Mobile Phone: Liability Or Necessity?

It's a wonder how much we're relying on our mobile phones these days. Approximately a decade ago, it was something that I deemed as an icon for the rich and wealthy, no thanks to those Hong Kong films back then where the filthy rich were always portrayed with a big fat ass 大哥大. Fast forward a few years down the road, I think it's no longer an exaggeration to claim that all the people I know today own at least one mobile phone. In fact, when I went to Singapore for the first time last month, I was pretty shocked to see every single young commuters in the MRT had their eyes totally glued to their mobile phone display, either playing games, chatting or listening to songs. Physical communication was almost non-existent, save for the aged uncles and aunties of course.

Singapore is just around 2 hours away but with such a stark contrast between them and us here on how we utilize the mobile phone, I really can't fathom what to expect if I were to visit Japan - the land of the weird and bizarre - in the near future. Slurping ramen out from the mobile phone display, anyone?

I accidentally left my mobile phone charger in the office last Friday and my antique Nokia 6600's battery went flat on me a day later. Even though I do have a cordless phone at home - which I've been subconsciously trying to fit into my jeans pocket one time too many - it really struck me on how much I've been dependent on my mobile phone. Unlike the iPhone, the Nokia 6600 has very limited features and I only use it mainly for calls, SMS, recording daily expenses... and alarm.

Yes, I'm one of the cheapskates who refused to wear a watch or get myself an alarm clock. Nice to meet you.

-sigh-

It was not until Sunday evening when I realized that I had nothing to wake me up on Monday morning at 5.30am. Well, of course I could hit the bunk early but I would need a better insurance policy so I turned to waifu, who agreed right off the bat. For the record, we don't stay together under the same roof so she would be giving my cordless phone a call as a replacement alarm.

Somehow or rather, I managed to get myself out of the bed on time and after numerous failed attempts to register her mobile phone with a missed call - to indicate that I was up and about - I left for office, hoping that she would miss her own 5.30am alarm.

Around 30 minutes later and within 3 seconds of powering up my mobile phone, the ringtone rang out loud. Waifu's name danced on the display.

She actually rang my cordless phone a few times until my father picked it up and told her that I've left the house. Not satisfied, she rushed 13-storeys down her flat, jumped into the car and drove to my house, all these in the ungodly hour of 5.45am with her mobile phone by her ear, trying to reach me as soon as I've got my mobile phone booted up. It was just barely a few hundred meters away from my flat when she managed to get hold of me.

To think that a person who appreciates sleep above everything else would do all these just to ensure that I was on time for work... DAMN YOU STUPID PHONE! If only your battery could sustain itself for 2 more days. I'm utterly speechless. Penning this down right on the spot was the best course of action I can think of to log this down as one of the many memorable moments in my life. :)

I'm quite sure you've read this line before: every cloud has a silver lining. It is always this kind of sticky situation that reveals to you how important or how big of an influence you are in the eyes of the others. All you're required to do is just to move a step or two and take a look at the situation again, this time from a different perspective.

Dearest waifu, I promise to sing you Dido's Thank You for the rest of my life. <3

Slumbering Illusion

I'm such a bad guy. I can't help laughing myself silly when I received unexpected replies from a half-asleep waifu.

She was taking an afternoon nap when her initial alarm at 2.45pm went off but was blatantly ignored. Since she was supposed to fetch her mom to the market, I decided to nudge her arm a little before she murmured with her eyes closed for 15 minutes.

Fine, you got yourself 15 minutes, young lady.

3pm and what do we have here? Another 15 minutes.

-sigh-

The cycle went on until 3.45pm and lamenting the fact that I've never bothered to ask her for a sure-win method to jog her out of dreamworld, I told myself that it was time to give her the kick.

Wait until I'm done with the dishes.

What? What dishes?

I shook her shoulders again.

I said wait until I'm done washing all these dishes!

