to do
Well we’ve been engaged for a total of 6 weeks and I can safely say about 70% of the wedding planning is done. Who, me? Organised?
No.
More like, INSANE.
If anyone had told me that organising a wedding was so crazy, I would never have believed it. I guess it’s as bad as you make it (and my goal was to have organised it all within 2 months – which I think I’m pretty on track for). We’ve also made it harder by choosing to have a short engagement, and OH, having 2 weddings in 2 different countries!
And also to be fair, in this same last 6 weeks, we’ve also gotten engaged (in the Barossa), travelled a bit for 2 different weekend dance events (1 interstate), moved and renovated studios, had a massive dinner party for 20 – all whilst training, teaching, working and sourcing about a million wedding vendors in 2 countries. No wonder I had a meltdown last weekend!
Luckily I’m surrounded by amazing family who have been incredibly helpful and supportive, a group of lovely girlfriends who are armed with advice, shoulders to cry on and immense energy to help me through all of it, and an amazing man who is just so involved and wonderful even when he has NO interest in deciding things like the exact shade of pink on our colour palette.
At this point, now that the peak stress period of planning is over (last week when it was crunch time for 5 different venues across 2 countries, time frames, dates and budgets), I can only sit, focus on the fun stuff now like dresses, decorations and invitations, and chuckle to myself at this apt venn diagram:
"To Do" by Wendy MacNaughton
(if you like it, you can buy the print here)
Seriously though, even though we’re sorted for venues, any wedding planning advice, vendors and DIY tips you’ve got, would be SO HELPFUL!
Read Moresummer drink
Today was a particularly warm March day and it was utterly glorious. I rather inappropriately wore a comfortable maxi dress to work (suited it up with a blazer) and revelled in walking around the city and my neighbourhood running errands after.
It reminded me of the brilliant drink I learnt of this summer, and made me crave it.
See, over the Christmas break, S and I decided to try out a little wine bar near our house for a relaxed date night.
date night!
And this wine bar, otherwise known as THAT BRILLIANT PLACE, had jugs of nectar on their specials board.
NECTAR OF THE HEAVENS.
ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING ME?
*UNBLINKING STARE*
BRILLIANT SUMMER DRINK
So simple, so good, and I can’t believe I’d never thought of it:
Moscato laced with limes and their juice, served over ice in large red wine glasses.
Somehow, the combination is just electric – the sweetness of the moscato and its just right amount of bubbles, the tropical lime taste tempering the sweetness, the ice making it gushingly, oh so summer-quenching cold, and all that smoothness washing down from a large bulbous glass down your throat.
Oh.
My.
God.
And far be it for ME to hold back this amazing secret – instead, I SHARE my knowledge with you.
In the vain hope that if you have me over, you’ll have a jug of said goodness ready for me, of course.
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birthday boy
A bit over a month ago (and before we got all engaged), it was S’ birthday.
He wanted to keep it low key, and so we had a small family barbeque for him at home with his folks and girls.
quite nice actually!
The problem though is that S spoils me rotten ALL the time – and here we were making the poor man work like a smoke chef on his own birthday. So I decided to keep it low key, whilst trying to show him just how special he is to all of us.
Firstly, as soon as he got home from work, I made him wear a BIRTHDAY BOY badge. He was sooooo thrilled!
aww! cute!
I also decorated the table we set all the food on.
By the end of the night, after a lot of eating, a bit of champagne and a lot of merriment, I ended up decorating him as well for the clincher.
correct me if I'm wrong but he looks like he is LOVING IT!
All in all I think it made S happy, even if it was nothing like the scale he tends to pamper me with. I don’t think I could possibly match up to his impossibly high standards though, so really, he only has himself to blame. 
being home
In January, I made a slapdash decision to go home for Chinese New Year, for a scant 6 days.
It was, as always, heartwarming to be home, especially at such an important time of year. It’s amazing how much you take for granted the feeling of being surrounded by your clan, partaking in simple rituals and traditions that unfold the same way year after year, and how easy it is to slip back into it even after you’ve been away for so long.
handing out chopsticks for lor hei
What I love about being home is that in a short period of time, I get a crash course in my zany, multi-cultural, super extended super close family all over again. Fully immersed in Pakir-Singh-Wee-Tan-Sim-Lee culture is just fantastic, a little nutty, and very yummy.
tossing the lor hei
And then there’s the giggles, and cackles, the exuberant sharing of stories, the catchups, the goss, the loud shouts that characterizes my family, and ALL with your mouth full of amazing food. All. The. Time.
the best punjabi food
Home again in just 5 short weeks. CANNOT. WAIT.
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