It Takes Balls To Play

I need to get this thought out of my mind. I need to store it elsewhere, like in a pensieve, so that my own head does not explode. I seriously think that some men at work should have their damned b***s cut off! Pardon my French!! Whether you like or not, you are in the E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N line and thus, part of your job includes disciplining your pupils. HeLLo! Without it, I simply do not think any form of teaching or learning can take place.

What values are you imparting when some people are talking in front and your own pupil right under your nose is busy chatting away, and you simply don't do anything about it? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were so engrossed in the feeling one gets when one massages one's b***s!! As a teacher, you should jolly well tell the bugger to shut up! Seriously!

And what is worse are those men, who simply sit back and do not bother lending their weight to maintaining the discipline yet jump up and start shoving their weight around the moment they see the No 1 coming their way!!

I hate such people. What I get from these people is just that they are in teaching not for the betterment of the kids but to get some fancy schmancy post and get more pay. I'm disgusted. How some people pass through the sift and becomes teachers is simply beyond me.

So, men, come on, show us you have balls!

To The Hospital I Go... Again!

I went visiting at the hospital...... again. This time not for Mak, but for my baby brother. Well, not so baby lah... dah besar panjang pun. Heh.

That's him, with his freshly operated on knee and his newly engaged fiancee. She happens to be a nurse working at SGH. Then, in the background, you can see yours truly very artistically working her way into the picture. Hehe...

Anyway, went to pick him up today. I thought the black thing on his right leg looks quite cool. Hopefully, that thing and the crutches he has now somewhat permanently stuck under his armpits would make him stay home more. He's 29, but sometimes, he behaves like a little boy who's all of 8! I guess that's the "occupational hazard" of being the only son, and now the only man in the family. I love him I really do, but sometimes, I do feel like wringing his neck!

Well, baby brother, do stay home and behave yourself and try to not give Mak too much of a headache.....

Thank You ( II )

32, I am. Today.

Was asked how I felt about that. Obviously I feel a little bit old. But that's it lah..Heheh... I don't feel much different than I did last year. I feel happy and very loved though... Heh.

It all started on the 10th when MBB and I had a major arguement. Both also very the stubborn, both also refuse to give in so I had to wait like fruit no fall lah for him to say sorry. I got home late that night so the cold war went on. The next morning I went to do my hair with Gingerena. After that, we were supposed to meet up for dinner. 5pm, Borders. So I relented and showed up. When I got there, he was nowhere to be found! Of course yours truly, the blood started to boil. Then my phone rang. He said to come over to Royal Plaza. He wanted to have dinner at Cafe Vienna.

Hmmm.... a peace offering?

So I went over. He said he needed the bathroom. But instead of going to the restrooms, he took me upstairs! He had checked us into a room!

That's us in our room. At that point, all my anger and boiling blood all just melted away. We made up and out. *wink*. We then had a nice dinner and shopped. How easy it is to buy my over.Sigh.... Anyhow,I was in town, shopping, on a Saturday night. It was a long long time since we last did that. I did feel a little old and out of place. Every other person there was younger and hippier than I was. BUT, I was happy. I had many packages hanging on my arm...heheh.... at about 11 we returned to our room for......

I had thought that last night would have been the end of my celebrations. The next morning, I received this...

I was happily surprised. Again. I felt so loved at that point. Then I thought, how am I going to outdo if not match this birthday surprise. But MBB has made this year's birthday a wonderful one.

Thank You Ayang for making my special day a wonderful day for me. I truly enjoyed myself. We do need a break don't we? Anyhow, I do love you and once again, Thank You!!

Thank You ( I )

I had a very,very happy childhood. I have very, very fond memories of it too. One of those memories is about my birthday celebrations. Or the lack of it. It was when I was 7 I think. I remember, or maybe because I have photos of it, that day somewhat vividly. I was in a red, very curtain -like dress. There were lots of food. There was a huge cake. There were also lots of people I hardly knew. Then there were the presents... that was the best part.

After that, I don't remember having anymore such celebrations. All through primary school, nothing. When I was in secondary school, birthdays were just excuses to throw flour and eggs as part of a lame effort to sabo the person celebrating the birthdays. After that birthdays were just excuses to get presents from anyone you can wrangle a present out of.

When I met MBB, we agreed that birthdays were going to special days we celebrate with ourselves. That's another story by the way.

