As my BIG DAY Draws nearer...

eRR hMM...Just a reminder to all loved ones... my wedding would be on 24th NOVEMBER 2007!!! Please mark this date on your organizer/calender/secretary/memory/brain/blah blah blah...

Anyway...Last Saturday 26th May 2007, I went down to the bridal studio Seletar Broadway to select my gowns for the day, as well as for the measurements to be taken.. Truth be told, I was really quite impressed with the service that they provided. We signed up for the package at a wedding convention at Suntec. When Da and I made our way to the shop for the first time, we saw where it was located, and immediately alarm bells started ringing in our minds. I was worried about the type of quality service we would get, and even worried about the type of gowns that they may have. However, my package promises made to order gowns if the ones on the rack didn't satisfy... =)

When we went on Saturday, the staff there were really friendly, and the person serving us was really beyond words. I only have one conclusion: to be in the service line, you really need loads of patience and love... which explains why I am not in the service line, and probably never will be.. haha..

Ok. We had our appointment at 12, but we arrived there at 11, with the whole entourage of people.. haha... Let's count. Mama was there, Kelvin happened not to be working that day, so he joined us. His girlfriend Shuxian, TOOK LEAVE to be there.. (I feel so honoured)...mummy came down after work just to join us... (although I think it's becuase she just doesn't want to join daddy at the coffee shop... haha)I feel so loved... and blessed.. =)

Tried on the make up artist. The shop had 8 artists from which I could select. That means to say, if I was unsatisfied with this one, I could keep trying out different ones until I was satisfied. This make up artist would follow me through my wedding, from the studio shot to the actual day make up. Her name is Helen, and I think it is important that she asks what i want before she proceeds. She asked for my opinion about what type of make up I wanted, and not what SHE thought was good for me. I instantly clicked. Decided on her for my make up artist. I guess I was fortunate to have "settled" on one at the first attempt. The make up makes hell lots of difference.

Here's the make up she tried on for me. She put it on light. But she did mention that on the actualy day, I would need to have more dramatic make up because all the lights and focus would be on me, so I would have to have more make up on... For the trial, she would only put on light make up for me to try on her style of make up..

Here's the make up...not quite finished yet, but she had another customer, as you can see behind me...So i scampered away to take photos... hee hee
This shot was taken by da.. I thought it looked quite cute... =)
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??!! I HAVE LASHES!!! She put on these fake lashes for me.. and instantly... i mean INSTANTLY, my eyes look so different!! I was impressed...=O
With da... He had no reaction throughout the whole make up session (sheesh..and I was expecting him to say things like "So pretty".. and so on.. what a disappoointment..
(By the way, Helen the make up artist kept saying that my skin condition was really good, what with small pores and everything.. I guess I really have Maple Clinic to thank for. My whole life, I never for once thought that my skin would be praised. All along, I only had the chance to admire others' skin. Never for once did I think that I would BE admired.. haha. It does feel good...)

WIth my brother.. Hey! My face looks bigger than his.. Next time must remember to ask him to stand in front of me... =he ehee
Here's the make up in progress..
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After that, proceeded downstairs to try on the gowns as well as my night gown.. =)

Started with the Day gowns first. Looking at the wide array of gowns there, I really didn't want to start thinking how long I would take to choose a gown that would really suit me.. So, in the end, I asked my "consultant" (hereby called MeiQin...) to help me pick some that would suit me. Afterall, she was the experienced one...

Instantly, she suggested I took tube dresses. I told her that was the only type that I didn't want. It was so cliche, everyone who's getting married wears tube dresses.. I didn't want to fall into that category... =) I told her that I wanted something with a mandarin collar. And so she started the hunt for me..

The firt piece that she took for me was this piece. I thought the top looked good. The type of halter mandarin collar that I liked.. bUt I didn't really like the bottom. It was not white. It was sort of tinged with brown pink... Spoiled the dress...

Here's the second piece. If you can see, it's quite pretty. Also a similar collar.. However, this piece was fully satin, and I thought that it was a tad too plain for me...
Here's a closer view of the gown, doesn't it make me look very matured??
Well, Mei Qin still couldn't resist getting me a tube dress to try on.. I tried it on just to see how it looked on me.. Not bad, I must say. Mei Qin kept saying that it really suits me, because, if you can see, I have "assets to flaunt"... haha.. But i still didn't want it.

It was quite sweet though..very princessy... with flowers on the bodice and everything..