By the time she finished that sentence, I was already on the floor laughing like a hyena. Apparently, she somehow dropped all her plastic containers, including her beloved Thermos vacuum flask into the drain and has been trying to fish them out for almost an hour.

Aww... I might be a bad guy but wouldn't you agree that she is such a cutie? :)

And no, I think the ugly but adorable definition of cute is pure bullshit.

P.S. Things were - and still are - not going very well for me so do pardon me if this doesn't satisfy the wait you've had to endure since the last blog entry. Rest assured that I'm doing my best to kickstart the writing again.

I must have been incepted to write this entry

Before I begin, allow me to set an expectation that this entry will have something to do with sex and if you somehow don't feel comfortable or find this topic gross, then by all means, proceed no further.

I had a strange dream this morning where I found myself engaging in a sexual intercourse with an unknown lady. I'm not going to write a detailed observation on what actually took place but let's just say that it really scared the shit out of me. The whole thing felt so real that I think it somehow turned into lucid dreaming halfway through because I forced myself to pull out due to guilt of being disloyal to waifu.

In fact, I got so worried in the dream - Oh shit how am I going to explain myself?! - that I literally jumped out of my bed and dialed her to apologize. Yes, it was that bloody damn real that I totally lost the boundary between what was real and what was supposed to stay inside the dream world!

-sigh-

Now, here comes the interesting part that I'm very much curious about. Is the sensation that you feel down there - applicable to both genders - hardcoded into our brain? Take for example a virgin like me. So was the feeling I had in the dream the real deal or it was just some pseudo feeling that my brain generated when it failed to locate the file that has yet to be saved or experienced?

Hmm... I wonder.

What strange dream? Wet dream say wet dream la!
But I didn't get wet.

You're still a virgin? Yeah right!
This is not Ripley's blog so you're not under any obligation to believe me.

You're a pervert!
You should check Form 6's Biology syllabus.

You must be horny to have this kind of dream.
I must be pretty close to being impotent to get horny 3 times only in my life so far. :(

Here's a shirt for you:

Thank you. It's good to know that I still have something that you've lost forever and no longer recoverable.

Why are you talking to yourself?
I'm just answering them in advance.

Barli suam satu!

I couldn't hide my surprise when I read about Cheong Kheng's proposal via Facebook last night. He was like the second guy I knew to propose to his partner in Bali this year alone, which kind of give me the assumption that Bali is the next best destination for romance-related activities.

Looking back, I thought that I had gone the extra mile by proposing to waifu in Langkawi island. Well, the extra mile comes from the fact that I initially intended to propose in Penang island itself, somewhere by a beach with kerosene-soaked clothes lighted up to spell something along the line of 嫁给我吗? So in a way, you can say that going down on one knee in Langkawi island instead can be considered an upgrade to the plan, though it didn't go as well as I hoped. However, to have two of my secondary schoolmates flying all the way to Bali and proposed there, my plan was truly laughable. Amateurish, if I may add. :(

-sigh-

I actually did aim to visit Bali for my honeymoon, especially after reading about the magnificient Ubud Hanging Gardens in kennysia.com but to see Cheong Kheng booking a unit there just to pop the magical question, I really need to think twice if I should proceed ahead with that intention. As if that was not enough to set me deeper into the cavern of inferiority complex, he got her a Brilliant Rose!

A. ****ing. 66-faceted. Brilliant. Rose!

That was the type of diamond ring that I wanted to buy to go along with my proposal but due to the fact that the nearest boutique is in Kuala Lumpur, I've to settle for a much more normal 58-faceted cut diamond ring instead. Yea, I know Kuala Lumpur is not really that far away but you'll have to take into consideration the scenario where you need to do some size alteration to the ring, right?

