Post-Ramsay Hunt...

[Paraphrased from Wikipedia] Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (Type II) is a disorder that is caused by the re-activation of pre-existing herpes zoster virus in the geniculate ganglion, a nerve cell buncle which is responsible for the movements of facial muscles, the touch sensation of a part of the ear and the ear canal, the taste function of the frontal two-thirds of the tongue, and the moisturisation of the eyes and the mouth. The symptoms and signs include acute facial nerve paralysis, pain in the ear, taste loss in the front two-thirds of the tongue, dry mouth and eyes, as well as eruption of veiscles in the ear canal, the tongue and/or the hard palate. Since the vestibulocochlear nerve is in proximity of the geniculate ganglion, it may also be affected, causing tinnitus, hearing loss and vertigo. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (Type II) can essentially be said to be shingles of the geniculate ganglion. In brief, the herpes zoster virus - which causes chicken pox - lies dormant in various nerve cells in the body, where it is kept in check by a person's immune system. Given the opportunity, e.g. during an illness which suppresses the immune system, the virus isre-activated and travels to the end of the nerve cell, where it causes the symptoms and signs mentioned above. The largest study on the treatment of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (Type II) has shown that complete recovery can be achieved in 75% of patients if treatment with prednisolone and acyclovir is started within 3 days of the onset of symptoms. Chances of complete recovery decrease as treatment is delayed. Studies have shown that half of all patients whose treatment was delayed suffered a complete loss of response to facial nerve stimulation.

I remember that Saturday, when Jess, Eunice, Rev Chng and I were enjoying coffee/hot chocolate at Starbucks@Capital Towers. Jess was worrying about whether she would recover from her facial nerve paralysis in time for our photoshoot in March, so that she would be able to smile properly [like this =) ] by then. Rev Chng replied, with an air of confidence, "只要你有信心, 一定可以的!"

Indeed. Thank God! =)

If I had $10,000 to spare...

I would buy...

LG *Bling* Fridge
Probably one of the most indulgent fridges available on the market, this sex-bomb comes endowed with Swarovski crystals and arty floral patterns. Its dark red exterior conveys feelings of passion and desire; and it wouldbe a real head-turner in any kitchen. What functions does it have? I know not. What is its capacity? I have no idea. Call me superficial - but with a fridge that looks this good, who cares what it can do? Of course, such beauty does not come cheap. We're talking about more than $4,000; but ifyou're seriously considering getting this *Bling* Fridge, you must be [1] the son of a millionaire, i.e. rich, rich, rich, [2] crazily in love (with the fridge, that is); or [3] simply, stupid. Afterall, how much does a carton of milk and a tub of ice cream cost?

Arty LG Washing Machine
Hot on the heels of the LG *Bling* Fridge is this beauty - the Jessica Alba of washing machines, complete with arty floral patterns and a passionate dark red exterior. No Swarovski crystals here; but doesn't it look good enough on its own? Again, I am clueless about its specifications, functions, capacity and other such techno-information. All I know is thatit looks great. But for more than $2,000, it had better be able to do more than just look good!

iwannagohome! High Chair
The perfect dining experience is not about food alone, but the entire experience - ambience, colours, decor, and of course, your diningcompanion. With the iwannagohome! High Chair in your dining room, half the battle is already won on its bold design and eye-catching colours. But ofcourse, this wonderful centrepiece does not come cheap - more than $2,000. But it really makes you wanna go home, doesn't it?

Coooool MUSSO Mini Ice Cream Maker
Some simply adore Ben & Jerry's, and many applaud small ice-cream parlours such as Island Creamery which have mushroomed in the recent years. But every ice-cream connoisseur knows - the best ice-cream is that made in your very own kitchen. Simple, cheap andtailored to your preference. My last experiment at making Nigella Lawson's cheesecake ice-cream was, to put it bluntly, a failure; but I plead my case on the grounds that I did not have any ice-cream maker then. With the MUSSO Mini Ice-Cream Maker, you'll be churning out tubs of homemade ice-cream from your kitchen every other day. And you'll HAVE to make ice-cream that often to justify the $1,000 (and more) spent on it. True indulgence.

Legendary KitchenAid Mixer
Who is a red-hot, sexy domestic goddess, guaranteed to look just as good and perform just as well 30 years down the road as she is today? Or rather,what? The legendary KitchenAid Mixer, of course. All good chefs swear by it, all reputable cooking shows feature it, and I have never heard a single bad comment made about this must-have in the kitchen of any family serious about cooking and baking. Of course, perfection does not come cheap- more than $800. But I can continue to dream, can't I?

Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine
We love Starbucks. For me, the perfect Saturday morning is spent sipping on a for-here Venti low-fat, no whip, hazelnut hot chocolate (or an iced Grande low-fat, no whip, hazelnut latte) at Starbucks@Capital Towers, slouching in the comfy chairs and enjoying a game of Barista with Jess. Simple, but sweet. So why not import this luxury to the home, with theStarbucks Barista Espresso Machine? For less than $700, the perfect Saturday morning will involve sipping on a for-here, personal mug-sized, no whip hazelnut latte, in the comfort of your very own home!

Now, all I need is the $10,000...

四点金: Mission Accomplished!

四点金, aka Four Touches of Gold - apparently this is a Teochew wedding custom in which the family of the groom (aka my family) is supposed to give 四点金, i.e. necklace, bracelet, earrings and ring, to the bride (aka Jess). Not exactly sure of the meaning behind it; but judging from the fact that the bride is supposed to wear the 四点金 during the wedding itself, I suppose it has something to do with either (1) signifying how "valuable" the bride is, (2) signifying love for the new member of the family, aka the bride, (3) representing a "payment" for the bride? No idea, but who are we to question tradition?

Anyway, Mum asked Jess and I to shop for the 四点金 ourselves so that Jess would not end up with some obit chunky jewellery which she would probably never ever wear; and after several months of shopping around, flipping through brochures etc., we finally bought the 四点金 today!

Ta-Da! Jess' 四点金! We didn't go for a bridal set but decided to go "ala carte" cos' Jess really likes the Celestial Covet pendant (that's the flower thingie which is supposedly inspired by Hollywood style maven Sarah Jessica Parker); and there is unfortunately no complete set of 四点金 for the Covet. So we bought a matching full tennis bracelet and circluladelic earrings to complete the Four Touches. But I agree with her; the Covet is really nice! =)

Here's a closer look at the Covet pendant! each diamond is a Celestial 73-facet starburst diamond; so it looks really pretty under the Stargazer! We are really Celestial fans man! Hehehe. Celestial Proposal Ring, Celestial Wedding Bands; and now, Celestial 四点金!

Actually, we were still trying to decide between this really pretty necklace from Lee Hwa and the Covet; but the moment we saw that the Covet had a matching ring, we made up our minds immediately! Apparently, this is the one and only Covet Ring in Singapore at the moment (no more than 5 will be coming in after Chinese New Year); so for at least a week, Jess can enjoy the boasting rights of being the only person in Singapore to have this ring! Hehehe. Isn't it pretty? =)

Ok, 四点金 settled liao. Another item struck off the list of "Things To Do"; maybe just another 1,000 more to go? =p

And the "winners" are...

(Yup! If you received this today, you're one of the lucky winners!)

Director (Operations) & Director (Powerpuff Girls) - Eunice!
Responsible for overall organisation of Our Lovely Love Story and the prioritisation of workload to ensure maximum benefit for participants and attendees alike. In charge of organising the operations team, aka Powerpuff Girls and Gung-Ho Gang, and mobilising them to achieve a common strategy and goal.
Also responsible for providing secretarial, fashion, clerical and all forms of support to Jess.

Director (Gung-Ho Gang) - Cixian!
Responsible for providing secretarial, fashion, clerical and all forms of support to Teck. In charge of organising and mobilising the Gung-Ho Gang - where necessary - to put down any resistance during the course of Our Lovely Love Story.

Deputy Directors (Powerpuff Girls) - Yomay, Grace & Gel!
Responsible for assisting Director (Powerpuff Girls) and Jess to ensure the smooth running of Our Lovely Love Story.

Deputy Directors (Gung-Ho Gang) - Donny, Daniel & Fan!
Responsible for doing whatever they are arrowed to do, aka SK Warriors.

Senior Manager (Events) - Deca.com!
Responsible for the management of all events under Our Lovely Love Story, from on-site management at Church/Hotel to post-event follow-up.

Managers (Events) - Kenny & Joyce!
Responsible for making sure Deca.com doesn't screw up! =p

Managers (Corporate Comms) - Tim & Velma!
Responsible for creating, implementing and overseeing communications programmes that are suitable and effective for Our Lovely Love Story (aka emcees).

Manager (Security) - Eudora!
Responsible for overseeing the security team (aka ushers) for Our Lovely Love Story to ensure a smooth flow of human and vehicular traffic.

Artistic Manager - Jasper!
Responsible for providing musical leadership and direction for Our Lovely Love Story, as well as setting the musical vision and organising the team of musicians for the event. Also in charge of conducting musical rehearsals, scheduled performances and auditions for performers.

Thanks for agreeing to be part of Our Lovely Love Story! Not that we gave any of you a choice lar...hehehe...but too bad! You all took the cupcakes liao! =p

God knows best!

Stagecoach Prayer

Five-year-old Randy wanted a toy stagecoach for Christmas. While shopping with Mom, he found just the one he wanted. It was about 6" long and had cool wheels and dark brown plastic horses pulling it. “Mommy, I want this one. Pleeeease!” he begged. As young children sometimes do, he threw a tantrum, insisting that he get that stagecoach for Christmas. Mom said, “We’ll see,” and took him home.

