Wow, really had no idea I have abandoned this space for more than a year now. Fuhh.

So many life changing events took place for the past 16 months. Married to the most loving husband for almost 9 months, and now waiting for the arrival of our lil bub, due in early April. I am nothing but blessed in every single way.

I am so excited to meet my little fella, despite feeling so worn out at the end of the day due to extreme fatigue and breathlessness I constantly having lately. Currently nearing 35 weeks, alhamdulillah everything is normal and the baby is at a healthy state. We still haven't decide on a name just yet, but we have listed a few to choose from. InsyaAllah, we will decide and announce the name on the 7th day after his birth. 

So far, preparation for our lil bub is almost 90% done. My husband will only be back somewhere in the middle of March, which is really really close to my due date. Hope he can make it on time.

Will update soon. Toodles~

20 Things Women Should Do Before Getting Hitched

Since I am more or less 8 months away from the wedding date, found an interesting article by the Huffington Post. Let's see what's my to-date achievement now, shall we?

Here, 20 things every woman should try to do before tying the knot.

1. Travel with your sister(s) and/or closest female friends. Not saying you can't do this after you get married, but lots of ladies agree there's something especially liberating, eye-opening, and bond-bolstering about doing it beforehand.
2. Travel with your future spouse. "Everyone can get along for a weekend, but see if you can stand each other for a whole week, dealing with travel dilemmas, etc.!" my wise fellow newlywed friend noted, and I couldn't agree more.
3. Suffer major heartbreak. As one woman put it, "It not only made me a stronger individual coming out of it, but it also showed me never to take love for granted." 
4. Dump someone. Pleasant experience or not, it's empowering to be the one who called the final shot in a relationship at one time or another. 
5. Get your finances in order. One of my close friends made it a point to clean up her credit and make some serious sacrifices so that her future husband wouldn't have to carry around the burden of budgeting mistakes she had made while single. It's also not a shabby idea to do it for your own peace of mind. 
6. Talk about your finances with your future spouse. Make sure you know where you stand on long and short-term goals and spending vs. saving. Depending on how much either one of you is willing to bend on certain things, money matters can be serious buzzkills for marital bliss -- or, at their worst, dealbreakers. 
7. Live alone. Slash with roommates. But not with Mom and Dad. Autonomy is awesome! Plus, as one recent bride put it, having lived alone "makes you grateful for the things your spouse contributes" once they're in the picture. 
8. Live with your partner. Sure, if you're old-school, you may not be a fan of this one, but it can definitely serve as a "test drive" before buying the car.
9. Have a summer fling. Even if it doesn't last past Labor Day, it's a fun memory to look back on -- and makes for a fun story to reminisce about. 
10. Learn how to cook. Not because you're getting ready to be someone's June Cleaver, but because it's reassuring to know that you can fend for yourself in the kitchen. 
11. Splurge on yourself. Because you can -- and you should! 
12. Have at least one big blowout fight with your future spouse. Then make up. It's good to know you can get through it. 
13. Date around. Serial monogamists often feel like they missed out on the experiences of going on both good and really bad/hilarious/cringe-worthy dates. 
14. Face one of your biggest fears. Be it skydiving, public speaking, or dining in public alone. 
15. Try having a friend with benefits. If only to make sure that friend you always had a crush on doesn't somehow become "the one who got away." 
16. Focus on your education. Not that you can't do this once you're married, but you may want to spend pre-martial time on getting one -- or several! -- degrees. 
17. Get started on making your career dreams come true. Same as #16.
18. Decide how you feel about kids. Kind of like money, a majorly important thing to reflect on/discuss before getting hitched. 
19. Clean up your act. AKA drinking less, eating healthier, working out more. 
20. Get to know yourself. Should go without saying!

Rezeki tak dijangka

Last month I submitted an application for Mara Education Loan, thinking that if it happens to be my rezeki, maybe I can pursue ACCA or do MBA, either way. 

So last Friday, my best friend told me that the result was out. So, I checked my application status.

and,

I passed through the first stage! Woohoo!

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the result. Honestly, I really had no high hopes when I applied because I know the competition was really tough. Alhamdulillah, praise to Allah s.w.t for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me and my family. I know it's still a tad too early for any celebrations but getting through the first stage means a lot to someone like me.

For days, I have been squeezing my brain and creativity out to write an essay for submission. Sah otak dah berkarat. I used to have no problem at all with essays and stories and stuff. So, I will have to sit for a qualifying exam this 30th and hopefully, insyaAllah, I will pass the exam *prays hard*

When I came to know the great news, I though of Dad. He's the one who keeps on giving me motivation and endless support for me to do professional papers. He wanted to do ACCA himself when he was younger but since his family can't afford to support him financially. That is why it means a lot for him to see me, his eldest child, to proceed with ACCA and eventually become a certified chartered accountant. InsyaAllah, Papa :)

So tomorrow I will have to go to MABECS and get clarification on a few matters regarding which university I should be applying to and the application procedures, yada yada.

