WEIRDO!

I came across a weird man yesterday morning while going to work. I was moving down the escalator, carrying several big bags when suddenly this guy shove pass me rudely. O_o Luckily I was standing properly or else I would have rolled down the moving escalator! A-hole! I thought angrily as I saw him rush through the MRT gates.

I didn't really think much into it until I saw him again when I walked out from the MRT station. Hm? He was in such a hurry just now, I would have thought that he would have traveled quite far already. Haha... serves him right; he must be stuck among all the human traffic around. Then I noticed something unusual as I observed him.

He would walk in a very slow pace for awhile, looking over his shoulder every moment, as if someone is trailing him. Then, for no particular reason, would very suddenly start running ahead, as if he's very late and he HAS to overtake everybody in front of him! Then suddenly, he would stop and return to his very slow walk. And then he would repeat everything all over again. Weirdo Man!

So due to his irregular speed, we ended up at the bus interchange around the same timing. Haha... but I was so curious about him, I continued to observe him. Well, I was so angry at him pushing me on the escalator too, so I stared at him whenever I had the opportunity. Haha...

He seems ok while queuing for the bus, maybe it's because there's no where to go? When he got onto the bus he sat down, but when the bus started moving he suddenly got up at started to move to the back of the vehicle.

Where he went and what he did I no longer had an interest. There are too many weird people around in my everyday life. They're kind of like the bit of parsley on top of your food. You don't eat them, they don't taste good. But most chefs like to add them. I don't know why. Guess they just make the dish look more interesting. You'll go "Ooooo... nice!" Then you pick it out with your fork and continue with your meal.

My Big Day ~ Part 7 (The Wedding Dinner)

I took a peek at the ball room and my wonderful cupcake tower. It’s so wonderful to see something so big and pretty and delicious!



Haha, and the tower smells so sweet! I felt so happy just looking at them. Really sets a happy mood for me to meet some of my first few guests!



At around 7pm, the captain que us to go change into our 1st march in outfits. Either the captain was too kiasu in getting us to change so early, or we were just too efficient. Within minutes we were back downstairs, saying hi to the reception. It was pretty hard walking around in a crowded area with a dress with such a long train! I keep worrying if someone was going to step onto my dress or worse, tripping over it. Hahaha…

I didn’t expect to feel so happy that night. I thought it would be a night of “hi hi”, but I was wrong, it was great seeing all those friends and family, old and new. Unfortunately there were so many people, I couldn’t spend much time with them individually.



When everybody got seated in the ballroom, I nervously practiced walking outside the reception area. Gosh I hope my heels won’t catch my tutu while I’m walking down the aisle. When I hear them watching the express highlights of the morning I peeked into the room. The event coordinator teased me on not experiencing it enough this morning? Hey I didn’t even know what happened to Cobby outside the gate this morning ok. If I don’t take a peek, the whole world would know but me. OK it was hilarious. I was giggling softly together with the guests watching the video.

Later the captain asked us to get ready to march in. We lined up behind the doors after the sword bearers and waited. The sword bearers matched in and we waited for our turn next. This is it! I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, so nervous and excited all together! We nodded for the captain to open the door and was greeted by a very bright spotlight. The guests applauded as we stepped into the room, the dry ice mist was floating around, smiles everywhere, it was magical.



Then the magic was rudely interrupted when the swords from the first pair was lowered. Grrrr….



I told them no sabo-ing! OK I half expected maybe just one round, but apparently they have planned a sabo at every stage!!! We have six pairs. -_- Till today I have mixed feelings about that. Sometimes I feel like they have ruined my ultimate dream wedding moment which every girl has for only once in their lives. On other days, I feel ok about it and even laugh about it. But honestly, I wasn’t angry at all at that moment. It’s like a magical day, where nothing can bring me down. Everything was a happy and joyous incident to me.

So, what did we went through exactly?
1.Cobby drank one keg of beer, much to the delight of his male counterparts
2.Pledged his ultimate devotion to me
3.Both of us must list 5 of our “first-times”, followed by Cobby drinking a glass of stout
4.Cobby drank three quarter glass of red wine, I helped him finish the remaining quarter.
5.We drank one glass of champagne each



Hey no problem man, bring it on. Hahaha… The “cupcake cutting” ceremony followed, which is really silly but hey, nevermind lah hor, good photo taking opportunity anyway.



