Gizmo the Wizmo...

I've never blogged about Gizmo.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because he had been keeping me busy whenever I'm home.

Gizmo is a Pomeranian, a little git.  Gizmo was born on the 15th of October 2009.  His first owner took him in for a while and then left him in a pet shop for sale - he spent just about 9 months in a cage.  Then, finally, he met his previous owner, one of Adrian's South African colleagues.  The family was going back to South Africa and would not bring him with them.  Poor sod was going to end up in a pet shop again.  we took him in, as we took the apartment over.  He was their toy.  I don't doubt their love for him but the poor sod was only walked once or twice a fortnight....

We first met on the 27th of January this year when we came and looked at this apartment.   We moved into this apartment on the 28th of February.  And that was the day we first officially lived together.

At slightly more than 2 years of age, he wasn't the fittest dog in the world.  We taught him how to sit and wait to be fed.  How to run, how to climb up and down the stairs and how not to worry about the manhole covers.  We walked him at least twice a day, slightly more than an hour a day in total, sometimes more.  He looked so happy and he looked forward to each and every single walk.  I would walk him every morning, and night if Adrian  couldn't do it.  Boy, did we enjoyed our walks.

Every time we walked through that door, he would be there greeting us.  Every morning when we woke, he would be greeting us promptly as well.  he loved the little biscuit snacks, the sofa, sushi rice, pasta, dumplings, fruits and everything else that we ate in the house.  He would demand for hugs and cuddles by scratching our arms non-stop as if he was saying, "hey, hug, hey, hug hug... hey...", well he'd only stop when he got the cuddle and he would kiss us back affectionately.

We also brought him to the park and the beaches, although he didn't like the water.  We even bought him with us to Stanley when Adrian paddled in the Dragon Boat race.  There we met the biggest dog we've ever met - a Great Dan called Harley.  It was so wonderful.  How our little git was behaving among people and other dogs.  We were so proud.  As if our child has graduated from university or something.  Aside from the fact the he still ate his own shit occasionally and pissed in the house at least once a day.

Not too long after we got him, we realised that the little sod had weak tracheal rings in his windpipe.  Sometimes he would breathe as if he had asthma or something but would get better soon after.  Besides that, the common problem that the breed would have, he had - Luxating Patella, and we were planning to get that fixed by the end of the year.  Before all that, our little git had developed mange at the elbows of the fore legs after just about 6 weeks we had him.  And so the medication and solutions started.  We also needed to wipe his eyes, give him shower, take him to the groomer, etc.  Exactly like taking care of a kid.  The only difference is he didn't know how to talk and they do not grow up and become independent.  He slowly got better, the mange was gone and he was into his last week of medication and he would be spayed straight after he's off the medications.

And then, things got wrong.  he was struggling to breathe a little bit the night we got back from Stanley.  The next day, I sent him to the vet but they couldn't do much and then I had to send him to a 24-hour animal hospital.  They couldn't do much about that because whatever they do, they will have to give him anesthetic and he could stop breathing because of that.  What do we do?  It was a tough choice.  And the vet was going on holiday.  Great.

It was the 28th of June, 2012.  I was seriously doubting the hospital.  And straight after the noon visiting time.  I spent a couple of hours trying to make arrangement to get him to another hospital.  At 4pm in the afternoon, he passed.  They couldn't revive him.  Maybe it was his time.  We could never have known.  Bottom line is, he's gone.  And he was cremated today.  We said proper goodbyes to our little git.  Brought his ashes back to the apartment.  Where he spent the happiest times of his life.  Where we gave him all the love we could.

Walks down the roads in the area, lift rides in the building, coming back to the house, the kitchen, the bathroom, the dining and living area, the balcony, the parks, Stanley, Repulse Bay, bus & train & taxi rides, will never be the same, ever.  And we don't even need to leave a light on for him at night anymore... Losing him also reminded me of Lei Lei, our first family dog.  How their departure would leave a void in our hearts.

Rest in Peace, Gizmo.  You're missed dearly.

Proud wife Vernette

So Adrian has gone back into swimming lately - long distance ocean swims.  It's pretty hard core for me.  If I had to walk 5km on a Saturday afternoon (not in a shopping mall or something similar), I'd die within the first couple of km!  And my superman husband did it last Saturday, swam 5km from Stanley to Repulse Bay.  Pretty impressive, huh?

One thing I noticed about hard core swimmers in HK lately - most of them don't have a tattoo.  Well, nothing visible to be exact, even when they had only small swimming trunks on.
So when I wait for Adrian to get back ashore, I'd look out for those old fashioned dragon tattoos - all arms were clean but his, besides, it's so difficult to spot him by just looking at the splashes!  His splashes is not that distinctive.  ;-p

I posted about Adrian's successful 5km trial on FB the other day and received some funny responses by his friends...

definitely not very impressed with the hippo suit comment...

He sure did make me proud.  I'm so glad that I encouraged him to get back into swimming.  And of course, claiming to be the perfect man, he got me a new handbag to thank me for the support! wahahaha  how good is that?  It is also a form of compensation for I had 8 bug bites whilst waiting for him on the beach and they are still bloody itching!!

He's going to be swimming in the real race in less than a couple of weeks and if he sorts out the cramps, I figure he could probably slash 5 - 10 minutes off his time.  Let's see how it goes.

2nd part of Adrian's birthday celebration

Well, the first part, I haven't blogged yet hehehehe but the 2nd part was soooooo good that I have to blog it immediately after a nap that followed hehehehe

Well, I treated him with our 2nd Champagne brunch (we had our first one in Macau, in Aurora).  I brought him to Cucina in Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel in TST.  It was on the 6th floor and we were sat by the window with Victoria Harbour in sight, bright sun light, a bit foggy but I would still class it as a good day, by HK standard hahaha

not the best but good enough by HK standard, well the sun made it up

Although I haven't been a great fan of champagnes but I like the idea of having a slow morning/afternoon out of the house and a bit of booze and a lot of good food.

There was the very popular Hokkaido long leg crab, oysters, lobsters, great salami and ham and super delicious soups.  Also, the dessert line was almost perfect, and Adrian has had 4 coffees (I had to forbid him from ordering the 5th!!)........

All in all, it was great and I was thinking that we should do this when Steve & Rosana comes over to HK the next time and when Mendy & Chris come back to HK in June.

At about 3:30, we left the restaurant (though the brunch ended at 2:30, we stayed until the afternoon tea started.... baaaaad~~) and went home for a well deserved afternoon nap -- had to get ready for the rugby game tonight! 

And, now, we're off to our rugby game!!!

Yes, a proper Valentine's Day even after we got married!

Yes, yes, yes, romance doesn't stop after the honeymoon. 

Adrian is the the sweetest husband when it comes to special occasions.  He has the best memory when it comes to special dates -- top quality RAM.  haha!  Well, to be fair, so far, he's the sweetest husband 80% of our married life.  And I hope that the percentage is only going to improve hehehee

Yes, I woke up, greeted him "happy Valentine's day" and gave him a kiss.  And then, I walked into the living room, and there was a card waiting for me.  Nope, not a credit card, just a Valentine's card. It was sweet.

