Reflections & Resolutions

2012 has passed just like that and I still vaguely remember my thoughts this time last year. I remember feeling really excited cos 2012 was to be a year when my life would change, and who knew, I got more than I wished for.

So here's my reflection on 2012, for myself to look back and see the good and bad things which happened to me so that I may give thanks for the good times and learn from the bad ones.

Friends
Through the prepping of our wedding, I came to realise who really were my true friends and who were not. Thank God though, there were very few who proved to be úntrue' friends. I also got rid of a toxic friendship and I have to say that I've never felt better about it.

I am especially grateful to Josh and Regina for their help in planning and coordinating our wedding, to my baby SST for going all the way in being my maid-of honour and dearest Lava for designing our church wedding invite even though she was super busy with work! God has really sent me angels. :)

Love
I was looking very much forward to our wedding cos I knew there's no one better for me. :) As the saying goes, "When you've found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you can't wait for the rest of your life to start."How true is that! Not once have I regretted my choice and I can't help but thank God for giving us to each other and for KU's love to me. :)

Family
My Aunty Shirley was very ill for the first half of the year. She was admitted into the hospital from February due to complications with her dialysis. It was very painful for the whole family to see her suffer but at the same time we prayed for God's mercy and pleaded with Him to either heal her or take her home with Him.

Our prayers were answered on National Day when Aunty Shirley left us with her beloved family and close friends by her side. Though I know that she is in a much much better place, I still feel the pain of her departure to this day. I miss my Aunty Shirley and my heart is filled with regret for the things I've never done for her. But nonetheless, I thank God that I had the chance to spend her last days with her. Hopefully, when we meet again in Heaven, we can be together.

I also thank God that I've gained a new family - KU's parents, brothers and sister-in-law. My parents-in-law have treated me like one of their own since the day KU brought me home to meet them and I couldn't have asked for better parents-in-law!

Work
Having worked in the defence industry for the past 4 years, I was getting sick of the restrictions which come with it. Not to mention the sucky pay. And the crazy distance I had to travel every day to and from work (I live in the east, and my office was in Tuas!!) And the ridiculous hour I had to wake up at (5.20am every morning!! I've not woken up so early since I was in primary school.) :X Though I got along very well with my boss and colleagues, I knew I had to leave.

My current job is truly God-sent. It ticks all the right boxes (Better pay? Check. Nearer to home? Check. Reasonable reporting time? Check. Allowed to bring camera phone to work? Check.) and my boss and colleagues are really nice and great to work with. I must remind myself not to screw up because I don't want to let my boss down and cos I want to keep this job.

Business
I had my first bridal order last year, and it was quite a massive one. The bride was a dream to work with and I enjoyed making her jewellery. Seeing her wear my creations on her big day made me feel very proud and grateful for this opportunity.

I also started to rebrand my business. Things are stagnant for a while because of other commitments, but I'm determined to make my business grow. I've made a to-do list for it and I need to get working on it otherwise it'll be next year soon and I'll be typing this again. :X

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And so this brings me to my resolutions for this year. Instead of the usual "Lose 10kg" which I've been putting down every year for the past 5 years, I've made more realistic and practical ones.

1. Eat healthily.
In 2012, I was crazy about certain fad diets which promised to help dieters lose 4kg in a week or impossible stuff like that. I mean, of course people can lose 4kg in a week if all they consumed was lemon juice, but it's not healthy in the long run. And I lasted on that diet for all of 1 day. Haha.. *sheepish face*

So, you know what? I'm going to eat like a normal person and take in carbs, fibre, fats, protein. Maybe on certain days I feel like having salad for lunch and maybe on another day I feel like having noodles for dinner, but my benchmark for deciding what to eat shall be: if it's not overly oily or unhealthy, then I can have it for that one time. Hopefully with this new mindset I'll be able to achieve my target weight and lose weight healthily and keep it off.

