Wedding Preps

finally managed to squeeze time to visit the bridal shop yesterday.

finalized the package, paid the deposit, browsed through some gowns/suits...

voila! we're done. almost. except that i can't quite decide on the gowns yet.

anyway, we also paid a visit to to Bliss Marriage, recommended to us by Wilson & Phoebe. they're packed with customary wedding items from candles to 5-grain seeds to basket, basins, spittoons and more. the manager was really friendly, offered us loads of information and convinced us that it's still too early for us to buy. he advised us to return 2 - 4 weeks before our wedding.

awesome folks!

then we stopped by Yong Sheng to order our wedding cakes 喜饼. reasonably priced and nicely packed in auspicious red boxes + gift bags. we paid for 20 boxes plus a few boxes of their tambun biscuits and goodies (we couldn't resist!). we've even signed up as members for their discounts. oops.

lastly, we didn't manage to get the accommodation we originally wanted, so we had to settle for another at Aloha Changi.

so, most stuff have been settled.

by now, we're only pending the confirmation of the photographer(s), the actual day schedule, making of the montage and wedding music, some DIYs and our moms' gowns. i think. that's all i can come up with for now. will update if more stuff pops up.

Quick Check

with 3 days' off time this week, i finally got to work on (part of) the wedding plan.

managed to finalize our makeup artist, car rental and solemnizer (Ms Jennifer Lim). started working on the actual day's schedule too. phew.

and today, we collected our health screening results then Poppy made a trip down to the restaurant to meet Suzanna, while i head to work, to confirm the menu and details for the invitation cards.

now we're left with booking of our solemnization date with ROM and the accommodation for my relatives, together with, discussion of our package with the bridal shop (incl gown/suit + car decor + hand bouquet + jackets for our dads + dresses for our moms), photographer/videographer, wedding cakes and items for the customary.

that sounds like a whole lot, doesn't it?

i'm really starting to panic.

meanwhile, Custard's adjusting well, but she's be mewing a lot more recently. sometimes she stops after being fed, other times she just continues mewing. we've scheduled to bring her to the vet on Monday, just to make sure she's all well.

Custard's getting pretty pesky nowadays, she will mew and behave coquettishly so that she gets carried to my lap where she will nap and get back-rubs. she even mews disapprovingly when i shift or move my legs! and now, she has the audacity to jump onto and nap on the sofa, despite disapproving sounds we make. she's practically the queen of the house. haa.

alright then, more updates will after we visit the bridal shop next weekend.

till then, tata...

The Past Week

a one-word summary of my week - BUSY.

work's been mad. likewise, i'm going mad too.

one single day of work with *ahem* is enough to drive one crazy.

for some reason it has just got to be me.

i've got 5 weeks in total - 1 week down, 4 more to go.

been wanting to clear my leave, take a break, but the team's schedule is so messy.

the earliest i can do is end of May, since April i'm on night shift and there's not much point in clearing leave.

there's so many changes going on around here daily.

change in job scopes, increasing expectations, people are leaving, the roster's screwed up...

like what E says, we should be considering our options soon. if not for the tonnes of commitment i have, i would "just do it". oh well...

i met up with the girls after work last Wednesday to discuss on the wedding plans and bridesmaids duties. had a choppity dinner at the hawker centre then headed over to Wala for a drink. work resumed as per normal the next two days with zero time to chat.

had to postpone the collection of our health screening results because Poppy had a last minute press conference for his work.

headed straight for the IT Show in Suntec when he returned. because i already "aimed" the items i needed and compared prices prior to making my way down, it was a pretty zippy affair. within an hour, we paid for and collected our Nikon cammie. i was contemplating between the Nikon Coolpix s8000 vs Canon SX 210 IS (see comparison below). online reviews, already announced the s8000 as a winner, but i just had to see it myself. but alas, they didn't have the SX 210 IS at the IT Show, so i happily bought and paid for my Nikon. initially wanted the black version but it's already sold out, so i got the red one, and realized it matches my phone. hee-haw.

