I have often heard horrible stories about Mother-In-Law (MIL) from people around me or the stereotypical relationship between Daughter-In-Law and MIL from the reel. Somehow, it never deterred me from moving in to stay with Baby's family after marriage, while waiting for our BTO flat to be ready.
I am really, really blessed to have a MIL who is amicable, easy-going, self-sacrificial and even treats me like her own!
After being married to Baby for 1.5 years, it dawned on me occasionally that we can choose our lifetime partner, the one whom we want to get married to BUT we can never choose our MILs. It comes in a package with our husbands.
Hence, I am fortunate that I can have the best of both worlds! Hearing MIL stories from friends like Joo, Clarie, Sherlyn, Wei Ling, etc made me love and appreciate my MIL even more. At times, we may share stories of married life with one another and I must say I am always proud to "show off" my MIL to them!
In fact, Baby's family tried their very best to accomodate to my style of living and make it a comfortable and cosy home for me.
Ever since I moved in, my MIL has been diligently making breakfast for me every single morning and she tries to make home-cooked dinners that are piping hot so that we are able to enjoy them once we showered after reaching home.
I remembered vivdly once when I told her I had constipation, she started to prepare fruits for me to bring to work so as to aid in my digestion. How sweet and thoughtful of her!
Now that I am expecting our first baby, she took even more delicate care of me, making sure I get sufficient nutrients for Bebe, eating well and being stress-free. After every gynae visit, she will be asking how is Bebe progressing, what did the gynae say, etc. So when she got to know of my depleting red blood cells i.e lack of iron, she finds out from me what are the iron-rich food and piles up on them for each meal!
She is like a super MIL to me! I admire her for taking the effort to make wolfberry & red dates tea for me and not forgetting the yummy kampung chicken soup that takes up to 6 hours of boiling, etc.
When I experienced the lowdowns of not being able to get a job when expecting, she encouraged me and told me to make use of this time to relax first and that to take things slower when it comes to landing a job offer. During that period while I was staying home most of the time, she made sure breakfast, lunch and dinner are easily available to me.
There were times when I feel like I was on the verge of breaking down, probably due to the pregnancy hormones or the helplessness of being a first-time mum. My MIL provided lots of comfort ( I guess she could tell from my perpetual listless moods) in assuring me that everything is going to be fine. She always assured me that there is 没有解决不了的问题, 大问题化成小问题 and 小问题就化成没问题了. I always feel so much better after talking to her because she made me feel that she will be there to help out and solve my problems.
My MIL even dispelled my fear of labour, saying that it was just the contractions that hurt a little but the labour pain is still manageable. She was even prepared to sacrifice her part-time job to take care of her granddaughter full-time once Baby and I have come to an agreement on the arrangement. She knew her freedom will be compromised and will not be able to have a social life compared to now but it does not matter to her at all!
All I can say is that, there is really no nit-picking on this MIL of mine. I know I should not take her for granted and must keep myself in check that I have the most wonderful MIL in the world!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Our Honeymoon to Maldives
It was the perfect destination for our honeymoon, albeit a little too short.
We spent $7K on a 4D4N trip (1 to 5 June) taking a 5-hour flight on SQ to reach Maldives' capital - Male. Well, there was a few unhappiness which happened throughout the honeymoon trip, nonetheless, it did not dampen our spirits much less reduce our love for that amazing country.
This was the ideal honeymoon for Baby since he does not like shopping destinations and a place that did not require much planning, given that we were drained out from all the wedding plannings!
It was not much of a difficult choice at the travel fair where we signed up for the Club Med package that provided all meals onboard, free flow of drinks and alcohol, activities like snorkelling, kayakking, surfing. Plus, of course, our luxurious water bungalow all at the cost of $7K. We saved quite a bit on the shopping too, since we did not plan to do island hop or shop at their mainland.
Our in-flight entertainment!
Baby's first time onboard a SQ flight.
Our sumptuous dinner that complemented with a Magnum ice cream!
