103~ Our Tweentieth Monthsary

: A HarmonyUs Sovereigns Love Day Out :

Honestly, this time we had both forgotten about this month’s monthsary. We were so caught up with our uni work; worrying about assignment deadlines and tests that eventually took a toll on our memory. Fortunately, NorMala had recently celebrated her 26th birthday in the same month and was uploading some photos when she came across some of the pervious monthsary pictures. It immediately had struck that we had not celebrated this month’s one and what’s’ worse was that it was actually her turn to organize it. So we’re just more than delighted to have remembered to celebrate our Love again this month.

To appreciate the opportunity, NorMala thought it would be a great idea to release some tension from work by spending a day out doors. After attending our friend Yassin’s wedding, we prepared to set off to a carnival that was held in the city. We have never been to a carnival together and this was one of our first-togethers. We met up with some pals and scoured around to explore what was in store. Equipped with our Hot Chicken Rods, Hot Coffee Bun and Dreamy Extra Choc Ice Cream, we kept entertained and still at watching the performances for a few hours. Near sunset, NorMala then invited SyazWan to enjoy the set of the day with her at The Empire. With no object, Syazwan agreed and we then made our way there.

On arriving, we headed to the pier and sat by the sea shores that waved our welcome. It had been while since we had enjoyed the sunset beach side together, and we deeply missed how it really soothed our souls. The sun set on the far left side this time, reminding us that would have to always come back to enjoy the sun set from every side. Familiarly, rain started to drizzle after the orange day faded and we then headed off to meet up with our friends at the golfing range, further continuing our exploration of the day.

Golfing at the range was indeed another first- together which we thoroughly did enjoy, almost to a point that it would prove a potential addiction. It was great! And we would perhaps very much likely go again. Swing after swing, our golf balls would fly as expected and mostly unexpectedly, skills definitely commanding much practice to improve on. After an hour, we continued foot printing our day out enjoying some local delicacies on a stick- which actually seems to be the main theme of the day we thought- receiving things on a stick, no pun intended. LOL. Good satay is always nice- Beef, Chicken and Ostich please! And later that evening, after sending off some take away home, we ended the day by going to the movies for a light comedy show to tickle our tumms.

Although it had perhaps taken some time to celebrate our Love this month, it certainly lived up to its events to make up for the lost time making it quite the unique one- a surprise we are glad to have stumbled upon.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Maaf Dzahir & Batin to all friends and family out there. We are very grateful to celebrate this day again with all of you. We we would like to apologize to each and everyone of you for all the mistakes that we have said or done (or both) to all of you. Hope we are forgiven. Enjoy your Aidilfitri celebration with your families and friends too. Enjoy all the food that are going to be serve, enjoy each moments you will have and hopefully this years celebration still going to be a very eventful one and left a very beautiful memories. Last but not least, "minta ang pao ih" =p

Once again,

SELAMAT HARI RAYA MAAF DZAHIR & BATIN

103~ Our Seventeenth Monthsary

: Our Romantic Picnic at The Beach :

The car engine stopped and whaddaya’ know- Pantai Muara! NorMala’s guess was right. SyazWan had planned a secret mini beach getaway to celebrate Our 17th monthsary. It has always been one of those things that us HarmonyUs’ look forward to every month. Since it was SyazWan’s round to plan this months’ monthsary celebration which he had so thoughtfully and carefully maneuvered with great success, NorMala easily displaced it into her subconscious mind. Being swamped with her work and busy dealing with her transition into Uni, there were plenty that occupied her. Hence, there isn’t a wonder why she had completely forgotten about the monthsary until the greeting text msg she got from SyazWan that midnight. Thankfully, SyazWan was absolutely generous to have forgiven her. The next day, SyazWan returned from his inter dept. football tournament that morning to prepare the amenities for the celebration. On his way to fetch his already eager and excited fiancé, he made a short pit stop to the florist. When he arrived (with his perfect gentleman behavior), he lead her to the car and opened the door for her. NorMala could only smile away and played along. His first question was if she wanted cakes, which took her quite a while to answer but eventually resulted a yes-of course! We drove to fluer d’lys and picked out our Favs. We then started making our way to the surprise getaway where NorMala never stopped guessing and looking for clues. SyazWan would feed her false info to leave her to her curiosity and forbid her everytime from looking into the backseats where he had placed all the preparations. But as soon as we got nearer and nearer to the destination, it obviously revealed itself. It was the beach! Be it any beach or perhaps just a strip of land with water horizon scenery- you’ll be sure to catch NorMala’s breath. She absolutely loves them. So you can imagine her delight to finding that the surprise was this. She smiled at SyazWan and thanked him for being so sweet. We unloaded our stuff and chose a shady spot by the beach coast. SyazWan then laid all the things in place while NorMala helped. He came well prepared, complete with the rug, his guitar, food and a bottle of bubble for us to have a wonderful romantic getaway at the beach. And it certainly was. With all the stress happening, the beach view and breeze was altogether therapeutic and romantic, especially when you’re with your fiancé. It was a great idea and totally what we needed to kick back and relax. When we were about to take out the food, SyazWan surprised NorMala again with a red rose which he had hidden in one of the containers. She awed with sweetness and thanked SyazWan again. We then cracked open the bottle of sparkling grape and cheered on to celebrate our 17th Month of Living, Laughing and Loving together. We took short clips of us soaking in the sun and kept each other busy for the rest of the day.

