When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary...

It's been more than 2 weeks since I've begun my new career as an educator. It certainly has been an intriguing and eye-opening experience - though sometimes I do feel I am being led on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.

I remember as I was nearing the end of my tenure in my ex-company, one of my superiors had declared aloud, "It's a pity you are leaving at this time, just as we are fighting this battle during such a difficult market situation. Go teaching, no challenge la. Oh yeah, maybe have la - the challenge of facing the demanding parents when they come to school complaining why their kids are not doing well in your class.."

I would have given him a piece of my mind there and then, but I knew better than to argue with an idiot cos one can never beat them in their own game.

Well, for a good part of 2 weeks, I certainly had a good taste of what 'challenge' means for an educator. The first class I ever set foot upon was a normal academic class, and the classroom behavior that greeted me was certainly something I had never seen before. Half the lesson was spent getting the kids to settle down, and the other half was a dressing down from the senior teacher for insubordination. Nevertheless, I slowly established a rapport with all the classes I was observing, and the job grew on me.

Yet it was only today that I realized how different it was to be leading the line on my own. Due to the school's urgent requirement, I was to be the subject teacher for 2 classes, a normal tech class and a tail-end express class.

To cut a long story short, the rowdiness, indifference, open defiance and blatant bo-chupness left me mentally drained, and I even suspected I was traumatized by the experience. I dropped Qi Qi a message at the end of the day - "I'm home. Feeling lousy after what happened in my classes today." And even after a 1 hour nap, I still wasn't able to pull myself together. 2 questions constantly nagged at me. Why weren't they responding to me? Had I adopted the wrong approach?

Yet I can always trust my soul-mate to provide the best pep talk to give me the shot in the arm that I needed. Good ol' wifey listened intently to my woes, allowed me to rant and rave before simply offering her 2 cents' worth about how I could patiently estabish a rapport with a section of the class first before slowly gaining the trust and belief of the rest of them. It all made sense immediately - a simple and soft approach to gather feedback about the class regarding me and reaching out to the class via my sincerity. More importantly, I felt re-invigorated after listening and sharing, and I reminded myself why I had given up my prospects in other fields to teach.

Thank you, my soul-mate and ever-dependable best friend...

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; you raise me up... to more than I can be.

Oh no...not much progress!

Exactly 3 more months to go before our Big day.. and we haven't done much since we confirmed the location of our wedding banquet dinner in December 2009. :(

Our long list of tasks to do over the next few weeks:

- Finalise gowns and suits on coming Sat and do photoshoot next Mon.
- Selection of photos and confirmation of photo album layout
- Search for Videographer
- Do photo montage and related
- Choose wedding march-in songs
- Liaise with hotel coordinator on choice of wedding favours, wedding cards, food-tasting date, decorations, programme schedule
- Customise wedding favours.
- Confirmation of guests list and send out invites
- Meet up with Brothers and Sisters to discuss programme schedule and colour theme
- Prepare speech
- Purchase of traditional stuff - which we totally have no idea what is required
- Purchase of wedding accessories
- Purchase thank-you gifts for our parents.

Ok, we admit, we are procrastinators, it's time we buck up. (Well, deep down in our heart, we know that we will complete all the tasks somehow, we are that confident!:)

On the optimistic side, we have finally booked our honeymoon, after 2 consecutive visits to the Natas Fair, woo hoo! Another happy news that got both Jeff and me excited is that we finally balloted successfully for our dream home. Queue no. 152 for a unit at Dawson! Despite the many tasks awaiting for us, we can't wait to select our unit!

I'm Pregnant?

With a decreasing metabolic rate as I grow older, coupled with the fact that I snack a lot, I grappled with the fact that my waistline is expanding. I could no longer fit into many of my bottoms other than those elastic ones. Tshirts that used to look large on me become tight. Unlike guys who usually have the problem of love handles, mine is a problem of protruding tummy. I cannot help but to start asking myself this question "Do I look like I'm pregnant?"

