Of cakes…

Today we met up with Jasmine, one half of the Confecti team. We met at the Public Garden nearly a month back and I was impressed with their ombre cake that was on sale. I asked them if they did wedding cakes and yes they did!

Many emails back and forth later, we met up today for a session of cake tasting. They do quite an array of interesting flavours and we were supposed to pick our top 3 flavours for the tasting (and we chose 4, oops)… but she prepared six different flavours in the form of cupcakes for us!

Earl grey with lavender frosting (special request), earl grey with strawberry frosting.
Really dig the earl grey cake with lavender frosting, we could taste the earl grey flavour in the cake and the lavender frosting is so fragrant! The strawberry frosting was nice too and it reminded me of the strawberry dip for Yan yan.

Vanilla with salted caramel cream and lychee rose.
The salted caramel one was nice, but it could get a bit heavy if you take more than a few bites. The lychee rose was just delightful. There are bits of lychee in the middle of the cake and the rose flavour of the cream was not overpowering.

Vanilla with lemon cream and red velvet with cream frostingThe red velvet was good but it didn’t stand out. The vanilla with lemon curd was really yummy and refreshing with lemon curd in the centre!

We were torn between choosing the vanilla with lemon cream and lychee rose for the ombre tier. It will be a three-tier cake, and we could choose 2 different flavours. After much deliberation, we will be going with lychee rose as we wanted unique flavours that would be sweet, yet light on the palate. Since we will have an array of desserts available at the buffet, we can afford to be a tad adventurous with our wedding cake.

And Jasmine was so nice, she really gets my sense of aesthetics and I thought we would probably take just an hour but we continued to talk more about weddings et al, and I found out we were attending the same church, what a small world!

So that’s one thing off my mind for now. Next up, food tasting with Shangri-La in July!

Will You Be My….?

Although I’ve asked my sister casually if she would take up the role of the Maid of Honour at my wedding and she had agreed in principle, I thought it would be nicer if I asked her formally and sealed the deal with a little box of goodies. So  over brunch one Sunday together with my sister and Kevin’s sister, Serene, that’s just what I did

My sister has been the one who’s been there for me every step of the way – comforting me when I’m at my lowest points, sharing my joys, lending me a shoulder to cry on, giving me hugs to let me know that everything’s gonna be a-okay, coming to my rescue one too many times, you get the drift. There’s no other person I would want as my Maid of Honour than her.

It took me a while to put everything together but it was so much fun! I took a while to customise the cards’ size to ensure that they would rest nicely in the box.  I then penned down a heartfelt message to let her know how much she meant to me and promised not to morph into a Bridezilla in the days leading up to the big day. Since I had already gotten her a dress for the wedding, I thought this box of goodies should be of things that I love and would love for them to possess. So I got her some earrings from Hadasity to adorn her lovely face, a light pink nail polish from Essie and a glittery nail file for well-manicured hands that will hold my beautiful flowers. Then I decided to throw in another one of my loves, a whitening mask from Fancl for that radiant complexion on the wedding day!

Twas sucha lovely morning and a perfect opportunity for my sister to get to know Serene better and there we were – three girls chatting, laughing and having a fabulous time together.

These words shall not return void.

While most are enjoying their long weekend, I’ve been spending it a little differently – on work. It’s been a really trying time and I feel exhausted. My mind is not sharp and it’s so slow for the past few days, and my skin’s breaking out.

Nevertheless, it’s during these trying times that Daddy God reminds me of Him and what He is going to do for me. I can’t help but feel encouraged when I read the following 3 Bible verses because they are promises for me and my Daddy God cannot lie.

Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.
Zechariah 9:12

He has promised to restore double for the trouble I’ve gone through. If my Daddy God has declared it, He will do it! I’m glad to be called a prisoner of hope because hope in the biblical sense means a confident expectation of good things happening in my life. Mountains high or valleys low, my lips shall praise Him continually. Every valley shall become a launching pad to His blessings for me in my life.

