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Across the oceans and seas December 19, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Relax & Celebrate , 11comments

Pretty little surprises greeted me in my mailbox today. I’m talking physical mailboxes okay, not the email-boxes… Miray, our sponsored child, sent us a short note that doubled up as a Christmas greeting card and a 2008 calendar all in one. And then there was also a cute red Christmas card (what a coincidence eh? *wink*) that goes oh-so-well with my blog, sent all the way from Australia by May! Thank you for being so thoughtful! I have to admit, this year I began sending Christmas cards again. After so many years of e-cards, I have always felt snail mail cards are just so much more personal. But that’s just me! :) The two cards I received today will add to my Christmas card collection this year, the first one being the one I received from Mom and Dad last week, all the way from Ipoh.

In the final 5-day countdown to Christmas, the foot of our tree is certainly gearing up for the festivities. Last weekend we found a silver star to complete the look at the top of our tree, and it’s perfect. I still have some Christmas shopping left undone and of course some more Christmas gift wrapping to complete. With tomorrow a holiday and just one more working day left on Friday before the Christmas break, I am certainly more-than-ever filled with the Christmas spirit…

“Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now….. “

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!

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.

Eight days & nothing to do? November 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home , 4comments

 

Eight more days to go to the MRSC (Malaysian Revival Songwriting Competition) Finals. 

Eight more days to go before my brother’s song takes to the stage amongst nine other finalists. 

Eight more days to go to do one or all of the following:

All I want for Christmas is.. November 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Memes & Tags, Thoughts & Scribblings , 12comments

As we approach the end of the year
I hope and reminisce on all things dear
There are so many things I wish and pray
That they’ll come true at the end of the day!

What do I look forward to at the end of the year 2007? Rinnah has gotten me thinking big time and she has certainly gone round sprinkling the Christmas spirit all over me here. See those lovely snowflakes that adorn my blog? Sui boh? Nah, it doesn’t snow here in Malaysia, but now with the simple installation of a plugin, I made it snow snow snow on Giddy Tigers! I wonder if I can build a snowman too … now on with the tag:

This year end, I look forward to:

I would like to find out what Paris, who is happily dancing around with her Tiffany pendant (I’m imagining the dancing part), is hoping for at the end of this year.

My brother, the songwriter November 2, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home , 14comments

It isn’t every day that one gets to be in the spotlight. And it isn’t every day that we know someone who gets that chance in a lifetime. But come this December 2nd, my brother will have the rare and special opportunity to do so.

Yes, my brother’s personal composition entitled “You” has made it to the finals of the Malaysian Revival Songwriting Competition 2007 (MRSC 2007). I am so very proud of him because his song is now one of the final NINE songs to be performed that night. Ever since he told me that he made it through to the selection stage, I have been rooting for him, and so of course, I was extremely jubilant when he told me he now had a one in nine chance of winning! Oh yes, I’ve heard his song and it’s really really good :) Having said that, it is unfortunate that I will not be able to make it for the finals because the concert-like atmosphere is not something Ethan would enjoy, not now anyway. But if anyone would like to attend the concert and support my bro, please go ahead!

The concert will be held on Dec 2nd 2007 at the Matrade Hall in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur. This charity event is held to raise funds for the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia, Real Love Ministries (RLM - a counseling program to help the homosexual community) and NIE Asia (Helping to build wells in Cambodia). Thus, invitation and/or tickets to this event is by donation only:

GREEN TICKETS
Donation below RM 50 (Minimum RM 10)

BLUE TICKETS (entitled to a CD as token of appreciation)
Donation above RM 50

PINK TICKETS (entitled to a CD as token of appreciation) - VIP
Donation above RM 200

Note: The CD above would either be Carbon (Compilation of Finalists from MRSC 2005) or Rizuan the Musical (Compilation of Finalists from MRSC 2006)

If you are interested to get the tickets, please contact me personally or check out my brother’s blog for details. For more information about this spectacular event, visit the organizer’s website here.

You go, bro!

Crystal Clear & Tomato Red October 30, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Memes & Tags , 30comments

My hubby and I were dressed to the nines. It was the night of our wedding and we had every reason to celebrate. The grand ballroom was decorated with ivory roses and the stage was lit with fairy lights that made the whole evening seemed dreamlike. All eyes were on us and as we danced to “The Way You Look Tonight”, there was only one word to describe it all: Magical.

