The Bean Cup Mystery.

Once upon a time ago, when I was still a teenager, anyone who could afford Starbucks was considered filthy rich. It was a status symbol of some sort.

Now, most people I know can afford Starbucks. But bear in mind that most of the people I know are gainfully employed so it kind of figures, no? Plus, with Jusco Card, you can get 10% off your drink. Did you know that? I do, because I’m a bargain hunter like that.

Anyways, my take on it is that we buy Starbucks either because we are so addicted to coffee (ehem, Mamita) or we just cannot resist that sweet smell of caramel macchiato (ehem, Abdul) or simply, some of us are still stuck in a time warp, where expensive coffee still equals to a status symbol of some sort.

Well, maybe, just maybe being able to afford Starbucks (in Malaysia at least) is reflective of your status symbol to a certain extent. Just maybe.

But, even if it does, I still believe that you’ve got to wisely choose where you want to assert such social stature. And most importantly, it’s got to be at a logical time of day.

No one will question if someone comes back from lunch with a cup of Starbucks in their hand. It’s there at Alamanda (opposite Nando’s) and no one should stop you from getting a cup if it makes you happy.

But waltzing into the office at wee hours (and we start work really early here) of the morning with a cup (cardboard box cup, not tumbler okay?) in hand? Now, that’s mysterious don’t you think? Well, okay, so maybe you didn’t finish your drink the night before or something, but is there really a need to do that?

Okay, entah apa pasal perempuan PMS ni nada annoyed dia melampau-lampau harini.

Oleh sebab saya rasa tidak puas hati yang semacam (entah apa-apa I know, I know), I checked the website just for fun to see their operating hours. I found no information on it. I just found out that the first Starbucks Drive-Thru in Klang Valley is at Setia Alam (still doesn’t state their operating hours. I’m guessing early morning?). There is a drive-thru (?!!) Wow! I didn’t know that. Lucky for those who stay in the vicinity.

I don’t know. Perhaps if ada drive-thru some place near our place, I’d do the same as well?




Maybe not.

I still think of it as an unnecessary accessory to bring to the office so early in the morning. Nescafe 3 in 1 sudahlah ;)

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

bukan sesat.

Iye, jangan risau, anda bukan sesat.

I was going through a piece of work and got bored of it. It's an Agreement for God's sake and I am not a huge fan. So, I decided to tweak. I've kept the previous template for so long now that I suddenly felt the need for a change - current theme of my life at the moment.

Haha. But what I'm afraid of is that it has affected my widgets and the amount of "likes" I've gotten for my previous posts. I know, I know, such a bimbo but considering the amount of years I have grown on this blog, it simply matters to me. Haha.

I have to get back to work.

Will update more later probably (not that there's much to update on). But that's sokay ;)

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

i love being a bride.

It’s been a month since my reception. I have to stop writing about my wedding reviews soon. Life’s got to move on, right? Well, life already has moved on and everything is just wonderful, actually. But for sake of completeness (and my own sake), I’ll (try) finish off all reviews ASAP (not that anyone wants to know pun, I know).

Here goes nothing (again).

After the rehearsals, I couldn’t stop pacing. I was worried if everything started late. I was worried if I couldn’t be ready before the VVIP arrived. I was worried I was going to screw up when the time came for the protocols. I was a ball of nerves. Haih!

At 11.00, a Shah Alam number called me. I held my breath. Turns out that Kak Liza only wanted to double confirm that I didn’t need to rent any accessories from her. Phew. I thought she couldn’t make it or something.

When Kak Liza finally arrived, my mom and sister were already being made up by non other that Eija. She came with my (huge) handbouquet and my, oh my, did I love the colour of that handbouquet or what! Anyways, back to Kak Liza. She is seriously, seriously so baik, I tell you! And so pretty too! I can’t believe she has 3 kids already! I mean like, look at that figure and that face. Wow! Unbelievable.

It was a pleasant experience being dolled up by her. I felt the love as she painted my face pretty and did my hair. I felt the passion and love she has for making people pretty throughout the entire process. I would recommend her to anyone out there without any hesitation. Like seriously!

