All grown up

Nick's little cousin Xinyi got hitched yesterday and we attended the wedding dinner at Grand Copthorne Waterfront last night.

At the last minute, we decided to bring Nutty after much arm-twisting from his relatives. And as soon as we arrived, she was passed from one aunty to another, everyone wanted a piece of her!

Nick was emcee for the evening but he didn't really have much to do, just annouce stuff in the beginning, do the yum-seng thing and introduce the couple at the walk-ins. Some of the cousins used to live under the same roof when younger so Nick was more than willing to help Xinyi when she asked for help.

I wore one of the dresses I had bought in Australia last year, finally it fit. I have definitely lost weight at some parts, I couldn't zip the dress a couple of months ago! Yay!

We were seated at the second VIP table, one of the perks I guess of the MIL being close to her sisters. I hardly carrried Nat at all throughout the dinner, everyone took turns playing and carrying her and trying to make her sleep. She fought it though and crashed in the car on the way home.

The MIL kept asking me to feed her during dinner, even though I knew she wouldn't drink because we had just fed her in the car on the way over and she was full. She insisted Nat was thirsty but I didn't offer her anything, the MIL must have been thinking that I ill-treat her grand-daughter and starve her! She's always comparing Nat to other babies and says she's not chubby enough!

The food was pretty good, no complaints there. The bride was lovely as expected, all her gowns were nice. Dinner didn't drag, in fact by 10 pm it was over...the kitchen were very fast in dishing out the food!

Ben and I managed to catch bits of the F1 race here and there, sneaking out to the lobby in between courses but got summoned back during the first walk-in and table photo-taking. We had constant updates from relatives watching, hearing about the crashes and safety car being deployed etc and wishing we were in front of a TV!

When there was a few laps left, I went out of the ballroom on the pretext of feeding Nat. Wendy carried her while I held the bottle, all the while with my eyes glued to the big screen. Managed to catch Alonso drive past the chequered flag and watch the prize-giving.

I still can't believe Singapore actually hosted an F1 race and did it very successfully. Already they are saying this was one of the best races...am quite proud of our country.

Ladies who lunch

Had lunch yesterday with JGR - Jane, Germaine and Rena. Just a casual get-together so that Jane could pass us her wedding invites and we could finalise our dress designs for her customary ceremony. Rena brought Gabriel along, who is a little more sociable these days now that he can talk!

I chose Whitebait & Kale, none of them had been and I'd been hankering for some good fish n' chips, and crab pasta and they both didn't disappoint.

We ordered crab cakes and deep fried whitebait to share, and Germs and Jane opted to order from the brunch menu for their mains. In the end, we shared everything including their salmon and scrambled eggs on toast, and the full English brekkie. We also ordered waffles and a chocolate dessert that had a moist cake and mousse. The mousse was heavenly!

During lunch, all of us were distracted by a lady seated a couple of tables away. She wore a spaghetti strapped sundress but the back of her bra was showing, either she did it on purpose or she just didn't know/care. At least wear a nicer bra lah!

Speed

I had no idea how fast those F1 cars go! I mean, I know they go over 200km/hr but watching on TV is one thing and seeing it in person is another. Nickypoo, me, Ben and Wendy caught the qualifying session of F1’s first night race in Singapore from trackside having secured walkabout tickets back in July.


We had dinner first at the Hans near Nick’s office before walking over to Anderson Bridge. Qualifying started at 7 pm but we started eating a little late so it was only around 7.15 pm that we got there. As we left Hans, we could hear the vroom of the engines and started getting all excited.

Just as we approached Gate 5 outside the Asian Civilizations Museum, me and Nick got hijacked by this enthusiastic video producer who asked if we could be interviewed for an STB video. I didn’t really want to appear in any videos knowing that I would just look fat and told the lady to interview Nick alone, but she said we were ‘a good-looking couple’ and persuaded both of us to appear. However when the cameras rolled, I stepped aside and left Nick on his own…ha ha. Sabo!


After clearing security, we stood just above an underpass to catch the cars. Man, they were loud! We bought the F1 Survival Kit comprising ear plugs and poncho and the ear plugs came in real handy.


I was such a goondu, wondering how come everyone’s ear plugs fit their ear holes just nicely when mine kept popping out. It was only later that Nick showed me how to put them on properly…I was supposed to squish and twist them first before putting into my ears where they would expand and block out the sound. D-oh!

Anyways, I tried to snap some pictures as the cars approached but they were really too fast. By the time I clicked, they were already 20 m down the road so I started clicking about 10 m before they passed me and that worked.

After a few minutes we crossed the underpass to St Julien and the Waterboat House, there we could see the cars a little clearer as they came out of Anderson Bridge. My uncouth husband took to standing on a lamp-post to catch a better view.


Next we decided to walk to Esplanade Bridge but before that, we were joined by my ex-colleague Desmond. From the Durians, we could see the cars emerge as they crossed the Esplanade Bridge but it wasn’t much fun to just see their backs, though we saw their sides as well when they slowed to turn. When practice was over, we decided to kill time by having drinks at the Esplanade.


Harry’s was screening the Merseyside derby but it was too crowded. There was space at Via Mar so we parked our butts there, but they were screening Ch24 which at that point had nothing interesting on. We got the staff to change to the Football Channel and that brought in the crowds. Service was shitty but hey, at least I got to watch Liverpool beat Everton. Thank goodness for Torres!

At 9.40 pm, we made our way to Raffles Avenue and found a spot along the bus-stop outside the Esplanade. We could see the cars clearly as they slowed to turn onto the Floating Platform. There was commentary throughout the practice session so we knew who was clocking in the fastest timings.


