Wedding planner-to-be

Look at what I just bought:



No, I'm not getting married, but as most of you already know by now, Huaiky & Steff (date TBC) are! :) So as the official wedding coordinator for both weddings, I've got to start on the research and make sure I've got every bit of information on all things wedding-y. After all, these girls are two of the most important people in my life and I'm gonna make sure their weddings are perfect, down to every last tiny detail.

Eeeee.... Can't wait!! :p

I'm feeling: Excited
I'm listening to: Better Together - Jack Johnson

Ally's day of fun

Yesterday was a full day of laughs with some of my favourite people in the world.

It kicked off when my gorgeous cousins took me to Sentosa for a relaxing day at Tanjong Beach. It was a truly lazy Friday afternoon complete with a picnic and very bad but very enjoyable attempts at beach volleyball and handball. Heheh. Naturally, I was very excited and feeling real perky about our little Girls' Day Out cos it's been awhile since we all last hung out together. Also, I badly needed to re-kindle my relationship with the sun.

3 hours later, my tan-ness probably increased by just 2%. Damn.

Mr. Sun, have you forgotten me? Your fave Singaporean friend? You and I used to have such good times together. I'd swim or just lie around and your light would eagerly penetrate through my pores, filling me with your delightfully warm sunshine. What happened yesterday? :(

Perhaps I should've just slapped on the tanning oil.

What amazed me most after our Girls' Day Out was how much we've all grown. I still remember back when we were younger, when we hung out to swim, play, and all the countless sleepovers we had. Then, Nat's parents would drive us around to wherever we wanted to go. Today, we (well, just Nat actually) are driving ourselves to the beach, thankyouverymuch. I thank God for giving me such amazing sisters. :)

Later in the evening, I met my girls at Menotti for some divine desserts and some truly fabulous company. I don't know how it's possible but each time I hang out with these guys, I just feel like I love them more and more. We know each other's quirks and habits so well that nothing surprises us anymore. What we have now is just a great friendship where we can really let ourselves go and have plenty of fun. It's such a real blessing to have the company of such wonderful friends.

Click here for photos from last night.

I'm feeling: Blessed
I'm listening to: Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith

This is for you

Almost 12 years on and this is what our friendship has come to:



Hope you like reading my blog now, hun! ;)

I'm feeling: Chilly
I'm listening to: On Top - The Killers

Memories of EMP

Here are some photos taken with the gorgeous folks at church:



I miss you guys! Boohoo. :(

I'm feeling: Reminiscent
I'm listening to: Pour Out - Shawn McDonald

MYFers in action

3 posts in one day has got to be a record for me. Anyway, here are the videos. Photos to come tomorrow!

From Music Night:
Group 1 - Knocking, Knocking


Group 2 - Emo Hymn


Hanging after Sunday Service

A Brisbane blessing

Phew. Just finished transfering all my old posts from my previous blog to blogspot. Took awhile, but I did it. *pats own back*

As many of you know by now, I went back to Brisbane for a quick, surprise visit. The whole trip was a real blessing and I'm really grateful for my amazing folks who so readily gave me the money to enjoy myself. Love you, Mum & Dad! :D

The reaction and reception I got from everyone was astounding. I didn't realise how much I missed them until I finally saw them again and we were all hugging and jumping around. It was a crazy welcome back and one that I won't be forgetting for a long, long time.

What struck me most was seeing how much the church, MYF and everyone has grown over the past year. The desire to serve God is so evident in everyone's eyes that it's inspiring. You've got all these young ones stepping up and devoting time to God. The number participating in weekly Bible studies have exploded from the original 7 to a regular 20-odd people. The church has truly been blessed and I can only pray now that it will continue to grow in the right direction.