And I went to work.  At just about 10:30, came a phone call from the Receptionist, there was a package for me.  I was just thinking that it was some samples that some suppliers have sent me, it just didn't occur to me because he has already bought me a sapphire pendant before Chinese New Year and there and then, he agreed that it was the Valentine's day + birthday present and that we should not spend anymore money on any other thing.  So I was definitely surprised to find that "the package" was actually 3 dozens of red roses.  And yes, I'm the less romantic one in this marriage because after being happily surprised, I thought about the money... "hmm... I wonder how much he has spent..."  and a colleague congratulated me because I was the first to receive my flowers...??  eh???  I thought flowers from husband doesn't count?

I thought I had to do something more than just getting him on a flight simulator session (got it on cheap at UbuyIbuy), so I bought him a card during lunch.  And since he calls me a sex bomb, I have bought a card that calls him a love machine hahaha well, to me, he IS indeed the ultimate love machine hahahaha!!

Anyway, there was actually a dinner arrangement at 8:30.  I got off work, and as I was walking through City Super, it was full of bodies!! There were long queues not only at the checkouts, the meat section had a queue of just about 2 dozens of people!  Wow!  That's something I've never seen before, maybe booking a table at days like this is not an easy task.

I got to the bus stop, but there was a serious traffic jam that the bus was at least half an hour behind schedule!  Gosh, I still had to go home, get dressed (shower was out of the question when I had to spend the 30-minute shower time waiting for a bloody bus!!), put on make-up and out of the door by 8:15!!

When I got home, I was surprised again by balloons arranged in heart shape stuck up on the wall where the bed is, with another card, and a diamond earring (yes, just one because I only needed one, to replace the one that I've lost, so I've got an upgrade to my earring hehehe)!  Thank you babe!

I gave him his card and he quickly hung up the love machine bit at the bedroom door hehehehe

the gifts and the cards...

And next, after an hour of getting ready, we're off to the restaurant!

the origami on the table

our super fine sake & the funky wine dispenser

Well we were only 5 minutes late when we got to the restaurant, we walked.  It was a Japanese restaurant in the Harbour Plaza Metropolis just a few minutes' walk from our place called "Senzuru", we didn't book the Valentine's set dinner, we ordered a teppanyaki set course, a sushi platter and a bottle of beautiful sake (the best and the most expensive sake we've ever had!! not gonna reveal the price though).

When we got home, there's yet another surprise!  A little one but it's cute!

A love remote!  hehe... something really handy!

dooo...

dooo...

dooo...

dooo...


doooooooo!!

1st Anniversary!

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Yup, in a day, it's gonna be our anniversary! We celebrated it a couple of days earlier because Adrian won't be able to get home early enough to have dinner on the day itself... What to do, he's an important man... hehe

Feels strange and, what a year it has been!!  One down, a lifetime to go!!!

What comes first??

OK, what do you call it?  Strawberries with Whipped Cream?  Whipped Cream on Strawberries?  Whipped Cream Strawberries?  Strawberries Whipped Cream??  Which one is it???

Well, whatever it is called, we're doing it again!  Yes, it's Getting-Fat-Time again!  This time, we will have dessert first, yes, dessert first.  Then, dinner.  hehehe if we were hungry after that... So tell me, what comes first?  Health?  Good food (according to a friend, eating fantastic food could actually be almost like an orgasm -- that didn't really impress her fiance then, who's now her husband)?  or the smile on your loved ones' face?

This time, we've bought some better quality strawberries.  So it's a lot better than last time, although, it was already freaking good the last time.  Same old trick, I had to beat the cream to death, working all the calories that I'm due to consume away efficiently -- honestly, I've been beating it for 15 - 20 minutes, I can have the whole portion.  However, because I love my husband so much, and he loves me as much, I'll share it with him heehehe!

See how happy my baby is?  It means everything in the world to me ^___^  Not difficult to tell what comes first, right?

Happily wedded at last! - part 2

We walked to the Lippo Centre to have our brunch after the registry. Then it was just me and Adrian, the photographers and the hired cars (with the drivers of course). First we had some shots in the car and then as the car got on the high way, we took some more nice photos too(I presume they were nice – we had the roof opened and stood as the car moved slowly to the exit of Lippo Centre, standing up waving and posing and all sorts of stunts haha!).

We went to Shek O and Stanley for our photos. I climbed the rocks on my 3-inch high heels and almost got myself blown off the cliffs by strong wind – so strong that I had to take off my veil as it was just about to be “detached” from my hair by the wind…!! And as we arrived at Stanley, it started to rain. The horizon did not look a bit like HK… it was simply phenomenal! I just wish I had the photos with me now so that I can show you what I meant!

We then took a ferry from HK to Kowloon, as we got off the ferry, we took a few shots and before we knew it, the next ferry was docking already! As we were running away from it, people on that ferry cheered for us, it was unbelievable! Hehehe… Soooooooooo much fun!!

As we were making our way to our cars, we saw an accident at the taxi stand. One of the taxi just drove into the taxi in front of him in the queue! I sure hope that it wasn’t us that distracted him.

We were dropped off at Delaney’s, had a pint (yes, you guessed it, it was Guinness) and of course, some pictures taken (again!!) hehehe and then headed back to the hotel to prep for the banquet. It was just about 4:50pm when we finally made it back to the hotel. What a day what a day! And it’s not over yet!!

After a quick shower, Rosita put my face back in place, and we were ready for the tea ceremony! Yes, we have a tea ceremony, the Chinese way – where we serve tea to the family members and gifts/”Lai Si” were given to the bride & groom. We were late by the way. I made some last minute changes and that did not impress Adrian. Ooops! Ok, I make quick decisions and I know that if I waited I’d probably forget about it… but what so bad about me was that I forgot to tell Adrian about the changes!!! Me soooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaad!! Well what am I meant to do when I needed to make the decision and he wasn’t there?? Oh well, what’s done is done and I thought those were right decisions hehehehe

As the song “I was born to love you” by Queen played, we happily walked into the room in linked arms (Adrian said he was proud to be doing that but I didn’t feel proud, just overjoyed). I was sooooo touched to see all of our friends there cheering for us… man, I almost cried!! I had tears in my eyes I could hardly see!!! I know that this could be the last time I see these guys in Hong Kong and it’s probably going to be a long long time until we see them again! These thoughts just beat me. (We’re still working on our thank you emails, and, it’s not easy at all!!)

The food was fantastic, the music was good (well, songs actually, and Adrian and I chose them), the people were fantastic, the view at the Patio (we have the breath-taking view of Victoria Harbour, yes, yes, yes, it was a very clear night!!) was phenomenal, Percy and his team of waiters were great, in fact, the best I’ve come across so far!! I mean they are by far the best waiters I’ve ever been served!! They are always there but they are never there!! I mean, they are always there the second you feel like you needed them, and they are never in your way or visible when you don’t need them!! How good is that? I can’t imagine the amount of training they had to be put through… 35% more than the market price was well worth it!

