Here’s a glimpse of the action at George & Dragon.

Well well seems like Eujin now set a very high standard for upcoming boyfriends of besties to match. After much gossip with girlfriends, I shall share a little on what the girls think of as a sweet wedding proposal!

Surprise! Surprise!
Guys! A marriage proposal MUST be a surprise. Take time and devise a way of proposing that she won’t suspect. Jindi dear is the most unsuspecting person ever! So, Eujin had it EASY. LOLX. Anyway, if your girlfriend is slightly paranoid ie. Winnz/Elaine, you need lots of back-up plans. It always help if you are on friendly terms with her close girlfriends because they are good at diverting attention.

hahahaa. Look at Jindi’s face. She’s the pretty babe in the middle. Hahaha. After kidnapping her for the entire afternoon, we whisked her into MNG to grab this sleek black sequin dress. She took in all our nonsense and bought this highly recommended dress in less than 10 minutes! Walked out of MNG in the dress, still a daze before we made her took this pic for keepsake! Obviously Elaine and I had the ‘oh-my-goodness she got punked-to-dress-up’ face.

She was totally oblivious to what’s going to happen! The look on her face when Eujin proposed was priceless.

Write your own proposal
Saying, “Will you marry me?” should be original! Say something meaningful and sweet! Eujin’s mathematical proposal is perfect for accountants. LOLX. Yup both of them are accountants. Well, how about writing a poem or sing a song you wrote yourself? Basically,tell her why you want to marry her and write your own proposal! Then make sure you memorise the script and don’t ever read from a paper! The key is sincerity.

Getting the right engagement ring
Since wearing an engagement ring is a lifetime commitment. Thus, you got to do it right. Though personally I’m not a jewelry person, I’m quite sure that most brides want their proposal to include an engagement ring. Well if your bride-to-be is very particular about her jewelry, you may want to consider including her in the buying/designing process. In-line with the surprise element, I suggest proposing with a faux ring before going to the jewelers together after the proposal so she can pick and choose something she likes.

Can’t see the ring right? Too bling. He spent close to RM40k for that baby.

Be creative
Make the proposal memorable by incorporating significant things, foods etc. into the proposal but keep the focus on what’s important: the proposal itself.  Thank goodness Eujin did not hid the engagement ring in food. It’s too cliche so no brownie points for creativity. Gotta give the guys credit for planning Eujin’s entrance with a special song he shares with Jindi. It was quite hilarious when the bride-to-be was busy eating to notice the boys had problems with the music. There were a few failed attempts to play the song.  Yikes. Good thing there was a back-up CD. It pays to be prepared. Well done Kenji and Gavin.

(:

MUST drop to one knee
We insist. This is probably going to be the most charming and romantic moment for any guys! No wedding proposal is a proposal without the man going on one knee asking the love of his life to marry him! And with that, you passed with flying colours. We trust you, Eujin, to take good care of our bestie.

Points taken?

We are so proud of you, Eujin! Haha. Congrats to you and Jindi! We love you, Mrs.Lim!

Needless to say, I did what I do each year. Stacked those that I can no longer fit up in the top-most shelf, hoping that I can fit into them next year. I may be too optimistic. But there’s a tiny glimmer of hope. I am going to start running regularly and cut down on heavy dinners this year! I’m serious! Especially after I’ve invested in this funky running shoe.

With a perfect slimming plan in mind which I am going to start after the festivities, I’ve decided to celebrated Spring with no cares and worries. Pineapple tarts? Bak Kwas? Love letters? Beer? Bring it on.

So the Eve of Chinese New Year which really means a feast with families, came with sumptuous spread. I think homecooked delicacies are always extra tasty when everyone is gathered around the table with amiable chatter.

Not sure if it is just me but the coming of Spring this year appears to be fleeting. Before I know, the night ended with firecrackers crackling all over Adda Heights. A good indication that the population of Chinese has prosper in the area.

It is strange how fireworks always manage to evoke emotions. As I caught the beautiful display with dad, ma, bro and sis in the garden, I can’t helped but regret that I am growing up so fast. A teeny feeling of dread came over me knowing that I may not be able to spend more of such moments with them. Now I wish that time could just stay still.

This year, Eevon is more thankful for people who loves her. Happy to have 3 valentines this year.

Spring is such a warm season. Don’t you agree? How was your cny celebrations?

Grand. Arresting. Towering.

Scaling the wall’s steep, crumbling steps now brings new meaning after I withstood the pangs of adversity with my girlfriends. That was nothing we’ve ever encountered throughout our years of friendship.

It was shocking how much similarity our decade-old friendship share with the Great Wall’s history of more than 2000 years. Though some of the wall’s sections are now in ruins or have disappeared, it is still so appealing and attractive. It all boils down to its historical significance. Much the same, our history is priceless.

I was at Badaling. Thrown with an option of going either left or right, I took the route on my left which offers a more challenging hike up the wall and kept walking until it was not possible to walk any further. I thought that the steep mountain slope and torturous roads were awesome because it was these features that made it a stronghold. Yeah we are flawed and that made our journey steep and torturous as well. But what’s our weakness when our strengths could easily support and protected each other from harm.

