Bible Phrase on our Church invitation cards

Our church wedding invitation card are already ready for printing! We have approved the design and now we are just deciding on what to choose for the insert design & envelope colour.

Luckily I asked Le bf to send a reminder to Mama Chew twice to reconfirm if we can proceed with the printing because previously she has confirmed that she liked the design and we can proceed, but she suddenly asked us "Did you put in a bible phrase?". 

Umm.. no?

Hahaha! Apparently it is compulsory (according to Mama Chew) to put in a bible phrase in the invite especially if it is a church wedding. 

We went online and researched phrases that people used for their wedding invites and actually found out that many people misquote the bible! Cos I wanted to cross-check to make sure the quote is accurate and realized that a lot of silly people just google search and use whatever results that appear in the first page of the search results. More and more people copy and the mistake became so common that people think it's true!

See? Doesn't mean Google results are always right cos there are a lot of stupid lazy people in this world.

Anyway, Mama Chew was the one who gave us a list of quotes and we decided on a simple one instead of the usual "Love is patience, love is kind...".

This is what Mama Chew wrote for us, on a piece of scrap paper cos the rest was in the whatsapp message that she sent to Le bf and she wanted to make sure I receive the message.. in black and white. Wahahahaha!

So this phrase will be in our church invite! :)

We will most probably receive the cards by the end of this month or early July. I've already collected most of the addresses on my guestlist! Still have a few more to go and I will do it when I am free.. really busy with work lately. 

Silhouette The Atelier - My Wedding Gown!

I've finally decided on my bridal gown! Earlier this week on Monday, we headed back to Silhouette The Atelier to choose and confirm my bridal gown.

This is not the first bridal shop we visited.. In fact, in the past few months we've visited many bridal shops in Singapore. Most of them did not allow us to take pictures. 

We actually found the PERFECT bridal gown in Perth and it's a designer gown by Pronovias. Tabby brought me there to try the dress and when Le bf flew in the next week I brought him back to show him the dress. 

I am so glad that Tabby was the first person who saw me in a bridal gown. I think it's apt since she's the longest friend I know and she's one of the best friends I have. She's so encouraging and patient.. on top of being as excited as me about our wedding! :) We actually decided on the SAME DRESS! I tried quite a lot of really nice dresses but we ended up liking the same Pronovias dress from Tuscany Bridal!

I was torn about buying that dress cos it's quite expensive and she just asked me to go back again when Le bf flies in the next week to Perth so he can see the dress and decide later.. Her constant phrase is "Ai Suan.. be strong!!!". Hahahahaha! She's so cute. But yes, I needed to be strong cos there were so many beautiful dresses and the prices were... woooooo!

So I went back with Le bf the next week after setting up another appointment and tried on the dress that both Tabby & I love, Le bf's eyes just lighted up the moment I walked out of the dressing room and he kept grinning & nodding non-stop. Until today, we haven't found a dress that gave both of us the oomph feeling despite going to dozens of bridal shops and trying on many dresses..

So.. why did we not buy that perfect dress in Perth? 

Well, they needed at least 3 months for the dress to be delivered from Spain and Tabby has to either help me ship it to Singapore (crazy expensive) or hand carry over (so inconvenient) when she comes back in July, provided the dress is delivered by then. After that, I have to find a seamstress in Singapore who is willing to alter the dress for me and she/he has to be very skilled cos the dress is a designer gown with intricate lace material.

The price for the dress is AUD2900, which is around SGD3770! I can't get the tax rebate because it will only be delivered in a few months and it doesn't make sense to fly into Perth to collect it. Also, if Tabby mailed it over to Singapore when it doesn't get delivered on time, I will be taxed 7% GST by the Singapore government cos the value of the dress is above SGD400! So on top of not getting the tax rebate of almost 10%, I will get taxed additional 7%... Silly right?

Also, the price tag kinda scared me because I don't know what the market prices are like in Singapore and a few thousand dollars for a dress is just crazy! I will only wear it for a few times during the pre-wedding shoot, church ceremony & first march-in during the dinner at Hyatt Hotel. Combined time of wearing the dress is probably less than 6 hours!! 