The night ended early, well it was a Sunday and almost everyone had to get back to work the next day, some to Macau and some had to get back to ZhuHai before the border closes at 12am you see… we are really really happy that almost all of our guests turned up, only one thing Adrian wasn’t impressed was that this mate of his (who now works in Singapore) who didn’t reply to any of his emails/invites (hence no formal invitation was sent out), he turned up because he happened to be in town and thought he wanted to turn up in a pair of jeans… with his mistress… Well I don’t think anyone would be impressed anyway, only one positive side about them turning up -- we had a couple of uninvited guests to fill the space of the two invited guests that couldn’t make it… Ya, me bad, but I’m not thick skin enough to gate crash a wedding dinner, not with my mistress anyway! Took me some time to calm Adrian down though…

Other than that, the dinner went fantastic! There were so much divine food (although I didn’t have much >______< to eat but I was very happy that the food turned out to be delicious, well, according to our guests), tasty wines (which I had quite a lot of hehehe), beautiful tulips, and Jane even to play a song at the piano (she was too nervous and forgot most of it), got Zuzanna and I sang along. Well Rosana did suggest for Zuzanna to sing but I was distracted immediately after she said it, dunno by what though hehehehe Anyway she sang and it was great! Haha! In the end, Mark & Shirty and my mom had to take away with them one wedding cake each (the wedding cake consists of 5 heart shaped cakes 3 of which were consumed…), mom got herself a bunch of tulips to take back to the hotel… phew! What a night!! In fact, what a day! There are sooooo many people to thank for, for this wonderful day. Our families – Philip & Ann, mom & Dad, my aunt, my brother Chee Mun, his wife Chian Chian and his son Heng Heng; Jane; Mark & Shirty & Conrad; our honourable guests (Steve & Rosana, Tony & Zuzanna, Terry, Peter & family, Eric, Jason, Eddie, Paul Lee, Don, Michelle & Frank, Chin & Philip, Malcolm, Dave, Paul S., Kenneth Terry, Robert, ; John, Percy and his team (The Peninsula), Ann Choi and her team, Billy Yiu (we hired his cars and had him and his mate driving us around HK for half of the day), Rosita and her assistant, The Delaney’s, the Star ferry, the good weather, and everyone and everything!! We had a little more than 4 hours sleep in our room (2306) in The Peninsula, which was upgraded FOC by Peninsula, then we were off to our honeymoon! Wahahahahaahaa!!!

Happily wedded at last - part 1

After all the hard work, it’s finally came through alright – what a relief!

Yes, we are finally married! And I’m writing this in our honeymoon suite – a jacuzzi water villa at Veligandu Island Resort in Maldives!! YES! MALDIVES!!

Adrian came back to HK on the 1st of August and that was when we got all the final bits of our wedding sorted out… including meeting with John Ho of The Peninsula, our catering manager; Ann Choi, our photographer; finalizing the guest list; hiring a suit for our Best Man, Mark, with all the help we could get from Shirty, Mark’s better half; the songs for the banquet etc. etc… And other than all these, Adrian has to find as much time as he possibly could to see the boys and show Ann & Philip (my in-laws now) around and sort out my parents, brother & sister-in-law & his son and my aunt upon their arrival in HK... Honestly, I’ve never been sooooooo busy before!

Luckily, all the hard work’s paid off in the end – it was a wonderful wedding, by my standard la of course! One down side about it was that Phil & Tom (Adrian’s boys) were both sick and couldn’t make it. One of the main reasons we have the wedding in HK was because his boys are there. It’s really a pity. However, it was afterall a happy occasion, and the show must go on hehehehe

We have no photo to show yet, well, all our photos taken by Ann and her team are still with them and I think that our guests have got more photos than I have now! We have none!!! Arrrrgh!!

The day started off me getting at 6am (after just about 3 hours’ sleep in one of the most comfy beds I’ve ever slept in… yes, that’s the Peninsula HK!!)– I had to get showered and all to get ready for the makeup artist, Rosita.

Rosita arrived at just about 7am, and she got started straight away. I hadn’t been using a lot of skincare after I got to HK since the 26th of July, no facials no masks… Only applied some Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Treatment the night before and it was all right all the way – no problem whatsoever when the makeup was done. You see if your skin is not hydrated properly, you would struggle with applying the foundation and everything else would me more difficult to apply and will have trouble staying on for the rest of the day…

Ann Choi and her team arrived an hour later than Rosita when the makeup was just about done. Everyone else, my mom, aunt, Jane have arrived not long before the time that Adrian should arrive. Then it was 8:45, right after I got dressed, Adrian came knocking on the door. I must explain a bit here, it’s Chinese tradition that the bridegroom comes and pick up the bride in the morning, while the western culture doesn’t practice this. The bride has to make it to the church on her own… This bit, we followed the Chinese tradition hehehe… no games like what ppl would do these days, he just knocked and slipped through the “Lai Si” under the door and Jane got it and opened the door for him – simple and straight forward, just like me la~~~

He then passed the dowry to my dad, they shoke hands and then he got my hand (which forgot about the glove…) from my dad, ironically, like a business deal hehehehehe but hey, that’s because we skipped the tradition where the future son-in-law sends a set of big gifts & presents that represents good future and marriage to the bride-to-be’s house.

We took some pictures, well Ann took some pictures, then we started to head off to the Registry, in the convertible BMW we hired. Felt kinda unreal when we made our way to the car through the Peninsula’s main lobby though…

Got to the registry at Cotton Tree Drive, saw Mark half naked outside of the Gents haha! It was just too hot and he just had to cool down a bit, well Adrian had some cooling patches (you know those that were invented by the Japanese and you use them on your forehead to bring your temperature down?) on him hehehehe… Ann taught us that, yes, the one with the most wedding experience! Ha! Well, she’s a photographer and I won’t expect less. And Heng Heng, my nephew, found his best friend there, Conrad, Mark’s son, 6, who’s also a big fan of Transformers…!! That kept them busy for a long time!

We exchanged rings, my dad & Mark are the witnesses – western tradition, best man and bridesmaid are the witnesses but Chinese, the parents, so I had my dad as my witness and Adrian had Mark as his. Fair and square. Hehe!

to be continued...

My 34th birthday - backdate to 8 April 2009

Ahh... yes, I'm backdating this... Should have done this a long time ago...

Unlike last year, I "celebrated" my birthday this year with Adrian miles away from me. But Adrian being the sweetest fiance, he made this power point presentation about my life without him and how he's going to "upgrade" all that from now onwards... once again, he did it. The slide show brought tears to my eyes.

That's not all, he got me a Kwanpen wallet -- given to me before he left for Libya which he knew I had my eyes on... However, not long after I've looked at it with Adrian (I didn't tell him that I wanted it la!!), I returned to the shop with the girls while the shop is still giving 30% discount to all the merchandises. I placed order (they have to take it in from HK, the design and colour that I wanted) for a brown, medium size wallet that has enough compartments for my stuff... I didn't tell Adrian I bought it though -- didn't want him to think I'm a big spender la! But it's made of croc skins, it could last a lifetime la!

