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singasonglee
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Name: Christine
Location: Taipei
Birthday: 10/3/1978
Gender: Female
Interests: Traveling, eating, laughing, movies, books, restaurants, lounges, bars, cities, everything beautiful, crying
Expertise: Daydreaming
Occupation: Business Development
Industry: Travel & Leisure
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
2/21/2005
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There was a time when the bird knew to sing, knew to soar, with its heart
and with its wings. The sky was the limit. There was no fear. “One day I will
be there.” “One day I will find it.” Courageously and passionately, the bird marched
on in search of It and waiting for One Day. Then quietly and surreptitiously, One
Day arrived. The bird did not reach There. It did not find It. The bird looks
around and counts what it has. Not much more than when it first set out. But now
it knows fear, now it is sad. Its heart no longer soars; its wings have atrophied.
It is restless and dejected. It wallows in sorrow…..
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| It has been brought to my attention by several (or, two) faithful
readers that I have been MIA for quite a while. In response to the
overwhelming enthusiasm, I hereby revive my blogging habit with an
account of my sister's recent wedding.
Yes, Julie - my dearest sister and very best friend - got hitched!
The lucky man is Ed, her fiance of two years and soul mate of three.
They had two ceremonies, in Bali and Taipei, respectively. Below is a
quick recap of the Bali one. It was a truly beautiful event and I
believe I am not alone when I say it was one of life's most memorable
experiences. (Please note that this account will be presented in several installments to be uploaded in the next few days)
Event: Julie & Ed's Destination Wedding
Date: June 16th, 2007
Venue: Villa Istana, Bali, Indonesia
Number of Guests: 62
Guests visiting from: Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta, Hanoi, New York, San Franciso, Atlanta, Brussels
Synopsis: The
immediate families of the bride and groom flew to Bali from Taipei on
June 14th. They got a taste of the beautiful island of Bali on the
evening of June 14th and morning of June 15th. Rehearsal took place on
the afternoon of June 15th, followed by dinner and drinks, courtesy of
the bride and groom. The actual wedding, chronicled in part below, took
place on June 16th. The families flew back to Taipei on June 17th to
prepare for the Taipei reception taking place the following day.
The Most Beautiful Wedding
I. The Tears - Ceremony
I
started tearing just as the ceremony was about to begin. I may have
been cursed by Vivian, one of the bridesmaids, who jokingly, and
unfortunately accurately, called me "Ms. Waterworks" since five minutes
later, tears began streaming down my cheeks and continued to do so
uncontrollably throughout the ceremony.
When my sister walked down the aisle, I made the
well-intended but wrongful decision of looking at Ed. I wanted to see
how he felt as he watched her - the love of his life - embark on their
lifelong journey together. If he had been just nervous or shaky (or any
other emotion typically ascribed to grooms at the altar) I would have
turned back around to look at my sister. Instead, he smiled a big smile
and that was what had me. He smiled as if to say, "So far so good, huh?"
Or, "We're really doing this. All set?" It was cordial and supportive;
a very friendly smile. It reminded me of the romantic that he was and
the honesty they shared, and thus the "Ms. Waterworks" prophecy came
true. I started crying.
When she began her vow with, "My dearest Ed, my true love, my
best friend," I cried. When they served tea to the parents, I cried.
When they lit the candles, I cried. When the priest mentioned my
father, I cried. Julie cried. The audience cried. It was a simple
ceremony and it was beautiful. It was a simple
ceremony and it went
straight to the heart, and the only way the heart knew how to respond was to
make tears. (to be continued...)
Julie & Ed get married against the Uluwatu sunset
The tears, the tears
More tears
Tea ceremony - symbol of gratitude to the parents
Lighting the candles - continuation of life
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| I've been terrible with blogging lately. I'm blaming it on my job. Anyway, Ed King asked for this site and I thought I'd "drop by." Hope all's doing well. I will update.. soon.
Btw, Ed, thanks for organizing dinner last night. And thanks again for the martini.
Later, guys!
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| It's Friday! So glad the weekend is here. To friends in my life: thanks for much for being my friends. I don't know how else I'd get through the week! | | |
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San
Sebastian, November 10-13, 2006
After London, I flew out to Madrid, Spain
and met up with Pedro, the best guide one could have for that country. Before I go on, I have to proclaim: I LOVE SPAIN!
It is beautiful and so much fun!!! And the people, the people! They're so fun.
Is it fair to say it's basically a nation of people who live to play? Anyways,
all Europeans have it good. The Brits say they work really hard. The Spanish
say they work really hard, too. They would be in for a shock if they
ever worked in Asia.
K, so I met with Pedro in Madrid and we drove
to his hometown, San Sebastian,
which is a seaside town up north by the French borders. This is supposedly
where Spanish tapas came from and it boasts the highest density of Michelin
restaurants among European cities. See pictures:
San Sebastian
Old Town.
I find it incredible that someone actually grew up here.
I mean, don't you only visit places that look like this or find them
at theme parks?
Otaegui Pastry Shop
This is a famous bakery in San
Sebastian. It was
founded by Pedro's great-grandparents! So the
name is actually his last name, too. (Note to Mon:
actually, I think a 40-year-old beef noodle
shop would be just as cool!)
The Spanish love to eat. And they eat at unusual hours. Around 3 or
4 p.m. people come into these bar to snack on pinxtos, or the local
variation of Tapas. Note the ham. There is "jamon" everywhere. The
good ones can be soooooooooooooooo tasty. I wish I got some for
my mom.....
Eating out on on Saturday night.
People in San Sebastian
"bar hop" for pinxtos. You would grab a few
snacks here, have a drink, and go on to the next bar for more of the
same. Fun!
People just stand around and chat while they eat. It's very casual.
With my local friends
The bay
This was my second time in Spain
and I enjoyed it as much as the first.
It's got good food, lots of nightlife... what more does a girl need? See
you again soon, Spain!
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