Tabby bought two different dresses for her wedding and I think she spent around SGD10000 for them including the alterations, dry cleaning and storage (probably more)!! The dresses are placed in this special nitrogen box to keep it away from moisture and mold. The dry cleaning service in Australia is crazy expensive! Tabby told me she spent around AUD500 to dry clean the dress! Alterations is also around that price!! O_O

After that first visit with Tabby, I emailed many bridal shops in Singapore while in Perth. The ones who are willing to give me their price list only provided me with their cheapest package for the shittiest dresses they have (something I didn't know until I went to their shop). The better ones, such as Le Grand is quoting SGD4800 and above for a simple package of bridal gown (rent), ball gown (rent) groom suit (rent) and flowers.

Le bf found the price too expensive, and honestly why would I need to buy a bridal gown for that amount of money? Plus shipping, dry cleaning and alterations it may go upwards to SGD4500 or more!

So we let it go.. 

I don't have a picture of myself in that dress because the shop was very strict about photography. They will only let you take a picture after you pay for the dress. No phones, no iPad, no cameras. But they let you try as many dress as you like in the 1hour time slot that you have. I was assigned a very sweet salesgirl who was very non-pushy and friendly. The salesgirl will be in the fitting room with you and she will help you wear the dress and pin it in so you can see how the end result will look like. 

As they only have 1 sample dress of each design it might be too big or too small for you.. so if it is too big they will pin it in.. if it is too small they will put in extra cloth to cover up. This is why I can't take a secret picture in the dressing room cos I was only in my panties and there's no place to hide my phone. Haha! Tabby was telling me "Don't be shy! Cos you have to strip and they will help you wear the dress!". Well, I am not shy lah.. anyway they are very discreet and won't stare at your breasts or something.. 

There is also a pedestal that you can stand on with the spotlight shining on it outside each dressing room! Just like what I saw on those USA tv series (Bridezillas, The Dress, etc). This is something that I experienced in Perth, not in Singapore. In Singapore they will leave you alone in the room and come in just to zip you up. If it's too tight, you just have to hold it up with your hands and there's no pedestal to stand on. :(

Till today, I told Le bf it's the biggest regret of my journey as a bride to be cos that kind of budget can only get me a decent rental gown in Singapore that's not made to measure. Decent, but not WOW. Still trying to come to terms with letting go of my perfect dress.. but we found a close substitute for it on Monday. It's a totally different design from the Pronovias dress, but at least the best out of all the dresses I've tried on in Singapore.

If you are looking for a gown, my number 1 advice is never go to a Bridal Fair to sign a bridal package. Seriously. Avoid those like the plague! 

We went to a Bridal Fair at Vivocity on the very day we flew back from Perth just to see what are the market rates and offers that the bridal shops are offering in Singapore because we've not checked the rates in Singapore for the bridal gowns and we were not sure of the inclusions in their package. It's also good for us cos it's a one-stop shop where we can get the price lists from a few bridal shops..

Guess what? They were ultra pushy & hard-sell and they used pressure tactics to force you to sign up with them. They will also refuse to give you the price list and inclusions details until after you pay them the deposit. Why? Maybe they are afraid that you are a competitor? I don't know.. but either way, none of them are willing to give out the information freely and were very vague when we asked them for more details.

Too bad for them cos I had a lot of experience selling travel packages during travel fairs in my previous job so I know what kind of tactics they will use. ( FYI I am not one of those pushy type.. that's why my customers kept coming back again and again cos they trust me to sell them something they need, not something my company wants me to sell just to earn their money). 

Le bf is one of the toughest customer you will ever meet as a salesman. I really pity salespeople trying to pitch sales to him cos he's so.. cold. LOL! Everywhere we go.. at the Electronics store, Clothes store, etc. Especially those tele-marketers! No matter what tactic you use, he'll be super calm and level-headed. Hard approach, soft approach, sneaky approach.. Fail miserably. Kua Kua Kua.

Seriously some of the bridal shops here in Singapore are.... horrible. Their dress designs are like from Alibaba.com and yet they are charging thousands to rent you that kind of quality! They can tell blatant lies and boast about how wonderful their quality and workmanship is during the Bridal Fair, but when you go to the actual shop and see their dresses.... T_T"

The first shop we visited in Singapore was bad.. really bad. We got a quote from this shop at Vivocity during the Bridal Fair and the salesperson seems nice enough though they were also quite pushy, asking us to pay deposit and all but Le bf flat out refused and told them that we will only do so after I manage to find the dress I like. So we went down to Tanjong Pagar to see the dresses they have.. OMG. I felt horrible because we invited Le bf's parents to go along with us but the dresses there were just terrible! 

