Long Time Absence

Assalamualaikum dear readers!

Sorry for the extremely long absence in updating this blog. There's no intentions of me to neglect this blog all along but being stuck in a lot of task to be done during the phase of planning my wedding day and at the same time helping few best friends wedding.

But i'm all good now and I wanted to share all the wedding experience to all you bride to be. Some tips InsyAllah where to find stuff and all. I know wedding is getting expensive every year and extravagant.

Without forgetting.

CONGRATULATIONS to those who got hitched recently, last year or days after my last post. A huge congratulations.

Alhamdulillah, I'm now a Married women. Selamat di Ijab Kabul kan berwalikan my father with my other half on the 21st October 2011.

So..

InsyAllah, I will try my best to update on the next post. Maybe on Invitations. Designs, places to find cheap invitation and how to manage guest list.

To the brides to be.. Good luck with the wedding preparation. Patience is always the key. Never panic! ;)

hugs and kisses,
Mrs Inaza

"International" Wedding Fair

The International Mini Wedding Expo

The so called "International" wedding fair is overrated by the media's. Remember years ago there's this wedding exhibition held at the mall where vendors from Malaysia, Singapore and all over came to promote their business with photographers, bridal boutiques and all. It was the boom because I still remember up till now about it. This? Sadly there's only few.. Only two photographer participants from Taiwan/ Singapore "Blue Bay Wedding" and "The Feline Bridal" from Singapore. Forever blooms is handcrafted clay floral flowers also from Singapore. Weirdly; carpets from Iran (?) and bridal arch, some vendors promoting their door gifts. 

I wish that they will think about something BIG.. you know how wedding in Brunei happens like every sunday or saturday night. It will be great that ALL bridal boutiques in Brunei participate. In that way people know the bridal boutique exist. Promote their business! That goes the same to photographers, not only the professional ones but also those newly established business. All the pelamin vendors, gather all the make up artist in Brunei, the designers (?), Florist, Catering, Tents... I'm sure it'll turn to something big and helpful for all the bride to be too. 

Anyhow, despite that small international exhibition.. I got hooked up by one photographer with the packages they offered. It's from the feline bridal in Singapore. They have this tempting package that offers a pre-wedding shoot for $1888! The usual price is $2988. The package includes an outdoor transport, make up and hair do for bride and groom, hand bouquet, free usage of wedding accessories, up to three changes of attire for both, 20 pages of 15'R storyboard album, 20 pages mini album, 1 choice of bed top canvas, and 1 table top like 8R size and dvd copy of the photos taken. The package also include a 3D2N hotel! Tempting right? So we discuss with the lady in charge on the deposit and all, they asked for a minimum $50 deposit to lock the package price. The great thing about it was.. we have like 5 years to do that wedding photo shoot. So even after our wedding we can go to singapore and get photographed with the package we deposited. Without thinking any further, we (me and my girls who's getting married soon too) sealed the deal on the spot because we were tempted with the idea of taking photographs around singapore. Raffles Place, Marina Bay Sands etc. 

Came home... I did some google research about this Feline Bridal... and... I'm left now worried. Read some bad reviews about Feline Bridal and the service they will give when we came there and many more reviews. Sigh. I think we rushed into things but I'm trying now to stay calm and positive. Told the fiance on the package I just sealed with and he suggested we do the photo shoot after the wedding when money is no longer tight and no restriction in photo taking ehee. Good idea! So it'll be sometime in December i guess..  *fingers cross*

So far updates on my wedding preparation is currently nil. I haven't even complete the pomander ball yet because Hokko ran out of that particular flower *pfft* I haven't even start DIY-ing my proposed guest book yet, I also planned on DIY-ing family corsages but I'm slacking.. I contacted my door gift vendors in Jakarta and it'll be completed sometime around 25th February in time for me to arranged the shipment on my march trip to Jakarta. 

HAPPY 27th NATIONAL DAY BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

"Negara Ku Brunei Darussalam"

Semoga Negara Brunei akan sentiasa dalam lindungan Allah dan sentiasa di rahmati.. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin... 

