2012 - A Review

How time flies. 

It's almost the end of December 2012, a new year will begin soon. So let's take a look at 2012 in a glance, for the significant events for my friends and I.

1. Babies! Fai and Zura with Ayra and Noe and Syuk with Yash. Cheeky and the most adorable babies. New babies coming soon next year with Hani and Melia currently being pregnant. And ooh another addition to The Usuals TTDI clan, Fadhilah gave birth yesterday! Almost forgot about this. 

2. Marriage. Few good friends of mine got married this year, Zia and Pejal, Hani and Efan, Shaz and Melia, Ilyanie and Fadhil, Wan and Elun, Boon and Wan and Arab and Dyana. Congrats again guys!

3. Changed job from SPK to CMSB. Significant changes because I was working in Lumut for almost a year before I finally come home for good. Still miss Lumut once in a while. Such a peaceful city.

4. Got proposed to and engaged to the annoying love of my life.

5. Did not go anywhere for holidays. Sheesh this I MUST write because I ALWAYS go somewhere at least once a year. Nak kahwin punya pasal. It better be worth it! Haha.

annnnnd that's it?! One year and just this?!

Ahaaa. Nothing interesting right? Sometimes looking at Instagram seeing other people's life so happening so frustratinglah. But takpe, rezeki masing masing. Adam and I work our ass off to support our wedding so yeah this year might be a little boring for us but I definitely know that next year insyallah will be a great year. Pray for us!

Wan - Married!

Wan is married!

It's a surreal feeling watching your very good friend tie the knot. I was very emotional during the solemnization (and secretly imagining how mine would be) especially when Wan hugged his mom right after the lafaz. :'(

Wan and I have gone through so much together. I met him in matrix, where we were in the same tutorial class, in UiTM ; same course same class and we hang out a lot after we both started working. So you could imagine how happy I was for him. :)

1 down, 2 more to go.

So, Congratulations Wan & Elun!

Top 10 Tips

Taken from here:

10 must know wedding planning tips from a pro.

1) Sole Mates are a must. These comfy little shoe cushions are perfect for all heels and they make walking on grass, or cobblestone, or on uneven surfaces.

(Not sure if we have it here but I guess for those who are not comfortable with the idea of heels,  you might want to find a pair that is comfortable so that it won't give you blisters, and start practise to walk in heels so it wont look awkward when you walk down the aisle. reminder to self too. i hate heels)

2) Pack Zots. Zots are tiny clear sticker dots that are ideal for attaching all kinds of things like, signs, centerpieces, tags, even ribbons around cake displays.

3) Get it to go- Have the caterers put together a plate of appetizers, dessert, even dinner for the bride and groom for the end of the night. Most times the bride and groom are so busy greeting guests and mingling that they don’t get to enjoy the food that they picked out for their special day. 

(will make sure of this! i asked my married friends and they too said that bride and groom won't have time to eat, so make sure you eat before the event! and drink lotsa water too)

4) Chalk it up- A very popular trend today is to use chalkboards for wedding signs, labels, tags, etc. Bring a Chalkboard pen instead of chalk. Writing with a chalkboard pen is much easier and neater than using real chalk.

(I guess this depends on the theme of the wedding)

5) Flower Power- If the couple is looking to save money on floral centerpieces and bouquests they can always buy flowers wholesale or at a farmer's market. And either get a pro to assemble them or turn it into a fun activity to do with bridesmaids and moms. 

(Thank god i have an aunty that love flowers! She's the person I talk to when I'm confused with what type of flowers I want for my wedding.)

6) Be prepared with a wedding day emergency kit. Every planner needs a first aid kit for wedding including: fashion tape, safety pins, bobby pins, hairspray, bandaids, a sewing kit, deodorant, pen, paper, extra cash, checks, scissors etc. 

(THIS!)

7) Flip Flop Basket- Put a basket of flip flops out on the dance floor. You can find inexpensive flip flops in many colors at Old Navy, and they are so appreciated when your guests want to dance the night away and their feet hurt from high heels. 

(Don't think it is applicable here in Malaysia haha!)

8) Late Night Snack- It is so important to keep your guests full. A late night snack tray with mini tacos, grilled cheeses, fries, sliders etc... is a great way to do this. You want your guests to stay and dance all night, and offering a late night snack will ensure they do. 

(Nope, not applicable here!)

9) Little White Lie- With wedding schedules you want to make absolutely sure that all the wedding party attendants are on time for the rehearsal, ceremony etc. How do you do this? Tell them the scheduled event is at least a half an hour earlier than it really is. 

(Lols, especially to those who are famous for being late, janji melayu la katakan)

10) Get it in Writing- Make sure you have everything in writing from all your vendors! Arrival times, pick up times, prices, etc. A written copy is a must so no one needs to rely on their memories for what was agreed upon. 

(Floor manager should be in charge with this!)

Good tips isnt'it? Let's just hope when the time comes, we'll remember this list. Lols. 

Was browsing through The Star and i stumbled this article, it's about the 3 C's. Knowing women, we would straight away think about diamonds but no, not in this case. :) 

"PETALING JAYA: There are three “Cs” couples should abide by to keep their marriages strong, say family groups.

Focus on The Family Malaysia executive director Lee Wee Min said practising Commitment, Communication and Consecrate Time would help bring down divorce rates.

“Commitment is the safety net to a relationship. Married couples need to be committed and show it by giving each other priority and unconditional love,” said Lee.

The second “C”, “communication”, he likened to blood in a human body.

