PANIC ATTACK!

OMG !!!

Our wedding is two months away!!!

OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I DO

There is a very lovely song called "I DO", sang by Lea Salonga on her wedding day, for her husband.

Here's a video of Lea's wedding with a background of this very emotional song...try to watch it without tears in your eyes.. :)

http://choiee.multiply.com/video/item/18

Updates on Wedding Preparations

We managed to get some things done last weekend in Penang. Since I was in KL for work, I took 2 days off last week and went up North to settle what we needed to settle.

I finally secured the booking for my bridal makeup! Excellent. Her name is Mandy and she did a wonderful job in making me look like a radiant bride ! Ahem...hehe. She did a trial makeup for me and Fabian liked it too....he is not a fan of any sort of facial articial enhancement so it was a big relief to have him say she did a good job (...but would he dare say otherwise..? Hmm...). Anyway it was an experience for me...my eyelids had tape at the tops so it will open up (something like that lah!). So much so that when I first had a glimpse of myself in the mirror I was shocked at how huge they were....made me think of that furry nocturnal rat-thing that lives on tree tops....hmm. You know, the one with the BIG BIG eyes!

Next we stopped by TSL Jewellery and got our wedding bands! Nothing fancy, just a plain gold band with minimal details. We opted for rose gold...it is much like yellow gold but with a bronze tint. We thought the shade has a more classic look to it...and it will not tarnish and will only look better with time. Even though I have such teeny weeny fingers, hence my ring is so much smaller, I was not given any discount! Hmmph! I might as well have fat fingers.....

The other thing I managed to confirm was the wedding cakes to be given away to the dinner guests. My Aunty Linda found a very nice bakery that will bake the cakes a day before and pack them in small giveaway boxes. We opted for fruit cake....personally I am not a fan of fruit cakes (never like really sweet food) but I brought a sample back to office and people seem to like them, so I suppose there are fruit cake lovers around.

I managed to cross over to Prai to have dinner with my future in-laws too. They are so very nice people that I feel so blessed to be getting them as my new family.

So I think we have most things covered. Oh, this weekend Joe and I will visit the printers to get a quote for the wedding card insert printing. I hope we get bulk discount. Hmm...Fabian's china man thrifty trait is rubbing off on me......

Destination: Penang-Location Location Location

For those travelling from KL, Sarawak, Singapore and Brunei (thank you so much for coming!), I try my best to put in bits and pieces of information about Penang. While most of my relatives reside on Penang Island today, I grew up in Alor Setar. So, I do not actually know a lot about Penang except how to get to my Ah Mah's (grandmother) place from the Penang Bridge and back again.

My 10 months spent in International College (Bukit Jambul, Penang) were mainly confined in a students' apartment barely 5 minutes away from the school - not much of an outgoing person then.

Anyway, here's a first look at where the event will be taking place, and some suggestions of where to stay.


That island above is Penang Island, situated somewhat West of Peninsular Malaysia with mainland Butterworth and Prai to its East. Further inland and towards the North will be the state of Kedah-where I come from.

The map below is a magnified section of the top right quarter of the island above. The Eastern & Oriental (usually only known as E&O) Hotel, where the wedding reception will be, is located right under that word GEORGETOWN. See it?


For those not considering to stay at the E&O, there are plenty of other hotels nearby.

If you'd like some seabreeze in your face and sand in between your toes, Paradise Sandy Bay, Copthorne and Tj Bungah Hotel aren't too bad. They're about 15-30 minutes away from E&O by taxi.

Now, for those who simply MUST go to Gurney Drive (but seriously, there ARE other similarly or better eating places elsewhere but I'll humor you anyway) The Gurney Hotel and G Hotel are pretty much quite close to your heart's desire. G Hotel is brand new and is literally glued to the Gurney Plaza - quite good shopping there for those in need of last minute touch ups to their party gear. Plus there are a number of cafes there for a late night drink or two. Apart from those two, the Evergreen Laurel hotel is not too bad, so is the Northam AllSuites. In the map above Gurney Drive is roughly between Northam and Evergreen. That's where G Hotel and Gurney Hotel are as well.

Other hotels within the vicinity of E&O to consider are:

Cititel
City Baview
Traders Hotel (Shangri La in the map above)
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (a magnificently restored mansion of a chinese merchant converted into a heritage hotel. A breathtaking work of asian architecture)
The Merchant Hotel

The next map is mainly dedicated to those who wish to stay nearer to the airport. I know some of you have an early flight to catch on Monday morning (19 Nov) after the wedding reception.

