What I have been up to in the past 10 months.

Okay, I can't even believe it myself... I haven't blogged in 10 months. :O
That has to be some kind of personal record. -_- Not that it is anything to be proud of wtf.

I have been still micro-blogging all these while though-- am quite active on Dayre! So you guys can catch all my shenanigans in the past months there. *weak laugh* I think the thing I struggle with the most is separating content between my blog and Dayre. Often, I find myself blogging on-the-go on Dayre, and by the time I want to blog-- I feel like I have nothing else to say FML. 

But a recent incident kind of opened my eyes. I wanted to search for something from a few years back-- and literally by typing a few keywords, I can retrieve what I want from my past blogposts easily. T_T Whether it is by going through my blog archives or via Google, all my memories and albums are neatly categorized, easily accessed by me whenever, wherever. On the other hand, whilst Dayre is incredibly convenient to blog on-the-go, it is still not a platform that purely belongs to me. Call this a wake-up call, but it reminded me that my blog is still my baby, and it will be meaningful to nurture it-- even if it is just for the sake of my own memories. :)

Soooo.. in the meantime, I have kind of came up with a "strategy", if you can call it that. I am going to keep searchable content (travel tips/ travelogue, milestones, reviews etc.) and detailed outfit posts on the blog, whereas my Dayre will be more for daily updates-- as I assume you guys won't feel inclined to search for what I had for lunch last Wednesday lol.

Okay? Let's gooooo. 
 To start with, let me start with a recap for the past 10 months WTF.

October 2015 (this was when I last blogged huhu)

 
Bobo's birthday dinner! This is an important event because:

1) It was the beginning of a blossoming friendship between Audrey, Bobo, Careen, Weizhi, and I.

2) It started a tradition of us throwing a not-so-surprise birthday party for each girl. :)

3) It was also from here that I started to dabble in styling/ decorating parties, and developed a love for it!


Very quickly, the five of us became very close, and it was sometime this month that we named ourselves #competitiveaunties.

November 2015


Went to Chiangmai with my family!
Dress: AZORIAS


Also celebrated my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary, truly #relationshipgoals. :)

December 2015


Threw a surprise birthday high-tea for my mom. As you can see, I was slowly getting addicted with styling parties haha.

This was also a month filled with weddings-- I LOVE WEDDINGS!

January 2016


Took business class for the first time in my life! Well, actually I have taken it once before when I was a kid (sponsored by my dad's medical conference), but that doesn't count 'cause it was just a 45-minute interstate flight LOL.

Went to Guangzhou to do some wedding-shopping 'cause my parents insisted that there are loads of wedding stuff to buy there! Which reminds me, I want to do a post on the famous Wedding Street in Guangzhou. :)

February 2016


Wedding-planning officially started! We did our ROM back in 2014 (click here to read a sneak peek post), but the wedding receptions (both a Western and Chinese one) were to take place in mid-May 2016.

March 2016


Went to Guangzhou AGAIN haha. Just to wrap up some wedding shopping, and it was during this trip that I accidentally found my dream gown. :O Which I bought of course, haha.
Dress: AZORIAS


Also went to Bangkok with the hubby (who was there for a business trip), just a short trip only!
Dress: AZORIAS

April 2016


My #competitiveaunties threw me the most awesome hen's getaway ever. T____T

May 2016


We got married!! :D :D :D

Definitely will do a proper blogpost on all the wedding celebrations-- let me know specifically what you all want to read about!


We also went on a faux honeymoon the Barcelona and Madrid! Faux 'cause-- my family decided to tag along FOL hahahaha. But oh well, we will plan for another REAL honeymoon soon then nyehehe.


Definitely one for the books-- hubby and I went for a Coldplay concert in Barcelona itself! This was sooo awesome. Can I blog about this? Will anyone be interested? Haha.

June 2016



June was definitely a winding-down month from all the excitement of our wedding and fantastic honeymoon. We still managed to squeeze in a post-wedding shoot with Rocky though! :D

*******************************************************

And here we are, in the month of July!

Obviously the above is a super succinct summary of the past few months, but the general highlights are there LOL.

Ending this entry with an outfit post...















Sheer back scallop-lace romper: AZORIAS
Nude gladiators: Zara
Bag: Miu Miu

See you in my next blogpost! :D

7 tips to enjoying life

Sponsored post

It has been a busy few weeks for me, with a website revamp, a pop-up event (more on that on Azorias’ FB/ Instagram), a part-time consulting stint, and an upcoming project—that at times I can’t help feeling like I am being spread too thin.

The truth is, I think most, if not all of us, are busy at some point. There are so many things to indulge our appetites in, especially with all the new technologies, giving us access to way more things than we had access to in the past. Another reason is this—we live in insecure times. So we feel this internal pressure to do do do do do all the time! In fact, some of us may even be addicted to ‘busy-ness’. Do you feel this way sometimes? Like if someone asks you how have you been, your chest puffs out as you tell your friend just how ‘busy’ you are. I am guilty of this too.

