31st July (Still in Scotland)

Had a late start today since we only started the driving journey after visiting the internet cafe, post office and photo developing centre.

We got on A82 from Fort William to Glencoe to Tyndrum. We had lunch at Tyndrum. Tyndrum was beautiful and we continued driving south, taking the A82 to Crianlarich, then continuing on A85/A84 to Callander, A821 to Brig O'Turk / Aberfoyle, A821/A811 to Balloch, A82 to Tarbet, A83 to LochFyne, A83 to Inveraray and A83 to Lochgilpheard and finally A83 to Campbeltown.

The coastline was beautiful and it was great that we caught it at sunset.

We had dreadful weather today though, rain, rain and more rain though there were dry spots at small breaks.

Drove 227miles today.

We targeted to reach Campbeltown today. My new family name... We decided that the town wasn't terribly nice and seemed slightly dodgy. Campbeltown was quite a big town but had limited accommodation. After driving round town several times, we settled on a nondescript B&B which turned out to be very comfortable and very reasonably priced.

After settling in, we headed out to hunt for Ross's dessert again. He was hoping to look for ice-cream and we haven't had much success so far and was again disappointed tonight.

30th July (on with drive in Scotland)

Munro wore a red head wig with a scottish hat (I'm sure there's a name for it) just for the fun of it for sending us off. Played scottish music as we left.

Day started well, weather was sunny and warm. From Conon-Bridge, we took A835, A9 to Inverness. Our first stop was at Loch Ness where Nessie the sea monster was famed to have originate. Since hearing so much about the monster, I was interested to enter the museum. We paid expensive entrance tickets and felt that information about the existence of Nessie wasn't conclusive. In fact, it seemed to imply that no sea monster exists.

We then got to Drumnadrochit and then A82 to Fort William.

Ross's driving started to irritate me. His bad habit of multi-tasking while driving fast, listening to cricket, biting his nails and driving with one hand (on a manual car) simply irritated the hell out of me. I decided I should try to do the driving instead of being on the receiving end.

Started to rain near 6pm.

Stayed at Fort William, West End Hotel for the night. We got a room there, unloaded our luggage into the room and then got out to get on the A830 to go to Gelnfinnan, A830 to Mallaig and then A830 back to Fort William.

At Fort William, we went out hunting for ice-cream at night, found none, most of the petrol stations had also closed by then and got caught out without an umbrella.

Drove 180 miles for the day.

29th July (Skye)

Morag and Munro bid us farewell for the day as we left for our day trip. Morag kept wanting to pack us sandwiches but we insisted we were alright. In the end, she passed us diet coke and water for the day. While we were gone, Morag said she would be going into town for the Viking Gala. When we returned, she said the Gala was disappointing as it was pouring.

We drove around in Skye today. From Conon Bridge, we took A862 - A833 - A831 to Drumnadrochit. We then took A82 to Invergarry, A87 to Eilean Donan Castle, A87 to Kyle of Cochalsch. In Skye, we drove to Kyleakin, Broadford for lunch, Portree, Uig and Dunvegan (A87, A855, A87, A850, A863, A87). Leaving Skye, we took A890 - A832 - A835 - A862 to Conon Bridge. The weather turned dreadful for most part, rain rain and rain. It was pissing down with rain so badly that at times, visibility was bad. It was also not exactly easy driving with many single passing lanes, blind summits and windy roads. Saw lots of thatched roofs cottages.

Morag asked where we were heading to when we go back to Sydney. Ross revealed that he owns a place where we intend to stay. Morag exclaimed that that was good news as she thought the new bride would be homeless when she goes to Sydney.

She turned to Munro and said excitedly "I didn't know that, did you Munro?" quite a few times.

Finally Munro said with a wink "Go ahead, ask him how much."

It was all very amusing.

In conversations, Morag liked to say describe Scottish was canny. I didn't know what she meant as it sounded completely different from how I know it. Anyway I asked and got it figured out later. Canny, spelt Kanny in the olden days originated from Scotland.

Morag sprung a surprise for dessert. I had brought in her nectarine when we came on the first day. She used the nectarine to make a dessert! So creative. I didn't expect her to. In fact I was eyeing at the lemon cake she had made and put aside. That left me a craving for lemon cake for the rest of the trip.

After dinner, we went for a walk in town. We walked past the town to the river. We walked passed the local pub called "The duck". That was when Ross discovered he didn't have his ring with him. He panicked and then remembered he left it next to the bathroom sink. Upon return to the house, we went into our rooms to place our coats. We saw the ring on the table, on a ring-holder. We were pretty much relieved and guess that either Munro or Morag must have left the ring there. When Ross left the room, Morag called out for me and came in. She conspiringly asked whether I had my ring on, which I had, in a very much hush-hush manner. She thought the ring that they found was mine. I explained that it was Ross's ring. I was touched that she thought I was in trouble for mis-placing the ring. She even kissed me after she realised that I wasn't the one in trouble.