Honestly, the thought of Adrian buying me one has never occurred to me because he had just been made redundant at that time, also, considering the commitment that he has with the kids. Imagine how shocked I was when he took me to the Crystal Club on the 38th Floor of the 6 star hotel previously called The Crown here in Macau. He asked the waitress to hand it to me... Gosh, I was speechless. It's a black, medium size wallet, slightly different from the one that I have ordered but equally beautiful.

I didn't want to disappoint Adrian, I have decided not to tell him about the order of that other wallet. I have decided to use it on my birthday. Meanwhile, I will use the one that I ordered once it's arrived. Hehe... The plan failed when I took it out of my handbag when I was talking to Adrian on Skype. He saw!!! Awe!!! He was so disappointed and I was so sorry that I didn't tell him about this order that I made! hmm...

Adrian is a wonderful man. He tries to please me in everyway and I'm thankful for that. Sometimes I have to pinch myself just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming... hehe... He insists that I should be less independant and rely on him more. I will try but I tend to forget -- I have never been used to being dependant... well, he'll remind me anyway... hehehe

wishful thinking?

I was watching a Japanese TV programme (I do that often, so that I don't forget what I've paid to learn) about the birth of babies of different families.

Now ppl who knows me well enough would know that I have both of my fallopian tubes removed due to actopic pregnancy. I've never tried to hide it from anyone, so basically whoever brings it up I would make it clear that it takes more if I wanted a child of my own.

Adrian is well aware of it + he has 2 from his last marriage so it's not essential. However, as the day approaches, I feel the urge more... strange because I've never felt that way before, never ever have I had the desire to have a child.

However, because Adrian is such a wonderful man (you should see his interaction with the kids, it's wonderful), the idea of having a child (a girl of course) with him sounds like a good idea -- that's why I wasn't against it when Adrian asked. In fact, I thought, if I had a father like Adrian, I would be a very very happy daughter. That's why I told him we could try but I don't think we should push it... he agreed.

Tonight, after watching that TV programme. I felt something else. I imagined (I did!!! I've never done anything like that before coz I just can't...) I was the one suffering from the pain and the uncertainty and all that... some of the stories put tears to my eyes -- a blind forty year-old mom + a husband who works as a volunteer; a young wife + a husband old enough to be her father; a premature baby born at 25 weeks that weighed only 568g at birth; a young ex-gangster father confessing his pass to the in-laws before the baby was born... these ppl are courageous. They actually made me felt like a coward... hmm...

A baby girl would be perfect... wishful thinking?

What comes after engagement...!! Part 4

This time, I'm in Hong Kong for something major -- a Makeup trial...

Me and Jane has picked out a shop in the famous Golden Plaza called Patty Styling the last time. We were received by a fun young lady named Fanny (yes, it's one of the popular names for girls in Hong Kong...) and the photos that they displayed... the "before and after" makeup photos only looked like the girls put on makeups, not just finished 5 sessions of plastic surgery... hmm... not a cheap choice but hey, I don't want to have to instruct the makeup artist what to do with my face or...

Before we started, I told her (the makeup artist I picked, Rosita is the name) that she can style all she want, I just need to look like me, before plastic surgery...

This is what I did at home, myself... an hour's work, didn't do the hair though...

These are what she, Rosita, the makeup artist did for me... not far off, I still look like me with makeup...?? Yes, not too powdery...

I booked for my mom and mother-in-law too... for the dinner. I'm sure they like that.

After that, we went off and booked the flowers for the big day... the hand bouquet, the corsage... I wanted white tulips and there was this one florist that was willing to accept my orders - it is summer when we're getting married, and common sense is, summer isn't exactly the right season. However, although they have accepted the order, they still advised us to choose a 2nd choice just in case.

O, I'm so anxious... one more thing is, the Peninsula can arrange white tulips for the flowers of the venue too... if it's available... fingers crossed!!

After this, Jane and I went to have Sushi (yes, again!!) and then a couple of drinks at Langham Place...

This place we went for drinks, looked good, and they looked like they had draught Guinness! See... I didn't even need to look at the menu and ordered a pint, as in, "I'd like to have a pint of Guinness please..." and the waitress said yes. Great...


Until we flipped the menu... it says "Guinness (can)"...!!!!! What!!!!! What's that draught machine for then?????????? O i called the waitress immediately and confirmed that they have only canned Guinness!!! and it's for a bloody HK$57!!! Damn blood suckers!! I changed to G&T's... bad! Two drinks are more than enough!



to be continued...

What comes after engagement...!! Part 3

Well the shopping did not end with the red dinner dress... we did try out quite a lot of accessories that were beautiful and all but they costs too much -- one set would cost about 60% of the selling price and a set would normally cost more than HK$1200! That's at least HK$2K just to rent 3 sets of bloody accessories: necklace & earrings!!! Are they out of their minds? I could run a business like that! Bloody blood suckers!

And as we were talking about how crazy these people are, we got to a little stall that sells jewellery which she designed herself with Swarovski crystal -- some impressive work there. And so we asked about the price, guess what? HK$500 for 3 sets of necklace and matching earrings + a crown that's worth just about HK$5K for 3 days! Again, I did not hesitate! Hahaha!!

I have returned to Hong Kong 2 weeks later to deal with some other things a couple of weeks later. I arrived on Friday, it was a long weekend and Jane was so kind that she offered me a room in her place for a couple of nights so that I didn't have to be alone and that I didn't have to spend so much money on a hotel room... it would normally cost just about HK$600-HK$700 a night for a decent hotel room, tiny but decent.

Earlier of the day right after I've arrived at Hong Kong, I went straight to the Consulate General of Malaysia, handed in the Certification of Divorce for it to be translated and then notarized and also to get the translated Decree Nisi notarized notarized... It could be collected in the afternoon, right before our appointment to look at the venue.

Jane is still in her piano class and so I spent the time wondering around in a book shop, bought some books, went to Pacific Coffee, got my coffee, sat down and started reading. Until it was time to meet with Jobee, I set an alarm to the appointment. I went and met up with Jane and we proceeded to the hotel -- The Peninsula Hong Kong.

We arrived and Jobee came and showed us the venue - The Garden Suite. It's a suite with a little hall that holds just about 50pax and a large private terrace overlooking Victoria Harbour, believe me, it's stunning. The Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre is just right across the waters. It has a dedicated elevator that's just about as old as the building itself. They had a little problem with the elevator that day that we had to take another elevator to 6th floor and then access the venue on 7th floor via a private staircase. So the venue is a very private venue -- we get all the privacy we want! That's why the deposit was paid just 5 days after I've viewed the venue.

We then did a little bit of window shopping. And then!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! You might have probably realized what I have forgotten to do... yes, I forgot to collect the documents from the Consulate!!!! Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!!! >___<

The recall button failed me again! or should I blame it on the books? the coffee????