103~ Our Sixteenth Monthsary

: Sizzling BBQ Hot Lovers Day :

It’s Our 16th HarmonyUs Monthsary and being NorMala’s turn to treat, she gave Syazwan two options of either treating him to throw a bbq or a weekend hotel sleepover with friends. Syazwan didn’t take a minute to pause and immediately admitted to wanting the bbq. It was the perfect time to throw one since many of his friends had just come back from UK and the semester holidays had just fallen through after their exams. Unfortunately, it was only a great convenience up until we had to move it up to Friday afternoon, 9th of July, from the Thursday night actual plan, because of Our weekly Thursday night Tahlil at his grandma’s house. It would’ve been great to have it at night to avoid the hot weather and clashes with wedding functions. We also decided that it would be nice to collaborate it with his siblings to share the moment with us since we decided to have the bbq at his place.

So, with everything in plan, we took to the supermarket and got our groceries a day before the bbq. It was never really directly displayed as our 16th Monthsary bbq party or said as such in the invitation texts but really only mentioned when guests asked why we decided to have one. Wearing our matching lover shirts that we bought on our holiday to KL, we welcomed the guests with our smiles and worked together at spending time with our friends. The menu that day was of course bbq chicken, sausages, and crab sticks together with some seafood balls. Special in the house was the chef help who so nicely offered his service to bbq them for us and also create the juicy lamb chops which were absolutely crazy delicious! Besides that we had fried noodles, sandwiches, brownies and fun donuts. As entertainment, we had board games, playstation, karaoke and good company to offer which we all had great fun with along the day. There were guests coming at every hour on the hour which actually lasted up until midnight with SyazWan’s friends. Although we had completely exhausted ourselves throughout the day, we were happy just being able to spend the Monthsary together and celebrate it by throwing the bbq. It was a pleasure to have spent the celebration with our friends and Fam for the first time and we look forward to having some more in the future.

103~ Our Fifteenth Monthsary

: Lovely Lunching :

HarmonyUs Sovereigns 15th Monthsary at Matadoe

“So will we be celebrating tomorrow?”, Normala asked Syazwan while sticking her head out of the sliding doors. “We’ll see”, replied Syazwan. And that was the last of Our plans for our 15th Monthsary celebration which was actually nothing at all infact. This week is right smack in the middle of Syazwan’s semester exams and as predicted from our last episode, Syazwan is too busy and occupied revising to plan anything for our Monthsary hence not expecting any real celebration was a given thing. But thankfully, Syazwan found some time to bring Normala out for lunch at Our Fav place Matadoe. He only texted her that morning saying that they would meet up after work for a simple Lunch Celebration. Normala was happy to just have the chance to celebrate. On our way there, Syazwan apologized for being too busy to organize anything and admitted that the lunch was not going to be anything great. Normala assured him that she was totally alright with it and she couldn’t be more pleased and thankful to him for just finding the time for it.

So as we arrived, being the usual gentleman he is, Syazwan opened the doors for Normala and lead her towards the restaurant. The waiter opened the door and we made our way to Our Fav spot in next room where there were some sofas and enough seclusion. We were the only ones in that seating area. Since we had already known what Our Fav dishes were, it didn’t take any time for us to go through their tangy coloured menus. We ordered the Baked Macaroni with chicken and olives for Normala while Syazwan had its delicious Beef Lasagna. We personally think Matadoe serves the best Lasagna in Brunei. Absolutely and with no doubt! And as for drinks; we had the Tea Tarik Float and Blueberry Fizz; perhaps you can guess who had which drink.hehe.

While waiting for our orders, Normala got busy to adjusting good angles for her camera and Syazwan replied his never ending text msgs. Luckily, we were both done with them in time when the food arrived. In between bites, we shared stories of the morning’s agenda and not long after were up to one of Our normal doings of cracking jokes and minor flirting heee~ Like always we had a good, fun time there and like always we left with a take away box in our hands. We always have a hard time finishing our meals there as these gourmet dishes are always extra filling. As a tasty treat for our eyes while settling our tums, we spent some time visiting the Haus Interior Designs shop just next door and fiddled around with their sleek cushions and albums. After that, we left for home and Syazwan headed off to his Study Group to continue his revision.