And then the leader of the band announced that my MIL (who knew that I love to sing) had requested that I get up on stage to sing a song. Gosh, I knew this was coming.

Being the complete sport that I was, I carefully stepped up on stage and asked the members of the band if they had the words to Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On”. It was a song that I had sung at my BIL’s wedding several years back and it was a good song for a wedding, I thought. They said no, but I decided to go ahead and try to remember the words and sing it anyway. I told them to play it in the key of G. As I sang the first note, the crowd cheered. And everything went well until one particular note where my voice decided to BREAK at that very instant! On that one note, I really wanted to bury my head in whatever item I could find. But embarrassing though it may be, my guests all clapped (bless them!). Maybe they were all drunk or something. Sigh.

So when I was recently asked by Paris to recall my most embarrassing moment, I couldn’t remember any other more recent embarrassing moment; hence this would have to be it.

And today, exactly three years have passed and I can still remember that incident. In fact, it has also been caught on video! *shudder* Would I have a chance to redeem myself in future? Time will only tell.

Three years of wedded bliss, three years since we said “I do” and pledge our undying love for each other. And you know what, my love? I still do, and I always will.


Birthdaytime in Paris October 24, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home , 9comments

When you mention the word Paris, most people associate Paris with Paris Hilton, but when I think of Paris, the beautiful city of Paris comes to mind. Images of the Eiffel Tower and the gorgeous Champs-Élysées heading towards the west to the majestic Arc de Triomphe are scenes I dream of seeing in person. I haven’t been to this city of love and romance before, but it has always been my dream to go there someday. But for now, the closest I get to anything remotely Paris is in the form of my good blogging friend, Paris Beaverbanks, who celebrates her birthday today, just three days shy of my own! Happy Birthday Paris! I hope to meet you someday :)

A beautiful day that promises the world
Greets you, Paris, a very special girl
Now here’s a wish in a wonderful way
May your dreams come true, have a very happy birthday!

October 21st: Prelude and Main Act October 22, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Thoughts & Scribblings , 17comments

To be frank, I was already in a celebratory mood on Friday itself. Choosing to ignore the sore throat I had, I went about work in a mechanical manner and was really glad when the time came for me to leave for home. Drink lots of water, I kept telling myself.

Saturday lunch, we had reservations at the E&O, what I like to call the opening act or the pre-birthday celebration. I don’t do this every year though, it’s just that the lunch at the E&O on Sunday is rather noisy, and I prefer the quiet ambience exuded on Saturdays. After we ate till we could no longer eat, we left with a birthday cake, compliments from the hotel, which was given to me because I am a Heritage member of the hotel. * grins*

It seemed at that time that the flu had sprung its attack on me, though the tomyam I had for lunch helped alleviate it a great deal. So it was back home for a nice lazy afternoon nap then. That evening, I made some nutritious American Ginseng soup with kampung chicken to ‘feed the flu’ and prayed that I would be all better the next day.

Later that night, after I posted my latest blog entry in Ethan’s blog, Rinnah pinged me to wish me a happy birthday, as it was already past midnight. Chatted with her for a bit, then I logged into Facebook and discovered that Ehon had also written a simple birthday wish on my wall. Thanks guys! Meant a lot to me.

I woke up on Sunday still feeling slightly under the weather, but the realization that it was my birthday pushed me out of bed. I checked my cell phone and was thrilled to received happy birthday SMSes, the first one being from Mom and Dad. That day, my inlaws came to Penang for a visit, so we all went for a yummy and scrumptious lunch at Maple Gold Recreation Center. Yes, there was singing and yes, there was some cake-cutting. Food was very good, and well, it did bode well for my flu, which by the way had turned into a cough, and my head was all giddy by the time we got home after lunch. Stubborn as I was, I still found strength in me to head to Queensbay Mall for dinner, and some shopping.

So here I am, paying the price for my stubbornness. Dragged myself to see the doc and upon doc’s orders, I am on sick leave today. But logging onto the internet and discovering all the beautiful birthday wishes that had poured in for me yesterday is enough to make me feel a whole lot better. Blogging has certainly brought me warmth and birthday love all around the world. Thank you, merci beaucoup, grazie molto, muchas gracias everyone for your kind thoughts and sentiments. I am truly, truly touched.