Day 3: Hong Kong Wedding Shoot

This is it! The big day has finally arrived! It was the day where we were supposed to don the selected outfits and look our very best for our photo shoot! Upon advice by my fellow colleague who went to the same bridal studio to have her photo shoot a couple of weeks back, I made sure we had a hearty breakfast and packed some lunch for us to eat in between the photo shoot.

This time round, we made sure we studied the MRT map the night before to ensure that we would not let history repeat itself. The sun was definitely working hard to create sweat in us. It is truly summer in Hong Kong. And what a bad season it is for photo taking!

When we arrived at the studio, Mr Low was told to go to the sofa to chill while I was escorted to the changing room to change into my gown and get ready for my make-up. The make-up artist was real pro, fixing me up with hair extension, extended eyelashes, mascara, foundation, lip stick, etc.

The result 30 mins on:

The power of make-up. Oh man. Haha, Mr Low was sleeping on the couch and was dumbfounded for awhile after checking me out. Haha he even suggested to take some pics with his handphone. Not bad for a guy who doesn't bother about the small things in life.

So while waiting for our photographer to be ready, we managed to take a couple more shots:

They proved to be the only shots we took ourselves for the day.

The sun was seriously working itself hard. Our first stop was on the yatch to Yamei Island (I think). On the yatch, the photographer made us strike impossible poses, some of which were cheesy. The classic was when we had to pose with the sun shining right in our eyes. To counter that problem, our photographer instructed us to close our eyes and upon the count of 3, open them and smile simultaneously! Oh man! But that was not all...

Throughout the entire day, familiar phrases we heard were 'Bride, please stand straight, flash ya back towards me and turn 70 degrees backwards to face me and smile! Show me your happiness look!'.

Due to the immense heat, I was sweating profusely, especially on my nose. Another classic was the nose to nose pose that the photographer seemed to love and Mr Low totally hated. I cracked up everytime the photographer got us to pose for this. Cause it meant that I would be rubbing my sweat-filled nose against Mr Low's sweatless nose. Haha. Imagine a scene where the sweaty tummy of some fatso rubbing against your face? Haha, now think micro on how a pile of sweat rubs against your nose. Ewww... HAHAHA...

Oh man I tell you! By the end of the day, we were exhausted and could not remember how to smile anymore, until when we reached the studio where the land of aircon beckons. Ahhh, happiness...

More outdoor and indoor "happiness" shots followed. The best was when the photographer passed us scarfs and gloves and told us to pose as if we were enjoying the snow flakes (imaginary), right in the middle of the park behind the studio! Oh man! Totally cheesy!

Snap snap, shoot shoot, and we finally wrapped up around 8+pm. Total relief! A major tick off our to-do list! Being the bobo bride, I forgot that I was wearing a sleeveless gown and applied sunblock on every part of my body and face except my shoulders and back! SMART. The present I got was a lobster red sunburnt shoulder and back which caused me immense pain for the next week.

All in all, a very interesting yet totally exhaustive experience. Even with my slack personality, I would recommend every couple to have their wedding pics taken, just for the experience which I will bring with me for the rest of my life. When you hear people mention that there are things which one should only experience once in their entire life, man, this is definitely one of them! ;p

Now, now, can't wait for the pictures selection to see how they turn out! Haha. Looking back, we should've took more shots or videoed the photographer at work for our montage! Oh well, can't have it all in life!

Day 2: Hong Kong vs National Geographic

We started off the day missing the complimentary hotel breakfast - something which has a direct correlation with Deario's sleeping intensity and our late night National Geographic sessions. Doesn't matter though, since there're lots of interesting restaurants near where we are staying at Tsim Sha Tsui, which is apparently well known for affordable food and shopping.

It has been said that dim sum in Hong Kong is in a class of its own compared to that in Singapore. However, after having a meal at a recommended teahouse, I must say that the differences are subtle. Sure, the ingredients are fresher and the variety wider, and we did enjoy a good lunch, but seriously, the level of tastiness isn't all that higher than back home.

