My Big Days


Hi Friends! How are all of you? Hope that it has been smooth sailing and sweet for the past few weeks for you. Before you read this post, just to warn you that it's gonna be a looooooooong one!

As for me, I just went through 3 super BIG events in my life in the past 7 days or so:

1. July 21 - Chinese Wedding Dinner in Kuching, Sarawak (my birthplace)

2. July 25 (11 am) - Church Wedding & Lunch Reception in KL

3. July 25 (7 pm) - Chinese Wedding Dinner in The Saujana, Shah Alam, KL


As much as I would like to share the photos of the wedding dinners and church wedding here, I thought that it would be more chrono-economical for all of you to just visit my Facebook page (link is on the right panel of this page) and view the photos from there. I know that some of you are already doing that, and thanks so much for your lovely comments and for visiting :) If you have not signed up or own a Facebook account, it's really very simple to join or sign up. All you need is to enter your name and email, create a password, and skip all the next few steps. It's that simple. Don't forget to add me as a friend!

Allow me to share with you some highlights of those major events...

KUCHING - Besides smiling for more than I had ever smiled in the past 1 year in less than 3 hours, and shook more hands that I had ever shaken in the past 10 years, the Kuching event was simple and prompt. Everything was so efficient. The dishes were splendid, especially the shark's fin soup, and they came out very very promptly, to the point that we had to ask them to slow down the speed! And guess what time the dinner finished? Before 9:30pm. Of all the weddings I had ever attended, none had actually finished earlier than 10pm! I didn't really enjoy the Chinese oldies that my dad's State choir friends belted out, but I definitely loved my brother's violin performances, and a special thanks to Alex Chai for crooning that Bryan Adams' song - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. Now how did he know I loved Bryan Adams? And I also enjoyed bringing around my wife's family around Kuching for all the yummy Kuching local delicacies... mmmmmmm :) Oh, and did I tell you that we made some minor boo-boos, e.g. after walking in halfway, the bride and groom processional music only started playing, and we sat on the wrong chairs! LOL

CHURCH - This is the event that gives me the license to have sex in the eyes of God! Heh heh heh... But of course, that's not the only thing I look forward to. Because we are keeping the KL dinner small, and limiting it to close friends and relatives, I only had 3 tables to invite my friends and colleagues to for the dinner. Therefore, the church wedding and lunch reception was kinda special, because I could invite as many people as I want, up to 1,000 people, if I want to! But of course, me and my wife didn't invite that many, but we invited and confirmed +/-160 pax for the church ceremony cum lunch reception. In the end, only around 120 turned up, even with some surprise turn-ups, people that I didn't expect to come! I really want to thank everyone, especially the friends and colleagues who travelled for more than 100 miles just to come for my wedding. THANK YOU! And I would also like to thank all those who helped out in one way or another:

Pastor --- Pastor Sally
Translator cum florist --- Aunty Lydia
Best man cum MC --- Luke
Bridesmaid --- Faye
Flower girl --- Elisa (nope, not Pastor Elisa... hahahaha... how I wish it's her! LOL)
Pageboy --- Aaron
Florist --- Aunty Pat
PA --- Mitch
Official photographer --- Angie
Photographers --- Marcus, Stephanie, Peter, Foo, Alan, et al.
Videographer --- Er Ku Chang
Worship leader --- Candy
Drummer --- Francis
Bassist --- Wei Luen
Keyboardist --- Peter
Guitarist --- Jack
Back up singer 1 --- Geri
Back up singer 2 --- Daya
Back up singer 3 --- Corrine
Chief usher --- William & co.
Treasurer --- James
Logistics manager --- Qiu Yun
General coordinator --- Aunty Julie
Food caterer --- Mr Lim


I wonder if I missed out anyone? So sorry if I did... ooopppsss!

The video and the official photos are not ready yet, but you can still view those that Angie uploaded on Facebook, by going to view my Profile Page (link is on the right panel of this page). Or you can visit her website HERE as well :) Do drop a word or two while you're there yah! Thanks!

Actually there's something burning in me that I'd like to share, and probably this will benefit those whose weddings are coming up, like Jack & Steph.

I was seriously infuriated when I was told, on the night before the church wedding, that the church plans to conduct temperature checks, hand washing, etc, etc during the wedding, while my guests are coming in. Can you believe this crap? And if someone was detected to have higher than normal body temperature, that person has to wear a face mask and sit at one corner in the hall. How can one not get angry at something like this? I mean, firstly, conducting such checks would create fear and give a bad impression to my guests. Secondly, wearing a face mask and sitting at one corner of the hall is not the proper way to treat a guest who most probably is visiting a church for the first time in his or her life. Thirdly, why tell me the night before? And fourthly, this is my special day. Hello? And fifthly, it's PURE CRAP.