Randy was sure he’d get what he asked for. Christmas morning came, and he opened the package confidently. Sure enough, it was the stagecoach he had begged for. He was so pleased. But then his older brother said, “You really did a dumb thing to insist on getting that coach. Mom bought you a much bigger one, but when you begged for that little one, she exchanged it!” Suddenly the small stagecoach didn’t seem so appealing.

Sometimes we’re like that with God. We pray about a specific need and tell Him how He ought to answer. We beg and plead—and God may even give us exactly what we ask for. But He may have had something better in mind.

Phillips Brooks once said, “Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger.”

Do not presume to know what’s best
When you begin to pray;
But say to God, “Your will be done,”
Then trust His perfect way.

Large asking results in large receiving.

___________________

Back in April last year, I came across this in Our Daily Bread when Jess and I were worrying about not being able to get a home in time for our wedding; and were considering whether to start off with a 3-room flat instead. Looking at our empty-but-soon-to-be-lovely home now, this is what I have to say - God is REAL, God speaks to us, and God truly knows best! =)

Home (un)Sweet Home!

Jess and I finally got the keys to our new home today! Just a stone's throw away from Tanjong Pagar (if the stone was thrown by Hercules); overlooking the historically-charged Malaysian Railway Station, and even with a seaview (including free containers and shipyard equipment thrown in as well), this soon-to-be lovely place in Cantonment Close is finally and officially ours! Soon-to-be; as you can see from the photos. But before we reach that state of affairs, we'll have to do an Extreme Makeover: Teck & Jess Home Edition before showing you photos of our beautiful home two months down the road! So for now, it's still not Home Sweet Home...yet!

One thing I realised when I stepped into our home today is that we're really no longer young anymore. We've grown up. No more begging our parents to buy the latest Sega game for us; no more saving for months and working part-time just to buy that pair of Nike shoes; no more skipping meals just to save up for that Starbucks low-fat grande hazelnut latte. We just spent $480,000, i.e. about 16,000 Sega games (without taking PPP adjustment) or 4,800 Nike shoes or 80,000 Starbucks low-fat grande hazelnut lattes, on 90 square metres of land!

Oh well; the view from the 23rd storey is beautiful, and we now have a place to call our own. To do up in the way we want, to come home to everyday after work, to cook up wonderful meals, to throw exciting parties, to host boardgaming sessions and of course, to start our own family and our own lives. God is good!

btw, Mum told me after dinner today that our door number won the consolation prize in 4D today. Hehehe. Not that I advocate gambling; but let's hope that it's a sign of more good things to come! =)

The story so far...

Ok, so I lied; we haven't exactly been lying dormant over the past 10 months. We've actually done a fair bit of planning, made some life-changing and irreversible decisions, plunged into some deep ends, lamented to God every now and then, thanked God every now and then......

So what exactly is the story so far?

• As you probably already know (where have you been if you haven't heard???!!), 9 March 2007 at The Cliff, Sentosa, was the day when I got down on my knees and (*ahem*) paid a non-refundable "deposit" for Jess' hand in marriage with a Celestial Fly-Me-To-The-Moon-And-Let-Me-Play-Among-The-Stars Solitaire Diamond Ring.
• Too few guests for The Fullerton Hotel, and too many for Raffles Hotel; we finally decided on the intimate but stylish Conrad Centennial Singapore for our Wedding Dinner. The date? We wanted 7 June 2008, but it was taken; so 31 May 2008 then!
• Being kiasu Singaporeans, we bought our rings before the 2% GST hike last year - a pair of matte-white-gold-with-a-small-diamond Celestial wedding bands!
• We decided to place the fate of Jess' wedding gown, evening gown, tea dress and Chinese kua; my suit; our hair and make-up services, flower hand bouquets, corsages, car decor; and other important wedding details into the hands of Mel (please don't feel stressed by how important you are to our wedding), The Wedding Present! =)
• The responsibility of making us look better than we really are for the studio/outdoor photoshoot falls on the shoulders of Chris Ling's Kelvin; you can see his outstanding works here!
• We have a special something for Kelvins; our Wedding Day will be seen through the lenses of Kelvin Koh, Lightedpixels. We really love his photos and philosopy (It is never about taking perfect pictures, just perfect moments)! See how he captures these perfect moments here!
• We plunged ourselves heavily into debt servitude with our love nest - a 4-room HDB flat at Cantonment Close. Still not officially ours yet; but we will be getting the keys next week! Then it's time for an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! =)
• Church Wedding will, of course, be at TA2, with catering by Les Amis. You wish! Still haven't decided on the caterer yet, so do let us know if you have any good recommendations!
• We still haven't decided where to go for our honeymoon yet; but Britain, France and Spain are on the shortlist. Well, there's always Balai =p

And the story goes on......