I think different people delight in different things when they travel to a foreign land. Some enjoy activities (e.g. rafting, snow-boarding, fishing); some like to sight-see (e.g. nature, places of interest); some indulge in local culture (e.g. people, traditions, conversation). I think that Deario is the kind of traveller who isn't very interested in the culture and people of a country she arrives at but rather, she looks forward to doing activities. In the case of this Hong Kong trip, she looks forward to the rides at Ocean Park (well, she looks forward to food and sleep too but I haven't come up with categories for these yet). I, on the other hand, am always ready to behold the next wondrous nature scenery. For me, it is the forest beyond the horizon, the mountain shrouded in mist, the shores lining the endless sea.

So you must imagine that I was bored with Hong Kong (the location, not the holiday) when all that surrounded me was buildings, narrow streets, and endless traffic and busy people. Hong Kong kind of made me felt constrained and restrained.

Deario and I spent the whole afternoon at the streets and malls along the coastline of Tsim Sha Tsui. Shopping in Hong Kong can be found all over the place while shopping in Singapore is more consolidated at malls. Both countries have as much variety of merchandise and prices are pretty much similar. Deario and I are not really into shopping and our legs couldn't withstand the long hours of walking up and down the streets. We had to take a few tea breaks and in the end, we decided that we are better off watching TV back at our hotel.

On our way back, we decided to give this well-presented and successful dessert franchise called "Xue Liu Shan" a try. Conclusion: over-rated. Moreover, SGD6's pretty steep a price for bland mango smoothie. Philippines maintains its position on my list for the country which serves the best mango smoothie.

Back at the hotel, we spent the night watching back-to-back episodes of National Geographic documentaries and National Geographic Adventure travel journals. Sounds pretty lame for a holiday but these programs are seriously intriguing. The documentary on sightings of a sea dinosaur off Montrey Bay and the documentary on Sahara Desert being a lush coastal forest eons ago were definitely the highlights of the day for me.

Day 1 (Part 2): Gown fitting

After the noob MRT incident, we were off to the bridal studio to have me fitted with some gowns for our wedding shoot on wednesday. Prior to this, I didn't think much about the shoot and the whole wedding thing. I guess I was just excited to be able to take a break from work and head off to Ocean Park for some fun. Not to say the dim sum, desserts, and feeling like a rich kid on the yatch the bridal studio booked for our wedding shoot.

So, now that we were seated in the bridal studio, awaiting the bridal personnel to pick out some gowns for me to try on, it dawned on me that this wedding thing is really taking off man! Just before we headed to Hong Kong, we were busy scouting around jewellery stores like Soo Kee, Lee Hwa, Goldheart, etc to hunt for wedding bands. Oh man, the thought of being a Mrs is kinda weird, eh? Haha.

Tick tock, tick tock. Soon, the bridal personnel came up with 15 gowns which I am supposed to pick 3 (1 for the day shoot, 1 for outdoor studio, 1 for indoor studio). Upon first glance, I thought, hmm they look so so nia. How come they didn't give me the entire selection to pick?! But looking back, I sure am thankful for her providing me with only 15! Seriously a major headache with my 'great' fashion sense! Haha.

I might look chilled in the following pics but before each change, the bridal personnel follows me inside the changing room and mind you, I had to strip down to my underwear and let her help me change. Seriously, I was like some small boy wearing swimming trunks in the swimming complex. But being a professional, I was cool about it, haha so here goes, the stylo Mich:

Day shoot selection

This looks simple, just the way I like it, but the thing is, the ribbon sucks! But no worries, it can be taken off!


Honestly, the ribbon makes me like a pressie. Haha.


Similar design to the one before this, just that the ribbon is smaller. Somehow, the bridal personnel seem to like ribbons alot. Haha.


Oh man, this makes me look pregnant!

Aww, this looks like a middle eastern princess feel eh?

Outdoor shoot selection

Woo, unique dress. Somehow, it looks like the kind of black and white goldfish in the shops you see eh? Haha.

Interesting cupcake design with those powerpuffs.