1st dress I tried in this shop..

It looked better in pictures cos IRL, it looked really cheap.

We left after trying just 2 dresses cos I didn't wanna waste everyone's time. After trying on so many nice dresses in Perth, I knew what quality is and I knew what I wanted. A line, ballgown, train, sparkles.. I know exactly what I wanted and what suited my body type. I don't need a pushy salesperson to stuff a dress down my throat by telling me "It is so beautiful! You are so gorgeous! This dress suits you so well!".. Flattery will not make me like a dress. I know what I want.

Le bf also understands how important the dress is to me and though we have a price range that we are kinda agreed upon he knows I will refuse to wear the dress and walk down the aisle if I don't feel good in the dress, regardless of the price.

We went back to Tanjong Pagar again the next week with Le bf's good friend, Jeraldine (who is a professional wedding planner) to check out the other bridal shops cos she has experience dealing with bridal shops and it's good to have professional advice.

Some shops don't even show you the whole range, telling you "after you pay deposit and become a confirmed customer then we will bring the dresses down for you to try." WTF? What if there's nothing suitable? There'll be no refund of your deposit! You just gotta settle for something that fits because you already paid them!

We went to almost all the Bridal shops along Tanjong Pagar. Majority of the shops had such lousy dresses that I walked out without even bothering to try them on! You might think it's Bridezilla behaviour, but I was just being an educated consumer. Seriously? $3000 to rent a piece of crappy dress & a lousy ballgown that I can buy online from LandyBridal.com, LightInTheBox.com or MaryAnnBridal.com at a fraction of the price?!?

Le bf secretly took a picture of me in this dress at one of the "better" Bridal shop (no photos allowed). Imagine if this dress is one of the better ones, what of the other dresses? 

After that disastrous day at Tanjong Pagar, I was so distressed and dejected because I kept thinking about the Pronovias dress in Perth and how horrible the dresses in Singapore are. Especially when the prices to rent a dress here is comparable to BUY a designer Pronovias gown in Perth. :(

I actually had a meltdown and started crying one night when Le bf sent me home. So overwhelmed with the ever-growing budget and most of all I haven't found the bridal gown yet with only 5 months left to the wedding.

So Le bf took another day off and accompanied me to Blessed Brides. The main reason that we visited this shop is because they are the only shop that carries the Pronovias range in Singapore! The people were very nice and friendly and they allowed us to take pictures! :) They even encouraged us to take pictures, saying "It's alright.. Take pictures! Take more!".

This dress is a Pronovias, but it is from the White by Pronovias series, which is the lower range. Still beautiful though.. but not what I wanted. 

This dress was made by an in-house designer and it is beautiful! I love the lace design on the dress but Le bf said the top is very "disconnected" from the bottom half of the dress. After looking at the picture a few more times, I realized he was right and it also look sorta pajamas-like. A very pretty & expensive pajamas. >.<

So the search continues and one day while having Dim Sum with Nat & Brendan at Taste Paradise Ion, Nat suddenly said "Hey! What about Silhouette! They have nice dresses! I will call them now for an appointment!". So he called them and found out they are located at Emerald Hill which is a short walk away from Ion Orchard and they have a slot free for us that very day! :)

We went there and the first impression I had of the shop was "Wow! I love the architecture!" because it's located in a beautiful restored shophouse. The person who served us is Caroline and she's mega sweet! She let me try a lot of dresses without pressuring us to sign up for anything.

They also have gorgeous dresses that were well made. Every one of them is good and I was so happy because this is the first Bridal shop in Singapore that I actually feel have nice dresses.. comparable to Tuscany Bridal in Perth which imports their dresses from known designers from Europe & USA.

Le bf loves Silhouette cos he like the vibe from the shop and the salesperson Caroline. He is really keen for me to get my dress from them but being the perfect husband-to-be that he is, he did not pressure me or push me a single bit at all. He just let me make the decision on my own. ^_^

So we went back again a few weeks later on Monday, 3 June to try the dresses again and to see if any of it was "The One". 

Actually I was quite chill about finding the dress because after I had that meltdown, I prayed to God and asked Him to take away my anxiety and stress about finding the perfect dress and my prayer was answered. I was so chill that I forgot about finding it. Nat had to constantly remind me to go back and confirm a dress because "we are running out of time!!". Seriously, all he does is message me everyday asking me when I am going back to choose the dress. Hahahahaha!