So get it. He proposed in a place that I wanted to go for my honeymoon, with a ring that I failed to get. That is definitely... a little bit depressing and boy, do I feel cheap. :(

But hey, it was a special occasion so who am I to ruin it? Moreover, to read about this on the same day that I got into a road accident - ouch my legs :'( - it sure brought a smile to my face. At least I can now put a big fat line across that FML label that I've categorized yesterday under. :)

I'm not adding their photos here since I don't want to go through all the trouble of seeking their permissions. Moreover, the chance of them reading this entry of mine is almost nil but still, a very big congratulations to both Ham Lert and Cheong Kheng!

Woo hoo~

Life is no Nintendo game

Great song, don't you agree? However, I can't say the same for the series of actions as depicted in the music video itself. :(

Two nights ago, the young couple residing just beside my house quarreled again. It was in the ungodly hours of around 2am when I heard heavy foot steps and hoarse voices in the corridor outside my living room. Even though this was not the first time they reenact the whole episode in public, I couldn't help but to sit on the sofa and spied on them. The guy was almost in his birthday suit, except for a pair of brief and a towel in his hand, kungfu'ing around with his partner. Perhaps he was trying to get her back into the house or fending off her blows but I didn't really bother to catch the words that came flying out of his mouth. I was much more curious on the possibility of me going through the same thing with my spouse in the near future when we're staying together.

In the nine years plus that we've been together, we've never argued even once. Sure, there were times when we have a certain degree of disagreement but it was more on give and take, which has been superbly effective so far. However, taking into consideration the fact that we spent the majority of our nine years living far apart from each another, I'm not really sure on what to expect especially now that we've got ourselves a house.

One year of me in UUM while she was missing me in Penang.

Two years of me coding my life away for an IT degree while she got accepted into UPM.

Another two years of me trying to eke a living back in Penang while she strived hard to qualify herself as an engineer.

Now that both of us are working adults, we're still a bridge apart due to her work commitment.

-sigh-

All these years of long distance relationship gives me a lot of freedom to do what I want in my spare time. Shooting some hoops after work, getting myself chased by dogs while jogging at 6am, pew-pew-pew'ing in StarCraft 2, spamming the F5 key to check for requests to buy games online and so much more that I can't even begin to imagine on what I should be giving up on once we're living under the same roof.

Three years of staying with the same roommate in UUM has indeed taught me a lesson. The two of you may be all close and dandy as friends but once thrown into the same room for years, slowly but surely, old habits will start to rear its ugly heads and it will not take long before each of you has your very own list of yucky-stuffs-my-partner-does that you find them hard to accept or live with.

Guess what? While I'm writing this entry, waifu called and told me that her landlord is moving out soon. Looks like I've just rolled myself a bad number in snakes and ladders. Funny how things coincide against each other when you're still scratching your head pondering on what to do next, eh? :D

So, how well will we cope with sharing a bed, I wonder...

Case study: Distorted interpretation of social media

I was recently been alerted to a Facebook wall where something interesting just took place.

Interesting? I initially thought that it must be just another set of raunchy photos of some skimpily clad ladies or something similar to that. This is what Facebook is famous for after all... or am I wrong?

So the page loaded and yeah, I was definitely wrong. A quick glimpse on the header showed nothing interesting; it was just an announcement by OffGamers which served to advertise one of their many products...


... except the fact that there were way too many comments for such an ordinary announcement.

Reading through all the comments, I finally managed to figure out what the fuss was all about. Apparently, OffGamers' competitor - MOL - decided to make a not-so-smart-decision by invading and humiliating OffGamers for being a smaller company as compared to MOL.


It's pretty understandable if this Ganesh Kumar Bangah is a stupid new intern in MOL but no, this is the CEO himself WTF?!

As if the courtesy reply from OffGamers was not good enough, MOL's Sales Executive decided to join into the fray.


The more the merrier?

Pretty soon, it was almost like an onslaught, with so-called satisfied MOL customers filling the comments about their bad experience with OffGamers and how everything went oh-so-smooth with MOL.


Both accounts were newly created right after OffGamers's announcement.

