宅家日常

今天的我是快乐的我，因为我可以睡到自然醒、吃到自己心心念念的菜色，和安安静静地在家完成工作。

前两天是我和蜈蚣先生交往五周年的纪念日。我们两个懒人没有搞什么仪式感，只是相约在新山的谷中城广场吃一顿好的庆祝。偏偏我俩都忘了当天是新加坡独立日。新加坡人、在新工作的马劳和各国游客涌入新山，导致广场内人山人海，广场附近的几条主道更是水泄不通。和人群比肩继踵三小时不到，我的社交配额就清空了。回家后，我直接开启自闭模式，挺尸一晚上。

回想起来，几乎每年的交往纪念日我们都吃不咋健康的东西。

今年的主餐是Carl's Jr的汉堡和薯条。

饭后小吃是日本特产店买的明太子味薯片和巧克力饼干。

台上见人一分钟，台下休息十年功。所以这个周末打死我我也得好好宅在家养神。

昨天晚上我十点多入睡，设置了早上四点半的闹钟，寻思凌晨起来我能比较专注地批阅考卷。结果我一觉睡到八点。当我撑开惺忪的睡眼时，蜈蚣先生已经起来活动五小时了。

他说：“早餐出去吃吧。”

我问：“吃什么？”

他很上道地回答：“吃xx早餐店如何？”

正解！一天的好心情从蜈蚣先生知情识趣、投我所好开始！

出门前五分钟，我迅速地把瘦肉和妈妈为我准备好的药材包放入电子瓷锅里，中午就能喝到炖汤。吃完早餐之后，我们去华人超市买了一些干粮。适逢超市大装修后重新开业，我们还获得一包咖啡粉赠品。回家后工作两小时、摸鱼大概一小时，又到了饭点，嘿嘿。

这个周末的重头工作：批阅考卷！

我改考卷真的就是三天捕鱼，两天晒网的态度。deadline是我唯一的动力。

我时常都想：要是我在新加坡或是中国当老师，我大概早就失业了吧！

每个月做一次的家务：换一批新的除湿袋。

午餐是白饭、药材汤和豆角土豆鸡蛋饼。作为十级懒人，让我一天窝厨房做两轮菜似乎不太现实。所以我在煎蛋饼的同时，把晚餐吃的牛肉也炖上了。午饭之后当然就是下午茶时间啦！今天的下午茶是纯纯的垃圾食物：薯片、抹茶味的小饼干还有可乐。

吃饱耍废刷视频，之后做半个小时的运动。我妈妈送我的室内运动鞋开了一个很大的口，所以今天我终于换上我校的教师工会去年头送的新鞋。鞋跟部分有一点儿松，不过不要紧，之后穿厚一点的袜子应该就能把空间填满。

旧鞋和新鞋排排放。

傍晚六点半，准时开饭！我和蜈蚣先生吃晚餐时一般都会搭配动漫或是油管的视频。晚餐是土豆炖牛肉。炖了好几个小时，牛肉块早已软烂，土豆也吸满了浓郁的汤汁。白饭不够吃，我们就拿白面包沾汤汁夹牛肉。剩下的汤汁收入冰箱，明天做焖面吃！我宣布：今晚的新尝试大成功！

吃饱喝醉，小修片刻，是时候冲凉洗去一身油腻。之后打算洗一批衣服，再批阅一点考卷才遁入梦乡。这样的一天，好惬意！

很长很长的唠叨

经历九九八十一难（懒），我终于写好了这篇很长很长，又毫无重点的日常文。

虽然迟了半年，但还是要祝各位看官兔年行大运！

难怪自古诗人作者酷爱穷游，毕竟壮丽的自然景色和逼仄的破旧旅店有异曲同工之妙，都能激发强烈的写作欲。

六月二日是我一位朋友的大喜之日，所以今天（一日）我和蜈蚣先生在婚礼场地附近的廉价旅馆留宿。这客栈当真糟糕，入目皆是斑驳的墙面和缺口的瓷砖地。床单和毛巾都已洗到发白、起毛边了，更印着星星点点可疑的污迹。所幸冷气和热水供应给力，所以我俩决定凑合一晚吧。虽然放假出游的好心情还在，但此时此景终究不是你侬我侬的好时机，所以我决定趁机整理和记录2023年首五（六？）个月比较有纪念价值的生活琐事。