Finally, let’s eat! While eating, two little girls came over and started chatting with me. They were so outspoken and chatty, so cute!! They say things like “jie jie, you look like a princess, when I grow up, I want to get married too!” Haha…



Later we went upstairs and changed into our 2nd outfit. As we were changing, we hear loud explosions outside; somewhere outside they were having fireworks display! We can hear them but it was just beyond our window view, so cannot see. Too bad!

2nd march-in was funny. I got a blue feather fan and Cobby was waving to the guests, which I have totally no idea why he was doing that. So funny…!



The standard procedures follows which I think most people should be familiar with, the champagne popping, the YAM SENG, a very emotional speech, and finally photo taking with the guests!



After the photo taking, we changed into our traditional outfits. I was supposed to pin a rose onto my hair, but I forgot, so I just picked up a rose from the reception table and tried to pin it myself.



It looks pretty crappy, fortunately Winsome helped fixed it. Thanks gal! Overall didn’t drink much, only one “mixer” the guys were pretty impressed.



Well, they haven’t seen me drink before! HAHAHAHA! Ahem, anyway, managed to end the night on a happy and sober mode.

What a night! Before we know it, it was time to say good bye. It was such a wonderful wedding day, I have no complains whatsoever. As this wonderful day turns into a fond memory, Cobby and I looked forward to a blissful and happy life together ahead. How wonderful!

My Big Day ~ Part 6 (At the hotel)

I was so comfortable in my tank top and jeans that I dozed off in the car ride to the hotel. In the back of my mind I was trying not to mess up my hair as I snoozed, but then I remembered I have to re-do my hair again anyway, so, Zzzzzzz……..

We checked into the The Novotel @Clarke Quay wedding suit and I was taken aback by how nicely done the suite was. I expected a suite, but what I didn’t expect was the little details that the hotel added to the room that made it such a memorable experience! When we walked in, the corridor was lined with rose petals.



On the coffee table, there’s a fruit platter with champagne and perrier.



By the side they placed chocolates, desserts and some cheese stuff which is absolutely delicious!



Not forgetting the chocolate coated strawberries they placed next to the bed!



It was yummy! The hotel staff even used flower petals to decorate the bed! So sweet right….



And just when we thought that they couldn’t do anything more wonderful, we walked into the bathroom and was greeted with a giant bathtub filled with red rose petals!!!



How romantic is that!? All this and a great view of the river. Sigh~ So we washed up and got to relax for about a few minutes before the activities started again. ‘The brothers and sisters’ were arriving, the sword bearers have to rehearse, the ladies have to have discussions with the event captain, my makeup artist came, parents started arriving, phew….. Nonstop.

One advise to all brides-to-be, EAT. Eat whatever you can find around because the little nibbles here and there would be the only food you get to eat all the way till about 12 midnight, where you would be too exhausted to eat anyway.

So after some gorgeous documentation of my fabulously rich purple tea dress, we strutted to the reception area and started entertaining the early birds. Let the show begin!

My Big Day ~ Part 5 (Back to mom’s place)

We were all pretty hungry and exhausted when we got back to mom’s place.



We took some pictures and proceeded to attack on the food!!!



Well, it wasn’t very fantastic but it filled our rumbling tummy! While we resting on the sofa, mom was busy in the kitchen, cutting out the middle part of the roast pig and returning the head and the hind to Cobby’s mama.



This is a form of courtesy to the in-laws, symbolizing 有头有尾. Also returning several items with double meaning, like vegetables for luck (菜头 = 彩头), oranges – gold, a pair of pants for the groom (thanking the mother for raising the son), ang pao, etc.

So after food we took some crazy pictures!



After that we finally moved to check into the Hotel! Most of our entourage went home to rest as they were with us since 6am plus in the morning. So they were just as exhausted. I really thank them for helping us and sharing this special morning with me and Cobby. Rest well and I’ll see you tonight!

My Big Day ~ Part 4 (At Our Love Nest)

I know that traditionally the groom is suppose to carry the bride into the house but our door is a little narrow, so we changed the practice to have Cobby carry me into the bedroom instead.




I was dreading this part as I know I’m not the exactly petite, so I was kindda worried that I may break Cobby’s back or something. Fortunately, with a little advice from the camera man, he easily scooped me up, carried me into the bedroom and gently put me down onto the bed!


