gnatweds

Had my first real fitting with Kai over the weekend.
Okay, I'll take back every nasty remark, they were REALLY nice, very personable.
I'll still look like a meringue, but nevermind.
Realise that I am getting the gown at a comparatively reasonable price. Someone else I know is paying 4K for a Tan Yoong creation... woooo.

If this is making absolutely no sense, don't worry. It's a bit like that... wait till you hit the local bride forums, all sorts of designer names will be tossed around with gay abandon: (oohhh, a pun, gay... designer... geddit geddit?) More famous ones: Michelle Hui Min, Tan Yoong, Amanda Lee, Ted Wu, Kai, Frederick, oh wait, if you think Singaporeans love acronyms, wait till you meet a Singaporean bride. WG, EG, BP - (wedding gown, evening gown, bridal package in that order...) its a whole different language and these women can go on and on on the forums for months, even a year before their big day. Amazing. They also form little cliques and they'll *actually* meet up. Jeezuz. For a taste of what I'm talking about, click here.
And its not just gowns, we're talking reams and reams of discussion on flowers, make up, shoes.
Wow.

Then, after trying the gown, I spent the entire day cleaning! Damn. Hate housework. Mondo letdown man



Anyways, last weekend was WOMAD as well. That's Eugene living it up. You can't see clearly in the photo but he is clutching a glassful of sparkling red wine.
Hehehhehe



The atmosphere was gorgeous. Everybody on their feet dancing like mad.

Then, Monday hit and I got really really sick. Geez.

Just spent last two days in bed.

Still feeling tinges of nausea and tummy pain. Will update blog another time.

It is a retrospective post: wahhahah. Too busy to post on actual dates.

The tasting for the dinner went pretty well, except for a slight snafu with the main course.

Well, the families met at 8 pm on Aug 10 at the Tanglin's Churchill Room - Dad looked extremely spiffy that night. Too bad didn't think to take photos with the mob phone *duh*

Here was the menu that we sampled:

Appetisers
Terrine of Lobster & Prawn, Nonya Pickle, Asian Salad with a dash of Fragrant Shallot Oil
Sesame Crusted Maguro Tuna, Steamed Lobster with Herbs and Mesclun Mixed Teriyaki Oil
Caesar Salad with Bread Crouton, Cured Cherry Tomatoes on Curry Marinated Beef Carpaccio

Comments: Who comes up with these names I wonder. SOooo cheem right? But I suppose it would be half as glam/romantic if it read prawn cake and oil.. whahahhahah!
Anyway, the Terrine was really a high class chye dao kuay looking slab heheh. But it was quite tasty, especially with the achar.
Gnat's favourite was the Tuna - seared slightly so the inside remains sashimi style red. Comes with a lobster tail too (though it looks more like a Yabbie), sitting fatly in its shell. Yums man.
The Caesar was rich rich rich. Too much, but wha, you won't believe the carpaccio... thin slivers of beef, mottled with veins of fat, gleamed rather fetchingly. Coated ever so subtly with the curry flavouring, the taste simply explodes in your mouth. WONDERFUL, however only four slices.
Will let it remain a surprise which ones we picked for the meals... so you have something to look forward to! heheh. Please note that whatever I liked may not have been the choice of the parents.

Soup
Crab Cappuccino with Armagnac
Cream of Smoked Pumpkin Soup with Costini
Yunan Consomme, Pai Ti Shell filled with Asian Marinated Crabmeat

The Consomme was, as its name indicated, a rather clear soup, very subtle. Little hints of chives in the broth. But it came with very cute pai ti shells filled with crabmeat. Very nonya.
The pumpkin and Cappucino was rich!!! But very agreeable to everyone's palate. Ultra creamy but very tasty. Loved the traditional (read non avant garde) presentation of the Crab Cappucino - small coffee cup. *laughs* and nice touches if very finely chopped herbs crusted the top. Great stuff.

Mains - won't write about them. They were quite sad after the 1st 2 courses... just lacklustre and not very good actually.

But man, the desserts...
Creme Brulee was super yum. There's an option to serve it with vanilla, choclate mousse and a whole lot of fancy french desserts - but judging by the way the Brulee disappeared 1st, think its the best tasting of the lot... then, there was this chilled sweetened wheatgrass drink. It was green, a tad bit sour - and actually very yummy. Came with caramel banana crepes. snort. ie: banana pancakes la.... very good combination of the sweet and sour.