23rd February 2011

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This is something totally random and just for share apart from wedding preparations and sorts. This post is ALL about EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.

Photo Courtesy of Beauty for Chocolate
The kind that i bought from Supa Save =)

YES! The kind used for cooking pasta and the oil that you dip crusty bread.

So I stumble across a blogger I forgot whom about extra virgin olive oil as A MAKEUP REMOVER! 

Me being so curious and loving the fact that using something pure for the face, I tried it few times already with heavy make up and light make up. The results? Marvelous! I must say it is one the best natural makeup remover I found. I’m not the type that use makeup removers excessively, unless I padded on heavy make up and foundation but I usually use Estee Lauder make up remover or Stage after party make up remover. I’m not very picky and particular as long as it can wipe out the entire make up leaving my skin healthy is fine.

I bought a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive oil, the ones that you can get in supermarkets. Dapped the cotton pad with the oil and I used it directly to my face, it quickly removed all my make up though, it took a little longer to remove the waterproof eyeliner, but it came off eventually. Yes, my face got oily and sticky but it didn’t bother me much. Then I tried to use the Estee lauder makes up remover just to spot check if the oil is doing justice, and YES! It did. No make up residue left in the cotton pad. Then I washed my face with the face wash I’m using, left my skin softer compared too usual and moisturized.

Anyhow, with the power of google, I search for the nutrients, searched for reviews about extra virgin olive oil. Magnificent! This Extra Virgin Olive Oil do wonders to absolutely everything. Well we all know that olive oil is the best oil and most healthy but what it did to the skin? Got to love it.

Photo Courtesy of Google
Stage Make up Remover.
Very good and worth the buy! 

Photo Courtesy of Google
Estee Lauder Make Up Remover is also Good!
Been using it for almost 2 years before i moved to trying Stage.

Olive Oil…

• Has natural vitamin A & E providing strong antioxidants that help repair and renew skin that has been damaged from overexposure to sun, air pollution and other modern day environmental.

• hazards like smoking of fastfood.

• Claims that has anti-aging effects

• Very good natural moisturizer for dry skin

• Reduces the pore size in our skin

• Smooth out wrinkles is the eye and around the face

• Great conditioner for hair, eyelashes helping them grow and stay soft despite daily use of mascara.

• As an exfoliate; by mixing olive oil and sea salt in a rub and massaging it into the dry and scaly skin can remove the dead skin and enrich the healthy skin beneath.

* For even better results. It is best to use cold pressed extra virgin olive fresh oil.

Then I moved on goggling about the health benefits when consumed.

• Key to weight loss! Yes, by using those regular oils in frying, cooking is fatty right? Bad fat. Olive oil? Good fat i.e. weight loss healthily.

• Protection against heart disease due to its high content of antioxidants nutrients it helped control the cholesterol level.  So consuming about tablespoon daily for a week can help reduces that cholesterol level and prevent from heart disease.

• Protection against colon cancer

• Lower blood pressure

• Prevent and reduce Alzheimer’s because this disease is associated with the clogging of arteries caused by cholesterol and saturated fat so replacing fats with olive oil will do wonders.

• Lower the risk of gallstones because olive oil promotes the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones naturally.

No reasons to hate olive oil readers…

I love it to bits! 

Thanks google you made my day.. =)

Cut Some Slack

The DIY Pomander rose turned out lovely i.e the colors but failed to complete. I bought the styrofoam to big and the roses were insufficient to cover half of it. 

I'm too lazy to go to hokko with due to payday and many reckless crazy drivers on the road so I will go there sometime next week to commence back where I left of. 

If I'm not mistaken it was last two weeks that me and my girls went to visit two wedding boutiques to search for the perfect color to wear on our sanding day. We all went with our fiance to get their opinions and what color suits them best and we girls went together to prevent any color clashes. The first boutique we went was in Kiulap. Load of varieties of songket to choose from and what i like about it this boutique, it's arranged accordingly to colors. However, we had a small argument there with the person in charge and cancelled out that boutique. We're now down to two choices. Then we went to the well known boutique in Mabohai, all of us came out happy and content. =) I found the perfect color for our morning reception ceremony and booked the songket for further discussion with the personals. 