YEAH SUCCESS!!!!!

According to the camera man, the key is to make sure the bride puts her arms around her groom’s neck, and is in a “sitting position”. As he scoops her up, one arm should be behind the lower back, the other in the mid tight area. Useful instructions for those who don’t know how to carry a bride. Hehe…

So after singing praises to the groom, our entourage relaxed in the living room as we change our outfit.



I removed my veil and changed into my gorgeous KUA. Oh gosh, as much as I love my dress, I can’t deny that it’s such a relief to remove the heavy and tight fitting dress and put on a light and loose KUA!!!

It took us awhile to put on all my gold accessories as there were so many. Some of the accessories were new, like the 四点金 that Cobby mama gave me and the dragon and phoenix bangles that my parents gave me. Others were very old, passed down from my mama’s mama to me. I love the fact that I’m wearing my grandmother’s accessories on my wedding day. It feels good that though they were not with us anymore, part of them is still there with us, blessing us with their presence. Of course, gold accessories also look fabulous with the traditional KUA. Haha…



Look at my beautiful embroidered slippers!



Took me forever to find one that I like as they were all so plain. The original only has embroidery, so it was very boring. Sis actually helped me sew on sequins so they look shiny and bright. So touching! Slippers of LOVE~

Cobby also changed into his mandarin collar top. So traditional! I love it! We took some photos with the various items meant for blessing our marriage life and headed back to my mama’s place.

My Big Day ~ Part 3 (At the Grooms Place)

I realized that I got a little distracted and didn’t finish my wedding blog. Tsk Tsk… how can!? Ok So I’m continuing from the last entry where the girls finished torturing Cobby and we were heading off to Cobby’s place.

Getting into the car with a full ball gown is not the easiest thing in the world. Worse if you were wearing diamante studded heels that keep hooking onto your tutu underneath your dress. So after some struggling, we got into the car, pose prettily for photos, and head off to Cobby’s place.

Thank goodness the BMW 745i was so spacious and has an air con vent at the back seat. Any smaller and I would have been buried by my massive dress. As I cooled off in the smooth ride, the photographer in the other car drove next to our car and we managed to take some photos. Haha, fun.

We finally reached toa payoh and we waited patiently for Deng Deng, Cobby’s six year old nephew to open the car door for us. Strangely I saw Ah Lai, Cobby’s pretty old, very big cousin come strutting towards the card and he looks like he’s going to open the door for us instead! Erm… ok…

The looks on the girl’s face were priceless. They were all expecting someone by the name of Deng Deng to come, and thought that Deng Deng was a cute little boy. So they assumed that Ah Lai was actually Deng Deng and was finding it hard to control their amusement that a grown man has such a cute nick name. The girls are still laughing about that moment today.

The living room was quite empty as the whole group walked into Cobby’s mom’s place, the relatives were all standing around the bedroom doors, like they were so afraid to interact with us.


Haha, no lah, they’re probably just shy… So we did our prayers to the gods and settled down to rest and enjoy some sweet soup.

Tea serving time!


Cobby mama gave me a beautiful necklace, (which I chose myself) and tried to put it on for me. She was so nervous that her hands were shaking as they struggled to unlock the necklace. I was still wearing my heels, so I had to squat down half-way so that she can actually help me wear the necklace. Again she was so nervous that she took about 2 minutes trying unsuccessfully to hook on the necklace, and then Cobby took over and took another antagonizing 1 minute. All this while I was actually squatting!!!!!


Winsome was at the side whispering encouragement ~ Remember your training from the ABT classes! Hahaha…. Torture~

So we celebrated the finishing of the event with nice photographs!

After a short rest and some quick lunch, the we picked up the giant roast pig and headed to our love nest!

Careful Derrick! There's a bride behind you (who's on a diet for too long)! I think she's gonna pounce onto the roast pork!

Cobby mama, Cobby auntie and cute little charlotte bid us farewell.

I love my dress~

See you later!

My Big Day ~ Part 2 (Fetching the Bride)

I watched from my window alone as the cars pulled up downstairs and silently waved at no one in particular. My prince is here in his BMW horse to rescue me from the tower! The girls have all left the room to prepare for the tasks for the guys, so there’s nothing for me to do except to sit down and rearrange my dress again. 5 minutes went by and still no noise outside. What’s keeping them?

