it my way, this would've been Hubby's entrance song.
6. Like A Star - Corrine Bailey Rae
7. Gravity - Sara Bareilles
8. * Can't Take My Eyes Off of You - Lady Antebellum  >> I fell in love with the lyrics set against some simple chords and arrangements.
9. Ingin Bersamamu - Tomok
10. The Way - Clay Aiken  >> Thought I'd throw in a cheesy wedding song in there for the fun of it.
11. You're In My Heart, You're In My Soul - Rod Stewart
12. Till There Was You - Rod Stewart
13. * For Sentimental Reasons - Rod Stewart >> One of my fav from his American Songbook album.  This song takes me back to a flat in Liverpool...
14. * I'm Yours - Jason Mraz >> I know... another overplayed song.
15. A Beautiful Mess - Jason Mraz
16. Bintang-bintang - Bintang  >> No kidding.
17. You Belong To Me - Michael Bubble
18. This Moment - Shania Twain  >> Hubby loves her and had dedicated this song to me on numerous occasion. Thought he'd appreciate it being on the songlist.
19. Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bubble
20. Dancing In The Moonlight - Toploader
21. Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra
22. All The Way - Celine Dion & Frank Sinatra  >> Another classic collab!
23. What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
24. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond  >> This is such a fun song. If you're a Gleek, you'd know which epi this came from....
25. Beautiful - Trading Yesterday
26. You Make It Real - James Morrison
27. * Baby It's Fact - HelloGoodbye  >> Another fun upbeat song. This song always makes me smile.
28. All We Are - Matt Nathanson
29. * Loving You - Paolo Nutini
30. * She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra  >> I blame 500 Days of Summer OST. This song is addictive!
31. * Always - Switchfoot

The list are extensive but I know I've put enough of myself into it when my friends came over to me after the wedding and commented that the songlist are so... ME! And I was so happy to hear this and know I've succeed in sharing my musical experience with those who came.

And wouldn't it be more fulfilling if I could make this into a CD and slip it inside a personalised cover sleeve as a wedding favor?

You can download the template for the above CD sleeve for free!

< Get It Here! >

To my best girlfriend:

This post is dedicated to my best girlfriend because I know, without her, I'd be absolutely lost in my wedding preparations.

To my darling Hazlind. Thank you for accompanying me to all the bridal boutiques - from Wangsa Maju to Shah Alam - you were always willing to come with me, and help me with all your opinions and suggestions. Thank you for listening to me rant on and on about all my wedding plans, for letting me unburden all my stressfull days to you whenever I had some disagreements with my mum. Thank you for always be so willing to help me out for my wedding day. Thank you for being there every step of the way - whenever I had doubts on which shoes to get or which 'tudung' to buy - you were always so willing to sacrifice your time (and petrol!) for me. And I always love spending time with you, and I always appreciate and respect your opinions and suggestions.

Thank you for singing at my wedding. I'm so sorry that I didn't get to hear you sing properly. And I can't believe we don't have a proper shot together on my wedding day!! But I'm so glad that you get to be my pengapit on my nikah day because there is no one else I'd rather have to be beside me on my big day.

Thank you for everything and I know I haven't covered enough for all that you've done for me. I hope that one day, when you finally found your special someone, I can be there on your big day too.

Love,

a.i.n.u.n.

Still Pining For These...

I know my own wedding is very much 2-months behind me but I can't help it. I still love looking at wedding dresses. The fact that I wasn't very much happy with my own just made me pine even more for other dresses. Oh well... I'll try to elaborate more on my wedding dress drama one of these days.

But for now, I just want to share with you all some more wedding dresses that I'm in love with.

I love the simple silhouette of this gown, paired with exquisite detailings to the lace for the top.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the bolero but this gown just looks simple and gorgeous.

A design from Karl Lagerfield. It's definitely not something that I could pull-off

but the layering details and structure of this dress is for sure meant for the trendy ones!

Let me point your attention to the bottom-right dress.

I absolutely adore the neckline and shape of the top!

All pictures courtesy of Wedding Inspirasi. Do head on over there for more wedding dress ideas!

Note:: Sorry I haven't been replying comments and e-mails lately but to those who asked about my nikah dress... well... I promise you that the moment I get my pictures (crossing fingers I'll get it next week!) the first thing I'll write about is the dress k?

A 'bimbo' moment

I got a surprise call from Hubby last night. It was a surprise because it was only 3.30pm where he is (10.30pm KL time) and he's supposed to be working. And I had a totally 'bimbo' moment because when I picked-up the call, the first thing he said was "Happy 1st month anniversary!!"

And my reply was: "What anniversary?"

It had never crossed my mind that I've been married for a month now! I've stopped counting down the days and months and years of us being together a long time ago, and it had been just too easy to fall back into steps of my day-to-day routine now that we're apart again. So, in my defense, it was also too easy for me to forget that I'm actually married (I still tend to refer him as my boyfriend in conversations), and I'm not romantic enough to actually celebrate anniversaries in the 1st place.

But still... this is a step towards a lifetime together. So, happy anniversary dearest! Love you lots!!