一月发生重大事件莫过于搬家和首次以媳妇的身份在婆家过农历新年。好吧，搬家其实是十二月杪的事，可是我们花了大概一个星期才正式安顿下来，所以四舍五入就是一月的事了。

我和蜈蚣先生婚后继续租房。恰巧碰上他的室友们搬离，所以他主张和他的房东续约。一开始我对这个主意颇有微词，后来事实证明这是一个明智不过的决定。其中一个好处就是搬家容易：我从女生宿舍搬到他家去，就是十五楼搬到六楼、电梯几开几合就搞定的事。

我对于三个男人住了四年的单身公寓的整洁实在不抱任何幻想，所以我搬去之前就有心理准备需要撸起袖子大扫除一番。但是等我真正看到实况的时候，还是忍不住倒吸一口气。墙壁和台面沾满污迹，厨房和厕所的水龙头全坏了，长期累积的各类垃圾也没有处理掉，损坏的家私把本来宽敞的空间挤得水泄不通。

我们花了300块请专人处理垃圾，然后再花两天三夜以武僧横扫竹林落叶的狠劲打扫家里各个角落。通过此事，我发现其实蜈蚣先生在抹东西去污垢这方面比我做得更快更好。为免埋没他的才华，我委任他此后在家负责抹地和洗厕所。我们回娘家的时候，他也大展身手抹风扇和刷洗大门铁花上的陈年污垢。好吧，得贤君如此，妇复何求。

给大家展示一下打扫干净后的主人房。我真的很爱这采光！

今年在槟城过农历新年，事事都觉得很新鲜。其中最稀罕当属除夕夜去教堂参加弥撒，为蹭乐兴我还穿着旗袍去。婆家算是大家族，过年需要走访和招待的亲戚较多。团圆饭的规模更是盛大，好在没有什么森严的家规，年轻人基本只需打打下手帮前帮后。

整个二月份和三月初都没有发生什么特别的事情。工作时间在柔佛备考、批卷和筹备新学年；假日在怡保陪父母和溜兔。唯一值得提起的事就是我在影院看了两部好电影陶冶性情：二月和父母看香港电影《毒舌大状》；三月和蜈蚣先生看新海诚的新作《铃芽之旅》。

三月底和四月初是锻炼我忍耐和省思的好时机，因为妈妈生病了。妈妈在医院住了超过两个星期，期间还动了小手术。一开始妈妈在加护病房无法使用手机，而我和姐姐因为工作排不开无法立刻回去，仅靠和爸爸用讯息和视频通话联系。那段时间真是心急如焚坐立不安，甚至做了最坏打算，心里一直祈祷至少要能和妈妈再见上一面。

后来我回去了，姐姐回去了，妈妈回家静养了，爸爸也终于能喘一口气不再紧绷着。一家人整整齐齐的相聚时光必然是快乐的，至少我很开心。纵使有很多事情需要处理、饮食清淡，但只要每天能看到爸爸妈妈、能和姐姐耍耍嘴皮子，我就觉得很安心。

之前爸爸两次入院动大手术，我也很担心，也立刻回去看父母，却没有这次那么无奈、愤怒。可能潜意识里我总觉得爸爸心智坚强，加上有妈妈无微不至地照顾，所以一定能平安无事。相比之下，妈妈生病了，我立马觉得地球都不转了。虽然爸爸也为妈妈做很多事：为她按摩、为她跑政府部门处理各种申请、为她分担一些家务，可是我认为现在两老独自在家，还有很多日常生活的琐事需要考量和改进，不然他们的身体健康终究徘徊在前进三步退后一步的节奏。当然，以上只是我当时非常主观又带着浓厚负面情绪的个人观点。事实以医学报告还有爸爸妈妈的想法和心情为准。

之前有一段时间，我一直请婆家人和朋友为我的父母代祷，因为当时我内心充满愤怒，除了每日的玫瑰经，我根本不想和天主多说一句。我并没有生气天主或是埋怨祂让好人生病；反之，我生气自己和父母。我气自己的无能和短见，导致前几年没有更强势地无视父母的反对为他们翻新整间屋子。我气爸爸妈妈，这么多年了依然活在各种阴影中，导致他们对很多事情持有偏见。任何只要有丁点儿纪念价值的东西都不要丢、还可以坚持劳动就不愿意花钱请外人装修打扫或是买新科技······一直说钱要留着急用，却逃避身体给自己的警钟，活生生把可以通过长期吃药解决的事熬成急症。多年的不忍变成一个巨大的幕后推手，把人推向疾病的断崖。简言之，我不祷告不是因为不想和天主说话，而是不想在气愤之下说错话。老实说，如果当时真求了，我不会求父母康复，反而会求整个地球毁灭，而且最好我是第一个死的人。