I was actually quite unhappy about the fact that a few honeymoon couples on the flight receive a complimentary honeymoon cake and we did not. I was not sure if they signed up the package at the same agency - Konsortium though.
We arrived at Male airport almost close to midnight. Someone from Club Med came to fetch us and brought us to the resort on a 45-min ferry ride.
We were brough to their VIP lounge for a short briefing before proceeding to check into our water bungalow!
Our room was huge! This was the living room when we first entered.
My favourite dreamy, princessy kind of bed!!!!
Our walk-in wardrobe.
I was surprised that they did not decorate the room and/ or bed in a romantic way because I did inform the Club Med staff that we were on a honeymoon when we arrived. In fact, I informed Konsortium first but they told us to convey that to the Club Med people instead, as they would usually arrange something special for the couple.
The round and cosy couch near the bed. Baby was standing at one of the balcony that led out from the living room. The other one was on the right side of this photo, right behind the curtain.
I wish I have this huge bathroom in my house! There were 2 washing basin areas (no need to fight for it!), a cubicle for toilet, another for showering and a bathtub area overlooking the clear blue water!!!!!!
The nice and captivating scenery was just behind those curtains!
Ooh.. the big shower head..
The 2 cubicles that were on side by side.
The friendly Resident Manager who was from Taiwan, Jessie Chao.
This was the area leading to the bathroom.
We had some complimentary items in the room - soft drinks, cup noodles, fruits and even a bottle of champagne!
The beautiful decor above our bed.
This was what greeted us when we woke up. How I wish I will see this every morning! The water in front of our room led right into the ocean and the amaing thing was there was nothing blocking our view!
Maldives' timing was 3 hours behind Singapore's. When we woke up at our usual Singapore timing - 10am - it was only 7am over there! Another fact I love about Maldives is their time zone! It made you feel as if the world slowed down the pace for you so that you would be able to savour every precious romantic moments.
The row of water bungalow on the right side of our room.
This photo was taken from our balcony and there was a shore within metres from us.
This was the prefect place to enjoy the sunrise, sunset, breeze over a cup of tea and a drum of cookies...
Look at the clear blue water. It was hard to believe there was such a beautiful place on Earth!
The complimentary capsule coffee.
This was it! Enjoying the amazing scenery while soaking yourself in the warm water was simply a luxury!!!!
We had a private access to into the water right from our balcony! However, it was mandatory to wear a life jacket.
We explored around and the first place we went to was the VIP lounge, accessible only by guests staying at the water bungalows! This was the only place with free wi-fi, free flow of soft drinks and alcohols and finger food at served at intervals.
My favourite place on the island! It was low tide then so it did not do justice to this photo.
The VIP lounge.
On our way to explore the other side of the island.
This was the place where we had our breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet.
The area near the public beach. I doubt the netting was able to hold the weight of a person though.
The swimming pool that enjoyed the seaview.
The area where you could enjoy drinks and chill out.
\
Look at Baby's alcoholic face!
Never fail to neglect my chocolates even when I was away for my honeymoon at Maldives!
The ribbon we wore on our wrist that would identify us as guests staying in the water bungalow! The passport to VIP lounge!
Us chilling out at the beach on the first morning with few people in sight yet.
Our romantic bed with the curtains drawn up.
Assessing the situation of the currents before we took a dip in the water.
And off we went!
Baby helped me with my life jacket.
It was my turn! YEAH!
It was almost sunset time.
Time to enjoy C&E cookies with a bottle of Coke before our buffet dinner.
Enjoying the sun tan at the balcony.
It was a pity that we did not bring a waterproof casing for the camera. In the ended, we missed taking those beautiful underwater shots.
The wide array of self-help drinks available.
The chilled alcohols and soft drinks in the fridege at the bottom.
The spacious area for guests to enjoy the cooling ambience, away from the balzing sun outside.
But we decided to bask ourselve under the sun, on the netting and cushions! MY FAVOURITE PLACE!