Ohh, nice design but trust me, I was nearly suffocated to death from the squeezing to fit me into the gown. Seriously, what were those Victorian women thinking?

Ahh, princessy. Machiam some fairytale story. Now, where's my prince?



Looking like a pressie. Haha.

Indoor shoot selection



On 1st look, before trying this gown on, I thought, oh man dark blue, hmm...But I guess it aint looking that bad eh? Cause when I wore it, I thought I was wearing a night sky full of constellations! Unique!

Happy Deevapali, everyone! Haha this is a typical Sari gown man! Honestly, what was the bridal personnel thinking? Or is she secretly a Bollywood fan? ;p

Now, this is an interesting dress with an uncommon colour and design. Hmm...

Ohhh, another goldfish design! Haha pale purple-ish blue. Weird colour.

Pinky Winky is my name! Lalala! Check out how tight the gown is! I am seriously ready to explode out of the gown! HELP!

So how brown cow? After each batch of gown fitting, the bridal personnel would give us both some private time to discuss on which gown we would pick. In between changing from 1 gown to another, she would also give me her honest opinion on which gown fits my style, or how does it look, etc. Very professional, I would say.

So which gown wins? #1 for each category it is. Simple and unique is how I like it! Keke.

The bridal shop once again impressed me with their professional service and efficiency. Within 15mins, all 3 gowns which I selected were tailored according to my measurements! Impressive is the word! The bridal personnel even brought us to the outdoor and indoor studio to let us have a look at their surroundings. It was a Monday night, and the whole place was buzzing with couples selecting photos and taking pictures. Mega $ making company man, with so many carrotheads like us around. Haha.

Now that we have checked off 1 of the items of our to-do list, it was time for some dinner and more National Geographic programs! Woohoo!

Day 1 (Part 1): Hong Kong beckons!

The day has finally come for our Hong Kong trip which was planned a year ago! As the clock continues ticking, so is our wedding date approaching. There was no time left for lipo suction or expert weight management, all thanks to my firm which has been making sure I spend every moment of my life either doing the following:

1. Working
2. Sleeping
3. Eating
4. Shitting
5. Watching the rare occasional movie

Ha, so what is left is just for me to work hard on breathing in and sucking in my tummy and whatever fats that I try so hard to conceal. Not to forget, about 2 weeks before our trip, I have been discipling myself to daily push ups, the occasional jog that I manage to squeeze in between work and squats.

With the to do list slowly but surely being cleared off, Hong Kong here we come!

This time round when I was checking in at the airport, it dawned on me that I have been back in Singapore for 1+ year. Checking in at the terminal never felt the same. This time round and for the near future, home would always be at most a couple of weeks away, unlike before when I was working in Melbourne, where I would only be back home half or 1 year later.

Boarded the morning plane, which was a tad disappointing cause I thought I was going to sit in the new A380 SQ plane, only to realise mine was still a Boeing B777! BOO! :'(

No worries, the land of yum cha, desserts and dai pai tong beckons! Egg tart, char siew bao, har gao, I am coming for you! ;)

4 hours later, with the efficiency of the Hong Kong Airport Express and courtesy of a friendly Hong Konger who showed us the way to our hotel, we arrived at our place of abode for the week!

Tadah! Honestly, this is the smallest hotel room I have ever stayed in! There is only enough space to place 2 twin beds, which they pathetically have to join together due to space constraints! TV was mounted on the wall and the window is as wide as 1.5 times my size.

The view from our hotel room. Honestly, Hong Kong is an architect's land. With the limited land area, buildings spring up in every inch of free space that can be found. It is a packed city with very small space area.

The itinery for the day is to go for my gown fitting at Kowloon Tong. When we were at the MRT station, I was the navigator. The moment Kowloon station caught my eye, I zoomed in on that. When we went out of the station, oh man, the station is sort of like a mix of Paragon shopping centre + East Coast condominums + Tanjong Pagar office buildings. We went walking around the shopping centre and grabbing a bite so we could let our stomachs expand prior to gown fitting. This is a strategy to not be tormented by super mini sized gowns that make me look good but torment me within. Tsk tsk.

