Cute old couple

Kopi and I have always admired old couples. Ever since we started dating, whenever we bump into them taking their walk in the park, shopping for groceries together, having a meal outside, or chatting away, we'd stare. :) Our hearts would melt whenever we see them together, especially if they're still holding hands and giving cheek pecks or little bear hugs... surely make me go "awwww......."

:) Cheers! To journeying life together and to many more loving years ahead. To still be holding each other's wrinkled hands and stroking each other's white hair (if still got hair la), to taking long quiet strolls along the beach, to bringing each other a cup of hot coffee and hot cocoa on a cold rainy day, and to making fun of our grandkids - figuring whose bad looks they inherited. Haha! I look forward to growing old with you, Kopi-boy!

-Su

I wish you enough, dearest Koko

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, 'I love you and I wish you enough'.

The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom'.

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'.

'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a “forever good-bye”?'.

'I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.

'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means? '.

She began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone'.

She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. 'When we say, 'I wish you enough ', we want the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them'. Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them but then an entire life to forget them.

Naturally, I wished that I was the one that actually saw this incident happen first-hand, but I guess all of us can learn something from this story. I wish everyone that read this, I wished you enough.


- J

KALI FAN?!

Wah..... Imagine curry rice 3 meals a day, 7 days a week! Don't get me wrong, I luuuurrrvvveeeeeee Indian food! :) In fact, I look forward to tasting authentic ones at its place of origin. YUM~
On a "errr-tim-ah" note, we've been warned about food and water intake - today I decided to go for a Hepatitis A & B blood test (vaccinations to follow this weekend). Paranoid, I know I am - but only after receiving an email from India travel advisory highlighting "Medical Threat Level: HIGH". :O

Nonetheless, I know I'll have a good time seeing and experiencing new land, culture and people. It's going to be an eye opener, and it's going to be awesome!
Although I wish I'd get to watch Kopi struggle through his daily Kali Fan (meal after meal)! :( If only he's there for me to laugh at, it'll be a perfect trip! :p
But 2nd choice ain't that bad either since I'll be traveling with my fav funny person from work (also cannot eat kali, haha), so I know we'll have a blast - and perhaps get a little adventurous to join a half or full-day Bangalore tour.

Will be missing home, and everyone!

FYI, we both will be in KL this weekend, however expect to be swarmed with meeting and catching up with families - and eventually start planning engagement get-togethers and the wedding! bzbz....

- Su

Koko is off to Bangalore!

Bangalore, is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.5 million, making it India's third most populous city and fifth-largest metropolitan area.

Bangalore, officially known as Bengaluru, is one of the most hip and happening cities in India and also a major center of the I.T. industry. Today, as a large and growing metropolis in the developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime. Home to some of the most well-recognised colleges and research institutions in India, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation.

It is home to numerous public sector heavy industries, software companies, aerospace, telecommunications, machine tools, heavy equipment, and defence establishments. Bangalore is referred to as the Silicon Valley of India due to its pre-eminent position as the leading contributor to India's IT industry. Bangalore has developed into one of India's major economic hubs and was rated by CNN as the "Best place to do business" in the world.

Although Bangalore is not known as a tourist city, there is still a lot to see. If having a limited amount of time in the city, one should consider taking one of the half-day or full-day city tours offered by KSTDC, the government tourist office. They are cheap and cover the city's major attractions with English speaking guides.

For more ideas, check out this site:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bangalore

- J

Precious moments

As soon as the news was out, we were flattered with strings and echoes of CONGRATULATIONS and many well wishes that just warms our hearts and got us even more excited!

“Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breaths away” – Seen at Stanley Park, Vancouver.

The pre-proposal, the ring, the big question and the proposal itself were breath taking moments, but it was the responses, excitement, joy and happiness shared with our families and friends that took the bigger bulk of our breaths away (sorry dear, bigger than the diamond ring).

