Just did one round of food tasting at Sheraton the other day..
Once again, both sides of the families gathered around a round table and our siblings came to give some comments as well..
Too bad the youngest dinosaur just entered NS and can't book out to enjoy the delicacies..
Here's what we wanted to taste:
1. Deluxe traditional Hors of Oeurve
2. Sharks Fin Soup with dried scallop and bamboo piths
3. Sauteed Prwn balls in spicy vinegar & deep fried soft shell crab
4. Pan fried candaian cod
5. Li Bai herbal emperor chicken
6. Stewed Hong Kong seasoned vegetables with Yunnan Ham
7. Stewed Ee Fu noodles with chives and mushrooms
8. Both choices: Sweetened water chestnut cream with egg served cold? Plus Praline crunchy chocolate tart that was offered as part of the bridal show
Response: too meaty and some of the flavours were too rich. Guess we'll tone down a bit starting from the appetisers..
Thank You!!!
We've created a Wedding Site (http://www.mywedding.com/banhorngserene) with key information about our big day in September!
UPDATE: Selected wedding and honeymoon photos are all up on Facebook!
Monday, 28 July 2008
House Warming - Batch One
Thank you!
Thank you for the gifts, well wishes, feedback and most importantly, thank you for just being there. Pardon us if we have not been good hosts..招待不周. I also fear we might have underestimated the popularity of the items from Barney and Hulk's kitchen (or maybe you guys are just underfed coz we didn't cater for enough..? :P )
The turnout was very good and better than expected. Many old acquaintances were renewed and it's good to see you guys again. It's been some time and fortunes have changed. Most of you guys now belong to the "alumni" gang, outnumbering the last surviving members of the firm. (I can only count on one hand the remnants..).
Although I brought a camera, we simply had no time to take photos or even talk to everyone personally. I hope we didn't neglect anyone..too much :P.
Hope you guys enjoyed yourselves, and we'll see you soon again at our wedding banquet ya? ;)
Once again..Thank You!
Thank you for the gifts, well wishes, feedback and most importantly, thank you for just being there. Pardon us if we have not been good hosts..招待不周. I also fear we might have underestimated the popularity of the items from Barney and Hulk's kitchen (or maybe you guys are just underfed coz we didn't cater for enough..? :P )
The turnout was very good and better than expected. Many old acquaintances were renewed and it's good to see you guys again. It's been some time and fortunes have changed. Most of you guys now belong to the "alumni" gang, outnumbering the last surviving members of the firm. (I can only count on one hand the remnants..).
Although I brought a camera, we simply had no time to take photos or even talk to everyone personally. I hope we didn't neglect anyone..too much :P.
Hope you guys enjoyed yourselves, and we'll see you soon again at our wedding banquet ya? ;)
Once again..Thank You!
House Warming - Batches
Our place is above average in size relative to most HDB apartments, but not THAT big. In order not to have too many of our friends sitting on the floor (despite it being quite clean already :P), we've decided to hold the house warming in batches for various groups of friends.
(Sequence is totally random and unbiased - in case you are wondering!)
Batch 1: Mutual Friends from Work - 27 July 2008
Batch 2: Dino friends - 16 Aug 2008
Batch 3: Hulk friends - 17 Aug 2008
etc..
(Sequence is totally random and unbiased - in case you are wondering!)
Batch 1: Mutual Friends from Work - 27 July 2008
Batch 2: Dino friends - 16 Aug 2008
Batch 3: Hulk friends - 17 Aug 2008
etc..
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Extra stuff.. Lelong lelong!
We're into the final stages of shifting in and are getting rid of extra stuff.
If you are keen or know anyone who is, let us know!
We're getting rid of the following brand new items:
Threads are posted in Renotalk and SingaporeBrides forums:
http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15311
http://www.singaporebrides.com/forumboard/messages/268785/716516.html?1216281704
1) "Ice Cube" - Hanging Pendant Halogen light
Dimensions: 7cm across the cube
Off:
On:
Great for lighting a passageway casting shadows on the surrounding wall.
Min bid price: $40
BNP: $60
Retail price: ~$70 -$75 at Jalan Besar shops
2) Aluminium suspended disk rack with glass shelves
Dimensions: 124cm (wide) x 85cm (tall) x 35cm (deep)
Ceiling mounted.
ID had taken this from a condominium unit (brand new) but it couldn't fit out kitchen dimensions.
Min bid price: $40
BNP: $60
Package price (1) + (2) = $100
(Delivery not included. Self collection near Sengkang Central).
Please contact via havoker@bigfoot.com.
If you are keen or know anyone who is, let us know!