So yesterday, when we went over to JL's place to check out his crib, I was pleasantly surprised when JB popped over with his 3 heroes, with a cake in hand! So we had a cake with a candle which yours truly kept blowing out, much to the chagrin of RY. It was good fun. RY and SS will celebrate their birthdays on the 11th and I will celebrate mine on the 12th. So courtesy of the whole gang, we got to celebrate it together. It was good cake, great company and wonderful conversations. Good times.I think, that was the closest I ever got to a birthday party. Heh.

Thanx guys, for making my 32nd birthday a really really happy one.

This Little Piggy Went To Prada

I finally found it! This is the book which title and author I did not know. This is the book that I sent a Borders salesperson on a wild goose chase while searching for it. Why I'm dying to get this book?

"Spy Publishing presents twenty-one revamped, tongue-in-cheek, name dropping nursery rhymes, all wrapped up in a luxurious, linen-bound cover. With its super-chic look and beautiful illustrations, This Little Piggy went to Prada is the must-have gift for new mums. It’s politically incorrect, utterly frivolous and lots of fun. If the Sex and the City girls or Desperate Housewives had a baby shower, it would be top of the gift list."

My kind of book.

So, go on... Check it out! www.thislittlepiggywenttoprada.com

Another Resolution?

Got this from Gingerena. Laughed till Milo nearly came out from my nose. Heh

In the year 2006 I resolve to: Become one with my inner sociopath. Get your resolution here

The Domestic Goddess II

I coughed last night away. Between body shattering coughs and shoving a finger down my throat to get the phlem out, I barely slept a wink. Today, I thought I'd go see the doc and get some medictaion for this irritating cough that refuses to go away. Mak calls it the batuk anjing. Any reference to the year I wonder.Heh.

But I got distracted with a sudden craving for lemak daun ubi. So I cancelled the trip to the doc's and raided the fridge. Well whaddyaknow... I have all the ingredients, except for the ikan bilis. Then I remembered buying the daun ubi a few days ago at Giant. The vegetable was in a bin labelled Malay Vegetables. How cute.

So I had to get ikan bilis. We went to Tampines. No, not to get ikan bilis but MBB had wanted to get his laptop from the office. So, armed with a packet of kiddies' composition, MBB went to the office while I waited for him at the Starbucks there. It was raining and cold out while I was warm indoors with a hot cuppa in my hand. This was life, I thought, minus the compo.. heh.

When he was ready, we went to Sengkang for lunch and then bought ikan bilis. When we got home, I threw off my jeans and top and threw on my domestic robes. Heh. The Domestic Goddess was in the house! So I did all that I remember Mak teaching me ( yelling at me would be more apt ) and served these to MBB.

From top, clockwise direction: My Lemak Daun Ubi, Oyster Sauce Chicken, Outside Crispy Eggy but Soft and Yummy Inside begedil and the shiokest complement to LDU, Salted Egg. Yes lah, I made the begedil myself. Goddess or what right? The chicken looks a bit chao tar but that because the oyster sauce has caramelised.... heh. MBB likes the chicken a little bit well done and my sole purpose is to serve him.... hmm? heh. But MBB did enjoy his dinner. Not very often this Domestic Goddess exposes her talents you know.

How I guessed he enjoyed his dinner? See lah....

See how smiley MBB was as he drowned his rice with the kuah from the LDU?

And look at his begedil. I made an extra large one just for him.

Yummm....... Super Shiok..... Lemme kiss the cook!!

I was very pleased with myself. Obviously. Heh. I made a resolution after dinner. I can and will cook from now on. Everyday. Everyday? No lah.... Goals must be achievable right? We'll start with the weekends.

So what gastronomical delights shall this Domestic Goddes whip up next week? But this domestic goddess got rebonding appointment on Saturday... Is this a sign of a failing resolution? Will the Domestic Goddess never show herself again? Stay tuned, next week for the Misadventures of the Domestic Goddess.....

Dance With My Father

Today is my dad's 17th death anniversary.

Funny calling it death anniversary isn't it? Well, it has been 17 eventful years without him. Terribly missing him, I am. Incredibly lost without him, I am too.

