Support Singapore Designers

When my brother got hitched last December, I decided that as the sister of the groom, I wouldn't want one of those run of the mill evening dresses you found in one of the many ubiquitous shopping malls in town. 

I remembered how I always walked past Lai Chan at Raffles Hotel and wished I would be able to own a piece from the brand. Although the designs were simple, the workmanship and cutting were exquisite.

Plus, the service at the store was superb. Even though I chose an off-the-rack piece, Lai Chan and his managers were willing to alter the piece for me till it fitted me to a T. It took approximately 3 to 4 fittings before I finally brought home this heirloom-worthy piece. Having amassed quite a bit of shopping experience, I know this is not to be taken for granted an am extremely grateful for the attention to detail.

With the help of my make-up and hairstyling artist, I am very satisfied with the look for the night. For the cheongsam to last more wears, I am considering shortening the cheongsam for a knee length look so that it woudn't look so formal. By between now and then, it shall continue to sit in my wardrobe. :)

An Unusual Wedding

Went to a wedding in Batam over the weekend. Though it was a Chinese wedding with the usual 8 course dinner, the way it was carried out was rather different from what we would experience here in Singapore. First of all, there was no pre-arranged seating plan. Guests are to sit wherever they like with whoever they think they are comfortable with. Second, before the bride and groom marched in, the compere provided by the hotel will have a short advertisement time to sell the restaurant/hotel (complete with video clip). The whole celebration reminds me of the getai here. Guests will volunteer to sing on stage and the others would go up on stage to give red packets to the person singing. And if someone can't sing, you can tell by his/her lack of red packets. It is quite an experience, I would say to experience such practice/custom. The food was quite delicious, nothing to complain about. But I wouldn't even talk about accommodation. :(

The next day, we had a short eating/ shopping time before we head back home. The tour was not well planned. We were not informed about the time we were supposed to assemble. Thank God we are early risers and had already packed our luggage. Shopping in Batam is similar to shopping in JB, not great. There is nothing that I really want to buy. We were with a group of people whom we do not know and this group of people went for a massage towards the end of the trip and ended up delaying our entire schedule. The ferry was to leave at 2pm Batam time and by 1.30pm, we were still waiting for them at the shopping mall. Can anyone believe how irresponsible these people are and they didn't even bother apologising when they boarded the bus. I must admit I was viciously hoping that they would miss the boat because they hadn't managed to clear customs quick enough. I know that's evil, but that deserve it!