Then the wedding preparation just stop there. Last week I did not even flick through my wedding book, did not go to google and search for inspiration. Noting. Just blog hopping on brides to be blogs. 

Eh wait, well I did a little. I went to Miri, Sarawak on Sunday and bought flowers for the decoration on my guest book corner. I hope the "guest book" corner will be utilize efficiently because you know our culture don't really get the "write down a note for the bride and groom" bit. Well, that's not the point, i went to Miri in search for the Foam flower roses. Cinta, situated at Mega Hotel do sell foam rose flower but it's not what i expect, noting near to what i bought in Hokko nor what Wedding Tiara bought in Sabah. Set aside those foam flowers, they do sell very nice artificial flowers too, lilies look great and real. Trays? saw this new arrival trays which i assume is the "in" thing now selling for RM$65.30 each. I will update on the picture soon after I sync my phone. But damn, that's expensive for a tray. At Miri, me and the other half went and browse for bedroom sets, mattress and lighting. Love some, hate few so we will decide along this few months either to execute the plan or continue searching. 

I'm cutting some slack with this wedding preparation simply because it has caused a lot of stress to me. I'm not the only one feeling it but my girls too. Thinking about the planning process, the financial issues.. yea talk about how expensive wedding nowadays are got into us madly! To a point where I told the other half, "Can we not talk about wedding?" and Alhamdulillah, I feel better and at ease. 9 more months to go and out of that 9 months I don't wish to talk about wedding everyday right.. there will be at least a week or two that sums up to around 1 month you've got to cut some slack. I'm not sure if other brides to be is feeling the same way like I do. I'm as excited as all the brides to be too. We all want our wedding to be near perfect right? 

I'll stop my ranting. 

Wishing all the chinese our there Gong Xi Fa Chai! Happy Wabbit New Year  =) and have a lovely holiday.  

Bride To Be Resolution

I know we're on the 2nd week of January and I've just made my resolution. 

Me, as a bride to be in October... 

will..

1. Try to focus on the NEEDS more than the WANTS.

2. Try my very best to stay within budget because.. it already went 10% above expected. *sigh*

3. Make loads of DIY project such as the corsages, guestbook, room decoration to save $$! 

On a 2nd note.. 

I'm down with a flu and fever..  =(( no mood to blog..

Have a lovely weekend lovelies <3

CKG-BWN

I'm BACK from JAKARTA just today..

So tired yet fun...

I have LOADS to share... shopping shopping shopping...

From Jakarta to Bandung...

Definitely will be going there again in March!

Stay tune for my travel experience for wedding shopping in Jakarta-Bandung.. =)

No Progress!

When i decide to open up this blog, i thought "This blog will keep me going for wedding preparations" so there's progress but only a LITTLE! I don't know what else and how on earth to get that mojo back! I lost track on bride to be wedding bloggers and I'm so so sorry i haven't got the chance to go blog walking, only visited and read few of my top b2b blog. 

I guess the END month is ALWAYS busy for ALL... wedding.. works.. etc... and I'm one of them! I haven't got the chance to open up my wedding book and start revising all what needs to be done, need to find and everything! 

The indonesia trip will in 2 weeks time (?) See my maths also kaput! and i haven't manage to make a list of what to buy and how many to buy this and that... 

LIFE IS BUSY! 

I have my cousin wedding next week at Miri, Sarawak to attend to and I'll be rushing down to Miri right after work, i must be at the Post kawalan by 4.30pm (government rules) and then zoom, check in hotel, bersedia untuk majlis reception that evening and also the following sunday morning! My baju pun belum ambil at tailor yet... 

I'm ranting... Just so you know ALL BRIDE TO BE!

DONT PROCRASTINATE! 

Kerana...