Win was right. We’ve gone through obstacles together, not in person, but in our hearts. Our love proved bigger than any obstacle and dearest, I am so honoured and proud of this too!

(:

Building this great wall is not an easy feat nor it was done in a day. Though it is easy to take pleasure of each other’s company, we never had any difficulty seeing the point of considering friendship in terms of common moral commitments. Ling reminded me that though we are far away in distance, yet we commit ourselves to be always be close at heart. Friends are VERY HARD to come by. Good ones, even harder. Best friends for more than 10 years, fucking miracle!

I think best friends comes with an eager readiness, and an absence of hesitation. We shall have the courage to give advice with candour. With that common understanding, we can conquer any walls together.

Aristotle told me.

“such friendships are rare is natural, because men of this kind are few. And in addition they need time and intimacy; for as the saying goes, you cannot get to know each other until you have eaten the proverbial quantity of salt together. Nor can one man accept another, or the two become friends, until each has proved to the other that he is worthy of love, and so won his trust. Those who are quick to make friendly advances to each other have the desire to be friends, but they are not unless they are worthy of love and know it. The wish for friendship develops rapidly, but friendship does not.”

Point taken. Her unworthy reasons for departure has brought to mind a memory. Someone once told me that in friendship and relationship, those who possess any superiority must put themselves on an equal footing with those who are less fortunate, so these latter must not be annoyed at being surpassed in genius, fortune, or rank. As women, we were held to be more articulate and emotionally accomplished. Clearly, we must had been too overwhelming.

My hazy romantic visions has turned into a vivid reality just as the chilling winds wailed alarmingly. The Great Wall transformed into a red dragon, winding its way along the mountain ranges. The blustery sky cleared. I now have great better visibility and that’s going to make the climbing, even the steep parts, easier. I’m no longer dreaming.

We all are happy once again. Without her, things still won’t change. We are who we are and that’s what we love about each other.

I quote from Win “we will stand together, even more, even stronger than before. we’ve done it for over a decade. we can do it for another decade, and the next, and the next…. and so on.” and yes Elaine, you are my life too. I will make sure all your kids laugh over our silly escapades.

My ladies, cheers to infinity and beyond!

Many thanks to Amanda, Daniel, Sidney, Nicole, Marcky, Nic, David, Lina, Dom, Mel and Chiang Wey for the support. Y0u peeps are angels.

Stank is gonna love this post because I cried on MY birthday! Was cheated by Cablenazi as usual. Oh he does that very well. Whisked me away to Kim Choo Kitchen, a pretty peranakan restaurant right in the Peranakan enclave of Joo Chiat and kept me wondering what is he up to.

At Kim Choo Kitchen,  the colourful patterned tiles and attractive floral porcelain dining ware caught my eye. Beautiful. Totally embodies the distinctive Asian culture of Peranakan culture. This place really gave me the vibe of a humble Peranakan home.

Just when I was admiring the decor, he almost gaveaway his act when the waitress mentioned ‘table for 5 right?’ and when I was about to tweet about his suspicious behavious, Winnie popped into the seat next to him without a sound. The next second when I lifted up my head, I was extremely shocked! But what comes after made my nose turned red. Never expected Stank and Elaine to appear from the stairs! Shockers!

lol. And here are my two lovely ladies.

A ghastly face Stank pulled.

And this, the smug-looking sly mastermind.

Of course will cry la . Never expect Cablenazi to surprise me with these three unexpected guests during dinner! Stank, Winnz and Elaine! Oh my goodness. They actually came all the way from JB for me? Such sweeties! After all the drama, We enjoyed peranakan food at a restaurant and mm the Kueh Chang was very very good. Yum yum. Must eat while its still warm!

Here’s some pictures of the peranakan fare we had that evening. Well, food was passable probably because I’ve tasted better peranakan food. Remember Restoran Nyonya Suan? Anyway what you must-try here is definately the Kueh Chang, beef/chicken rendang and probably the cendol.

Anyway good food is just secondary. The company is what that matters and this year was perfect! Don’t you love surprises! I do!  Especially when it happens on 8 Jan. Definately a birthday I will never forget.

Thanks loves. xoxo, C

So instead of walking around unaware or with a false sense of security that “HIV/AIDS will never happen to me”, why not make a stand to stay HIV-negative?

I care because I think it is  consequential for more people to be well-informed about HIV/AIDS. This way, we can all make better decisions in life.

For a start, be proactively aware of this virus! Here are 5 Things You Should Know About HIV/AIDS and 10 Myths About HIV and AIDS which you probably think you know.

Although the majority in Singapore is not HIV-positive, it would make a difference if this group of people can make a stand to stay HIV-negative and take notice of things in life that they take for granted. Perhaps we can even go a step further and show support for people living with or affected by HIV.

(:

Instead of just talking about what I feel, here’s how I shall make my stand to stay HIV-negative:

1. I joined the Twibbon campaign on Twitter and telling others about it: Get a Twibbon
2. I dragged my fiancée to go for the HIV-test with me to set an example of how couples who are planning to get truly committed to each other should make a stand to be faithful partners in life. It was an enriching experience (:
3. I will countdown to World AIDS Day, December 1 by embedding a special countdown clock on my blog! You see it? It’s a meaningful clock!
4. I will also join the kind folks from Health Promotion Board (HPB) on Saturday, December 5, from 6-10pm at SupperClub Singapore for an exclusive World AIDS Day event of art, music and dance.