The Monthsary celebration this month was wonderfully appropriate and simple yet very pleasing. We both agree that we could have celebrated it better but taken the circumstances that have arisen this week; we are very mutually content with it. Especially since we know we’re in for a great 1 week together for Our June Vacation abroad, excitement and fun is what we’re already definitely going to endure soon hence something simple is perhaps perfectly called for now. We can’t wait! =)

~ Good luck to Syazwan for his semester exams and hope you do well! Amin~

103~ Our Forteenth Monthsary

: A Night of Lovers :

Our very dear BFF Fariha and her fiance, Shahrin, is getting married this 16th and incoronation; NorMala and some friends held a pre-wedding party for them. It actually started as a plan to throw her a bachelorette soiree but with her decision, she agreed to just have the party instead. Without much choice; it just so happens that it had to fall on the same date as Our 14th Monthsary. It was NorMala's turn to plan something for this months' monthsary but with all the bussiness happenening around her, she could'nt plan much. She talked it over with Syazwan days before and asked for opinions on what he would like to do, but even though he was determined not to contribute any of his ideas, he was thankfully forgiving for her lack of time and preparation for the Monthsary. And with enough sweet talk and love candy NorMala successfully bribed Syazwan to allow her a pass. So, we eventually decided that we would just celebrate our 14th Monthsary alongside with the pre-wedding celebration, thus it was literally going to be a night for the loved ones.

On the morning of the day, NorMala was worried and checked up with Syazwan again to reassure everything again. In the midst of the morning rush hour, she explained herself to him in the car on the way to work. It started with the Monthsary greet and later to how sorry she was for not being able to prepare anything great. There was a plan to surprise him in the morning- since it was the only part of the day We had time for eachother, but since she hadn’t enough time to prepare the day before, there was no way that the plan could’ve worked. Syazwan just smiled away and told her that there was no need to fret at all since he didn’t mind and understood everything very clearly. He praised NorMala for thinking of such a sweet gesture to surprise him in the morning and added that it would’ve been really great if it had fallen through. But even though it didn’t, things are still just as great just being able to meet up. He also mentioned that it would be exam time next month for him so perhaps the same fate would later ensue him too.

It was a packed day and though we could only catch seconds together, We were quick to make up for the quality time lost. Believe it or not, We celebrated by bonding through Our IM’s throughout the day were We concentrated on the important values of Our love together and got down to the core of defining the moment. An instant dose of refreshing yet romantic and lovely boost of greatness for Us both We think :) Then later that evening, We only met up again that night in time for the party. The party was held in the Damuan Room, at the Aneka Rasa Restaurant in Kiulap, which was a nice comfortable space especially reserved for private functions that accommodated up to 50 guests. The floor ran through indoors and outdoors of which the veranda had served as the buffet area, the tables were decorated with floral arrangements and a karaoke bar service was also included. It was a perfect homely comfort getaway for a moderate pre-wedding party with friends, just enough to thread out tension/stress the bride and groom had before their big day.

Since NorMala and her BFF's were having a sleepover/mini bachelorette party at the Palms Garden Hotel that night, we prepared there before the party and met up with Syazwan at its Lobby. Shahrin was caught in work bussiness and had to join us later. So, a few minutes before eight, we left the hotel and made our way to the restaurant where we were welcomed by the Sheff Girls. Fariha was also welcomed with a tiara for her title as the queen of the moment and ex-housemate, Hawa handed her a lovely flower bunch made by herself to match it. Much of the organising was thankfully arranged by Hawa, and we all extend our greatest thanks to her. As soon as we sat at our seats, NorMala and BFF Zanna smiled in excitement seeing their masterpiece banner already put up on the wall. It was a joint project/gift for the bride-to-be that took half a day to complete and a list of mixed ingredients of laughter, glitz and smoke! haha (I'm sure Zanna would assure). We had lots of fun doing it and it certainly was'nt a waste of our effort. It looked gooooD! We've yet another project to accomplish for our wonderful babe on her special day- Can't wait!

So as the crowd mingled on, the event processed along to reading the Doa for praise to God. Then Fariha clinked her goblet and gave a speech, thanking everyone and feeling very touched by the efforts made. We love you too Far! Hehe. Later, she was asked to play the game of finding her gifts which was firstly found behind some large speakers and secondly under a table of flowers. Everyone enjoyed the thrill of watching her hunt out for them, shortly after, we finally dined. By now, Shahrin had returned to Far and the king and queen of the moment were then reunited. The menu included delicious corn soup, fried rice, beef curry, sweet and sour fish, honey chicken, steamed mixed vege and beancurd stir. And also traditional malay cakes, fresh fruits as well as coffee and tea as refreshments. They were all very yummy to the tummy, and as entertainment we had karaoke performances from the queen of the moment herself to yummy our ears. She sung love songs for her fiancé and also to her beloved guests which continued to cheer her on throughout the night. Some others also had a go at the karaoke bar, including Us; HarmonyUs Sovereigns. We attempted unfamiliar duets and thankfully got out of them alive hehe and later some solos alone and with others too for fun. We Love karaoke hehe!
Not long after, a surprise cake-cutting session took place. Hawa brought out a lit up choc cake from the back and the crowd sung Allah Peliharakan Kamu to the bride and groom-to-be. Afterwards, everyone continued taking turns at the karaoke bar and many laughs were shared at the joke of making the day rain.