Plenty of R&R was had, of course. Lots of catching up with everyone, hanging out and... shopping! My accumulation includes:

12 DVDs
1 Boxset
5 Tops
1 pair of shorts
3 pairs of underwear
2 showbags from Ekka
Too much food

Thankfully I was able to fit everything into my suitcase. :p

I also celebrated two birthdays - Uncle Thomas and my own - while I was there. Uncle Thomas turned 60 and the family threw a huge party for him. Friends, Rellies... everyone came in full force. Auntie Luciana was at her usual culinary best whipping out one delish dish after another. And it was so wonderful to finally get to see little Jacquelyn! She's ridiculously adorable and I can just sit there for hours staring at her. No kidding.

My birthday was a cosier affair at my fave Mexican restaurant - Montezuma's. And in the grand tradition of birthday celebrations at Monte's, I got the full shebang - howling waitresses shaking their maracas, a chocolate mousse lit up with sparklers and a sombrero! :) It was a pleasant surprise cos I thought it was just a dinner among old friends. So yeah, big thanks to Huaiky, Pen & Zef for planning it! *hugs* :)

I'm missing everyone tremendously right now. I wish I could've stayed a bit longer, but I was also missing my gorgeous friends back home too. If only everyone was in the same country, eh?

I'm gonna go through the hundreds of photos that I took and will be uploading the better ones sometime tonight. Be sure to check back for photos and a video or two. ;)

I'm feeling: Blessed
I'm listening to: Cats In The Cradle - Dilana

Cooking with friends

More cooking fun was had yesterday as we made home-made crepes and garlic-based pasta.

Dia & I officially welcomed Nessa to the cooking team as the three of us eagerly prepped ourselves in the kitchen for dinner. On the menu were two types of garlic pastas - chicken and prawn, and crepes with peaches and ice-cream.

We wanted to try out the crepes first before serving it to everyone so we used some leftover ham & cheese to make a sample. It was a bit thick, cos I think we put a little too much batter, but all in all, they were surpringly easy to make and didn't require much ingredients. The batter also didn't look quite right but the result tasted good nonethess. ;) Naturally, we beamed with pride and became more certain of ourselves.

Ham & Cheese Crepe


So we continued working our butts off in the kitchen. Nessa was really getting into it and she took over all the frying/flipping duties, while the two of us scurried around the kitchen bringing her all the ingredients and garnishings. It was a real garlic-fest as teaspoon after teaspoon of garlic was tossed into the pan. But it smelled good. I personally felt the garlic prawn pasta tasted a tad bit better, but the chicken was great too, especially for those with allergies and personal vendettas against the tiny crustacean (yes, I'm referring to you Lydia).

Sabs came in time for a completely non-bias review of our food. Her verdict? It was - quote, unquote - quite good. Oh c'mon Sabby, we know you loved it. Just say the word. Our heads won't swell - honest! ;)

Garlic Prawn Pasta


Dessert was next and I think we succeeded in making better-looking crepes. It was not as thick as our ham and cheese sample, so it was certainly more crepe-like. We all agreed that presentation definitely needed to be worked on though, but for what it's worth, I think it looked good for our first effort.

Home-made crepes with peaches & ice-cream


The laughs rolled after dinner as we retreated for some geeky board game fun. It was Dia's night, winning both games we played. Just as we were about to embark on The Game of Life, Sabs inadvertently discovered that we were a bunch of remaining singles among our very-accounted-for friends, playing this hilarious irony of a game where it would be the closest thing we'd ever come to having twins. Well, at least we're all happy. :p

It's amazing how we, despite being single, are domesticating ourselves when it doesn't look like we're getting married anytime soon. Perhaps the maternal instinct is emerging, or perhaps we're just getting ourselves ready for the day we finally have to live on our own. Dia says we should all live together should we never get married. I'm totally in, cos I know I'm gonna have plenty of fun and I'll never go hungry. ;)

(L-R) Me, Dia, Nessa & Sabs


More pictures here.

I'm feeling: Tickled
I'm listening to: The Luckiest - Ben Folds