We're getting rid of the following brand new items:
Threads are posted in Renotalk and SingaporeBrides forums:
http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15311
http://www.singaporebrides.com/forumboard/messages/268785/716516.html?1216281704
1) "Ice Cube" - Hanging Pendant Halogen light
Dimensions: 7cm across the cube
Off:
On:
Great for lighting a passageway casting shadows on the surrounding wall.
Min bid price: $40
BNP: $60
Retail price: ~$70 -$75 at Jalan Besar shops
2) Aluminium suspended disk rack with glass shelves
Dimensions: 124cm (wide) x 85cm (tall) x 35cm (deep)
Ceiling mounted.
ID had taken this from a condominium unit (brand new) but it couldn't fit out kitchen dimensions.
Min bid price: $40
BNP: $60
Package price (1) + (2) = $100
(Delivery not included. Self collection near Sengkang Central).
Please contact via havoker@bigfoot.com.
Monday, 14 July 2008
Welcome!
We welcomed the first external visitor to our house!
As the ghost-who-drifts (GWD) needed to get a work lamp at Ikea, we offered our him a ride as we were on the way to Ikea too. In helping us carry our bulky purchases back, our new home welcomed it's first non-family visitor!
(pardon the mess..keke)
As the ghost-who-drifts (GWD) needed to get a work lamp at Ikea, we offered our him a ride as we were on the way to Ikea too. In helping us carry our bulky purchases back, our new home welcomed it's first non-family visitor!
(pardon the mess..keke)
Ikea Return Policy
The hulk showed her wrath while trying to fit a poster into the Ikea Ribba frame, and cracked the plastic cover. So off to Ikea, and the very nice customer service officer allowed us to change it for another.
Kudos for Ikea's exchange policies. They're amongst the best I've seen in Singapore.
(then again, given the *ahem* quality of some Ikea products, they had better provide a good return policy).
Oh, and you can change the colour of your products too as long as it's within 100 days of purchase and you still retain the receipt.
Kudos for Ikea's exchange policies. They're amongst the best I've seen in Singapore.
(then again, given the *ahem* quality of some Ikea products, they had better provide a good return policy).
Oh, and you can change the colour of your products too as long as it's within 100 days of purchase and you still retain the receipt.
Sunday, 13 July 2008
On the Kindness of Others
When my parents held a house warming or received gifts for their wedding, there were a few very popular gifts received. That's the reason why we ended with 3 of those very classic Morphy Richards Iron (the chrome one with black handle)...
Well, we didn't have to buy an iron for more than 25 years though..
In order to avoid gift duplication, and to get truly useful gifts from our dear friends, we've drawn up a wish list. We're truly grateful for the response so far since most of the necessities have been catered for. A very pleasant surprise came from Hulk's ex-client's users (no she didn't terrorise them into giving), who gave us $500 worth of NETS vouchers which we used to subsidise our electrical appliances purchases.
Our siblings also gave us support too. Their subsidies helped to make the kitchen more affordable, and gave better air circulation to the always-sweating Barney (hey the suit isn't exactly comfortable you know!)
We've also gotten help in subsidising the Philips vacuum cleaner we've been eyeing for a while. So the only major items left on our wishlist are:
1) Philips DECT phone CD440 Duo
2) Rice cooker (Panasonic or Philips with fuzzy logic for cooking porridge and rice)
Well, we should take advantage of the Philips sale till 31st July since item (1) comes with $30 worth of Philips voucher which we can use to subsidise either the vacuum cleaner, or the (2). And, $150 worth of Philips purchase gets you a free sandwich maker.
To sum it up, thanks for all the contributions, thanks for all the help. You've all put in some part to help build up our new home little by little :)
Well, we didn't have to buy an iron for more than 25 years though..In order to avoid gift duplication, and to get truly useful gifts from our dear friends, we've drawn up a wish list. We're truly grateful for the response so far since most of the necessities have been catered for. A very pleasant surprise came from Hulk's ex-client's users (no she didn't terrorise them into giving), who gave us $500 worth of NETS vouchers which we used to subsidise our electrical appliances purchases.
Our siblings also gave us support too. Their subsidies helped to make the kitchen more affordable, and gave better air circulation to the always-sweating Barney (hey the suit isn't exactly comfortable you know!)
We've also gotten help in subsidising the Philips vacuum cleaner we've been eyeing for a while. So the only major items left on our wishlist are:
1) Philips DECT phone CD440 Duo
2) Rice cooker (Panasonic or Philips with fuzzy logic for cooking porridge and rice)
Well, we should take advantage of the Philips sale till 31st July since item (1) comes with $30 worth of Philips voucher which we can use to subsidise either the vacuum cleaner, or the (2). And, $150 worth of Philips purchase gets you a free sandwich maker.To sum it up, thanks for all the contributions, thanks for all the help. You've all put in some part to help build up our new home little by little :)
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Murphy Loves Us
After the ordeal with the sofa delivery, we were hit with another issue. On the morning just before the delivery, I got a call from E that the original supplier for the bedframe would not see him the bedframe design that we wanted..