I have always been daddy's girl. Whatever fancies me, all I had to do was open my mouth, and I'd get it. How lucky I was. I have very fond and warm memories of him. Growing up, he played a major part in shaping who I am today. He was my best friend, my guiding light, my confidante, my worse nightmare too, whenever I crossed the line. He was never cross, never punitive but when there was the need to, he had no issues whipping out the belt and introducing the leather to my skin. He showed me things, taught me a lot and adviced me loads.

The saddest thing is that I never had the opportunity to return the favours. I had dreamed of taking him on holidays to faraway places. Dreamed of driving him around in my car as he did with me and the rest of the family. Dreamed of having my photo taken with him with the mortar board and my scroll. Dreamed of having him by myside at my wedding. Dreamed of having him Bang into my baby's ear when I gave birth. Dreamed of taking long walks with him on the weekends.

All I can do now, is pray for him. Recite the Al-Fateha for him. Pray that he is with those of faith. Pray that God forgives all his sins. I love you Bak. And I miss you. We will meet again. One day, I'm sure.

This one's for you.

Back when I was a child

Before life removed all the innocence

My father would lift me high

And dance with my mother and me and then

Spin me around till I fell asleep

Then up the stairs he would carry me

And I knew for sure I was loved

If I could get another chance

Another walk, another dance with him,

I'd play a song that would never ever end

How I'd love love love,

to dance with my father again

When I and my mother would disagree

To get my way I would run from her to him

He'd make me laugh just to comfort me

Then finally make me do just what my momma said

Later that night, when I was asleep

He left a dollar under my sheet

Never dreamed that he would be gone from me

If I could steal

One final glance

One final step

One final dance with him

I'd play a song that would never ever end

Cause I'd love love love

to dance with my father again

Sometimes I'd listen outside her door

I'd hear how my mother cried for him

I'd pray for her even more than me

I know I'm praying for much too much

But could you send back the only man she loved

I know you don't do it usually

But dear Lord she' s dying to dance with my father again

Every night I fall asleep

And this is all I ever dream

Prosperity GEMS

I ordered Pizza Hut's Prosperity Pizza for dinner today. When I called, the lady who took my order said that the order will take about 1 hour to reach me. Sure, no problems, or so I thought. When my order came, there was nothing prosperous about the pizza what so ever! The tomato dips that was supposed to accompany my breadstix weren't even there. The slices of pizza which were touted to be 'covered with succulent barbequed chicken meat and generously sprinkled with chicken floss' were not covered with any meat and the floss was only enough to clean my teeth. It was pathetic.

So I called the call centre to let them know what kind of pizza was delivered to me after an hour of waiting. Firstly, there was no apology. Not that I was not even angry. In fact I was very nice to them. I told them that I was not looking to get another pizza. I just wanted to let them know that this was the kind of pizza they were dishing out and that it should not be this way.

So they promised me that the supervisor of the Lot 1 outlet, that made the pizza would call me to apologise. That call NEVER came. So they promised to deliver the tomato dip that they missed. That dip NEVER came.

and they are encouraging us consumers to say thank you and please and appreciate good service! WHAT SERVICE??!! I was so indignant when I saw the ad for our latest campaign GEMS - Go The Extra Mile for Service.... Why are they targeting the consumers when the clearly the problem lies with the service providers??

To me, being in the service industry, you actually have to like serving people. You actually have to enjoy being around people. You actually have to be proud of what you are doing. Unfortunately, in Singapore. for every 1 wonderful sale person, you get 10 lousy everything-is-there-you-are-not-ang-moh-why-should-I-serve-you kind of sales person.

How many times have you and I been ignored by sales people? How many times have we been irritated by incompetent waiters? How many times have we encountered want-to-kena-whack cabbies? How many times have we saidthank you at the check out and responded to with grunts?

So again, why is the campaign targeted at the consumers?

What about you? Any horror stories to share?

Liberation

Yesterday, I raised my voice at Lupy. A first. Yesterday, I made Lupy cry. Also another first. Yesterday, I told Lupy some things that makes me very angry. Yet another first.

Then I felt lousy for making her cry. So I apologised. " Lupy... Sorry I shouted at you..." But I DO NOT apologise for what I said. Although in retrospect, the issue that made me lose my cool has definitly been sidelined as now, all that is remembered is that Zak shouted at Lupy. That sucks!

I'm not one to shout at those older than I. I give them the respect simply because they are old but when their stupidity causes me grief, I just have to say something. And I have to say it LOUD. That's how I cope.