Nonetheless, I'm not going to pretend I like the 24/7 hustle. There's a time and place for that and it's not in my heart or mind at every waking moment. I don't want to glorify busy or have my hands in so many pots I look like I'm a big deal; or worse, start to think I am. The thing is, when we go go go all day, every day, week after week we leave no room for rest, family, recovery, or play. And I don't know about you but these four things are some of my favorites!

Whenever I feel myself all anxious from all my commitments, I will take a deep breath and slow down for a moment. I may be busy, but I will still find the time and effort to savor every moment! Here are some tips that work really well for myself to ‘enjoy life’ even at my busiest times:

1. Prioritize

Staring at a loooong list of to-dos is incredibly demotivating, so focus on what is critical, and do not get sidetracked. We can tackle 3, or even 10 things in a day, but not 33 or 50! So focus your energies onto the important agendas.

2. Enjoy the little things



Have you noticed the little things in your life recently? Whether it is licking a delicious ice cream or curling up at home on a rainy day, there are so many delightful moments in a day— if only we pay attention to them.

3. Make time for what (and who) you love



If all we ever did was work on and attend to our obligations it could become difficult to find any sense of enjoyment in our day-to-day experience! If we never make the time to do things we are excited about, we could easily start resenting our lives. That’s why it is important to make time every day for the things we really enjoy, and this includes spending time with my loved ones. :)

4. "Living in the moment"



Something I always remind myself on a daily basis is—“Be present”. Be present when I am meeting a friend, be present when I am admiring a scenic view in Paris, be present even when I am walking my dog. It is only when we fully immerse ourselves in an experience, that we can enjoy it completely!

This also applies to mundane tasks. We cannot run away from our responsibilities and daily duties/ chores. But admittedly, following such routines will cause us to feel tired and not enjoying ourselves. Well, the truth is that life has to be lived and felt in all these moments that we live! Whether we are cooking for our family or cleaning the house or working at the offices, we are actually making change for the better. Well, at least that is how I motivate myself, haha. So I try to enjoy even these mundane tasks because I remind myself that it is all for a better living/ future.

5. Learn to just let go

Learn not to stress over the things that are out of your control. Learn to let loose. If your mind is busy obsessing over all the things that didn’t get done today, then you are not relaxed.

6. Do a gratitude review

This really works for me. If you take a minute everyday to review your blessings, you will start to notice more and more things to be grateful for. This is such a simple yet powerful way to feel grateful, and ultimate feel the enjoyment in your life!

7. Reward yourself



I am a hedonist by nature, so I never feel shy to treat myself, haha. It could be a hair treatment at my favorite salon, a new pair of shoes, or a smooth and creamy Magnum ice cream covered in a thick layer of cracking Belgian white chocolate with almond pieces— small pleasures like these instantly bring such joy to my day!




Ultimately, a day without pleasure is a day wasted. While we should put in our 101% in things we do, balance is extremely important and striking them should also be our priority. So try to make time to enjoy little pleasures every little part of your day, and end it with a Magnum White Almond. :)

My bridal shower.

So, the hubby and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary this month.... and I still haven't blogged about our proposal, wedding preparations, wedding etc. -_- #badblogger

But today I am going to switch things around and talk about something wedding-related too! My bridal shower. :D It all started from this #hensdothrowback hashtag on Dayre (follow me at @revelinme!), and I started going through my photos and started feeling all giggly and nostalgic haha.

To be honest, my ideal hen's do is a girls' trip ala an island getaway! A few days of girlie time, cocktails and drinks, frolicking in sun and sand... I can't imagine anything better before being a Mrs! However, this little fantasy of mine is not really a possibility because most of my girlfriends are based overseas/ outstation. As it is, I already feel very grateful and indebted for them to come back all the way for my wedding-- I just can't possibly ask for them to come back for even longer/ for a separate trip just to accompany me on a holiday!!

So Jing and Teeny asked me what I want for my hen's night/ gathering, and I specifically stated that I don't want a wild night out LOL. My wedding ceremony was on a Sunday morning, so the only way I could have all my girlfriends present at the hen's gathering was the day before-- hence wild drinks the night before the wedding is definitely out of the question. Also, it's not really me la! I still want to remember what happened at my hen's night, haha. So I told them my priority is really to catch up with all my girlfriends, especially when I haven't seen some of them in ages!

So the only thing I know about my bridal shower is that it will be in the afternoon on the day before the wedding ceremony! And that Jing and Teeny were in charge. :P

At the 11th hour, my sisters asked me to wear a yellow dress for the outing. I was quite preoccupied with all the wedding loose ends then, and really had no time to look for a yellow outfit. Since I don't know the bridal shower theme, my plan was to just show up in a white dress 'cause you can't go wrong as a bride wtf. This caused me to get quite worried about the theme also-- 'cause why need to wear yellow haha. Don't tell me it's Minion theme wtf.