So I objected strongly to this plan, and THANK GOD that the church didn't go ahead with the plan, after making me promise to take full responsibility for anyone that will get sick or die after attending my wedding. How weird huh? I mean, why assume that there will be a carrier of the H1N1 virus coming to my wedding? Why assume that there will be transmission or infection spreading during my wedding? Why all this fearful behavior? I believe that other churches don't conduct such temperature checks during their services, and people still go home healthy and return again the following week. Besides, aren't we, as believers, supposed to have more faith than unbelievers, to believe that God will keep the virus away from His people, just like what God promised in Psalm 91? And I quote verse 7 (NIV):

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

I've got more to share, but let me just keep it as such, and let me just forgive the church and move on. I'll share with you in my next post, if I can't keep the fire down (ooppss!).

Anyways, back to my big days' sharing :)

THE SAUJANA - Just before the dinner, we had the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. This was special, because I get to meet all the "elders" of her family. So what happens in this ceremony was that each of us, me and my wife has to take a cup of tea and serve it to the "elder", while calling out their "title", for example "Pek Kong" meaning "Eldest Uncle On The Dad's Side", inviting them to drink tea e.g. "Pek Kong, drink tea", and pass to him the cup. And me and my wifey also get to sit on the chair to be served tea by my younger sister and brother, as well as her two younger brothers :) How cool is that, huh? Oh, before I forget, the person being served the tea has to give out ang pows, or Chinese red packets containing, what else... moolah! Oooh lah lah...

When it was over, it was time to greet the guests coming, and to get ready to enter the hall for the bride and groom procession to start off the dinner. I especially liked the second march in, after she changed her bridal gown, as my brother played "Ave Maria" on the violin as we marched in :) How romantic huh? Thanks Bib for everything! Before I forget, I'd like to thank all those who helped make the dinner a success:

The pastor --- Pastor Edwin
The 2 pretty MCs --- Hui Yin and It Ee (hope I got their names right!)
The sexy photographer --- Angie
The videographer --- Er Ku Chang
The bridesmaid --- Faye
The pimp --- Luke
The 6 virgins --- Francis, Peter, Wei Luen, Kenny, William, Kevin
The 2 accountants & logistics managers --- James & Qiu Yun
The DJ & violinist --- My brother
The butler --- forgot his name (sorry!)
The drivers --- Wei Luen, Luke, Mrs Ku


Hopefully that's all. Now let me continue with my sharing... I think the highlight of the night was the pop quiz, and the blind game... LOL fancy that huh? A quiz and a game during a dinner. Kudos to the MCs for this great idea.

So what's the quiz? Well, the MCs invited me to the stage, to ask me 3 questions about my wife. And I got the first 2 questions wrong! LOL Thank God I got the last one right!

Question 1:
What was the most memorable day in her opinion?
My answer:
There are many memorable days, but I guess it should be the day I brought flowers (without her knowing) into the labour ward (yep, the ward where pregnant women give birth) and surprised her.
WRONG!
The correct answer: Our first date, where her shoe broke or became spoilt, and I went to buy a new pair for her.

Question 2:
What is my body part that she admires the most, nothing obscene?
My answer:
At first, I thought it's my butt, since she always says that I have a big butt, but since you said that it's nothing obscene, then, I guess it's my nose hair.
LOL yeah right, as if that's gonna be right!
The correct answer: My dimple (hmm... never knew that, y'know!)

Question 3:
Which character strength of mine that she admires the most?
My answer & the correct answer:
I'm funny!
Wooooohooooooooo! Oh yeah...... at least I got one right... or else...

Wasn't that fun? LOL

So what about the game? Aha... Sit tight and enjoy... :)

Once again, I was invited to the stage. And I was blindfolded by The Pimp. So what I had to do is to identify which of the 7 virgins is my baby, by smelling the neck. What the??? And little did I know that 6 of the virgins are actually my guy friends! LOL Ok, nevermind that prank, but I managed to identify the correct one. How? By making stupid comments each time I smell someone's neck, e.g. "Wah, so tall one?" (PS# My baby is quite short), "Eh, why so fat one?" (PS# She's sensitive to this word), etc, etc... And I guessed the right one because she was laughing away (I can recognise her laughter) throughout the game. Bingo!

All in all, it was fun, and a nice and cosy dinner. Food was great, though not as good as the one in Kuching. But it was nice, and everything went well.

So that's it. I am oh my God finally a married man. It had been a long road. And I had finally arrived :)

Thank You Lord for everything that went well during the wedding and dinners!

Proverbs 18:22 (KJV)
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

My life's journey: L.O.V.E. (Love overflowing, vehement & everlasting)


Hi Friends! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Before I fly off to Kuching, Sarawak tomorrow, I would like share about how I came to meet my wife, and how it all came together until today, to the point that we will be married in the church and the customary Chinese wedding dinners very very soon.

