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Wordless Wednesday 003 December 12, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Relax & Celebrate , 20comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~

 

..the greatest of these is love December 12, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Rainmakers , 6comments

Reading about Pink Elle’s engagement and impending wedding brought back so many pleasant memories of my own. I had a flashback of my bouquets of deep red roses, an exquisite dinner with the cling-cling of wine glasses, and a memorable birthday four years ago that culminated in a wedding proposal with a bling-bling solitaire diamond engagement ring. Coincidentally enough, I too had to get my engagement ring resized the day after.

But the THRILL! The EXCITEMENT! The feeling of finally addressing myself as someone’s fiancée was truly out of this world!

The following months after our engagement was a whirlwind of sorts. Although we were also occupied with renovations for our condo, multi-tasking was the operative word here as we faced each day of challenges head-on; confirming the wedding venue, booking our entertainers, selecting the music and of course, getting myself that all-important wedding dress.

I have to admit that I relied heavily on sources from the internet to help me plan and organize every single detail to the tee. I fixed milestones at every stage of my wedding planning just so I did not miss anything out. I also kept a wedding directory handy at all times so that I could refer to phone numbers easily. The internet also had information on many celebrity weddings, which I used to get good ideas from whenever possible.

Of course, when it came to choosing my wedding dress, I used a bridal directory to select and shortlist the gowns that caught my fancy. Terms like A-line, mermaid, silk, halter-neck and organza became second nature to me as I gaped in astonishment at the array of dresses to choose from. I then printed out pictures of dresses which I thought would flatter my figure, and armed with these, went shopping for the dress of my dreams.

I wouldn’t trade the experience of planning my wedding for the world. True, there were some inevitable booboos that happened on the wedding day itself, but in the end, what was important was that we had so much fun doing it all. The wedding felt like it was made in heaven and it was the perfect first step we took for our marriage.

Congratulations Pink Elle! I’m sure you’ll have a field time planning yours too!

I’ll have a blue Christmas… December 10, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Relax & Celebrate , 21comments

Blue is definitely the IN color this Christmas… as far as shopping malls in Penang are concerned, that is. Queensbay Mall and Gurney Plaza are decked in blueish hues of every Christmas decoration imaginable. Last weekend, when we were in Queensbay, we were drawn by the beautiful Christmas trees that were on display there. Every where we turned, a Christmas tree would greet us, with lights all a-twinkling. Christmas is definitely in the air.

Actually we were also on the hunt for Christmas tree of our own. The week before we wanted to get red decorations for our tree-to-be, but inspired by all the Christmas trees put up all around the mall, we decided to get blue and silver decorations instead. They exude that white christmassy, silver bells feel that makes me wanna break out and sing, “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas”. I don’t really dig white Christmas trees, because I think GREEN looks more authentic. So anyway, yeah, we finally got our tree after spending weeks of tree-window-shopping, all six feet of it, mind you!. We got our blue and silver baubles, stars and snowflakes and oooh, of course, we got twinkly, sparkly lights too. And now, to find some time to set up that tree :) We’ll get round to that STAR on top of the tree once everything is in place, just so it coordinates perfectly.

* hops and skips in glee to decorate that Christmas tree * Whhheeeeeeee….!!!!!

Sending some love to Miray December 7, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Thoughts & Scribblings , 15comments

After so many moons of delay, I finally finished writing the second letter to our sponsored child. Her name is Miray and she lives in Lebanon. She told us that her ambition is to become a teacher and that she loves listening to music. It is fantastic to read about her progress every now and then and to realize that we are making a difference in her life. I really must strive to write her more often, because I can understand the joy of receiving a letter. We have been sponsoring Miray for close to two years now and although there was a blip in our correspondence with her sometime last year due to the war, we are glad that it is behind us now. In my correspondence, I would try my best to include a photo or two for that extra personal touch. I wonder if she has internet access. Then I can give her my blog addy huh?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to run off to the post office and get that letter sent pronto.

crustacean chilli curry crabs December 6, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking , 18comments

Yesterday morning, while driving to work, Phat Fabes and Ben on the Fly FM morning show were on the hunt for a place selling dungeness crabs. Apparently a listener had requested for them to help him source for these crabs because he had promised to take his wife she would get to eat them as a celebration for their wedding anniversary. All this because she is a seafood lover.

Ben (on the phone in Cantonese): Cheng mun lei tei yow mai *dungeness crabs* mou? (Do you guys sell dungeness crabs here?) [how to say dungeness crabs in Cantonese wor?]
Person on the phone: Meh lei keh? (What is it?)
Ben: Hai lei keh (Crabs)
Person on the phone: Mou wor, ngo tei mou mai *dungeness crabs* (No we do not sell dungeness crabs here)

This process went on several times, but I didn’t get to hear the part where they actually found a place selling those crabs. I know they eventually were successful though, because I heard a snippet later that evening of them informing that man’s wife that she would get to eat those delicious crabs soon. Man, they’re good!