We went back with Nat, my sister, Le bf's sisters and our sisters just spammed taking pictures of me in all the dresses I tried. **Snap Snap Snap!** Every direction I look I have a camera phone pointed at me. LOL! In the end we signed up with them that day cos we decided on the dress!

Here are some pictures they took of me..

 

This dress makes my waist looks super slim but we did not choose this dress because we had to top up SGD800 for it from the normal package. They charge a surcharge for "pouffy" dresses. I didn't wanna pay extra for it.. also I want a dress that is more classic with lots of lace. This is a very pretty dress, but it is not my bridal dress.

This is another pouffy dress with a sparkly skirt and long train. It also has crystals beneath the boob area. Yes.. this picture looks weird cos I was trying hard to squeeze my boobs up and waist in. LOL!

I am not posting picture of the dress I chose cos I want it to be a surprise when I walk down the aisle on 28 September 2013. Only Le bf and my bridal party knows how it looks like! :) The dress will be altered to my size and they will lengthen it because I am tall and will be wearing a pair of 9cm tall high heel shoes.

If you noticed, I only mentioned Blessed Brides & Silhouette The Atelier because these 2 Bridal shops are the best ones out of all the shops we visited in Singapore. The rest are just.. pfft. I don't wanna badmouth other shops but you can do a simple search on any of the Bridal forums to check for the reviews on them.

If you are searching for a dress, good luck! There are lots of bridal shops in Singapore so just take your time to shop around for the best one. Most shops will bundle the pre-wedding shoot with the bridal gown rental but the better ones will not do that cos they are more for quality instead of quantity.

Don't worry about sizes because they have sizes for all sorts of brides. Size 0, size 20.. no problem. Don't be stressed or pressured by anyone to sign for anything which you are not comfortable with. You can go for "make to measure" dresses if you really can't find the design you like in your size. It's only around SGD2500 onwards for a well made one from Blessed Brides.

Good luck! :)

House of Etiquette

Initially we didn't want to rent the traditional Chinese Qun Kua for our wedding because it's damn old-fashioned.. Also it is very expensive! We can get it in China for very good prices but in Singapore the rates are crazy high because anything with the "wedding" tag on it is overpriced here. Madness.

I don't know what made us decided to go and try the Qun Kua because I already paid SGD400 for a custom made Qi Pao (which will be ready in mid-July) for the tea ceremony. Anyway, we went down to House of Etiquette which is located at Jalan Masjid. It is highly recommended by our bridal boutique - Silhouette The Atelier, and quite near to Le bf's place (easy to return after the wedding. Haha!).

There is only one sales assistant there and she is very nice! We called her before going down on Sunday to make sure the shop is opened and she doesn't have any other appointments. It is good to call in before you go because she is alone and may not have the time to serve you if you turn up unannounced. She has to take your measurements before she can pull out the dresses to let you try them. They can't do much alterations because they need to rent out the dresses again (unless you buy them, then you can do whatever you want) so the designs are actually limited to the sizes they carry.

One half of the shop displays bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses & ball gowns.

The other side of the shop is where all the traditional costumes are..

Cute little displays everywhere.. 

Took my bears and put them on the Chinese chairs. LOL!

We went back again yesterday cos when we tried the costumes on Sunday, we were undecided if we should rent them cos it's really expensive. So we brought Le bf's parents along today cos I wanted their input and also to let them be involved in our wedding. I mean, usually parents want to be involved in their children's wedding plans right? I would! (Not my parents though).

His parents were happy that we asked them along! Mama Chew was so excited over the traditional Chinese items that were needed for the wedding and Papa Chew was so happy when we wore the costumes, he took so many pictures of us! Different poses and different areas of the shop. LOL!

I tried on three dresses to show Mama Chew, mainly the cheap, mid-range & crazy expensive categories.

The cheapest one is already renting for SGD388 and I'm the 4th bride renting it. The more it has been rent out, the cheaper they will charge.. kinda like a 2nd hand bookstore concept. Also, it is machine sewn so the workmanship is not as good as the other two.

