Introspection + Contemplation + Ideals

There was song and dance. Tears and laughter. Three beautiful maids and three noble musketeers with questionable mustachios. A sword duel with a one eyed man. A Ph.D student turned (cinderella fashion) into a limo driver for the night. An Apple addict turned country singer. Love was in the air: a budding romance between the flower girl and the ring boy.










There was enough excitement to fill a Bollywood movie or Korean drama, and enough happiness for the groom to be still smiling late into the night.

And the next day the couple left for Cuba to live happily ever after...
for a week.

What an ordeal weddings are. Seriously, whoever invented the modern day wedding and its affiliated practices should be... told something.

The weeks before the wedding and even now... weeks after the wedding, there is work, work, work... just for the sake of two people living together and creating a home.

Before the wedding, we found ourselves simultaneously:
1) Planning a big party
2) Planning to move into an apartment
3) Planning for a trip to Cuba
4) Preparing ourselves mentally, spiritually to live together.

You can imagine that each of these four events are quite the events themselves and could be a big deal on its own. Yet it was done. None of which could have been possible without the help and support of friends and family.

Thank you and I hope it was fun. It sure was fun for us.

And of course getting married is not a destination to arrive at, but a starting point for a greater journey. So now we start our homemaking: the cleaning, the rearranging, the snoring, not having cookies and having cookies, and assembling of Ikea furniture.



One question though... where in the world does Ikea come up with furniture names like INGOLF, HOPEN, FORSBY?

What can I say? I am lucky in love. It will be our 9 year anniversary soon, which is also the day of our wedding. Who knew nine years ago that I would be marrying this wonderful person. Yes, sappy indeed, so please try to overcome the sappiness as you read.

As they say in the programming work I do, the "go-live" date is fast approaching in less then three weeks! And then we will be husband and wife. Should I be busy reading some books on "how to become a husband"? =)

Indeed, it is exciting times for me and my fiancée. We've had many memorable memories to date: getting the ring and asking her to marry me, the roaring applause of our friends at a certain restaurant the first friday after the engagement, the thick plotted surprise engagement party several weeks later, the renting of certain secret costumes (those that know... shhh!!!), scanning bar codes for the gift registry at our favourite discount retailer, chasing and getting our elusive apartment, finding out of certain "dirty" bridal shower gifts, clearing out two Wal-Marts worth of chocolates...

And don't worry, we will not disappear once we are married. It is continually cemented in our minds that life is about relationships. So I really hope to avoid situations where you will feel uncomfortable in the presence of a lovey dovey couple... but you may yell at us to "get a room!" if we ever do. And for those helping us through this time and have invested in us these years... thank you.

I am lucky, because she is certainly the only person in the world that would put up with me and my antics.

Just when you thought you knew all my noodle eating ways! Just when you thought that I eat only one brand of instant noodles! You judge me too soon, as I am a cultured man of diversity.

There is another...

The Chapagetti: black bean paste instant noodles.

Nothing else satisfies the longing for succulent sauce & noodles. Wine and cheese are indeed the apotheosis of food and drink, but these instant noodles are il primo.

Some cultural lessons from wikipedia:

"Jajangmyeon is originally a Chinese dish, but the version familiar to Koreans is usually only found in Chinese restaurants in Korea or those serving Korean customers. This dish is also available in other countries where there is a large Korean population. In other words, Jajangmyeon is Korean cuisine in the way that pizza is American, rather than Italian, cuisine."

Yum!

And for those expecting a dose of MSG as in the first MSG goodness post, you will not be disappointed.

I have a secret obsession to admit.
I'm in love with... shoes. In grade 4, after throwing many fits and tantrums, I was the proud wearer of these Nike Air Max. With their late 80s sizzling hot colors, nothing screamed "spoiled brat" more than these. Yet, they allowed me to freely gallivant during recess and roam many rolling hills during the summer of 1990. I made sure I got them many sizes larger so that I could grow in to them, with the only problem being that they fell off my feet very easily.

Shoes. If you think about it, you rely on them every day to provide comfort and style, assurance and confidence. They give you the bounce in your step. You depend on them to be durable, to stand the test of time and resist the elements. And they can give a young boy the little bit of self esteem he lacks.

You can't rush a shoe purchase. Oh no. Shoes can be the biggest pain when they are not comfortable or if they chew holes in your socks. If picked right, they can be a source of comfort. You can gaze at them when standing, when bored, when shy. Oh, that ever so familiar sight!

I'm not a collector of shoes; that is, I don't have a room full of them. I prefer a monogamous relationship as much as possible with the few shoes I have. As they get worn in and age, they become so personal, so part of you. A loyalty is built up as they become that faithful travel buddy. I'm always saddened when a good pair of shoes wears down quickly. Luckily I know a good local shoe repairman that can extend the life of my shoes.

Nowadays, dress shoes are my thing. There is something enjoyable about taking the time to polish them. And lately, I'm thinking of getting brown dress shoes. But I hear that you have to match them with a brown leather belt and brown watch band and brown hair and they don't go all too well with black pants. So complicated! I was kidding about the brown hair.

I was thinking of some analogy and life application to shoes, but there are too many, so I will just reminisce... and resist the urge to wear sizzling hot colors again. All I will say is that in the walk of life, you need some good shoes to take you places.