Lupy, I made you cry. Sure I did. But the apology was instantaneous. What about all the times YOU made me cry? What about all the times you hurt my feelings with your callousness and your stupidity? What about all the times that I was livid because you, Lupy are so ignorant?

You said that I am difficult to work with. Really? So for the past 10 years, who was it that did your work? I know you were estatic when a holy, young man came into our department. I know that you had hoped he would be the one to lead us. But even after it was shown over and over again that he can't, you still had high hopes and aspirations for him. That, Lupy, made me very, very sad. In fact, it made me cry. All the things I have done for you, you tak pandang sebelah mata pun.

Never mind lah. What goes around comes around.

.............................................................................

Right this very moment, MBB is at MIL's place. SANS ME. What do you know? Another First! When we got married, we had this discussion where an agreement was reached. We will always visit MIL together.Why we decided this completely escapes me now. But today he's there and I'm not. I know he was secretly hoping that I'd joined him there but I wanted to sleep in late today and after yesterday's Lupy debacle, I was really not too keen about hanging around old people.

Sigh.

On a happier note, this evening i will be going for a reunion dinner. I can't wait! Gastranomical delights, great company, interseting conversations, being with MBB.... Bliss.

To all my friends, have a long, restful weekend. To all my new year celebrating friends, GONG XI, GONG XI.

I Am Sick Too

Right now I'm resting at home, being on sick leave and all. MBB is on sick leave too, after blaming yours truly for infecting him with the flu bug. I'm in the study, MBB's in the bedroom. The bedroom that I have just finished straightening out and vaccummed by the way.

We're both sulking. Both not wanting to give in and say sorry. Both cleaning out our boxing gloves preparing to step into that ringed square. Both ready to rumble! Bring it on! Both behaving like children. But don't care lah!

I'm angry at you. I'm sick too am I not? You tell me I need to tell you so that you know exactly what you need to do. So after I tell you, why still never do? I'm not going to air my dirty laundry here. But whatever happened to shared responsibility? Whatever happened to doing it together? I know I seem to be able to cope on my own, but if you help me do, I can finish the task faster and we can rest together sooner. I AM SICK TOO!

And stop blaming me for everything the cat does. Neither she nor I can help where she pukes, I can't expect her to run to the bathroom when she wants to regurgitate her food and hairballs. She's NOT HUMAN! Even some human vomit everywhere but in the bathroom. Neither she nor I can decide where she wants to lie. Unless you cage her up. When you do, I'll report you for animal abuse. So stop blaming me. You might say you are not, but please lah, I hear it in your voice!

I am sick too. Be nice and stop biting my head off.

A Broken Resolution

Today I went to the Doc's. Remember that glob of mucous that has taken up residence at the back of my throat? Well, it's country and town cousins have set up home in my bronchioles and inflammed it. Thanx a million!

My nose, while very indecisive yesterday, today has decided that it was going to be stuffy. I ache all over. My head throbs and my upper lip is numb and cracked from all that nose blowing. Sigh... After my visit, I got yuckky anti biotics to be taken 4 times daily. I hate that.

I was given 2 days of sick leave.With that, one of my 2006 resolution has been broken. I had resolved to not take any mc this year.

Back to the drawing board....

What Being Born in February Means...

Your Birth Month is February

Peaceful and harmonious, you seek the gentle side of life. Your warmth and consideration touches many. Your soul reflects: Purity, modesty, and faithfulness Your gemstone: Amethyst Your flower: Iris Your colors: Purple, yellow, and light blue

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

The Plus Side of Plus

The plus point of being plus sized is that no one realises that you can ever be sad. How on earth can that rotund, jolly person be, God Forbid!, upset? Simply by nature of size, the expectation is that he's a jolly good fellow.... they even wrote a song about that.

But I am upset.

In fact I have not been able to shake off this depression. The reason? A sinking feeling that I will never have children. I have been given loads of advice on this subject matter. From losing weight to IVF to a makcik telling me that i'm doing it wrong..... After consulting with an ob-gyn, both MBB and I have been certified as normal.... So after 2 miscarriages, i wrote it off to health issues. But it has been a year and a half since the last miscarriage and i have yet to receive any good news from my tum tum......

At this point in time, I'm at a crossroad. I cannot decide if I just want to let it go and let time and fate decide if I'll ever have my bundle of joy or if I should be more aggresive in getting that bundle. I really do not know.

