Generally... I'm not into playing games... be it on psp, pc, laptop or mobile... But... ever since I got the iPhone 3G, I've been downloading games (at USD) and playing them like mad on my phone... Here are some of the games that I'm currently playing:

Sally's Spa (USD0.99)
A game that lets you run your spa... initially it's just basic spa functionalities like sauna, facial and massage. Then as you advance through the levels... more functionalities are opened up like hot stone massages, eye brow trimming, manicure, pedicure and more! This game is really super addictive cos customers will come in non-stop and you'll have to ensure that you serve them before they leave in frustrations! :)


Airport Mania: First Flight (USD0.99)
This game allows you to manage an airport... direct planes to land, take off... or send them for servicing, petrol etc while ensuring early or on time arrival and departure... If the waiting time's too long, the planes will frown... but if all is in order, they'll be whistling happily... :)


Supermarket Mania (USD0.99)
This is a time management game on running a grocery store / supermarket... the game is to stock up shelves with provisions customers want... if they wait too long... they will leave... and you won't be able to hit the target transactions for the day... along the way, you'll also have to clean up rubbish thrown by other customers, else if one steps on them, they'll fall and again, leave in frustrations...


The Sims 3 (USD9.99)
But the most expensive game of all has got to be The Sims 3! It costs a whopping USD9.99. I must have been mad to purchase it. But nevertheless I love playing it. I particularly like sending my Sim out to fish... Firstly cos' to fish, you'll need to yank your phone when the fish takes the bite (actual movement of fishing you know). Secondly cos fishes caught can be sold to the Quickmart in exchange for CASH.... Imagine this, my Sim earns USD100 a day from his day job as a clerk at the Town Hall but he gets USD600 - USD800 a day from selling the fishes he caught after work... And my friend, with that kind of money, I could upgrade my house and buy new, beautiful furniture for my cute little Sim... :)


I love my phone... :)

The last time I ate "Chilli Pan Mee" was at this place called Restaurant Kin Kin, somewhere in Ampang if not mistaken. Today, we went to another place in Kepong for their "Chilli Pan Mee". See for yourself... It's damn nice!

And here's their "Chilli" which was spicy and yummy at the same time!

Till now, my stomach's burning cos I added lots of "Chilli" earlier! Hehe... And oh, each "Chilli Pan Mee" comes with a bowl of vege soup and cost RM5... :)

THE Perfect Wedding Gown
We all liked the last wedding gown I tried on earlier… but since it was already booked beforehand, both Sean and Natalie searched their outlet for similar designs… while we waited anxiously… After awhile, they appeared with a gown that was somewhat identical with the one we liked. I tried it on and somehow, this one fits even better and has slightly shorter trails which was perfect cos it may be hard for me to walk if the trails' too long. And so, that was how we found my perfect wedding gown! :)

Done Deal
Thereafter, we proceeded to discuss the nitty gritty details of the package and Sean managed to accommodate most of our requests... even our photographer will be flown in from their Singapore headquarter after we told him what we like... :) And thus, the deal was signed on June 10, 2009 and here are the details of our package:

Hardcopy

• 1 x 12" x 15" Large Album (30 poses)
• 1 x 08" x 12" Medium Album (20 poses)
• 1 x 20" x 40" / 23" x 30" Photo + Frame
• 2 x 08" x 10" 10R Table Top + Frame

Softcopy

• 1 x CDR (50 poses)
• 1 x DVD (1 song, 30 poses)
• 1 x CDR (10 MV)

Flowers & Ribbons

• 2 x Fresh Flowers Hand Bouquet
• 1 x Bridal Car Deco
• "Hengtai" Car Ribbons

Extras

• 1 x Guest Book
• 1 x Album Bag
• 1 x "S" Frame

Photography In & Outdoor

• 5 x Costumes (Bride)
• 5 x Costumes (Groom)
• Wedding Day
  - 1 x Wedding Gown
  - 2 x Evening Gown
  - 2 x Coats

Later on, I found out from my Singaporean friend that B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t is indeed BIG in Singapore. Here in Malaysia, they are well known for their gowns cos' they have an in-house designer who occasionally adds on new pieces to their collections. Plus, since B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t is new here, most of their gowns look brand new as in not used and abused yet... hehehe! Although, the price was higher than the rest - both OWLoon and I felt that we've made the right investment! Yay!!!

Moral of the story? It pays to listen to your mom... :)

B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t
Here, we were served by a friendly and soft spoken guy… Their photos looked OK, some appealed to us more than the rest and in terms of their package, they only have 1 package and it was noticeably more expensive than the rest with lesser stuff thrown in. BUT… as my mom and I was browsing through their selection of gowns, the guy who served us said I could try any of them on! Imagine our excitement!!! Of the many BS we went to, none offered us this… all they cared about was us signing on the dotted line…

Gowns Selection
The guy who served us even gave me some pointers as to what sort of gowns I should be going for… Since I have a somewhat square face, he said I should not look for gowns that are tube based but instead look for those that have heart shape / V-shape necklines or even halter necks as they would help accentuate my features… It was then that we found out that he is the designer of this BS and most of the gowns were his designs!!!