I got into my dress and felt like a princess. I really love the dress for its simplicity. And this time round, although we tailor-made the dress to fit my size, I decided not to keep it and return it to the boutique.

And since I know that I wouldn’t be keeping the dress (boohoo, I wish I could!), I opted for white. The all time favourite colour for weddings. So classic. So pure. So bride-ish.

At that point, I didn’t care so much about the initial drama I had with the designer. I didn’t care that I was still so scrawny. I was just so happy.

I felt amazing throughout the entire day. I couldn’t stop smiling. I smiled and smiled and smiled. I cannot believe the number of people who turned up. I don’t think any of my family members got any rest from start to finish. But because they helped out with hearts full of love, they didn’t mind at all, so I was told.

And since this was the first wedding on my mom’s side of the family, everyone was just so excited, I could die! To them I will be eternally grateful. And I hope to be there when any of your turns arrive. Perhaps then, I’d have some juniors of my own for you to summon as your minions ;)

My friends helped me out as well. Mamita came so early because I'm a baby like that and I am so used to having Mamita hold my hand every time something big happens in my life. Jaja, despite her morning sickness, made the time to make my bunga rampai for me and for coming so very early walaupun kepala pening-pening. And of course, the rest of you, for being there. For just being apart of my life. For making sure I am happy and being super protective of me.

I didn’t plan on having a grand wedding. I wanted it to be simple. Simple colours, simple dais, simple food, simple people. Just simply, simple.

That’s who I am and where I come from.

One of my colleagues commented that even though the event was held at Merak Kayangan, it still very much felt like a Malay wedding because friends and family were roaming around the place, meeting, greeting and taking photos just like what they do if the wedding was held at home. That was exactly the concept that my dad intended to achieve. So, I’m glad everyone was relaxed and stayed on until the end.

If you ask me, frankly, I do really miss being a bride. I don’t miss the research and drama prior to the event, of course. I had enough of all of that. But I miss being a bride. I miss being made up and being photographed. I miss the adrenaline rush. I’d get back into that dress any time just to revisit those memories again.

But,


life moves on, does it not?

I actually enjoy being a wife too and there is still so much for us to learn.

I’m glad I got married and I’m glad that all the events (including bertandang) went well, Alhamdulillah.

Sometimes the things you plan the least are those which turn out to be the best surprises ;)

photo credits to Fotoeve Asia and Uncle Zai.

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

Reception Reviews

live  sketch by Mamin

Happy Chinese New Year all! I just got back from a good brisk walking session and my husband is still asleep. So, since I've got some time, I thought I might as well get over and done with my reviews. Here goes nothing!

Reception list:

Date: 08 01 2011
Nikah Venue: Dewan Merak Kayangan
Catering: Felda D'Saji
Maintable deco: Felda D'Saji
Theme colours:

• Bride and Groom – White
• Family –burnt orange/orange/yellow/brown

Photographers/Videographers: Fotoeve Asia
Wedding outfit: Jimi Ali (Selayang)

Make-up: Kak Liza of Saidatunnisa

Favours: 1, 000 gold boxes with chocolates inside all handmade with love by Mama and the whole family.
Cards: L H Creative
Hand bouquet: Eija

So, why did I have to wait for a week before my own reception? Because ladies, the queue to book a venue is massive! It's really ridiculous to see how far in advance people book their venues! I could have easily booked Dewan Komuniti TTDI since my house is about 5 minutes away from there, but I'd have to wait until the 15th of January for that!

My dad chose the reception venue. He visited all 3 Felda halls and decided that he liked Perdana Felda the best. But he was not very keen on having a sitting-down affair, so Merak Kayangan it is. We all decided on the colour scheme and all about a month away from the Reception.

At that point, we had more or less distributed some of the cards and already had an estimate of the number of guests who would be attending. What we least expected was that the VVIP would agree to attend. Oh, dear. I am no fan of protocols, actually. But since the VVIP is my dad's friend, I decided to be a sport. Tak rugi pun ;)

We had our rehearsals early Saturday morning (08012011). It was a little bit risky to have our rehearsals so late, I know, but like I said, the hall is jam packed and booked to the brim and the only slot available was the morning of the ceremony itself. It didn't turn out so bad after all because the dais was already up and that made rehearsals way easier.

