Announcement: We're going to Taiwan!

we were adamant about strictly not committing to the packages the exhibitors offer at The Wedding Diary Asia exhibition at Suntec City.

BUT the My Dream Wedding and Romantic Life booths from Hong Kong and Taiwan respectively really piqued our interest.

before i yak on, here's a brief comparison of the overseas pre-wedding shoot 

(note: the packages exclude local actual day gown rental, makeup, photography etc)

My Dream Wedding Hong Kong	Romantic Life Taiwan
http://www.mydreamwedding.com.sg/	http://romanticlife.com.tw
$2,888	$2,888
($400 travel voucher for first 100 couples)
3 gowns 2 suits	3 gowns 2 suits
½ Day shooting on Yacht + Outdoor ½ Day shooting in Studio (they own 2 studios for indoor shoot)	Full day Outdoor shoot at choice of 3 locations Yang Ming Shan + Taipei City + Beach (Approx 10 hours incl Makeup) optional Indoor shoot in studio
20 + 8 poses 1 pcs - 20 X 24" canvas photo with frame 1 pcs -  5 X  7" table top with frame 1 pcs -  8 X 10" table with frame 1 pcs - 12 X 30" photo album (seamless PVC)	30 + 6 poses (UV moisture-proof film) 1 pcs - 20 X 24" canvas photo with frame 1 pcs - 12 X 15" photo album (seamless PVC)
Additional Perks
	1 pcs - 50" poster 1 pcs - magazine album 1 pcs - guest signature book 8 pcs - wedding VIP invitation gifts 1 box - thank you cards Complimentary 2 nights accomodation near studio
	1 pcs - $500 voucher discount with Sophia bridal for our Actual Day package
* They own 2 bungalow-converted Studios with various themes to cater for Indoor Shoots	* Flexibility to choose itinerary: full day Outdoor + optional Indoor
* Makeup artist will accompany the couple, together with the photographer, throughout the shoot	* No makeup accompanying
* Wide selection of tuxedos and elaborate suits for the groom	* Collaboration with Men's suit tailor for Grooms

to be fair, i have to highlight that we didn't really went into detailed discussion with the former coz Terry and his wife-to-be were looking at a slightly different package that includes ROM.

thus, if u really sit down and do some negotiating, u may more perks than what's stated.

we were quite hardcore and actually sat for more than an hour with the SAs at Romantic Life, until their boss came out and talk to us. oops.

Announcement: The House is Ours!

Yes, we got the house.
In fact, we've paid the deposit fee for the Option To Purchase (OTP) this afternoon during my lunch time.

To find out where it exactly is:http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel_id_1/travel_site_7726/

The owner, staying permanently in Aussie, is kind enough to offer to complete the transaction early, though we're not really in a hurry to occupy the house.


Now, time to start sourcing for furniture and appliances!

I think..

i think, i think..
i think we got it.

the house, that is.

more details coming up.

Time Flies (What else can I say?)

i didn't even realize it's been two weeks since i last blogged!

am i enjoying the LOLCats pictures so much or am i plain lazy?

we spent a couple of nights at the new Ibis hotel at Bencoolen (Bugis) last week.

got the rooms under the Pay What You Want deal as part of their opening promotion.

though the rooms weren't spanking big, they were nice and clean.

there wasn't really any view to speak of (on both occasions our rooms were facing NAFA) but it's really just a stone's throw from hotspots like Bugis Junction, Bugis Village, Suntec City etc etc and if u're really lazy to get out of the room, there's plenty of channels to watch on TV. 

oh yes, rooms come with free Wi-Fi too.

so we had a few days off from house hunting, caught a movie, had nice meals, walked around a lot... and yes, we even had our Aura Photos taken!

i'll blog about it separately coz i didn't bring out the readings with me

after the short break, it was all back to humdrum reality.

we were on to house hunting (what else) and furniture browsing again.

a pieces of good news to share - 

we finally received the approval letter from HDB for the HLE on Friday. yippie.

well, that was supposed to be good news until we found out in the evening that our choice unit has been snapped up (on the same day). 

kua kua.

and so, we continued to view other units in the vicinity last night. 

end of the day, we're contemplating on another unit on the same block as the choice unit but situated on a lower level.

