Hen Dinner with the PB Ladies

I had one final hen dinner with my PB girls over Iftar and such a surprise it was. Nadia Suhaimi texted me saying " Eh we need to have one buka puasa laa with everyone. Let's meet up jom jom." 

At that time, I was already busy running around for my wedding errands and thought I'll be rushing for the Iftar macam tak sempat je and pulak they chose Delicious and you know lah with the desserts and all kan as I was supposed to be on a strict diet. 14 days to go kot!

But for my PB ladies sake, I thought to myself, WHY NOT? They've been there for me throughout my PB journey and not forgetting THAT PB income has helped me A LOT for my wedding which I am grateful for until today. Seriously amat bersyukur. Alhamdulillah.

We ate and chatted, whined and complained about work, Nadia gave us some of her words of wisdom and semangat (cewah!) as she just got her highest achievement of being a CDM! Giler minah tuuu now bonus dah 5 figures ok! I'm just so inspired and very very proud of her!

Soon after desserts (see I told you I can't TAHAN a good dessert!), the girls took out a paper bag and had us wore a tiara. Oh us means, Natasha and I. Natasha another PB lady who is also getting married a month after me. We were a bit puzzled and macam what's going on and all..la rupanya depa ni buat mini bachelorette dinner ke. So sweeet! Too kind of them to do this for us! Disebabkan bulan puasa yang mulia ini, so tidak la kami main games bukan-bukan ye. It was just simple but sweet. Love it girls!

And I love the gift please! Mr. Z loves it too. Ahahaha.

Thank you so much ladies. I'm so glad PB happened and YOU GUYS too!

Strangers to friends that was bond over PB

Two Lilies

The tents are up. The fairy lights are in tact. The bunga rampai scents is all over the house. The bilik pengantin is decorated to my liking  which is simple and white. The best part is that I finally have my classic white Victorian dressing table (with a modern touch) , just like how I wanted. 

What more do I want? Alhamdulillah.

Ohh. And I got my favourite lilies everywhere in the house as well.

2 more days to go and I'm off to practice Ad Dhuha for Majlis Qhatam Al-Quran  for the next day!

Three to Go

3 days to go and at that point, I don't feel a thing. Nervous hilang, anxious hilang and ketaq lutut pun gone. 

Can we just get married already??

Did waxing at a new place. Stripp was full so I went to Honey Pot. You know, being a girl is not easy. In order to look nice, to feel good and yada yada, you need to sacrifice a little bit more on money, time, energy and... PAIN. Ask any girl around you, waxing has never been like a walk in the park. I've done this a couple of times and I still cringe, feel tense whenever I do waxing, be it on my leg, arm pit or there. The pain is excruciating and I don't want to be the girl bila another girl tanya " sakit tak sakit takkk?" and you answer "Eh tak sakit macam kena gigit semut je". Celah mana babe macam kena gigit semut? So, if you ask me, I would say, yes waxing is painful. A pain in the ass. Eh, it's not really a pain in the ass laa. Get it? Ahaha. If you are a regular, you would understand this. I would dread  myself to go waxing when it's time, but a girl gotta do what a girl gotta do.

So, Honeypot is another waxing parlour that is fully recommended by me. Normally, I would go to Stripp The Curve, but a friend really recommended HoneyPot BSC because she said it's less painful, hygienic and the staff are friendly. Well, nothing else matters for waxing except to hear that it is less painful. And my friend was right, it is still sakit, but LESS. And the flavour that they used for hard wax is cherry pie. Nice. 

Pictures by google images

Spa done. Wax done. Went back home and saw this. Apparently, when the function is nearer, the list pun beranak?

 Hhhmm.. ape lagi Mom?

Sama-sama

This entry is long overdue, I've been meaning to blog it months ago but have been keeping it off because I was waiting for the photos from the girls.

I'm so blessed to have known these people, for I have known them for quite some time (nearly to 10 years perhaps?), and even some I have lived with for 2 years or so. 

Despite the differences that we've had, the distances from each other and hectic life that we are leading, it's not that often that we see each other as how we should. Some tak jumpa langsung.. i think more than a year, only see them on FB.

Anyway, the best part of throwing parties is that we can gather everyone together and have a good time. In conjunction of me ending my singlehood days, my TESL girlfriends decided to throw one hell of bachelorette party and being surrounded by teachers and lecturers (most of em) and some were once teachers/lecturers, it is one hell of a party siap dengan adanya Master of ceremony, game master, performances and all sorts of contests! Siap ada best dress competition. The theme was diamonds and sequins. Hilarious!