The next day, we left for BKK. Gene's pictured drinking a SingHa at a small stall right smack in the middle of Chatuchak Market.

The a MAZE ing weekend market complex has 9,000 stores, indescribly narrow warrens and tons of people. Think sweaty people barging through, haggling for bargains.

That beer was sorely needed after an hour of charging through the place, lugging around 1) big vase 2) three t-shirts 3) six cups and two plates 4) 1 pants in about 33 deg C heat.

Eventually also bought a great oil painting for 2000 bht, or about $80 + Sing

Ate loads of yummy food, except the restaurants were very farang friendly and so the food wasn't spicy enough!!!!

Visited gems like Le Dalat Indochine which was Vietnamese food, served in this old bungalow. Very nice - ordered these huge prawns with garlic, chili - excellent.

Glitzy shopping at The Emporium , but try out its Thai restuarant Galapapruek's fried fish. Crispy with drizzles of excellent sauce.

Even Chatuchak's sole air-conditioned restaurant was excellent!

Personally, it was the accomodation that made me very very happy. Check this out. It was what we stayed in (it looks exactly the same as in the pix)... super happy just lounging in it.

The hotel is on the "wrong" side of the river - which means that it has a charming boat ferry service, to bring you across to the sky train station etc etc. Very very civil.

Eugene of course had to find durians. But since they are not kosher in restaurants and hotels, it meant that we had to eat the pack standing in a back alley.

Great fun!

NB: Gene is suffering from post-holiday depression.

Just found out Eugene (not the groom) Wee - a colleague of mine - did NOT have to submit a invite card.

Bloody 'eck....

I vociferously protest this discrimination. Altho' ... I think I'll protest after I get those days of leave

When will I ever learn not to listen to avant garde hairdressers?
Sigh.

George, who started out as Gene's hairdresser and now does my hair as well, told me that straightened hair won't go into updos etc etc, you need to curl it, he said.

Plus my rebonding had been growing out waaay too much. It looked pretty darned awful lah, to be honest, with curly bits sticking out 4 inches from the scalp.
Its called being cheap and lazy because everytime I go to the salon - its six hours in the chair and $400 +++ :(

Well, after hemming and hawing for half an hour, I took the plunge.

And sat for six hours and paid $400 +++.

FOR THIS. Argh.

All I can say is that he said it would be waves. These look like Medusa's snakelets to me!!!!

Arghhhh.... all I can say is I hope a few washes will iron them out a bit!

Cruds.

And no, you guys are NOT getting a pix of this hair.... not till I fig out a way to tone it down anyhoos.

I'm hoping for the best. I tell you, the strangest things you do for a bloody wedding.

If the wedding were a person, I'd be throttling him/her/it right now.

Talk about a karma backlash. I have been meaning to post!!!! But got waylaid big time.

(warning.... loooong story ahead)

On Monday, Aug 8, I left the office in delirious glee...
Aug 9 was national day, and I had the rest of the week off!!!

Plus, on Aug 9, Inside Track was finally published. It was quite a wonderful thing really, to see three months of work, panic, sweat and tears finally come to fruition.
(Inside track was a 160... wait a 156 page supplement meant to be a comprehensive guide to Singapore that the bosses commissioned as a gift to the readers. Ad ratio was an unprecedented 22 per cent... most times it has to be 60 per cent... it also meant that we wrote REAMS and REAMS of stuff to fill the pages)

There were a couple of parties on Aug 8 and 9, where Gene served up his now famous/infamous vodka jellys... maybe he should think about giving them a name... like you know a Singapore Sling but less corny. Maybe a Gene-tai?

The Aug 9 one was a red and white party - no joke.
We served red and white food - spaghetti bolognaise, braised beef, luncheon meat fried with sambal, red and white sangrias (I made a jug for the first time myself and got the mix pretty much right... read as: guests were drinking it real fast without realising the amount of alcohol innit and getting mighty talkative and happy.)

And on Aug 10, me and good friend Ai-Lien went for facials and what not. Lots of girly fun, and that night, we had our first tasting for the wedding dinner.

Then on Aug 11, me and Gene headed off to Bangkok and the lap of luxury at The Peninsula. And did lots of shopping.

It was just too much fun, gaiety and joy.

There was bound to be a backlash and boy was there one.

