Friday, is when my dearies/online pals go home for the weekend. But Friday in Singapore is Thursday in US. Fortunately Thursday, is when K comes home. So I have someone by my side.

How lucky am I. but i still miss you all live.
I love love love my dearies in Singapore!

Kaylor, Laura, Lea & Rachel, thanks for the beautiful purple bouquet and sexy lingerie (it took me 2 weeks to figure out this was from you all) ! ;) Muuuacks!


These match the colour of my wedding nails perfectly. Too bad they arrived way after. :)

Ralph Lauren Fillipa Gown, $5598

I am going to start my wedding planning. There, I said it. Please hold me accountable if I don't update anything cos that means I am still nuah-ing (chilling). Thanks peeps!

Of course I am most excited about my wedding gown. I don't want the traditional ballgown-style. More into mermaid-style or a beautiful tiered gown like the one in the picture. Plus I have a budget of only $1000. Any ideas?


There is no mistake in my title. Thomas Beatie is pregnant with his second child to be born this Summer and this is not a breakthrough scientific research either. It's genuine and all natural.

Thomas Beatie is a transgender male, meaning he used to be a girl but had surgery to reshape his breasts and takes male hormones to build up his manliness. The only asset of his past is his vagina, some paradox.

He's been happily married to wife, Nancy, and they both want kids. Unfortunately Nancy is unable to carry a baby so Thomas decides to take up the task. He stopped taking hormone pills and his body began to regulate itself. After a few months, they started home insemination. Their first children were triplets but had to be aborted cos it was an ectopic pregnancy. After countless tries, Thomas is now pregnant with their second. A healthy baby girl to be delivered in July.

i dunno what to think about this. glad that people who actually want kids have succeeded but i wonder what the kid will feel when she's older...

Thomas Beatie shares his story here.


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been browsing many streetstyle blogs and inspired, i stepped into a local vintage store today. i didn't leave empty-handed.


my first vintage bag! i love love love the fire engine red and pleating details. was also pleasantly surprised to find a tag that says "Genuine Eel Skin". oh wow, my first exotic skin bag!


i know i'm gushing but the bag is so versatile. use as a shoulder bag or clutch. see those red shoes? got them at the store too. am broke now, no more shopping for this month.


got this bangle some time ago. the paint brush strokes on this is very in this season. cheap cheap $8.90


just cos my legs look long here.


Hehe, this is not a mini vaccum cleaner. It's a leaf blower. I simply don't see its usefulness at all.

The blower is supposed to produce a gush of air to lift the leaves so they 'float' to where you want them to be. But leaves being so light, end up being scattered by the same gush of air. So you actually have to manoeuver the blower quite a bit to get the leaves to go where you want to. All that effort. Isn't it easier to just sweep up the leaves???

Sometimes when the leaf pile is not substantial, K just blows the loose leaves onto the streets. That's like transferring litter from the floor to under the carpet. Might as well don't clear.

I think men just like the whirring sound of the blower. Makes them feel like master of the universe controlling a powerful machine. Same reason why men like cars.


*roll eyes*
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For Snowrach


Notice it's all yellow?

I bought the one piece from celebrity store, Kitson. That was before I knew the baby's gender so chose the most neutral and pleasing colour - yellow. Isn't the wording cute? Hope snowrach's xiao guai guai will be a good baby and sleep well through the night. ;)

Much much later, I decided to buy California Baby diaper cream and lotion because I have heard so much about it. Supposedly it is the most gentle and effective for babies' sensitive skin.

Lastly I rounded up my purchase with a little chick bag and a furry yellow duckie card.

Voila! It's now a set.
Thank you Lord that you were risen on this day for us.


After my statement, posting an easter egg picture feels so pagan. :p This is the cake we bought for an Easter lunch.


Our host owns a parrot! I asked her if it could talk and she said yes. So I stood in front of the cage saying "Hello!" and waving my hand. I must have looked stupid. All I got from it was "SQUAWK!" -_- talking parrot indeed..
There are so many things I wanna blog about! From my proudly cheapie buys to my scrumptious meals (take that with a pinch of salt) to thoughts on recent events. I sooo wish there was some way to convert mind images to web content. Hmm, but will that lead to porno overflooding? Ok, not a good idea.