And as the party dwindled down to the strike of eleven, we packed up our stuff and before leaving took pictures for memories then bid our goodbyes to everyone. NorMala and her babes made their way back to the hotel and as Fariha and Zanna went to the room, NorMala bid her Monthsary goodbye with Syazwan to end Our day and stayed to see him off. For the sleepover, we stayed up chatting and laughing it up in the room while watching a love dvd and continued the mini soiree of three with breakfast and a brief company of the bride-to-be to her wedding fitting the next day.

As a reminder of Our 14TH Monthsary, We share a text from Our IMs sent between us:

My dearest fiancé, your apology accepted, I also want to apologise to you for every mistake that I’ve done and for sometimes not being the man of your dreams. But I will never give up to be a better man than the one in your dreams. And with how there’s things that you control me of, I’m greatful to you and Allah for turning me into a better man. I appreciate that you never gave up on me and made me the happiest man alive; you are the most special gift to me ever! I will love you for eternity xoxo- Syazwan, 10th May 2008.

PS. We would like to wish Our very dear BFF Fariha and Shahrin the very best of luck for their special day and our sincere congratulations for tying the knot and thanks for their invitations and true friendship. Lots of love, eternal happiness and babies hehe- We toast to the bride and groom!

103~ Our Thirteenth Monthsary

: Newly Engaged In Romance :

Thursday, 10th of April, 2008; marked our 1st Monthsary together as fiances', it is Syazwan's turn to organise the days celebration and there had been no surprise to what his plans were. He had suggested that we just have some luxury dining at the beach or seaside to enjoy its wholesome scenes but he also wanted to try out the Red Canopy; a place he managed to scoop out from his BruStu's. NorMala had always heard of the restaurant but never got to try it out since she thought that it was a Chinese restaurant, but in actual it is'nt. NorMala left the decision to Syazwan to choose the location because she was ready to be surprised with anything.

That night Syazwan picked NorMala up from her BFF gather and after staying for a while, we bid our goodbyes and drove of to the cinema to pick up our movie tickets. Syazwan had surprised NorMala with that, she had no idea that they were going to watch a movie yet alone what it was they were going to watch. But she rather just played her cool and sat back. Once we got them, we then made our way to the Red Canopy. Again NorMala had no idea what was to be expected except a restaurant with small curtains; a detail hint that Syazwan had told her before.

When we reached there, we went in and walked in to find a waitress already waiting to lead us to our table. It was the furtherst one there, NorMala already excited after noticing the special treatment and curtained partitions bound for each table; she was even more surprised to see the table. Syazwan had actually been up to planning a romantic candle light dinner for them. There set up a lit up candle, specially folded napkins and at the end a rose bouquet. A delightful surprise indeed, especially for the deep romantic such as NorMala, her face glowed and her eyes twinkled! hehe. NorMala thanked Syazwan right away and praised him for his perfect effort. He confessed that he had went to buy the rose bouquet and checked out the restaurant first before he booked the table to be set all special which was all done in secret during NorMala's tuition class. Syazwan also stressed that he knew how NorMala just loves the idea of seclusion for a special, private and intimate meal for two so the curtains were a wonderful touch. The serves were well and the company the best! Thus we had a great time there. We left for the movie and watched 'Street Kings', a solid movie we thought. Being late, we headed home and said our goodnight. The next day came and we were happy to remind each other again of the great time we had last night, we just kept on smiling non stop hehe.

103~ Our Engagement Party

: One of Our Grand Moments in Life :

HarmonyUs Sovereigns Engagement Party at The Palm, By Saffron

Thank God it was possible for us to have our Engagement Party on the weekend of our Engagement week thus allowing Us to have all our Celebrations bundled into one week. We just loved the idea of celebrating Our Anniversary prolonged to a week and the having it differently just couldn’t be minded. For our Engagement Party, we also had the requisite list of things we did; i.e. bookings, shopping for deco and accessories, etc. all of which were well prepared even before our Engagement Day. Hence it was only up to the actual day to set everything up.

That Saturday afternoon, once NorMala had come home from work, she met up with Syazwan; who was already at her house busy preparing the banner for the night. Then we packed all that was needed for the occasion and loaded it into our cars and planned to meet up at the location at 2pm with our relevant crew. We had booked ‘The Palm, by Saffron’ as the location for our Engagement Party. It is a perfect place for the reception, just enough space, charm and seclusion for a private HarmonyUs Sovereign Engagement Party for sixty and bands. NorMala was the first to reach there and upon her arrival, the bands and Syazwan’s BFFs were already there to offer their lending hands. We unloaded our things and the girls started with the decorations while the guys checked in to the rooms. We thought it would be great to have small sleepover amongst our group at the Hotel and besides this it would be of so much convenience to our preparations towards the event.