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (NLT)
Ephesians 3:19 – 20

Daddy God loves me, far too much for me to understand it fully. It’s not my love for Him that helps me to be filled with the fullness of God, it’s the revelation of His love for me that supernaturally fills me up. Sometimes I get so caught up with the busyness of life that I relegate that thought to the back of my mind and I do things my way, but He has made me and designed me to run at my optimal level when I’m filled with His love, similar to how a car operates best when it’s filled with the right kind of fuel. Lord, help me be conscious of how much Daddy God loves me so that I’m filled with the fullness of God and I will experience the tremendous blessings He has in store for me!

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31

I especially love how He speaks to me personally, and receive a confirmation of His word later on. This morning, He told me this: You and I are a majority. Then, who would have expected for Him to reiterate that point with Chris Tomlin’s “Our God” during service later on. :’) When challenging times arise, I feel overwhelmed and all I want to do is to shrink back and look for an easy way out. Hey, I’m only human. But He has never intended me to be consumed by the challenges. His intention for me is to rise above and overcome it. It’s during these times of testing that shows what I’m made of. I’m not alone in my situation, Jesus is with me and He has promised to never leave nor forsake me. If Daddy God is for me, who can be against me? Nothing, no enemy, no challenge, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”
1 Corinthians 12:18

You gotta love it when conversations with Daddy God just keep flowing. In the same morning where He told me that we are a majority, I was just thinking to myself while getting dressed about how I wished I was the only one running the service with the bible-story teacher because I love how we flowed with Jesus and wanted to repeat that supernatural rest I felt while serving, I felt Daddy God correct me. Everyone has a unique, God-given purpose and role to play in the ‘body’ of His community. It’s ridiculous if I decide to do the role of another and the whole body will suffer when not all the parts are present in their positions. The ministry operates best when we work together as one. It isn’t all about me, it’s really all about Him. Lord, teach me and guide me in being a shepherd, show me how to coach people with grace and in doing so, bring glory to You.

It’s arrived!

So as you know I’ve made some orders online for the wedding recently, and I was waiting for all three packages to arrive at vPOST before I ship them back all together.

Of all the purchases I’ve made, the paper samples were the first purchase I made since I needed them to come in early so I can check the colours before buying in bulk. But even when all my other packages came in, it still did not. I contacted the company and they said they had shipped out on 29 April and asked me to wait for a few more days for the delivery.  After a few days, it still hadn’t arrived at vPOST so I decided to check with them to get the tracking number, but it didn’t have one since it was delivered by USPS. >.<

I had vPOST to help out too but they couldn’t do much since they didn’t have the tracking number. I was so annoyed with myself because I didn’t put in the VP number with my name for the address so I thought this purchase was a goner. So last Sunday when I was serving, my fellow platform teacher P asked me how was my wedding preparation coming along. I then shared with her about this particular incident. She stood in faith with me and she declared that the parcel will be found and sent to me swiftly. To be honest, I was pretty faithless but it’s amazing how Daddy God is so good to me even when I’m faithless. :’)

Last Tuesday (14 May), I decided that I was going to make another purchase before the company closes for the Shavuot holiday because orders received after 12noon will only be sent out on 17 May (too long a wait!). I then started selecting the same few papers that I picked out the previous round, hoping my order would be shipped out in time before the office closes (of course it will be in time since we are 12 hours ahead). I was about to make payment when Kev asked me to have dinner first and I listened to him.

After dinner, I decided to check my vPOST account before making payment for the order and lo and behold, the package somehow made its way to me! I was overjoyed (I texted P about it and she was so happy for me!!)! I was not notified by the customer service personnel at vPOST and I did not receive any alert from vPOST about it either! This is such an awesome suprise for me and I was so glad I listened to Kev! After making payment to vPOST for shipping, I waited happily for the items to come in. Today I receive a notification from vPOST that they had sent out two items and I was greatly puzzled since it should be three. I tried to see what’s happening and it appeared that my paper samples had been the last item that was sent out and I was a little bummed and worried since I thought they were all going to arrive together. But guess what?