This is a magnified section of the Bayan Lepas/Bayan Baru area-bottom right quarter of island. Around this area there's the Vistana Hotel or Krystal Suite or Equatorial.

More to come on Things to Do and attractions along the Feringghi stretch. Later...

-Disclaimer: As I've always stayed at home when in Penang, I do not actually know how good these hotels are. Those that I would recommend (from friends' experiences) are G Hotel, The Gurney and maybe Cititel. Bayview I heard is not too bad too.

Meeting the Dressmaker

I stole an afternoon off today (it is after all, Work Hard Play Hard Friday today) to pay a most important visit to a lady whom I hope will weave some magic into a piece of red satin fabric.

That Special Occasion has been at the top of my list for wedding gowns since the first time I stumbled across their website. I spent hours staring at the elegant gowns with exquisite detailing. At long last (after almost 10 months of deliberation), I met Anna at her nice little shop at Desa Sri Hartamas.

We sat down for an hour going through the designs I liked, and eventually she sketched out the PERFECT evening dress. :)....all I will say is that, it will be red satin....

My first fitting is on September 1st. I am bursting with excitement!

Everything by Michael Buble

I was driving one night and then this song started playing on the radio and I thought to myself....wouldn't this make a nice wedding song ? Listen here

You're a falling star,
You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play you're coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you,
You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.
And I can't believe, that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you,
You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you,
You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
'Cause you're my everything.Yeah, yeah

Visit Penang Year 2007

It is June. November is about 4 months away. Hmm..

I think I have most things covered for the wedding. I've got the wedding gown, which is the most important (I think....), got the hotel dinner sorted out and guest list is ..well..slowly building up. I am rather surprised (pleasantly, of course) how good the responses to our invitation have been from those based in Miri. At the beginning we thought turn-out will probably be small because of the distance to travel from Miri to Penang. But actually, a little less than half of the total guests will be travelling from Miri !! And they are actually taking this chance to visit Penang at the same time. So I suppose this is our small part in promoting tourism in Penang...:)

But it really touches our hearts to realize just how far people are willing to travel just to attend our wedding reception. It is just nice to know that.... :)

The Ultimate Girls' Nite Out

As a follow-up to the whirlwind of a trip we had in Bangkok for Angie's hen's night (the bride's version of a bachelor's night), Angie decided to retun the favour (I helped plan hers) by volunteering to master-mind the whole event when it came to my turn. So hen's night for yours truly found its venue in swanky Singapore.
I remember exactly the day when Angie offered to be the planner and I said "Ok, why not.." and moments later she sent me a test message which read;

"I FOUND A MALE STRIPPER! A REAL LIFE ONE!!"

I nearly fell off my seat facing the beach in Kota Kinabalu (I was transitting waiting to go offshore the next day) and the pretty sunset suddenly started to look scary.....what had I gotten myself into??!! I hope she was joking with that text message....I REALLY HOPE she was...

Anyway the hen's night did happen in Singapore. Rach flew in from Manila, Wid and Bern from Miri and I took a bus from my brother's apartment on East Coast road. I was already in Singapore for the musical Phantom of the Opera (<---pretty good, by the way..).

It was a very good trip...the shopping, the eating.....but of course, the highlight of this trip was the night itself. Angie found a nice place that offered nice comfortable little rooms for events (at Boat Quay, email me for details if you are interested). I think it is a great concept - the rooms had comfy chairs, tables and food came with the package too. And oh, they also offer all sorts of games to encourage people interaction and such....very interesting.

We all had matching tops with sparkly words (they custom ordered that online, how creative!) ironed across the front - I had "BRIDE" on mine. Hehe...

So what did we do that night? A lot of FUN....and LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH....and the rest....well, that's for us to remember (don't think we can ever forget!).

A big thank you to Angeline, Widdy, Bernice and Rachel for the kind effort ... HUGS! That was an experience of a lifetime....*wink*

The E&O

One day when we were back in Penang for new year, we dropped by E&O to discuss the wedding dinner. Took some pictures of the venue, specially the outdoor area beside the ballroom where the pre-dinner cocktail will be at. Isn't it lovely ? I hope it doesn't rain on that day though. I even checked the tide tables....to be sure that it won't be low tide in the evening during November. Gurney Drive isn't too pretty during low tide....

The Wedding Dress

I had to run to the bridal shop today to squeeze into my gown and snap some pictures for the florist in Penang. She needs it to match the flowers to the colors on the gown. So here's a sneak peak at the gown I fell in love with at first sight. :)

Wedding Date : FIXED!

It has been a while since we last updated this site. Reason being the slight confusion and many details of the initial wedding planning that we had.