“When blood stops flowing, the body will not function. Similarly, when communication ceases, the relationship stops functioning.

“Positive and meaningful communication where both can express themselves freely and respectfully is very important for a healthy marriage.

“Each spouse must learn to communicate what he or she wants, rather than expecting the other to know.”

A 2011 report by the Malaysian Quality of Life (MQLI) showed that the number of divorces last year had doubled compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, figures from the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) showed that as of 2010, 33,788 out of 207,553 marriages had ended in divorce.

Lee said that the final “C” stands for “consecrate time”, and used the building of a concrete structure as an illustration.

“Consecrate means set apart'. While building a concrete structure, the concrete must be allowed 28 days to gain structural strength before the structure can be utilised.

“In the same way, couples must set aside time to strengthen their bonds that is, to get to know, understand and accept each other which cannot happen overnight,” said Lee.

Family counsellor Yvonne Lee said that marriage cannot work on a “trial basis”.

“It is a lifelong commitment, and takes lifelong effort for it to work.

“However, the perception towards marriage nowadays is let's just give it a try, and if it does not work we'll just split up',” she said.".

So! Hani's wedding.

The week of her wedding i was pretty much jobless, while waiting for the 1st of June so i was pretty much free to help around. And yes we did, few nights actually. Tiring at first but it was fun because i think that was the first time we actually did something like that. We gossiped, we did the work, and talked and all. It was fun!

On 2nd June 2012, woke up early to get ready for Hani's solemnization. Got to see her get all dolled up, posing like nobody's business (to the photographers of course) and at around 11+ am, we get to see her change her status from a MISS to a MRS. :') 

She looked so pretty and so happy i can't help but to feel something in me, you know the feeling of too much happiness i think. :)

And at night, it was her reception. Lol. Okay this is seriously funny because all of a sudden everyone has something to do! But we had fun alright. To see all the ttdi friends, like kaz, tim, liza, pei yin and all. 

All in all, it was really a good day albeit the hiccups here and there. It really is. And words could never express how happy i am for both Hani and Efan (whom i just found out his real name is irvan).

So dear Hani and Efan,

Congratulations! May you guys live happily ever after, hingga ke syurga. May you be blessed with all His blessings, cepat dapat baby and we love you!

p/s unfortunately i don't have pictures with them, gotta wait for the photographers lols. this are all i have. lols. 

 The gorgeous bride

 The gorgeous dais

 Shira, myself and Hana

Ayra! (she looks so much like fai here lols)

3 Weddings!

At this age, it's just natural for you to be invited to weddings every week. But last Saturday, Adam and i did something crazy, we went to not 1, not 2 but 3 weddings in one day!

Wedding #1
Held in Kompleks MAS, we went on behalf of Adam's parents who couldn't make it. We really like the daging cincang and i got the name card of the caterer already just in case. :)

Wedding #2
Ziya and Pejal's reception at Dewan Melawati Tabung Haji. This is more of a reunion to the UiTM peeps. I had fun seeing the old friends, some are with babies and some are pregnant. But had fun nevertheless. Good seeing you guys!

Wedding #3
We left Tabung Haji at around 4, waaay too late therefore we rushed to the next one. Reached almost 5 and contemplated to go in because it was so late and there's no more guest! But we decided to go down since we're there already and i'm glad i made that decision because it's been so long since i last met Ilyanie. She looked so thin and so pretty i can't help but to feel jealous! Oh well there's still time for me to slim down hehehe.

Anyways congrats to all of you guys! May all of you live a blissful marriage life with your loved ones. :)

Love this!

can i have a beach wedding please?

ps: image taken from tumblr.

And another one yet again :)

Yesterday, another one of my good friend changed her status from miss to mrs. Unfortunately, i couldn't be there during the solemnization (i gotta work) but my friends thoughtfully update me through twitter (thank you guys!). You gotta love technology and social networking. :)

Anyways, back to Fadhilah, back in matrix, we were in the same building, Block B and we were also in the same lecture class, F2. So naturally, we spent a lot of our time together. I remember I would always go to her room, and just lie on her bed and listen to Simple Plan. Man, those were the days! I could just go on and on about the good times i had in matrix. I remember hating it so much when i first got the letter. LOL! But that's a different story. :)

So anyways, the reception was held at her house this afternoon, and she looked so pretty and so happy in pink! And i'm just so so happy for her. :) Sigh. I feel so old already.

So to Fadhilah aka Krok krok (private joke), CONGRATULATIONS! The first one of the TOA crew to tie the knot. One down five more to go! May you be blessed always with happiness and all the good things. Semoga sentiasa murah rezeki and panjang umur bersama suami anda. And please cepat dapat baby. :)

the bride and groom

with the usuals. :))

The Day She Became Mrs Syukri

Last Friday, 15th of April 2011, my babe Fariha Salleh officially became Mrs Syukri. I got there just in time to hear Syuk "melafazkan" the akad. It was a simple yet very intimate solemnization as there's only families and close friends.

And at that time, i was actually feeling such a mixed up feelings. I am of course beyond happy, and somehow "sayu" my babe is officially someone's wife. I can't help but to look at her, all glowing, and just feel this feeling and i guess she also feels the same way cause we're both like "awwwwww". Haha.

So to Noe and Syuk, congratulations!

the newlyweds

the newlyweds with the bridesmaid.

You guys are perfect for each other, that i'm certain. Take care of each other, love one another and cepat dapat baby! I love you guys. Will always pray for your happiness and well being.

Love,

Puchie