I was excited for the party so I decided to get ready early. Of course you'll be excited when you are being celebrated! Hitched a ride with Azura and Azima, and off we went to One Utama. Before the event started, they sent me away for a massage at Thai Odyssey because they wanted to decorate the place in order to boost up the party ambience. Had my 1 hour massage and off I went to Neway, but when I called them, "Eh belum lagi belum lagi", haish kelakarlah budak-budak ni.

And rupanya guess what they were doing? They were rehearsing a song for me because when I entered the room, Azura was 'Ok, everyone 1 2 3" and the music starts. 

So sweet I want to cry. They performed one of my favourite song by the late Seha, "Mulanya Disini". Siap ada menari tu. 

" Sama-sama menjejak mimpi, sama-sama mencari dan menanti, segalanya direstui cinta sejati, sama-sama gunung didaki, sama-sama turun ke lembah sepi, suka duka bersama dirasai"

:)

The rest came after and we started playing games. I felt like peeing the whole time as the girls were hilarious! Screamed, shrieked, laughed, screamed, shrieked, laughed. We had Falliq as the master of ceremony and it's quite fun to see him do what he does best.

We sang, we played games, we sang again the whole night long. I nearly choked up when I sang a favourite song of mine by Nora, "Hanya Satu", which I did not at all think about Mr. Z, but at that moment I felt that it could be the 'hanya satu' moment that I spend with these girls. With our busy schedule, long distances and yada yada, it's just hard to find time to actually gather like this again.

Gah. That's just our friendship dynamic. Sigh.

Anyhow, all in all, the 5 hours I spent with them were tremendously worth it and fun, and it actually made my whole day. In fact, I was smiling and talking about it the whole week.

Girls (Sheena, Zura, Ima, Ikhlas, Qilah, Deera, Wena as well as Faliq), if any of you reading this, thank u so so much for taking time to do this for me. Appreciate every little effort, energy and creativity that you guys put into this. More of this soon ya? Wedding siapa pulak yaaa?

Fantastic Four and Spa

The four groups of people that have been awesome for my wedding preparation:

1. Parental - They have been super duper semangat for the whole thing. I could not ask for more. 

2. Program and Technical support (Iqa, Awa and Sheena) - My backbone. The wedding would not happened if it weren't for them!

3. Siblings and relatives - They made everything easier. Love u guys to bits, especially my sisters. Please make sure I'll run your wedding in the future.

4. Friends - Coming from a girl school, I can say I'm quite lucky to have MANY girlfriends that I can just call anytime for help and support. My BGFFs and TESL GFs were significantly awesome, during my wedding week and even months before the wedding. Thanks T.Q, for your time (I know how busy you are) for being my MOH, from reminding me of HOW TO BE A BRIDE. Sheena, Mel and Haikal , my life saviour, you were there there til the wee hours of the morning, making sure that everything is 'intact' and as expected. 

I can go on and on thanking people, but I shall do that in a separate post.

***********

Anyway, four days to go and my days were spent for pampering, from dentist to wax to spa. 

For spa, I suggest that every B2B should try Khareyana Spa in PJ. They have excellent bridal spa menus and their service is good as well. Located in PJ, you'll find yourself transported to Bali the minute you stepped in the compound. The ambience, the smell and even the sound! I've been hearing excellent reviews about Khereyana Spa from friends and colleagues, but the perception that I normally had was expensive. Though it will create a hole in your purse, you'll find great satisfaction and you won't have to question on every penny that you've spent. 

3 hours of bliss:

a. Scrub/ Lulur

b. Shower

c. Steam

d. Massage

e. Body Mask

f. Shower

To B2Bs out there, don't forget to do 'Tangas'. Or you can opt for 'Kendedes' (vaginal smoking) treatment. 

An image of Tangas (Vaginal smoke treatment) to those that can't imagine what it looks like. Well, the one I had wasn't exactly like this, but I guess the style is the same. Pic by Google Image.

That's for Indonesian style of pampering. I have another option, which is also my favourite spa treatment, but it's the oriental Thai style. Have you heard of Thai Odyssey?

Yes, though it may not B2B-like but I personally think that Thai Odyssey Spa is one of the best in Malaysia. The menu is not as 'colourful' as other traditional yet luxurious Indonesian spas that you may have been, but their services is always a satisfactory. Always have been. The massages are different as Thai massage involves deep massage and stretching. It's a form of exercise where you can actually lose weight if you do it everyday! Imagine that. Total bliss if I can have my masseuse. 