This would put us in a very bad situation as we had already gotten our contractor to customise a partition wall support for it based on the dimensions of the bedframe. If it was a normal bedframe it would be no issue, but this was not one easily found on the market, especially with the very tall bed head.
E told us not to worry, as he would manufacture the bedframe locally himself then, by hook or by crook. However, the second slammer came in the afternoon, when he was stuck at the Dunlopillo warehouse. According to him, the distributor had told him that there was sufficient stock and he had gone down to collect the mattress, but only to find that it was out of stock.
The only consolation that our reasonably priced dining table came without any incident from E.
For now, the bed is about to escalate to a more pressing issue as we have our traditional "an chuang" ceremony date picked. However, without the bed in sight, there is no "chuang" to "an". Hopefully there is some way out before it becomes tricky to handle and explain to our parents.
UPDATE: We've managed to postpone the "an chuang" date. This buys us more time for E to order the mattress and manufacture the bed frame, delivering at a later date. Phew!
This would put us in a very bad situation as we had already gotten our contractor to customise a partition wall support for it based on the dimensions of the bedframe. If it was a normal bedframe it would be no issue, but this was not one easily found on the market, especially with the very tall bed head.
E told us not to worry, as he would manufacture the bedframe locally himself then, by hook or by crook. However, the second slammer came in the afternoon, when he was stuck at the Dunlopillo warehouse. According to him, the distributor had told him that there was sufficient stock and he had gone down to collect the mattress, but only to find that it was out of stock.
The only consolation that our reasonably priced dining table came without any incident from E.
For now, the bed is about to escalate to a more pressing issue as we have our traditional "an chuang" ceremony date picked. However, without the bed in sight, there is no "chuang" to "an". Hopefully there is some way out before it becomes tricky to handle and explain to our parents.
UPDATE: We've managed to postpone the "an chuang" date. This buys us more time for E to order the mattress and manufacture the bed frame, delivering at a later date. Phew!
Sunday, 6 July 2008
Bridal Studio Photography Review
Met up with our studio coordinator and gown designer C yesterday to review the photographs taken by the studio. Was a mad rush from the North of the island to the South after the Starhub incident. Sigh..missing the twins' baby shower was the letdown of the day. Somehow we keep missing out of the couple's celebration events.. :(Back on track..
Thanks to the brillant Hulk, our studio package has more configurable items that SPRO (oops..keke) that we can swap in and out for more "poses" (in marriage terms, each pose refers to a photograph that is taken differently). In swapping out all the optional items e.g. a 4R mini album, table top photograph (commonly used in Channel 8 serials, often found on the floor shattered when a married couple quarrels :P ), we had the option to choose up to 53 poses.
The Hulk was initially worried that the photographs would not turn out good as she felt some of her poses or facial expressions were unnatural. Thankfully, this was not the case. We still managed to pick out some rather ok (albeit "standard") shots. Hulk's evening gown series didn't turn out that well, probably because of the photographer's instructions to suck in the tummy (where there is none!). Think it caused the partial transformation from bride to Hulk in exasperated exhaustion.
Updates from the New Place
Oh, and I'm actually blogging from our new place. Both cable TV and internet access are available now..keke..
Meeting the curtain guy soon in an hour's time (Thats LDM and Tattat for the recommendation), and after that, more cleaning! Going to setup our Movie Room too.
Oh and we got this at a bargain at Ikea on Friday night. Hauled it back in our handy Honda Jazz (despite the size..try doing that in any other sub 1.6 litre car!). Guess which part of the house it's going to go to? ;)
Screw ups..
Despite the all the planning and homework done, there are still unforeseen scenarios that can happen to throw a wrench into the works. Since our new house is a previously unoccupied new unit, it seems that Starhub would need to get its technicians to activate the cable lines in our house from some switchboard somewhere.
It didn't help that the standard splitter from HDB was apparently stolen from the electrical riser just next to our main door (well, one costs about $20+ to $30 so it's probably equivalent to 150 to 200 aluminum cans). And the irritating technician who came down yesterday was so inflexible and rigid, demanding that we had to expose the hidden trunking where we shifted the cable points before he could do anything -- company policy he says. I say: Stupid policy - why can't he just test the shifted point, and only if there are issues, ask to test the source where it was tapped??