My uncle cried. :) He had tears (of joy) in his eyes when Joash called him a day before, asking for my hand in marriage. My girl friend could not concentrate at work after she had heard the news. Haha.
But definitely, my side of friends & family were more emo and excited about it than his since they knew months ago!!! (tak aci!) Although I will never forget how his auntie stared so HARD at my fingers before CNY; never have I felt my fingers were fascinating. Heh.

All these are exceedingly precious, incredibly memorable for us... and to us, this is the greatest start any couple can have to begin their lifetime journey together. So, thank you, for sharing our moment, for prolonging the moment, and for magnifying the moment's intensity.

-Su

I think you may have already figured out, J writes facts and news while Su writes emotions & feeling posts. Mars and Venus meets, here.

To dowry (or dower) or not

The Chinese dowry may be delivered with the return gifts on the day of betrothal or delivered a few days before the wedding. Some people have the impression that Chinese weddings are expensive affair for the groom’s parents since they have to pay for the betrothal gifts, bride price and wedding banquet. However, it may not be so, as the bride’s parents also have a long list of items to prepare for the bride's dowry and may also co-pay for the wedding banquet. The dowry typically include personal items for the bride and household or electrical appliances for the couple’s new home, such as tea set, beddings, bedroom furniture and bathroom items, set of washbasins and buckets, electrical household appliances, clothing, gold jewelry, etc.

Hokkien's special tradition
The Hokkiens will seal red dates, dried longans, dried lotus seeds, sweets etc into the spittoon/baby potty with a piece of red paper. When the dowry is delivered to the groom's side, the red paper and all the sweet goodies inside are removed and distributed to children. A young boy, preferably born in the year of the dragon, will be invited to pass urine into the spittoon. This ritual wishes for a boy child for the couple!

Article is taken from: http://www.chinese-wedding-guide.com/chinese-dowry.html


So, being an English-born-Malaysian-&-Chinese, there is possibility that I might have to follow this ritual just to please my parents and in-laws. Any advice?

p.s. Thank God, my parents don't exchange cows for dowry.

- J

Base Lending Rate (BLR)

This is something that I have learned today. :)


If you currently have a home loan with a financial institute that is pegged to the Base Lending Rate (BLR), then you will know that the rate has increased and effectively your home loan repayments have also increased for the year 2006 and beyond. Based on our current economic environment, interest rates offered by financial institutions are starting to show an upward movement and this trend may continue for a while. Therefore, with the fixed rate home loan, you are assured that the monthly installments are fixed and you will own your house at the end of the tenure.

Over the last 26 years, BLR has gone up to the highest touching 12% p.a. and the lowest at 6% p.a. BLR currently stands at 6.75% p.a.

From the graph shown, 23 years BLR average is at 8.23%. The usual fixed rate home loan is at 5.75% can save you thousands throughout your loan tenure.

If you are considering a home loan, do consider this plan also. :)

- J

Comments

Woohoo.... now everyone can comment on our blog (even without a google account).
:)

- J

A spot we call Home

I know this is a bit too early to say that we own a house now. But upon signing the Sales & Purchase agreement last Friday, I deduce that we do have a spot now somewhere in the beautiful island of Pearl of the Orient. We still have a lengthy journey before we could move in. We have to scout for a home-loan, compare it, secure it, wait for it, transfer it and then we could move in. But before that; we have to buy furniture, whitewash the walls, renovate certain rooms and floors… the list is endless.

Nonetheless, I have to admit that both of us are just the sort that won’t sit still. Don’t get me wrong, both of us would love vacations where we just lie somewhere on the sand and people serving us cold drinks (we both love Phuket). But I think it’s the excitement of new things to do and new events to go, that really keeps us fun and excited. By the way, she is into camping now. I guess you can say that we are true adrenalin junkies. =P

Looking forward optimistically at the future with my adventurous fiancée.

-J

My twelve favourite things!

:) :) :) He remembers, he remembers!

In case you're wondering what I got in my goodie bags....