At this point, I realized how much I owe it to Jane. I know for sure, I wouldn't be able to pull this off on my own this easily. And it's almost a miracle that we have achieved so much with just a few visits to Hong Kong... Then we had dinner at the Tahi restaurant, we ordered some curry crab... the claw bit my left index finger!!!! And it started to bleed!!! With curry in it!!!! So it's... bloody Curry Crab!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

See... this is the scar it left me...

After dinner we headed off to Jane's place. It's a nice little place, I got to chat with Adrian a little bit on MSN and the blanket was warm and the water in the bathroom was hot... that was so nice. The first time I stayed in a place with people I know in the next room since I came back from Malaysia. Felt safe, so safe.

Gosh, I just miss Adrian soooo much!


to be continued...

What comes after engagement...!! Part 2

Then came the second weekend...

This weekend, we have a set of different tasks. We have received quotations from a few photographers for the day. We have decided not to do a pre-wedding photo session. Well there's no way in doing that is there? With Adrian and I being so far apart, it is just impossible. We have decided that we do it on the day of our wedding, so that will require a very skillful photographer. We have shortlisted a couple of them and got their quotations back. 1 professional and 1 amateur... The professional costs just about 2.5 times the amateur - package includes 2 photographers and a lighting assistant + an album. But there's something that the professional photographer offered in the package that the other one could not provide - our album on the web for one whole year where our friends and family can access with a login password to download the photos or the whole album. This is very important to us considering our family and friends and so far away from us.

I made an appointment with Ann Choi, the professional photographer. Jane has once again, turned into the super assistant... with a couple of phone calls, we managed to find Ann's place. Ah... I wouldn't have been able to find the place on my own in such a short time (Adrian said I should have asked him, he knows exactly where it is... ya, right, make an IDD and ask for direction... how come I'd never thought of that??) Anyway, Ann has this little workshop, well it's little for a Malaysian ok, where she works and meet some of her clients. Some may think that it's a bit messy but to me, it's just how it should be... look at my desk at work and you'll know what I mean hehehhehe OK, simple, I got into the place and thought, "mm, feels like a workshop to me!" I actually liked the place. haha! feels like we're the same type of ppl.

She showed us some of her works and some of her other works/creation which is non-photographic but very interesting. We talked for quite a lot - both Adrian and I think that we should go for somebody whom we would be comfortable talking to or be around with. One thing that I strongly believe that we did click well. I asked about her sign, she wanted me to guess. I was kinda hoping that she was a Leo (well I've always thought that it's the forces of the universe that Aries and Leos always get along... I have many close friends that are Leos... Edith, Mendy, Chloe, my mom and even my x-husband...??) but I didn't try Leo, I guessed she was either Libra or Gemini... I just didn't think I was gonna meet another Leo. She revealed the answer, she's a Leo. Ah... based on all my experience with female Leos, we'll have no problem communicating. I don't know about others but this is important.

Adrian asked me later about how I felt about talking to her and stuff like that, I gave him a pretty positive answer. Adrian likes her works a lot, but he thinks that what impressions we get from her is important too. Comparing her to the other photographer that we met later that evening, I wouldn't hesitate chosing her and so we did.

That wasn't difficult at all. That day, me and Jane accomplished a lot too -- we ordered our shoes (cost less than HK$600 for both pairs!!), bought the veil and gloves, ordered a dinner dress (tailored) and bought another dinner dress, and a pair of dinner shoes... and all these, all these cost less than HK$6K!! hahaha! we're just the best shoppers!! Honestly, after rounds of research, with HK$6K, you can only pay to hire your dresses, for only 3 days! Ain't we good or what? haha! But all those was really hard work and we couldn't feel our legs after we finished our mission that night - we had to get ourselves foot massage! I just feel like we owe Jane big big time! Thank you so much, Jane.

I got home, put on the red dinner dress, and showed Adrian. I'm just glad that he liked it too! Then I went online and showed my mom and dad... dad thought that the "deep V" is too deep and that mom needs to patch it up for me!! hahaha!

have a look, it's not that bad la~~~

This is the pair of shoes that I'm gonna wear with this red dress...


Now some may think that I should buy matching red shoes... for some strange reason, Adrian thinks it's not appropriate for a woman to wear red shoes - it's indecent/inappropriate... it means that a woman wearing red shoes means that she's not wearing a panty or she's a hooker in the olden days... so I had to choose something red but not totally read and it has to match my dress... both Jane and I thought it was quite impossible and within a few minutes of telling her how I think I want my shoes to look - two tone, then it's not all red... believe it or not, we found it right away! They had only one pair left, and it was my size and it fit perfectly! Hahaha!!

Actually the same thing happened when we were talking about the red dress back in Causewaybay that I liked so much. And we both agreed that it is unlikely that they can give us a positive reply as it's been 2 weeks and all that they told us about was that it will still cost the same even if it's tailored but they are still checking if they still have the material. As we were discussing about it, we walked into this shop. We started flipping and flipping and wow, a red dinner dress, just the colour that I like and the deep V that I like hahaha! I put it on, it fit perfectly, no alteration needed! The price? less than half of what the other one costs!! hahhaa!! I paid without hesitation! hahaha!!

to be continued...

What comes after engagement...!! Part 1

Well, it's time to update my current status now... well, of course by now, you know that my current status is "happily engaged", but what I'm trying to tell here is what comes after that...

2 weeks after I said yes, well, I had to go back to Malaysia to spend Chinese New Year with my family, alone. Yup, leaving Adrian here to wait for his departure to another part of the world for a new job.

Adrian has decided that he wants Mark to be his best man and I want Jane to be my maid of honour. We first decided that we were going to either have our wedding on this 4th of July or 16th of August... after me looking up the Chinese calendar and decided that these two days are good enough (it's a very Chinese thing to do this, so that the couple gets married on a good day and they shall live happily ever after) and that they are in summer when it's school holiday, which is very important for Adrian because he wants the boys to attend our wedding, and so do I. So these are the two days that we're going to work on, on the venue, the photographer, the everything... but later, just about a month later, we changed that date to the 9th of August...

Believe it or not, all these were decided when we talked on Skype everyday. And this is how we are going to do this together. Difficult but we're modern people... no problemo! haha!!

We sent out request for proposal to a few good hotels in Hong Kong (yes, it will be held in Hong Kong), received responses and after careful consideration, we shortlisted 2, the Peninsula and the Excelsior. I went and see the Excelsior my first weekend on the mission, nope, although it's about almost 20K cheaper, the venue is too big and too old. The Peninsula of course, is expensive, but considering our very short guest list, the perfectly sized venue, the exclusivity, the attractive package... it's worth it. The Four Seasons wouldn't serve buffet for a guest list shorter than 50, but hey, the Peninsula does it! How would you choose? Yes, we chose the Peninsula (I sort of decided before Adrian buys it... hehehe). I went and placed the deposit last week and booked our room... hahahahaha!!

