Mr & Mrs - About Marriage

We are celebrating our 2-year anniversary at the end of this month. It's then exactly three years since he proposed and two years since the happiest and most perfect day of my life so far, our Wedding day. My husband's proposal was simple and private, yet very meaningful and very beautiful. It happened at midnight on a warm summer night in Finland, in my childhood area, at sea shore. It was completely silent, you could just hear the wind in the willows, nothing else.

Our Wedding day took place on an island in Helsinki, in a beautiful old wooden restaurant with amazing surroundings. I still remember the once in a lifetime feeling of everyone I love being there on my special day. It's a feeling I can't describe. The food was absolutely perfect - the best Finnish food I've ever eaten, my friend sang us the most touching song ever and my husband's family gave us wonderful speaches and a very meaningful gift to me.

The second day after our wedding we read through all the wonderful cards and notes guests had written. It was such a dream. 

Second anniversary is called "Paper Wedding". The first one is cotton, third leather and 60th diamond. This is for a reason - marriage gets stronger year by year. Paper is easily crumbled or even teared, diamonds last wear and tear. I couldn't agree more. Intercultural marriage is not an easy one. Throughout these two years we have gotten to know each other at our best - and at our very worst. I truly appreciate that I can be myself, 100% real, with my husband and he still loves me despite it all. I've always been honest with him, and he always wishes what's best for me. He has been there through fights, tears, days when I'm completely down or very sick. But he is there to share my laughter, my joy and my aspirations.

This is what I wish for everyone, to find someone not having to pretend with. Someone who accepts you for who you are as a person, not for external reasons and not only when you are nice or happy. Someone who cleans the toilet after you have vomited throughout the night when sick. That is unconditional love and it's worth waiting for.

X Ang Moh Chick

Ang Moh Preparing for the CNY

Hello you! And thank you for your patience! :)

It's been an exciting first month at a new job and this week we will also celebrate the Chinese New Year (CNY) for the second time here in Singapore! There are a variety of traditions of how to celebrate it. Last weekend we had a reunion dinner with my husband's relatives, and this weekend (starting from Thursday which is a half-day at most offices), we will start visiting friends' and relatives' houses, giving ang bao (direct translation is 'red packet' - these red envelopes include money (no odd numbers allowed, they bring bad luck) and they are given to the younger ones by married couples). We also give oranges, they go in twos and they symbolize prosperity.

Decorated oranges are a big hit every year and they are available at every wet market or fruit store.

More about the many traditions coming up once I have it all captured in my camera!

This is how we've been preparing for the CNY:

We went to eat in a Western place first :D There will be so many Chinese foods later on ;)

There's a new restaurant near where I live and they cater for allergic people. First time for quite a while we were able to share the dishes :) The chorizo pasta was perfectly cooked and spicy enough and the sauce on the fish, made from egg yolks, was delicious! Just that we could have eaten bigger portions :D haha

My MIL and some of my relatives are buddhists so we showed respect by participating in the traditions. My husband used to do this every time before dinner at his home.

Card games are a huge part of the daily activities during CNY :D

Vegetarian duck rice, sambal sotong mixed with other Chinese food and a bamboo-wrapped fish dish (I can't recall the name). More food and other traditions coming up soon!! Have a great CNY everyone! Gong xi Gong xi!

This is the song that will play for the next two weeks in EVERY (literally every) shopping mall!

X Ang Moh Chick

Christmas Details Ang Moh Style

I hope you have relaxed during the holidays!! :) I sure did! This was my first Christmas without my family in Finland; we spent it with my husband just the two of us. It was different, and of course I missed my family and all the traditions from watching the same tv programs every year to Christmas sauna, waking up to rice porridge (the person who finds an almond hidden in his/hers bowl will be lucky!) and all the amazing food. I actually tried making rice porridge but my husband didn't really like it :p I guess it needs improvement...

We spent most of the afternoon shopping for food (and a few pressies for myself, you know, to cover for the loss of missing all the nice food) :D Then we popped the champagne and prepared dinner. It didn't turn out exactly like the Finnish dinner but at least it filled our stomachs and tasted good!

On the menu we had steak and fries (we were planning on turkey but changed our minds haha), assorted veggies, goat cheese salad with pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and a honey-mustard dressing, bread and of course graved salmon - my favourite! :)

After stuffing ourselves (yes, every bit was finished), we opened the pressies that my mum and dad had sent us all the way from Finland! We were so excited!! :)

Among other things, I got a very cute apron from mum and a streetstyle tee from my dad (the figure on the tee refers to the symbol shown in pedestrian signals in the former GDR.

From husband I got two dresses, one Spartacus style (we are hooked the program :D) and one romantic style. I gave him cufflinks with our names' first letters engraved on them. I at least guess he liked them ;)

Have a Great New Year lovelies!! :)

X Ang Moh Chick

An Indian Wedding

First of all, apologies for such a long silence - I've been crazy busy lately! I attended a wedding of our dear friends this weekend. It was my first Indian wedding ever and I was stunned by all the details, traditions and colors! Unfortunately I don't know all of the details well enough to explain to you all so I'm settling to just showing you a sneak peak of what it all looked like...

The wedding was held in China town in a temple in the evening.

 

The bride looked absolutely stunning. She was even more radiant than all the thousands of jewels all over her body! :) The ceremony was a mixture of signing the official papers and going through all the traditions that are included in an Indian wedding.

 

The temple itself was beautiful, and as in temples, no shoes were allowed. So we were all walking bare foot inside and outside!

The bride's father in traditional clothes.

While waiting for the next ceremony, I took a couple of outfit shots on a piece of grass in the middle of the temple.

 

After signing the papers, the ceremony continued with more traditions in another building.

 

Isn't she just the cutest little girl you have ever seen?? :)

Congratulations Arthy&Chandra!! I hope your marriage lots of love, experiences and many children! ;)


Dress: Vila   Necklace: D&G

X Ang Moh Chick