The Heat is On
20 Apr 2007 — OMG, OMG… the date draws nearer and nearer… yes people, William and I will soon be wed, the customary way that is, since we have already signed our legal binding papers back in January last year. The preps for that event was nothing compared to the monumental task at hand. But I’m glad to say that endless heated discussions and sleepless nights later, William and I are finally seeing eye to eye and making some headway at long last.
For one, we have finally compiled our guest list, gathered all their postal addresses (yah, like who even sends snail mail anymore these days?!?) and even finalised the wedding card design. Like geez… who would have thought that even the words on the card had to be sooo precise, like whose names comes first, the proper terminology of our ranking in terms of siblings, etc, etc.
Haha, and in line with our whole Oriental theme, we have opted to keep the traditional Chinese wordings in the cards. I love it! So campy! Now all that’s left is to get them printed and sent out… I know, I know, even our wedding co-ordinator is hurrying us, so not to worry, if you’re on the invite list, you will be getting them very very soon, and once you do, please RSVP ASAP. Wah liao… take our own sweet time to send out the invites but demand guests to reply immediately… like dat oso can?!?
Another thing that’s moving along rather than stagnating and fermenting is the layout of our wedding album. Yes… believe it or not, we are paying other people but doing the job ourselves. The designer that J&M got us just cannot make it lah… the way she designed the album was sooo cheena, and not in a campy way either! Just very very salah. It’s a very very thin line between what is campy and what is LC, and far too few people tread it well. Definitely not her! For instance, look at this one page:
Alamak! So secondary school autograph book right?!? So many “special” effects, somemore kena cheesy love poem?!! How to make it you tell me?… And the more pages I saw, the more my blood boiled… somehow or other, this designer with her putrid bad taste has succeeded in transforming our rather tasteful photos into a very run-of-the-mill JB-studio album!!! Argh!!!! And after several failed attempts of trying to convey the clean, slick look we’re after, William was so frus he decided: forgit it, we’ll just do it ourselves! Grrreat, another colossal project I have to somehow orchestrate remotely. But yes, weeeeks later, we are almost done.
We’ve also decided on the caterer for the day’s buffet — Elsie’s Kitchen. Yep, both mum and I somehow ended up picking the same company. Came with the recommendations of my Sam Yee; she’s gone through tons of caterers with all the parties she’s organised, so Elsie’s must be good! Peranakan food = lots of yummilicious spicy lemak stuff… sedap. I had a grand time looking through their various buffet menus to pick out the items we’d like. Top on my list: Sotong Youtiao and Or-nee (Yam Paste)! How long has it been since I had any of these things… TOO LONG! That’s how long!
Being rather productive during our last trip home, we have also settled on our actual day videographer and photographer. The former’s gonna be The Wedding Paparazzi and the latter, Tinydot Photography. TWP was friendly enough and we really dig their upbeat snazzy style of videography, but with Tinydot, wow… I really liked the guy from the get-go. Yu Hsin, the photog, was sooo affable and down-to-earth that he put us at ease from the very first, or actually our only, meeting. No airs about him whatsoever. And even with his busy schedule, the guy makes time for a blog (anyone who’s got a blog is naturally in my good books), where he talks passionately about his work, the couples he work with, and most importantly it seems, his family. Awww… you gotta love that! And of course he’s got a great eye and flair for capturing those special moments too. Oh, and I must admit, for the amazing work he does, his rates are still very very affordable.
Peiling was so pleased with the job he did for her ROM (sample above), she’s flying him all the way to Bali for her actual day, and she has confessed that she has utterly fallen in love with him too. Really, go check out his site oredi!
Most importantly in this whole wedding plough-along, we’ve more or less nailed our honeymoon plans! Hanoi here we come! The initial plan was to head to Europe of course, what better excuse to completely blow your budget over a holiday… but both Wil and I can’t afford to take any more leave. Already I’m taking 34 days, better not push it… so I was thinking where can we cover in about a week and still do the place justice?
Certainly we have to find somewhere with a Hilton too so that I can make full use of my Hilton staff rates. Where leh? Where leh? And suddenly it dawned on me — Vietnam would be perfect! Billie and I have always wanted to go, it’s been an obsession of mine ever since I started watching Tran Anh Hung’s films, especially the latest one – “Vertical Ray of the Sun”.
Hey look, I’m really really not the sort of person that would voluntarily watch a film more than once, but “Vertical”, I must have watched it at least 20 times. It’s that good. I love the slow melo mood of the film, the subtle nuances in the plot, the ambient noise with just a hint of Lou Reed in the background, the hypnotic calm serenity. It’s a film that you don’t just watch, you experience. Every scene is a sumptuous feast for the senses. Now I want to go Hanoi where the film was shot, to witness the breathtaking Halong Bay with my own eyes, to sample the street fare sitting on low stools like Lien and Hai, to soak in the humidity and the simplicity of daily routine. Am I over-romanticising the place and creating false expectations? Haha, probably, but so what, I can live inside my head and create my own experiences.
So yes, the choice was clear. Besides, the languor of Hanoi would allow William and I the time and space to idle in each other’s company as opposed to rushing around to cover everything in sight. The cheap food and shopping was a bonus, flights weren’t too costly, and the Hilton Hanoi Opera would be available at staff rates… what more could newly weds ask for right? So confidently we booked our non-exchangeable SQ tickets – two to Hanoi please!