So the sequence went like this:
1 July Tues - Starhub tech came down. Took one look at electrical riser - asked us to call HDB/Town council to install missing splitter. Then took off.
Called HDB, called town council, HDB referred to subcon, no reply, call subcon, chase subcon, got a contact number for the subcon technician. Arranged for splitter and line installation on 2 July Tues, and tech promised to call after it's done.
2 July Wed - HDB subcon tech came down and install. Didn't feedback anything. Had to call him to check status. Went home in the evening to try connection. Still no go. Called Starhub 1633. Apparently Starhub tech has to come down again to activate the cable points. Duh. Pushed for Saturday morning activation
5 July Sat - Irritating Starhub tech didn't want to activate shifted cable points, had to get contractor to hack at our finished walls (GRRRRRRR!) to find the original starhub points where it was tapped. This dragged till late Saturday evening. We missed S&S twins baby shower. GRRRRRRR!
Now we have 2.5 holes in our house that needed more patching the following week. More dust that we had to clear after many mopping attempts. Sigh..
Oh, and the sofa delivered was of a wrong colour. The sales guy at the furniture store had the cheek to say that we chose the wrong code. Shouted at the idiot. Been a long time since I did that to anyone. Well, he did call back to admit the mistake, and arrange for the sofa to be delivered first with the wrong colour, and then send us the correct sofa covers later. When he mentioned partial payment, it was shot down quicker than Osama if he was walking in front of the White House. Of course I'll only pay once everything is ok!
It didn't help that the standard splitter from HDB was apparently stolen from the electrical riser just next to our main door (well, one costs about $20+ to $30 so it's probably equivalent to 150 to 200 aluminum cans). And the irritating technician who came down yesterday was so inflexible and rigid, demanding that we had to expose the hidden trunking where we shifted the cable points before he could do anything -- company policy he says. I say: Stupid policy - why can't he just test the shifted point, and only if there are issues, ask to test the source where it was tapped??
So the sequence went like this:
1 July Tues - Starhub tech came down. Took one look at electrical riser - asked us to call HDB/Town council to install missing splitter. Then took off.
Called HDB, called town council, HDB referred to subcon, no reply, call subcon, chase subcon, got a contact number for the subcon technician. Arranged for splitter and line installation on 2 July Tues, and tech promised to call after it's done.
2 July Wed - HDB subcon tech came down and install. Didn't feedback anything. Had to call him to check status. Went home in the evening to try connection. Still no go. Called Starhub 1633. Apparently Starhub tech has to come down again to activate the cable points. Duh. Pushed for Saturday morning activation
5 July Sat - Irritating Starhub tech didn't want to activate shifted cable points, had to get contractor to hack at our finished walls (GRRRRRRR!) to find the original starhub points where it was tapped. This dragged till late Saturday evening. We missed S&S twins baby shower. GRRRRRRR!
Now we have 2.5 holes in our house that needed more patching the following week. More dust that we had to clear after many mopping attempts. Sigh..
Oh, and the sofa delivered was of a wrong colour. The sales guy at the furniture store had the cheek to say that we chose the wrong code. Shouted at the idiot. Been a long time since I did that to anyone. Well, he did call back to admit the mistake, and arrange for the sofa to be delivered first with the wrong colour, and then send us the correct sofa covers later. When he mentioned partial payment, it was shot down quicker than Osama if he was walking in front of the White House. Of course I'll only pay once everything is ok!
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Redness...
The appointed card printer service was good! Not only were they friendly (almost to a saccharine overdose), they were also patient, precise and detailed. When we arrived to collect the cards (and they weren't ready yet due to a minor miscommunication), they offered to deliver the cards to us, outside of office hours.Thank you Tdragon!
Here's a sneak preview
(pardon the low quality of my mobile phone camera..too lazy to take with a proper cam..)
We love our foldable/adjustable futons
At slightly over 100 bucks each, we opted to get them in place of a mini sofa in our entertainment room. Home2Be delivered them to our new place FOC (and for such cheap items..thank you so much! :P )
Comfortable and good looking (in our opinions), they're rather snazzy in that you can bend them in various configurations, and they stay there in that position. Very stable indeed! Like a well trained yoga master or contortionist, they bend in many angles and are much more portable and fun compared to a sofa. Hehe..we think it's a good find. When you're at our place, do give them a try :)
Hope they last though :P
Comfortable and good looking (in our opinions), they're rather snazzy in that you can bend them in various configurations, and they stay there in that position. Very stable indeed! Like a well trained yoga master or contortionist, they bend in many angles and are much more portable and fun compared to a sofa. Hehe..we think it's a good find. When you're at our place, do give them a try :)
Hope they last though :P
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