The mid-range one is brand new and the embroidery is hand-sewn on. More "3D" than the 1st one because it has a pop-up effect. The fit is good and it is very red. Like those old school red kinda of design with a Phoenix & Dragon design. Sounds cheena but it's really nice. The price is SGD888 to rent it. The auntie says she can alter it tighter at the waist area for me.

The most expensive design..

The crazy expensive one is renting for SGD1088. RENT ONLY! OMG! It is hand-sewn and has lots and lots of detailing on the top and skirt. The fit is better than the 2nd one cos it's tighter at the waist area so I look slimmer. Le bf doesn't really like this design because he said it looks more like a Peranakan Kebaya dress than a Qun Kua cos there's a lot of silver & gold embroidery on it.

So we took the 2nd design!

The actual price is SGD888 but the Auntie quoted us SGD688 yesterday by mistake so she said she will honour that price. But honestly, SGD688 is already kill people set fire. That excludes the deposit and Le bf's costume!

Since we had some time, we tried on the head piece for fun! LOL!

Back view of the head piece! 

It's quite complicated to put on.. I kept squeezing the red balls and went "boing boing" and the Aunty kept laughing. Wahahahaha!

Only girls with long hair can wear this head piece as they need to use our hair to loop and lock it in place. If you have short hair, you can only wear it to take pictures but not move around with it. However, it is quite cumbersome lah.. and imagine me having to bow to give tea to the elders during the tea ceremony and it drops off!! OMG! So we decided to skip and not rent the headpiece. I will put a red flower in my hair instead on the actual day! :)

My cute husband-to-be! *pinch cheek*

(One of the many pictures that Papa Chew took. LOL!)

I thought the red flower ball was weird but Mama Chew loves it! She said Le bf must wear it to look more like a groom. =_= But he was quite sporting about it.. Hahahaha!! Anyway it's just for one hour during tea ceremony which will only be attended by a small group of people.. moreover he can change out of it into his suit for the banquet dinner which will be after the tea ceremony.

Even with 8cm heels he is still taller than me! Whee! :) So happy that Le bf is taller so I don't have to slouch or wear flats for the wedding. I wanted to wear flats initially cos they are more comfortable but everyone told me that it's "weird" if a bride wears flats.. Ehh.. what about the shorty husbands who are same height as their wives? They must wear hidden heels in their shoes too?

Yesterday was actually a very productive day! After House of Etiquette, we went to pick up Nat from his place and went to Orchard for lunch, met up with my sisters & Le bf's sisters and headed to Silhouette to confirm dress cos previously I tried a few and was undecided.. then in the evening all of us went ring shopping together and Le bf bought our wedding bands!! Will blog about the rest of the day soon! :)

If you are looking for a Qun Kua for your wedding, try House of Etiquette! :)

16 Jalan Masjid #01-01 

Singapore 418941

11am - 6pm daily 

Closed on Tuesdays & Public Holidays

Tel: 62268139

They also carry other product range such as the traditional comb, pillow, etc. The nice lady will also give you a list of dos & don'ts according to your dialect! The list is so long (all in Mandarin), we nearly fainted when we saw it. But we're not gonna follow exactly cos it'll just be too much work.

Update (10 September 2013):

We forfeited our $100 deposit that we paid to House of Etiquette because I bought my Vera Wang gown online for the 2nd march in (gorgeous gorgeous dress) and wanted to save on the rental cost on the Kua since we will only be wearing it for 30mins during tea ceremony. The total price for our two costumes is almost $900 and we decided that it was not worth it after all, moreover our parents were ok with us not wearing traditional costumes as long as we are happy.. So we take the $100 as a fee for trying on the costumes.. Well, at least we got some pictures for memories! :)

The custom made Qi Pao did not work out because the material and workmanship was below par.. the seamstress who did my dress promised a lot but did not deliver.. too bad I had to pay for it when I am not wearing it.. a valuable lesson learnt is to not commit easily and also choose the material first before making the Qi Pao (something I did not do because I trusted the seamstress too easily).

My little blue box!

We finally bought our wedding bands! Usually this is one of the first thing that couples buy, but we are only buying it 3months++ before the wedding! LOL! All the sales assistant were slightly taken aback (atas shops, have to be composed) when we said our wedding is in September.. 2013. 

Went to lots of shops and I am so grateful that Nathaniel, my sister & Le bf's sisters took the time out to accompany us to shop around for our wedding bands!