When we sat in the living area before bed, Morag asked where we had walked to. We told her about The duck and the hotel that we passed by, she told us that it was formerly called The Droughty Duck, meaning drinking cronnies. Droughty is a scottish word that wouldn't be found in a Colin's dictionary. The locals felt it wasn't a very good name and therefore it was renamed.

Munro was keen to educate me on Robert Burns. He writes Scottish poems. Munro can recite some of his poems by heart. I tried to read the book but it was completely Greek to me, like the Shakespeare language. Ross recalled that Munro showed him the exact same book when he was here the first time. It shows how keen Munro is on the book.

28th July (Munro and Morag Day 2)

Breakfast was a spread of juice, variety of cereals, bananas, fruits salad, toast, tea and coffee. We were so pampered and it was such a good breakfast spread. It also ensured that Ross was getting his fruits.

Munro and Morag drove us around in Northern Scotland today. Munro drove his car which was a 2.4litres manual volvo (sort of small hatchback). Munro was such a master at controlling the car! He was always in control, never took his eyes off the road, drove fast but within limits. There was even once that he overtook 4 to 5 cars at one go. Ross (sitted next to the driver) claims that Munro never crossed the line once.

We went on A862 to Dingwall and then took the A9. Our first stop that morning was Munro's favourite distillery, Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain Ross-shire. Loved the smell that hit me once we got out of the car. It smelt of barley.
In the car, Morag constantly made sure that I was alright at the back seat. Morag and myself were in the back seat. She had packed coke, water and lots of sweets for the trip.
Morag kept apologizing for the bad weather.

Though Munro drove exceptionally well, but the roads were extremely windy. He had set cruise control at 60miles per hour and Morag was doing well at the back seat reading through the journey. I was amazed by her strong stomach.

At Lybster, we had lunch at Portland Arm Hotel. We then took the A99 to Wick and all the way to John O'Groats. The view was terrible as it was terribly foggy and visibility was low.


Reached home much later than planned. Preparing dinner even at 9pm. Got to explore the home-grown garden that had lettuce, herbs like parsley, chives, thyme, and mint. I remarked "No basil?" cause I had a basil plant in HK that thrived pretty well. They got a basil plant at the end of our stay to remember me by.

Morag kept making sure that we had enough food. Ross said that we couldn't possibly go hungry in her house. Morag retorted by saying that all we get is healthy food under her roof and we should eat heartily.

We had great conversation again at dinner. I was starting to really enjoy the sit-down breakfasts and dinners and conversation flowed easily.

Learnt the phrase "No pockets in the shroud".

Showed that photos of our wedding. Saw their photos from Golden Anniversary as well as their wedding photos. We enjoyed listening to their stories about the Golden anniversary dinner, which their children as well as 20 other guests celebrated with them. The family band made up a song specially for their anniversary. Janette was the MC for that evening.

27th July (Munro and Morag)

From Dunkeld, we took A9 and then A827 to Loch Tay (to killin).

Drove to Killicrankie Walk. Started to pour hard when we were 1/4 into the route. We walked all the way back to the town Piltcholery. By that time, my totally drenched clothes were semi-dry and we stayed in town for lunch before grabbing a cab back to the Killicrankie Visitor's centre where the car was parked.

From there we went on A827 - A9 to Pitlochfy. We then got on the A9 to Aviemore - A835 to Conon Bridge.

Drove 179 miles to Munro and Morag's place. Brought along a good Scottish whisky we bought at Tescos. We knew Munro prefered a certain type of scotch but wasn't exactly sure which type.

We reached Munro's and Morag's place without any hassle as we had previously been given very good directions over the phone from Munro. It was extremely near to the Conon-Bridge. We reached their place at 6ish or 7ish. As we turned into their gate, Morag came out of the door to greet us, as if she had been waiting for the whole day.

Their house was nice and spacious and so peaceful with a beautiful garden. The flowers looked so beautiful with their vibrant colours. We were given a very warm welcome and Morag held my hand tight as she guided me into their house. They were full as curiosity about Ross and myself as we got seated down. Ross had mentioned that they'll probably be surprised to know that my english is as fluent as it is since I'm from Singapore.

They were such a lovely couple and made their best to make us feel right at home. We were fed non-stop, chips, nuts, shortbread and drinks. They opened a champagne in our honor and did a toast.

Ross had previously told me that Morag was 80 this year and Munro was 2 years younger. I had never expected them to be so energetic, sharp and quick. They simply don't act their age and it's great to meet people like that. I only wish my parents can meet them too and learn that there is more to life after retirement. Comparatively, the quality of aged life in Singapore seems so dreary. Munro previously worked for the government and was number 2 in the Ross-shire county. Morag was a nurse. Ross also thought that I would have problems understanding Morag's accent. At first meeting, they kept asking whether I understood them, but I reassured them. Morag's accent was no problem at all, while Munro's was very clear. It was only when he says certain scottish names that you could tell his accent. It wasn't difficult at all understanding them. I remember at Lockerbie, I couldn't understand a single word of the Costa Coffee guy who had an extremely strong Scottish accent. Luckily, it was Ross who conversed with him.

