Of Jaya Shopping Centre

A wedding-unrelated entry. I'm sure most of you have known about the collapse of the Jaya Shopping Centre in PJ few days back, of which to date has killed 7 people.

Jaya was opened to the public more than 3 decades ago. It definitely plays a significant role in the lives of the people in PJ, and non-PJ too.

And like them, Jaya has a very special place in my heart, at that short period of time in my life, June - December 2000.

It was the first time me ever being so far away from home in Penang, to pursue my tertiary education; Jaya was the place I seek refuge. I would go alone to the shopping centre, look at the things me and my family would always shop back home, just to comfort my silent cry of homesickness.

Facing the harsh reality of the world tanpa keluarga di sisi. Makan, basuh baju, kemas bilik, semua kena buat sendiri. Time tu jugak la nak kena buat kawan, trying to bond with people, study benda2 baru and in English pulak. Nak call parents guna handphone pulak sangat mahal. Public phone, panjang aja queue nya.

Jaya was also the place that me and my first few uni friends would hang out after class and on weekends, friends whom I hold dear right until today.

It was the place which witnessed my first "blind date" with a guy which was also my first date ever. It was sweet and memorable, and the guy was damn cute! (Nota buat Encik Ide: Sila tutup mata anda apabila membaca ayat terakhir itu heee)

So many other memories associated with Jaya but the above are the momentous ones. It is sad that I could not go back to the place and reminisce them...

It's so hot in here

I temporarily stopped surveying things for my wedding cuz:

1) Penang has been so hot of late, it's like a heatwave...
2) Run out of promising bridal boutiques to visit...

So I only have been surveying online, in the comfort of the air-conditioning. Please God make it rain even for a day!

Kursus Kahwin - Check!

Check ke checked ha? Pls correct my grammar kay, thanks! :D

Last weekend saya telah menghadirkan diri saya ke kursus kawin bersama Encik Ide, kat Pusat Bandar Damansara. A good friend of mine pernah pi kursus kahwin kat sini. Katanya very convenient, parking free, can just walk-in tak payah nak register2 bagai. Ustaz2 pun boleh tahan lawaknya, so saya menggagahkan jua diri ini mengheret Encik Ide. Tu la kan nak pergi berdua la konon-kononnya. Semedang tgh cuti 2 minggu ni, baik buat sesuatu perkembangan yg agak besar untuk persiapan perkahwinan bulan 12 nanti. Wah skema nya hihi.

To me, pusat kursus kahwin tu quite good lah. Parking je tepi jalan or basement tak payah nak jalan jauh2. Di tengah2 deretan kedai2 seperti 7 Eleven, KFC, Secret Recipe, Kenny Rogers, Giant dan sebagainya. Kalau ngantuk2 leh turun 7 Eleven beli Slurpee. Yum! So sesiapa berminat silalah klik kat link di perenggan di atas. Even though you all haven't planned on getting married just yet, baik pi je dulu. One Ustaz was telling that the Majlis Agama Islam or something like it is planning on extending the duration of the pre-marital course to 3D2N ke apa, siap dengan Qiyamullail semua. Which is even better, ye la siapa di antara you all ni pernah berqiyamullail (bangun malam, bukan bangun malam tengok bola OK!!).

Kosnya murah saja, RM80 p/person. :) Ajak la geng2 yg belum pernah hadir kursus kawin then you all pegi together2. Boleh gelak kat lawak2 Ustaz2 tu bersama-sama.

To me, the Ustaz2 kat sana semua OK2. They don't make it too formal, if not for sure we'd all be nodding off. Cuma ada this one Ustaz who was lecturing on the "Kesihatan" module, he was elaborating on the food pyramid for like, 40minutes! Semua jenis buah-buahan tempatan dia nak komen: manggis, durian, betik, pisang, etc. I think we were all exposed to that food pyramid since we were like, what? 12? Tak perlu la kot nak komen panjang2 kot Ustaz, pasal benda2 yg semua org dah tahu. Lebih bagus kalau dia ceramah pasal health for expecting mothers, babies, just to name a few.

Apa pun, dah selesai dah pun kursus. Which reminds me, sijil belum amik!! FYI, sijil siap 2 hari selepas kursus. Cepat kan!

Venue Confirmed!!

I changed the venue of my wedding reception! I am so lucky to get the only available date in Dec! But it is a day later that what we planned, tapi tak kesah la, I sooo want the hall! Hatiku jatuh chinta buat kali ke-2...(ke?!)