Other than my engagement ring, today Le bf spent the most money in a single day for these 2 rings. He was super stressed out and kinda mind fucked cos he never bought something so expensive before in his life... 

Well, there's still the house that we are buying together soon. That will really blow his mind when he sees 6 figure amount. Wahahahahaha!

Le bf's ring is not from Tiffany's, it's from Cartier! I know right? 2 different brands! Shows how different both of us are sometimes.. The ring at I like at Tiffany doesn't suit him and the ring he likes at Cartier doesn't suit me.. There's one ring design in Cartier that's 3 rings in one and that was really nice! Platinum + Gold + Diamond. But.... (there's always a but), the ring was crazy expensive and it's a bit dangerous to wear.. if it's not aligned properly and put on the wrong way, the only way to remove it is to go to the hospital to cut it off. No kidding. Knowing me and my clumsiness.. better not take the risk.

Will blog about our ring hunting adventure soon! :)

House Warming Party

A few weeks ago, we went to Le bf parents' friend house warming party. The house is located at Nassim Hill and it's hugeeeee! Pictures just do no justice to the place (I used my iPhone to take the pictures) cos not only is the architecture beautiful, the owners are also avid art collectors so the place feels like a live-in museum. It's modern yet old school because there are Feng Shui elements that were incorporated in and most of the art pieces are Chinese.

The location is really good cos it's walking distance to Orchard Delfi/Hilton Hotel. You can also see St Regis Hotel from their balcony.

This is the view from the sheltered car porch. Their driveway is big enough to fit 12 cars comfortably. The owner has 3 cars, including a Nissan GTR (which Le bf was swooning over), a Maserati and a BMW. Both also very atas models, but I am not into cars so I can't remember what they are.. but I remembered the Nissan GTR because Le bf said it's the most expensive out of the 3 cars. Somewhat like a Supercar (Ferrari, Porsche) disguised as a non-Supercar.

We had this silly fantasy conversation.. like how a husband might try to convince his wife that he wants a supercar, especially if she is not really into cars. If he buys a Ferrari at aged 50, she might disagree and think it's too flashy. But if he buys a Nissan GTR, she might think "It's Nissan! And it looks like a normal sedan.. Ok lor..". but little does she knows that the Nissan costs a few hundred thousand dollars.. LOL!

Stone path next to the main walkway

The entire pool is a curvy shape and I asked the owners if it's to do with Fengshui and they said it is. The thing is though the whole house is built with very close reference to Fengshui, it doesn't look too "cheena". You know, like those bronze turtle, coins, fountains placed at every corner. Very subtle, very well done and very aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Main door. I love the white panels on the side!

Living room

This is what you see when you first open the main door.. A very high ceiling room with large plush sofas. The coffee table is also a display shelf where you can see beautiful Chinese antique bowls, vase, etc.

Another view of the living room from the side. The ceilings are almost 2.5 storeys and the top part are all windows so it will let in natural sunlight during the day. I was sitting there just wondering how they are going to clean the huge chandelier and windows. Clean freak in me always wonder about such weird stuff. Le bf said "They hire people to clean lah!!". Oh ya. If not their poor maid has to climb up like crazy to dust it.

Fun fact: In the old days, most castles with huge chandeliers have a mechanism which allows people to push a lever for it to be lowered down to ground level so the servants can clean them. Ingenious idea right? Instead of climbing up each time to dust it, it can be lowered down! Why modern days no such thing anymore?

Dining hall

This is the dining area. You can see that the house is entirely glass/window. I kept wondering about fingerprint smudges, water stains.. you know, that sort of thing. Le bf was just thinking it might get quite hot during the day (but I think they have a way to solve that.. maybe positioning of the sun of something), and it's scary that people outside can see you walking around the house (kinda like SIMS where the view mode is without the walls) and know when you will be home. Then again, they only have 2 neighbours beside them, both neighbours also have freaking big houses and most importantly their security alarm is state of the art... So I don't think they have to worry.

On the left side of the dining area is like a bar counter but it's huge. FREAKING HUGE. I wonder why I did not take any photos because that's where the buffet was (home cooked food but taste better than most hotels!! The durian penyat is to die for. I don't like durian but I ate 3 bowls. THREE!!!) It is made of a single cut from a tree trunk and though I did not ask them about the price, I know it's expensive. Freaking expensive if it's a rare type of wood. The kitchen is just behind it and it looks like a restaurant's kitchen. State of the art equipment, huge and my sister will go mad cos they have a big oven that can bake lots of stuff! The owners hire a temporary professional dishwasher just to wash the dishes cos instead of plastic/paper plates and utensils, we used proper glassware and silver cutlery.