Anyway, all this talk of dungeness crabs has got me wondering if I can get hold of some here in Penang too. I do still have a box of Singapore Chilli Crab paste which I bought during my last trip to Singapore, and I would absolutely LOVE to try cooking that with dungeness crabs. I haven’t tasted these species of crabs before, but from what I read, they sound truly lip-smacking good! I think they are seasonal though, and I would really love to savour that sweet sweet crab meat, which I trust would go so well cooked with chilli. So anyone knows where I can find some in Penang? Anyone? Or should I call Fly FM?

That’s what I call service! December 5, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 15comments

Last Monday, we took the day off from work to take our car for her major service. Our appointment with the Toyota service center was at 8:30a.m. and since we knew that if we dropped Ethan off at the baby sitter’s before that, we would be late, we decided that Ethan got to come along too. So off we drove towards Farquhar Street, where the service center is located…or so we thought. Normally there would be hordes of Toyota cars lining up outside the center, but incredulously that day, the road was totally empty! The showroom was devoid of life, and all the cars in it were gone! Where once there was a center that bustled with activity, now there was only an empty building space. Can’t be that robbers stole the cars… :O We drove round the block and stopped in front of the entrance where there was a plain piece of paper informing us that the center had been relocated to Jalan Sungai Pinang about a week ago. A simple map showed us the location of the new service center but we were not familiar with the area at all! Nevertheless we had to go there anyway, so we decided to try looking for it.

When we arrived in the vicinity of Jalan Sungai Pinang, and found that there was no Toyota service center in sight, I gave the center a call. The receptionist tried her very best to direct us to the new center, and trust me, it was difficult, because all the landmarks she mentioned were not familiar to us at all! After some driving round and round, we finally saw that big Toyota signage. Hallelujah! The new showroom and service center was humongous! And there were plenty of car parking lots available too! We were rather upset that we were given the run around because we were not informed of the change in location prior to our service date though, but that was soon forgotten after we dropped our car off and took a look-see round the new premises.

In addition to a bigger space for servicing cars that would equal a faster service completion, this new center boasts an impressive showroom out front. The waiting area comprised many many tables and chairs and they also extended into a lounge with a water fountained wall and TV for entertainment. Of course, customers could also have a cuppa and read the papers while waiting. I also noticed three PCs which I think are internet-ready, but it wasn’t switched on when I tried. Nevertheless, I found out that the lounge area is free wi-fi activated, which means that the next time we service our car, we can bring our laptops and work there, without having to apply for leave!

We didn’t wait around for our car to complete its service though. We took a cab to Queensbay Mall instead. But all in all, the Toyota service experience is excellent. Certainly makes us think twice about getting a car OTHER than a Toyota the next time we do!

Arabian nights and genies December 4, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 4comments


Photo Credits

The very mention of Dubai brings to mind the majestic towering Burj Al Arab, the luxurious hotel with creates a distinctive silhouette in the United Arab Emirate’s skyline. This “Tower of the Arabs” has attracted many a visitor from near and far, with its impressive architecture and immaculate design. However, I doubt I would be able to treat myself to a night’s stay at this hotel, should I ever have the chance to visit Dubai, unless of course someone *else* paid for it. I’ve read that prices start at USD1,000 per night going up to as high as USD15,000 per night. Of course, let’s not even begin to talk about the price of an overnight stay in the Royal Suite. I don’t think my entire life savings would even come close to paying for it! Hey, there’s a reason why this hotel is touted as one of the most expensive hotels in the world!

Obviously this sort of accommodation is way over my budget. If ever I had a chance to travel to Dubai, I would probably stay in one of the dubai hotel apartments instead. At http://www.dubaiapartments.biz/ a list of dubai furnished apartments is just the tip of the iceberg of what the site can offer. I know I can certainly find something to suit my budget and at the same time allow room for some shopping too! My cousin-in-law who resides in Dubai will be thrilled to have me as a shopping buddy, I’m sure. She recently found me on Facebook, so we have resumed our correspondence :) Who knows, I might even have the opportunity to bunk in with her at her condo, and enjoy her home cooking there too! Or perhaps at the time I visit, she could already be staying in one of those gorgeous dubai villas! I just know we are gonna spend such a good time together!

Now…to start saving for that flight ticket…or to start hoping that a genie in a lamp would appear… :)