OK, I got way off... back to the beginning, after I came back to Macau from Malaysia, put work back on track, I spent a few weekends in Hong Kong with Jane sorting out everything (well, as much as possible la~~). The first weekend, Jane and I went looking around in some shops in... I'm not sure, ermm... well I can't remember actually hehe... nothing interesting so we went on to TST... Well I was actually looking for a short dress instead of the usual long ones... strange? well, it's summer when we get married, it's hot and humid in Hong Kong... Long wedding dress?? Naa~~~ and most of the shops that we went into had only one or two or none to choose from and when they have one, it cost a bomb! Put it this way, they range from at least HK$5K to more than HK$12K a piece! Bloody hell! I'm not going to spend that much on a dress that is not worth the money, the make, the design, the material, the cut... etc.

Then we went to this building where Mendy had hers tailored, where there are a lot of shops that sell wedding related stuff, it's a one-stop shopping mall for ppl who are preparing their weddings. Amazingly, I found my perfect wedding dress, for just HK$780!!! It's knee length, just over, tube top, perfect. Jane found her dress in the same shop too! Haha, both dresses cost less than HK$1.4K!! Hahahaha!!! And then we went on looking at stuff...

At just about 4pm, we met up with Michelle and her fiance, who are getting married in September, went to this shop that sells wedding and dinner dress. I saw a red dinner dress and it was very beautiful -- silk and beautifully designed, cost only HK$2.6K. BUT BUT BUT!!! It wasn't my size! I was 4 inches broader all the way! No way it can be altered to suit me, if I want one it has to be tailored... but she said she'll let us know if they still have the material in the same colour...

Then, we left the shop and went to the wedding convention/exhibition. Nothing much except they made me do a makeup trial... they put makeup on half of my face and emailed the photo back to me for reference...

see the difference? well the only down side was that the makeup sponge that the artist was using smelled a little bad... but I let her do it anyway. However, I'm pretty certain, I won't engage them. See, it's not only the result that matters. The little details count too. But I did not tell the artist that of course. She'll have to pay more attention to excel. It takes more than skills. Oops, way off... Anyway, that night we went home totally exhausted! But I have got some tasks done! hehehe!

to be continued...

Valentine's Day 2009

O, so it was Valentine's Day again. But, unlike the last one, Adrian was here. He wasn't here. He's far far away from me. That kinda gave me the blues... hmm...

I knew he had things prepared but I didn't know what and so I was anxiously waiting for my surprise. This Valentine's Day was on a Saturday. However, some girls started receiving floweres on Friday the 13th already... at first I thought, "eh? how strange..." but then I figured it out... it was for the face! You know, the showing off? Ah ha! That explained everything. There was this one girl, who did not receive flowers, came up to me and asked me a stupid question, "So where's your flowers?" I thought I wanted to ask her the same question (I knew that was what she wanted) but I changed my mind as the words come out of my mouth... "You know what? Being such a beautiful and charming lady, gets people jealous enough, it will bring hatrate if I receive my beautiful flowers today... I'm very low profile, don't like the showing off you see..." Ha! She didn't know what to say and just sat back down! WAHAHAHAHAHA!

Adrian has asked me to wait for his surprises and that I should check the mailbox (the real mailbox, not email). On Thursday night, when I got home, I received a card, that says, "You're my sex bomb!" hehehe He's so naughty! But when I showed him later, he said that I should have waited until it was Valentine's Day! But but... but the envelope was opened! Can't help it la! hehehee I even showed him via the webcam that it was opened and I didn't even have to try! I received 3 more cards (2 small ones straight from the mailbox and 1 with a little teddy bear I had to pick up from the post office). He's so so so so so sweet!! That's my Adrian, the ultimate romantic fiance!

The next morning, I woke up and checked email... There were 4 emails from him...

This video came through first... Here, it's a video Valentine's morning greeting and I was told to stay in the house to wait for one more surprise... hmm... not leave the house... hmmm...

And then I opened the 2nd and 3rd emails and downloaded the files and there it was, the second video... while Adrian was chatting with me on Skype. hehehe (O, the video is muted because it has a song that's got copy right to it and so it's a silent one... it's Never Gonna Be Alone by Nickelback)

I was so touched even if I was still half asleep - it brought tears to my eyes! No one has ever done something like this for me! Tell me, how can you not love a man like Adrian? And I'm the luckiest girl, I got Adrian!

Thank you baby, I love you!

And then the third one. The subject, "Open only after the main surprise (not the card)" OK, so I got the main surprise I thought (you know, the 2nd video... I thought that was the main surprise!)... I opened the email, downloaded the file and with Adrian still on the other end of skype, I opened the video, I'm sure I heard him started screaming on the other end but it didn't stop me... Ah! The main surprise was flowers... oooooops!! only then I realized what I did... hehehe Sorry la!

We waited and waited until it was almost 5pm... no one sent me nothing... decided to call the bloke that helped Adrian arranged the flowers. He said it's been sent!! What??? Who did he send my flowers to??? I haven't received anything that looks like flowers la!!! And so he said he'd check. No reply. I chased him up again (I even pretended that I was just a friend chasing on behalf of Adrian!!) and again... at just about 5:30 or so, someone rang my bell! I thought it was the flowers but no, it was some neighbour trying to borrow a wine opener! Ya, just the right timing!!!! Arrrrrgh!!! Finally, at just about 6 the bouquet arrived.

The flowers were beautiful... erm just another note, it's the most beautiful compared to all the flowers the girls in the office received! Wahaha!! I've taken some photos and sent Adrian all of them! haha! I've pinned this one on my cubicle... the most beautiful bunch of flowers I've ever received... red roses and orange tulips... 2 other types of flowers (sorry, I'm not good at remember names of flowers... you can see them in the photo yourself, you tell me if you know haha!) and a lot of leaves!

These are all (but one card, which arrived the follwoing Monday) that I have received for my Valentine's Day from, yes, my fiance... him only...

This is how it looked when I put them into the vase...

And after about 2 weeks before all of the flower rot, I made them dried flowers...

I love you Adrian Lydiard! And thank you oh so very much!

I said, "Of course I will..."

It was our first anniversary. 11th January 2008 was when we first kissed. We went to Hong Kong to celebrate the ocassion. I was made aware that it would be very special... I saw him thinking hard and tried to get him to tell me what he had in mind hehehe...

It was a fine Sunday. We went ice-skating for the second time of my life. Everything was great until I landed on my bum (really hard) for the first time! Every single organ inside my body was shakened big time!! I didn't even feel like getting up when the "life guard" came and helped me up!! I thought I had a concussion on my bum and in my brain... (it took nearly 3 weeks to recover!!!)

that's me with my sour bum...

After ice-skating, I went to meet with Jane and had lunch together -- had to give Adrian and the boys time on their own. Phil is always shy, it's better that I don't stick around too much so that he can open up to his dad more... so I went window shopping with Jane for a little bit hahaha!!!

We took some photos together for Adrian to send to his parents in England after saying goodbye to Jane (she had to go back and sleep coz she only managed to go to bed at 7 that morning!!!).



We finally had time to ourselves after Adrian sent the boys back as usual. Well not exactly usual because it was half an hour earlier than usual. He's so sweet. He's got the whole night filled with surprises. Because he thought we should have a pre-dinner drinks or 2 in the Captain's Bar in Mandarin Oriental, he decided to send the boys off half an hour earlier... I was so touched...