Still wondering why I did not take pictures of the food cos there's so much food and desserts! Maybe I was too distracted. Haha!

Further down you can see the lift that takes you all the way to the rooftop. They have 3 storeys + 1 rooftop. Roof terrace has an open area with a sitting area. Feels like some nice alfresco dining cafe.

The cool part of the roof terrace is "The Den". It is a soundproof games room with all the gaming consoles, games, good sound system and a HUGE high-def plasma TV. That was Le bf's favourite room out of the entire house. Hahaha! He's really particular about techie equipment so I guess the stuff in the room were really good if it impressed him. For me, it looks really cool cos the ceiling is kinda sloping down and it has it's own balcony and attached toilet.. but my favourite thing about the room is the chair (left of pic)!

It's a very nice designer chair which I saw in a magazine before but I can't remember who made this. It looks like ratten but it's actually leather over.. metal? I'm not sure.. It's very sturdy and fun to rock in. Haha!

View from the roof down to the swimming pool

The swimming pool is accessible from the dining hall and also their gym! The gym has 2 threadmills (super good ones!), a flat screen TV and some other exercise equipment. It is also near the Master's office.

Le bf in the boss's chair

Both owners have their own offices. The husband's office is downstairs at level 1 with a pool view and the wife's office is at level 2, adjacent to the master bedroom.

Fishies!

What I love about the Master's office is the goldfish pond beside it. The goldfishes breed are really gorgeous (not all goldfish are born the same) and of course, expensive. And their water filtration system is just sooooo good. The water is really really clear and there's no ripples on the surface. Not sure what brand of water filter they are using, but it's just damn good. Best I've even seen!

We actually went up and down the house several times. Sometimes by stairs, most of the time by lift. LOL.

I like the lamp fixtures at the stairway. Beneath the lamps is a huge birdnest fern. Bet it's some Fengshui thing about having dirt "tu" in the house or something.. but it's so huge!! And nice! At the stairs were also displays of Chinese antiques and small figurine dolls.

Master bedroom

I'm not kidding when I say the Master bedroom is the size of an average 4 room flat, maybe bigger. There's a separate bridge (yes, an walkway suspended in the air!) to the Master's "Man Cave". His son told us that the room is out of bounds to everyone and no one has been in before... So cool to have a Man Cave! Haha! Sounds like Batman and his Bat cave! The Mistress's office is just on the left hand side before the bed area. If you noticed in the middle of the picture, there's 3 Hermes scarves hanging on the wall. Spotted them the moment I walked in and the rest didn't believe there were scarves cos it looks like artwork (well, Hermes scarves are artworks..haha!), until I brought them closer and pointed out the wording on the corner of the scarves.

View of the Mistress's office from their daughter's room

The walk-in wadrobe and toilet is the size of my living room! The toilet has 2 seperate corners for the sink/vanity area, a huge bathtub, a shower cubical and a urinal! The chest of drawers where I'm standing at has a see through glass top where you can see all of the Mistress's accessories.

View of the Master bedroom's bed from their large balcony. 

The Man Cave is just behind the wall.

There are many other parts of the house which I did not take pictures of, including the elder daughter's room, the son's room, the backyard, the gym, the son's tuition corner (which can be hidden behind the walls) and their antiques and artworks. But you can only imagine how beautiful the house is based on the few pictures I took.

Picture of us, the "Xiao Peng You". Haha!

Their children are really friendly and down-to-earth, in case you are wondering if they are spoilt brats since they live in such a huge and expensive home. Their son brought us around to tour the house and stayed with us the entire time chit-chatting and having fun. I think this is very commendable cos he is only 16 years old and most 16 years old teenagers are sulky, anti-social and like to hide in their rooms while there are guests over for visits. Moreover he didn't know anyone of us but wasn't shy from introducing himself and bringing us around. He was so funny also, saying he didn't know there's a housewarming today until his mum told him to clean his room to be more presentable.

Hope this entry inspired you and will encourage you to achieve more in your life too! Their parents worked very hard to be able to build such a beautiful home.. so can you! :) God bless!