1. Boleh menaikkan darah tinggi.

2. Boleh menaikkan berat badan = stress = makan *applicable for stress eaters

3. Boleh membuatkan giler sikit kalau terlalu ramai orang nag this and that.. 

4. Boleh membawa maut! Ni kes parah kalau sampai nak bunuh diri.. hehehe...* Nazuzubillahi minzali*

BY THE WAY,

Surprisingly... i have only ONE friend yang somehow guessed correctly who am i! Kan i prefer to stay anonymous for the time being but SHE guessed it correctly berabis! hahah so HELLO L! <3  

Bloggers Award

Wow! Despite the lacking of updates i didn't expect two beautiful brides Lala & Waniez nominated me to be awarded as one of the Beautiful Blogger Award...

Thank you Ladies =) I really appreciate the nomination though honestly i have to say i am a bit blur on how this award works. *knocks head*

I also realized when someone gave the award they have to write 7 things about myself and then nominate another 15 brides to be?

So here are the 7 things about myself

1. Animated,
2. Bubbly,
3. Extremely cranky when hungry,
4. Love heights i.e not acrophobia.
5. The love for shoes never ends! Monthly is a MUST to purchase at least one pair. *sigh* 
6. Love cooking hate baking.
7. Have a hate and love relationship with lamb/muttons. 

Next, i'll tag 15 bloggers.. which i'm not sure if i'll reach 15.. =( 

1. Dinda
2. Nina GS
3. Lala
4. Nora
5. Wanie
6. Hazlynda
7. Rilla
8. Ridanara
9. Kina

Okie i've only got 9... 

Tag along.. =)

Brunei Wedding Expo

The Wedding Exhibition Happening from 6th October 2010 till the 10th October 2010! 

Venue: Times Square Shopping Centre

Will be looking forward to this... 

it's something fairly new to Brunei having wedding exhibition.. 

Festivity Mood

Apologize for the long absence on blogging about wedding and random thoughts, as you all aware that it’s the festive season and I bet everyone is also busy visiting family members, relatives all over, future in-laws and friends. I hope that readers out there are having fun celebrating, attending open houses and meeting old friends!

So we know..when it comes to Eid Mubarak, we can go financially broke early! For the simple reasons, paying your tailored attire, buying biscuits and cakes. Double or triple the groceries shopping for the Eid celebration and all. Honestly, I myself went over budget this month with cakes and all sorts of items purchased but I had a glimpse of sadness too that stopped the shopping half way through and thought about the people in need.  Never forget them too whilst having fun celebrating, if you stumble across an old wooden house, do drop by and ask, give a helping hand and share. It touched my heart and till now, I can’t stop thinking about it. Well, throughout the ramadhan period there’s a lot of helping aid given to the people in need shown in media and Alhamdulillah, our rakyat is kind enough to contribute and especially to His Majesty the Sultan for the kind and thoughtful gift for the people in need. Set aside, sentiasalah bersyukur kepada Allah S.W.T.

I have noting big or ideas to share at the moment because I’m having that working blues, festive mood. It’s good to know that the other half is having fun celebrating eid across the continent and great to know that he fully utilize the money I gave him for his hantaran shopping. Yes, I know it’s very early to buy but why not if you get the chance right? Some shops is still having sales and I purposely told him to go shopping for his stuff first because he knows what he wants and just spare the time next year for another shopping trip for my items. As of now, Shoes, Stationary sets and Smart shirts bought and done! Only few item left for his side and the most crucial and expensive bit is the watch! Need to save more!!  But I’m happy I’m making progress though it’s just little.

December is coming soon and one of my bridesmaids has already set the date when she’s getting married on December to prevent clashes with me. So far she’s picking the middle December so I might be going for early November. I’m not risking the 11.11.11 because I heard one of my relatives would be tying the knot too. The other half wouldn’t mind about dates and early November; the 1^st week would be the other half mother birthday, perfect! I’m planning on a 4^th November 2011 for solemization and bebedak lelaki, 5^th for bebedak perempuan, 6^th for reception and 12^th for majlis kesyukuran. We still need to discuss with the other half parents, need to do it soon because my bridesmaid told me that a lot of venues are fully booked! I hope the venue I’m aiming still has an opening on those dates.