Suddenly there was a lot of shouting and talking outside. They’re here! I giggled in excitement; I can’t believe this is really happening! Apparently they were waiting for the exact timing before coming up. -_-'''

Actually for the next 40 minutes or so during the gate crashing, I have no idea what happened outside my door. I can’t get up, or it’ll mess up my dress. I can’t switch on the bloody TV as it would require me to get up. There’s nothing for me to do! So while they were laughing and screaming outside, I had to entertain myself by taking self portraits with my camera phone, sms him words of encouragement and even started playing games on my phone.

Bored....

Mom and Dad gave up trying to interfere with the ‘negotiation’ between and gals and guys and started showing photos of our recent Hong Kong / Taiwan trip to god-ma. Boh Chup... After a while the bridesmaids came into my room every once in awhile to show me the completed “tasks”. That kept me entertained for awhile, thanks girls!

So what did happened during the gate crashing session?

Beneath the sweet exterior.... Lies the evil plans....

Evil enough to make them beg for mercy... or maybe just the bloody keys... Kekeke...

Task 1:
Chun Howe has to make the words “I LOVE YOU” using the buns given.

Satisfied! Ang Pao please! US$4.00 = S$6.0872 (cheapo!) Reward! With 85% Cocoa dark chocolate to show that he can endure the bitterness in life.

Task 2:
Chun Howe has to draw a portrait of us.

So cute! Love the arrow! Ang Pao please – Swiss Franc 20.00 = S$25.2495 (duh...) Reward! With super sour lemon candy to show that he can endure the sourness in life..

Task 3:
Chun Howe and the guys have to put on skirts handmade by Dad to perform a can-can dance!

Takes a real friend to through this with you.... Whoo Hoo! Ang Pao please – (after being scolded by sis) – S$200.00! Yeah! That's more like it...

Final Task 4:
Chun Howe has to list down 10 things that he likes about Colene!

Ok lah final Ang Pao Please! – S$20.00

Well Done! You May Enter!

There was a lot of screaming when the guys got into the house. I heard the girls shout “close the doors!” and I hear them asking Chun Howe to guess which room I was in. He wanted to choose my bedroom door, but suddenly chose to open my parent’s room door instead. When he opened the door he was so surprised to see me inside that he gave a shout, “Eh?” and stood outside for a moment. Maybe he’s worried that there would be a booby trap behind the door or something.

Eh?! (lucky guess lah... or maybe its CoCo's powerful brain power at work?)

“Come in, come in!” I laughed. The photographer and camera man ask the girls who wanted to take picture to come in first. Finally, with a lot of cameras flashing and clicking, my prince charming came into the room, kneels down and presented me with a bouquet of flowers. Then he unveiled me, gave me a sweet kiss and we welcomed each other with a loving hug! We then walked out of the bedroom hand in hand and everybody started applauding. Yeeeaaah!

We sat down where my dad liked to refer to as the photography area and we fed each other the sweet soup as the cameras snap away. Cliché I know. But hey, the sweet soup’s good. Yum…

The tea ceremony was fun, especially when it comes to receiving ang pows and gifts. Haha… It’s even funnier when Chun Howe had to serve tea to Clarence and my brother. Like most modern Singaporean, we usually address them by name. So everybody was sniggering when Chun Howe had to address Clarence as 姐夫 (brother-in-law) and my brother as 哥哥 (Big brother) and serve them tea.

So after another round of photo taking, we set off to the groom’s place. Dad had to walk me to the car with a red umbrella while mom throws rice above our heads. Dad was in such a hurry, he forgot to wear his shoes! So he actually walked barefooted all the way to the waiting car downstairs. Mom threw so much rice! Chun Howe told me later that night that some actually got into his underwear. Whahaha…. So funny…

Ooo the car is sooooo nice……. Chun Howe rented a black 7 series BMW for around S$875 but it was worth every dollar! The chauffer is a friendly and cool young man that opens the door for me. The leather seats are soft and comfortable and the ride is powerful yet smooth! Thank goodness we got such a gigantic car. Even with all the fluff from my big dress, I managed to settle down comfortably (not easy to get in with my dress though) oh yah, the air-con vent at the back seats was definitely a god-sent. Phew…

Off to Chun Howe’s home we go!

(to be continued…)