In the Captain's Bar (I knitted the sweater for him for Xmas... and he loves it)

In the bar, I had my Guinness in a silver tanker!! That was really special. Well I wasn't unprepared like I seemed. I bought him a Kwanpen crocodile skin wallet... the colour of his eyes. I'm so happy that he loved it.

After that we proceeded to the ferry pier. When we were walking towards it, I noticed that it was a full moon and it was bright orange... I took a few shots and I thought to myself, "Ah~ what a special night... I will always remember that the moon looked so different on the night of our first anniversary~~" Look!


We boarded the old junk and started the cruise around the harbour. Cold but not freezing cold, the crew have blankets for us so that we could stay warm. Then we had our red wine and things were just so nice... and romantic... ya, Adrian is a very romantic man. And that's what makes him so special... you know non of my X's were romantic. He would just make me feel so special! How can you not love a guy like that? hehehe...

This is the junk that we went on...

Anyway, after we toasted. He popped the question that he's been asking daily for a few weeks... "Will you marry me?" as I was just about to give my usual answer (I'd normally tell him that he didn't have a ring), he, to my surprise, had a ring in his hand and wow... I didn't know what to say for a little bit. I totally did not expect that you see. He's just been laid off and only getting ready for his new job, and he has his boys to take care of and all... I actually told him to delay anything that he had planned for us (oh I'm just such a wonderful woman, how can he not as me to marry him... haha!). "Of course I will" was my answer to his question. haha! He had to double check later that night because it wasn't a "yes"... silly Billy...

Ya, he then quickly put the ring on my finger... and it fit perfectly! wowo... I cried a little bit, coz I was so touched... he's the sweetest man I've ever met la!!!

Look at this man, how happy I've made him... hahahahaha and I'm equally happy too!!

I love you too, Adrian Lydiard!

The night ended after we've had our dinner in Isola in IFC. Great service, fantastic food and stunning view of the harbour... everything was just so perfect! I had to bite myself once or twice just to make sure that it wasn't just a dream...

and so the story continues...

OK OK I know it's getting too long to read but hey, it's my very romantic story alright?! Look at my photo albums if I'm boring you!

And so I went home... sleepless again >____<

And, so it was 2 days later - Friday!!! You know Fridays, they always mean that happy hour starts at 3?? hehehe

I received a text from Adrian asking me to join him in the Benders - some papaya bar i.e. topless bar in Grand Waldo Hotel. I then went around asking the usual bunch if they would like to join and a few of them said yes and I replied yes to Adrian immediately. I was pretty excited about it coz I get to see Adrian again and hang out with the gang haha! But the excitement lasted for only a few minutes and it turned into rage when I received a phone call from my x-bf telling me not to go. Yes, you have not read it wrong, he literally told me not to go!!!! Why? Because it's his team mate's birthday and they don't like RCT ppl!!!! I have immediately made up my mind, even if I had to go alone I WILL GO!!! And so I hung up on him because I was so bloody angry that could not talk! And I was still very angry, I sent him an email (150point font, bolded and in red) and said, "FUCK OFF! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!" Me and Luria both got pretty upset about this...

And right after work, we made our way there. Now because I know quite a few guys from P5 & 6, I said hi to them and chatted with them and for a bit, well, busy as usual hehehe. We (as in Eric, Richard, Jane...) were sitting with Adrian and Glenn. Mal (my x-bf's Project Manager) came to the table next to us and I went and said hello to him. The conversation started off alright but then I asked him what was wrong with his colleague telling me not to go to the benders. I was getting angry again, too angry I had to stop talking to Mal and head back to our table as I was starting to cry. Adrian asked me what happened as I was returning to my seat, I asked, "Can you give me a hug?" I really needed it soooo badly! Then I started crying hard... so hard that I thought it was too embarrassing, so I rushed into the ladies and continued crying...

I kept telling myself that he's nobody now but it somehow hurt when I thought about the ridiculous things he's done to me. I hate to be bullied and the fact that I can't fight back or don't want to fight back makes it worse!! I'm not a violent person but I am definitely one that will stand up for myself if it's gone too far! and so I cried and decided that it was the last time I would cry because of bullshit from him. and now, it doesn't hurt anymore!! YEAH!!!!

And after I finished crying, I came out of the ladies and there he was, Adrian, looking all concerned and worried... I went back to my seat, as the gang was leaving, they gave me hugs and left me with Adrian... He started asking me what was wrong and before I realize it, my head was saying, "WTF..." and we were kissing already! O he's such a kisser!!

I don't remember what time we left the bar, it was shortly after our first kiss... and then I drove us to, well he suggested the beach, and so we ended up on the beach... we hugged and kissed underneath a tree... and that was all that we did!! No one believe that nothing else happened, his hands were very well behaved as well!! And I was very very impressed! He was gentle, a little bit nervous but I could see that he was on top of the world! Haha!

It was 11th of January 2008, I will never forget this date, don't need a recall button for this one!

There you go, that's how it all started! Some may find it boring, but to me, it's one hell of a roller coaster ride!!

Valentine's Day 2008

Just in case you've got bored with all the writing, here's a video that's been taken this Valentine's Day, which was our first Valentine's Day...

Early in the morning, he made me breakfast in bed... just scrambled eggs on a toast with a glass of orange juice, normal? check out the plate he used...

And then I went to work. At about 10:30am, I received a call asking me to receive flowers outside the office... Wow! I'm not being cocky here but hey, it was the biggest bunch of flowers that day in the office of close to 100 ppl!!

I then bought him lunch at McSorleys... I had to buy him lunch at the very least! I mean he wouldn't allow me to do anything! Well, smart as me I somehow managed to buy him 2 pairs of socks, which I placed by the bed in the morning, and a Spiderman boxer which I placed on his chair before he came home from work! Nothing fancy but I did manage to surprise him a bit... B-D

He told me to go straight to his place after work and so I did... and that was what awaited me... hehehehe... I was sooooo touched! No one, absolutely no one had ever even tried to make my Valentine's Day special... Maybe they thought I didn't need one but hell, I desperately needed one!!!! and a lot more!!!!!!! each and every single one to come!!!!!!

I love you Adrian, and thank you for making my Valentine's Day soooo special! UMMMMMWA!!

Me and Adrian...

Well yes, I'm gonna talk about me and Adrian again...

There was this night when I actually sent him a text message. He replied immediately. I just don't remember what it was about coz if you have read the previous blog, the recall button in my brain is not working properly... The only thing that I remember is that his replies sounded a bit funny... he was obviously not fully conscious about what he was pressing on the phone when he replied -- I didn't understand his reply fully (I had to guess!), I sent him another one, and he replied too... same kind of reply too hehehe... still very much asleep haha! I then thought to myself, "better let him go back to sleep, this might piss him off..."

