...being pregnant.
My current state? Nausea and puking seem to be my constant company now, and it doesn't help that I can see above-ordinary Raya food everywhere now but can't seem to hold them down.
But this year's Raya is definitely..one of those great start for us :)
Thank you God, for giving us everything we have until now. Please continue to keep us in Your blessings, and may we make it through this safely with Your love.
Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin!
After we got tired with silvers, the driver took us to do one thing I never thought I would do.
Go see paintings!
We dropped by this place in Desa Batuan near Ubud, which is famous for its collection of authentic Bali paintings. The driver told us briefly that we are heading there, but I never thought it's a place where the artist works - only a painting gallery came to my mind.
Most of the paintings bear nature and people theme - mixed with Balinese culture. There are also portrait paintings of Balinese, but the nature ones are the best sellers as it represents Bali's good nature (according to the guide).
Guided through walls of beautiful paintings in the workshop.
Clearly we had some fun posing with the paintings (and pak supir having fun taking our photos)
Decided to buy a beautiful painting with Balinese people motive as our souvenir. Now? Haven't even gotten it out the package and buy the frames yet.
Next, pak supir took us to the most iconic place in Bali - Ubud rice terrace!
Never crossed my mind that I'd go to places like this. The place is beautiful - reminded me of old rice paddy village somewhere in Kedah.
Also the same place where they filmed Eat Pray Love!
Took some pictures with a farmer there carrying something which they put the paddy in. He looks just like Ketut Liyer, the medicine man in Eat Pray Love, I realized (or maybe all the farmers there look identical). Some tourists even tipped him some money for his willingness to be in the picture. It sorts to become like a side business to them, albeit having spent most of their lives being farmers in the most famous rice paddy field in the world.
This is one place you must go in Bali.
Go see paintings!
We dropped by this place in Desa Batuan near Ubud, which is famous for its collection of authentic Bali paintings. The driver told us briefly that we are heading there, but I never thought it's a place where the artist works - only a painting gallery came to my mind.
Most of the paintings bear nature and people theme - mixed with Balinese culture. There are also portrait paintings of Balinese, but the nature ones are the best sellers as it represents Bali's good nature (according to the guide).
Guided through walls of beautiful paintings in the workshop.
The most iconic painting, because we're in it. LOL.
The workshop cum gallery.
Decided to buy a beautiful painting with Balinese people motive as our souvenir. Now? Haven't even gotten it out the package and buy the frames yet.
Next, pak supir took us to the most iconic place in Bali - Ubud rice terrace!
Never crossed my mind that I'd go to places like this. The place is beautiful - reminded me of old rice paddy village somewhere in Kedah.
Also the same place where they filmed Eat Pray Love!
Small cafe located by the terrace, convenient cause it was scorching hot.
This is one place you must go in Bali.
Met up with the girls whom I've not seen since the wedding.
Girls, marriage really changes you.
Since I got married, I've only been in touch with them via Whatsapp - and a really lazy updater one at that. No, it's not that I'm lazy; taking care of the husband and the house have replaced my priorities and as much as I miss them and how we used to be, it's so surreal that I have a different life now.
But knowing that it's not an excuse, we made an appointment (really, marked our calendars and all) to have iftar together this year. After all, Jannah is back for good (finally) after years working in Japan and it's a rare occasion that we get to see each other in KL.
So I dragged the husband to take me to Bangsar South last Monday, basically for him to have iftar surrounded with loud oblivious girls in a restaurant.
Things that made me happy that night (this is true, I've become one of those I'm-married-I-miss-having-girlfriends-around) :
It was like the good old days!
Then, one of us said,
5 years or 10 years, I still love them like no other.
But of course we don't say that in front of each other LOL.
Girls, marriage really changes you.
Since I got married, I've only been in touch with them via Whatsapp - and a really lazy updater one at that. No, it's not that I'm lazy; taking care of the husband and the house have replaced my priorities and as much as I miss them and how we used to be, it's so surreal that I have a different life now.
But knowing that it's not an excuse, we made an appointment (really, marked our calendars and all) to have iftar together this year. After all, Jannah is back for good (finally) after years working in Japan and it's a rare occasion that we get to see each other in KL.
So I dragged the husband to take me to Bangsar South last Monday, basically for him to have iftar surrounded with loud oblivious girls in a restaurant.
Things that made me happy that night (this is true, I've become one of those I'm-married-I-miss-having-girlfriends-around) :
- Jua updated about her PTD life now - and giving us free lecture on Perlembagaan Malaysia and Persekutuan
- Jannah back for good - and (still) working with a Japanese company (I don't get her)
- Fiqah has a new bff
- Jannah has this strong Japanese language background, so she occasionally mixes up her words - and I had to actually pause and asked, "What? What's that again?" because my Japanese language proficiency has gone down to that level
- Getting mocked about that for the rest of the night
It was like the good old days!
Then, one of us said,
"Do you guys realize come next year, we'd have known each other for 10 years?"
"Yeah..darn we're old"
5 years or 10 years, I still love them like no other.
