Getting Ready For The Big Day

Many people are surprised when I tell them that we're getting married in May.

"May...... 2015?" They ask. 

"No May, this year. 2014"

*cue look of utter shock* 

"ARE YOU PREGNANT???"

lol

Well, the truth is, I'm not pregnant. We'd just like to get married when our pastor is still in Singapore, my aunt is around and before my parents head back to the States. That leaves us with the end of May this year as our best option.

Not to mention, I'm such an impatient person. I really couldn't stand the thought of waiting an entire year to get married!!!

I know what many of you are thinking... How am I supposed to pull off a wedding with slightly less than two months to prepare? 

I got three words for you.

God Answers Prayer

The very moment Jerry and I knew we were going to get married this May, we clasped our hands together in prayer and asked God to go on ahead of us and help us plan our wedding. We knew there would be challenges ahead. Perhaps it would be difficult to book a wedding venue with such little notice. What about the photographers, makeup artist, the dresses, his suit, cake, etc etc etc?

There were simply too many things to worry about and we knew there was no use trying to handle it all on our own. So we sought God's hand and wisdom in our planning process.

You would not believe how quickly and amazingly God answered each and every one of our prayers!

In just a few days, we managed to narrow down, visit and book the venue of our choice. The last function room that was available on our wedding date was exactly the right size.

We got our wedding photography package signed up with Sophia Wedding along Tanjong Pagar Road. On that day, a couple cancelled their appointment at the last minute and I was able to pick my gown there instead of waiting a few weeks (it would have been too late by then).

I shopped for fabric with my aunts and had my cheongsam custom-made in Chinatown. The dressmaker's shop, Iris & Edel, were able to complete the cheongsam in time for my photoshoot despite having to alter it twice.

A few weeks later, we went for a food tasting session at our wedding venue. Everything tasted way better than I expected!

I spent an hour and a half the next day trying on dresses for my bridesmaids. We ended up choosing none of these. 

Then, something unfortunate happened. 

We hadn't skated for almost a month and I was missing the skatepark like crazy. So we went to the skatepark about two weeks before our photoshoot for a little skating session. 

That night, Jerry went home with two stitches in his upper lip and a bad scrape/bruise on his left knee. He couldn't smile without busting his stitches, nor could he walk properly. He was really upset that this happened so close to our photoshoot. 

I remember sitting with him on the floor at the skatepark, his face covered with blood. But I only felt peace. Somehow, I knew in my heart that everything would be okay. So I prayed with him that his wounds would heal before our photoshoot on April 24th. He had about 14 days to recover at that point. 

The day of the photoshoot came.

For once, we arrived at the studio on time. We were always so very late to our dress fittings (and that's bad!)

My mom and xiaoyee (aunt) came to help us with the shoot even though it was a weekday. Without them, we would not have been able to get to our photoshoot locations on time.

Oh, and do you see Jerry's wide smile in this photo?

Just the day before, his stitches came out and he was finally able to smile on the morning of our photoshoot. It was the first time I'd seen him smile since we were at the skatepark.

From the left: Jensen, the photographer's assistant. And Arsen, the photographer. 

Sadly, when the photos were completed, we found that we did not like any of them. Not because Arsen isn't a good photographer, but mainly because none of the shots were really taken in the kind of style we wanted (warm, natural, romantic). 

Thankfully, Sophia was very professional about it and offered to let us reshoot the entire thing. 

So that's what we'll be doing this coming Sunday... 

All the invites were done in a matter of two days.

Each invite took us about five minutes to put together. Fortunately, this isn't a big affair, so we were not overwhelmed by the invitations.

The bridesmaid dresses from TheBMDshop arrived within a day and Amanda and Talia got to try them on Saturday. They were perfect!

Pretty much everything is going smoothly and I truly don't have to worry about anything at all! 

I'm gonna miss my family when they're back in the States and I'm still here in Singapore, but at least I won't really be alone. I think being married helps. I've never actually thought about how I'd feel once my parents return, but now that I'm typing this out, I can see why God had me meet Jerry now...

I didn't even imagine that I could possibly feel this lonely, but thankfully God foresaw all of this and provided me with a husband to comfort me...

I am just so amazed that despite me failing Him and being such a pain, God is still willing to not only stand by me; in the midst of everything, He is still wanting to bless me. How wonderful and merciful is He!!!