I know it was not nice to wake some friend up in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep... but I was allowed to, encouraged to, by him!! Well, me, I let my friends call me in the middle of the night and wake me up and chat with me and all... no problem. I remember chatting with 2 of my x-bf's in high school for about 7 and 8 hours respectively, from about 11pm to 6 or 7 in the morning! And we only stopped because we were going to school! Crazy? Ya, but not so crazy la... hehehehe

If I remember correctly, it was before (or after???) I went off to the UK, we met up for a movie -- I am Legend, and then a buffet dinner in 360° Café, Macau's highest revolving restaurant, up on the 59th floor (if I remember correctly hehehe) of the Macau Tower. In the movies, it was funny. He got seats at the back row but his and mine are like at least 1.5 feet apart. He obviously didn't expect that. Well, going to our first movie, it really felt like high school again! If you have seen the movie, you'd know how they scare you. I screamed, as usual, ya ya ya, I scream, cry, laugh out loud watching movies, he gave me his hand to hold on to... sweet... but I was just too scared, and I think I squeezed his hand real hard... I did not realize how big and warm his hand was... and that it made me feel safe... you might say, "O c'mon, it's just a movie!" but that's one of the many things in that I enjoy doing which gives me a quick getaway from the everyday life...
Then we proceeded to dinner. There, they had a band going around the restaurant playing songs to guests... they came around sang us a song, a song they chose, "Change the world" by Eric Clapton. It was one of the most awkward situations when they were playing that song! Knowing what that song means, "o gosh, where do I look now? at him? O, his eyes, nope, not a good idea... outside the windows? kinda rude when ppl are singing for us... the food on my plate? hmm... not for that long... the band? probably a good idea..." and so I looked here and there and everywhere else but his eyes... "gosh, stop staring at me la!!!" I did look at him at some point but I just couldn't continue looking into his eyes, it's the way he looked at me... like it's saying, "come give me a kiss..." hahaha Yes, I was a coward! If you know me well enough, you'll know that I'm always bold... not afraid of people, and definitely not afraid of looking into ppl's eyes! I knew I was falling for him then... didn't want to admit it but couldn't avoid it Arrrrrgh!!

and so I came back from UK, depressed... but not for long. I started going out drinking with the gang again. OTT, Rascals, Star World, McSorley's... the usual places... and sometimes I would ask Adrian to come along... I could hardly sleep after I got back from UK, needed the alcohol -- I could only fall asleep around 4am or even 5am sometimes, every night. I didn't know why, because I definitely was not missing my x-bf! I remember sending Adrian a text message telling him that I couldn't sleep (Ok, I missed him ok?!)... he told me to think of something nice. I said, "I tried: I thought of you but it didn't work!" hahaha

It was one of those nights in OTT, with the gang, we ate, drank and chatted for quite a bit. Before I realized it, there were only the two of us left. We continued our conversation and we started off talking about topics that had never been brought up before... well at least not with him! as our faces got closer and closer, I suddenly realized something was gonna get outta hand and I thought to myself, "O no, Vernette, you're losing it... and no! you don't kiss him now!!!" and so I rushed into the wash room... I had to do it a few more times just to stop myself from kissing him! Phew! And so nothing happened. He then sent me home, I gave him a hug and that wrapped up the night. Phew!

and now, my fingers are tired... and I'm hungry... more stories to be told soon...

Adrian again

OK, at this point, I would assume that you have visited Adrian's blog by now. By reading his blog, you should now know how bad my memory is... hehehehe... well read his if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about... conclusion is, I don't have a recall button!!! I am very impressed because he actually remembers most of the details that I didn't remember. It's like I have a book, with titles and maybe subtitles, but not contents... but hey, I still remember how he smiled (the mouth kinda streched from his left ear to his right...) when I hugged and said goodbye to him after a McDonald's session!!

and so my story telling continues...

It was some time near the opening of the Venetian. I got hold of him. We lost contact for about half a year I think.

I was still in the previously relationship which started to make me hate myself at that point. I told myself off time and time again! However, it didn't work and I have to admit that I was badly hurt, so weak that I could not get out of it as easy as I used to (I had never had problems walking out of a relationship but this one!). But everytime I saw Adrian, he was able to make me forget about all those trouble I was having. I think that was because he was the only one outside of my everyday social life -- everyone of my friends and colleagues knew about this bf that I had...

I have to admit that I wasn't being totally honest with Adrian. Well I didn't actually lie to him, I just didn't tell him things?? hehehehe... I hear somebody telling me to F off now... hahahaha! Hey, I thought he had a gf! I did see a wallpaper on his phone that kinda made a statement that he wasn't available. "Hmm... typical Chinese girls from this part of the world (HK, Macau, China or even Thai...)!" I thought to myself. And so I asked him how his date was going. He said he wasn't dating. "Ya, right, like I am blind or something??" I didn't believe him tho. He did mention he was thinking about going steady with a girl but he could not make up his mind because he was thinking about quiting his job and move on somewhere else - not Macau. Don't ask me where, I can't remember!

And so he was just a friend. Although I enjoyed all the chats and laughs during our very brief lunch meetings nothing was likely to happen anyway! I didn't have the space in my head for anything else anyway! Being alone out here, an alien environment, was tough enough. Despite the fact that I am a Chinese, the cultural differences here made me feel like I'm an alien. And at the same time, I was going through the very annoying process of breaking up you see. And I was moving apartment and all... Adrian has always made it clear that I could call him for help anytime, even when I got scared at night, I was allowed, no, encouraged to call him anytime. Somehow I have never done that. Did not call him when I slipped and fell in the bath tub ended up with bruises on my legs, tighs, arms and dunno where else... Did not call him when I felt a pat on my tigh at night when I was sound asleep in my room... Did not call him when I left the house keys to both my apartments (old and new, I was moving from the old apartment to a new one because the landlord wanted a 35% increase of rental!!!) at 4am and I spent 5 hours in the car to wait for the locksmith to open... and that's me, the very annoying me to some of my closest friends -- I solve my own problems, and if I told you about what had happened that would mean that problems have been solved.

Until right before I went to the UK "break-up trip" with my now officially x-bf, Adrian text me and said that he had something to tell me when I get back (he didn't know what kind of a trip that was, it was irrelevant). I was curious but I kinda knew what he was planning to say. and he asked me to help him post a few Christmas cards when I visit London. and so I went off to this trip with him in my mind -- I had to remember to post the cards for him. And there came his sms wishing me a Merry Christmas. I received the same message once every hour, for 4 consecutive days! I was annoyed. The 2nd day, I text him and said, "the Christmas couldn't be any merrier than this... but you don't have to send me 1 every hour. it's getting freaky..." I received no reply from him and the sms's kept coming until the 4th day, I got fed up and turned off the phone! "OK, I need an explanation, that was not the Adrian that I knew!" and when I turned the phone back on, it stopped. I thought, "please please let it be the network!"

I got back, exhausted and weak but what was gonna be done was done. I set myself free.

Adrian told me that he checked with his handphone's network provider and they said that the message was caught in the loop. "Yes! It was the network!" hahaha!!

And we started meeting up again, this time, we even went out for drinks.

to be continued... fingers got cold and tired... and brain dead...