Lihatlah dewanku ini: -

Setia Pearl Island Grand Ballroom (pic is courtesy of Husaini)

Mula2 I dah book this one dewan at K0mpleks Masyarakat Penyayang more than a year ago. But lama kelamaan I think the hall is a bit rundown and buruk, the flooring tu mcm nak menangis I tgk pun ada...to decorate such a hall I think it requires more $$$. This dewan yg I baru book is a bit more expensive (sikit je tak banyak ;p) but I don't think I will spend more on the deco and such.

My mind is so full of ideas!!!

Budget Newsflash!

I am rather proud of my achievement today! Finally I have prepared my wedding budget today! Yay! To those out there, a wedding budget is important to ensure that you have sufficient savings or fund to support your white lace dreams. If you are from a well-to-do family whom parents are more than willing to use their extravagant funds, then you might not need a budget. If not, larat ke nak tanggung hutang bank sampai bertahun-tahun lamanya akibat amik personal loan sebab nak kawin punya pasal?

But I am just a normal girl from a normal family who is dreaming of a slightly abnormal wedding, so I have to put pen to paper how much my abnormal wedding will cost me.

A bit more than I expected!! So, harus berusaha mencari bargain!! Wish me luck! :))

What is it that I want?

The problem with me is, I don't know what I want. My wedding is approx. 7 months away but I just don't know where to start. I have been visiting bridal boutiqes around Penang and Kedah, get their quotations and package prices, but that's it lah. I mean, the people at the bridal boutiques would be asking me what is my theme? I would be like, "Huh? You mean color theme or some other theme? Tah lah saya pun tak tau apa theme saya". It definitely helps if you visit those boutiques knowing what you want in your mind.

Modern style? Contemporary style? Classic and traditional style? English style? Boleh tak nak campur2? Rojak aja laa...nama pun dok Penang kan ho ho. But 1 thing I know I want is I don't want color yang striking2 bright2 segala. Biru, hijau, merah, kuning...I don't want...to me a perfect wedding dress should be white/off white/cream in colour. But then no offense, there are people out there who love the colourful dresses. Kadang2 masa pi bridal boutiqes tu pun macam nak pakai aje warna2 yg sweet mcm purple or pink etc. Cantik sangat!! Tapi...ish...jenuh nak ingatkan diri ini agar kembali ke landasan sebenar.

Sorang kakak kat bridal boutique yg agak terkenal kat SP telah mengingatkan aku "jangan nanti kawin tak dak theme...pening kepala". Ya la, baju ala2 English style, pelamin ala2 Minang style, then main lagu keroncong. Hancusss....

But then pikiaq pi, pikiaq mai, aku rasa I will go for modern and contemporary la kot (ke sama ja dua2 theme tu? Huhu). Cuz I know masa reception nanti nak main English love songs...pls takmau Hindustan or dangdut okeh (my Mak dok suggest lagu Hindustan plak dahhh and she is dead serious, harusku hentikan niat dia itu).

Next entry I will write about butik2 yg telah kuterjah so far. Not much of good news la I tell you...

Sekian, dari saya yang berselera besar tapi budget ciput.

Masuk gear!

Aku rasa my blog ni akan bertukar menjadi my wedding preparation blog...lately I have been visiting blog2 bakal2 pengantin, and cara depa dok cerita pasal wedding preparation depa ni membuatkan aku rasa teruja nak sharing pasal wedding preparation aku jugak... (mostly dipengaruhi oleh Cik Sharina Khalid yang bakal melangsungkan perkahwinannya bulan 8 nanti...seronoknya!!! I am so excited for her OK!!)

Honestly speaking, aku ni boleh la dikatakan pengantin yang berangan2 tinggi nak majlis macam selebriti, tapi budget nya ciput aje...(sob sob tu la sapa suruh jadi auditor cabuk je) tapi I believe that if you prepare earlier, tak kelam kabut dan last minute, you are able to get what you want with a fraction of the cost. Betui tak?

Memang la orang perempuan ni angan2 mmg tinggi, nak kawin terbayang2 nak jadi macam princess, Cinderella la Snow White la bagai. Tapi as you grow older, you realize that with money, everything is possible. Tapi kalau budget tak mengizinkan, nak buat macam mana? (again, menyalahkan profesion diri ini sebagai seorang auditor cabuk). I think it is more meaningful if your wedding has your own "touch". Bagi yang terror bab2 seni ni maybe bulih la nak buat hantaran sendiri kan, or on the doorgifts tu at least tolong tampal2 bunga ke deco ke apa. Adakah saya ini seorang yang berseni?? As per Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston punya lyric "There can be miracle, when you believe...." Ecehhh...

So, from now on most probably most of my entries will be about my wedding preparation. Kalau rajin nak menulis la...(again, auditor cabuk is very busy ok). Lepas ni nak letak the countdown tu laa kat this blog. Right now dah nak tidur, maybe tomorrow I'll do it :D