I simply love this feeling - the sun shining above you and yet there was a cooling stream of water flowing below.
Nice photo with the beautiful sunset as background.
We asked for breakfast to be served in our room the next day!
Off we went for our first snorkelling trip!
Waiting in the line to get our snorkelling equipment.
We had to get passed a swimming test of about 200m before we were qualified to go for the snorkelling session!
Taking a moment to enjoy the breeze on the boat.
Getting ready for ths norkelling in the open waters!
Wehn we came back onto the island, we saw water aerobics taking place at the swimming pool.
We took a break and had our drinks and finger food at the bar.
They were getting ready for the dinner buffet!
A surprise for us after we provided our feedback to Jessie that we were on our honeymoon and were disappointed to learn that nothing was prepared for this special occasion. It was not entirely a surprise though because we saw someone doing up the decoration after we came back from the snorkelling.
We went into the water again after our snorkelling but neglected the strong currents. As a result, we were almost washed away by the currents into the ocean! Fortunately, I struggled against the currents and swam to the nearby shore.
It was indeed dangerous when we thought back as nobody would have known if you were really washed out into the ocean!
I recalled seeing a guy whom I believed stayed in one of the wtaer bungalows on our left. The next moment, he was seen on the platform of one of the bungalows on the right! Looked like he might have been overwhelmed by the strong currents when he was out at the waters that he seeked refudge at other's bungalow.
On a separate incident, we also saw one couple who got rescued out of the water by the guards while walking back to our room.
And so, Baby actually came to rescue me. But he underestimated the power of the currents too and was equally forced to move onto the shore like me. We realised that we could never get back into our room even by walking back from the shore as our room key was not with us.
Desperate to get back, he used all those strength that he had to swim against the currents back to the platform so as to unwind the rescue rope. That hilarious moment always stays in my head!
This was the exorbitant helicopter ride that would take you up into the skies and roamed around Maldives for 20 mins, I think. It cost a couple of hundreds per person if I remembered correctly.
In the end, we ditched that helicopter ride for a sunset cruise which might get us a chance to catch dolphins in sight! This was the only expenditure we had on the island and we pay for about $20 odd for each person.
The strong wind got our hair all messed up!
Small bites like peanuts were provided for guests onboard.
Baby looked like Astro Boy! HAHA.
Look at that chubby face!
Trying to be funny acting like Wolverine!
Happily sipping our champagnes..
We got the best seats in the house although there were occasional splashing of the sea water.
I could not believe I snipped off my long, long hair which I had back then...
The cruise ended and it was time to adjourned to our romantic and complimentary dinner arranged by Jessie for Club Med's negligence on our special honeymoon preparation.
In fact, both of us felt a little dizzy after the cruise, perhaps due to the choppy water earlier on. We felt like we were drifting on the water while eating.
The sumputous seafood dinner we had.
The GOs were pretty creative with the towels! So adorable!
We soaked ourselves in the pool first before bathing under the sun.
Baby was getting all red from the sun tanning.
We went on to try the boat surfing!
We joined the rest for a night of games and dancing by the beach that night! Fatigue took over soon after even though it was only 9pm Maldivan time but it was midnight going by our Singaporean biological clock!
If only I could stay here for a week more or call this my home where I could wake up to breath-taking sceneries every day.
I could not bear to leave my favourite place!
This photo was so postcard-perfect! Before I came to Maldives, I was checking out the website and I thought they must have DI-ed those photos to make them enticing for tourists. But I realised it was really this beautiful, nothing fake about them!
The stingray that swam below us.
The cuter version of the stingray!
We bought souvenirs from the shop on the island, courtesy of Konsortium as an apology for upsetting me during our honeymoon!
I took 2 small jars of jam from the breakfast buffet and decided to take back some of those beautiful, soft white sand with me. We were not supposed to do this but did it discreetly!
Resting in the VIP lounge for the last time!
