Christmas Eve in Bangkok

Bangkok, one of my fav cities in the world... I am gonna spend my Xmas eve & Xmas day there. KL will be flying in to meet me in Novotel Siam Square, our favourite hotel.

This trip to BKK is rather leisurely, though we hope to make some nice biz shirts & get some wedding stuff. I started my super long break already - 20 calendar days outta office. Just got my exam results & well, did reasonably ok... Surprisingly did better for the paper that i had no time to study for. I am officially a "final sem student".

Looking forward to the shopping in BKK... Siam Paragon & Central, here i come!

Christmas @ Dempsey!

I caught up with some frens at Dempsey Hill today. Yep, my 1st visit there. Folks around me are amazed that i have never set foot in that place, especially since i drive. I think i am the most "sua ku" marketing person in the Bank. Anyway, it was nice to finally "feel" Dempsey for myself.

We went to Dempsey Hill & wanted to dine @ Margaritas but it was full house so settled for the less popular Dome Cafe instead. Oh well, it's the company that mattered and i had a gd 3-hour bitching session with some ex-colleagues. We were lamenting that we can no longer find the rowdy atmosphere since we left Fujitsu where laughter often fills the air & there's always a silly/ corny joke to laugh at. One 1 of them is still working there (my ex-boss rather) & since the few of us left, she finds the Marcom dept quieter too... I suppose colleagues can turn into friends. U just have to find the right chemistry & trust amongst one another.

Ok, now that i have visited Dempsey Hill, let's try Oosh another night...

Heritage sites in Singapore

I have been brainstorming on where to head to for some nice photography. Yes i know, the subject of the photoshoot must adequately "photogenic" for the pictures to turn out well but i think a nice backdrop will add an artistic touch to the pictures too.

I am trying to shy away from "done to death" locations like Sentosa, Raffles Marina, Changi Boardwalk etc. My key objective is actually to have fun coz never in my life i'll have another chance to have a photographer shadowing me & KL for almost 8hrs!

I surfed websites & forums for inspiration. Some places that got me interested"

1) Thian Hock Keng Temple
- for it's colourful contrasting backdrop & for the fact that it was built in the 19th century

2) Little India
- with all the gold shops & Indian men!

3) National Museum
- i have never been there & maybe i'll run into Mark Lee?

4) National Stadium
- it's closed to public but will i be able to pull some strings from Sports Council?

5) NUS
- where we first met! Cliche i know!!!! It looks like a kindergarden now!

Gave Yu Hsin of Tinydot a call today & he was telling me that i need to pay $100 to snap pictures in National Museum!!! Kinda looking forward to the shoot, not for the fact that it's a pre-wedding one but i actually take it as an outing with KL. There are so many things to do during my annual block leave!

My first fitting

I saw my 3 gowns today. Grrr, mum went with me & boy, she's a real lousy photographer. Just took the camera & snapped any old how. I was so pissed! At every single juncture she was snapping & now that i downloaded the pics into the PC, every single shot is with eyes half closed, imprompt0 & most of all, AWFUL!!!! Eventually, i am only left with 1 decent pix to post here.

I think my day gown is too revealing for comfort. Mum thinks it's fine but errrrm, maybe for the photoshoot it's ok but actual wedding day, let's have a little coverup.

I love my red ballgown. It's really huge & heavy, with a 360-degree skirt...Ooooh, KL better hold me tight. As for the evening gown, errrrrrrmmmmm, actually i don't really like it. I hope it's only temporary. Though marathon training did allow me to shed a few inches, the gown was not tailored to suit me yet. The bra cups are huge & the dress just don't seem to flatter. I thought the ruching at the waist is suppose to make one look slimmer but i don't know if it's becoz the dress didn't fit well or coz they hadn't sewn the diamantes onto the dress but at this moment, i really don't like it. I am already thinking of remedies... What should i do if i grow to dislike it? It'll be costly to sew another. Haiz, maybe i should just wear it for a short while.

Next week i'll have to go for another fitting. Let's hope there'd be more decent pics to post here

December is wedding planning month

I have dedicated the month of December to plan for 190708. This planning phase will end in Jan08, when the term at NTU commences once again.

I actually took the time & effort to categorize the tasks that KL & I need to complete in an Excel spreadsheet. With all the colourcodes here & there, the spreadsheet now looks like some MIS project plan. Yes, i know i am a systematic freak but i do need to have a checklist to tell me when to do what.

A wedding cupcake-cake or cake? Been surfing thru loads of cupcake blogs & websites to gather quotes to make a better decision. 1 of my favourite cakes is from Pine Gardens. It's so clean & elegant :)

KL & i have been talking abt having a real cake for a while & well, we thought why not?? Afterall, we are so sick of the mock ones. I toyed around with cupcakes too but they somehow have been done to death! But well, cupcakes are "cleaner" since they are on its own. Haha, instead of "cutting" the cake, we can simply munch into 1! Imagine snapping a pix of the couple sinking their teeth into 1 cupcake! Cupcakes can also be given away as wedding favours, if they are individually wrapped.

I'll probably head down to Pine Gardens (http://www.pgcake.com/) to check out their works of art!

Post marathon days

Downloaded the photo from Adidas & obtained my nett time for the race - 1 hour 39mins - 9 mins past my target completion time. The aches are gone & the journey down the stairs is no longer an aching experience.

The office seems quite lately. Everyone is clearing block leave & i am soo looking forward to clearing mine. My turn will come 2 weeks later. I am on leave from 24 Dec - 8 Jan - a total of 16 calendar days outta office! My well-deserved break. A quiet office is gd for productivity. I have time to clear my backlog!

Yes! I did 10KM!

Aching thighs... I just did the 10km marathon today! Woke up at 630am, scrambled to search for a parking lot around the Padang area, squeezed myself to the starting line & did a walk/ run with my colleague! We bumped into some of the agency girls at the U-turn mark & well, the rest of the journey was a bitching/ laughing session!

The Padang was swarmed with people. Over 40,000 runners this year & i salute those folks who are running the full marathon - 42.195KM. I was standing at the finishing line at guess what! Ogling at men's.... NIPPLES!!!! Haha, nipple abrasion is a pretty frequent sight & for those guys who wore white singlets, the "spot" was bloody. Quite a gross sight to be honest.

The soles of my shoes came off halfway thru the run & well, i had to snap pics of it before i "cremate" the shoes. Afterall, i had them since varsity (i think) so well, it's about time that it retires too.

I don't know if i'll participate next yr but well, I had a pretty gd time! Way to go!

One side with soles & the other without

My companion during the 10KM

These are all that i get, after 10KM

The race atmosphere at the Padang

Orchard Rd, after 2 mths

I saw the Xmas lights for the 1st time. Orchard Rd is buzzling with activity as usual. Haha, within a span of 2 mths, new shops already sprout up at Wisma Atria. Everyone seems to be very generous, lugging around shopping bags & swiping their credit cards. Went to Peddar Red sale today & well, ironically it was mum to bought a pair of mock croc peeptoe heels. I bought a top to go with my leggings. Yep, bought them outta impulse sometime back & never really found a top to go with it. Now i finally have one! Let's wear them soon else the fashion runs out.

I shared the wedding website with KL today - http://www.mywedding.com/elenakanglin/. "Pretty decent" was the comment he made. Technology brings wonders. There are now such online resources for couples to create their own website that even allows guests to RSVP. & the best part, the guest list can be extracted to Excel. It's pretty bare right now. I hope to upload more pics soon.