I’ll try to kick in that wedding mood in soon! Hehe

Have a blissful raya dear readers. 

2011 Wedding Dates

Good day all brides to be..

It will be another week till be bid farewell to the most holy month; Ramadhan before stepping to the festive season; Syawal where working hours will be long and back to the normal days. Hopefully this year Ramadhan will be more meaningful than previous and even more meaning in later years InsyAllah. May Allah accept your every Doa and shower his countless blessings upon you and your entire family. *amin*

So it just struck me that calender days in 2011 will have quiet a number of BEST DATES to be getting married. I was browsing through my calender roughly thinking what date is best for the wedding on november next year. Then! If i were to have my wedding on 11 November 2011, it'll be like 11.11.11 the SIX one's. As nice it may sound i bet a lot of wedding will be happening on those dates!

Here's what i came across that coincidently falls on peak days:

• January Wedding, 1st January 2011 (1.11.11) - Saturday
• November Wedding, 20th November 2011 (20.11.2011) - Sunday
• November Wedding, 11th November 2011 (11.11.11) - Friday

I have two choices, either to have a wedding with a date that is easy to be remembered knowing that there will be a lot of clashes and weddings happening around OR just set any dates and no crowd clashes. 

I like the idea of ANY dates is alright. Would you even believe that me and the other half don't remember much on our anniversary? and YES, that ticker on the dashboard is really helpful after I had to find my old diary remembering on the day the other half proposed! We became a couple in a different way, he proposed and i gave him an answer after quiet sometime later~ yes, the wait is long.. so we didn't really get that exact date and just roughly estimate~ Upon anniversaries, that most of the time me and the other half forgets! either one of us will go "Ouh! January~ its the day we met again after so long! Happy Anniversary!" We were schoolmates back in primary, then years later we went into a situation where "hey, your are familiar? have we met?" kind of thing and starting keeping in touch with each other and one leads to another and this is what we end up..  

So what I'm trying to imply for myself here is that, It would be nice and lovely to have a beautiful date on the wedding to remember by but then again, after thinking hard... any dates would be alright... Gahhhh... I'm rambling here... panic on the thoughts of having clash weddings with friends or family members! 

I'm still feeling blur and not having that Festive Season Vibe yet? Is it me or there's anyone feeling this way too? =( I haven't even start baking when I did plan of making Kek Lapis and some biscuits. Purchase some brownies. Probably bake profiteroles or eclairs for 1st day hari raya, red velvet cupcakes for guest. BUT why oh why I don't have the vibe yet.. No vibe = No mood = No baking! 

I want begawan solo biscuits...  

Before He Says, "Aku Terima Nikahnya.."

I found this very interesting article from Hazlynda on her post titled “From I love You to I want divorce” The original post is from Daniel Zain a professional photographer from Malaysia. I guess it’s worth the share to all the brides to be. It’s a good read and it gave you the sense of realization.  

by Daniel Zain on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 6:14am


Assalamu'alaikum,

How has everyone's Ramadhan been? Alhamdulillah with the arrival of Isa into our lives, Mariam & I couldn't be more thankful to Allah swt for the blessings he has given us.

An important step in the life of any adult Muslim is the day he/she gets married. Subhanallah I know some of you are already in the process of looking for a spouse, and some of you may already be a few steps closer to tying the knot than I may be aware of ;)

As a wedding photographer, my job is to document that special moment when two people become husband & wife. Alas, in almost 4 years of doing this full time, several of my clients are no longer husband & wife. Several of my university friends have also gone down the road of divorce. Sometimes the reasons for divorce are complicated while some have parted ways over seemingly trivial issues. I've had the opportunity to speak to some of them during their trying moments & after their divorce. Could some of these divorces have been avoided if the couples had done something simple prior to getting married?

That simple thing is: Ask important questions before you get married

Here are some questions I believe one should ask his/her potential spouse. If you are already seeing someone and intend to marry that person, then please do not waste the opportunity to ask. It goes without saying that proper Islamic etiquettes should be observed when asking your potential spouse about the issues below.