It was wonderful to have the restaurant close up half of its area to us in order for us to prepare everything before hand and also be helpful with setting them up. They were great service. We set up the table decorations and blew out the balloons while the band equipment was prepared. It was a sexy pink and black theme. At every black covered table sat a center piece of either pink flowers with a strawberry scented tealight or crystal runners with pink hearts confetti. And with every seat came a favor; a black covered square box tied with pink ribbon and thank you label. We also left some pink and black message notes for the guests to leave a note for the Newly Engaged couple if they had felt like it. Other decorations included the alternate pink and black balloons that were stuck on every wall. And as the main attraction; we had the pink and black banner placed at the feature wall which was later festooned with heart shaped red, silver, black and pink normal balloons. We must admit there’s no denying that we did a fine job at it, the place looked spectacular!

During the preparations, when all the table deco was set up, the girls started to progress to their saloons to get ready for the event. NorMala went to the near by Kathy Chai Saloon situated just beside the restaurant and hotel. She had her hair washed and curled ready for the big night. Syazwan was the first to finish getting ready and was the first on the welcoming scene. In his smart black suit, collared shirt and shoes and sleek pink tie; he handsomely welcomed everyone with his charm and good looks. A combination of NorMala falls weak in her knees for hehe. And as a celebrating surprise for the men, Syazwan handed out chocolate flavoured cigars from his jacket, just like a mafia god father he might add :)

A few minutes after eight, NorMala came down from her hotel room ready to join her fiancé. As a perfect king and queen who reigned the night; his lovely bride-to-be was of course perfectly matched with him. NorMala wore a black strapped pretty pink silky knee length dress that had black velvet tiny dots and patterned designs at the end. And to glamour up, she added matching black accessories and shoes. She absolutely felt like a star that night, a fame shared with her fiancé later on when camera shots started flashing as soon as they were reunited. Syazwan welcomed his beautiful fiancé and whispered how wonderful she looked; she held on to him and returned the praise. With their sincere greets and mega smiles; they escorted their guests to their placements. During this, the first band ‘Devine Intervention’, strummed their tunes and the waiters and waitresses started serving the drinks from the bar. After a while; Syazwan and NorMala took to the seats at the featured wall and enjoyed the melodious sounds played by the bands. The songs played were mixed Malay and English Love songs and both local and abroad. After the first, ‘A Band Once’ took on the performances second followed by the 'Three Act Tragedies' a rock band known to be champions of the Bruneian Battle of the Bands. The rock band was especially suited for the rockers at our party that didn’t mind waiting` til later. All the bands that played that night were brilliant, truly talented and very much appreciated for their wonderful performances.

In between the entertainment, the Newly Engaged formally greeted their guests, thanked them for coming and then invited them to start the buffet dinner. The feast included a main course of roasted chicken, fried rice, veges and noodles, then fresh fruits and orange peach punch for refreshments. They were all splendidly delicious. After everyone had finished their dinner; Syazwan and NorMala then welcomed the cake cutting ceremony. The cake was sent to their table by Syazwan’s Uncle; where some people had naughtily sung a birthday song as a joke for the couple as they cut the cake together. The smiley couple then fed each other tiny portions of the cake and sent it off to be cut for everyone to have a taste. The performances then continued throughout the night with additional surprise performances from the Newly Engaged couple.

In the first instant; when ‘A Band Once’ was playing Eric Clapton’s; ‘Wonderful Tonight’, Syazwan surprised NorMala by taking her hand for a dance. With not much option, NorMala took to the front with Syazwan and slow danced as much as she knew how hehe. She felt incredibly shy but at the same time was completely taken by Syazwan’s sweet gallantry move that tears of joy were formed. Syazwan whispered in her ear the words ‘I love you’ and strengthened his clutch holding her hand. It absolutely was Our Romantic Moment that we surely will cherish forever. After we returned to our seats and enjoyed the performances again, it wasn’t a while after that we took to the front again to perform our songs. We introduced our duet song and with many nerves kept at bay; NorMala started singing then Syazwan. Though stage stiff, we were determined to rock the song to our liking which we did do with fun, especially since it was Our Song. The song is called, ‘Shy That Way’ and was created by Fav musician couple Tristan Prettyman and Jason Mraz. We are both big fans of them. This song was introduced by Syazwan when we first got together and mostly depicts how we both love to keep things shy between Us as it leaves much to the mystery and drives us crazy in love for each other. It’s a beautiful sexy tune too. After that, Syazwan sang another song, but this time solo and most especially for his bride-to-be. It was called ‘Love Song’ made famous by 311. Having done our part there, we checked up on how our guests were doing and rotated around the floor. Then stricken eleven, everyone started to leave. Each guest, thanked Us for the invitation, dropped Us some comments to how they enjoyed the night and bid us many congratulations. With much gratitude for coming, we said goodbye. Alongside everything, we had our handy and keen, well talented photographers, C Bui (who was our Photographer for our Engagement Day) and his colleagues from CPS Photography taking our pictures, making sure we didn’t miss any memory. We took several pictures with our guests and by ourselves, inside and outdoors (including a photo of a reenactment of the HarmonyUs Sovereign Proposal. It was much like a whole photo shoot session and thus very glamourous! Hehe.