Even my illiterate grandmother can easily identify these as dupes... err, if I translate them into Hokkien, of course!

In most circumstances, this kind of situation tend to turn ugly with name-callings and vulgarities thrown here and there but surprisingly, this was not the case here. In fact, there were a few funny comments that were exchanged which almost got me bursting out in laughter.


Gate-crashing = embracing social media HAHAHA~


Someone seriously need to enrol herself (or himself?) into a How-To-Create-Fake-Facebook-Account-101 class.


Let's see if Ija Mohan is as accurate as Paul?

At the time of writing, the amount of comments stand at 104 and I'm not sure if I'll be pursuing it any further after this. Nevertheless, even though I'm not in the position to judge on who is the culprit and who is the victim, kudos to OffGamers for displaying such a respectable level of professionalism in handling this particular awkward scenario.

MOL, you got to troll harder and better in the future.

-sigh-

P.S. You'll have to click on the photos to enlarge them for better reading. :)

Busy-ness

Phew~ I'm starting to think that 24 hours a day is not enough for me these days. There are so many things to do but so little time... or maybe I'm just a damn good procrastinator after all. :D Anyway, I'm not going to go about on what I did everyday; I'm not writing a daily activity report here.

Do you play MMORPG? Have you played one before? I used to spend quite some time on a number of them since they were free to play. I still remember vividly that I was a Level 25 Rogue in MapleStory when I paid my first visit to the Free Market to get my Stinger. Woah, the amount of stalls being set up by players were overwhelmingly a lot! While browsing in and out of each stalls looking for my desired item, I finally found a Stinger that was way cheaper than the other stalls and immediately seize it. It didn't take me long to figure out that there are always sellers that tagged their items very much lower than market price and from that moment on, I logged into MapleStory just to hunt for bargain items and trade, not to level up. Ahh... the thrills of taking risk in buying an item that may or may not get sold is so succulently sweet but nothing really defeats the satisfaction when you managed to sell items at higher price with the buyers still under the impression that they've scored a big-discounted purchase. Win-win!

Of course, good things don't last forever. Once I realize that all the profit I gained in the game can't be used in the real world, I gave up on MapleStory a few months later.

-sigh-

If you've guessed it, congratulations and yes, in this entry I'll be writing about - for the lack of better term - trading but rest assured that I'm not trying to advertise my products or service here. This is not your Facebook, is it?

I'm pretty sure that it's not just me but these days, I've been tagged here and there by my Facebook friends for all kind of products that range from babies attire to some sexy see through nightgowns WTF?! All these advertisements by my very own friends really got me thinking.

Is this something to be expected when you reach late 20s when out of sudden, all your friends become business-minded enthusiasts?

Or does this has something to do with the fact that the Internet penetration in our country has reached the level where online business is fast picking up as a new business trend?

What about you? If you have yet to start one, what is the factor that is holding you back? Not enough time - like me? Insufficient capital to begin with? Too troublesome and meddlesome? Do allow me to prove you wrong for the Internet is truly an enabler with many potentials as long as you're looking at the right direction.

Gone are the days where you need to look for a suitable shop lot, apply for license, complete the renovation, spend 12 hours daily cooped up inside your little shop - even during days when business is slow - and last but not least, pay taxes. Is this reason good enough to convince you otherwise? Maybe not since the descriptions above are meant for full-time business but I hope that you do realize the differences doing an online business can be compared to this old business model.

Take me for example. I'm currently doing a very small service business helping students or those without credit card to buy their favourite computer games online. In case you don't know, computer games no longer come in CD / DVD form only these days. You can also buy them from digital distribution portals - such as Steam and many others - and once registered to your account, you can download these games on the spot into as many computers as you want as long as you fulfill the EULA. Most of these portals also come along with the gift function, which is extremely (ab)useful to people like me.