This honeymoon cake was a gift from Club Med to us but there was some miscommunication on the delivery. Hence, we only got it just before checking out.
We took a slice each and shared the rest with other guests in the lounge.
We decided to go for another cruise ride before we leave, hoping to catch the dolphins!
Sealing a kiss right before the beautiful sunset..
The Maldivans are real friendly people! We talked to a couple on our previous cruise and to think they still recognised us! We all had fun with one another and to the extent that they invited us to take over the steering for the cruise in the open sea!
Another friendly GO, Terious! All GOs at Club Med are amicable and fun-loving! They can have the same meal times with the rest of the guests, just that they were required to sit and mingle with different guests each time.
The very first time when we experienced it, we felt weird to have a stranger asking to join us when there were apparently enough seats around. But subsequently, we got to know through the chatting that it was part of their job.
We spent $7K on a 4D4N trip (1 to 5 June) taking a 5-hour flight on SQ to reach Maldives' capital - Male. Well, there was a few unhappiness which happened throughout the honeymoon trip, nonetheless, it did not dampen our spirits much less reduce our love for that amazing country.
This was the ideal honeymoon for Baby since he does not like shopping destinations and a place that did not require much planning, given that we were drained out from all the wedding plannings!
It was not much of a difficult choice at the travel fair where we signed up for the Club Med package that provided all meals onboard, free flow of drinks and alcohol, activities like snorkelling, kayakking, surfing. Plus, of course, our luxurious water bungalow all at the cost of $7K. We saved quite a bit on the shopping too, since we did not plan to do island hop or shop at their mainland.
Our in-flight entertainment!
Baby's first time onboard a SQ flight.
Our sumptuous dinner that complemented with a Magnum ice cream!
I was actually quite unhappy about the fact that a few honeymoon couples on the flight receive a complimentary honeymoon cake and we did not. I was not sure if they signed up the package at the same agency - Konsortium though.
We arrived at Male airport almost close to midnight. Someone from Club Med came to fetch us and brought us to the resort on a 45-min ferry ride.
We were brough to their VIP lounge for a short briefing before proceeding to check into our water bungalow!
Our room was huge! This was the living room when we first entered.
My favourite dreamy, princessy kind of bed!!!!
Our walk-in wardrobe.
I was surprised that they did not decorate the room and/ or bed in a romantic way because I did inform the Club Med staff that we were on a honeymoon when we arrived. In fact, I informed Konsortium first but they told us to convey that to the Club Med people instead, as they would usually arrange something special for the couple.
The round and cosy couch near the bed. Baby was standing at one of the balcony that led out from the living room. The other one was on the right side of this photo, right behind the curtain.
I wish I have this huge bathroom in my house! There were 2 washing basin areas (no need to fight for it!), a cubicle for toilet, another for showering and a bathtub area overlooking the clear blue water!!!!!!
The nice and captivating scenery was just behind those curtains!
Ooh.. the big shower head..
The 2 cubicles that were on side by side.
The friendly Resident Manager who was from Taiwan, Jessie Chao.
This was the area leading to the bathroom.
We had some complimentary items in the room - soft drinks, cup noodles, fruits and even a bottle of champagne!
The beautiful decor above our bed.
This was what greeted us when we woke up. How I wish I will see this every morning! The water in front of our room led right into the ocean and the amaing thing was there was nothing blocking our view!
Maldives' timing was 3 hours behind Singapore's. When we woke up at our usual Singapore timing - 10am - it was only 7am over there! Another fact I love about Maldives is their time zone! It made you feel as if the world slowed down the pace for you so that you would be able to savour every precious romantic moments.
The row of water bungalow on the right side of our room.
This photo was taken from our balcony and there was a shore within metres from us.
This was the prefect place to enjoy the sunrise, sunset, breeze over a cup of tea and a drum of cookies...
Look at the clear blue water. It was hard to believe there was such a beautiful place on Earth!
The complimentary capsule coffee.
This was it! Enjoying the amazing scenery while soaking yourself in the warm water was simply a luxury!!!!