An hour passed and there we were trying to find our way to MRT Exit F as instructed by the bridal personnel when.....

Kowloon station does not equal Kowloon TONG station! Check it out! Oh man! What a noob! Who would have thought Hong Kong will be so bobo to name 2 stations with such similar names! Do you see the MRT in Singapore naming their station 'Simei' and 'Simei Goon'? Totally ridiculous!
So off we went into a mad rush to get to Kowloon Tong as the bridal personnel was waiting patiently for us at the designated time. Very professional people I would say. When we finally arrived about 30mins later, they were still all smiley and friendly. Haha, maybe they have been cursing and swearing behind us prior to our arrival. But whatever! I am a tourist! I am entitled to get lost! Bleah!

With that, off we went, to embark on the journey to discovering Singapore's next Top Bride. Haha.

Till then, stay tuned folks! ;p

7 Eleven

What is it about 7-11? It is a date to watch out for! You will know when you launch the video...

Haha, by now, you all are most probably laughing your heads off and thinking, it's MQ at work once again. Yeah man folks! Haha set the date down! ;p

NZ Adenture - New Plymouth

I was coaxed by Mr Low into driving to New Plymouth from Rotorua on the promise of snowy scenic mountain views. After 5 hours drive, a movie at an old school cinema and a night's sleep at a pub with freaky bathroom (green tiles and shower curtains that reminds you of a potential murder scene in a typical movie) and springy bed, I woke up in great anticipation of a snowy mountain view that boasts of beauty like Mt Fuji.

Guess what I saw?

Where is the mountain?!?! This looks more like a tropical garden! What the!?!?

Being the glass half full kind of person, the only great takeaway from New Plymouth is....

SUSHI NINJA! Seriously, who would have thought ulu New Plymouth would have a great Japanese eatery?! Apparently, this eatery is set up by a Japanese couple who loved surfing and migrated to New Plymouth a few years ago.


Check out the yummy bento sets! We had dinner at Sushi Ninja the night before and I requested to eat this before we set off! Totally mouth watering! But seriously, to drive 5 hours to eat Jap food is RIDICULOUS!

Point to note: Never believe Mr Low when he tells you that there is snowy scenic view. Tsk tsk.

NZ Adventure - Taupo

New Zealand is a country greatly blessed by God. The spectrum of varying landscapes found here is amazing - subterrenean caves, rolling green hills, boiling thermal land, thick forests, snow-capped mountains, lakes and rivers. Geographical features which one would expect to find across lands of different climates can all be located here. It is as if New Zealand is God's creation palette or portfolio.

Given the land's diversity, lots of towns are situated around natural wonders in order to thrive on tourism. While Rotorau is famous for spas and thermal wonderlands, Taupo is known for Waikato River and Lake Taupo. Arriving at Taupo in mid-day, Mich and I decided to take a drive down to Huka Falls. There the sheer volume of Waikato River is squeezed through a narrow gorge and over a short drop. Inevitably, the huge amount of water gushing through the gorge shoots out over a distance to form a beautiful sapphire-emerald pool. Walking on the riverside walk, I paused several times to stare dumbfounded at the ever-swirling and ever-foaming water.

A little distance away from Huka Falls is the Huka Falls Prawn Park. Compared to the over-crowded, production-line-like prawning avenues in Singapore, this place is way better. Here families sit on the grass by strips of water and enjoy an outdoor prawning experience. One can fish for as long as one likes and the park will cook the catch for free. There is also an alfresco restaurant specialising in prawn menus. Mich and I didn't participate in the prawning though as we were on a tight schedule this trip. On our way back to our hostel, we stopped by a small hill to take in the scenary and caught the below sight. Here's my amateur attempt at a haiku (3-line Japanese poem):

The autumn breeze brings
a veil of soft rain

and an drop of coloured sunlight

Compared to prawning, Mich and I were more eager to try out the famed trout fishing at Lake Taupo. On our second day of stay here, we rented a small boat and rode the waves to the centre of the lake. According to our captain, Lake Taupo is larger than Singapore and has a trout population of 3 million. Although locals and tourists are free to fish the trouts, there is a law which requires trouts below a certain length to be released. Additionally, each person is only allowed a certain number of catches per day. New Zealanders really live harmoniously with nature, something which we have no opportunity to appreciate back home.