The following are in no particular order of importance; they are just listed in the order as they pop into my mind while typing this. All the points listed here were among the causes of divorce for my clients & friends.

{Edit on 28/8/10: Not all points will be relevant to you, hence know yourself & what issues may potentially crop up based on your personality & lifestyle expectations} :

1. Living Arrangements

• Be absolutely clear about where both of you will live once you are married. If its at one of the inlaw's, then discuss how long you'll stay there before you move to your own rented/purchased home. If your spouse is unhappy after a certain period of your living arrangements, do not treat this lightly. Make an effort to have a pleasing & peaceful home experience, especially if you will be living with parents & extended family.

2. Health

• If you have any health issues, please let your potential spouse know about it. Do not give them a nasty surprise once you are married. For example, a couple i know are no longer together because the husband did not tell her that he has Erectile Dysfunction. She only found out once they were married. There are many conditions that can cause stress to build up such recurring migraines, asthma, diabetes, heart problems etc. Do not hide the existence of your medical condition(s).

3. Sex

• Don't laugh. Sex & finances are among the main reasons for divorce (add Facebook in the list these days).

• Brothers, please read up & learn about the right way to approach your wife. DO NOT rush her if she isn't ready to be intimate. A friend of mine took 9 months before she was ready to consummate the marriage. Alhamdulillah they now have 2 kids. Yes, that's an extreme example, but it happened. It could happen to you. Do not start pressuring her with fiqh, hadeeth & quran about the need to consummate the marriage as quickly as possible. It’s very likely she knows all those points already. The issue is a psychological & emotional one, not a lack of knowledge for the most part. Maybe a friend told her intercourse is very painful, maybe she doesn't feel confident about her body, and maybe she is just very shy. Be gentle, be romantic by going on short holidays together & just be patient. Oh yes, don't forget the dua's :)

• Sisters, especially if you are the very shy type, start reading up about intimacy. Don't shy away from straightforward descriptions of body parts & functions. Get comfortable & confident with your body. I don't mean exercise like crazy to get a specific body type, but know that if the guy loves you & wants to marry you, he's fine with the way you look. Sex is something you should look forward to without fear. Please know that you are entitled to & have a right to get your share of pleasure.

• If it’s confirmed that you are getting married, then ask your fiancé/soon to be spouse if it’s okay with him if it takes a while for you to be comfortable to have sex. If he gets upset, that's a red flag there! A good brother would never get upset, but he'll assure you that he'll be gentle & won’t pressure you. After all, he wants the experience to be pleasurable for both of you & not just for him. If you are shy to ask, then get a trusted third party to ask. I'm not kidding.

• Oh and one more thing brothers, don't get all paranoid & start imagining all sorts of "has she done it before?" scenarios if your wife ends up being very good in bed. Instead, be thankful.

4. Sex leads to.....Kids.

• Ask each other how soon after marriages do you plan to have kids? Don't assume your spouse has the same ideals as you do. You may wish to wait at least 1 year, whereas he thinks a baby 9 months after the nikah is obligatory. 4 kids is your perfect number, yet she wants 10, or none at all!

• What are each of your thoughts on adoption? What if one or both of you end up being impotent?

• Do not wait till you're married to ask about children.

• Pregnancy is a big deal for the lady. Some women are terrified of getting pregnant. Again, be patient and have her speak to other ladies who are pregnant/have kid to reassure her that she'll be fine. Oh wait, some men are even more terrified of having kids. Same process, get him to talk to fathers of his age.

5. Finance

• Sisters, please inquire & know how much your potential spouse earns for a living. If his salary is lower than your expectations for your lifestyle, ask yourself if you are willing to compromise. If you are used to LV, Gucci & Coach bags yet he can only afford Vincci, will that be a source of frustration for you? If the answer is yes, find out what are his plans to increase his income. On the flipside, if you are not the shopping type of girl, and handbags, shoes etc mean little to you, please don't settle for too little. At the very least know your rights on what your husband needs to spend on you.