I have no idea why but when I got home earlier, the envelope was just sitting on my laptop! Can you imagine this? It was the last to arrive at vPOST but somehow it’s the first to reach me! I don’t know what else to say but Daddy God is sooo good, all the time. Indeed, speak the good we want to see and watch it come to pass. Thank you Daddy God!

Of planning a wedding.

It’s been a while since my last post about the wedding prep and I can’t believe we are just what, 165 days away from the Big Day?! Where did all the time go to?!

There certainly has been movement since then…

Change of gowns for photoshoot – I’ve actually selected a couple of gowns for the shoot earlier in January but my heart fluttered again (sigh, I know) when Ju Leen came by Digio and tried out some gowns in her quest to find The One Bridal Salon. So an appointment was booked in April and Ju Leen was with me to make the selection – always glad to have another female in the room to aid you make a *ahem* discerning choice (and to gush over the pretty gowns!!). Now, to review the locations that I’ve chosen previously to suit the gowns and outfits et al…

Designing of invites for the church wedding and dinner – This is something still currently in the works. I would say it’s about 70% done, it’s taking a tad longer than I’d like but I’ve been so busy of late.

Sent out Save The Dates to friends – Best to let friends know earlier so they can block out the date to celebrate with you. It’s also good to know who won’t be able to attend because of various reasons so you can plan accordingly. Didn’t add my relatives for this one because I don’t know what the repercussions would be like (think comments like, ‘what’s becoming of youngesters these days?!’) and I think they would appreciate a proper invitation instead.

Wedding styling – When I’ve received the quotation from Melissa, I nearly fell off my chair. It was an exorbitant amount to pay for a wedding (or maybe that’s the price to pay if you want to take a hands-off approach)! I know most 0f my decorations require a lot of DIY, but still!!! I remember looking through the quotation and murmuring to myself loads of ‘I can undertake this’s and ‘I’ll do it myself’s. And not to mention, I’ve already spent quite an amount on chairs. So I’ve sourced for paper, lanterns and some other props for the Big Day myself. Now I’m just waiting for them to be shipped over! I think after the end of this wedding planning thing, I can start a business myself and rent out all the items I’ve bought hahaha! Ok, I’m totally serious about my last point.

For the bridesmaids and the bride - I don’t know how other brides do it, but it’s almost impossible for me to find nice bridesmaid dresses locally! Crossing out convertible dresses that I see sold on blogshops, I’m left with little choice especially if I want them to wear a colour that’s from my colour theme. So thank God for e-retailers, where there’s no longer any boundaries! Since I’m not wearing an evening gown (which does not go for an outdoor setting), I’ve chosen a Little White Dress. That would allow me to be a little more free and easy with my movements. There are still some stuff that I’d like to get for my girls and myself, but that shall remain a secret.

Church Pastor/ JP (?) – To be quite honest, I was shocked when Kevin broke the news that we were assigned a pastor who currently does not have the cert to officiate the wedding, that didn’t sit well with me at all (fine, the church has already submitted his papers to ROM). I was disappointed that although we had informed them of the date more than a year ago and they had locked it in, we were assigned someone who does not have a cert and I know nothing about. When I called up the church peeps, they explained that the pastors that I would prefer to be at my wedding were unavailable due to reasons such as prior wedding engagements/ they don’t do weddings/ it’s a Zone Saturday, so on so forth. I was getting a tad annoyed because this is not going according to my plan at all. The alternatives proposed were something I couldn’t accept and finally I resigned to the idea of having the pastor and a JP to do the signing during the holy matrimony. I remember getting all worked up during my conversation as I walked out of MBS to catch a bus home and Kevin was suffering the brunt of my anger when I related the story to him over the phone. Then this still voice was impressed on me, ‘Who do you deem important to be present at the wedding?’ and my perspective shifted. True, things are not happening according to my plan but everything is still within my Daddy God’s plan. It’s not important if it’s the pastor or JP officiating the wedding, it’s more important that my Daddy God is there to witness our union. It’s amazing how He can ask a question and immediately gives me His shalom at the same time.