2. Cook more often.
This resolution was originally "Cook once a week" but I think I might be a little too ambitious with that, considering that I've cooked all of 2 times in 2012. 0__0 So technically, as long as I cook at least 3 times this year I'd have fulfilled this resolution! Heh heh.. But seriously, as a wife, I feel that I should be doing more 'wifely' stuff cos I for sure don't feel very wifely now. Plus, it is true when they say that homecooked is healthier - I decide how much salt/sugar/oil goes into our food and it is fun experimenting with new recipes and different cuisines! KU is one lucky man! LOL. :P

3. Save more money.
Something which I've been trying struggling with since goodness-knows-when, but if we want to get our own house, go for nice holidays and have kids, I really need to pull my weight in chipping in for all these.

So, here's to being slimmer, healthier and richer in 2013! Only 3 resolutions! A list that is waaaaayyyyyy shorter than the past few years'. Check back with me at the end of this year and see if I've managed to tick everything off the list! *fingers crossed*

DIY: Christmas Wreath

My parents are moving into their new place very soon and my mum is excitedly and enthusiastically buying stuff for the house: crockery, cutlery, appliances, Christmas decorations etc. So far the family has made two trips to IKEA and each time we haul back so much stuff they fill up my dad's MPV! I gotta admit, I add on to the haul each time cos everything in IKEA is soooo cute, I just needed to get some of their stuff cos you know, just in case.

Our most recent crazy spree at IKEA saw us looking for candlelebras and scented candles for my mum to decorate the new place with. I must say, the Christmas stuff available at IKEA is simply incredible. We also ended up buying some hanging star lights for the balcony, red napkins for our Christmas Eve dinner with our extended family (a tradition we've had since I was a little kid!), silver and gold baubles for the Christmas tree, and a lot of other stuff that I can't remember.

But somewhere along the way, my mum asked me to make her a mini Christmas tree (!) with chocolates and candies (!!) for the kids to eat (!!!).

Actually, mum, I rather eat the chocolates myself.

But even though I had no idea how in the world I was going to make a Christmas tree, I said ok. Maybe I thought I had too much time on my hands (which I actually don't), or that I liked a challenge. Anyway, to make my Nov/Dec life more challenging than it already suddenly is, I decided that heck, since I'm going to make the tree anyway, why don't I make my own Christmas wreath too! 0______0 Very smart, Jo.

But I gotta admit, when I went shopping for the materials, I couldn't help but feel excited. I'm quite a make-it-yourself person and in my perfect world I'll be getting my hands dirty with crafts every day.

Shopping at Art Friend is really an experience in itself. I was gaping at the variety of art stuff sold there even though I didn't have a clue as to what most of them are for. LOL. It wasn't my first visit to Art Friend but I gape every time I'm there. At both the variety of products they have and at the prices. Irresistible items at totally resistible prices.

Anyways, instead of making my mum's mini tree, I made my Christmas wreath first cos a. it's easier to make, and b. I wanted the wreath to be ready to surprise KU with when he gets back from his work trip.

DIY Christmas Wreath Tutorial

Things you'll need:
- styrofoam wreath frame (I call this a styrofoam donut)
- florist tape (or green ribbon, tape will do as well)
- pine cones
- poinsettias
- cranberry branches
- wide ribbon (optional)
- white glue



Poinsettias from Daiso; everything else from Art Friend

 
To start off, wrap the florist tape around the entire donut, at about a 30-degree angle so that the wrapping action flows.



 You may wish to overlap the tape slightly to give the donut abit of texture, but once you do that, please ensure that you do it for the entire donut. Otherwise, it is obvious to the eye if some parts overlap and some don't. Similarly, if you choose not to overlap the florist tape, be consistent about it.

Keep wrapping the donut, bringing the roll of florist tape through the donut hole, under and over the sides. Please don't be lazy and unroll the tape and try to wrap the donut without bringing the whole roll with you. You will just end up with a tangled mess.


 Finish off the end with double-sided tape/glue.
 





The wrapped donut: your canvas!



And now comes the fun part - putting the details on your Christmas wreath!