To support World AIDS Day, just drop a comment here telling me your views and feelings after watching August 29. Include your email if you want to be one of the selected 5 lucky peeps to join me at SupperClub. I have 5  pairs of free passes to giveaway!

OK August 29 is not another boring film.

August 29 is a thought-provoking short film created by HPB and a group of young people, to start people thinking about opening their hearts and fighting discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. It was first screened at HPB’s ”Open Your Heart” event last year.

Enjoy! psss. Lawrence is super cute in this video! Eye candy alert!

Oh special thanks Vic for the invite, free booklet and test!

(:

BUT this year is particularly special, especially for me! Why? Because this is the FIRST time Ken is accompanying me, with family, to visit our ancestors and also as a new member of the family!! Meet the rest of my folks, baby! Lol

First stop, the Catholic cemetery at Ulu Tiram where Anna, my Lao Ma (great-grand-mother) and Cecilia, my Lao Ye (grand-aunt) rests.

All Souls Day is a good time to tell family stories and reminisce. I had really faint memories of Lao Ma. She left us when I was only a toddler. Only had vague memories of her holding me in her arms. Anyway, these two ladies were awesome. You see, my dad lost his parents when he was really little.

Really unfortunate isn’t it? I cannot imagine how life would be without Pa and Ma.

Thus, he and his siblings were brought up by Lao Ma and Lao Ye. I love how Pa would remember their lives, and tell us how he used to share a ciggie with Lao Ma and the creepy story of he and his friends going for a cheap thrill by playing with candles in the cemetery late at night.

I can tell how much Pa loves them.
As much as I love him and Ma.

That’s Lao Ma, Me and Him. He’s such a darling, getting to know my faith and being inquisitive about stuff we do at the cemetery. He asked so so many questions. Some questions nearly made me strangle him.

K: Hey baby, so is All Souls Day the Catholic version of Qing Ming (???)? Just different branding?

E: …

K: *chuckles*

E: There are significant differences in these 2 occasions la. Qing Ming originates from a cultural standpoint and the Chinese value of filial piety. On the other hand, All Souls Day holds a lot of spiritual value for us, Catholics. Besides being a day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away, we commemorates and pray for all souls stuck in purgatory to enter heaven.

K: So you guys pay respect to loved ones AND pray for them to enter heaven? What the hell is purgatory? Why are they stuck there? Is it some kind of Middle Earth?

E: OMG. What are you? An elf? Haha. Eh you know, most souls don’t enter heaven/hell upon mortal death. Heaven/hell admission is not so straightforward because most humans are neither too evil to be destined for hell nor good enough for heaven. Thus, those in-the-middle will be ‘purified’ for heaven at a condition of existence called purgatory.

K: Wow that’s interesting? So what I do is not to be too evil and I can be sure of getting a place in heaven! Woohoo~

E: …

Next stop is the Catholic cemetery at Larkin. Hello Joseph, my Yé Ye (grandpa) and Mary, my Ma Ma (grandma)!

For your info, my Ye Ye’s grave is the coolest grave you can find in the whole cemetery! I wonder if that reflects his style; a modest man to be exact. Let me show you what I mean.

Au natural. Check out the half-submerged cross which gets deeper year by year.

Psss. I look like my Pa and my Pa looks like my Ma Ma.

Hence, I look like her! Can you tell the resemblance?

At the cemetery, we say prayers. But not only for those whom we knew and loved, but also for the “poor souls”. We took time to pray at the giant cross for souls who may have no families, no children or grand-children to pray for them.

On this special day, I shall end with a short prayer for the faithful departed.

(:

In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind.
Give mercy and grace to the living,
pardon and rest to the dead.
We ask these through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

While I was monitoring my naughty sis, I peeked pa’s media gallery and found some weird shots he took of our house compound.

Hmm. Some of his favourite rocks.

Mmm. Ok. Here’s where he always park his car outside the house.

Very interesting pa. A portion of our car porch.

This is the lawn outside our house. The grass had grown very well indeed.

So I was like laughing at his pictures and ran off to show ma how cute her husband is to take such random shots.

E: Ma! you see what papa took with his hp. damn funny. *chuckles*

Ma: whereeee lemme seee.

E: there! why he go and take the house in such weird angles.

Ma: OOOh! hahahaha. I KNOW. he was really irritated at the trees at the side of the road! The leaves keep dropping over our lawn and porch. Haven’t you realized your dad likes to keep the compound free from leaves???

E: Ok. He sweeps the compound every evening but I didn’t know he was so irritated. So what are the pictures for? *???*

Ma: Must had took it to show as evidence when he is going to complain to the town council guys. He mentioned that he wants them to chop off that tree.

E: …

No wonder the following pictures included pa’s little twig broom, dust pan and plastic bag.

Wah. Collect evidence! I’m so like my dad! Definitely a chip off the old block.