So where's the opportunity, you ask? It's easy, I charge my customers RM5 per transaction. Due to the fact that these portals only deal in USD and the bank exchange rate is constantly fluctuating, I have to include a multiplier that is slightly higher than the highest exchange rate for the past few weeks. For example, Mr. A would like to purchase a copy of Plants vs. Zombies ($9.99) and Left 4 Dead 2 ($29.99) each. At the time of writing, the bank exchange rate is 3.23 and I've fixed my service exchange rate at 3.35.

Price to charge Mr. A = [(9.99 + 29.99) * 3.35) + 5 = RM139
My credit card charge = (9.99 + 29.99) * 3.23 = RM129.14
Profit = RM139 - RM129.14 = RM9.86

Even though I only render this service out as a hobby and with the complete awareness that this is not something I can do full-time, keep in mind that I need neither shop lot nor license to start this business. I also don't get taxed for the profit earned and in fact, the risk is very minimal since I don't need to stock up on these games at all. Someone need the games? I just click, click, click in front of my computer and once customers confirmed receipt of requested games, KA CHING! Customers are happy, I am happy, another win-win scenario achieved!

Another online business example that I can give is selling PayPal funds. To make it easier to understand, just imagine PayPal as a virtual debit card that is widely accepted in most websites. Let's take Mr. B as someone who doesn't own a credit card but he would like to buy something that cost him $500 from a US website. Pause here! Rewind back to 6 months ago when the exchange rate was 3.07 and you credited your PayPal account with $500 from your credit card. Back to our current time with bank exchange rate of 3.23, you agreed to sell the $500 PayPal funds to Mr. B.

Price to charge Mr. B = 500 * 3.23 = RM1615
My credit card 6 months ago = 500 * 3.07 = RM1535
Profit = RM1615 - RM1535 = RM80

Again, this is another scenario of you sitting in front of your computer without the need for shop lot, license and tax. This example definitely pose a certain higher level of risk compared to the first since it's almost equivalent to speculating currency rates but hey, it's still something that can bring in extra cash if done right.

Both examples above are not something new but they serve as good mediums to get my message across to you. Whether you're doing it as a hobby - like me - or to pocket yourselves side-income, I think that this will make a good experience and who knows, perhaps it might become a stepping stone to something much bigger in the near future?!

My only request is that you don't spam my Facebook walls with weird advertisements like tiger costumes or pole dancing classes please.

Now in case my customers are reading this entry of mine, I need to write something to dispel the notion that I'm serving them mainly for profit. As narrated above, I got acquainted with trading in a MMORPG and fell in love with the ability to please both my customers and myself in each transaction. It's akin to being an alchemist; armed with passion, I get to transmute a pebble into gold for you. As such, if you find the need to do so, you may compare myself to the other resellers and decide if they'll be able to value you as a customer better than I do. :)

Why am I writing this? Well, good things are meant to be shared, no? :) Moreover, it's not like I'm the one that came up with all these business models in the first place. I'm just a copycat after all.

Come to think of it, maybe it's time I start looking for vacancies for buyer. :D

Thailand 2009: Day # 2

I almost forgot about the remaining days that I've yet to write on for my Thailand trip until the recent events where we saw Bangkok city being literally transformed into a mini war zone. I'm an outsider hence I won't go into details on which side is the culprit or victim.

One thing that caught my attention though is how they've renovated the Democracy Monument...


... from this...


... to this.

Day 2 saw Chaiwat joining us on our tour. In fact, he reached our hotel pretty late the night before and bunked in Samarn's room. Since he would only be around until evening, we more or less elected him as our unofficial tour guide of the day.


Our first destination was the Golden Mount, a pagoda on top of a hill.

I guess it must be an auspicious day or something special since there were a large number of tourists - comprised mostly of locals - joining us up there as well.


Rows of bells along the way to the top, each clanks signifying a wish comes true... I think so.


Once on top, I noticed that they were holding a donation campaign where devotees get to scribe down their well wishes on a red cloth which will be draped onto the pagoda.

