once upon a time....

once upon a time, there was this girl. let's call her jean. she was invited to a birthday dinner and little did she know, it would lead her to the man who would sweep her off her feet. she had some good food, had a few laughs and met some new friends. at the end of the evening (which was about 3 hours long), a girl declared that she knew the perfect guy for jean! what a laugh! even movies were a little more realistic than that! jean hardly knew what she wanted, how did someone she just met over chinese food and karoake know what sort of man would fit her!

apparently, she knew her stuff. this fairy-match maker, not only found a guy, tall enough for jean, he fit her nature well enough. he was calm where jean was chaotic, he was steady while she was always on her toes. he hesitated, thought things over, she made snap decisions.

he made her laugh with his jokes, she tickled him breathless!! he swept her off her feet (figuratively and literally), she brought him to his knees. he gave her strength, she gave him support. when things go wrong, they make it right.

this story has no ending yet, we really don't know how it ends. but we do know that they get a chance to build a life time of memories together, to fill it with laughter and joy, happiness and light.

mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

wedding's coming, all seems to be ready or in the plans...then the comments started rolling in...u better not eat too much or u'll be a fat bride!...becareful, u may end up altering ur wedding dress five times!!!...aiyoh, why u so dark, u'll be the "chow-huey-ta"(over-burnt) bride...n blah..blah..blah..

sigh, why must the bride be the epitome of beauty? why must she be a perfect ten? it may be her day, but if she's happy how she is, must she be primped and plucked and trussed and powdered and packaged to perfection? and what is perfection? is it even acheiveble? or do mere mortals have to contend with almost there?

well, my sweet, new, hubby of mine bought me some facial products, to polish my face so that i can actually be the "fair" bride on my special day...well, i'm not sure if it'll work, but at the price they cost, n the way they smell, i sure hope they work their magic on me! especially since i get weekly facials with the deal too!!! :0)

now all i have to do is make sure i don't overeat out of stress n pack the pounds where they don't belong! perhaps i will have better luck if i exercise...hmmmm, maybe i'll try moving instead of parking myself in front of the computer!!! hahaha

so let's see what happens on the special day...whether cinderella will turn into a beauty or a pumpkin :P

jk 51106

it was a sunny day, bright n beautiful, though i was rather bleary eyed, as i only slept at 2am the nite before. i wanted to roll over n sleep again, when it hit me, i'm getting registered today!!! this was one day i could not sleep late!

out of bed i dashed and ran downstairs. mama was already up and about, getting ready for my big day. after a hasty breakfast and a quick grooming session, i slipped into my sister's gift, a pretty, luminous ao-dai, a traditional vietnamese outfit that looked similar to the cheong sam.

in the car ride to the temple where the registration was to be held, i was rather nervous. would this be happily ever after? i didn't know. but i did know that i was ready to share my life with kelvin. to cherish and to love, in good times and bad.

the ceremony was over quite fast, but it was one filled with laughter. as the marriage registrar, mr. low explained our husbandly/wifely duties, he peppered his speech with anecdotes and jokes. but one thing was made clear, we were to be legally bonded to each other, in the eyes of the law, n it was no laughing matter.

after he was satisfied that we were not coerced into this marriage by any party, we proceeded to sign the certificates, with mr. low, mama, papa, 4 yi zhang, 4 yi ma, sis, and the heavens as our witnesses.

with my snap-happy sister taking the photos, the happy occasion was immortalised digitally.

and thus, on the 51106, two individuals became one. i became mrs tan. i was now part of the teohs, the tehs and the tans. and i am still getting used to the idea that i am no longer a miss but a missus :P

go forth n multiply!

when the pomegranate is in bloom, it signifies a happy event - a birth or a wedding in the family. it is also a symbol of fertility to the chinese.

when my mom got married, my grandfather gave her a pomegranate tree, which he planted himself. the plant carried his hopes for her, that she may have a big and happy family, filled with many children and even more grandchildren. thru the years, mama has nurtured and tended the tree, and to this day, it stands proud and heavy, laden with fruits of her hardwork.

many a chinese couple, strangers, have stopped and asked for a token fruit, to be used as a symbol of fertility during their own weddings. and for every offering the tree has given, she was rewarded with a red string, a token of thanks from the couples who have received the tree's blessings.

my mother have also planted a pomegranate tree for me. it is a small bonsai, but blooming beautifully, pretty and gay. and in the time leading up to my wedding, she hopes that it will bloom even more. and along with the gift of the pomegranate tree, it carries my mother's hopes for the pitter patter of little feet and children's laughter, to light my home and her heart.