To my future self reading this post again: I want to remind you of how God's grace truly has no bounds. 

You didn't think you needed anyone, but God sent you someone when you least expected it. He already knew that when your parents leave Singapore, you'd miss their noise, and so He took care of that. 

God is faithful!

When wedding preparations needed to be done, God did them all for you. You did not have to fret about anything at all.

God provides!

You used to worry about Jerry's spiritual growth. Has He not put His Spirit in Jerry's heart? 

God leads!

And now as the wedding day draws near and fear of the future tries to creep up on you... (well this is getting weird cause my future self is supposed to be reading this eh?)

Anyway...

God knows. He cares and He is always listening. He knows all your faults and weaknesses and He will not give you more than you can handle. He will always give you something to hope for and you do not have to worry about what the future holds because He has already taken care of it. All you have to do is to sit obediently at His feet, serving patiently and resting in the shadow of His wings. He will bring you good and not harm... 

Amen!!!

Praises This Week

God has been and is being so SO good to me!

I was on the verge of falling again, but He reached for me and pulled me out of deep waters. Immediately after which, I saw that there was work He needed to get done. If not for God putting His confidence in me, I would NOT have been able to do His work and my labor would have been in vain!

This week has been filled with miracles and God's divine hand in every single activity in my life. 

First of all, on Tuesday, this little kid randomly spam-messaged me on Facebook. I was so tempted to write him off as an irritating brat, but I felt God gently reminding me to love others. On top of that, I was prompted to ask ZJ (this little kid) whether he'd heard of Jesus before. One thing led to another, and that very same night, I had a short bible study with him and prayed with him to accept Jesus as his lord and saviour. I wasn't sure if his decision was genuine, but the very next day, ZJ messaged me to ask if we could have another bible study! He continued to read the book of Job on his own and I was really amazed to see God working in his heart despite my doubts. 

Another skater friend of mine has been going through difficult times. I've been praying for him and asking God to change his heart. 

While I am doubtful at times, God is faithful to answer my prayers. He has shown me that with even just a little mustard seed of faith, God can do wonders. Nothing is impossible for Him! Hallelujah!

Back To School

Last night on the way home, I saw the most interesting scene- a secondary school boy on a segway at the traffic junction, obviously on his way home. 

When I saw that, every fibre of my 23 year old being instantly felt old. 

Come on, when I was in secondary school, people either rode buses, got dropped off by their parents or walked to school. NOBODY rode segways! At least not at my school......

Speaking of school, the last time I had to mug for exams was well over a year ago. However, in the next few months, this will be my life again. I started on the first chapter last night and my studying speed was about 5 pages per hour, which means I spent 12 minutes on each page!!! 

Can you say slow as a tortoise?

I sincerely hope I will get faster at this, if not I'll really be done for.

That being said, I remember reading something along the lines of Romans 9:16 a few days ago. It says: "it does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy"

Because of this verse, I think that God gives us seemingly insurmountable challenges to remind us of how much we need His grace and mercy. It's only when we are driven to the corner, stripped of all natural abilities, talents and knowledge, do we acknowledge His sovereignty in every little decision in our lives. 

So.... Here's to stepping into the unknown once again. 

Sunshine & Waves

This past weekend was a nice and long one, with Friday being a public holiday in Singapore. 

So what did I do this weekend? 

I spent it doing all my favourite things of course! 

Thursday night after work, I met up with Shirley and her mom for KBox at Scape. 

Sang Britney Spears songs as always! 

Our KBox package came with these colourful fruity non-alcoholic martinis. 

After three hours of non-stop singing, we adjourned to Xin Wang Cafe next door- our favourite supper hangout spot. 

Well, more like my favourite since Shirley is already sick of the place!

I was so hungry, that I wolfed down this baked cheese pasta with pork, 

as well as this breakfast set meal. 

After supper, we played for a while at the arcade before catching the movie End of Watch at 02:00 in the morning. 

One word to describe End of Watch: VIOLENT. 

I also mentioned to Shirley halfway during the movie that if they cut out all the profanities in the movie, they'd probably end up shortening the film by about 30 minutes. 

My brain hurt by the time I crawled into bed around 04:30. 

Later that Saturday afternoon, I met with Shirley again. 

AGAIN!