Munro and Morag made us feel right at home. Our bedroom was spacious, beautiful and the bathroom was luxurious and even carpeted. I guess Scotland is built very much to keep the heat in since it's cold most of the time through the year. There was even a wooden toilet seat which I wondered whether they kept warm easier too. I later learnt that it was just old fashioned. The toilets we had later on through Scotland were all carpeted too. I learnt that Munro was the one who fixed up the walls and I was impressed as they looked like they were professionally done. They left some small nice touches in the room, a card, fresh plants and even a stalk of rose.

Dinner was sounded with a tiny hand bell. Morag explained that when she was growing up, they had a gong, which I thought was very Chinese. White French wine was served. I tried to refuse but was strongly persuaded by Munro and Ross to have some, since I was surprisingly not red yet with the champagne. The dinner was started by salmon and salad. Even though Ross didn't like salmon or fish with bones all that much, he finished it all up. Morag explained that the placemats used during dinner was very precious as they had been given by Val in her previous visit. The main dish was smoked mackerel, I was surprised that it was cold. But it was all very good and healthy. Morag sprang a surprise for us with a pavlova with raspberries bought from a local store. She explained that she was initially keen to make us one but Munro forbade any baking in the kitchen since it was too warm. I have never tried pavlova before and realised I really like it. It was well done and felt very light. After which, chocolates were dished out, by that time, I could eat no more. But as usual, Ross had space for just a few more.

Morag and Munro had lots of stories to tell during dinner. About the story of Uncle John and Blanch ( I realised there were rich relatives) though Blanch, a rich widow had remarked bluntly that no money will go to the Campbells. We got to know Munro's and Morag's family a whole lot better too. James and Janette. Janette is twice married. First marriage was to a Norwegian that broke down after 8 years. She's happy remarried now. Janetter's rised to being a matron in her hospital, got ME and currently doing her PHD. She counsels jail convicts regularly. James is an accountant by profession as well as his wife. They have 2 teenage sons waiting to go into Uni. Cameron is going to do physical training in Uni (he is looking forward to it being an easy course to do) while Frasier is really smart and waiting to learn whether his results are good enough to get into uni even though he's not of age yet. Both are musically inclined and play in a band (heavy metal). Morag was wearing a band around her right wrist which she explained she was suffering from Osteoporosis and had extremely low bone density. We got to learn later that she was allergic to the medication and instead drinks milk regularly.

We shared with them our plans to travel for the next 6 months. Morag commented "Quite right, no pockets in the shroud." Everyone laughed.

I was assigned the task of wiping the placemats clean after dinner which was no trouble at all. Ross also helped out to clear the dishes. They have been such great hosts and we didn't want to take them for granted.

Went for a walk around the train treks and then into town. When we came back, Munro and Morag were still up, so we had a good talk.

I was so tired when we finally hit the bed. It must also be the effect of alcohol.

26th July (Drive in England)

Grabbed breakfast at Costa Coffee. Headed first for Stirling Castle. We took the M74 - M73 - M80 to Stirling. At Stirling, we finally posted the Thank You letters in Stirling Castle to Val as well as the others. It was a huge load off my mind.

From Stirling, we took the A84 to Doune Castle. Then we got on the A9 and reached Perth. From Perth, we took the M90 - A912 - A913 - A91 to St Andrews. The Cathedral in ruins in St Andrews was majestic! Had very good fish and chips and scampi at St Andrews.

We then got on A91 - A919 - A914 - A92 - A923 - A984 to Dunkeld. We stayed the night at Royal Dunkeld Hotel. Took a walk around the area, the bridges, the rivers. Walked to the nearby River Tay where it had gorgeous scenery and nature all around.

Had driven 208 miles in total today.

25th July (Picked up car for UK drive)

Left Tor and Judith's place in the morning with our back packs. For some reason, the alarm didn't ring and we were running late. With some difficulty, we found our way to Avis at Earl's Court. We picked up the car, a Black Ford Mondeo. We assumed roles for driving. I wouldn't even pretend to be able to read maps and navigate well, therefore I will try to do more driving, while Ross does the navigation. This sorts of works out well since Ross is very good at navigation while I am good at driving manual cars.

We went on the A40, then the M40 and A40 to get to Cotswold, around the multiple villages in Cotswold. Saw lots of stone cottages, beautiful steams, stone bridges and ducks.

We drove all the way to South of Scotland. We took the A44 - M5 - M6 and then M74. Nearing Scotland, I saw a singular cow crossing an overhead bridge, thought that was very amusing. Since I was driving, we didn't manage to take a picture. We stopped for the night at the crossover to Scotland, Premier Travel Inn in Locherbie. It was a ordinary "Local Services" stop with stay, a supermarket, petrol, and 2 cafes (including Costa Coffee). We had driven 380miles in total. The cafes weren't that impressive in terms of variety of food and in the end, I had a salad while Ross had a sandwich at Costa Coffee. The Inn was very near a lake. We went for a walk around the area and felt so peaceful looking at the numerous ducks and swans swimming in the lake.

24th July (London)

We had a busy day running errands today. Health check, arranging visa and so on. We had dinner with ChongLee at Fire Vault, hippy restaurant. Very good food. Drinks at Sanderson Hotel.

