It's been a year...

It has been one year.. Since what you ask? Since Marcus propose that's what! :D

And next month's 18th will mark Marcus' one year in China.. But I can't say that it means one year apart from each other. Cause truth be told, we have been able to see each other quite frequently.

Now, let me try to recount how this one year of being soon-to-be-Mrs-Lim went, and how the next few months will be like:

February 2008
- Spent getting ready for Marcus' flight to Guangzhou, spent some very very good times, albeit a little tiring. Took quite a few days leave (half-days actually), cause really really wanted to spend time with him before he flew. Was a very difficult time, cause really cannot bear to be apart from him.

March 2008

- Marcus was sick a few days before he was due to fly. He had very bad pain in the stomach, and spent one day majorly puking and having severe diarrhoea. Went to the family doctor twice, diagnosed with gastric and stomach infection. Ended up, since we wanted him to be in best form when he leaves for Guangzhou, we admitted him into Gleneagles Hospital where he spent a weekend recuperating on the drip.

- My family also threw a farewell and we-love-you popiah party at Kuku Teresa's house. Good food, good company and heartfelt wishes. Marcus was left to eat porridge (good porridge hor.. ABALONE porridge wor!) while I had some otah and fried chicken wing. Dear family, thank you each and every single one of you very much for taking the effort to prepare, cook food and come to attend this piggy's party. I felt very happy looking at all of you treating him as one of us, and I know all of you are equally happy that I have finally found some one 'silly' enough to want to marry me. (Yeay, Sheryl is finally getting married off. Heng ah.. If not she will stay single all her life :D)

- The night before Marcus was flying, we spent time talking about our relationship, and re-assuring each other that no matter what, we have faith and trust in each other and in our relationship. I cried so much, that I thought maybe I will not tear in the airport when I say goodbye. But NO. Waterbaby Sheryl Tan cried like nobody's business when hugging him for the last time before he stepped into the departure gates. And even in the cab to work, the tears just refused to stop rolling down my cheeks.

April 2008
- It was a difficult period, trying to get used to a life all on my own, going to work, having lunch and dinner, knocking off, watching TV, falling asleep and waking up, everything on my own. I tried to cope, printed out photos of us, and pasting them on the wall beside the bed, putting on his singlet on my pillow to hug to sleep etc. Very very difficult. BUT, there was a silver lining.

May 2009
- 30 April - 04 May 2008. I departed Singapore to Guangzhou to visit Marcus. It was weird seeing him initially at the airport. But the minute he hugged me, it felt like home. I spent 5 very very happy days there, cramming in all the happiness to make up for the time we spent apart. Seeing the places he eats at, staying in the apartment he calls home, all these made me feel closer to him. when the day came for me to return to Singapore, it was the first of many many more byebyes at airport departure gates. From the very very first time when he left Singapore for the 3-days exploratory trip, until his last return to Singapore for CNY, I cry like a baby on the day/night leading up to the goodbye, and even at the airport departure gate.

June 2008
- Marcus came back for a few days to settle his Visa. YIPPIE!! This was unexpected trip number 1. Originally, we were only supposed to be able to see each other in July when he comes back for graduation!

July 2008
- Marcus came back for his commencement ceremony!! The day that he had worked hard for and been waiting for since he was 16 had finally arrived. He graduated from University with a double major. So what if he did not stand out amongst his peers. It is not so much your grades that matter, but what you do with it. You took your degree and went overseas. Proving our poly lecturer wrong. Cause who says Marcus Lim will never be an expat? He is an expat, and a jolly good one at that!

August 2008
- Hohoho!! He came back again to get his work visa - unexpected trip number 2!! This time round, we managed to celebrate his birthday in advance. This was also the trip that we started to talk about holding our wedding. We visited the bridal studio which I had shortlisted, and tried to negotiate to see if we could get everything we wanted in the budget we had. We also visited one of the banquet dinner which I had shortlisted, but sad to say, RSYC failed to hit the expectation we had.


September 2008
- Cannot remember any major happenings, except that I celebrated my dad's birthday. And that I was counting down to October, as Marcus was coming back for a week.

October 2008
- Marcus kept his promise, and came back to spend my birthday with me. It was golden week National Day holiday in China, so he managed to stay for about a week. We went to view the hotel which I had confirmed (Novotel Clarke Quay) for our wedding, looked at the ballroom, had high tea there, went to sign the contract with the bridal studio, decided on our wedding ring and placed an order etc.. We brought Nicnic to the zoo, and oh yeah, his mother also came over to discuss with Dad and Mum on the dowry. All in all, we accomplished a lot this month.

November 2008
- I went for my wisdom tooth surgery, and Marcus was due to travel to Europe for work. And I was touched beyond words when he told me he was flying back on the day of my operation, and would rush to the hospital to see me. Now, the SQ flight from Guangzhou arrives in Singapore at about 5.30pm, and his flight to Frankfurt was at midnight the same day. Imagine rushing down to Alexandra Hospital at evening peak hours with a luggage in tow! But that's what he did. And after his Europe trip, we managed to spend a weekend together before he flew back to Guangzhou.



December 2008
- I spent 2 very very happy weeks in Guangzhou. Spent both Christmas, and ushering in 2009 in cold Guangzhou with Marcus. We took the opportunity and took our pre-wedding photos over Christmas Day and Boxing Day. A lot of fun and definitely great memories. Went for a spa on the first day of new year. That was also a memory to cherish. We went to IKEA, had our first steamboat at home, spent lots of time together. Looking forward and planning our 2009 and our dreams and hopes for the year.

January 2009
- Marcus came back for Lunar New Year. This was our last year of collecting angpows. But we did not purposely made an effort to visit like mad. I guess, we are not so .... kiasu. :D We also did our food tasting, choosing of the hotel colour themes, wedding favours, selection of wedding gowns, selection of wedding cards and deciding on the contents of the inserts etc. We also went through our photographs to decide on which photos to go into the photo montage. Marcus also brought back the flash DVD of the wedding pictures.. SO nice!!

February 2009
- We have both been busy preparing for the wedding and our new life together. I tendered my resignation and started serving my two-months notice. He shifted all our stuff to a new 2-bedroom apartment, and has started to try to get the place comfortable and ready for me to go over. I am now doing the photo montage and the addressing of the wedding invitations etc. Marcus has also finalised the layout of our album, and selected the albums etc.

March 2009
- Marcus to be very busy with work, and the collection of our wedding albums and frames and the other small freebies from the bridal studio in Guangzhou. I will be going with Dad and Mum to deliver the cards to our relatives. I am also hosting all our helpers for dinner on 31 March to run through their roles and responsibilities on our big day. And I have to continue my driving lesson, and practise hard to pass my TP on my second attempt. I HATE failing such stuff..

April 2009
- My last day of work will be 8 April 2009, and I am flying off to Guangzhou with the first batch of my stuff on 9 April 2009. I will be spending 11 days in Guangzhou, buying the tea set for his mother, getting some miscellaneous stuff for the wedding, sourcing for kua shoes, accessories for my wedding gown etc. And also settling some of the required documents which I need for my Visa application. And in the meantime, wedding preparation goes on as usual, choosing of wedding songs, confirmation of photo montage etc.

- We will be back to Singapore on 20 April, and will be spending the final 2 weeks before the wedding doing last minute preparations, last minute driving lessons until my TP on 27 April, collection of wedding gowns, RSVP etc.