Hmm… speaking of accommodation, I wonder what’s taking so long for the hotel to get back to me, better shoot another email to Emmy, the GM’s PA who co-ordinates all our hotel bookings. Guess what? While I was totally expecting to pay around US$50 for the room per night, the reply came back to say it would cost me US$240++!!! I was flabbergasted. Surely there was some mistake. No, no, no, did the Hilton Hanoi understand that this was not just any normal holiday, but a honeymoon? Was it made clear that I’m staff not just any regular holidaymaker? Or perhaps, that’s the price for the entire 7 nights’ stay right?!! No, no, no, no, no… something has gone terribly wrong… I better take things into my own hands, so rather than go through Emmy, I contacted the hotel directly stating all crucial pieces of info again — just in case they got lost in translation the first time round.
But there was no mistake, the rooms were gonna cost me US$240++ per night!!! That’s $435 Sing dollars or 4,622,112 Vietnamese Dongs! And may I remind everyone that this is Vietnam we’re talking about! No, I have not suddenly teleported myself to Europe. We are still in a third world country, where one could have a decent meal for no more than US$1! US$240++! You know what?!? Why don’t you just take my arm? And this was supposed to be “staff rate” too, mind you. Or so I thought. After doing a quick internet search, Billie found out that even on the hotel’s own website, a member of the public could book the same room for US$195!!! What the?!? Now THAT is unacceptable. It’s not just about the price anymore. Oh no… it’s BEYOND that now. It’s a matter of principle, of morality! How can one blatantly quote a higher price to a staff member and still claim it’s “the best we can do”?!?! @#$%&*!!!! @#$%&*!!!! SIGH….. What can I say… I am deeply and utterly disappointed, I have lost faith. Hilton Hanoi, you have let me down. I don’t know if I will ever completely heal from this traumatic episode, but life has to go on. I have to move on.
And moooove we did! Heh heh, to the Sofitel Metropole!
Pehling who just went to Hanoi with Fukky back in December had stayed here and was raving about it, but I was like… no lah, Hilton’s so much cheaper, can’t really justify it. Well now I don’t have to find any excuses. And yes, having gone through their website, methinks it was a blessing in disguise. The place does look exquisite, and many websites tout it as THE place to be if you really want to live it up in Hanoi. In fact, TripAdvisor.com ranks it as #1 of 136 hotels in Hanoi.
We’ll of course also be spending a couple of nights out in Halong Bay. You can’t go Hanoi without making the pilgrimage to Halong! You’d return the biggest loser! Seriously. You do realise it’s a UNESCO site right? And just check out the picture!
Apparently you don’t even have to try hard to capture images like these. And yes, it was featured frequently in Vertical Ray… We booked a package tour with ODC Travel, which was highly recommended by lotsa Virtual Tourists. 3 days 2 nights with accomodation, meals, tours and transport all thrown in costs only US$75 per person! Wowee! It’s not top of the range, that would be the Emeraude, but it’s not the bottom either, so we’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope things turn out well. I’m looking forward to the kayaking and the hikes through the villages, while Ah Bi is all game on catching his own fish and having it cooked on the spot. Sleeping on a junk boat would be a rather funky experience too I guess.
While researching Hanoi, came across this really user-friendly website: Travelfish.org — tons of bite-sized tips for the S.E.A. traveller. Really handy info, and so easy to navigate.
As for dining out, you’ve got to visit the Sticky Rice site — a food blog written by an Aussie living in Hanoi. It’s so entertaining! And the food looks sooo good can die and I can’t believe how cheap it is!?! Yes, all these pictures are courtesy of Sticky. Trust me, if you are a fraction as piggy as I am, you will have endless hours of pleasure exploring this site. In fact, you may jolly well find yourself on the next plane to Hanoi tracking down these Vietnamese delights! I certainly have the urge.
We’re not quite done yet. For the total experience of soaking in the Vietnamese way of life, Wil and I have also booked ourselves into a motel in the Old Quarters — supposedly the local stretch of Hanoi, characterised by a twisting mess of narrow roads and alleys.
Yep, one night in Hanoi Elegance 2, 85 Ma May Street. Check it out! Authentic or wat? My only request was that the room had to have a balcony, so I can live out my fantasy of being Lien in that scene where she shouts down to the stall below to order noodles for lunch. Haha, cheap thrill. And hey, believe it or not, Elegance ranks #3 of 136 hotels in TripAdvisor’s popularity index okay?!?
Yes, yes, I am getting very excited. I really really can’t wait.
And finally, finally, in line with all this wedding stuff, I must thank each and every one of you that’s either been actively helping William and I pull it all together — Peiling, Serene, Jeff, Mama and Laoba, or who have offered invaluable advice and support — Jo, Li-Anne, Sherry, Elaine, Wendy, Adeline, Shihui, etc, etc, etc. Definitely if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that a wedding will never be a one-man, or rather, one-couple’s show. Instead, it is a heartwarming, at times nerve-wrecking, collaborative effort that brings together the bride and groom’s closest family and friends. And yes, come 26 May, we will all come together and have ourselves a BIG PARTY okay?!!