Anyway, I've been lazy to blog. "Then what do you do all day?!" Well... I am a
tai tai = enjoy life = no need do anything

hahaha. I think the real reason is cos I hate to resize and post pics. Just imagine resizing and posting 50 pics from scratch. "Well then, use LESSER pictures." But the pictures ARE my story! So I will eventually get around to posting more pics once my inner angel triumphs over my inner lazy demon.

Today Kelly ever so subtly hinted about the lack of activities to occupy my time, "Won't you love to volunteer at an animal shelter?" Yes I would and I promise to look for courses/volunteer work by next week.

Adopt clever Kriket at SPCA LA

Interesting discovery of the day: Ang Mohs will pour tea for you but they pour theirs first.

Source

Why is this interesting? Because ang moh culture is known to be cultivate independance (me first attitude). At meal times, an ang moh will only ever pick food or pour tea for himself and they will NEVER EVER share their food. So either this is a misconception or Kelly is just a very considerate guy. (Of course it could be that I have 'trained' him well... lol)

Recently I read an article that said ang mohs focus on one point or one person when taking pictures, thus images are more 'zoomed in'. On the other hand, Chinese tend to focus on the overall view. They incorporate the person into the background/scenery so pictures tend to be 'zoomed out'. Researchers say this shows that the Chinese recognise the interconnected-ness of one element to another and that ang mohs have a more independent approach. I think this is true. Picture taking wise, I find that Kelly takes a lot of closeups and sometimes I complain that he doesn't capture the view. Whereas I take a broader view and Kelly ends up being a tiny guy.

Example:
(Left) Kelly takes a closeup of his niece and I
(Right) I capture the people as well as the many presents surrounding them.


******
Ang Moh = Colloquial term in Singapore for fair skinned caucasians.
Tai Tai = Colloquial term in Singapore for a woman of leisure.
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We still waiting for more pictures from various sources. Here's a preview.



My hair styled with fresh green orchids. I purposely chose orchids to reflect my Singapore roots. So patriotic hor?



Isn't the view fabulous? I love the lighthouse! and we can hear the crashing waves as we say our vows.


Weather reports predicted a thunderstorm. Thank God it didn't rain. Not even a hint of drizzle. BUT it was super windy. See my hair and dress? I almost did Marilyn Monroe!


We are married!!! It was a very casual affair. Kelly was warm in his sweater and jeans. I got goosebumps but my tres chic trenchcoat and minidress was worth it.


My mum-in-law looks so stylish!
The family


Sucked back into the 80s...


Our first post-wedding lunch -Hotdogs and Chilli Fries... Waaaa, he treats me so bad...


okok, I really really like hotdogs and chilli fries. The chilli here is not the red hot spicy chiili we are familiar with. It's a thick, savoury and rich sauce, looks like mashed bolognaise.




Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!


St Patrick's Day traditionally falls on 17 March but due to a clash with Holy Week in 2008, the Vatican church officially moved St Patrick's to 15 March this year. This is the first time the date has been changed since 1940 and the next change is only expected in 2016.

We ROMed today which means we got married on St Patrick's Day!!! Since Kelly might be 1/4 Irish, this is so apt! If we had known earlier, we could have gotten this 4 leaf clover ring for exchange.


I always believe that pets should be au naturel so I hate it when people dress up their pets (unless it is winter and cold of cos). But when searching for images of St Patrick's Day, I came across this cutie. We plan to have a miniature daschund just like this one and they looked soooo adorable in a costume! I don't know now... what do you think?

I told Kelly about my trip to Huntington garden and he wanted to see it for himself. So we made plans to visit the following weekend which was perfect because the Chinese garden was newly opened.




Below: Her expression and layers of clothing reminds me of empress dowagers in those China Tv dramas. I know I know, my imagination runs too wild..


A lot of effort was put into this place to make it authentic. They even created a man-made spring. The whole place reminds me of a Hong Kong TV drama set!!! Can you spot me in the pictures?




Kelly's initial plan was to propose at the Chinese garden but there were just too many people. Hee, see this pic! He looks so calm hor? I didn't notice anything amiss for the whole day! Brownie points!