I had always and still believe that, THE GREATEST

THING IN LIFE is not to be rich, not to be a somebody, not to be powerful in society, or not to have thousands of virgins (blame it on Achmed... I KILL YOU!!!) at your fingertips... but I truly believe that the greatest thing in life, is TO LOVE AND BE

LOVED IN RETURN.

And what's greater than finding the one you truly love? Marrying her :)

Of course, I do understand that, I'm just starting out, and many of those married friends of mine will tell me that:

Happiness for an hour = Get a hooker

Happiness for a year = Get married

Happiness for lifetime = Get a dog


Is it really THAT bad? I mean marriage? Yes, I have heard of divorces, I have heard of frightening fights, etc, etc... but does it need to get there? Of course, I am only at the beginning and don't have the ability to foresee what will happen to my marriage, BUT... if I do get into fights with her, if I do get into those bad stages... I will remind

myself of WHY did I marry her in the first place. I will remind

myself of WHY on the 25th of July 2009, I said

my vows in the presence of God and family and friends. I will remind myself of WHY did I go after her more than two years ago.

BECAUSE I HAD FOUND THE ONE I LOVE AND SHE LOVES ME TOO :)

BECAUSE I HAD FOUND SOMEONE I CAN ACCEPT AND FORGIVE HER SHORTFALLS AND WEAKNESSES AND MISTAKES... AND SHE DOES TOO :)

BECAUSE GOD HAD BROUGHT

US TOGETHER (I'll tell you all more about this another time)

As simple as that.

Yes, I do understand that things will get in the way, things will change over time, people change, BUT I choose NOT to change in the way I love her. Why should I, anyway? For an hour of sinful PLEASURE? For the satisfaction of being RIGHT? For the sake of upholding my stupid big EGO? For her MISTAKES?

I don't think so.

Of course, you might tell me that TALK IS CHEAP. That I might be saying all of the above now so easily, just because everything is rosie posie, lovey dovey at the moment, LOVE IS BLIND, blah blah blah... that I don't know what the future is like, that marriages should end up in bitter fights and divorce... well, I can only say that, I choose NOT to believe that, and that I choose to believe in a blissful, happy, pleasurable, satisfying and God-glorifying marriage.



IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME, WITH THE LORD'S GRACE AND STRENGTH!



As long as I play my role as the head of the household, as long as I follow after Christ in His example of how He loved the church in loving her, as long as I keep reminding myself of why did I marry her, as long as I keep forgiving her, keep accepting her, keep loving her, keep doing it again and again... IT WILL BE GREAT!

And to you faithful readers and bloggy friends of mine, if you are still following my blog many years down the road, you will be the first to know about this great marriage of mine. You will, of course, be at liberty to remind me, that on this day, this time, I said this and that on my blog... hahaha... And we shall see huh, whether talk is truly cheap, or am I really the man that I am confessing that I am here :)

Thanks for reading this friends, and thanks for being witnesses to my promises above :) You have a great week ahead now! Take care and God bless!

COUNTDOWN... 0_o


Yes, the big day is drawing nearer and nearer, like a predator closing in on its merciless victim... ooppss... wrong analogy... hahaha... Of course I do not think that marriage is like a monster devouring a merciless me, even though some of those reading this might be nodding their heads fiercely in agreement of that analogy... hahaha... I pray that God will bless the both of you, to renew the love you have for one another, to open your eyes to see each other in a different light, to have the deep revelation of what marriage truly means :D

Well, what can I share with you all? Here I am, trying to stay sane in this moment of blaring insanity. And prepare myself physically, mentally, spiritually, in every thinkable aspect for my wedding day. I try hard not to get upset by those "friends" who called me up to apologise for not being able to make it for my wedding. At least they called, unlike those who didn't bother to reply at all (fancy that huh?). I try hard to get at least 6 hours of sleep daily, so that I will not look haggard and zombie-like on that day. Will I be able to recover from hours and hours of lost sleep over the past many years? Sigh... most probably not. Don't think that I will lose this dark area under my eyes in less than a couple of weeks.

And yes, there are no shortcuts to looking good either, similar to gaining fitness or endurance in sports. But even though logic tells me that it will most probably not completely negate the side effects of prolonged neglect, I still want to give it a try, to at least do something good to my body, to pamper myself, to indulge in expensive things, just for these last few days of preparation.

So what had I done?

1. I went for foot reflexology last Saturday (about US$14).

2. I drank Chinese herbal soup last Sunday (about US$18).

3. I slept for 6 hours on Sunday, as well as on Monday. Today I'll be sleeping for 7 hours.

4. And of course, I am still training: running, push-ups, sit-ups...


Is it so important to look good? Well, it is definitely not the utmost importance, since THAT is not the reason why I am getting married! But then again, I wouldn't want to disappoint our guests that are coming just to see us get married, some from hundreds of miles away. By looking half dead, it might seemed as if I was forced to get married!!! Or didn't have the time to get married or get prepared for the wedding!!! Hahahaha... I'm sure you know what I mean :)

Alright then, it's time for me to go to bed. Yes, I HAVE TO discipline myself to do that, since I have the inclination to stay up late. Thanks for reading this, and have a terrific Tuesday!