5 Days

5 days to the wedding, and I felt anxious, nervous and nak muntah. And this time, it's not because of the wedding itself, I was more concerned on the akad nikah and marriage afterwards. All these while what worries me were the flow of the program, the guests list, the RSVPs and the nicks knacks paddy wacks. But chuck them aside, those are not my concern and it should not be. What hit me the most was: CAN I BE A WIFE?

And I asked myself again, WHAT IS A ROLE OF A WIFE? What do I have to do? 


............

I've never been a wife, and it hit me that being a wife is not the same as a girlfriend. And I thought it was, excluding the physical H-A-L-A-L relationship that we can have. Yes, you be there for him, love him, teman makan, listen to his rants and all, etc etc. But it doesn't stop there.

Can I obey a person I've never lived with? I am known for keras kepala, will question all actions, can I actually obey the man I'm about to marry? The fact that your Jannah lies beneath your husband's feet, it actually gives me shivers when thinking about it. That proverb should not be taken lightly. *Imagining Mr. Z's stare daggers at me*. 

Abu Hurayrah reported that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “When a woman prays her five (prayers), fasts her month (Ramadan), preserves her chastity, and obeys her husband, she will be told (on the Day of Judgement), “Enter Jannah from any of its (eight) gates.”

It has been narrated on the authority of Umm Salama (ra) that Rasul'Allah (saw) said: "If a woman dies in a state when her husband is pleased with her, she will enter Paradise ". (Tirmidhi)

Subhan'Allah. So easy, yet so difficult.

I guess that's why the reward is so great.

Insya Allah, 5 more days to become a wife.

SIX Theories

SIX days to the BIG Day.

And I have six theories that I have learnt throughout the whole process of my wedding preparation.

1. No matter how 'bandar' you are, some people just failed to RSVP properly. 

2. Last minute orders/ work/ planning can result to STRESS.

3. Communication with people and delegation of work are CRUCIAL. 

4. Wedding vendors! @#$%^& Shall I say more?

5. Your wedding dress can actually turn your mood around. If it turns out to be what you have desired, you'll be smiling away. 

6. Mental list doesn't work! 

Woossaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! 

Lucky Number SEVEN

Another SEVEN days to go. A week to go and I'll be wife to my darling Z. Haven't seen him for more than a week now. Pretty excited to see him next week and this time, as a husband.

I am so lucky to have supportive girlfriends and sisters to drive me around to get stuff for the wedding. So, today, I had Sheena as my 'chaperone' and went all over to get my custom made bunga manggar, lanterns and dresses for my nieces as they will be the flower girls during the reception. Found the cutest white dress for such reasonable price. 

Went fitting for nikah dress and I absolutely love it! Ni belom bubuh beadings lagi ni and I have already loved it. I shall smile in my sleep tonight. Since I'll be solemnizing in a mosque, I must wear proper shawl and not an inch of my hair can be shown. So, how do you suggest I wear my shawl?

 

These are my top four favourites. Hhmmmm.

Ggggrr 'Diva'licious Night

Another fun night with great girlfriends over scrumptious Italian meal, enjoying a live band serenading us with ballads and jazz numbers over coffee and followed by pillow talk until dawn. Relaxxxxx. 
Topics we talked about will remained within that four walls of the hotel room. Ahaha

But, we had a discussion (sort of!) of a book that we are currently obsessed about; clue: Audi and Boston. Perfect timing kan. The best way to share our sentiments about what we read and know over pillows and duvets with your close girlfriends. Meroyan sekor-sekor.

Thanks girls!

Dinner at the finest Italian restaurant in KL. Pavola. Yummy food, too delicious. Fully recommended to everyone especially those who favor authentic Italian cuisine. Thanks to Zehan for this! (Remember your 'Yalee yalee night!')

  

Akasia roomies 2003-2004

One for the memories! 

Hey girls (Deena, Zehan and Bella), thank you so much for a great night out (or in!) and looking forward to many more of these; hangouts, dinners, sleepovers and great friendship in years to come. Can't believe it is close to 10 years we've known each other and insya Allah, another 70 years? 

Let's Get Domesticated!

Such a hectic weekend for the past two weeks but I had heaps of fun. Those two weekends were spent for my bridal shower and indeed I had fun fun fun. If you can see me now, I'm  smiling/blushing/grinning/giggling as I am typing this entry. Overwhelmed by my friends' effort and felt so lucky and blessed to have girlfriends like them. Alhamdulillah.