This is my favourite picture. Stare long enough and it starts feeling like a time warp is taking place.


We then hit the Japanese garden. There is a serenity about this place that makes you thread softly and talk in whispers. More on the Japanese garden here.


After we finished touring the garden, I asked Kelly if he wanted to do it again and he said yes. After strolling past the pond, I felt him pulling my hand. Immediately the thought flashed through "He's going to propose!". I started laughing and so did he. Then we stood there dumbly waiting. Finally to break the ice, I took sweet out of my bag and offered him some. He completely lost his nerve after that. -_-


So we continued strolling. I spotted a row of sakura trees with beautiful pink blossoms and pointed it out to him, "That is a beautiful spot!". I simply meant to say it's beautiful but my mind must have been on the proposal when I added "spot".


*Pause from Kelly* Thinking he wasn't going ask, I walked on. Then I felt a tug on my right hand and Kelly started saying something. My mind went blank. I heard some words and saw him putting the ring on my finger. I haven't said YES and he was putting on the ring already! NOOO...
So I tried pulling my hand away but he held on to it, trying to push the ring on my finger now. The tug of war would be pretty comedic if both of us wasn't nervous. In the end, I asked Kelly to do it 3 times before he finally got it right.

Before leaving, we checked out the gift store and found this stone! It was perfect for the occasion!

******
I can't help feeling a bit wistful now that it is over. I wondered how my proposal will be like and of cos there is always a fantasy one. So now that it is done, it feels so OVER. :( Can I have a proposal every year with different styles?

My 1st attempt to go to the Huntington took me 2 hours and ended at the public library. The wrong directions were provided by a helpful bus driver. Hmmm, if you drove the same route everyday, won't you remember the attractions?



You would think that I have learnt a lesson but I made the same mistake AGAIN. I listened to a bus driver and he took me far far away from my destination. WHY DON'T THEY KNOW THEIR ROUTE? So I got off, walked for 2 hours and got there. Grrr!



Red lanterns for Chinese New Year.


My first stop is the library. Flash wasn't allowed so my photos turned out dark.


This is the Gutenberg bible, oldest printed book in Europe.


If you were a rich kid in the 18th century, you would learn your ABCs from a hornbook made of brass. Poor kids used paper.. At least they had lighter bags. Makes me glad we have colourful alphabets.


Audubon had a vision to illustrate 400 native birds in full clour and natural size. But as more and more species were discovered, he ended up drawing 1065 birds and nearly bankrupted himself. That's dedication.

ok, out of the dark library and into the sunshine of camellia garden.




The camellia path leads to a sculpture garden.



I spied a duck sunning itself and chased it for a better shot. Duckie wasn't happy though and kept quacking angrily at me.



Taking a break from suck chasing.


Choices choices choices... hmmm.


I head for the herb garden but there are more than herbs. Look at this HUGE vegetable!


How does lettuce grow so big? They are bigger than my head!


When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lighting, or in rain? ...... Fair is foul and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air.
~ 3 witches in Macbeth stirring their cauldron.

Orange trees, beautiful flowers and ...... an alien flower.




Ever wonder how ancient people match meanings to a flower? Why must red roses imply passion, pink roses for love and white roses for purity? Click here for the origin of the language of flowers.



That alien flower has a very poetic name, 'Love in a mist'. It represents perplexity, guess I would be very perplexed if I get this from a guy.

and WAR!!! if I get this.
Unfortunate for the guy who gives this to a girl.

The Japanese garden is a pretty sight.


Looks as if Memoirs of a Geisha was filmed here.


This traditional Japanese house was dismantled, flew in and assembled in Huntington. There are 3 fully furnished rooms for sleeping, dining and a little tea appreciation.


bamboo walkway

a wooden bridge links the main garden to a dry landscape zen garden.



Ghosts live in these stones. Read more in the entry below.



Sakuras are in bloom now! They are a really sweet light pink, not the bright fuschia in this picture.


After a long afternoon, it's time to go home.

But not before I go shopping at the gift store. I buy a beautiful notebook to use as my diary and English-style cards with roses on them. Just perfect if I have a tea party. Not that I am going to have any but they are sooooo pretty!