Let me just say that it would be helpful to eyeball your materials and picture how you want your completed Christmas wreath to look like. If you realise that you may not have enough materials after all, just take note of what extra stuff you need to get and make space on the wreath for those stuff - you can still continue making the wreath. If you prefer to wait til you have everything on hand, by all means do so.

Cut the stalks of your poinsettias/pine cones/cherry fruit, leaving an allowance of 1 inch so that you can secure them to the donut.



If the stalks are thick and hard, you can stick it directly into the donut. 



If the stalks of your flowers and other decor are flimsy, use the thickest sewing needle you have to make a small hole of about 1.5 inch deep and stick the stalk in. For extra security, apply a small amount of white glue on the stalk before sticking it into the donut.




Make a small hole using a thick needle

 

If the stalk is very thin, fold it into two and stick it into the donut

 Keep repeating the abovementioned steps until you have filled the wreath, or until you are satisfied with how the wreath looks.

To finish up the wreath, I twisted wire around the back of the bow so that the two ends of the wire come out the top and the bottom of the bow.


Then I attach it onto the wreath by securing the wire around it.

And I'm done!! *beams*



Ta-dah!!!


To celebrate your great work, take loads of pictures and upload them on your FB (or Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram) page for the world to admire! That's what I did, though I'm not sure if anyone really admired it. LOL. But I did. I'm narcissistic like that.

The Wedding Prep Chronicles II: T-3

So, this is it. We are now just 3 days away from the Big Day and I'm having mixed feelings. In the sense that I'm really looking forward to it, yet I don't want the day to come so soon cos I'm afraid the day will pass by too quickly. :x The going-to-be-a-Mrs feeling is rather surreal now. Nonetheless, I'm sure the day's gonna be a fab one. :)

KU and I spent the past weekend working on the backdrop for our church wedding. Thank God I had KU to help me cut out the letters from the styrofoam board and he even sewed them onto the tulle using fishing line.

On Monday, I met up with SST, Marie and Joyce to go through the programme for the wedding day and their duties over dinner. On a sidenote, I'm really loving the fish masala garam crepe from Out Of The Pan at Raffles City Shopping Centre! Loads of kick in the spices and the fish meat was quite fresh - no wonder it's a chef's recommendation. Plus, the DBS/POSB card promotion (1-for-1 main course and sweet crepes) got each of us our meal at only $9! Ahem.. Anyways, it was great meeting with them and feeling excited about the wedding. :) Thank God for the help of my bridesmaids!

Then yesterday, we had our wedding rehearsal in church. I'm extremely thankful to have the support of the musicians and worship leader who arrived early to practice Canon in D for our processional and the two worship songs. It's really important to me that we have close friends to help us on our wedding day as it's a really meaningful way to share the day together. (though said friends may or may not agree with me. HAHA!) I'm glad too to have my dearest sister on first key and bridesmaid Joyce on second key. :)

The march-in practice was rather nerve-wracking cos I had to keep reminding myself not to walk too quickly. Dad even had to mutter to me, "Left, right, left, right.." while staring down at our feet. Too hilarious! :P And just seeing KU waiting for me at the end of the aisle, while the band played beautifully, almost made me tear. I have a feeling I will cry on our wedding day! Then we worked out the standing/sitting/kneeling segments, and practiced our vows. During this whole time, Andrew, Ron, Joshua and Regina were hard at work putting up our backdrop for us. :) And we are really really REALLY thankful for everyone who came down to help us and be there for us yesterday.

I said before that the wedding has taught me some lessons and has showed me how blessed we are to have all these friends come together to support us for our special day. And this, we can't thank God enough for His grace and love for us. :) Thank you, dear friends, from the bottom of our hearts. We hope that we can one day bless you and others in the same way you have blessed us. :) *million hugs*

Marriage Prep + Arabic 101

Last night, KU and I had round two of our mentoring session with Uncle WM and Aunty Kat, and I gotta say that I do look forward to these sessions cos they comprise great advice from our mentors and good food! :P Yesterday's topic was on money, a topic which I've always had a problem grasping. :x I love love LOVE shopping and my family and friends can attest to that. Sometimes I love shopping so much that I think I need to seek medical help about my condition - it's that serious!