Apart from the donation drive, there were also Buddhist relics on display in the pagoda which might explain the crowds.


The hill itself wasn't very high, but with the addition of a pagoda on top, it was tall enough to afford a scenic panorama over the city.


A mini-replica of the Golden Mount with the aforementioned red cloth.

Since Chaiwat had a timer ticking down, we wasted no time in getting to our second destination, the Vimanmek Mansion Dusit Palace.


Mansion or palace? Make up your mind!

I'm not sure if it has something to do with the latitude of Bangkok city but the weather here was so much sunnier compared back home. :(


Why has the cloud forsaken us?!


With this kind of temperature, we had no choice but to hop onto an idle tuk-tuk to get here.

There was nothing much to see here as we have to pay in order to enter a certain building. Of course, it was pretty normal to charge tourists entrance fees but to forbid us from bringing in our cameras was totally unacceptable.

As a result, we just strolled around the compound and took a few photos here and there, especially on the ridiculous number of different transports that were on display there.


In one corner, we have the Cinderella-style horse carriage.


If you don't like Cinderella, no problem! There are many more types that you can choose from.


No horse? OK, then how about a purple-coloured tuk-tuk.


Purple again? Are these vehicles sponsored by Cadbury or something?


One of the 2 interesting buildings that we can find here was this large greenhouse across the river with no admittance allowed.

The other interesting building would be the air-conditioned toilet.


In such hot weather, it was definitely heaven on earth!

If you were to ask me, I sincerely think that stopping by this world's largest golden teakwood mansion was a waste of time since there was nothing much to see from the perspective of a tourist. No offense intended.

I'm not sure what actually transpired once we exit the gate but we ended up having to walk a few kilometers just to catch a bus to bring us to our next stop. Bad thing was the hellish heat. Good thing was that along the way, we got to pass by a few interesting landmarks.


The smelly Dusit Zoo.


A post to commemorate the water level this area was under in the past.


The King Rama V Equestrian Statue. Till these days, people still pay homage to this late king even after his demise in 1910.


Compared to the one in Penang, the Bangkok plant-watering vehicle looks so much high-tech. :P

It didn't take me long to realize that I've got my expectation wrong as the bus that came for us was of such an old age that even the flooring was made out of wood.


I suddenly found myself back in the Penang 90s' Yellow Bus. :D

After a short lunch where we had the Bangkok's version of chicken rice, we crossed a few roads and CentralWorld - the largest shopping complex in Thailand - stood majestically in front of us. Now, perhaps this is just culture shock to me, but I can't help being peculiar on how Bangkokians - not sure if this is also applicable to the entire Thailand as well - are able to integrate superstitions into their daily life especially with the erection of 2 Hindu shrines in the least expected location - just right in front of CentralWorld.


Pray to Ganesha for career success...


... and Trimurti to bless you with true love.

If you are a girl reading this, I need you to calm down. Bangkok is a shopping heaven, there is no denying that but unfortunately, we didn't really have much chance and time to do so. :(

I thought I've seen it all when I visited the Langkawi Underwater World but apparently Siam Ocean World decided to prove me wrong. Tucked away in the basement levels of Siam Paragon, the Siam Ocean World is so much bigger and allows you to get much closer to the fishes.


An ocean under a shopping complex? O.o"

I'm not going to show you much fishes here since I can't allow them to have much more screentime than me. This is my blog after all. :P


Aquarium that is even deeper than the tallest of us 3.


OK, this was where my confusion set in. They were trying to tell me this freaking dinosaur is a Jurassic fish?


How to tackle complaints on insufficient variety of fishes on display? Get humans to cosplay gigantic fishes!

In the Siam Ocean World, there were a section where they have aquariums made out of normal everyday appliances. I guess it was an attempt to raise awareness on recycling or something similar to that.


Chevrolet Optra that has been filled to the brim with water and has fishes as passengers.