Anyway, on Saturday morning (the day before the wedding!), we had a mini rehearsal-- which is more to familiarize my flower girls and page boys with the venue, as well as to test the timing for the march in.


Feeling all surreal and happy at our ceremony site. It has always been my dream to get married under a canopy of trees!

I expected it to finish quite quickly, 'cause how long can a march-in take right? So that will leave me with plenty of time to go home and get ready for my bridal shower. *cue bouncy steps and wide smile*

BOY WAS I WRONG. When you add 5 kids together (three girls who are about 3 years old, and 2 hyperactive boys)-- you get havoc. But no regrets whatsoever in doing a rehearsal, because *jeng jeng jeng* during the rehearsal, I found out that KS, one of my page boys, is TERRIFIED of dogs!!

And Rocky was walking down the aisle with us. -_-


He was so afraid that he can't even be on the same ground as Rocky!!! He keeps on leaping onto people's laps despite our coaxing that Rocky is very tame and friendly.


My flower girls trying to convince KS that there is nothing to be scared of, haha.

Of course now I find it really funny hahaha. But at that point of time, I was literally sweating buckets!! My back-up plan was to axe KS, and just have one page boy only, haha.

So this whole thing ended up delaying me tremendously, and I was super duper late to my own bridal shower. T____T

But when I arrived, I WAS BLOWN AWAY.


Can you see that I am a little teary-eyed here, haha.


They threw me what Teeny coined as a "Glam Palm Spring" themed bridal shower!

Dashes of hot pink (my favorite color); my favorite tropical elements like flamingoes, pineapples, palm trees; sequins; giant balloons; wild-colored flowers... I cannot think of a more perfect theme to suit me!!! Heck, I wouldn't even have been able to think up of this perfect theme myself!!!


A bouquet of flowers for ME! And a gold pineapple (that Teeny painstakingly spray-painted).


Still in shock. Everything was just BEAUTIFUL. And HAPPY!!

I LOVE HAPPY!!


This quirky flamingo bride and groom cake is LOVE. Can you spot the top hat detail and the little bridal bonnet? Haha. I love it so so much! The hubby would have never allowed us to have a flamingo wedding cake, but now I have MY OWN!! Muahaha.


Colorful sundae and palm tree toppers. And PINEAPPLE STRAWS.


Bloom baby bloom!


And the best part of the day-- being surrounded by my favorite girls!

And all of them came in tropical-inspired outfits too! Just major love for every one of them. :D


And I found out why Jing and Teeny wanted me to wear yellow. -_-

They made me a pineapple crown, so if I wear yellow with the green pineapple crown (they did specify their preference for a LONG yellow dress)-- I will look 100% like a pineapple. -___________-


Weary about what other costumes they have up their sleeves, hahaha.

Alas, I was very sporting to wear the pineapple crown throughout k! Although I did look more like Sun Wukong HAHAHA.


Still can't get over these adorable straws. :D


With one-half of my loves!


Can you see that the balloons are actually flamingos? HAHAHA. Teeny is too creative!!


Another view of the table setting. This ombre sequin table runner is EVERYTHING.


Rubber duckies casually hanging out amidst shiny sequins!


The mastermind behind all this ADORABLE goodness. She even got the tassels on the balloons-- something that I have admired on Pinterest and off-handedly mentioned to her before.

If you want to hire her for party-planning, please contact me wtf. I will charge her a minimal agent fee HAHA.


Tropical outfits yo! Audrey in palm tree prints and Jing in flamingo prints. *hearts in eyes*


FLAT HAIR FLAT REUNION!! A faceless Jaclyn, me, Smalls, and Kit Mey! My old readers will definitely remember us. *teary-eyed*


Selfie with Suet!


One of my high school best friend, R, who is back from Langkawi (where she is posted as a doctor) just for my big day!


Jing and Ally! This Ally damn funny, the moment she saw me, she told me, "Hui Wen! I am wearing YELLOW and PRINTS for you!" while pointing at her shorts, haha. Very tropical, dahling. :D

My bridal shower outfit:


White lace/ organza 3D peplum dress: Korea
Pearl necklace: Korea
Patent pumps: Wittner, Australia

Luckily I insisted on wearing this white dress! 'Cause I didn't know what other occasion I could wear it to, haha. Imagine if I have worn a yellow dress!! Then I would have fallen into my sisters' trap wtf.


Pineapple got eaten wtf.


Top (L-R): Jaclyn, Smalls, Ally, Ran, Suet, Aud, Ean (my sister in law!)
Bottom (L-R): Kit Mey, Jing, me, Teeny

Once again, thank you all my bestest girls!!! It means the world to have you all with me throughout my journey in life. :)

One more bridal shower for my wedding reception next year k? HAHAHA.