But of course we don't say that in front of each other LOL.
Right from the start, I've always wanted my nikah to be at night, at our home. Both my sisters' were held at the nearby mosque, so I wanted something different. It was something I've stressed all along to my Mum.
Then, Mum said she wanted the nikah to be at arwah Atok's house - to commemorate her as she's no longer with us. I agreed, because I know how much it'd mean to her.
It sort of became a bittersweet memory to all of us too - I'm the youngest daughter, so the next wedding would be the little brother's; which would be sometime 10 years later LOL.
Makeup was done, so I was left in the room doing nothing. Close friends were starting to arrive so they hung out in the room with me, mostly saying how they can't wait for tomorrow instead of "can't believe you're getting married" thing haha cis.
Calmed my nerve a lot nevertheless!
After the engagement dais, I couldn't figure out exactly the design I wanted for nikah - so I opted for the experienced, Zaha Wedding Planner which is based in Sungai Petani, Kedah. Had several appointments with them when I managed to go back to Penang, told them how I wanted (simple white curtain, white and pink flowers) and they resorted to this.
After a while hanging out in my room, someone came knocking on my door saying "pengantin lelaki dah sampai". So I was told to get ready to go to the living room.
Wasn't that nervous at this time.
Finally given cue to come out.
We were ushered to the dais for mas kahwin and ring exchange ceremony.
The hantaran was also done by Zaha Wedding Planner. We had 9 dulang vs 7 dulang exchanged.
We had our first reception the next day, so after the photo session was done all the guests had their dinner at our house before ending the event around 11.30 pm. It was a crazy night but I didn't really feel that tired, kudos to the nerve of being someone's wife haha!
If I could give anyone an advice, I would say there's no point stressing over every little detail - something has got to give, and you just have to enjoy the moment. To me, my nikah was perfect - there's nothing I would like to change about it.
Then, Mum said she wanted the nikah to be at arwah Atok's house - to commemorate her as she's no longer with us. I agreed, because I know how much it'd mean to her.
It sort of became a bittersweet memory to all of us too - I'm the youngest daughter, so the next wedding would be the little brother's; which would be sometime 10 years later LOL.
The nikah dress and shoes
Am so glad I acquired Abang Man Kajang's workmanship - loved the dress to bits.
Shoes by Man Kajang too.
The makeup
Mum suggested her ex-colleague and good friend, Fieha - whom she says has very good makeup skills and even organizing makeup classes frequently, in the Penang area. Makeup is one of the important things in the event to me, and I trusted Mum's eye on this.
Was not disappointed! She is way too talented than I've imagined. Though had the shock of my life when she said she's younger than me haha T.T
The event was scheduled to start after Maghrib, at 8 pm - so by 7 pm, she started doing her thing.
Finished product.
Before the event
Makeup was done, so I was left in the room doing nothing. Close friends were starting to arrive so they hung out in the room with me, mostly saying how they can't wait for tomorrow instead of "can't believe you're getting married" thing haha cis.
Calmed my nerve a lot nevertheless!
The nikah dais
After the engagement dais, I couldn't figure out exactly the design I wanted for nikah - so I opted for the experienced, Zaha Wedding Planner which is based in Sungai Petani, Kedah. Had several appointments with them when I managed to go back to Penang, told them how I wanted (simple white curtain, white and pink flowers) and they resorted to this.
They came to set this up a day earlier so I had a lot of time pondering on the finished design. Finally decided that I loved it!
Groom's arrival
After a while hanging out in my room, someone came knocking on my door saying "pengantin lelaki dah sampai". So I was told to get ready to go to the living room.
Wasn't that nervous at this time.
Finally given cue to come out.
Starting to be a bit nervous by this time.
If there was one thing I'd like people to tell me, is to be more organized for nikah. For the bride-to-bes, you'd need to present your IC and borang kebenaran bernikah given by pejabat agama during the akad, so you have to be ready with both.
Hours before the event, I've already put away the borang in a specific file and put it in Mum's room where I know it'd be less cluttered and easier to find. Guess what, when the kadi requested for the borang, we couldn't find it in Mum's room - which caused some delay and they had to wait while we searched for it.
Super unorganized, I was cursing at myself for not checking it earlier. Turned out someone moved it into my room in my cupboard.
Mum was so pissed, she ended up didn't even shed a tear after the nikah hahaha.
The akad!
Done and officially husband and wife.
Him reciting taklik in front of the kadi.
Signed off my duty as someone's wife.
After the event
The hantaran was also done by Zaha Wedding Planner. We had 9 dulang vs 7 dulang exchanged.
We had our first reception the next day, so after the photo session was done all the guests had their dinner at our house before ending the event around 11.30 pm. It was a crazy night but I didn't really feel that tired, kudos to the nerve of being someone's wife haha!
If I could give anyone an advice, I would say there's no point stressing over every little detail - something has got to give, and you just have to enjoy the moment. To me, my nikah was perfect - there's nothing I would like to change about it.
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