Within a few minutes, our captain taught us how trout fishing aboard a boat works. Basically much of the activity is automated, you let the fishing line into the water and place your rod in a holder. Then you wait for the anticipated twitching of the fishing rod. When that happens, you reel in the line and struggle a bit with the trout. Frankly speaking, I'm more of a process-focused person than a results-oriented person. Though this method of trout fishing is without fuss and effective, I find it too automated. It is enjoyble still but I would have preferred if there is more hands-on and technique involved. It just wasn't challenging enough for me to feel extremely proud of my catch. Mich, on the other hand, finds automated trout fishing very comfortable and thus, very enjoyable. Guess she's the kind of person who prefers taking in a beautiful sunset from the inside of a air-conditioned beach cafe.

Nonetheless, trout fishing - highly recommended to-do activity in New Zealand. The feeling of a fat catch in your hand is amazing. After we got off our boat, the captain helped to arranged for our trouts to be smoked and sealed. We then obtained an insulator bag from a supermarket and stored the trouts in it. For the remainder of the holiday, we carried the trouts from town to town in our car and transfer them to fridges at hostels whenever we can. Much later, when I returned to Singapore, I made trout cream out of the smoked trout and served them with crackers. Really excellant tasting. Best cream crackers I've ever eaten.

NZ Adventure - Rotorua

How else but to end off the night with a hot spring bath? Especially when it is 1 for 1! ;) This is Mr Low's virgin attempt on soaking hot spring. The apprehensive look on his face when he first heard that we are going for this activity sent chills down his spine!

At the mud pool, it was smelly as hell. For a moment, I felt we were acting out Shrek in real life, applying mud on each other's faces and bodies as if we are ogres enjoying mud like kids enjoy candies. Haha but for the love of smooth complexion, we generously slapped layers of mud after layers to our faces and bodies.

After 30 mins of soaking in hot mud, we were told to rinse our brownie bodies with ice cold water before we hop into the mineral water spring to chill under the starry night.

This is our humble hostel. Cheap and clean! Friendly people, nice environment. I would recommend it to anyone who is going to Rotorua!

Now, how can we not visit the thermal village in Rotorua which is famous! The pictures speaks a thousand words! Check them out!

Looks like your lime juice, eh? Tsk tsk...

Haha, this picture has Mr Low in a very weird posture. How come he has to put his hand so funnily, like he's flying? But then again, I guess everyone who is busking in my company will feel as though they are on cloud nine? Haha.

More cheesy shots to remember our NZ holiday!

Ain't this just majestic? Mind you, these are piping hot pools which can kill you the moment you fall into them. In some of the commentaries of some pools, there are actually myths of women who are actually killed in these pools due to some crappy soap opera content which I cannot remember anymore. Haha.

Now now, what's with that act cute pose?

Woohoo! Check out all that smoke! Perfect shot!

Check out my stylo pink hat and red berms, each for under AUD$5! Bargain man! Haha.

More holidays to come! Woohoo! Say Cheese everyone! ;p

Do you see me fuming? Haha!

Check out the limestone that has resided in the caves.

What's with that serious look on Mr Low's face? I think he still looks like a joker.

After checking out the thermal village, we decided to make full use of the discount coupons and check out the Rainbow trout park. The park boasts rainbow trouts (seems like something unique in NZ) and some other funny animals.

Did you see that disgusting gecko? One look at it and my goosebumps appears!


Ohh nice blue skies and green pastures. Throughout the entire drive which we have driven so far, NZ is surrounded by splendid nature pictures which any mediocre camera can capture and yet turn out to be a wonderful shot. That's how beautiful NZ is.

For now, we hit the road again, bringing along with us nice memories of our NZ adventures thus far, and looking forward to more action!