The original idea of 2 separate receptions for friends and family is now out the window. After going through the different quotations from a few hotels (Lone Pine inclusive), it came to our attention that the E&O Hotel in Penang gave us an offer we couldn't resist ! Strange it may seem, but one of the most exclusive hotels in Penang is offering us the best package !

For those out of towners, the E&O is housed in an old colonial building (renovated and refurbished, of course) facing the Straits of Malacca. For more details and history of this hotel, check out their official link. A wedding at the E&O will definitely be lovely! Or at least I am hoping it will be. Been looking through the web for pictures of weddings held there and almost all were just beautiful.

Anyway, to sum it up...

1.) Separate friends' reception at the Lone Pine not happening as we will have ONE big dinner together with family AND friends.

2.) The wedding will be over 2 days, of which the first day will only be the bride pick-up, prayers and tea ceremony for family members.

3.) The wedding dinner itself will be the following night. This might sound a tad strange but after many many days and weeks of discussion, we came to a conclusion that it's the best option. Plus less tiring for us as well .

So deposit for the hotel has been paid to secure the date. You can now start looking at travel dates, boys and girls. LQ will send out information on hotel rates that she will try to negotiate with certain hotels sometime early next year.

FABIAN & LI QUEN'S WEDDING

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

18 November 2007

One thing I truly hope for my wedding is to have a special group of friends with me on that special day. We grew up together through primary, and secondary school. Then continuously kept in touch until today. These are the girls I have known - some since I was 6 or 7 years old. And we have shared so many conversations, so many secrets and heartbreaks and countless joyous moments.

I am glad we kept in touch all these years, even though most of us are scattered right across the globe hundreds and thousands of miles apart. I think we have all come too far to not know that our friendship deserves a celebration. I am thankful that they have been there through all the stupidity and siliness, daydreams and ambitions, laughter and sadness, pain and joy.

I love you all!

LiQ

The Proposal

WHEN.19 September 2006

WHERE.The Datai, Langkawi

HOW (narrated by LQ).A month or two before that, we were planning for a trip to Paris. I was going to fly to Amsterdam to meet Fabian after his training. Unfortunately, due to uncertainties in work commitments, the trip was cancelled.

We talked about a short break somewhere nearby after that and after a few discussions, Fabian surprised me by doing all the arrangements for a week-long holiday in Langkawi. A week!! I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased of course, considering I have not yet taken any personal time off this year. He had everything planned - from accomodation to flight tickets to car rental. It was just like the first time we took a holiday together.

The resort was simply lovely! (See separate posting on The Datai under this category). In the mornings we would take walks along the beach. On Tuesday morning, we went for a morning walk as usual. But it was a particularly hot day. I thought it was rather strange that Fabian insists that we walked to the far end of the beach and back since he usually complains about heat (turns out he wanted us to be out of the room to let the resort staff to tidy it up and place the flowers he had ordered!).

Anyway, when we finally got back, the only thing on my mind was to get out of the heat. We got to the front door and he let me into the room first ahead of him. I noticed a very nice bouquet of white roses and lilies on the bed! It was so pretty! At that moment I did not suspect a single thing yet. I just thought he was being sweet. So in I went and fussed over the flowers and then I turned to thank him. And he was on his knees !

I am not sure what went through my mind then. I kept saying "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!". It was actually a state of panic because somewhere in my split second phase of insanity I realized he was proposing!! I recall I kept asking him "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!". And he held the ring in his hands. And I just hugged him and hugged him.

I do not recall what he asked me...(which he later told me was 'will you spend the rest of your life with me?') but I recall saying "OK...I GUESS SO".

Although it was always assumed that sooner or later he was going to propose, I never imagined I would feel that panicky when he does. For starters, he completely took me by surprise. I went berserk for a while. And then I calmed down and was so happy :)

Then I remember. I have mentioned some time ago how our first holiday will always be something I will always remember. And he had attempted to create that same feeling again in his grand plan for proposal.

P/S. A month before the trip, Fabian also secretly went to meet my parents and asked for their blessing. My whole family was in the conspiracy!

So, here we are...just over 2 weeks into our engagement and I thought we should start a one-stop information site for all the wedding details; specially for our out-of-town friends. Which is quite a good idea considering they're scattered all over the country and right across the globe - US of A through to Japan. We (Li Quen, actually...ahem) will be planning the wedding remotely from Miri - so it is going to be quite a challenge for us in 2007. The fact that 95% of our intended guests are not from Penang, we hope that this site will somewhat keep you updated. Besides, your comments and suggestions will defintiely come in handy and make the planning a whole lot more fun!

So see you all in Penang!

F & LQ