We had a private access to into the water right from our balcony! However, it was mandatory to wear a life jacket.
We explored around and the first place we went to was the VIP lounge, accessible only by guests staying at the water bungalows! This was the only place with free wi-fi, free flow of soft drinks and alcohols and finger food at served at intervals.
My favourite place on the island! It was low tide then so it did not do justice to this photo.
The VIP lounge.
On our way to explore the other side of the island.
This was the place where we had our breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet.
The area near the public beach. I doubt the netting was able to hold the weight of a person though.
The swimming pool that enjoyed the seaview.
The area where you could enjoy drinks and chill out.
\
Our first order of the drink!
Look at Baby's alcoholic face!
Never fail to neglect my chocolates even when I was away for my honeymoon at Maldives!
The ribbon we wore on our wrist that would identify us as guests staying in the water bungalow! The passport to VIP lounge!
Baby soaking his feet in the water.
Us chilling out at the beach on the first morning with few people in sight yet.
Our romantic bed with the curtains drawn up.
The outside of our water bungalow.
Assessing the situation of the currents before we took a dip in the water.
And off we went!
Taking a rest at the nearby shore when he saw a stingray swimming past. We were warned to take caution as little sharks and stingrays could be spotted swimming near us.
Baby helped me with my life jacket.
It was almost sunset time.
Time to enjoy C&E cookies with a bottle of Coke before our buffet dinner.
Enjoying the sun tan at the balcony.
It was a pity that we did not bring a waterproof casing for the camera. In the ended, we missed taking those beautiful underwater shots.
The wide array of self-help drinks available.
The chilled alcohols and soft drinks in the fridege at the bottom.
The spacious area for guests to enjoy the cooling ambience, away from the balzing sun outside.
But we decided to bask ourselve under the sun, on the netting and cushions! MY FAVOURITE PLACE!
I simply love this feeling - the sun shining above you and yet there was a cooling stream of water flowing below.
Nice photo with the beautiful sunset as background.
We asked for breakfast to be served in our room the next day!
Off we went for our first snorkelling trip!
Waiting in the line to get our snorkelling equipment.
We had to get passed a swimming test of about 200m before we were qualified to go for the snorkelling session!
Taking a moment to enjoy the breeze on the boat.
Getting ready for ths norkelling in the open waters!
After our tiring snorkelling.. we had to wear flippers and were not really used to it. Plus, the water was choppy and it was hard for us to catch up with the others who were ahead of us. I remembered Baby even swallowed a few mouthfuls of sea water while trying to put on his mask in the water!
Wehn we came back onto the island, we saw water aerobics taking place at the swimming pool.
We took a break and had our drinks and finger food at the bar.
They were getting ready for the dinner buffet!
A surprise for us after we provided our feedback to Jessie that we were on our honeymoon and were disappointed to learn that nothing was prepared for this special occasion. It was not entirely a surprise though because we saw someone doing up the decoration after we came back from the snorkelling.
Nonetheless, we appreciated their effort!
We went into the water again after our snorkelling but neglected the strong currents. As a result, we were almost washed away by the currents into the ocean! Fortunately, I struggled against the currents and swam to the nearby shore.
It was indeed dangerous when we thought back as nobody would have known if you were really washed out into the ocean!
I recalled seeing a guy whom I believed stayed in one of the wtaer bungalows on our left. The next moment, he was seen on the platform of one of the bungalows on the right! Looked like he might have been overwhelmed by the strong currents when he was out at the waters that he seeked refudge at other's bungalow.
On a separate incident, we also saw one couple who got rescued out of the water by the guards while walking back to our room.
And so, Baby actually came to rescue me. But he underestimated the power of the currents too and was equally forced to move onto the shore like me. We realised that we could never get back into our room even by walking back from the shore as our room key was not with us.
Desperate to get back, he used all those strength that he had to swim against the currents back to the platform so as to unwind the rescue rope. That hilarious moment always stays in my head!