Fancy having a microwaved goldfish as dinner?

Now, before any of you go yapping about animal abuse, these fishes didn't work here for nothing. One of the few benefits that were documented in their contracts was dental care. Let's take this shark as example:


On its first day of inception into Siam Ocean World; misaligned and protruding teeth.


Now; a much more handsome shark!

Hahaha... good joke eh? No?

-sigh-

Fine, let's move on. The Siam Ocean World also boast Thailand's first 4D theatre, though I would advise you to exclude this feature from the entrance package if possible as it was just so-so.


OK OK, I admit that I don't recommend the 4D theatre because they won't let me keep this funky looking 3D glasses. :P

As we came to the end of the Siam Ocean World tour, Chaiwat was running late to catch his trip home so we had to call it a day. Moreover, Bangkok's sky gets dark pretty early due to the different time zone hence we just jumped onto a taxi and nothing much occurred for the rest of the night.

Please remove me

I'm not sure if this is a trend that only exists within my company or if it's the same elsewhere. Basically, the scenario started when a lost soul forwarded an escalation email to a group mailbox that consists of many unrelated parties. Within a few minutes, all hell broke loose!

Common sense dictates that all you have to do is ignore and delete these unrelated emails since you're aware of the fact that you're not the intended recipient. Easy, right?


Please remove me! Me too! Me three!

But no! This is the very opportunity to make your presence known to all the employees within the company so you MUST reply to all and request that your email address is removed from the list of recipients!

What began as a single email that got itself sent to the wrong mailbox soon became a flurry of spam emails and before you knew it - congratulations - you now have 157 unread emails with the exact same subject line appearing out of nowhere like a virus outbreak.


It doesn't matter what the person below wrote.

Once in a while, a smart alec will take it a step further by replying to all with some small changes to the subject line like Don't reply to all! which ironically does not help the situation even the slightest bit since it's going to get ignored and thanks, that's an extra spam email in my mailbox.

-sigh-


To make this kind of joke when the recipient list includes directors and managers, this guy sure got balls!

*Shift + Delete + Enter*
*Shift + Delete + Enter*
*Shift + Delete + Enter*

3,338 days

Today marks the three thousand three hundred thirty eighth days since we began our relationship...


... and this was the very first flower bouquet she has ever received from me.

Surprised? Call me cheapskate or tasteless but truth to be told, she doesn't like the fact that flowers will eventually wilt and die. Yeah, I am completely aware of the fact that most girls don't mean what they say...


... but what good are 101 roses if they don't end up with a pair of wedding bands?

I think it's pointless to declare on the obstacles that we have to go through in order to reach this point in time since no relationship will survive long without conflicts.


Legally we're married, but custom wise, I guess we're just engaged.

If you noticed from all the ABCDE entries, I'm the type to take things in stages instead of rushing through them once and for all. After all, I need you guys to save up enough before I start distributing wedding invitations, no? :D


It took me almost three minutes trying to slip the ring onto her finger, only to realize that we've both got the wrong hand. *facepalm*

Ahem... if you still don't get it, here's the harsh version: You can save your breath instead of asking me when I'm going to hold the wedding dinner. It's not going to be anytime soon.


It was our big day, so how come we were not the ones to get to sit? :(

As you can see from the photo above, we only extended invitations to closest family members and friend as we have to keep the crowd to minimum.


Once we were done swearing, it's the Assistant Registrar of Marriage's turn to yada yada yada us into donations. :P

By the way - just for your information - the oath is very much longer if you recite them in English. Do opt for the Chinese version if both you and your partner are able to read Chinese. :)


The latecomers.

Seriously, I've been staring at the monitor for few hours now, not sure on what exactly to write. It's pretty awkward, since I always write stuffs that will eventually end up with -sigh- but for this particular entry, I don't think it's appropriate for me to do so. :P


Mr. and - semi - Mrs. Tan. :)