Many months back, a lady in her thirties gave up her seat to me during a crowded MRT ride. It dawned on me that it must be that she thought I was pregnant. For I wasn’t carrying a walking stick, neither was I carrying so much stuff to warrant a seat from her. So how else to explain for this phenomenon other than I looked pregnant enough for her to give her up seat?

To tell the truth, I wasn’t actually very affected at that point in time, I was in fact amused and told many people about this incident. I got a seat in a crowded train! How rare was that? :p And soon after, I forgot about the incident. Did not bother to do anything also.

However, I wanted to do something last June, to get rid of my tummy fats. Well, I wanted to fit into my dress for my solemnization. Jeff was determined to lose his love handles too and looked his best for our garden solemnization. And so, we started to exercise pretty regularly and stopped ourselves from junk food and buffets. (Btw, we love buffets to bits!) Months of hard work, and we managed to trim down a little. At least, that’s what the weighing scale said.

Of course, after months of controlling our cravings, we headed straight to McDonalds the next morning after our rom in Sept 09. Never did Big breakfast tasted so yummy. We began to relax in our diets again… it was afterall, 9 months before our actual wedding.



Now, with a few months of good food indulgence, our tummy is beginning to show again. :(

But with a good plan in mind, I’m determined to make it disappear for a long time.. till I real-ly get pregnant. That’s probably the only time I’m proud to have a tummy, keke.

Jeff is really confident that this plan would work (can you believe it? He’s not feeling skeptical at all! Rare!) and he is going to go through the same thing with me soon.

I’ve faith that we would succeed in it. Good bye (soon), abdominal fats!

(Was contemplating whether to show a photo of my big tummy, but decided that I’m too shy to do it haha..)

Our Xmas Present...

"And so, thus far, Mr and Mrs Low have been walking up the stairway to Haven for 3 months now... While all have been quiet in this blog, the insider news is that the blissful couple have finalized the venue of their wedding ballroom! Oooh... and the twosome have been house-hunting, but no positive updates on that front though..."

That would have been the news-in-brief from the bulletin boy regarding the status of the 2 of us. Yes, it did take us a little bit of time to get our engines running again after the emotional high we experienced on 20th September, but with precious time ebbing away from us, Qi Qi and I decided to (finally) get down to settling on our wedding venue.

The conditions were simple enough: Affordability (= under $1,000 per table after taxes) and atmosphere (=high ceiling, no pillars, good feel). Anything else apart from these 2 'basics' would be a bonus. The 1st condition whittled down the sizeable list considerably, although setting our dinner date on a weekday (9th June 2010 - mark your calendars, people) did help increase our options. After thoughtful consideration, our shortlist was as follows:
1) Marriott Hotel
2) Orchard Hotel
3) Grand Copthorne Waterfront
4) Conrad Centennial
5) Goodwood Park Hotel
6) The Regent

Qi Qi and I did our detective work on some hotels - that included taking quick peeks at wedding dinners in Grand Copthorne and Conrad Centennial, as well as face-to-face meetings with wedding coordinators. Each venue provided us with different feel, and consequently different kinds of dilemma. In the end, though, Marriott and Orchard were the 2 venues which sufficiently provided us with the most 'headaches' to warrant a direct tussle to earn our money.

'Votes' were cast, pros and cons were weighed, sales pitches to our respective family members were made (as objectively as possible, of course). And in the end...

Marriott Hotel prevailed! Wedding venue - check!

On the other note, close friends have been asking me - so, how's married life, dude? My answer would be consistently simple - sweet, but the real deal of "married life" has yet to be tasted cos Qi Qi and I are still staying apart. In conclusion, we need more new flats, PAP! For all the prayers that we have been muttering in the temples, the balloted queue numbers that we have gotten thus far are woefully large. And with disappointment after disappointment, expectations have come down lower and lower such that we are considering re-sale flats as serious possibilities for our matrimonial homes.