不在愤怒中爆发，就在愤怒中幡然醒悟。其实，父母和孩子之间必然有代沟和意见不合，随着双方年纪越大问题越明显。这不需要大惊小怪，也不必为此悲伤春秋太久。毕竟诚如大家所说：我不理解，但我尊重。与其每天气咘咘把先生都吓得离我远远地，我还是继续专心做我自己：一块比上不足比下有余的大兔饼。

天大的事，也不能阻止我各种躺平摆烂。

最近我心情平复了，又有力气祈祷了。其实从一年前开始，我关于陈家的日常祷文就大致如此：

天主啊，求你给我们一家人健康的身体。
求你让妈妈时时心情愉悦，不为小事动怒，反而把目光定在她在永生能得到的圆满。
求你让爸爸能深刻感受到你无所不在、密不透风的爱意，好使他有勇气放下沉重的过去，有信心回应家人的好意，也有自制力去维持健康的生活习惯。
求你给姐姐智慧去辨识好坏，不叫她们遇见试探，救她们脱离凶恶。

最近，我的祷文又加了一段：天主，求你坚定我们一家的信仰。不因受病魔折磨而埋怨你，不因偶尔被他人误解而放弃你，不因偶尔他人拒绝我们好意而迁怒你。祈求在我们每个人弥留之际，我们为要回天家了而满心欢喜；放下遗憾，也没有留恋，因为我们坚信你会继续照顾和指引我们还在世的亲人朋友。

爸爸妈妈，我和姐姐真的很爱很爱你们~

爸爸妈妈，就像你们最怕我和姐姐不开心、不够钱用一样，我最怕你们自责、为了我们而不舍得用钱。你们过往为了上一代住院多次奔波，医院对你们而言宛如血盆大口。所以你们总希望痛苦能在你们那一代结束，自己不会再成为下一代前进的累赘。可是对我而言，你养我小我养你老从来就不是一件可耻的事。作为新时代的华人，我们不该一昧愚孝，却也不该被西方那种父母孩子之间完全独立的文化道德绑架。相信我吧，就算你每年给我两个亿，我的生活也不会突然变得更好更充实。就算我不把钱用在你们身上，钱大抵也会被用在其他你们看不过眼的地方。简言之，优雅地老去也包括坦然地接受他人的帮助。

说到这里，陈老师要上线阐明一下个人对金钱的价值观。钱嘛，当然是多多益善。但是其实钱从来不是最大的问题，态度才是问题！就像蜈蚣先生每次闯祸了却又一脸懵的时候，我都会念： “事情发生了，我不要听解释（借口），也不是想看你惨兮兮地自责或道歉。我要的是你以端正的态度去正视这个事情，和我一起解决问题。” 而成年人解决问题，不多不少总会牵涉到金钱。真正让我动怒的不是钱，而是家人的态度。所以哈，大家甭担心，陈家并没有穷到揭不开锅，陈家人也没有掉钱眼儿里。

（今天是六月九日）天呀，我居然在不知不觉间写了这么多！希望爸爸妈妈和各位看官不要误会我在教训长辈怎么做事，我本意并非如此。我只是想抒发一下我这两个月来一些微不足道的心路历程。接下来，让我快速地说一下五月发生的大事，然后结束这篇冗长的唠叨。

五月是欢庆时分。为了庆祝朋友即将迈入婚姻生活，我们四个女生去吃日料和体验泰式按摩。虽然脱到只剩内裤躺在陌生的床上让人十分不安，可是泰籍大妈按摩的力度实在是太！合适！了！一身的疲劳就像牛油一样遇热即化。