In London

Had a long flight to London. Reached London at 1pmish. We were planning to stay with Tor and Judith. They were kind enough to wait for us at Paddington Station. The Heathrow Express crawled at the last leg to Paddington, the announcement mentioned some speed limitation and traffic conditions.

By the time we reached the station, Tor and Judith had waited a fair while for us. They looked as good as they did in Singapore. Their place was a short pleasant walk from Paddington. We walked past an area called Little Venice and it was simply beautiful. The weather was warm but much more pleasant than Dubai.

They had a beautiful place. Had stayed there for a year and even though the building’s old, the interior had been renovated. They had a spacious apartment. We had a room to ourselves and a bathroom just next to it. We had some time to ourselves as they both needed to spend part of their Sunday working.

After settling in, we walked around little Venice. Had a snack at Rouge, had very good mussels while Ross had chocolate cake.
I had a nap to recover the jet lag. At 8, we had dinner, pizza with Tor and Judith. They were great company and made us felt right at home.

Burj Al Arab Day 3

Went to the sky lounge to check out the view from the top. The restaurant was not open for lunch yet at 11am. We then went out to the Jumeirah beach for brunch. In the afternoon, after we checked out, we went to the pool. The pool wasn't huge. Initially I thought the umbrellas could lend us some shelter under the sweltering heat. But the wind got too strong and the staff had to close all the umbrellas. The only other option was to get into the pool to get cool.


After which, we checked in to Holiday Inn Downtown. Soon after check in, we went to checkout the Goldsmith market but was disappointed by the gaudy looking jewellery. In fact, we got lost but saw a lot of other markets like shoe, electronic and perfume markets. The heat was too much to bear and we hopped into a cab and went to a Japanese restaurant called Kiku at Meridian Hotel. The food was great, convincing us that in Dubai, you can't really go wrong with any food that you choose.

21st July (Burj Al Arab Day 2)

Tried out the buffet breakfast at Burj Al Arab. Ross liked the buffet while I was lukewarm about it.

We visited the shopping mall that had a ski slope within. Imagining providing snow for a place that is burning at 50 odd degrees outdoors!

In the late afternoon, we went to the private beach exclusive for Burj Al Arab guests. Besides cold water, chilled Evian sprays as well as Lavender body sprays were provided for each of us. As we were enjoying the beach and relaxing in the water, we recalled our first beach trip in Argentina, Buzios.

Dinner at The Pier

After the beach, we walked over to a restaurant located out in the water called The Pier. We made a dinner reservation in the seafood restaurant.

We tried to dress up for it and did the best we could since we were limited by the limited range of our clothes.

20th July (Burj Al Arab)

The heat was extremely warm (up to 44 degrees Celsius in the shade) and oppressive, I could feel energy drained out of me. Getting used to the heat as we went in and out of air-conditioned areas was also a challenge. We woke up early in the morning and went hunting for breakfast as well as a swimming costume for me. We walked 20 minutes to a shopping mall, that the receptionist said was "pretty near". It really didn't seem that near walking in the heat but the good thing was that we spotted a Haagen Daaz that we made a mental note to come back. We had breakfast at Cinnabon, attracted by the smells of fresh rolls of bread on cinnamon. I bought my swimming costume after trying out a few places, an ordinary swimming costume doesn't come cheap.

We walked back, walking past buildings and roads in construction. Sighted lots of Arabs, men in white, the women in black. I have to admit that I find it bizarre that the women are totally covered, especially when a full black veil covers their face too. When I'm physically near to one of these women, it seems like they are conveying a message "You can't see me, I'm not here."

We have 4 nights here. The first and the last, we stayed at Holiday Inn Downtown. We are going to stay 2 nights at Burj Al Arab.

There are several nice cabs in Dubai, most of the drivers we have met are Indian or Pakistani and most very friendly.

At mid-noon, we arrived at Burj Al Arab in our back packs. We were greeted by nice, warm smiles and 6-star service. After validating our reservation as well as credit card, we were escorted to our floor. The lady gave us a commentary of the place as she led us to our room. The place was awesome, and had 2 huge fountains, but slightly a bit too much of gold decor. You could see lots of tourists around the reception area, just taking pictures of the place.

We were introduced to our Paranomic suite, it was the corner suite. A duplex unit of 225 meters square (twice the size of our HK apartment), it was simply a dream. We had our own butler who showed us around in the suite. The full length windows surrounding the suite extends to both floors, providing us an extensive view of Dubai. We could see The Palm, the private beaches, Jumeirah chain of hotels and pools and the clear blue water that surrounded Burj Al Arab. The suite was designed with a very open concept, very high tech, the most indulgent luxurious and topped up with the best service possible. Hermes toiletries were provided, a set of me and another for Ross. Flip-flops, beach bags and a huge safety deposit box were provided. We also had wireless broadband, a personal fax and printer, complimentary wine and a huge fruit basket. Ross mentioned that we were on our honeymoon. Minutes later, the butler turned up with a chocolate cake and a bunch of red roses. Such a pleasant surprise.