The first gown I tried on was a red modern “Cheongsam”… the minute I put it on, I regretted trying it… haha… but the guy consoled us and said “Sometimes, gowns may look good on hanger but once you try it on, it may not be the case and vice versa. Hence, it’s important to try on the different types of gowns available”. Then he passed me another few more pieces of gowns to try on…

“maemee” THE Princess
As I was trying the last piece one on, an assistant by the name of N.a.t.a.l.i.e helped me into it… and I tell you, the minute she fastened the back of the gown, I fell head over heels in love with my reflection in the mirror!!! Never thought I’d say this (cos’ I hate wearing any form of dress / skirts)… but I looked and felt like a princess!!! When I drew open the curtains to show both my mom and OWLoon, they too had that love struck look, particularly OWLoon… He has this sparkle in his eyes when I came out of the fitting room! Hahaha… Unfortunately, it wasn’t available for my wedding dates… :(

With that, we politely told him that we’d like to go for a drink… But in actual fact, we wanted to bring my mom to D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a.

The Deciding Factor
At D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a, we looked for the same “ching-chong” supervisor who served us during our last visit. Instead of beating round the bush, we told her that we would like to try on some of their gowns… She hesitated for a moment then proceeded to tell us that the fitting rooms’ occupied. She tried guiding our attention towards the package she offered us earlier… but we were adamant about looking at their gowns… so she reluctantly took us upstairs…

Having worn a few wedding gowns from B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t, both my mom and I inspected the quality of their gowns carefully… Some of the gowns have cheapo and light materials while some others seemed pretty battered with sequins and beads falling out… While we were looking at the gowns, she spoke at a super loud voice (as if we were all deaf) about how their gowns are not segregated and that others have VIP and Super VIP classifications that require us to pay more… She of course also subtlety mention that we should make an appointment to try on their gowns so that they can have dedicated personnel to recommend us gowns that fit my body shape… but of course, first thing first, we need to confirm the package details… And that was it!

I signaled OWLoon and he told her that we would like to go for a quick smoke outside. Once outside, my mom told me that she prefers B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t cos:

• They have better gowns selections both in terms of quality as well as designs
• She thinks Sean (the designer we met) is more sincere than this “ching-chong” lady who’s overly commercialized and not to mention, FAKE too!

At this point, I had already made up my mind, but since OWLoon like the photography style of D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a, I asked him for his opinion too. To my surprised he said, all we need to do is to communicate with the photographer on the type of looks / feel that we’re trying to achieve and that it doesn’t matter which BS we go for. Most importantly, the gowns are nice!

With that, we made our way back to B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t…

I took half a day off yesterday with the intention of confirming the package at D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a but because of the favourable reviews on B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t, I couldn’t resist checking it out first prior to confirming our package.

If you read my previous posts: Bridal Studio Part I and II, you would’ve seen how we preferred D.e C.a.s..a.m.i.a than the other 4 we surveyed before this for their photography style. However, instead of feeling dead sure about signing up, I had several nagging concerns at the back of my mind…

Beach Photo Shoot
While the samples they showed us looked great, I was extremely worried that OWLoon and I may not be able to pull off the natural, posy looks… Then as I thought deeper into it… I realized that, of all the albums that were shown to us – only D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a, M.y D.r.e.a.m W.e.d.d.i.n.g and B.r.i.d.a.l A.r.t used models in their albums, all the rest used actual Janes and Joes… So, it’s no wonder that their photos stood out a lot more!

“Lala”-Look
If there’s one thing that scares the shit out of me… it would be me appearing like some “lala” in all my pre-wedding photos… Thus, I surfed the net and forums for sample photos and to my horror, most of the brides have huge fake flowers on their head… not just any small flowers but some really bigass-silly-looking flowers! If not flowers then they’ll have bigass “bling-bling” on their head!

Overly Crowded
Also, at both the times we visited D.e C.a.s..a.m.i.a, we noticed that their booth/outlet was easily the most crowded one amongst all that we’ve gone to… That was when I found out that they have 3 different tiering of packages… (OWLoon and I was about to sign for Tier 2 with an additional outdoor shoot in KK, Sabah). However, most of the customers on the forums I went to sign up for the cheaper package. Since they don’t practice segregation of gowns based on the package you sign up for, I was kinda worried that by the time I sign up, there won’t be any good gowns left…

Gowns Choices & Quality
I’ve never worn a single wedding gown in my life, thus I wasn’t sure what to expect. But from an untrained pair of eyes, their outlet seemed to have lesser gowns than the other local ones….

With that, I persuaded OWLoon to check out B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t but this time round I brought my mom along. I trust my mom’s instincts more than anything in the world.

With less than 6 months away from our wedding day, OWLoon and I decided that it's about time we go Bridal Studio (BS) shopping... (ok ok... more like I nagged him into thinking that we're behind schedule cos hey, the last time we went to a wedding fair was easily 5 months ago!)

So last Saturday we drove over to SS2. By the way SS2 has now turned into a bridal city! There must have been at least 10 to 20 BS there! But ahem, I ain't complaining cos it makes it easier to walk from one to the other... competitive comparisons you know...

