A (close to) Mid Year update

Oh dear, I'm almost blogging on a quarterly basis nowadays. But for good reasons!

I've been pretty occupied with a number of things and I have to say, 2013 looks set to be yet another exciting year :) Right, I'm saying that in the middle of the year, HAH. 

So far, our new place have given us the space and opportunities to experiment with things that have not been possible when we were not staying alone. Like cooking, baking, having fresh cut flowers all over the house and embarking on mini home projects to make our little abode all cozy and personal!

They may seem like the normal daily stuff, but they form so much lovely memories for this initial part of our married life. And we're thankful everyday for the ability to indulge in the process.

And so to note down all these beautiful moments (and of course, sometimes frustrating ones, like when my soufflé failed to rise :( ) we're working on a food/cooking/baking blog that documents down (very casually) our foodie moments in the kitchen (or wherever food leads us) - the Poppykitchenblog!

I have a ton of photos and material to post, but so far, many of these posts are still in draft stage (and some still in my head). But I hope I'll be able to have the discipline to go at it in full swing really soon!

Besides our couple time, I'm playing wedding coordinator for my brother's wedding!!

Yes, it IS more exciting to plan someone else's wedding (hey, I'm not the one coming out with the money right)!

Look how ravishing my SIL is!! I can never carry lace as well as her. In fact, I think not many ppl can ;)

And the wedding is in Jan next year so we're running on pretty tight timeline. But I'm so so so happy and excited!!! Totally not complaining :D

Another exciting piece of news....

In case u were guessing, nth to do with babies. Far from that actually.

Well, I've been going back for some dance lessons with my girlfriends recently.

And we tried out for a recital happening in Sep, and managed to get into an item!

So yes, after what, 4 years? I'll going to be back on stage again!! Yes, I told you this year will be exciting. And I haven't talked about my honeymoon yet :D

Besides all the fun stuff, it's gonna be a pretty interesting year at work too.

After 3 years of recruitment work, I'll be posted to another team to handle HR development work. 

Looking back, I have so much to be thankful for. I can't say it's a dream job, but I've always wanted to be in HR. And it's definitely an awesome experience for a first job. So many interesting experiences and every interview sessions I have and every career fair I attended made me learn so much. Moving on to the new team is pretty exciting because it's going to be a rather different scope of work. But I'm thankful that all the wonderful people will still be around me :)

And so I thought, after a year of grad trip, a year of entering the workforce, a year of proposal and wedding, this year will be a quiet and peaceful one - I'm wrong again!

I'm so thankful to have pops ard the whole time, supporting me in all the things I do - from baking (he has to finish all my bakes, whether it's nice or not), to the wedding planning (oh yes, he sits with us at the bridal studios for hours, w/o a single complaint), to dance (he chauffeurs me home at 11.30pm every Thurs, aft practice, or sponsors my cab fare :p) and work (for always being so encouraging). 

And in the midst of all the excitement, I'm soooooo looking forward to our long-awaited honeymoon in the UK!

For now, I pray for strength, wisdom and a heart full of gratitude to bring me through this whirlwind 2013 :)

Happy New (Financial) Year!

It's already April and only my second entry for the year!

This wasn't what I was planning for when I was blogging my previous entry because I was so determined to keep this space alive and jot down more bits and pieces of life - especially married life.

In any case, better late than never I guess! Let's take it as a fresh start for the (financial) year  >_<

The past 3 months had been a whirlwind. I have no idea how to better explain what went on during the virtual void. 

Majority of my time had been filled with work - office work, home work (office work which you bring home to do) and house work. Recruitment peak, corporate projects and trying to settle into married life (while balancing your time between family visits) required quite a bit of juggling, if I have to be honest. 

There was a period of time when I almost consistently returned home around 9pm after dinner (or finish washing the dishes at 10, if we cooked), did housework till 11, finished washing up around midnight and worked till the wee hours before catching a few hours of sleep.

And I've already fallen sick twice over the past 3 mths.

There were numerous occasions when I felt soooo tired, I became so frustrated about not being able to do anything well. But pops had been really really supportive, even when I throw one of my unreasonable tantrums out of frustrations. And he always reminded me to turn my problems to God. With problems I can't solve, I know only One who can. 

And of course, some nice little things help too... 

I've been extremely active on my Instagram because when I stop to seal those pretty little moments into photos, it helps to take me out of the whirlwind for a moment to appreciate the beauty that the moment brings. 

And I'm able to keep returning to these lovely moments which serve to remind me that there are so much in life to be thankful for. 

Besides having all the crazy-exciting things coming together at the same time, there had been many beautiful moments this past 3 months as Mrs Lim  :) 

More about married life in another post!! Hope it won't be a 'complain' session again next time though...

Travel Diary - Minimoon in Koh Samui

I'm back from my mini-moon and back to dust the spider webs off my blog!

Been so busy clearing rushing work, running last min errands and finishing last min projects for the wedding I've completely no time to even drop a sentence at this space. 

Soooo glad that all is over and good! I can't say it went perfectly well, but I'm really happy to say that I enjoyed myself and it felt like a really personal and emotionally charged ceremony for me :) More on the wedding another time.

Back to my mini moon trip.

When pops and I booked our trip to Koh Samui at Mantra Samui Resort (a resort up in the hills and not along the beach), we wanted it to be a no frills, no distraction, plain and simple retreat for us to shut ourselves down and rest. 

And we're glad to say, it was everything we wanted and more! Almost. Because I requested for a room at a higher level to enjoy the view but was given one just above the roof of the lobby. Still, good enough for us because we had privacy :)

For me, the trip was like an 'Eat. Pray. Love" moment of revelation. Not to the extent, but it had that effect. 