• A girl i know is fine with her husband giving her only rm50 - rm150 a month for her toiletries, personal care & what not. She says she isn't materialistic, which alhamdulillah is good, but the result is that her husband doesn't spend a ringgit more on her. No dinner dates, no short weekend holidays. Nada. He has become complacent and forgotten his duty to support her living since she does not work.

6. Work

• Can I continue to work after we get married? Can I start working after we get married? Can I stop working? Can I switch to a lower paying job that I love? "I'll be posted in Timbuktu 3 months after our nikah, and oh yes, I'll be there for 2 years & you got to move there with me, no ifs or buts okay."

• Clarify all the above before you get married.

7. Food

• You hate cooking yet the very day of your nikah your dear hubby asks you "What are you cooking for dinner sayang?". Big problem! Yes, believe or not, a couple got divorced because of this very issue.

• Sister, especially if you work, ask him if he expects you to cook all the time. If he does, ask him if he can compromise.

• Brother, if you know she hates to cook, ask her if she's willing to learn at classes (which you pay for of course).

• She loves western food but you must have rice for every meal. Plus you hate pasta which she's obsessed with!!!

8. Housework

• Picture this: A girl's hero is her dad who happens to help out alot around the house. Daddy helps with the dishes & laundry. He doesn't complain. She then marries a brother who will have nothing to with housework. In fact, he considers it a girls job not befiting a man! Guess how happy the marriage is going to be? If only she had asked him if he's okay with helping out with the dishes after she cooked that wonderful dinner.

• Brothers, please help out around the house. Rasulullah s.a.w did, hence no excuses.

I hope this has been beneficial for you. The points I raised are far from comprehensive, there are many other seemingly trivial reasons people get divorced over. For more detailed knowledge on living as husband & wife from the Quran & Sunnah, please refer to the excellent 'Like A Garment' series by Sh. Yasir Qadhi. If anyone managed to save the entire email series of Like A Garment, please share it. Sh. Zaid Shakir & Sh. Suhaib Webb also have excellent audio lectures on the subject. Also ask good teachers on the detailed roles & responsibilities in a marriage. My points are just real world examples from real cases of couples who had to let go of their marriage.

{Edit on 28/8/10: There will many issues that crop in a marriage that one can't foresee. It's totally normal & what's required is sincere love, plenty of patience and willingness to compromise where possible to achieve a win-win situation. We mustn’t view divorcees in a negative light as well because sometimes divorce is the only solution. For some, it's a good solution that helps both parties become better people.}

I feel we should have a YMP sharing session where these issues are discussed. Brothers & sisters, we need to be prepared for the worst case scenario as well. Sometimes in the desire to get married, we only see & imagine the beautiful & sweet life ahead, and as a result we get thrown overboard when a storm comes.

May Allah taala guide all of you who are seeking your life partner. May He also guide us who are already married to remain loving & faithful to each other. May He give us righteous children who will be His servants and help make the world around them a better place.

Wassalam.

Daniel Zain Ibrahim

Time Matters.

I just wish I have the time to read ALL these magazines.

When I just started talking about purchasing bridal magazines, every time mom came from her Miri trip there will be at least one bridal magazine. There's more in her room because she's doing all the reading whilst I just flicked through pictures, placed a post it as bookmarks and hoping i will have the time to read and look more into detail. Which, I don't have the time yet... Then, Fiancé's mother is also excited and brought magazines from London, catalogues of gifts, invitations loads more for choices and ideas!!

Then there's the Internet and the power of google that makes decision making much more harder!

Time... Time... Time... with both of us always working on a busy schedule, hectic is the only word.
My only mind relaxation is blog hopping for few minutes then back to work. Comes the stress with office paper works, back to blog hopping. At least a brief getaway in the cyber world. *sigh*

Five Tiered "Floral Avalanche" Cake, Peggy Porschen.
Taken from Wedding Magazine Aug/Sep 2010

However, that cake... I can't stop thinking about it... Its classic. Beauty and impossible to get THAT cake here in Brunei. It takes a lot of hard work and cost hundreds! *sigh*

I guess its the fasting season that made me look more into cake design that other stuff.

Wishing all the Muslims fasting period is treating you all well. =)