Winner: Nikon Coolpix S8000

Taken from http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_PowerShot_SX210_IS-vs-Nikon_Coolpix_S8000

we then went off to meet Alex and Michelle at FEP for lunch, shopped a little before fetching my bro and his folks off to Tampines to meet my parents for dinner. everyone was quite blur during the discussion. mostly having no inking what was required. but despite that, i'm glad they all got on along pretty well. dropped his mom and my bro off on our way home, caught some play time with Custard and finally had our Zee-time after doing some work-related stuff.

while Poppy was still Z-ing, i got up earlier to feed Custard and clean up her cage.

she's quite a hippity hoppity cat, and the pellets in her litter tray always gets tossed out when she jumps from the top deck. i've replaced the cardboard in her cage with her favorite old (but clean) floor mat. she loves scratching and stretching on it.

we decided to grab our brunch at Ikea then browse for some furniture and little whatnots for Custard. oh yes, he's getting a 3-feet fish tank (we're turning our house into a neighborhood pet shop) but it doesn't come with a covered cabinet, so we're looking around for sturdy ones.

anyhoos, we bought a rattan basket for Custard, just like the one she had at Mrs Wong's previously, and a separate cushy red pad to go with it. eh, she doesn't seem very keen in the basket when we place the red quilt in it (i'm not sure if the color is too striking, but hey, we didn't have any other choice of colors), so we gave her just the rattan basket for a start. when i did have the quilt in, i'd lure her with her nom noms. i haz a evil.

she totally doesn't like the kitty sushi treats i bought. BUT she loves all the various canned foods and the kibbles i feed her with. she has no qualms wolfing down the mix of Orijen, Indigo Moon, Royal Canin 32 and 33, irregardless of the combination or ratio. and yes, she has zero problems of diarrhea when i switched her feed. she's a hungry cat!

hokays, gotta go concentrate on my work.

picture updates from my new cammie soon, i hope!

Last night...

Poppy complained that i haven't been cooking for too long.
first it was the festives, then i fell sick and afterwards i had to go back to work already.

so yesterday morning, after my night shift, i stopped by the supermarket to grab some veggies, meat and fruits.
dinner was fried rice, stir-stewed veggies and yummy ice blended kiwi-and-strawberry juice.
Custard, wanting attention as usual, mewed nonstop while we ate at the dining table beside her cage. but when i offered her some fresh veggie, she kept quiet. hawhaw.

we met Alex and Michelle, after putting Custard to sleep, to go by the aquariums and pet shops in the neighborhood and Holland V. they were looking for guinea pigs (think G-Force!), and Poppy was looking for his fish tank and other supplies.

we found that hamster ball thingy (see below), and had a good laugh thinking back on the guinea pig who farted in his ball, in the G-Force movie.


a random search on google for "guinea pig farts in ball" showed...

"his hamster ball broke from his extreme farting"

What Others Are Saying
(also taken from this page)

• probably the best waking up experience ever

• halp i iz trapped !!!1!!!1!

• i hope he gives his hamster enaugh food

• this is david he is the last of his kind and must be preserved in cativity until a mate can be found for him expectations of his realise are low

• now that facial expression is worth a prise.

• excuse me. EXCUSE ME! CAN YOU LET ME OUTTA HERRREEE!!

LOL.
anyhoos, i bought nothing as i'm still pretty adamant that the prices i got are much cheaper! sucha cheapo i am.

got up early today, when Poppy was getting off to work.
gave Custard her breakfast of a quarter can of tuna & salmon, before making my own breakfast of fusilli pasta.

hey, she likes the tuna & salmon can too! i am SO going to buy her more cans. although she takes in a lot of water, i still think kibbles are way too dry. mixing in canned meals a few times a week are much better for her (grain-free ones, of coz).

alright, i gotta go take a nap while Custard gets her catnap too.
here's some (very) overdue pictures taken at Loyang Tua Pek Gong Temple on the 4th day of CNY.