恭喜又一位美女迈入少妇行列~

陈老师庆祝教师节收到礼物当然也很开心，但是今年的重头戏是放学之后的午宴。为了庆祝印籍的副校长荣休，我们办了一场波莱坞主题的派对。快瞧瞧我这身纱丽多精美！

江山易改，本性难移。老师的天性就是要穿各种一模一样的制服。

转眼间，2023年都过一半了。平时上班下班没啥感觉，整理之后才发现，这半年间算得上是高潮迭起。本文结束前，我要特别感谢吴爸爸和吴妈妈来探望陈爸爸陈妈妈。也要感谢我的教父教母还有美美的表妹，收留了我和蜈蚣先生一个晚上。还让我们插入了你们卢李两家好好的结婚注册纪念照。真的很拍谢！（这里就不展示表妹的注册照了，毕竟我们不是主角，我也不想未经她同意就上载对她这么有意义的照片。）

最后的最后，附送大家一条炭烧兔饼。

希望下半年，大家一起变得更好！

Nuptial Mass and Wedding Luncheon (Part 2)

Read Part 1 here.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye as soon as we got to the restaurant.

Noel and I served tea to the senior relatives from 12.00 pm to 12.30 pm. The luncheon began at 12.45 pm after Noel's dad gave a short welcoming speech and prayed for the food. Noel and I had a few bites of the food before we went from table to table to greet the guests. By the time we were done with it, it was time for Noel to give a short closing speech. We then stood at the entrance and bid the guests farewell. Everyone, including Noel and I, left the venue at around 3.15 pm and headed home.  

Remember in Part 1 I said I just turned into a stoic Humpty Dumpty towards the end of the day? 

Yep, here's a picture of me staring intensely at nothing.

In my opinion, when planning a wedding on a budget, it's important to know what you're willing to splurge on and what you want to save on. Moreover, you should communicate your expectations clearly to whoever that's involved in the planning process as early as possible.

Disclaimer: 

(1) I believe there is no definite right or wrong way when it comes to spending money. Wedding is also something personal, so everyone is free to have it the way they like.

(2) A little context for my non-Chinese readers: In a typical Chinese wedding, it's customary for a guest to present the bridal couple with a red packet to help cover for part of the wedding expenses. The amount they give depends on how close they're with the bridal couple, what kind of restaurant they're invited to, and most importantly, how much they can afford to give. 

However, a bridal couple should never expect to have everything paid off by their guests. Also, it's rude for a bridal couple to ask for a specific amount from the guests.

Noel and I viewed our wedding celebration more as a family reunion time rather than an exclusive event to fulfill our childhood wedding fantasies, not that we have any that our lazy bums were resolute enough to put it into action.

With that in mind, I came up with a list and told my parents-in-law my expectations since they were practically our wedding planners.

Here's a picture of my awesome parents-in-law who went above and beyond to make sure everything was in order for our wedding.

The three must-haves in our wedding were: good food, right people, and meaningful photographs.

By good food I don't mean luxurious delicacies such as lobsters and caviar that we couldn't afford. I simply mean enough (and of course decent) food to feed everyone. 

This sounds like a common sense, but I had had plenty of first-hand experience working in a restaurant many years ago how bridal couples would cut cost by skimping on food. They would order dishes meant for eight people for a 10-pax table. Needless to say, I was appalled, and I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't happen in my wedding. 

Next, due to limited space and budget, we chose to prioritize relatives over friends when it came to who to invite. My parents-in-law were mainly in charge of this. 

Noel and I invited a few friends, and we were truly grateful to everyone who showed up despite having to sacrifice your family time and embrace the crazy traffic in Penang during the Christmas period.

Last but not least, I wanted a professional photographer to capture all the important moments. Noel and I quickly decided on engaging the service of C Bride Studio right after we had our pre-wedding photoshoot there. 

Candice did my makeup beautifully, and her husband did a good job with all these photos you have seen. Read about our pre-wedding photoshoot here.

On the other hand, the three things I didn't wish to spend much on in our wedding were: decorations, entertainment, and the usual formalities.

Since we were having the luncheon in a relatively new restaurant, the ambience was nice enough without any addition decorations. The easel and the flower arch you see in the photos were complimentary from the restaurant, and they are reused for other wedding banquets too.

Secondly, the only entertainment Noel and I prepared for the guests were two photo montage videos. One was made by C Bride Studio, which consisted of our pre-wedding photoshoot photos. The other one was made by me, which consisted of photos meaningful to us.

Throughout the luncheon, light music was played in the background over the speakers. Noel and I actually prepared a list of songs to be played. However, in the end, instead of plugging in our pen drive, the restaurant staff played whatever they had in their computer system. It would definitely be better if they had played our preferred music, but I was not upset though because I didn't even notice it till Noel pointed it out to me!