Problem with inference (dang!)

Hi Friends, how are you all doing? Hope this week has been great for you! I just want to take a short pause from my superhecticfranticbusyneckbreaking schedule to share about my revision for the TOEFL exam.

After doing several practice sets, I discovered that I am prone to make mistakes when it comes to questions asking me about what can be

infered from a particular passage. This is NOT a good sign.

Does that mean that I normally infer things wrongly? I mean, I'm really sorry if I did, especially when it comes to reading your blogs. Damn! Is there something wrong with the way I understand things? Or probably it's just the lack of exposure and familiarity to the topics being asked. It's not as easy as it seems ok! Topics covered include "The Origins of Cetaceans", "Desert Formation", "Early Cinema", "Aggression", "Artisans and Industrialization", "Swimming Machines", etc.

I feel greatly humbled, because as a nutritionist, coupled with all my interests or hobbies - they offer no help at all in being familiar with those topics mentioned above. Though I hate to say it, but looks like I need to expand my reading to cover broader topics, including topics that I absolutely abhor, for example evolution. "The Origins of Cetaceans" is all about the evolution of cetaceans. How do you understand better something that you are trying your best to avoid and hate? Oh, the dilemma!

Sigh... Guess I'll need to practise more on questions of these type, whether I like it or not, to score better! Damn it! Why can't they set questions related to what I'm good in? Thanks but no thanks Mr Smartass Darwin!

18 DAYS!

Hi Friends! How are you? First of all, I want to wish my baby HAPPY 28TH ANNIVERSARY! It has indeed been an amazing 28 months, and I'm looking forward to many more 28 months together, our happily ever afters.

In the craziness and franticness of getting ready for 3 weddings = 2 dinners + 1 church ceremony, and in the midst of my workload, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on something that I came across on Paul's blog. Can someone be physically FIT and gain

ENDURANCE by just spending SIX

MINUTES PER WEEK exercising?

Apparently, there are some research papers supporting the similar or superior benefits of spending less time exercising while increasing the intensity of those exercises, instead of the usual, longer workouts per week in keeping fit.

When I saw this, my immediate reaction was... NO WAY. And

even after reading those handful of studies, I still think... NO

WAY. I don't think there is ANY shortcuts to be fit and have endurance. Being an athlete previously, and still an ardent sports enthusiast, I do not believe that one can stay fit AND healthy

AND have a substantial ENDURANCE by spending,

what, ONLY 6 mins per week exercising, as compared to 60 minutes per week or more. And here are my reasons:

1. Increased risk of injuries - We all know about the importance of doing a proper warm-up, to minus the risk of aggravating muscle tears, and other sorts of sports-related injuries. A proper warm-up already takes more than 6 minutes PER SESSION. There is no way you can be properly warmed-up in less than that amount of time. How can you perform better without a good warm-up? And those SHORT BURSTS OF INTENSE ACTIVITIES prescribed by the 6-minutes-workout-per-week proponents will ultimately lead to the increased risk of injuries, and in the long run, impose a lot of strain on the HEART. Instead of imposing steady, low-intensity stress on the heart, you are putting super, high stress in a shorter amount of time. Now, isn't that equivalent to a heart attack?

2. Different types of muscles being worked-out - Short bursts of movement uses Type II, fast twitch muscles. Ultimately, you are not using those Type I, slow twitch muscles. So I really don't know how does working out more on the Type II muscles will improve the functioning of Type I muscles which is more important in endurance sports. Where is the logic? To illustrate my point, take a look at these pictures, and you'll understand where I'm coming from...

3. Let's compete! - I'll really like to race someone supporting the 6-minutes-workouts-per-week in the half marathon. I'll really like to see how someone spending only 6 minutes per week can run a better time than someone spending more than 60 minutes per week on the road. And I'll definitely like to see how that someone can NOT incur knee pain or muscle cramps in the race. It's like asking Usain Bolt to win the Boston Marathon. Is that even possible?

4. Let's compare! - I'll really like to see, after 5, 10, 20 years later, the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory system of the 6-minutes-workouts-per-week person, versus the 60 minutes or more person. That is, of course, if the 6-minutes-workouts-per-week person is still alive... OOPPSS! Or should I say... OUCH!

Happy Independence Day, America! :)




This is THE MAN, who led the army of brave men and women,

who fought for INDEPENDENCE.

For all my American friends, I dedicate this song from Carrie Underwood to you... enjoy!!! And God bless the United States of America!