The bell-boys checked with Ross that we "only had 2 bags". We could detect a sense of smirkness as I guess it's not everyday that people appearing in backpacks and casual gear checks into the hotel.

After settling in, we headed for Wild Waldi Water Park (complimentary). We had loads of fun at the water park.

At night, we walked around the Jumeirah area. There was a new shopping mall in the area with lots of restaurants. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant , outdoor since there was a long queue for indoor seating. The food was superb. We took a ferry service right by the restaurant to the buggies that took us back to Burj Al Arab.

Back in to the room, they had a surprise for us. The bed was laid specially, chocolates, roses, bath robes and foot balm.

Dubai (Start of Honeymoon)

We left Singapore the day after Ross's parents left. Our flight from Singapore to Dubai transited in HongKong. The pleasant surprise was that we got upgraded from HongKong to Dubai. The flight on Cathay Pacific was good.

We reached Dubai at 8pm. The weather was warm but we didn't feel the full blast of it till the next day. The very first impression I had was that there were lots of indians in Dubai. Which was later confirmed from a taxi driver that only 20% of the population in Dubai were locals while 40% were Indians, not including Pakistanis.

17th July (Still in Singapore)

Busy running errands again. Managed to squeeze in some time to get a haircut. I meant to get a really short haircut since China. Maintaining my long hair while traveling was really quite a pain and I thought it would be wise to cut it all off. Besides hair is hair and it just grows back even though Ross much prefers me with long hair.

The hairdresser held my hair in a low ponytail and cut the whole chunk off. It took a while to get used to it but I'm convinced that it's what I wanted to do. When I got back to Great World City, my nephews loved my hair. They initially looked at me at curiously and I asked them whether they liked it. I got a unanimous vote that it looked good and Elliot said it's nice, when prompted why, he said "like a boy".

15th July (Post Wedding Day)

The stay in Raffles Hotel was luxurious. We had a very comfortable room. Breakfast at Tiffin room was complimentary to our stay. We tried out the breakfast and the service was exceptional. Ross sneezed twice and was scrambling for napkin when a waiter came up and passed him a few servlets. There were many other examples of such great service. I guess the only exception was our wedding cake. We had expected the top tier of our cake to be brought into the room and it was nowhere to be found even when we came back to the room in the evening. We called the hotel staff who weren't very cooperative and referred us to the catering staff (but didn't transfer the line). In the end, we called Hannah and she sorted it out for us.

Heard that Stewart got really sick when he got back to Great World City. Ross then told me that he should have realised that Stewart was trying to hold up during the wedding as Stewart usually gave very good but long speeches and he was surprised that the speech last night was relatively brief.

Brought the kids out to buy their well-deserved toys at Suntec City. While waiting for the cab, I talked to the boys. Asked them whether they liked the chocolate cake. Elliot liked it but Kynan initially could not remember that he had it. Elliot concluded by saying that the dancing was better than chocolate cake! I'm really glad the boys had such a good time. At Suntec, they took a long time choosing their toys and even tried negotiating for more toys!

In the evening, we met Tor and Judith (Ross's friends from London) for dinner at East Coast. Tor is Norwegian and Judith's Dutch. Tor's 6 foot 5, and Judith's pretty tall too, around Ross's height. They are a great looking couple and a sweet couple. The day also happened to be their 6th wedding anniversary. We had seafood at Jumbo (East Coast) and I found out that they loved spicy food too.

14th July (The Wedding Day)

Didn't manage to sleep the day before. I had moved from Great World to be at my parents' for the night. Kept going through my vows again and again. The day before was also a mad rush getting things done and I simply couldn't unwind to get to sleep. After a restless sleep, I was woken up at 630am with news that my MUA (makeup artist) is already here. According to the schedule, it should start at 7am and I was puzzled. It turned out that cos Ross wanted to make sure he wasn't late, the makeup was moved forward. The room was too tiny to fit in the MUA, photographer and videographer. Everyone had to make do. The photographer, Kuang, was very good and professional. During breaks, he tried to catch spots with good lighting. My first gown in the morning was my white cheongsum. One of my favorites. My MUA kept complimenting that I looked really good in it. I loved all my shoes too, all made in HongKong. I had a pair of beautiful wedding shoes with Swarvaski crystals, a red pair with simple Chinese knots and the last one being silver sandals with Swarvaski crystals. Eng and Kristen had some problems early in the morning and turned up later than scheduled. But it was a good thing everything fitted in nicely in the end with Ross's late arrival. It was pouring when Ross's cab arrived. That got me worried about the evening lawn ceremony but there was the present moment to deal with.

Ross was teased at the door with Eng Eng delivering most of the teasers. It went quite smoothly. When he finally cleared the questions, the door was opened, and he handed me the bouquet. He loved my gown. We proceeded to Great World in a champagne gold London Cab, nicely decorated. The cab driver took the AYE expressway which turned out to be a disastrous decision cos there was a bad jam. At arrival, I changed into the red cheongsum and served tea to Val and Brian as well as Stewart and Christine.