to make things worse, our Macau/Guangzhou/Shenzhen trip is just about 2 weeks away. and we actually haven't gotten down to work on the itinerary. 

yea, the flights and accomodations have been reserved but other than that, nothing else planned. zero. nil. zilch.

it's supposed to be a getaway but it's actually getting in our way by taking up our time.

ho hum.

so, once the we've settled the house, we have to head straight into checking for restaurants/hotels for their packages, counting over the list of guests, making reservations. 

then there's the search for bridal shops for pre-wedding album, actual day photo/videography etc etc.. aargh, so much to do!

though i'm hoping all the tiring house trips will end soon, i've a contradicting voice inside me saying i should enjoy this whole process before it all zips into post-marriage monotony.

it's so CATradicting, isn't it?

I iz webz-shooping agin *oops*

ok, this is totally random.

i started off with surfing for gifts. 

objective words here being started off nothing about where it's ending at.

then i drifted off to peek at the ladies department, 

afterwhich i wandered into the Bed & Bath section, 

and somehow ended up in the Juicy Couture page with this...

someone please cripple or kill me before i act on impulse

then there was also The Cute Pet Tee...

ooh, Queen Bee. 

so cute, isn't it?!

and then, i remembered this face...

... and these...

*gasps*

wipes thoughts of Cute Pet Tee off my mind

uh, ok bubbye.

reality check

i'm so hooked to the Korean variety [We Got Married]!

i love the InYoung + Crown J and Hwang-bo + Hyun Joong couples.

so darn addictive.

there's a good deal of things to learn as well.

anyways, we've been on The House Hunt for more than a month now.

we've seen a good number of units, and will be seeing a few more in a few hours' time.

ah, this is tiring.

spending almost all our rest days combing various estates.

we hardly have much time left to rest and go out and enjoy ourselves.

on top of the viewing, there's baby showers, wedding lunches / dinners etc etc to attend.

have i mentioned this? 

i haven't met the chickies for almost 2 weeks!

being in the night shift also meant, i won't get to chat with them as frequently or as much.

i sure hope the spree shipments will arrive soon, then we can meet up again and gush over our "New Arrivals" over a dessert or some alcohol!

back to the point, we managed to reserved a room at the Ibis Hotel for the night of 11th March.

it'll probably be a good time to quieten down, relax, and destress.. and strange, how come i have the urge to type the words "shopping" and "spree"?! 

i think i have that bit of "InYoung" in me... i need New Arrivals to keep myself motivated!

*can't hold the urge down*

ahem. 

in any case, do check back for more updates after we view a few more units.

and after i settle my sprees - 3 to be exact (VS + F21 + ON).

... till then

overdue random

some random notes about my week

(leaky memory as Ling always says)

2009.03.01

was at Clarice's full month party on Sunday.

all was fine until it started raining,

but we still went ahead to meet the agent to view a couple of units afterwards.

2009.03.02

slept in late after the overnight mj session at home.

we were supposed to renew mr ma's season parking for my place but it was so packed at the office that we just dropped the idea.

went over to Sim Lim Square to buy some computer accessories then went by KKH to visit little Mathias, who was due for his MRI scan.

i was so upset and started to tear after seeing the ward being packed with little kiddos, most of whom are crying.

but yes, like what mr ma says - they will all recover and grow up healthily after a little pain!

2009.03.03

slept in late again after a second mj session - a vague attempt to recover the losses made on the previous night.

popped by HDB again to check on his season parking, then made a quick trip to JB for dinner before sending me to his place and heading to work himself.

it was so awkward staying overnight at his house myself.

luckily i lugged my piggy soft toy along (not that it could talk to me.. but i can imagine it to!)

as if the usual sinus problem wasn't bad enough, his dusty blanket made it worse.

the sneezing and running nose kept me awake right till 6am.

anyway, the night went past pretty quickly and i managed to complete Patapon 2 on PSP.

2009.03.04

mr ma came home with breakfast after work (i can't even recall the time)

i only remembered struggling to keep my eyes open at the dining table and dragging my feet back to bed...

other than waking up occasionally, after repeated nightmares of going to work very late, i slept through all the way from morning till evening.

we took some time before going to office to drop by and recce the prospective home.

i'd say we're pretty convinced already.

all we need, is a few more in the area to compare.

*smirks*

and now, back at work.

*no more smirk*