Are you local (i.e. Singaporean)? That’s a question I get asked once in a long while. I was asked that question again today while shopping in Sephora. I’m not sure whether they ask that question as a routine thing, since tourists get rebates while shopping there, but anyway, the point is that I was asked if I’m a local for yet another time in my life.

Sometimes I ask the person where do they think I’m from in return, and the most common reply I get is “Malaysian”. Which makes me wonder – what are the things that make us Singaporean? What about me does not make me appear like a local? Is it my looks, the way I dress, the way I behave, or…?

I’m not bothered about it, but it’s just one of the things that I’m curious to find out.

First gown fitting at The Aisle last Saturday! I chose them because of the good reviews I read for various sites, and I liked the general feel of the gowns that they had on their website as well.

Basically, this is how the whole process goes:

1. First consultation, where you try on different gowns to see what style/cutting suits you.
2. Confirmation, where you get to try on more gowns and confirm which ones you want for the photoshoot. Would take a longer time that the first consultation, say 3-4 hours?
3. Photoshoot itself. I have a list of dos, don’ts, and things to bring given by the boutique. Pretty standard, but maybe I’ll write that out some other time.
4. Photo selection
5. Layout for wedding album, and collection some time after that.
6. Final fitting

When it comes to choosing wedding boutiques, it’s not just about getting one with good service, but one that has gowns that suit your taste as well, and that is something subjective. I’m glad that I liked a number of the dresses Eddie (the designer) chose for me to try. I have 5 studio outfits, and 3 outfits for the actual day, meaning that I can chose from a minimum of 5 outfits to a maximum of 8 outfits (assuming that I’m not going to use the actual day outfits in the photoshoot). Choices, choices… There are a couple of gowns I’ve tried on that I really like (and have gotten good feedback on as well), but let’s see what comes up during my confirmation next month before I make the decision. I do have my heart set on the very first gown I tried as the one I’ll be wearing for the church wedding though, unless I see something that I love even more the next time round.

I left for school slightly earlier than planned today, as I saw that the sky was getting dark and I wanted to get to the train station before it rained. Alas, a drizzle started when I was only halfway to the train station. I tried to quicken my pace, but the rain was starting to come down hard, and I ended up having to take out my umbrella. Not everyone on the street had their umbrellas with them though, like this Indian lady I saw trying to take shelter under the traffic light, while waiting for it to turn green.

Times like these always remind me of an incident that happened many years back, when I was in secondary school. It was pouring heavily when I reached the bus stop just outside school, and I didn’t have an umbrella with me. The distance between the bus stop and the nearest sheltered area in school was short, but it was unsheltered, and with the rain coming down so hard, I would have been drenched even if I ran in. I stood in front of the school gate, hesitated for a moment, and just as I was about to decide to run in, someone came over with his umbrella and sheltered me in. He wasn’t a student nor a teacher; in fact, he wasn’t even going in to the school. But he saw me standing there, in my school uniform and looking at the rain, and decided to go out of the way to help me out, even though it wasn’t exactly to his convenience. I could only say thanks to him before he left; I never even really saw how he looked like. That was a simple act, and to be honest, not much of a big deal, but I really appreciated the kindness that was shown to me.

That’s why whenever I see someone standing in the rain without an umbrella, I’ll go over and shelter them, even if it’s just for a bit.

I figured that it’s about time that I write it here… apologies to those whom I didn’t manage to tell personally!

Universal Studios Singapore

I finally visited Universal Studios Singapore yesterday with the boyfriend, months after the theme park opened. To be perfectly honest, I’m not a huge fan of theme parks, but I did want to visit the place at least once. I remember hearing about the theme park being really crowded when it first opened, but given that it has been some time since then, and that it was a normal weekday yesterday, there wasn’t too much of a crowd. The longest waiting time for any ride was about 45 minutes; not too bad comparing to how long you have to wait to get on a ride when theme parks get crowded.