When I first looked at the dais, I was in awe. Call me pathetic for loving my own dais, but seriously, all the arguments and long hours picking it was worth it. If it were up to me alone, I would have loved it to be an all white dais. But turns out that red worked better than off white, after all ;). I did want something more for it actually, which is the additional fairy lights. But looking in retrospect, it didn't turn out so bad, did it?

I was a lil' shocked with the colour scheme that morning though, and thought that they had made a mistake. I mean, where did the apple green napkins come from? I thought we were supposed to be red? But... as usual, looking back, it looked great! Somehow the apple green made the entire scene a lil' cooler ;)

photo credits to Uncle Zai

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

some photos

Henna Art by Nafissa

Ring bought at Habib.

Bilik pengantin by Kak Shima

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

they were inspired.

If you gave been an avid follower, you would know by now that I am picky where photographers are concerned. Yang lain-lain mungkin boleh compromise, but when it comes to the memories… hmm.. I don’t think so.

My history with photographers ni panjang ceritanya. Dipendekkan cerita, some time in April 2010, I shortlisted my choices to the following:

1. Photographer A
2. Locophotography
3. Fuzuri Design
4. Shafeex

Kenapa yang lain diberi nama tapi Photographer A has no name? Sebab I STRICTLY DO NO RECOMMEND.

Padahal, that was the one that I booked but decided to hold deposit first. Agaknya memang Allah nak tunjuk, so one day when I was bloghopping and doing more research on my wedding stuff, I came across another Bride’s blog and read about the terrible service that Photographer A ni kasi.

At first, I wanted to ignore sebab the chemistry was great with Photographer A plus the price memang more than reasonable. Tapi, setelah berfikir semasak-masaknya, I decided to not take the risk and canceled. Nasib baik cancel! My friend’s sister tak dapat album AND softcopy lagi. Padahal dah kahwin 5 months okay? Entah-entah dah ada anak pun tak tentu dapat lagi.

I didn’t choose any of the other 2 options (No. 2 and 3) above sebab mereka tak selalu update portfolio masa tu. So, although photos cantik and service bagus, that is one of the things that I cannot stand. I need to see their current work. Shafeex I didn't hire because with him, I hanya interested nak photobook dia (cantik gila!). After seeing the photobook, I knew that I had to have it, tapi tak cukup budget kalau nak tambah videographer and all. Tapi Shafeex, I highly recommend juga kalau you have enough budget.

Maka, bermulalah drama mencari photographer yang baru.

Luckily, my cousin got married some time in May. That’s when I met my Official Photographers. Actually, it all began because I also didn’t have a Videographer yet and at that point, I more or less made up my mind that I would hire their videographer team.

But consultation after consultation, I decided to hire Fotoeve Asia for both Videography and Photography services. It’s easy that way sebab they all come from the same team and so, kita dah sure that they would be able to work well with each other.

And when I tell you that this team is extremely accommodating, I kid you not!

Fotoeve Asia has a mix of all kinds of talents. Manager/Founder is good, patient and very customer oriented. Their photographers rajin fikir concept. They know good photography angles and they do ample research before attending your event. Trust me, untuk my post-wedding pun, they did research and siap ada concept proposal and whatnot. And I thought that we were going to ambil gambar suka-suka saja. And their editor is superb I tell you! Hands down tak ada benda lain nak cakap pasal their editor.

To me, there are a few things which are important where photography is concerned.

1. Gear.

Dulu, I was very snobbish. Since I use Nikon, I wanted only photographers yang guna Nikon. Tapi, don’t be a snob. Skills tu lagi penting dari gear. I learnt that albeit a bit too late. But having said that, I do still think that it’s good to know what kind of lenses they have. Like me, I don’t really like fisheye effect. But I love panoramic views and I love that place to look big. So, telephoto lens for me it is.