After taking some photos, we adjourned to Teck Whye (my parents' place). We carried on the tea ceremony. My parents passing us their presents at the ceremony. They gave Ross cuff links while I got jewellery. Several of the relatives were late, we had lunch while waiting. At 1215pm, Ross and his groomsmen left for a lunch appointment at Halia (Botanic Gardens).

Me and my bridesmaids left for Raffles Hotel soon after. After reaching the hotel, they left, running a few personal errands. I tried to settle in, unpacking my things and making myself comfortable. I also had to wash up, ridding my hair of the gel and sprays. The makeup artists for my bridesmaids turned up first. It was half an hour or so before my bridesmaids themselves turned up. My sister and my mum were getting their makeup done too, and they took quite a while to turn up, my mum being the last to arrive. I had to admit my mum could have done the makeup better herself but I thought my sister's makeup was quite good... As you can see, timing and promptness is something Singaporeans haven't quite mastered.

I was having my makeup done through all these. My MUA turned up soon after the bridesmaids' MUA. My MUA was very friendly and nice. I also got to spend time with Phyllis who though couldn't come for the full dinner, came earlier to spend time with us while we had our makeup done and stayed until our march in to the wedding banquet.

I felt good and prepared when I finally had the wedding gown on. Phyllis helped me into my gown. It was great that Phyllis and I had the camera in the suite. I now have these photos to refer to while waiting for the ones from the photographer.

At the march-in, the girls kept complimenting me and said I looked really good. I couldn't really tell but felt a magical moment is taking place. As I waited to march-in with my dad, I could hear Bryan (my youngest nephew) screaming "No". We were initially worried about him as he wasn't there for the rehearsal two days ago. It seems like he was acting up and in the end, didn't managed to join the wedding procession. The first was Val and Brian being seated. Followed by my mum and Stewart, Stewart guiding my mum to be seated. Then starts our wedding march, Eng leading the march. Kristen following. Then came the ring-bearer, Kynan, solemnly and seriously performing his role. Followed by Elliot (supposed to go in hand-in-hand with Bryan). Elliot, usually very mischievous, was also taking this very seriously, marched in with controlled pace. It was my turn to march in with my dad. At first glance, the crowd at the lawn seems fewer than expected. But it really doesn't bother us as long as the ones who matter to us are present. On the right seems the majority of Ross's friends, on the right, mine. It was the moment we've all been waiting for, the beautiful lawn wedding, witnessed by an intimate group. Ross struggled slightly through his vows, I breezed through but stumbled at the end. But all in end, it felt good and everything felt in place.


We took some photos at the lawn, it looked beautiful with the flowers and decor. We then continued to the cocktail reception at the ballroom.

I thought of changing into my white cheongsum so that the majority of the guests won't get to see my gown before the march in to the banquet. But it turned out to be too much of a chore, having to take out the beautiful veil. So in the end, I went down to the cocktail in my wedding gown. It turned out to be a good decision because I took lots of photos with everyone in my gown. The kids, Kynan and Elliot, turned out to be such a blessing. I had previously bought a Polaroid camera that turned out to be a hit because the kids went around asking for their photos taken with various guests. Elliot was also a hit with everyone. Numerous close friends of mine have turned up for the wedding, including ChongLee from London and Xinhui from Shanghai.

The dinner started later than scheduled, with the guests turning late as expected. It started at around 8:15pm. We had been too busy mixing with our guests to check out the decor at in the ballroom. It was with apprehension as we started our bridal party procession march into the ballroom. Mixed couples (bridesmaids and groomsmen), led by Kristen and Kevin, followed by Stewart and Eng and then finally us. The first thing that hit us was the music. Very good live music with the String Quartet playing. The decor of the ballroom was filled with lovely flowers. The ballroom was nicely spaced out with 12 tables. Our bridal table is seated at a long table that faces all 120 guests. As we got seated, we stopped to marvel at the beauty and decor of the place. As well as digest the fact on the guests that were present, especially the ones that meant something to us. The lights were dimmed, the live music was at a good volume. The right atmosphere was obtained. I was simply blown away by everything.

After the first course, Stewart gave a speech, followed by Eng Eng. Both gave very good speeches. I was so impressed by Eng Eng's speech, she was so eloquent and well prepared and of cos very flattering.

During the 2nd course, we left to change gowns. Ross changed into his Chinese collar suit and I wore my red evening gown. Ross has not seen any of my gowns and I was waiting to see his reaction. At first he was busy fiddling with his gowns, getting the cuff links on and so on. But I could see that he loved the gown when he finally looked up.

After we marched in with our new gown, we did the cake cutting. We had some slight problems as we tried to cut too inward and was trying hard to cut through the board instead. After we figured it out, the job was finally done, a cut through the 3 tiers. we made our speeches. Ross made his speech first and he was very good. I stumbled badly on mine but managed to get on with it.

Throughout dinner, Kynan would come up to Ross and ask him innocent questions like what he would be doing the next day, where he would be staying and whether he would be free. He also reminded Ross that he had been a very good boy though Elliot had been a bit naughty, playing with the Quartet’s microphone, playing with the candles near the cake and so on. But nevertheless, overall, they had been good. Ross finally figured out what he was fishing for, the reward that had been promised!