I had three bridal shower altogether and each of them deserves seperate post.

The first one was held a week ago and the theme was.. Stepford Wives. It was such an awesome theme and I couldn't help to not plan what I want to wear because you need to look 'domesticated' and EVERYONE were pretty! All was Bree of Desperate Housewives, Charlotte of Sex and The City, Joanna Eberhart of Stepford Wives. It was awesome seeing them together in those attire.


What BGFFs do best is plan an awesome party. No doubt their parties were always the bomb.

Let me feast your eyes with some pictures that were taken during the party.

Iced lychee / peach tea by Didi

Some of the decoration props.

 Baked mac and cheese by Tasha

The super-biadap-sedap-gile chicken mushroom and steak & cheese pies by Farissa. Sedap gileeee

Fruit tarts, chocolate brownies and cream puffs by Dalia Dania

My girls are certainly homemakers ;)

We played  games and as always Ema and Adeq were the ones that coordinated the games and the games were never dull. Not the usual ones people played at bridal showers, but the games we played relate to the themes. So we had:

1) Decorate the cupcakes

2) Identify the spices

3) The laundry

4) Initials cross-stitch



It's time for me to judge!

 The winner for cuppies competition. Top three!

The laundry game. The girls and I need to fold and arrange the laundry in a smooth, crisp and neat order. FAIL.

Pressure gile. Look at the onlookers. Siap cekak pinggang lagi.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. Everything was perfect from the theme to food to deco to game. Everything is nice like sugar and spice. ;)

More pictures:

Awesome doorgifts ;)

In true fashion for us, as according to the theme.. say cheese. 

Thanks for the amazing times girls. Forever I will never forget this moment and the all of the good times we have shared. May we have this kind of events until we are old. There's no reason for us not to have one kan? And may our friendship continues to grow and the warmth we feel continue to flow. Cewah!

Bree or Charlotte?

I am beyonnndddd ecstatic! ;)

Thank you girls. 

Surreal isn't it? When your bridal shower is around the corner, you know that the wedding is SOON. 

What shall I wear now?

Bree Van dee Kamp (-ish) or Charlotte York (-ish)?

Wedding Updates!

76 days to go till I marry my best friend!

Updates!

1. Make up artists - Yes, for all three receptions, I've booked my MUAs and I'm pretty satisfied with my choices. Asked opinions from many sides, especially those who has worked and used the MUAs' services before. It's true what every ex- B2B said that you need to book your MUA at least 6 months before. I did mine quite late!

2. Attires - Back and forth from Jakel to Jakarta, and compared the prices. Of course when you get yours in Jakarta, it is much much cheaper (like 5 times cheaper) but since they are cheap, there are some that the quality can be disputed. But, there are places in Jakarta that sell the best of best.. Even Pak Abu and Anna Avantie bought from them and prices again.. 3 to 5 times cheaper la. After all, Jakarta will always be the land of laces. So for that, my dress for reception has been confirmed and 50% deposit has been paid. Phew. Lega rasa tau setengah beban sudah hilang. Designs have been finalized with the designers! Excited!

3. Photographer - I got what I want but still need to see the team soon.

4. Videographer - Met and sealed. Gave songs and ideas. I know I'm going to love it.

5. Hantaran - Settled all except for my handbag! Pfft. Sirih junjung, cake, chocolates have been ordered. 

6. Tray bearers - Distributed the materials. I'm pretty sure all is in good hands.

7. Sound system - Need help! Anyone?

8. Cake - Ordered.

9. Entertainment - Booked but have yet to choose the songs! I think I made a pretty good choice? Karaoke for malam berinai. 

10. Emcee- Both functions covered. Mom is handling it.

11. Invitations cards - Masih pening. Design ada, but have yet to see the final outcome.

12. Guest list - Belom finalized!

13. Corsages - I love you Zaza! By Bungaa of course!

14. Legal docs - Zaim is doing his at the moment. Will be in my hands next week. HIV test next week.

15. Spa - I've been going to Martha Tilaar Jakarta but can't go there again for the sake right? So, I've decided to continue my spa session here. Will ask friends for recommendations.

16. Favours - 90% done. My dad has been really supportive driving me around to Chow Kit area for cheap containers and mind you, the quality pun ok. Found VIP's gift and I'm pretty certain with the idea. Love it. 'Thank You' tags are done by Dalia of PrettyLittleThingsKL.