Custard ♥ II

Custard's over here for almost a week now.
she's settling in quite well, but she still mews a lot (even when we let her out of the cage).

her stools seem normal and she drinks frequently, and she seems to have quite an appetite for an adult cat. her eye discharge, due to infection at the foster's, has reduced significantly with her tearing less.

she loves the toy mice i bought, together with some random DIY toys i made out of household items. there has been no mischief till she peed in her new bed instead of the litter tray yesterday. and today, she jumped onto my kitchen window and clinged onto the nylon mesh. i'm glad precautions were taken to mesh them up!

and this is her kaypo-ing around and sitting on my paper, while i did my work.

i'm looking to change her diet from Royal Canin 32 and 33, which were fed by her foster.
below's a chart (and a short write-up by another cat owner) of various healthy brands (grain-free and mostly high protein ones), the retailers and the respective prices. many were contributed by helpful forumers on Pets.sg and PetsChannel.com.

(please feel free to contact me for the soft copy if required)

i'll be giving her a mix of Orijen Cat & Kitten (est S$13.66/KG) plus Solid Gold Indigo Moon (est S$8.70/KG), together with her current feed till it runs out. hopefully she adjusts well to both. and at a ratio of 1:2, it'll only cost me less than S$25 per month. whoopie.

and although Mrs Wong says she doesn't eat canned food, she seemed to enjoy the canned tuna & shrimp i fed her these 2 days. i'll try some other brands/flavors over the week, and see if she has problems with them (hopefully not, otherwise the supplies will have to go to the strays).

that's all for now.
time to make dinner, ciaoz.

Custard ♥

Custard came home with us on Saturday

the furkid barf-ed twice and pooped once in the carrier during the ride home
(she must've had motion sickness)

but all's well now
and she's settling very quickly into our home
she's extremely vocal and mews loudly when we put her in the cage at night as if she were crying



we ♥ her to bits

Ka-ching $$$

all my online cat supply orders were delivered on Friday,
and yes, that meant i could fetch Custard home the next!

headed home after work on Saturday morning, got changed and set off for our premarital health screening.
for those of u who are keen, we took the Love Series - $200 (female), $180 (male) or $360 (couple) at Dayspring in Paragon.

we had to starve ourselves fast the night before, and as soon as we were done, we headed to Lucky Plaza in hope of getting a yummy sharks fin meal. but alas, it wasn't going to be opened till 11.30am. bah. we grabbed some random nom at the food court instead.

picked Miss L up at her place on our way to Mrs Wong's.
so exciiiiiiiited!
i recognized Custard right away as she snoozed away in her rattan basket.

played around with other kitties, Stripes was really sweet too but Mrs Wong discouraged me from taking her coz she's pretty old already.
and yes, so we picked Custard, who curled herself around us.
we did the necessary paperwork, picked up her Pee Wee litter and some Royal Canin, and headed back home.

she appeared extremely uncomfortable and scared in the car, then barfed twice and also pooped in her carrier during the ride.
gave her a quick wash once we were home, set up her litter tray, played around a bit then she slept most of the day away while we scooted off to the Natas fair at the Singapore Expo.

combed the entire area carefully, queued, enquired, compared.
and finally we decided to take up the "13D Western USA" package with JP International and forgo Hawaii after much dissuasion from various agents. a pity, but i'm sure the many factory outlet visits will help me forget about the beaches. hawhaw.

though the queue and crowd was mad, the packaged tours were generally cheaper than non-sale days. we saved about 300 buckaroos (per pax) for ours, and of coz we got ourselves a nice 24" hardcase trolley luggage by charging part of our fare to my HSBC credit card (pity, the camera was fully redeemed already). yippey.

originally, we wanted to pay in full to get another 20" cabin luggage, but decided ,with 2 huge luggage at home plus another hardcase one we just got, we've no use (and space) for that anymore. of coz, various credit card companies had similar promotions including UOB, Citibank, DBS, OCBC, Maybank and RBS.

February's been a extravagant month, and my ang bao money have long been gone.
March is time for saving up, hopefully!
(gotta chalk up for reserves for shop-shop in June at the US factory outlets. mwahaha.)