This was the exorbitant helicopter ride that would take you up into the skies and roamed around Maldives for 20 mins, I think. It cost a couple of hundreds per person if I remembered correctly.
In the end, we ditched that helicopter ride for a sunset cruise which might get us a chance to catch dolphins in sight! This was the only expenditure we had on the island and we pay for about $20 odd for each person.
It was a rather gloomy evening, hence we missed the beautiful sunset and dolphins. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful experience with complimentary champagne to enjoy!
The strong wind got our hair all messed up!
Small bites like peanuts were provided for guests onboard.
Baby looked like Astro Boy! HAHA.
Look at that chubby face!
Trying to be funny acting like Wolverine!
Happily sipping our champagnes..
We got the best seats in the house although there were occasional splashing of the sea water.
I could not believe I snipped off my long, long hair which I had back then...
The cruise ended and it was time to adjourned to our romantic and complimentary dinner arranged by Jessie for Club Med's negligence on our special honeymoon preparation.
In fact, both of us felt a little dizzy after the cruise, perhaps due to the choppy water earlier on. We felt like we were drifting on the water while eating.
The sumputous seafood dinner we had.
The GOs were pretty creative with the towels! So adorable!
We soaked ourselves in the pool first before bathing under the sun.
Baby was getting all red from the sun tanning.
We went on to try the boat surfing!
We went off for our second round of snorkelling!
The other boat of snorkellers...
And, back to our room for bathtub soaking while enjoying the scenery outside.
Another evening of beautiful sunset...
Displaying our Singaporean style in Maldives! Haha!
Our finger food at the VIP lounge..
This was Jessie, the friendly GO.
The night was made complete with the warm, beautiful singing.
Lazing on the net while enjoying the music, to the extent that Baby fell alsleep and was snoring in public!!
We joined the rest for a night of games and dancing by the beach that night! Fatigue took over soon after even though it was only 9pm Maldivan time but it was midnight going by our Singaporean biological clock!
Our last day in Maldives, Club Med...
If only I could stay here for a week more or call this my home where I could wake up to breath-taking sceneries every day.
Our water bungalow from the front view.
I could not bear to leave my favourite place!
This photo was so postcard-perfect! Before I came to Maldives, I was checking out the website and I thought they must have DI-ed those photos to make them enticing for tourists. But I realised it was really this beautiful, nothing fake about them!
The stingray that swam below us.
The cuter version of the stingray!
We bought souvenirs from the shop on the island, courtesy of Konsortium as an apology for upsetting me during our honeymoon!
I took 2 small jars of jam from the breakfast buffet and decided to take back some of those beautiful, soft white sand with me. We were not supposed to do this but did it discreetly!
Resting in the VIP lounge for the last time!
This honeymoon cake was a gift from Club Med to us but there was some miscommunication on the delivery. Hence, we only got it just before checking out.
We took a slice each and shared the rest with other guests in the lounge.
We decided to go for another cruise ride before we leave, hoping to catch the dolphins!
Sealing a kiss right before the beautiful sunset..
The Maldivans are real friendly people! We talked to a couple on our previous cruise and to think they still recognised us! We all had fun with one another and to the extent that they invited us to take over the steering for the cruise in the open sea!
The friendly Maldivan!
Another friendly GO, Terious! All GOs at Club Med are amicable and fun-loving! They can have the same meal times with the rest of the guests, just that they were required to sit and mingle with different guests each time.
The very first time when we experienced it, we felt weird to have a stranger asking to join us when there were apparently enough seats around. But subsequently, we got to know through the chatting that it was part of their job.
The hilarious Uzam who said he looked like a model in this photo!
We took the night flight back to Singapore on that very day and it was with a heavy heart that we left Maldives, especially for Baby, who could not bear to take off his orange wrist ribbon even when we were back in Singapore!
It was indeed a wonderful and memorable honeymoon for us and this was definitely not going to be the last time we were there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)