Phew!

My wife and I are just getting our breath (and tears) back after a fantastic long weekend.

So you’ll have to wait a day or so for some wedding pix and write-ups to appear here.

In the meanwhile, thanks to everyone who made the day(s) ever so special. You’re all superstars!

D+Sxx

Sunday 23 July, 2006 - 9:30 am

And for those up for brekky the morning after, the night before, then we are all meeting up at Mayang Sari - where, I gather the bulk of everyone is staying anyway.

The plan is to meet up by 9:30 and try to piece together exactly what happened the day and night before!

Mine's a large bloody mary, by the way!

Friday 21 July, 2006 - 8pm

For those of you who will be in Bintan on Friday evening, we will grabbing a bite to eat and perhaps a quiet drink at Mana Mana - which is next door to Nirwana Gardens. [If lost, ask any staff member and they will be able to point you in the right direction]

We will in there by about 8pm and will be there a few hours.

Hope to catch you there!

I saw this ...

While checking my hotmail, I came across this link, Wedding Guests's Gripes, and thought of you (as in our Guests on Saturday) for some strange reason!

The 'Players'

At a wedding, most of the eyes on the bride. And, occasionally, the groom might get a look in too. But without other people doing some key jobs, the whole day would never get off the ground.

Here are a few of those key players, who will be helping to make the 22nd go as smooth as possible.

First up is Sandy – who is going to be our Celebrant (that’s the person who does most of the speaking at the wedding ceremony!)We’ve known Sandy practically the whole time that we’ve been in Singapore as Damian helped to build Sandy’s website, LotusMoonCollection. Sandy’s lovely and we are as pleased as punch that she said ‘yes’ to being our celebrant!

Next up is Andrew – who is going to be the Emcee and Best Man - Singapore Leg (that’s the person who introduces the speakers at dinner, and also gets to say a few words himself) We’ve known Andrew (and his smashing wife, Esther) about three years – when they first arrived in Singapore. Andrew, who’s a mad Chelsea fan, has also kindly volunteered to organize Damian’s stag party next weekend!

And then we have Mark (or, as throwback to the good ol’ school days, also known by his surname, Thomas) – who is going to be Best Man - London Leg (that’s the person who’s supposed to come up with the wittiest speech, with lines that are not too rude, nor too plain, and a speech that can make your gran laugh/cry, as well as have your muckers rolling with laughter in the aisle. So there’s no pressure there, then!) Damian’s known Mark since they were at (Spencer Park) school together and Damian was best man at Mark and Tanya’s wedding in Las Vegas, some 6 years ago.

Nicole (and Sam) has volunteered to collect any red packets that people may want to drop off (and has promised not to open the envelopes and count the money in front of you!Nicole and Sam, together with hubby/dad, Mark, and the two cats live in the same neighbourhood as us and have been close friends for a couple of years now. They’re Australian – but we don’t hold that against them!

The Wedding List?

One of our Australian guests has asked: “We’ve emailed our RSVP... booked the ferry and room in Bintan... brought posh new outfits. So where the bloody hell's the wedding list?”

Well, that's a fair dinkum of a question, Cobber. And to be perfectly honest, we have decided against having one.

The main reason was that we felt everyone’s already making a huge effort just by attending. [Sounds like a cliché, we know - but it's true as you will have all literally travelled overseas to get to Bintan!]

There were other factors. Like there isn’t a John Lewis in Singapore, the Beer Cellar don’t do wedding lists (not yet, anyways) and it would require more work...for Sarah!

However, for those of you who insist on getting us something, then a ‘red packet’ is the easiest way forward. And young Nicole (and her even younger son, Sam) will be on hand on the day (Sat 22nd, in case you’ve forgotten) to collect your red packets. [In case you don't who Nicole or Sam are, you can see a photo of them in the entry called ‘Players’].

Those of you wondering what we will do with any money received, well we are hoping to get a couple of nice watches as keepsakes for the big day.

Of course, if someone really wants to give us a present of their own choosing, then that would be cool too.

However, all we really want is for family and friends to enjoy themselves. And for the day to be as hassle-free for everyone.

SE Asia's Answer to Arthur Daley

Although his birth certificate states his name as Spencer Hogg, this chap should have been christened Arthur Daley! For he can sell mushy peas to a team of husky dogs, traps to a Belgian monastry and kebabs out of the back of a police van!So when you see him at our bash, please watch out for what Spence/Arthur may be trying to flog. Otherwise, you, too, could have a dodgy, gold suit straight off the back of a lorry - as modelled by young(ish) Spence/Arthur, himself, in the above photo!

ps Rumour has it that Spence is bringing 'er indoors (aka Annabel) to our bash too.

Be afraid. Be very afraid

A certain Brian Doyle could be winging his way to Bintan.Known to go under the nom de biere as 'Doylah', this man can party, drink and talk like it was 1999.

However, due to Doylah's severe lack of dress sense (as you can see from the photo above) and even sadder tastes when it comes to football (he is a Man U fan), he can be easily spotted and avoided. Unless, of course, you want to have a whale of a time!

Monday's Joke

This ‘joke de la jour’ is taken a forum on ExpatSingapore– where one can find questions/answers on the real important things that one should know when living in Singapore (e.g. where your maid goes to on a Sunday, why you can never get a taxi in the rush hour and where to find the best laksa/pepper crab/chicken rice in Singapore):

Q: I'm interested in buying a modest apartment in Singapore to avoid wasting money on rent. Can anyone advise what sort of money I could expect to pay?
A. I would expect you would pay in Singapore dollars.

Quality response! It’s up there with:

Q: I'm interested in learning to play the Spanish Guitar. Can anyone advise where I can get lessons?
A. Spain?

And if you thought that these were bad, at least they were real and a lot cleaner than the ones submitted by a certain Pamela Hargeaves! [Her last one involved two daddy longlegs and a punch line of ‘not having that Brokeback Mountain **** in my garden!']