When everyone left, We and some friends stayed back to remove the decorations that we wanted to keep while Syazwan dealt with the payment. We took more pictures to end the day and returned to our Hotel Rooms for an extended party of our own which actually didn’t last too long as we were already in much exhaust.

Our HarmonyUs Sovereign Engagement Party was a success and we are very happy it turned out well. Now that all that we have wished and hoped for so far has now come true, we will wait patiently until the next time our other prayers are granted again and the already accomplished greatly treasured as Our Grand Moments Together forever.

103~ Our 1st Year Anniversary

103 HarmonyUs Sovereigns Engagement

: We Got Engaged!!! :

With no surprise and plenty of preparation building up to this day, we are now finally getting to live this a waited moment. It was certainly very fortunate for Us to get Engaged on the very same day as Our 1st ever Anniversary which marked an excellent start for our most golden moments for life.

From the very beginning of our relationship, we had always known that we both were very serious with each other and were already at intent to seek marriage in one another despite Syazwan’s young age. We only needed time and fate to tell us when. The very first mention of an Engagement between Us came as just a mere question at first. Then, when we discussed it; NorMala hadn’t realised that Syazwan was actually being serious about it. He said that he had already made the decision to get engaged at least after a year being together. And NorMala couldn’t think of a better and more appropriate plan. We did however make more specific plans to have it after his graduation but we realized that waiting until then didn’t make more sense than having it earlier. Since we were having our 1st year Anniversary soon, we thought it would be grand to have it on the same day; we just didn’t want to waste the gloriousness of the special day.

Therefore when the time came, Syazwan waited until after his birthday to break the news of his plans to get engaged. It was his first time at asking something this important to his parents. Even though quite confident in confronting them with it, his only worry was that he didn’t have any idea to how he would start the conversation. It took him a few discussions with the entrusted before he finally came out with it to his Fam. It took two weeks to roll and come back to us with a definite agreement and we were both very delighted to hear it when it was determined for good. Thankfully there were no problems- no problems in the decision of the couple to be engaged and the tentative dates and time settled upon. It was going to be a Monday night function, a school night and also during the monthly test period for the kids; but this was a minority since the main guests were to be the elderly anyway. So gratefully enough, things were all on a go.

The preparations started with the most exciting part~ Choosing the Rings! We had secretly been scouting for the rings even before the final agreement had been made with the aim of Syazwan getting NorMala two rings; a golden one for the ‘Pembuka Mulut’ and another white gold one for ‘Bertunang’; a choice made according to NorMala’s taste. Though the male side isn’t supposed to get a ring according to our customs; but NorMala decided that she wanted to get one for Syazwan too, perhaps as just a gift symbolizing a joint sign of love. Syazwan loved the idea and got into the excitement of choosing his ring too. After many journeys to several jewelry dealers we found our Fab rings and booked them to size and date.

Next, we got our heads together and thought of possible plans for our Engagement. We made the decision to host two events namely our ‘Bertunang’ and Engagement Party with the intention of not missing anyone out. We wanted to have one event for each of our Family and Friends circles respectively. Once we dreamt up our desired Engagement receptions and with both parents consent on everything; we were never endingly busy on the go looking for the best possible deals. We made caterer orders, camp bookings, photographer bookings, accessory bookings, restaurant bookings, band bookings and what have you. And in the midst of all this; we were also doing our invitations, preparing the decorations and favors and also visiting the tailors for fittings. Indeed things would’ve been a hundred times simpler if we had everything done up to a coordinator but then again; we were persistent in having our engagement HarmonyUs Sovereign Signatured all throughout. And we really enjoyed the whole experience of working together and being hands on with everything full of our personal touches anyway, honestly it was a lot of fun! But might I warn anyone who is wishing to do the same; packing some extra patience would do a lot of good.