We did the traditional table to table photo taking. It was a great chance to mix with the guests. Hannah approached me once to ask whether we could proceed with the dancing even though we had decided to scrape it. I said I'm not entirely sure that Ross would like it. She told me minutes later she'll proceed with it. When the surprise was sprang on Ross, he reacted very well and we did have the first dance. Several couples came up to join us including Val and Brian, Stewart and Christine (briefly) and Pa and Ma. Friends like Pare and Oliver, Xin and Chonglee joined in too. The music gradually changed to pop music, managed by the DJ. Very good and danceable music I thought. Kynan came to the dance floor and did an impression of a violin, Elliot, not to be shadowed, came onto the floor and did his own dancing moves. I was so impressed by the spontaneity of the kids. They really made my day with the Polaroid photos and the dancing. Chonglee and Xin also did well on the dance floor as they did in the hall days. They always do look good together.

After we had the mango dessert, we prepared to send our guests off by making a line at the entrance. I loved the moment too as we got to speak to all the guests and thanked them for coming. I remember speaking to Bob and thanking him, Elliot was next in line, waiting to shake hands with him. When Bob moved on and his line of vision missed Elliot, he tugged at his jacket for the hand shake, prompting Bob to apologize for neglecting him. I thought it was hilarious. Elliot certainly has a lot of character.

The evening ended with some relatives taking the flowers away with them. Most commenting that they had a good time and thanking the invitation.

Before Stewart left, we told the kids we would be bringing them out toy shopping the next day to ease their anticipation.

12th July (Wedding Rehearsal - Wednesday)

I have a relatively late start today, at least we get to have breakfast with everyone before the activities for the day kicked in. The task for today are 10am- “Call MakeUp Artist for Bride and Helpers, 10:30am- “Spa Haven” for a quick underarm wax job, 11:30am- Pluck Eyebrows appointment, 11:30am- “Call for haircut appointment”, 12pm- “Tan Yoong- Wedding gown and Evening gown fitting”, 1pm- “Facial”, 3pm (Optional)- Drop off Tiffany Cuff link receipts”, 3:30pm –“Meeting Hannah at Raffles Hotel before rehearsal for discussion”, 4:45pm (Optional)- “Collect watch from Bras Brasah”, 5pm- “Wedding rehearsal”, 7pm- “Dinner for Wedding Party at Long Bar Steak House”, 9pm- “Make sure Val is comfortable with wedding day programme”, 10pm- “Get red packets ready”. Visits to the saloon other than having a facial is an exceptional for me, but the need to look your best on your wedding day is a unrepentless trap that all brides fall into and I’m no exception. It’s looking impossible to look my best with the continuous late nights and continuous stressful days but I have to make attempts no matter how feeble they are…

So my typical day is packed with optional items as well as non-optional appointments, some have-to-dos and some would like to dos. They are usually so packed that it demanded no slack time nor slippages which I was quite bad at. It also assumed that I was quite fast at getting from one location to another. Early in the morning, I also called up Eng Eng in the morning to make sure we are meeting for plucking the eyebrows and she had to call up my other bridemaid to check whether she could be there. After the trial makeup I had with Kenneth on Monday, I called back to confirm that I am getting him for the actual day and the type of makeup I was keen on. Basically, Ross and myself preferred natural makeup which is Kenneth’s strength anyway.

The day went back in a mad rush as usual. Everything fell into place when Ross and myself arrived promptly at the meeting with Hannah at Empire Café in Raffles Hotel. We found a nice little table and she went through the details for the actual day such as table arrangements, place cards, programme layout, music, sequence of events and so on. We are so thankful that we got a wedding planner since we couldn’t possibly have handled so much details in the amount of time we had though we did pay more for each service she rendered as there was a makeup for everything, including the makeup artist she got for me, photographer, videographer, Djs and string Quartet. It was a bit of nightmare tracking her markups to make sure we weren’t ridiculously over-charged. Ross had decided to do his own selection of music, which I thought was a great idea given that he had a good and wide selection of taste in music.

The rehearsal was supposed to start at 5pm at the lawn. In the Ong family, it is always a huge hassle and a stressful event to make sure everyone turns up and promptly. My parents called before they left the house at 4pm to let me know that they were coming and that my 7th aunt was coming. I was bewildered that my 7th aunt was coming and upset that since she’s joining us for the rehearsal, we couldn’t possibly turn her away for the rehearsal dinner we had planned. Ross and Stewart had planned for a nice and expensive full-course western dinner at Raffles Steakhouse and I didn’t want to ruin it. We had called up and arranged for everyone of the wedding party and immediate family to come for the rehearsal and dinner after that. I reminded my parents that we hadn’t included her for the dinner we had pre-booked. My parents assured me that she wouldn’t be coming for the dinner which turned out otherwise of course.