Spotted a man who lost one side of his earplugs and used tissue to block the sound. His tissue roll was a little too long though, we couldn’t help but laugh.


Before we knew it, Q3 was over. Massa had gotten pole and Lewis was second. It was definitely going to be an interesting race! The night didn’t end there though. We made our way back to Pierre and dropped Ben and Wendy off at Vivo where they could take the NEL back to Seng Kang. I didn’t feel like going home just yet and convinced Nick to drive up Mount Faber.

I got all excited when I saw the Henderson Waves bridge through the trees, had been meaning to explore it, so we stopped the car and spent a few minutes just walking and taking pictures. It was too dark though, shall have to come back during the day. (Jane, if you’re reading, you can take the wedding pictures here!)


I can’t wait for next year’s race, this time have to watch Race Day in person…hopefully there won’t be any weddings to attend then, unlike this year! Otherwise I would have sooo been there!

Gigi's got wheels

Bernard and Rachel popped by Membina on Saturday afternoon to deliver their gift to Gigi – a Peg Perego P3 stroller in Revi Black.

There’s a huge price difference between ordering it online from the States and the retail price here. Though it’s from an earlier collection , 2007 I think, the stroller still retails for around $468 at some stores here vs the $350 paid by Bernard which was inclusive of shipping. A bargain when you consider that 2008 models are going for $698 currently!

Sweet Swiedebie

I am surrounded by talented people!

My wedding gown designer Shef, who is now a stay-at-home mum in Holland, has set up a new blogsite showcasing her handcrafted items. Called Swiedebie, there are lots of pretty paper crafts and accessories, with her young daughter Kirsten providing the inspiration.

Everything is handmade, I think I shall get some cards done for future weddings. Shef, can or not? Say like 5? Anybody want to combine orders, let me know and we can consolidate.

I like this little stuffed donkey at the top of this entry - at least I think it's a donkey. Wonder how much it is...

If you like high-quality, one-of-a-kind cards, gifts and stationery, do check out swiedebie.blogspot.com. I saw some fortune cookies made in felt, so cute!

F1 Fever

The inaugural 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix is just 3 days away and we are gripped by F1 fever. With the final touches being done to the track, traffic in the Marina area has been a killer with the numerous road closures.

My 196 bus to work has been diverted, but thankfully I am not affected because I alight just before it deviates from its route. The drivers are already in town, can't believe I am breathing the same air as Lewis!

I'll be rooting for him this Sunday, qualifying for pole is crucial because the track doesn't have much straights for overtaking. Can't wait to hit the circuit this Saturday, have walkabout tickets to the qualifying session.

Yesterday I popped by Suntec after work to meet Rena and check out the Jay Gee sale. Bought 2 pairs of Dockers pants for Nick at $35 each but unfortunately they are a little snug. He'll just have to squeeze into them unless you know of anyone slimmer? There are 2 pairs of khakis at size 29 and 30.

Anyway, after the sale, me and Rena walked above ground to City Hall. Since the roads were closed, we could jaywalk anywhere. Along the way I kept snapping pictures of the track with my phone. The sponsors' billboards were being displayed, the caterers were setting up, testing was being done to sound systems, felt quite festive...so exciting!

It got me thinking, the last 2 companies I worked for i.e SSC and SingTel are quite involved in this event. I wonder if I would had a role to play had I stayed in those companies. Am quite sure I would have been, since I was doing communications and events. I bet I could have met the drivers too...damn!

On a separate note, we watched Mamma Mia on Tuesday night. Movie was alright, very true to the musical though I would have liked more Greek scenery. (Sigh, when will I go? Nickypoo promised me next year but I'm not holding my breath!)

Pierce Brosnan looked mighty fine, he may be 55 but he still turns me on! I laughed till I cried during the credits when the 3 main actors appeared in full disco gear, complete with bellbottoms, flared sleeves and tassles! So funny lah I tell you!

Giving IT a run for their money

I think I should consider joining the IT department at work, I might be better than them at resolving computer issues!

Recently before my boss left, he needed help to download his personal mail and address book from his office laptop to his personal laptop. Problem was that his personal mail was using Outlook Express and our office mail is on the Microsoft Outlook platform hence our IT guys were unsure on how to copy the mail over and said they could not help.

Resourceful old me found instructions online and got the go ahead from my boss to experiment with his laptops. The steps were pretty simple and in less than 5 mins, I had successfully exported his mail and contacts. He was very pleased and impressed!

And for the past few months, I've been having problems printing HTML emails from my Outlook at work. Kept getting a script error and just lived with it for a while. But last week, I raised the problem to IT and yesterday the intern tried to help me resolve the issue. She tried running a Windows update but that didn't work and wanted to repeat the step again today.

I didn't think that the problem had anything to do with Windows and took matters into my own hands. Copied the error message I got and googled it and in 30 secs found the solution to my problem. All I had to do was copy a simple command and run it, and immediately I could print again!

Reminds me of the time a few months ago when I downloaded software to convert a Sony audio file to mpeg when IT didn't have the means to do it!

Jeez, our IT can be a little hopeless at times! That's 3 times already I've had to teach them something because after I resolved my issues, they asked me for the instructions!

Up close and personal with Gigi

Woke up today with a wonky tummy, think it was yesterday's Rochor Beancurd soya bean drink I bought during lunch. It gave me a mild case of food poisoning, have been to the loo 4 times so far and been experiencing sharp abdominal cramps. Thankfully the carbon pills are working...what a waste of my leave!

Well, not a total waste. We brought Gigi to her photoshoot today, the little rugrat didn't really co-operate much so we didn't take a lot of pictures. She got hungry mid-way through and we had to wait till she stopped fidgeting and wailing. Still managed to get a couple of nice shots, here are my faves.