In the magical woodlands

I don't know where to begin except with the goodness of the Lord! After today I'm more convinced than ever of His love for me and His plans that are always higher than mine.

Planning this photoshoot was tedious to say the least. Getting everyone available on the same day was something of a miracle in itself. Having two photographers (Sheena & Rox from Zap!) who shared my vision of the wedding was and is a godsend. We initially wanted to do a vintage bicycles and picnic in the woods theme, but we could't find a pretty bicycle so we just ended up with a celebratory picnic theme, which turned out really well (though, let me come back to the bicycle thing later).

I really thank God for all these wonderful bridesmaids I have too. Spending so much effort going dress and shoe hunting and rallying around me when I need them; also a most sporting bunch of groomsmen.  And my ever-supportive parents (one of whom took this photo) who, must've thought I was quite mad when I insisted on not doing the traditional shoot, but lent me so much of their help anyway.

The Friday night before the shoot, there was a thunderstorm over much of the east side of Singapore. I got a text from Sheena who said she was worried about the grass being too wet and muddy in the morning. But I had this feeling it was all going to be okay, still I offered up another prayer to God to keep the weather in our favour. The funniest thing was that, ten minutes later, Sheena returned my text saying, "Guess what! I'm in a cab passing ECP and this whole stretch is dry!" While we're on the subject of weather, God took it a step further and gave us this perfect weather in morning that was at turns cloudy and cool and let in beautiful dappled sunlight for the shoot. And then, when we were done and packed, it started drizzling.

I'd fallen sick on Thursday with a cough and throat infection, and I thought to myself: "I really can't afford to get sick this weekend!" I remember praying two nights in a row at 3am when my sore throat woke me up, praying in tongues in my head cos my throat hurt too badly to sound my words. But somehow God even turned falling ill for good when my editor gave me half a day off on Friday to recover! It gave me the much needed time to gather the last things for the shoot. Moreover, God held off the worst of my sickness until the shoot was all over and I came home and collapsed into bed.

But He wasn't done yet. As if to show how much of a wry sense of humor He had, he sent us the bicycles we'd wanted.

Yep. Here they are.

Can you believe that two strangers, a couple, actually stopped and asked us if they could take a picture with us? I was all like, "Sure thing!" And then I took a double take at their bicycles. The perfect ones we were looking for but couldn't find, in pink and blue. And they were so happy to loan the bikes to us for a couple of shots. And all the while, Sheena and I kept repeating in wonder, "Oh my God, He actually sent us the bicycles."

Thank you God for coming through for me again and again and again. :))

peas in a pod

These two sweet little ladies are going to be my flower girls for the wedding. I bought their dresses for a song and they look pretty good I do think!

Return to the Old Quarters

This was my first trip back to Hanoi since 2010 when I visited for the fourth time and finally fell in love with the colors and bustle and noise. I remember the first time I ever went, it must have been 2008 or 2009. I hated it! The weather was too muggy and hot, the streets so dirty, and the cacophony of cars and oh my god, scooters everywhere. It took four trips and a deeper understanding of the city's history and culture to get me to truly appreciate everything about it. Now I love crossing the road into a herd of motorcycles without looking left or right (the locals advise to walk slowly and steadily so the vehicles will swarm around you instead); I love eating at run-down eateries hawking pho or bun cha, spilling out onto the streets with make shift tables and chairs; I love wandering the labyrinth that is the Old Quarters with only the only landmark in my mind being Hoan Kiem Lake (lost? just point me to the lake please); I love the quaint cafes and French-style bistros, I even love counting wads of dong since I'm a millionaire there. Most of all, I really love the amazing people I've met there, who continue to serve God fervently and passionately, who are changing lives and winning new souls for the kingdom of God every single day.  

Walk in the park

The family had dinner at Coastal Settlement last Sunday to celebrate father's day. We had crisp apple ciders, mojitos and a celebratory lychee champagne to go with truffle fries, a Wagyu and mushrooms pizza and pastas. We managed to catch the last rays of sunlight for these photos which i thought turned out rather nicely. 

Will you be my...

Made a series of cards for my Maid of Honour and bridesmaids the other day out of a bunch of lace headbands which I never would have worn anyway. Bought these adorable little Gogo Philip gold heart necklaces from ASOS which I attached with glossy magazine cover cut-outs and washi tape. Used these free templates from Weddingchicks.com for the pretty lettering. They said 'yes'! :)

A (Succulent) Terrarium

After the goldfish died, the glass fish bowl was relegated to a dusty corner under the kitchen sink. I kept thinking I would make a terrarium out of it, with moss and tropical plants... until I discovered succulents. I love them! So green and so pretty, shaped like flowers and little green rosettes. And unbelievably low-maintenance--perfect for a newbie like me.

So I went out to Ikea where I'd seen they were selling for like $3.90 each and bought a pair of them (those two lighter colored ones), but I wanted something a little different for the third one and I found this fat juicy dark green one at a little neighborhood florist.

Replanting them was pretty simple afterwards. I filled the bottom of the fish bowl with large-grained gravel, then plopped planting soil in, leaving holes for where the succulents would go in (roots, potted soil and all). I figured I'd leave them in the soil they came in because that was probably best for their health. I had to roll some paper to funnel soil to specific tight corners so I didn't mess up the inside of the glass, and get soil stuck in the succulents. I stole some moss I found growing outside, cut out a whole chunk and patted it down into the soil. Finally I added some decorative stones (carefully with a pair of chopsticks) and ta dah! 

Sweet Beginnings

I've been dying to start blogging again. I used to be the most avid blogger, first on diary land (my, I wonder if that's still there) and then for the longest time on live journal with the same name. I loved penning down my thoughts, the things that excited me, I even used the blog to share little short stories that I wrote. But then I went on a trip that changed everything. LA was such a high point in my life, it was so full of color and interest and I blogged every single day while I was there.

But somehow when I got home, it seemed like the color faded and somehow everything else that flowed out on to my blog just didn't seem as, well, interesting. So here goes, as my life takes another turn, so it's not just my life anymore, but our lives.