2. Album.

I am quite particular about what kind of paper they use. Glossy or matte or hot text. Because to me, that determines the lifespan of the photographs. Lagi satu, I do not fancy sticky albums, so ada a few very talented photographers yang hanya sediakan sticky albums which to me is a waste.

I am also very particular about photo selection. Sometimes, there are some quite good photos in raw yang cantik-cantik, tapi photographer tak masukkan dalam album. So, to me, the editor has got to find a balance between gambar-gambar pengantin saja and also gambar the rest of the family and surroundings, etc. Photo selection is very important!

3. Venue

Make sure your team is well-equipped with knowledge and skill in shooting at that particular venue. Mind you, some people are not used to shooting in yellow light conditions. Some people don’t have the gear. Make sure you get a team yang dah biasa buat events at that place your wedding is going to be. You might end up looking like a pumpkin kalau orang tak biasa. Or if your wedding is at night, make sure your team dah biasa shoot malam-malam. You are going to look at your photos forever, so it better be cantik, man.

4. Team

The team I chose has a huge team. Normally they don’t send the entire team tapi somehow, before the wedding, we’ve all become sort of friends jugaklah sebab selalu ada consultations and meet ups for contoh gambar and video that I like, so, they decided that the whole team will turun for my wedding, which I feel so honoured about up until now! These people really have great patience and great PR. With them, I am very, very frank. What I like and what I don’t like semua dah bagitau siap-siap. And so far, they have delivered very good results. For me, kalau buat baju semua, designer tu PR tak bagus, tak kisah (tak sangat la) as compared to photographers. Sebab you have to remember that you akan work with the photographers all day long, you’ve got to be comfortable with them vice versa.

All in all, I recommend this team. Price and all eloklah kalau tanya tuan punya company sendiri. It is not my place to negotiate for you or to reveal their pricetag. All I know is that if you have enough faith in people and inspire them enough, they will turn you into their inspiration and create a masterpiece out of their work.

What’s important is that kita sendiri kena baik and cakap elok-elok our requirements and insyaAllah, orang akan balas kita dengan perkara-perkara yang baik.

Siapa takda photographer lagi? Pergi hire Fotoeve sekarang sebab diorang ni terbaik. Memang terbaik. Kalau call Safa (founder) tell him I said “Hi!” Saya tak dapat commission, jangan risau. Ni memang promote secara rela ;)

Dah, dah. Pergi call Fotoeve sekarang. Sebab diorang memang best!

Okay, entry nanti lepas ni I'll update wedding photos.



from Safa's page

 

picture credits to uncle zai



Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness.

... but you are the only exception.

I highly recommend this team. Very accomodating. Excellent PR. Will write a full review of them soon.

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

tiba-tiba.

photo credits : Uncle Zai and his camera mahal (gila)

Was going through various albums. And saw this one. Oh, lovely memories. And mind you, we weren't acting/posing for this one. We just happened to be gazing, is all. Oh, lovely memories. ♥

Reviews will continue soon (hopefully).

Workload overload. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. And I'm not being sarcastic. I really do! :)

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

colour my cheeks pretty

Hal-hal make-up ni memang ada sedikit drama. I mean, siapa sangka, lagi 6 months to the wedding, semua and I mean SEMUA make-up artists dah kena book. Habis semua slot macam goreng pisang panas.

And here I thought I would wait until the engagement was done before I actually booked any of them.

Earlier on in 2010, I did a lot of research for the wedding. My research is sampai tahap biji mata sakit duduk depan computer punya kind. I was always finding the best bargains and always making sure that the things I pick are things that my parents would surely approve of. Walaupun benda-benda tu adalah self-funded.

I checked out Munie Ahmad and Nurin the most sebab untuk Nikah I was thinking, I should get a girl to make me pretty, sebab nanti nak make sure I go to the Masjid dalam keadaan berwudhu’.

Tapi seriously, nak book make-up artist untuk nikah memang drama sangat. When I first asked Eija, she told me that all her slots were taken untuk 01012011. As expected la of course, sebab I mean, it is a nice date. Siapa suruh pilih date nice sangat? Haha.