There was nowhere for crazy shopping, no places that you die-die have to go for sight-seeing, and the resort was so nice and comfortable and the pace so relaxed, you just want to stay in everyday and not do anything.

Except for tanning, soaking in the jacuzzi, drinking beer, eating fruits, reading books, try out yoga classes. And you get to do all these, without feeling like you're wasting time. 

It has been such a long time since I read till I refuse to put the book down. As I typed, my mind is still thinking about Julie in her book, "You had me at Woof". It was one of the books which the resort left in the room for their guests to bring along their tanning sessions. And I know it's my kind of book the moment I saw it on the shelf. 

I was reading "The Introvert's Way" as well. And I think it played a huge part in the revelation I experienced. Sophia Dembling, the author, seemed to not just understand how the introverts think, but speak our very mind! Of course, that's because she's an introvert too. 

I may seem like I'm digressing, but really, this book helped me to appreciate the mini-moon experience better because I know that enjoying the quiet moments are my cup of tea and I'm not obliged to get into all sorts of action and hubbub "just in case" I miss out on sth while I'm there. 

Reading a book in the jacuzzi, chatting with pops over beer at the pier, strolling aimlessly at the beach. Those are moments so priceless and unforgettable, they get imprinted in my mind like the day we enjoyed a hot coffee in London's Pret-a-Manger, watching the hustle and bustle go by along Oxford Street.

Ok, the part about London, I digress.

My main point, is that this whole experience had been amazing. Not in a lavish, grandeur, awe-struck way, but in a subtle, quiet and rejuvenating way that is inspiring in its own manner. 

For 2013, I hope that I get to spend more time reading, writing, developing myself and sharing those quiet moments of beauty with people who may miss it in a wink.

And my most comforting take-away, is that my extroverted husband is able to appreciate those quiet moments of beauty with me :)

Moments

This month is probably the most intensive month for the last quarter of the year. Tons of deadlines to meet, meetings to rush to, projects to clear and trainings to attend. 

Coupled with reno stuff and final leg of wedding planning! 

I'm thankful for little moments of calmness and enjoyment, no matter how short-lived, for it provides us a chance to remind ourselves to breathe. 

I can still recall the feeling of tranquility when we were sitting at the balcony having a simple breakfast. No buzz around us, no crowd, no distractions. Just us, the breeze and the sound of water flowing over the edge of the pool.

And the sudden urge to engage in a half hour long prayer on the treadmill because my mind was finally clear enough to focus on what is truly important. 

It's moments like these that are so simple and precious. That I do not wish to forget.

These 2 weeks will be pure madness once again. But I'm really thankful that most of the crazy moments should be over by end of this month and hopefully, we can concentrate on our wedding for the month of December :)

Florals, food tasting, hen party, dinner in M'sia, guo da li, bridal party, logistics. 

I'm definitely dedicating December for all of these!

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 

Buzz around the House

Our own house will not be ready for another 1 to 2 years and the original plan was to stay with Pops’ family till our house is ready.

However, during our parents-meet-the-parents session, it so happened that his dad brought up the possibility of us staying at the aptmt they bought for rental purpose while waiting for our house. It sounded logical (and really exciting) since they are getting their reno done and one of his brother is going to take over his room in the future, might as well let him decide how he wants the room to be done.

We received the keys to the new aptmt abt a month ago and we are now full force into the reno. 

Some (ok, a lot of) photos taken of the pre-reno aptmt:

[Exterior]

(finally, no more climbing up and down the MSCP!)

[Pool + Clubhouse]

[Interior]

(this shall mean one thing - BAKE!!)

(Reserving this window ledge for pots of home-grown herbs)

(Looking forward to chill-time at the crazy-sized balcony)

[All the Other Things]

(just step out of the house and it’ll lead directly to the bus stop which will link to the MRT stn entrance. Such convenience!)

(gym. No more excuses)

(bee-bee-queue! and no more having to book exorbitantly-priced chalets to do that)

(With a flower shop right next door, no one's stopping me from getting a new bunch of fresh-cut every week!)

Ok, end of preview :) and we really love that place!

I’m so impressed with pops for being so organized and on-the-ball with the reno works. He is now coordinating the reno for both the new aptmt and his current house within a short span of 3 mths and it’s unbelievable the details that have to be taken care of. Not to mention managing the varied preferences, decisions, choices and temperaments of everyone involved.

But he seems to really enjoy it and I believe that he will be greatly satisfied upon the completion of the projects :)

At the same time, we’re also taking this whole experience as a practice and trial for us, before we get our own home. Making decisions, choices, checking out details, setting priorities... so many things to look at and so many potential opportunities for conflicts. 

But I’m really glad that we’ve made it so far into the process unscathed. In fact, we’ve really enjoyed it despite the intensity :) I guess it’s because we appreciate similar things, we listen to each others’ comments and we complement each other in our decision-making process. We tend to notice things that the other party does not and it helps us to make better decisions. And we pray. For God to grant us wisdom, strength and understanding.

Today, we took half-day leave and accomplished soooo much we were impressed by our focus :p

Bought utensils and pots, collected lights, checked out outdoor furniture, updated contractors’ list with the condo management, delivered lights to the aptmt, went IKEA for some loose furniture, went to OM to select our complimentary sofa and dining sets. And as I’m typing away, pops is packing his room to prepare for the move.

I’ve got so much (yes, much, because it has become uncountable) photos to share on the whole process, I shall do soon a separate post next time :)