Counting down the days towards our engagement and as keyed up as we were, we couldn’t forget to remind each other again of our excitement to getting engaged. Be it the regular sweet texts or just the silent profound glances we manage to signal one another in secret; but as a rule we loved doing it out in the open clandestinely. Singing and dancing, having our own parties before the actual day; we were deliriously happy and as funny as it may sound; it absolutely felt like we were in a fairytale animation or bollywood movie hehe. Then reached day zero, when all that we had worked for was put to the test and the only time when everything would start to take its real form. Undeniably, the day would have to be the busiest where all the necessities were expected to arrive, to be picked up and put up. Of course there were the normal few odd problems here and there, which were obviously beyond our control like timing and rain right before Syazwan’s entourage arrival; but then again there were just as many miracles that night too. One instant is how the rain magically disappeared the second they prepared to leave for NorMala’s house. Thankfully, everything went down harmoniously right.

Indoors, NorMala was busy getting dressed and prepared for her entrance in the hall. But this didn’t omit the occurrence of a small merry soiree enjoyed with her closest friends and colleagues which with much appreciation accompanyed and delightfully entertained her during the wait. Though this was enough to aid her nerves at calm, NorMala remained close to Syazwan by being well in contact with him through their cells. In our patience; we eagerly waited until the signal for the entrance. NorMala was to exit her room with an elder escort along with three young maidens that bared gifts for Syazwan’s side and make her way to the hall where the females were located. In her sweet pastel pink French laced self designed and tailored modern baju kurung; NorMala demurely made her entrance by carefully making her way down the steps of the stairs and on to her seat at the white golden beaded square consecrated mattress. Within the slowed minutes of her entrance, detailed close attention could not possibly have been ignored. NorMala’s dress had red, blue and yellow beaded accents with a compromised youthful matching veil that sat trailed on her shoulders and it was uniquely adorned with an ivory bronze floral tiara at top. She received many lovely comments on how she looked that night; one of which also included her looking like a fairy, a perfect suit to her flutter of happiness in the enchanted otherworldly enfold.

As soon as the discussion amongst the elders had dwindled down to the switching of bared gifts from either side, NorMala received her Rings along with a bowl of assorted ‘Harmony’ Chocolates. Then on behalf of Syazwan, the mother of the groom-to-be; Syazwan’s Mother, slipped them on to her left and right forth fingers respectively to seal the agreement. NorMala then enthused around the room to shake her guests’ hands with many thanks and plenty chit chat prior to the function proceeding to dining. NorMala took some pictures before greeting her guests’ goodbye and waited for Syazwan to come over and take more pictures with her.

Syazwan at home, stayed indoors with his closest friends too. They played ps games while waiting for the entourage to return home. When they did, they immediately handed his gifts from NorMala. It was a ring, a cake and a tray of assorted traditional sweets made of rice and herbs. His Mother slipped his Ring on for him and they cut the cake and gave out the sweets to taste. It took Syazwan a while to finally make his way to NorMala’s place but as soon as he did; We took pictures during Our own moment of exchanging the Rings. Later, We enjoyed our first dine together as fiancés devouring our catered dishes and finally ended the day chatting and watching the recorded clip of Our Engagement with NorMala’s Fam.

The HarmonyUs Sovereigns Exchange of Rings

Star Light Star bright,
The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

For what a wonderful night it was, A Holy bond witnessed underneath the Luna moon and glittering stars, with our loved ones to rejoice, and a great pleasure for Us to share, May Our Almighty protect and persist our HarmonyUs Sovereigns as one until their nuptials be said and forever after. Amin! :D

103~ Our Eleventh Monthsary

: He Proposed! :

Let’s have it at the Palm! We both broke into the same suggestion at the same time and since then it was official that we were going to have our 11th Monthsary at the Palm Café and Restaurant. We had gone to the Palm’s for a couple of meetings already before this with its manager; Robert, to discuss our Engagement Party plans. Being Malay, all our major events are made through a whole manner of disciplined mutual agreements hence likely missing the greatness of moments like getting proposed- like in the movies. As usual, before deciding anything, everything must be in line with every elder. Thus, since everything about Our Engagement was all settled already, NorMala had no idea what she was in for this Monthsary, except her mention that it was one of her dreams to have a proper proposal for her engagement.

On that afternoon, Syazwan picked NorMala up all suited up smart and handsome. NorMala found it a bit strange at first but let it go by reassuring her suspicion by thinking perhaps he had just wanted to make the extra effort. We made our way to The Palm’s and ordered our lunch meals as soon as we were comfortable. We decided to have our Monthsary there mostly because we wanted to have a try at its food and service. So far, it was all good and up to our standards. The place is compartmentalized into two dining areas; one hemmed with wide clear glass windows and doors, there is a bar in the middle and just outside sits a charming pool. The pool is mostly used for the fitness facility above the restaurant but private function hosts are allowed to use it to their advantage too. We had never been to the pool area and NorMala suggested that perhaps it would be a good idea to check it out after Our lunch. At first, Syazwan rejected the idea, afraid that we didn’t have time since we had a previous engagement to attend after. But, as soon as he started to notice that there were a quite a number of people coming in, he abruptly changed his mind and took NorMala up on her offer. Then she had begun to realize that something was really up; judging by how her finace- to- be was acting so differently. She asked him why the weirdness? He replied nonchalantly that he merely wanted to see the pool and take some pictures there. NorMala just played along with his plans. We got up from the table and walked outside to the pool, it was empty. We watched the ripples on the water and stared through it looking at the patterned mosaic tiles. We noticed a seating area with umbrellas on a leveled veranda and Syawan requested we take Our pictures there. After we were done, we sat there for a bit just enjoying the noon breeze and that’s when it all happened.