A new balloting round beckons in December - Dawson, another hot property. Will we get a perfect Xmas present?

Stay tuned, folks!

Solemnisation 20Sept09 (234 photos), by celine chow

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Mr Low's ROM Afterthoughts

It has been just over a month since the BIG day, and admittedly, both the newly-conferred Mrs Low and I are glad that the hustle and bustle of preparatory work for the ROM is finally behind us. This welcome respite, however, will only be temporary, because the hunt for the wedding banquet venue is well and truly underway!

As the dust settles after this memorable and endearing solemnization, I have come to realize that we have been truly lucky in some ways, and simply blessed in many others.

One thing that was a genuine concern for us was the weather. An outdoor event was always going to face the threat of a wash-out, but to hold the ceremony in September (a traditionally rainy month) was considered brave (bordering on foolish). The huge downpour on the eve of the ceremony did nothing to boost our optimism. Yet in the end, our worry was unfounded – we could not have asked for clearer skies and brighter sunshine on the day.

Perhaps this was a result of what Qi Qi said – 20.09.2009 was a ‘hot’ date for wedding couples, and the combined prayers of hundreds of couples must surely have moved the heavens to hold the rain. Or perhaps it was simply what Napa had said – “There will be beautiful weather, because it is going to be a beautiful day for the two of you”. Whatever the reason, we are ever so thankful indeed.

The event obviously meant a lot to us, but the presence of all our close friends and relatives made it even closer to our hearts. Almost everyone important to us were present (punctually as well, I must add) – those who have watched us grow up since our nappy days, elders who have always doted on us, best friends who made our school days special and utterly enjoyable. These same people were of course responsible for volunteering themselves to ensure everything went smoothly as planned.

On hindsight, their enthusiasm and warmth touched our hearts indeed. The moment Qi Qi and I sent out our invites and sms-es, we were flooded with well-wishes and offers of help for the event. They were not run-in-the-mill congratulatory responses, but hearty personal emails and messages saying how genuinely happy they were to see this “marathon couple” finally tying the knot.

And boy, were they all ready to put their thoughts into action. Under the sweltering heat, they were there in full force – Sijie & Huijun doing up the beautiful decorations, Daoni & Byron as ushers in the punishing heat, Ben & Mel with the multimedia, the eloquent Meiching & Vincent doing a superb job as emcees, and all the hunks who volunteered in all the manual work. Everything just went according to script. Steph, our event photographer, was at her creative best and came up with so many amazing shots that captured the essence of what transpired.

But what was the greatest bliss for me?

That would have to be the opportunity to pledge my faithful and undying love for my college sweetheart in front of everyone, as we embark on this new and exciting adventure in matrimonial bliss.

Unforgettable Moments...Nicely captured

Both Jeff and I were so glad we engaged Steph to be our official photographer for our ROM. She's really such a nice person to work with, and we felt so comfortable with her. We simply love the artwork album done up by Steph. The mood and emotions of the event were captured very well in all her pictures. Looking at the album together, all the sweet memories of that day came flooding back to us...

Some of the layout panels for your preview:

Beautiful cover ya? Steph mentioned in her blog that she got the idea from playing puzzles with Roo, her daughter. :)

She did a montage for us, fabulous too, you can view it at the side bar. :)

For BTBs, if you have not decided on your photographer yet, I urge you to consider Steph. To quote her, "My artistic style is glamorous, playful, and hearty. The variety of my shots ranges from photojournalistic (moments) to carefully composed shots." We AGREE totally! Btw, she does overseas photo shoot too. You can view her work and find out more details in this link: http://stephtan.com/

Part 2 - His ROM attire

The garden wedding on the cards created a little headache for Mr Groom. You see, we had always wanted to 'keep it simple' - our motto since Day 1. Correspondingly, a suit would be out of place in a garden setting, yet it couldn't be too casual such that it wouldn't stand out...