I'd planned to go skating with friends at Pulau Ubin that afternoon and so Uncle Chuan picked us up from ION in his minivan. 

Shirley said it's been a long time since she's ridden in the back of a minivan. Guess it's the same for me too. 

It's actually pretty fun to see the road from the back perspective for once. 

When we got to Changi Village, the weather was nice and hot. 

We then headed towards the ferry terminal. 

Luckily, we were able to skip the line and get a bumboat almost immediately since we were a larger group. They require 12 people to fill a bumboat before it can leave for Pulau Ubin you see.

Off we go! Instagramming all the way!

Upon arriving at the Ubin jetty, we had no idea what would await us upstairs...

HORDES AND HORDES OF TOURISTS!

You can't tell from this picture, but it was starting to feel pretty hot under the cloudless sky.

Excited to be on Pulau Ubin!

This was Jerome's and Shirley's first time on the island. The rest of the skaters were a little skeptical about whether the paths would be alright to skate on. Most people have the impression that the roads in Pulau Ubin are fraught with potholes and mud. While that was still true five to six years ago, much of the roads have been repaved now. 

Went to a spot where we could put our skates on.

And off we went!

Shirley rode a bike instead.

Midway through, we had to stop for drinks before we collapsed from the heat.

This is 15 year old James, the most pro skater out of all of us that day.

Towards evening time the air had begun to cool down considerably.

No doubt it was partially due to clouds coming in and sheltering us from the sun.

My crazy, impromptu dad actually came to Pulau Ubin as well for a run and texted me while I was still skating, asking if I wanted dinner.

With the day ending, we all took our skates off and headed back towards the jetty.

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves.

I sure did!

And with that, we ended our fun skate-venture in the afternoon.

The bumboat ride back to mainland Singapore was filled with more Instagram opportunities.

For dinner, Papa drove us to the nearby Bedok Corner. 

My sis Chloe claims that this is the best hokkien mee IN THE WORLD. 

I thought the hokkien mee was definitely tastier than your average, but I still prefer the soggy taste of the Bukit Batok hokkien mee. Guess you will always have a bias for the food you grew up with.

Saturday afternoon, I crawled out of bed to meet with Shirley AGAIN.

We had mee siam for lunch at Far East Plaza.

After lunch, we headed to ECP since I'd promised her that I'd teach her how to skate that Saturday.

We had beautiful but hot weather once again.

Shirley said she was a slow learner, but she actually learnt how to skate faster than I did!

The sea water looks inviting, but I wouldn't touch that water with my pinky. It'll probably give me rashes.

There were actually lots of people learning to skate at ECP that day for some reason.

After almost two hours of learning to skate, Shirley rented a bike and we headed towards Big Splash. I didn't know there was a Mr. Teh Tarik there!

I ordered refreshing lime juice to go with my roti prata kosong. 

Shirley's maggi mee goreng.

Not wanting to go home yet, we went to Katong I12 to play at the Timezone there. 

The Timezone at Katong closes at 22:30, and we were so high on playing DDR that we decided to take a bus down to Cineleisure after the arcade closed. Cine's Timezone doesn't close till 02:00 in the morning on weekends!

It was around 02:00 in the morning then that we headed to OldTown White Coffee... That ill-fated place...

I ordered my usual- assam laksa.

Tried a new drink- wheat grass with honey. It was very delicious. 

Shirley and I spent an hour talking about some real deep topics before we left the restaurant. And this is when the bad thing happened. 

I left my work iPhone behind at the restaurant and I only realised it about 5 minutes later when I got home. Shirley was still in the cab and she confirmed that the iPhone wasn't in the cab. She also called OldTown White Coffee to ask if they saw a phone there. 

 Unfortunately I never found it. 

I even skated back to OldTown just to look for myself, but the lady who cleaned our booth said that she didn't see any phone at all. Keep in mind that this was only 10 minutes after we left the restaurant!

Perhaps a customer saw the phone lying on the table and took it right after we left. 

:(

On Sunday, after House of Bread, I met up with the Davidians for dinner in Holland Village. We didn't do much afterwards. Just lay around at the HDB estate nearby and talked about nothing important. I went home feeling like a water bag, filled with water and food.

I had a wonderful weekend, but it didn't really end on a good note. That's alright though. There's always next weekend!

:)