Finally, I came across my dream gown... I tried it on, and not only did I like it. When I stepped out, everyone in my "entourage" gave nods of approval. Having approval by the panel reinforced my liking for the gown even more. I like its' back. Thought it was quite special.. (SIgh.. which means I really have to work with my gym instructor on my back... I think my back still doesn't look strong enough...)
Here's the bodice of the gown.. Quite flattering, i must say..
Well, finally, here's the whole gown.. What do you think?
Here's me with my brother... I still think the gown is stunning.. Plus, when it's worn on me.. I think it looks even more stunning.. hee hee...
With Shuxian.. Must thank her for taking the day off just to come and grace the "event".. hahah

MeiQin even took a viel to "complete the look"...Oh by the way, photography was not allowed in the shop.. She was nice enough to allow us to take photos of all the gowns that I have tried on..
Sweet smile...
Oh, did I mention that I like the gathers at the bottom part of the skirt? And so, it was decided that i wanted this gown. (Thank goodness it didn't take too many tries.. There was this girl beside me.. she tried on SOOOOO... many gowns, and was still not satisfied...)MeiQin said that there was a new gown made for me. It would be delivered around mid June, before my photo shoot..

Then came the time to choose the night gown.. Another big headache.. She got some really funny ones, which even MAMA laughed when I tried them on.. This was one of them. I really thought this was very pretty. Quite flattering as well. But they all said it was not nice.. Maybe the piece of decoration in front spoiled it.. If not, I thought the whole thing looked quite regal..

Haha. This was the one that I said made everyone laugh.. I don't even know why meiQin took this for me to try. One look at it, and I thought I looked like some character which came out of "Arabian nights". Put it on, and confirmed my suspicion.. See the look of agony on my face??? =(
Then, Shuxian told me that there was this one which she saw hanging on the racks. She thought it was stunning. I asked her to help me ask meiQin if that could be tried on.. MeiQin got it for me, and I put it on. Again, it was one of those "fall in love at first sight" moments. here's the gown. I don't care that both the gowns look similar in terms of style and design. I like it.. If you look closely, the gathers at the back of the gown is detatchable. As I am walking down the aisle, I would put it on. It would be a sweeping train. After that, as I am going round to take photos with the guests, I can then choose to take it off so that it does not hang all over the place. I like it!! =) Love the colour, love the design, love the fabric... love iT!! =)

there are more photos in Shuxian's camera. I will load those photos up when she passes the photos to me.. =)

a test of how lame you are...

Hey peeps...

This morning, my kid came up to me, tugged at my tee shirt, and asked me something. See if you can answer the question.. If you can, then it means taht you are lame enough...


Brayden: Miss Lee, I ask you something..
Me: yes?
Brayden: there are 10 fish in a fish tank. One fish died. Will the volume of water in the tank increase or decrease?






Can you guess the answer??


yes????



no???


yes???


Me: I don't know.. what's the answer?
Brayden: It will increase.
Me: Why?
Brayden: Because all the other 9 fishes very sad. They cry.

me: Faints. Laughs.. haha..



So? Are you lame enough?
Did you get the answer??

Vivy Shrek

Da got this Shrek ears for Vivy from McDonalds... and she put it on and posed for pictures for us.. ain't she cute...

My colleague's wedding..

Last Saturday, my colleague (friend lah) EVelyn, got engaged at the Furama Waterfront hotel. IT was a small affair, the type that I always like my wedding to be...INITIALLY. In the end, my wedding is a 500+ person event...not that I am not feeling happy about it..but I really like something cosy and small... Oh well..

Anyway, here are some photos taken during the engagement ceremony...

Here's the happy couple. Evelyn and Edwin.
The table decors...
The gift, these lovely bells, are significant..
They left, at the reception, these lovely cards for each of the guests to write their well wishes. This card was made by Er, who had just attended this card making class.
A lovely wedding cake made up of cupcakes...

GOod door gift..
Oh. These are the lovely cupcakes made for the guests. It was $4 each. WHen I showed it to da, he said "forget about it. Don't even think about it. It's too much for our wedding to aford it..". Sigh... (and I didn't even ask for it...)
Here's Er and I
Here's the babes...(standing, from left: Georgina, Kelly, Shufen, Yvonne and me).

(Sitting, from left: Cynthia, Yen Ru and Serene)

The ceremony in progress..

This Justice of Peace... well...I guess, is someone I would personally not recommend.. haha.. Not to be disrespectful. We were speculating that he was a Chinese JP, but then he was made to come for an English ceremony. He couldn't get the English right at all...

My friend, her name is Evelyn. He pronounced the name "E (as in "ever)-VER- LIN". WHich pissed the hell out of her...

And the husband's name is "Edwin Han". The JP gave him 3 names in that short ceremony.. He called him "Edwins Han", "Edwin Hans", and "edward Hans". Can you IMAGINE!!!

And... the vow... was hilarious... It went something like this... ".....to honest (honour) and to hold".. sheesh.. and talking like this in front of a bunch of teachers. We almost dies laughing. Or rather, dying holding the laughter in... hee hee

Gosh.. I would never never get him... =)

Edwin made his little speech.. very sweet words and all.. promising Evelyn that his wallet would be empty so as to allow her wardrobe to be full and everything... words that make you go "aww.." but not very practical lah, if you know what I mean.. If he can say these words to me in front of everyone, he can also say it to other people...