1. A cup of Starbucks hot cocoa (not in the goodie bag of course, we went to Starbucks @ Queensbay with a cuppa cocoa handed to me while he sipped away his mocha latte)
2. A packet of Kettle's Cheddar & Onion potato chips, a packet of Boh instant peach tea & a packet of instant Cheddar mashed potato mix
3. A cute jar with 2 lamb cartoons painted on
4. A doggie desk photo frame
5. 2 huge framed collage candid shots of me (hmm..... must be difficult to find single still shots of me leh....)
6. A packet of Famous Amos choc chips & pecan nuts cookies
7. The Body Shop cash vouchers
8. A soft-toy turn pillow
9. A snow globe
10. 3 bars of chocolate + a stalk of rose
11. 3 books - a storybook which I've been hunting for, a compilation of inspirational short stories & "5 languages of love"
12. 3 cans of party spray (to celebrate?)

The letters were categorized into 3 chapters; i. our past, ii. our present, and iii. our future. Each letter had a theme to which the song was also about... and somehow he was able to amazingly twist & turn some words and phrases in the context to relate to my favourite things!

Boy, I waited anxiously in excitement for each day to pass by to open a new letter & goodie bag. Macam itulah how he swept me off my feet. :)

- su

J’s sure-get-the-girl engagement plan

• Write a letter each day, for 12 consecutive days before V-day.
• Accompany each letter with a bag of goodies/gifts of her most favourite things.
• Plan a song each day and give the lyrics to go together with each letter.
• Plan a dinner on Valentines Day and don’t forget to bring the ring.
• Pretend it’s an impromptu valentine dinner. Don’t book the restaurant. Just go for a romantic Italian one. Make sure she doesn’t suspect a thing. She is pretty good at guessing stuff. =P
• Give ring to restaurant owner and get him to incorporate the ring together with the desert.
• Propose to her with the ring. If she agrees, proceed with next step. If she doesn’t, throw a fit, roll on the ground and cry like a baby and then walk back with shoulders hunched and look at the ground dejectedly.
• Take a stroll along the beach and do a couple of somersaults with new shirt and formal shoes on to celebrate. A bottle of wine is overrated.

- J

The email announcement! (She just can't wait, can she?)

From: Tan, Su Chen [mailto:su.chen.tan@intel.com] Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 8:59
Subject: *bling bling*

A *bling bling* is sitting on my ring finger today :)
He proposed yesterday (no billboard or anything mega), just a quiet dinner at a cozy Italian restaurant in Batu Feringghi, the question was popped during dessert – the waitress brought the dessert with a ring next to it sitting on a rose petal. Then he got to his knee and blablabla (I was nodding my way through, he even had to say "you have to say YES") and the whole restaurant clapped and congratulated me :-S (so paiseh!) then we went to the beach right across for a stroll, there was a live band on, made atmosphere really really cozy & dovey. I wished time could stand still then.

The whole thing took 12 days before Vday (I received a letter & a gift everyday), but he’ll say he started with choosing & booking the rock early January. Anyway, the whole story will be written out (by Joash of course, he has juicier details than I do), and thinking of putting in a blog or something to write down our whole journey – the house, the whole preparing for wedding process… to share with our friends and family across the globe. :)

My heart is still beating very fast (since last night!)… Wonder why there's so much adrenaline STILL! (Jane, not floaty effect also, more like in a concert or something!) :P
Sorry just a summary here, stay tuned for the full story soon!

(The end)

Vítáme Vás!

Welcome! (in Czech, because we now have a 14% Czech sis)

I get to write the first post (yes!) :)

This blog is created to pen down our journeytogether, our new chapter - of attempting adulthood. Heh.

This year is going to be eventful (and exciting of course!) for kopi (him) and koko (her), with a lot of firsts - a lot of i've-never-handled-this before, i-dont-know-what-to-do, definitely tonnes of aiyah-how-ah... but we're looking forward to every adrenaline-rushing moments! :)
Nonetheless, we have great families and friends to journey through alongside. And having to share this with people whom we love and care a lot about will make it even more memorable. God has blessed us with, YOU! :)

Thank you for listening, thank you for reading (*grin), and thank you for your thoughts and laughter shared. Thank you for being a mega part of our tiny itsy hearts.

- su