Tapi after negotiating with her and after I told her that my event would start at 10.30 and that she can start as early as she wants, she agreed. I paid the deposit, and wallah, the deal was done. Alhamdulillah. Dapat jugak girl untuk buat my make-up.

What I failed to remember is that bila tengah nervous tu toilet is my best friend and kadang-kadang keluar angin pun tak perasan. Nervous punya pasal. Wudhu’ pun entah ke mana. So much for insisting that I want a girl to make me up. Hahaha.

She came early on 01012011 and made me pretty, as you can see in her blog. Kalau ada smudge towards the end of the day – that is padan muka sendiri sebab I just can’t sit still and asyik nak garuk muka walaupun tak berapa nak gatal.

The hand bouquet tu pun, I purposely ordered from her. Sebab I was thinking, alang-alang dia nak datang and do my make up, might as well ask her to make my bouquet kan? At least I know that I can slash off 2 important things with the same person.

Cuma, I initially ordered for the arrangement to have blue hydrangeas. But the flowers didn’t make it and died before the morning. Jadi bridezilla di hari nikah sendiri pun takda gunanya, so I decided to not let it spoil my day ;)

All in all, I really recommend Eija. Sebab dia baik dan peramah dan best untuk borak masa tengah make-up. Terus click macam dah kawan lama. Hehe.

And make-up dia pun best sebab tak buat saya rupa macam orang lain. So, if you’re in for a natural look, look no further, because you already know who you should hire ;)

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

the pinky girl.

Nikah Outfit

ah, those flared sleeves (right photo)! (photo credits)

So, why pink?

Well, to be very honest, I had a few colour options in my head prior to the Nikah. And pink wasn’t one of them. White wasn’t an option either because I knew that I wouldn’t know what to do with it afterwards.

images googled

Initially, I wanted my nikah outfit to be either kuning air or soft tiffany blue.

My mom and I went cloth hunting as early as April. Of course, we didn’t go KL but to Shah Alam instead. The only shops we actually considered was Nia Belina and Binwani’s at SACC Mall.

After going through cloth after cloth after cloth, I told my mom, “Let’s be practical.” I mean, look at what happened to my simple engagement outfit. As simple as it is, we’ve got to face the fact that I can only reuse it to functions like formal dinners or other people’s weddings. And even then, I can’t be wearing full lace to all weddings.

So, we roamed SACC Mall to look for alternatives.

We came across Qamilla Boutique and I fell in love with the outfit that the mannequin was wearing. It was plain and flowy and made of chiffon. It was white though so I prayed hard that they had the same outfit in other colours somewhere in the Boutique. So, I went through their racks and found the same outfit in kuning air, baby blue and one in soft pink.

Unfortunate for me, the one in kuning air was too big. In Qamilla, they only have like 2 of the same sizes, for each colour. The only one left for kuning air was XL.

I tried the blue one and decided that blue just isn’t my colour as much I wished it were.

TIP: Just because you think that you like the colour, it doesn’t always mean that that colour suits you. So, don’t be a bridezilla and get real! If the colour doesn’t suit you, get one which does.

Lastly, I tried the pink one. That was one of the 2 in my size.

At the time I was trying it on, for some reason, the Boutique was starting to get really busy. And for some reason, as I stepped out of the fitting room, all of them grew quiet and gaped at me.

Then, all those strangers got into an excited buzz and started telling me how pretty I looked and started asking me where I was planning to wear it to and whether I was going to wear it with a tudung (headscarf) and started giving me tips of all kinds.

While some of them got excited, I already saw at the corner of my eye that some customers were already aiming the dress I was wearing.

I had a few doubts as to whether or not I should get the dress, at first. So, I told my dad to look for a matching outfit for my husband (then still boyfriend). We found one in a softer pink shade also at Qamilla Boutique (which was just PERFECT!) and we told him to try it with the songket my mom had gotten earlier in Terengganu. It fitted him perfectly without any alterations.