D.e.C.a.s.a.m.i.a.

The was the first outlet we went to cos we visited their booth the last time round at a Wedding Fair. Thought of checking out their gowns this time. We were served by the outlet supervisor... who wouldn't let us check out anything until she fully explains ALL the details of their packages. Though she was an annoying lady (pushy and ching-chong), somehow we found ourselves attracted to their photography style... they have this nice garden studio outside their outlet...

And they even showed us a catalogue that boast their impressive C.a.n.o.n camera (apparently it's some high end DSLR that cost 5-digit), followed by an impressive office that house a team of nerds... I mean editing / touch up artists... (most BS only has a few artistes)...

Plus, because they take pride in their photography... they even have this special package to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah for an outdoor photo shoot! The sample photos they showed us had couples posing for pictures in a beautiful outdoor framed by a bright blue sky. It was truly spectacular!

M.o.n' L.i.z.a
This was the 2nd BS we visited... And when they showed us their photos, we immediately made a mental note to cross them out... cos they specialize in theme-photography... think costumes and exaggerated fairy tale looks... some are even of dark European 50s style... but they have quite an impressive loads of gowns and costumes... And the SA who served us was a bubbly, friendly, young girl...

V.o.g.u.e C.o.l.l.e.c.t.i.o.n
By the time we hit the 3rd BS, we were exhausted from all the explanations and our ears were ringing... but we went into this BS nevertheless (also cos' we needed to use the loo)... Here, nothing stood out... The only thing worth mentioning was of course their gowns selections... they had over 1,000 pieces of gowns available! That's damn a lot of gowns! But like I said, we were tired... and wasn't really paying attention di...

As you can see from the reviews above, it looked as if we have already made up our mind about signing up with D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a... But since it was getting late and we were tired, we went home without signing up. But that night, I visited every single forums and blogs that I could find on D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a. It was then, that I found lots of positive reviews... not on D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a but on another BS... called B.r.i.d.a.l C.o.n.c.e.p.t which is also conveniently located in SS2. :)

Earlier this year, OWLoon and I visited a Wedding Fair in Mid Valley. But since it was our 1st experience, we didn't jot down any notes... thinking that we'd just bring back the brochures for further comparisons. But to our surprise, we weren't allowed to keep any of the brochures and papers used in explaining the packages! Why? Cos' they don't want us walking around with their packages' details negotiating with other Bridal Studios (BS)... Talk about being "kiasu"...

We visited 3 different BS that day and decided to check out a variety of different studios for a gauge on the packages available...

M.y D.r.e.a.m W.e.d.d.i.n.g

This BS specializes in sending couples to Hong Kong for their pre-wedding photography. While the package was OK i.e. slightly cheaper than local BS, the additional expenses were higher i.e. flights to Hong Kong, accommodations in Hong Kong... plus, gowns you see in their featured albums may not be available at their local branch here... Also, if anything were to happen, it definitely won't be as simple as driving out to their branch... cos the albums are apparently done up in Hong Kong itself...

B.r.i.d.a.l A.r.t
Instead of Hong Kong, this BS sends couples to Taiwan instead. Packages are similar to M.y D.r.e.a.m W.e.d.d.i.n.g too but so as the concerns we had with the earlier BS. Plus, since it's overseas, they require us start our pre-wedding shoot soonest possible... which of course is not possible in my case given my braces...

D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a
Since we have checked out 2 overseas pre-wedding photography package... we decided to check out a local one... so happened, the first one we saw was D.e C.a.s.a.m.i.a. Here, since it is our 3rd BS, we realized that all their packages are pretty similar. But somehow, their photos though taken locally, looked nice...

In the end, we didn't sign up for any... but learnt a few important lessons along the way...

Thou shall have patience

If this is the first time you're visiting a BS, then let me tell you that the Sales Assistants (SAs) are usually super hard sell, super pushy, super commercialized but worst of all super long-winded. While it is good to have more info... after awhile your ears will bleed cos' they will boast about how good they are and blah blah blah...

Thou shall not be impulsive

This is particularly true at Wedding Fairs. The SAs will throw in loads of freebies and discounts to tempt you hoping that you'll sign up on the spot. But believe me, unless you've visited their outlets before... never ever be impulsive cos' you don't want to end up being disappointed with their gowns selections later on...

Thou shall have thick face

When they see a prospect, these SAs will be extremely friendly and helpful... all questions will be answered and they will do their best to convince you into buying their packages. But the minute you say, you need more time to decide... Their expressions will change immediately... Can't really blame them cos' each session takes between 45 minutes to 90 minutes! They will even throw in further reductions on the spot... making you feel "stupid" for walking away from a fantastic deal...

So anyway... the above sums up our first encounter with BS at Wedding Fairs...

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being forgotten before?

How sacrifices you made in the past were no longer remembered?
How the good old times were nothing but just distant memories?
How promises made before were broken without any sense of guilt?
How good deeds done in the past stayed only in the past?

Nobody likes to dwell on things that happened in the past... But the feeling of being forgotten is not just humbling... but painful too...

Why? Why does it have to end this way after all that we've gone through?