The lawn was nice and beautifully green. The weather was nice and pleasant. There weren’t any flies around which I was worried about when we visited a few days ago and were bothered by the presence of swarms of them. A few rows of chairs had been laid out to enact a rehearsal. A red carpet had also been laid out. Hannah had also prepared some props such as plastic flowers, a ring pillow for Kynan, and bubble maker for Elliot. She had also made arrangements for the music coordinator from the hotel to be there. As usual, my parents took a while coming. And my 7th aunt was lost on the way to Raffles Hotel and missed the turning to the carpark. Everyone was present, Christine, Stewart (Best man), Kynan (ring bearer) , Elliot (page boy), Val, Brian, Kevin Chin (who had just flown in from Germany in the morning) (Groomsman), Eng Eng (Maid of Honor) , Kristen (Bride’s maid), along with Mindy (Hannah’s helper). Finally, my parents together with my 7th aunt turned up and I was surprised that Bryan (page boy) was not present since my mother had said that she would talk to my brother to get him out of day care for the rehearsal. Anyway, she hadn’t bothered. Introductions were made. Val and Brian hadn’t seen my mother since she had been a bit sick. My parents also had not met with Kevin Chin.

So the rehearsal started and everyone was given a slip of paper on their roles and responsibilities as well as sequence of march-in. My bridesmaids, including myself was given our flowers, Kynan, his ring pillow, Elliot, his bubble maker. Val and Brian would march in first, followed by Stewart with my mother, and then Eng, Kristen, Kynan, Elliot and then finally myself and my dad. The music for the wedding march starts with Eng’s march-in. We had to time the music to make our entrance. Mindy helped to cue and place everyone. Ross and Kevin would be ready at the end of the aisle. After the march-in, Kevin would step onto the platform and resume his role as MC. He turned out to be a very good one and a powerful speaker.

Eng was excited with the march-in and suggested whether we should do the proper wedding stride which we decided not to. As for the kids, Kynan did an excellent job with his serious strides and carrying the pillow. Elliot had more of a problem. He couldn’t walk if he had to blow bubbles and the bubble maker wasn’t making it easy for him. So he would stop and try to get the bubbles out. To walk or to blow bubbles? That was his dilemma. We had quite a few tries before deciding that the bubbles were not a good idea for Elliot. Eng suggested throwing flower petals instead. I asked him after the rehearsal, he kept quiet for a long while. I wondered whether he understood my question. Then he turned to Kynan and they had a whispered conversation for a while before Elliot turned to me and said that he wanted to do everything!

My dad was very much concerned with handing me over to Ross at the end of the aisle and saying a few words while I kept forgetting to hand my flowers to Eng. We even had to go through how to link up my arm to Ross’s before turning to face the solemnizer. We tried to go through our wedding vows and responses. Getting nervous about when to respond with “I will” or “I do”. Hannah also tried to give Kevin cues on what to say and when to say it. Kevin had to also read out the bible verse that we had chosen. At Hannah’s pronunciation of “Man and Wife”, we could now march-out.

The march-out was led by led by Ross and myself. Followed by Eng and Stewart, Kristen and Kevin and finally Val and Brian. We went through it a few times.

The rehearsal was good for everyone and nailed out a few details we had to take note off. We now more or less had a good idea what to expect on that day. As well as to decide whether Elliot should be doing anything else to walking down the aisle.

We idled around in the lawn before adjourning to the Long Bar for drinks. Mindy left with the props and Hannah at first was not keen to come along for the dinner. I think it was the location that prompted her to say yes in the end. On our dinner list was Stewart and family (4), Val and Brian, my parents, Kevin Chin, Kristen, Eng Eng, Hannah, Ross and myself, followed by my brother’s family (himself, Poh Gek and Bryan). Due to the joyous mood, Ross and myself decided to invite my 7th aunt for dinner. Of course, the Chinese way was to refuse a few times to test whether the host was sincere but she agreed to come in the end. My parents also prompted for her to join us which I still find them inconsiderate to upset our plans. But my dad had the idea of having a get together dinner for a while and was keen to buy, but I suppose he hadn’t an inkling of an idea how much dinner would cost.

We adjourned for drinks at Long Bar before the dinner appointment at the Long Bar Steakhouse at 630pm.

At 630pm, we turned up at the Long Bar Steakhouse and there was a nicely laid-out 3 course menu for us to choose. It was good food in a beautiful restaurant with good service. For main, we had a choice of fish or steak. My brother and family took a long time to turn up. I believe they were almost an hour and a half late and we were both slightly irritated when we learnt that he had dropped by his in-laws to get his son fed before coming to Raffles Hotel. I guess these are the sentiments of being a Singaporean parent. At the end of dinner, Ross gave a toast to everyone who was there, giving thanks to especially the wedding party. We also gave out our wedding gifts to our party, personally engraved Tiffany cuff links for Stewart and Kevin, pink pearls set of pendant with chain and ear studs for Kristen and diamond ear studs for Eng Eng (who had provided the most help).

Ross felt that the best way to go about making sure that the kids do a perfect job that day would be to resort to bribery. So we told Kynan, Elliot and Bryan that they would get a present IF they were good on that day.