Well, technically, we had the most amazing performance during our luncheon courtesy to our very talented cousins. A few of them managed to put together an awesome band performance after rehearsing for less than a couple of hours!

Thank you! *googly eyes*

The third element which Noel and I omitted for our wedding was the usual formalities. No cake, no champagne tower, no outfit change. 

During the wedding planning process, we also did not print out any invitation cards. The invitation was sent via Whatsapp, and everyone responded either through call or filling in a Google Form.

My artistic mother-in-law put together our wedding flower bouquet and corsage for an affordable price. On top of that, she also made the ring bearer pillow and the flower basket carried by the flower girl using recyclable materials. Thank you, mom!

I printed out a copy of our wedding invitation card because the photographer needed it for this particular shoot. Not featured in this photo is the flower basket.

Another thing which saved us a lot of money was not getting a pair of new wedding rings. Noel used his family ring as his wedding band, while I used our engagement ring as my wedding band.

Honestly, I'm not wearing any accessories, not even my wedding ring, on a daily basis. Therefore, I don't see a need in getting an exorbitant ring just to have it collecting dust in a safe. 

Here's a photo taken while Noel was delivering his closing speech. 

He looked very smart while I looked exactly how I felt: it's nice having all of you here, but I think it's about time all of us go back to our respective caves.

Ultimately, I'm aware that the biggest reason our wedding went well was because Noel and I are very fortunate to have sensible human beings as our relatives. Therefore, we didn't have to "fight for our rights" throughout the entire process. Everyone involved in the planning saw eye-to-eye on most of the stuff, and all the guests went with the flow without any complaints.

Allow me to squeeze in some more appreciation notes before I end this post:

Thank you, Wan Ning, for being my bridesmaid.

On a side note, I prepared a cute dress for my makeup session, but I completely forgot about it! I even boldly told the photographer that I didn't have anything else to change into! So, I ended up taking all my makeup session photos in this men-shirt and biker shorts.

Thank you, Nicholas, for being Noel's best man. 

Thank you, Nelson and Hazel, for being our witnesses, the accountants, and the doorgift delivery man/lady.

Thank you, Michael, for being the driver and the IT guy.

Thank you, Michelle, for being the receptionist. 

Thank you, Rachael, for being the lector.

Thank you, Jane, for being the cantor.

Thank you, Aunt Cecilia and Aunt Kae Shi, for facilitating the tea ceremony.

For those whom I forgot to thank here, please forgive me. 

Once again, thank you so much to everyone who wished us and/or graced our wedding celebrations with your presence.

 

Noel and Tina, signing off for now.

Nuptial Mass and Wedding Luncheon (Part 1)

Here's a realistic conversation Noel and I have weekly:

I whispered, "What time does this mass end?"

Noel replied, "Soon. Be patient."

"Okay."

Noel asked, "What's for lunch/dinner?"

"No idea. What do you fancy?"

"I'm thinking of chicken. What do you want?"

I chided, "We're in church now. Stay focused."

Noel and I sacramentally tied the knot on December 26th, 2022! Woohoo!

First of all, let me show you some snippets from our nuptial mass that took place at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Island Park, Penang.

The mass began at 10:00 am. Noel and I reached the church at around 9:15 am to take pictures with guests who came early. 

Look at my brilliant smile. Enjoy it while you can because as the day progressed, I turned from a jolly bride to a stoic Humpty Dumpty and the photos showed!

It's actually not compulsory for the father to walk the bride down the aisle. In fact, in many modern weddings, the bride and the groom walk down the aisle together to symbolize their equal commitment and total free will to enter into the marriage. 

Nevertheless, I was very happy that my dad could walk me down the aisle. It was definitely a heartwarming moment.

Noel and I exchanged our vows. Prior to the mass, Father Henry reminded us to read slowly, not just for clarity, but to really mean what we say and to soak in the moment. 

I think Noel and I did okay...? At least I didn't say the wrong name like Ross did.

Yay! All done for the most nerve-wreaking part.

After the mass concluded, Noel and I followed the Chinese traditions and offered three bows - 

the first bow to God (一拜天地), 

the second bow to parents (二拜高堂), 

but the third bow was to the guests instead of with each other.

Noel and I marched out of the hall at 11:00 am. 

Then, we took more photos with the guests in batches.