(TO DA: BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR SUCH WORDS!!!YOU CAN STILL SAY IT TO ME WHEN WE ARE ON OUR OWN... )
The cupcakes made by the shop, complimentary, that read "Evelyn and Edwin".
Here's a group photo with the couple..

Do you know the meaning of ABUSE?

Everyone knows what a picture of abuse looks like. Or at least they do. They all think that being "abusive" to a person is to torment that person. Be it physical, verbal, or sometimes even psychological.

Have you ever stopped to think that sometimes being NICE to a person can be a form of psychological torment as well? Just imagine. you want to have chicken soup for dinner (which, by the way, you have told him). He goes to the supermarket, ad happily goes about buying herbs, saying that he wants to cook roasted chicken and potatoes. YOu just go "huh...". Then he puts on a gloomy face, goes around the aisles putting back all that he has taken, and go get the stuff needed to cook chicken soup.

Have you gotten what you want? Yes.

Are you happy? No. For the rest of the day, it would seem as though you OWE it to him because he has "sacrificed" his roasted chickn for your stupid soup. (As if the alternative cannot be for both the dishes to be prepared together for dinner).

Sometimes, being nice to a person can constitute a form of mental torment to the person as well. Stop to think.

Fuck. My life sucks.

It's a long, long journey...

Today, the 17th of May 2007, marks the end of my status as a Beginning Teacher. From now on, I would have to begin the real journey on my own, learning to stand on my own two feet. For those of you who may not know it, the system is such that when new teachers enter the system, they would be matched with another teacher who would be their "mentors". For one year, the mentee would "learn" from the mentor, and the job of the mentor is to help the mentee cope with the culture in the school, and also with things in the system. Today, it has finally come to an end. Thinking back of the first time that I set foot in the school to now, I have really grown leaps and bounds.

The first day when I saw my mentor CYnthia, I really felt that she was quite a strict lady, and I was worried that I would not be able to make myself "like" her.. haha.. That was the first impression. Well, whoever said that first impressions are usually accurate can go and knock theis heads against the wall. In the one year that she has been my mentor, my feelings towards her grew from like, to adore. She really has a very good way of doing things, and she will never hesitate to share whatever she knows with me. She helps me in a lot of ways, and has definitely made this one years' worth of learning journey really filled with laughter and joy. She has also consoled me whenever I feel down, or bullied by parents, or lost when I don't know how to handle them.

All thanks to her, I managed to "scrape through" the first year unscathed... =)

I really appreciate her mentoring and help.. Here are some photos taken during the "Graduation ceremony"that has been held for us, and planned by the very thoughtful people mentoring us. As I was talking to peers fron NIE, I really feel that I am quite blessed... to be in Clementi Primary School. Trust me, the school environment really plays a HUGE part in moulding how we feel towards the school.

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Have you ever met a Principal whom EVERY staff in the school loves? Whom no one ever speaks badly about, even BEHIND HER BACK? Have you ever heard of a Principal who would stand up for her staff, and always protect her staff from parents who may want to make life difficult for us? Have you ever met a Principal who would personally pen poems for her staff, and put her heart and soul into everything that she does?

Well, fortunate as I may be, that would be MY PRINCIPAL, Mrs Sng. She is simply incredible. In my short one year stay here, she has really helped nurture me in many many areas... =)

Listening to our Principal talk... really engaged..
Here's a "teacher's pledge" by Mrs Sng, our principal. She really loves writing poetry, and I must say that she is really quite talented. Every month, in the newsletter to pupils and parents, she would personally pen a poem for them. Some of them are really well written.
Here's a glimpse of Cynthia, my mentor. She got me this gift, a "chicken soup" kind of book (you know, those inspirational ones), and made me really feel like crying. I am really close with her, as compared to the other BTs with their mentors.. She has really guided me along the way, and even though she has only been teaching for 3 years, not exactly "experienced", as you would call it in the education service, I feel that she has imparted more than mentoring to me. She has been a mentor to me in more ways than one. She has also shared lots of practical life skills and things... and of course gossip.. haha.

A certificate printed out by our Mentor "mother", Mrs Tan CP (who, by the way, is my pupil's mother. If you remember Samantha, the second prize winner for English in my class?)

She was also the one who planned all these. Really very thoughtful of her...

Here's all the Beginning Teachers with Mrs Sng. A really very sweet lady. We will all miss her when she is gone at the end of the year. We even had a birthday cake! Can you believe it! It says "Happy Birthday" on it too. All these were sponsored by Mrs Tan. Really appreciate it... =)
Us (The BTs) and all our mentors.. These people are really great, and they make the first year much bearable...compared to my other NIE peers, I am really blessed..
CYnthia (my mentor) even ordered pizzas for all of us.. really sweet of her.