But I digress. We talked about our perspectives towards money and did a quiz about how we view money and thank God we were on the same page about it. :) The quiz asked questions like "You look up to people who are financially successful", "You really enjoy spending money on yourself and others" etc, and we had to give each statement a score of 1 to 5, with 1 being strongly disagree, 2 being disagree, 3 being unsure, 4 being agree and 5 being strongly agree. Then Aunty Kat asked us why we scored some questions in a certain way and we really went into details of our thoughts.

After going through the quiz, we went through our monthly budget before marriage and after marriage. I totally suck at planning my own finances and yesterday proved it. :x I don't know how, but our combined budget for after marriage gave us a $300 deficit in our accounts. :( So we either gotta redo the numbers or find the $300 from somewhere else. The budgetting also made me realise that I really had it good as a single living with my parents (and still having it til end of the month) - no worries about paying for utilities, housing, conservancy fees, no worries about doing housework - and it also made me realise that I need to start appreciating them more!

Further to this, Uncle WM and Aunty Kat advised that we need to discuss and decide how the financial responsibilities are going to be like even before entering into marriage cos then we ensure that we are on the same page and it will lessen the probability of us quarreling about money. But above this, this sentence struck a chord deep in me: "Never give up dating." After the wedding, many things can and will come in to crowd our lives as husband and wife, and to remain strong in our relationship, we need to always communicate, understand each other's views, be on the same page as far as possible, and keep the romance alive by dating each other. I guess so far we are very appreciative of one another and we try not to take each other for granted, no matter how small the gestures or things we do for each other. Even though I'm rather stressed out about our wedding, I'm still in a state of bliss cos I know deep down that I'm marrying the perfect guy for me and I can't thank God enough for blessing me with KU. :) And I pray that I will feel the same way about him and hopefully feels this way about me 5, 10, 20 years down the road. :) So, T-18. I'm crossing out the dates on the calendar every day. :D

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Today, our HR organised a culture awareness talk on Arabs and Oman for us to get to know our Omani customers better! Our company had recently won a massive (by our terms) contract from Oman and we'll need to interact with them quite regularly for the next couple of years, hence the need to know about their culture.

The talk was boring at the start, but towards the end of the session, our mudaris (that's 'teacher' in Arab) taught us simple Arabic words which we can use to communicate with our customers. By the end of the entire talk, my head was swimming with so much knowledge, but I couldn't remember anything except that 'thank you' is shukran in Arabic. :x

This is strange, but when I was in the shower just now after my gym session, I was remembering some random Arabic words which we learnt this afternoon. So, feeling rather impressed with myself (HAHA), I'm going to show off some stuff here. :D And I'm not cheating, cos I left my list of Arabic words in the office, so yes, I'm impressive after all. *pats self on back* :P

Thank you -> shukran (pronounced shu-ker-ren)
Five -> khamsa
Fifty -> khamsiin
Three -> thalaatha (pronounced sa-la-sa)
Excuse me/pardon/sorry/don't mention it -> xafwan (pronounced ah-fwan)
Hello -> ah-sa-lam-ah-lee-kom
How are you -> kah-ee-fa anta (for guys); antee (for girls)
I don't understand -> anaa la afhan
Goodbye -> maa selamaa
June -> yunya (pronounced you-new)
July -> yulya (pronounced you-lew)
Teacher -> mudaris

And that's all I can remember. Going to learn more tomorrow. Who knew learning a new language could be so fun! :D

Painful

For the first time in a long while I feel utterly and completely alone in my pain. I can't even begin to describe how I feel.

The only thing I take solace in now is that Aunty Shirley's condition has (thank God!!) improved tremendously and visiting her is a much more joyful affair as compared to before. That, and the fact that I've lost weight - previously used to be able to wear only L and XL sizes for bYSI clothes, and now I'm an M-size, and the occasional S when the cutting's slightly bigger.

Sounds frivolous, yes, but if these are the only things that make me happy now, then I'll take whatever I can get thank you.