On Sunday night, our flight - which was previously cancelled - was delayed! We only left BKK at 9 pm Singapore Time, and by the time we hit the bed, it was 1 am in the morning.

Getting to work the next day at 930 am was a futile effort.... opened eyes and whacked alarm off three times before thought percolated through sleepy brain: "OH CRAP, I'M LATE FOR WORK".

While I was driving into the parking lots, guess who was smoking and watching me park with a bemused but not-so-pleased smile? My big boss, B.

Cruds. I step out of the car rather sheepishly, and she says: "Ahem, just came in, dear?"

Ouch.

Fevered apologising and gabbing abt a late flight.

Half an hour later, I get arrowed for a huge story for a section we call Upfront. Which meant me leaving at 1130 pm that night.

And its not stopped since. Everyday of the week, I chased/wrote a story, on top of juggling two news series. wha liau, new meaning to running around like headless chicken man.

Cham man.

Hope it gets better.

We did it. We told the powers that be that we're gonna get married.

It cost $26 bucks and required a heck of a lot of rigamarole on the website, like whether you are an uncle marrying a niece (I kid you not. There was actually a button for you to click no... check it out: Registry of Marriages )

Now, to get some marriage leave.

According to my company's policy, we get five days of what they call "marriage leave''. Sounds great right?

Snort.

If only it were that easy. The HR folks are so concerned that their staffers will abscond illegally from work that they require proof - fair you would say - but then, they want a wedding invitation card. So I went, what about a letter from the Justice of Peace who says he will marry us on so and so a date?

Nope. They want a card.

Sigh.

Okay. I have the first real dress appointment with Kai - the chap who's designing the gown, I think we're supposed to call him a couturier, whatever that means - at the end of this month.

For people not in the know - ie everyone else except simperingly silly brides out - Kai is one of the bridal designers here in Singapore. He has a boutique in Club street, is gay as day-glo, and one of his claims to fame is that he dressed Diana Ser for her wedding.

I think I'm going to look like a meringue.

Cruds.

Dad and Gene are off to the tailor on Sat to get them fitted into a tuxedo and a waistcoat respectively.

Seems like the clothing bit is getting sorted.

We've made a tres quick decision last week too, thanks to the wedding planner, Kim making the prelim calls, we've settled on Elite Flora to do the decor at the Tanglin Club and maybe we'll ask Green Point to do the boutonnieres, corsages and bouquets.

So that's shaping up nicely.

Now, for the dah dah dah daaaaaaaaaah.... the invite list.

Am getting a headache from it all. Max 20 pax on the boat which everyone wants to come on, max 150 pax on the dinner nights. Sighs.
And now, I really understand why people take months off to try to get their guest lists sorted.

Entertainment's still not sorted: the singer we really really want, Amandah Jantzen is in the US! And it doesn't look likely at the moment that she'll be back here in time.

Squeak.

whoops, enough rambling. I need to get back to work. ;)

Check out the gnat that Gene drew on the computer one day.

Snigger.

Okay, the real story: He was actually going on about art and stuff, and I went like 'hello, you haven't even painted anything, you can't draw!', and heheh, rather huffily, he proceeded to draw this gnat on the computer - partially to show me how bloody annoying I was being I suppose - and went "see? see? I can draw''

What do you say to that? hehehhehe.

Okay lah, you must admit that humans can create amazing things when pushed. Whahahhahaha.

Okay, here's an admission.

This is actually the second blog that I'm attempting to start about the impending November... uh, celebrations.
Why is it the second blog? well, because I lost interest in the first one, and I think I posted ahem inappropriate ranting-type stuff about people who are likely to get annoyed with me. Soooo.
This is tah-dah, the sanitised version.

It's..approximately 90 days to D Day.... or should it be W Day. (Although am sure some wedding website out there would lurrrve to tell me exactly how many weeks, days, minutes, seconds, nano-mili-tiny motes of time I have left grrrr)

To be honest, right now, they are more headaches then celebratory events right now. But I digress:

For a quickie recap.

Gene (that's the hubby-to-be) and Nat (that'll be me) = Gnat. And Gnat will wed come Nov 6. We'll have two dinners on the weekend after, on Nov 12 and 13.

Why write this blog? I don't know. Heck, I don't even know if anyone will actually read this at all. But I guess, part of it is to... well... chart the insanity in the next ninety days.

Okay, enough for now. Back to work.