After that, I didn’t have second thoughts about my outfit anymore. I just had to have it. Because I knew that if I put it back on the rack, I would probably never see it again if I came back later.



look at those pink pearls! sweet! (photo credits)


Yes, it is a little bit simple, I admit. But if I decided to spice it up, I knew that I could always send it for beading, which I did. Zaza (of beadmeplease) did a wonderful job of adding pink pearls to the existing beading on the outfit.

This is the only outfit I decided to keep. And I am glad it is in a shade of colour which I love and in a material which can be worn to anywhere and that it fit me perfectly with only minor alterations to the kain (too long for little miss shorty).

So, I managed to strike off one of the most important things for the Nikah very early in the preparation stage and as usual, it matters very little to me whether it is designer made or not, tailor made or off the rack. What’s important is that it works for me and Alhamdulillah, it worked very well for me.

For some reason, I just think that it was meant to be ;). If something feels right, just go for it. Tak payah pening-pening ;)

I wanted to link Qamilla Boutique, but they don't have a proper website. And I don't yet have a full photo of my nikah outfit. Will post it once I get it ;)

Tudung (Headscarf)

It was quite a hassle trying to look for a suitable tudung. I tried Ariani in KL but I'd have to be honest. I think that it is a tad bit overpriced plus they didn't have it in the colour I wanted. I tried Hajra at Section 7 Shah Alam, but I kept that one because it was too long plus the colour was a bit off. Then, one day, I brought Na (my 'lil cousin) to hunt for tudung and we roamed the entire Shah Alam (PKNS and the likes) and finally, I went back to where I started - Hajaba.

To me personally, the tudung at Hajaba fits my pipi bulat face perfectly and they are (so far) the only shop I know which sells that small inner (like the one I wore during the nikah). But, they have limited quantities and also limited colours so I consider myself very, very lucky to have managed to get one in the perfect shade.

Veil

Did I make my own? No I didn't. Of course, I got it from one of the first few Blogger Brides who inspired my colour selection. I do think that it's okay to rent, especially if you already know that you wouldn't know what to do with it afterwards. And I am so happy that although I didn't make my own, it fitted me perfectly and completed the whole look as if it came as a package. The owner of the veil looks really pretty in pictures and she's even prettier in real life. And trust me, you won't regret doing business with her ;)

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

Nikah Venue, Catering and Deco

I have always wanted to have my Nikah at home.

Always.

But with such a small household and also a smaller house to pair with, I have to be very realistic about my dreams.

So, when Babah said that we would have it in the Mosque, I obliged. For me, there is no point in disagreeing unless I have very solid reasons (like I will be menstruating during that time or some other more logical reason other than “I want”) and unless I managed to get enough people involved in setting the place up.

So, Ghufran it is.

My parents frequent Masjid At-Taqwa for their Subuh and Kuliah, so it was a ‘lil bit of a surprise when they decided to choose Masjid al-Ghufran instead.

The reason is simple, really. Ghufran offers a more complete wedding package (with catering, dewan makan and all) and my parents are the type who don’t really like to deal with too many vendors for a particular event. I’d have to say that it was a ‘lil bit risky because we hardly had any idea about Ghufran’s caterers’ reputation.

But Babah said that there is only so much that we can control and that we had to put a ‘lil bit of faith in them. So, we did.

I love Ghufran’s interior and its yellow lighting. The table setting and also maintable deco wasn’t so bad and the food was actually good.

The only problem on that day is that the food came out a bit too late and the guests had to wait quite a bit, which to me was quite understandable because the Nikah was done so fast.

Imagine this –

The Nikah began at 10.45 a.m. sharp and by 11.15 a.m., we were all set and ready for Upacara Batal Air Sembahyang.

Yes, that’s how fast it was.

So, from the Caterers’ point of view, they didn’t expect things to be done before noon.

But of course, from my parents’ point of view, that made them look like really bad hosts.

I told them not to worry though, because I knew that everyone there understood that there is only so much they can control.

All in all, I wouldn’t exactly applaud Ghufran for their management, but I love the place and the food is very, very nice. To try the food out, you can do so at Café Ghufran which is situated a few floors below the Mosque itself.

The Deco there is superb and the skyline at night – BREATHTAKING!

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)