A photo with the Ng clan (Noel's dad's family) and a photo with the Lee clan (Noel's mom's family).

Noel and I did not set a particular dress code for our wedding but some of the ladies coordinated their outfits and showed up in Nyonya Kebaya together. I love it. Just look at how gorgeous everyone looked!

A photo with the Tans and Yips and a photo with our TFM friends.

We took pictures with most of the guests, then at 11:30 am, off we went to Elite House in Jelutong, Penang for our wedding luncheon. It took us about 20 minutes to reach there. 

The luncheon started at 12:30 pm, so we had about half an hour for the tea ceremony. Thankfully, the capable aunties who were in charge of the tea ceremony had everything ready by the time Noel and I arrived at the scene.

To be continued...

Bridal Shower, and some appreciation notes

On the first weekend of November 2022, a few of my close friends generously devoted their time and money to organize a bridal shower for me. 

Thank you, Amanda, for being the event planner that took care of everything from A to Z.

Thank you, Rheena, for taking leave and driving all the way down to Pasir Gudang just to spend time with us.

Thank you, Grace and Siew Ting, for sacrificing your precious rest time in between hectic part-time work hours so that we could do some very adultlike things together.

In case you're wondering, two of the adultlike things we did were eating junk food late at night without being told off and having sleepover in matching pajamas bought using my friends' hard-earned money. XD

Look at the number of snacks we had for the night!

We consumed most of the ice-cream and chips while watching episode 4 of The Zone: Endure to Survive.

Usually for our birthday get-togethers, the birthday girl will choose an activity or a place to explore. For this event, I wanted to attend a floral arrangement workshop with the girls.

After inquiring, we discovered that a session at the florist in Johor Bahru would cost RM300 per person! Considering how expensive fresh flowers can be, I could understand why a session would cost so much. However, we were certain that we wanted something more budget friendly. 

In the end, praise the Lord for Esther, a part-time florist and a church friend of Amanda, for agreeing to conduct a floral session for the five of us, at our home! 

In my opinion, what we had was definitely a better experience than joining a professional workshop because not only was it more affordable, but we were also able to truly enjoy the process with no stranger around. We even got to pick out our own flowers and accessories at a local wholesale florist.

We went shopping at Pudu Ria Floral Trading.

I might look skilled, but in reality, I had no idea what I was doing.

Here's a picture of us with our end products!

Here's a picture of us with the sifu!

We ended the get-together on a high note by having a scrumptious lunch at Cafe Anatolia, an authentic Mediterranean restaurant at Iskandar Puteri. We drove 40 minutes one way to reach our destination. Fortunately, the ambience and the taste lived up to the expectations. 

For the record, I love Turkish/Greek/Middle Eastern cuisine with a passion. It's a shame that aside from Nasi Arab, they are not commonly available in Pasir Gudang.

Look at this gorgeous seating arrangement. 

We didn't sit here though because we decided to occupy one of the private rooms.

This is the one and only group photo we have. 

We asked the waiter to take a group photo of us, but his photo-taking skill was horrendous as he only included three of us in the frame...

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you my dear friends for such a lovely and cozy bridal shower. I would also like to take this opportunity to appreciate a few people who went above and beyond to make sure that I felt loved and had everything I needed for my wedding.

Thank you, Vicky, my cousin sister, for baking us delicious butter cookies. They were wonderful door gifts for our guests during the dinner on December 23rd. On top of that, thank you for the exquisite heart-shaped soap. I am currently using it as a fragrance in my towel drawer.

Thank you, Wan Ning, for driving all the way up to Penang to be my bridesmaid despite the inconveniences and car breakdown. We managed to chat a little the night before my wedding, but I feel like we need another sit-down session to catch up with each other properly. 

Thank you, Jane, for the stunning digital art of Noel and me. The image is currently displayed on the shelf right by the entrance of our rental apartment.

      

I would also like to express my gratitude to some friends and colleagues who found time to meet up with Noel and me even though you couldn't come to the wedding.

There are at least 200 more people whom I am grateful for. I will probably include more details in the coming posts after I finally received our actual-day wedding photos from the photographer. I have been waiting eagerly for the photos to be ready, but I guess I will have to continue exercising my patience for now.

In short, I am extremely thankful to everyone who wished us and/or graced our wedding celebrations with your presence. May God bless all of you, and I wish everyone a very hoppy Rabbit year!