Syazwan called out NorMala for her attention as he took out a small red box and got down on one knee beside her chair. NorMala just smiled and covered her mouth with surprise, realizing what it was all about now. She laughed shyly and Syazwan took her hand and uttered the words, “Siti Normala Binti Haji Awang Damit, will you be my wife?” gleaming a wide smile while holding out a ring. It was her old ring that he had given to her from the beginning of their relationship. NorMala had given it back to Syazwan for safe keeping to bare her fingers from any rings which was just another self preparation for their coming engagement rings. She smiled excitedly looking at him and replied “Yes! I will”- followed with a giggle. It was really all quite funny how everything was played into the whole proposal especially being in broad daylight, this didn’t help in making the moment more romantic than it should’ve been she thought. She had always pictured a romantic scene to be at night view rather than day light. Syazwan did think the same too and actually did plan for Us to have the celebration that night but since unavoidable circumstances forced us to move it up to lunch time, it was inevitable. Furthermore, since it is never in our hands that things take a change in plans sometimes, it is nevertheless considered to be the norm. Syazwan carefully took the ring out and slipped it on NorMala’s finger. After that, he led her down the steps of the veranda and we left for home to prepare to go to the football field. Syazwan had a family game to participate in. We all then went out for dinner for some good local ‘soto’ soup noodles after and as soon as we were washed up from the days’ events, we cribbed in for a dvd the rest of the night just resting ourselves or perhaps preparing energy for the next months big day! Oh Boy, we can’t wait! :D

With special thanks to Syazwan for wanting to make his fiancé-to-be, NorMala’s dream come true~ and know that it did, just because it was you at the end of that ring :) Also for making the 11th Monthsary mean so much more than just another Monthsary to Us.

103~ Our Tenth Monthsary

: We Are Our Own Lobsters :

There goes a saying that every lobster has one for itself in its whole life- no matter how long lived, like a soul mates, these couple of lobsters will always be and stay together everywhere as if in love. So as the saying goes, Syazwan is NorMala’s lobster and NorMala is Syazwan’s- We are Our own lobsters for life!

However, disregarding the saying, another thing about lobsters is that they make fine sea food. As we picked up the menu, we noticed the extravagant seafood section. We swooned over the dishes that we had never ordered, which was the lobster and crab. The pictures looked so good and tempting, so in our excitement we decided that we were going to go for them. Nothing else looked better to eat at that moment. And it was official that we were having a seafood celebration this Monthsary.

On that Sunday afternoon, we thought we’d celebrate the Monthsary early in daylight during lunch time and thought that it would be nice to just have it somewhere close to home. We went to the newly opened WYWY restaurant branch nearby and when we arrived, there weren’t that many people, a perfect solitude for us, we notioned. After the waiter took our order, we took some time chatting away and telling jokes to each other. It did take quite a while for Our food to arrive as our orders where quite the complicated ones, but when they did; it was all worth the time. They looked spectacular, dressed just like in the photos. And fortunately enough, they tasted just as good. We had the Chili Lobster and Black Pepper Crab. When we started with the Lobster, we thought that we had to roll up our sleeves for it, like what we did for the Crab but it didn’t require any of that hassle at all. It was already skinned off from the flesh and its meat was just hidden under its shell which was by now, cut into small pieces and made into tiny fillets. No wonder it took a while to cook!? The Crab was as usual, required some work and we were very blessed to have sat secluded from the rest- hence reducing us getting embarrassed by our jovial eating habits hehe. We must admit, our lunch did take some time and it was definitely wasn’t the type of dishes to order in a hurry. Luckily, we had time to spare until our next appointment. But being large portions, we just could not devour all of it; we settled for perhaps a little bit more than half and decided to take the rest home. It was great food for a great occasion and we certainly hope to do it again some time.

After our lunch celebration, we picked up Syazwan’s little bro, Anz from home and headed of to his Aunt’s to welcome her home from her hols in the UK. In between, we met up with NorMala’s BFF n fiancé; Farisha, and purchased a movie to relax to after, one of Our Fav things to do together (if you hadn’t already noticed that). And as we unwounded the days’ events, we still could not forget the sight of the lovely red delisc Lobster we had, reminding Us again to the start~ how We Are Our Own Lobsters for Life and Beyond! :D

103 10th Monthsary at WYWY