There are still plenty of nitty-gritty stuff like settling the wedding cake stuff and all, but I’d save it for a later time!

Shopping Haul Part 1 – Uniqlo

It’s been a while since I last shopped (I know right, weird coming from a girl who works in a mall) and so last weekend, out came the credit card.

Can I say something? I love Uniqlo, and its apparel form the backbone of my wardrobe (think jeans, tops, sweaters, shirts, so on). It’s one of my go-to places for basics. The designs offered are casual yet chic, and I like how Uniqlo invites designers to collaborate and produce collections because I’m a sucker for such pieces.

I couldn’t walk out without buying anything, so here’s my loot!

I’ve always wanted to get a parka/ military jacket sorta thing but I haven’t got the time to go to the Army market to get one so it was a pleasant surprise to see it in Uniqlo! I love the printed shirtdress for its fit and interesting hemline. When paired with the parka, it gives off a girly-yet-tough vibe.

Spotted the tee with adorable macarons on it? It’s a piece from the special collaboration collection with French patisserie Ladurée and a portion of the profit from sales of this collaboration will be donated to IVY, a Japanese association that helps children affected by the tragic 2011 tsunami in Japan. Best way to enjoy the sweets without putting on any calories

I love Uniqlo’s coloured jeggings, they are uber comfortable and brighten up an outfit instantly (perfect for Sunday school!). Last but not least, the Celia Birtwell shorts is too cute to pass up!
That’s not all, I made some more purchases at H&M too. Will share more next time

February and March Beauty Favourites

I’ve been missing in action for a while, so here are some of my beauty favourites for the month of February and March!

#1 Lush’s Sexy Peel – As you may already know, I’m a fan of Lush’s products and I love soaps. I love Sexy Peel for its citrusy blend of orange and lime scents and it’s quite refreshing to use in the morning when you need a perk-me-up. There are also bits of peel in it ( of orange, lemon maybe) so you can get a bit of exfoliation out of it. It’s a pity that the scent does not linger on my skin though

#2 Skin Revival’s Acne Eliminator - I’ve been visiting Skin Revival for almost what, at least 5 years now for my facials and I always love them for using natural skin care products. I’ve been using my sister’s Acne Eliminator whenever I’ve got a nasty spot and it’s pretty effective. It’s made up of 10 essential oils that are anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial so it reduces the redness and infection of the acne. For me, I find that it either helps bring the spot to a head (so I can extract it) or soothe it away, me likey very much. Oh, it smells really good too!

#3 SK-II Cellumination Essence EX - I fell in love with this bottle of goodness last year when I first sampled it. Finally I laid my hands on it when I was at the duty-free and I love how it made my skin look radiant and bright. I even feel good going out without putting on any foundation (ok I still need concealer for my eye areas). It has a light texture and gets absorbed into my skin easily.

#4 YSL Parisienne  Eau De Parfum – I tend to go for sweet, fruity and citrusy scents, but this one is slightly different. It is feminine, light, sweet but not cloyingly sweet and it’s a slightly more…. sophisticated of the lot of perfumes I have. This is gonna be a staple!

#5 Bioderma Sensibio H2o - This cleansing water is one of my favourites when it comes to makeup removal. It is like water and leaves my skin feeling clean without any traces of residue. Makeup comes off quite easily for me. Although it’s good enough for make-up removal and cleansing, I would still follow up with my regular cleanser to ensure I’ve gotten all the gunk out.

That’s all for my beauty favourites in the past 2 months, hopefully I’ll make it a habit to write frequently!

Photo credits: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5