Phew. Going to continue working on my essay. Praying for the best outcome, Amin.

Engagement Checklist

Finally I have a confirmed date for the engagement ceremony. Yeay!

29th June 2013.

Glad that I have more than enough time for planning and preparation for the ceremony. So, here's my engagement checklist, well just a simple checklist for easy reference for the "bride-to-be"s out there who have no idea where to start. Trust me, I was totally clueless like some of you too (lol!)

1. Date & Venue     : 29th June 2013 @ home
2. Theme                        : Tiffany blue + soft pink
3. Baju Tunang               : Tempah done!
4. Veil                              : Bought one at Tesco for RM30
5. Make-up Artist            : Sasha Bridal
6. Mini Dais                     : Sasha Bridal           
7. Hand Bouquet             : DIY
8. Catering                      : Nurul Izzah Katering
9. Canopies                    : Not needed since we're doing it at The Clubhouse.
10. Tables & Chairs  : Monterez Golf Country Club
11. Bunga Pahar               : Borrow from Cik Dah
12. Gubahan Hantaran      : DIY
13. Doorgifts                      : Sponsored
14. Wakil (spokeperson)
15. Black cloth for alas hantaran
16. Photographer
17. Invitations
18. Confirm with Lutfi on the number of people from his side
19. Gubahan Hantaran for Lutfi
20. Barang Hantaran (From H to L):

• Sireh Junjung
• Kain Sepersalinan
• Wallet
• Chocolates : Sponsored!
• Cupcakes  : Sponsored!

Initially, I just wanted a simple ceremony. More like a family gathering, getting to know each other and stuff. But considering I am the first child in the family, and this will be the first wedding, my mom and aunt got a little too excited and they insisted on a Mini Dais. Took me almost 3 weeks to find the right mini dais. Went to a whole bunch of bridal boutiques just to find a simple and affordable mini dais. Luckily, I found this mini dais that is on promotion from Sasha Bridal and I straight emailed her to book. Phew~

This weekend, I'm going to drag Dad to book Nurul Izzah Catering for the food catering, canopies, tables and chairs. And by the end of the month, I will buy the rest of the hantaran items and cross more items on the checklist.

Soooo excited! I can't wait for June to come!

Will update more on this soon. Toodles~

My girl is getting married this Saturday!

Tho I am very upset with the outcome of my bridesmaid's dress, I am still very excited and looking forward for the ceremony this weekend.

Sofia gave us this pretty songket and pink kain to make our bridesmaids' attire. Sad to say that it didn't turn out as I have imagined. Well, my request was very simple. I wanted a baju kurung modern with some trimmings of the songket to be sewn at the end of the sleeves. But I think it was sewn terribly, as if he got all the measurements mixed up or something. It turned out to be kind of pesak kurung but not proportionately sewn. Well, I can just ask the tailor to alter the top to make it fits nicely, but it is just time consuming. But probably I will just drop by tomorrow since I will be on leave for some court matters and later in the afternoon, my aunt wants to scout for mini dais for my engagement ceremony.

Anyhoo, a huge congratulations in advance to both  bride and groom!

THE invitation card

First stage, done.

I have abandoned this space for too long.

While browsing through some engagement and wedding stuff, yes I am getting married soon, I remembered that I indeed have a blog. Kesian.

Oh, sorry I missed that part. Yeap, I am getting married soon, in sha Allah :)

Alhamdulillah, after more than 4 years of getting to know each other, we have decided to take our relationship to the next step. Two weeks ago, our families were brought together in a simple hi-tea session at Royale Bintang The Curve for a "taaruf" session (UIA sangat~). We took the opportunity to discuss on the engagement ceremony, kind of merisik except there was no sarung cincin etc. I have already gotten my "merisik" ring wayyyyy earlier ;)

So, for now I might be blogging more on the preparation for engagement and wedding here. Unless there are other relatively important stuff to be updated. If I have time, I might just share my checklist should there be any "bride-to-be"s find it useful. 

I always thought it would be fun and easy thing to do, this planning and preparation thingy. Well, I have to admit, it's super fun but not an easy thing. I am doing my very best ensuring that I will get this whole preparation and planning right. Hoping to get as close as possible to my dream wedding with limited budget. 

After "merisik", with cousins, siblings and the best aunt in the whole wide world!

Well, that's it for now. Toodles~

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