And so the groom (and bride) thronged the internet forums, looking for sparks of inspiration and fresh ideas. It wasn't easy, of course - especially since the attire seen online were wrapped around hunky bodies or lean frames... to say that the male lead for the wedding was a far cry from what was seen would certainly not be too self-deprecating.

We chanced upon some nice-looking vests online, and thanks to some recommendations from my good old bro, I decided to tailor my attire with Dreamlands.

Our 1st trip to Dreamlands was a little tentative - we had no idea what kind of designs would be suitable and what to look out for, but our worries were unfounded because of the fiesty little lady behind the counter. Ever helpful and enterprising, she offered us lots of designs from which we could choose from, which was nothing short of a minor headache for the 2 of us. After sifting through everything, we managed to settle on a suitable design. Wwhat made me feel good about the whole process was the way the both of us went through everything together - and here I have to thank my wife-to-be for exhibiting great patience and thoughtfulness! You are the best, baby!

And there we have it... ROM attire for Mr Groom - check!

The countdown continues...

His and Her Dresscode on that Special Day - Part 1

Realised that there haven't been any updates on our "dress and suit" for the special day.

Part 1 - Her ROM Dress

Went to choose my rom dress at Jazz Bridal in May 09. Shortlisted 2 dresses that both dear and I like - One is a white (with a tint of pink tone) knee length bubble tube dress with a red sash, the Second was a white flowy tube dress of varying lengths (at knee length for front, and longer for back) with a pink sash. It took a while before Dear and I unanimously chose the latter. To our dismay, Yvonne, the person who helped me with my dress selection, did a quick check and told us that both the flowy and bubble dresses had been chosen by another bride who's getting married on the same day! How can this happen? So many Jazz Bridal Brides on the same day meh and all with the same tastes? Argh...so unlucky! Yvonne was very nice, and told us that there would be 2-3 new rom dresses in July. No choice, we had to come back again. We left feeling frustrated...

Our second appointment didn't turn out well. The new dresses were disappointing. I don't know, maybe the designs were not that bad, but really, they looked terrible on me. Perhaps the only good news was that the bubble dress was available as the bride who had initially chosen it picked another one in the end. And so, of course, I stuck to this, the better looking dress of the lot. Still, I couldn't hide my disappointment and feeling of sadness. Dear of course realised it, and was so sweet that he offered to buy me a dress instead, his sense was that there was no point wearing a dress that was not my top choice. All he wanted was me to be happy. I was touched. But I didn't want to, as this would mean spending more money than we intended to. Anyhow, I do quite like the bubble dress...

Last sunday night, one more week to my rom, I received a call from Yvonne. I couldn't believe my ears when she said "Do you still want the flowy dress? The bride who initially wanted it postponed her wedding. I know you really like it, that's why I called you." I couldn't hide my excitement and shouted: "Yes, I want!" That's it, heaven's on my side, I still get my first choice afterall.

Well since I'm not going to wear the bubble tube dress anymore, I guess I can show the pic that I secretly took in the dressing room ya? Shhhh.....

Touched by my colleagues’ thoughtfulness…

I was going to be on leave from Friday (11th September) onwards in preparation for my solemnization. And so, I was rushing my work at my cubicle today, when my colleagues sprang a surprise on me - kind of a celebration for my change of marital status soon. I was truly touched. I guess the pictures taken would tell all:

The crown was personally made by them, looks fabulous ya? "Bride-to-be"? It dwelled on me once again that I am going to be someone's wife very soon.

And the vouchers? They came just in time, I have used them to buy a very beautiful pair of ivory high-heeled shoes underlined with crystals for my rom.

Thank you , Su Fern, Megan, Christine, April, Angie and Karyn! :)

And to my hubby-to-be, Happy 11th Anniversary! This shall mark the last we are celebrating as singles...:p