17. Decorations - Mom's choice and I think 80% of it has been finalized. Bunga manggar dah order. 

18. Kompang - Not yet!!!

Goodness. Wedding is a hard work. Stressful at times but I'm enjoying every seconds of the process. ;)


More to updates! 

Ke Sana Denganmu

 I'm such a sucker for love songs. I know.

Especially from these two renowned Malaysian singers;

Adibah Noor and Sam (Innuendo)

Enjoy.

Countdown wedding day: 87 days to go!

Guests List Dilemma

You see, I'm contemplating on a lot of things right now. I'm done contemplating on my wedding dress last month and thank God I have supportive girlfriends who will constantly 'shout' and 'pull' me away from all of my ridiculous temptations! Well, not actually ridiculous but on the things that I don't need for my wedding. 

A girl can only dream. Sigh.

So updates on preparations. Things are on its place for now, but you never know what may come during the last minute of time. As for now, I am currently doing my guests list, and oh my God, guest list is hard to do! Contemplating AGAIN on who to invite! You feel like inviting the whole world but you know it's just so impossible. "Si Polan ni kena ajak sebab dia selalu tegur I dalam lift" or " Si Bilan ni pun la sebab we go a long way tapi sekarang dah tak tegur dah" and bla bla bla. If only my hall can fit thousands of people but unfortunately no. The more, the merrier right? SIGH. 

Here's a guide of how to cut down on your guests which a friend recommended to me when she was doing her guests list two years ago! Read about how she organized her wedding in her blog. Very organized and so so helpful. We share notes ok?

I am sooo forwarding this to my  bride-to-be friends. Just in case they wanted to invite the whole wide world like me!

Thanks babe! It does help!

Marchesa Nude Pink Dress

Minus the bulu-bulu and sleeveless, I want something similar to this as my wedding dress.

There's something about nude/ dusty pink that attract me much. Always.

Too much?

A girl can only dream! ;)

Dress:  Marchesa

Four months? Or Three?

Four months. That's it. Make it three because the ceremony will be right after Raya and there's only so much to do during Ramadhan. Psyched but nervous at the same time. I hope I'll be more productive and get things done (and by that time it should be 80%) in May and June. Here's some updates for the things that have been done.. or not.

• Hantaran: Purchased 80% of barang for him. Just chocolate, perfume and gadget which haven't arrived in Malaysia yet; all of these are yet to be bought by June. Sirih junjung will be done by decorator. As for Mr. Z, he has purchased ALL of the barang except for my handbag, which is because I can't make up my mind. LOL
• Gubahan hantaran: Booked. 
• Make up & Hair: I've booked one for my two functions but need another one. Suggestions please. Tiar Zainal? Khir Khalid? Rozlan Nasir? 
• Attire: The designs are still in progress. I kept on changing my frickin mind! Kejap nak the groom pakai suit, so my baju must have the 'western' element la sikit (not sexy! Ahaha). But kejap nak songket plus modern, sebab bila lagi the groom will be hang tuah kan? So, I've decided on the traditional theme instead of western. And the colour has been finalized. 
• Maid of honors: Sister and two best friends. Bought their materials.

• Tray bearers: Bought materials for both tudung and dress. Tudungs have been sent to tailor to jahit tepi. 

• Photographer: Booked. Just need to meet for further discussion.
• Videographer: Further discussion. Can't wait to discuss on montage!
• Hand bouquets: Tak fikir lagi. 
• Shoes: Shoes will be custom made by designers. Just one problem with my Badgley Mischka. Need to find replacement!
• Cake: Hantaran cake belom finalized. Any good delicious cake from any blogs or shop to suggest?
• Sound system : Belom fikir.
• Entertainment: Family insisted on having a karaoke moment  but since I'll be having malam berinai besar in my house,  I might be having it at that time. Entertainment for reception is still pending. But have few ideas in mind.
• Henna: Loved Mel's. Nak yang itu.
• Canopy: Check. Not yet apparently.
• Catering: Check. 
• Emcee: Covered.
• Invitation cards: Designs are ready for both mine and Mr. Z. Will proceed to the next step soon. 
• Guest list: Not yet. 

• Corsages: Have yet to ask Bungaa if they can do mine for all functions ;)
• Legal docs: Not yet!
• Spa: I've been going to Martha Tilaar twice while I was in Jakarta. But will proceed to a spa that my girlfriends recommended while I'm here.
• Favours: This one is Mom's area. But we have finally decided for our majlis Qhatam, nikah and reception. Just need to get the stuff.
• Decorations: Booked decorator but .. I really need to work on my room.

Takkoottttttt!