I went shopping last a few weeks back to get a baby gift for my cousin whose bundle will ETA on the 11th of February. While I was happy for them, only God knows how sad I was in my heart.

So lost, I am.

Under the Weather

I''m sick.

My nose cannot decide if it wants to run or get stuck. My throat is super scratchy. My fever runs up and down. It feels like a big glob of phlegm has taken up residence at the back of my throat and threatens to overthrow the control that the central nervous system has over my body.

I don't know what brought this on. Stress, long hours in school, my house that seems to be in a perpetual mess, my work that does not seem to end.... so many variables. I think i just need rest. Lots of it. I miss the hols. I miss staying at home and waking up late. When will the next break be?

I leave home before the sun rises and return home after the sun has set. But I'm in the AM session. I should be able to go home much earlier. The thing is, when you start marking after school ends, you tend to lose track of time. On top of that, there's much to do anyway. I miss my home.

Friday night I had dinner with friends. At NYDC. In town. That was the first time in a long, long while that I went to town. On a friday night no less. Great food, great company and juicy conversations made for a wonderful evening. It was a good dinner and my close proximity to Marks and Spencer made it all tooo exciting.

I miss the times when such dinners were more frequent occurences. But now, given the new year, new positions, new circumstances, I know such to-dos will be few and far in between. It sickens me though that the reason is so that people would not perceive us as giving and receiving preferential treatments. Why do people do that? Don't they realise that we are all adults who are able to behave professionally, most times? But I guess people do and that's just the way it is.

No matter what, tomorrow's the beginning of another week. Something happened on Friday. It saddens me how indifferent some people can be. It saddens me how nonchalant some people can be. I'm not sad lah. I'm livid! Some people are lucky I'm not the one who will be yelling at them.

When your head feels like exploding....

Sometimes I am a pushover . Like today, when a certain someone, let's call her.... Lupy, asked me to help her, ( read: DO IT FOR HER ) I thought, what the heck lah, might as well, if not Lupy will not stop bothering me. Never mind that I had mountains of marking. Never mind that I was in the middle of churning out the do-while-you-teach-the-unit worksheets. Never mind that Lupy had already finished her work. Never mind that it was ACTUALLY Lupy's responsibilty. I still did it anyway.

So I started. Lupy offered to sit with me and 'do it together'. Awww....how thoughtful? Bullshit!!! Lupy sat, while I tried to complete this task. It started out quite alright. I managed to figure out what it was that needed to be done and how the grid that I was to complete actually works. Then came the confusion. There were questions that needed answers. There were terms that needed explanations. There were issues that needed clarifying.

The more I asked, the more confused I became. Lupy did not seem to know anything. Lupy did not know how the grid works. Lupy did not know what the terms meant. Lupy just did not know!

There is a certain limit to the amount of stupidity I can take from one person in a lifetime and for Lupy, I've increased this limit by at least a 100 times.

But today, today I nearly lost it. I simply just could not get anything out of her. Today, Lupy, to me, was useless. Lupy could not tell me how much certain things cost, Lupy did not seem to have the paperwork from which she can refer to and provide me with the answers I so desperately needed. She could not decide what she needed to focus on so that her department would not screw up yet again. SHE COULD NOT.

The more lupy's mouth opened and yapped, the more my head throbbed. My shoulders and neck ached, breathing was difficult, I felt like crying and what was worse I felt like I wanted to punch her in the face.

Then I lost it. A bit.

With a slightly raised voice, I asked her how I was to complete my tasks for this department when I have a colleague who incessantly complains that her load is too heavy, another who thinks so damned bloody highly of himself but yet has done nothing for a major event that will be happening in a month's time ( who happens to be Lupy's fav ) yet another who is in hot soup as it is. Tya is leaving, which means I only have Zorro left to depend on. HOW TO COPE??


The response? SILENCE.

Reprieve came soon after when Lupy's offspring called to say he has arrived and in true Lupy style, she simply packed her bags, and said BYYEEEEEE..... I GO HOME FIRST.........

Sigh.

Lupy, I don't hate you, I really don't, but I want you to realise that you are incapable of leading. I want you to know that I know you have have said nasty things about me to people who were sitting near you. I want you to know that I know you don't speak up for me to let the world know the things I have done for you. I want you to know that you earn more than you deserve. I want you to know that I am crushed to find out that you do all these things. I want you to know that you are manipulative whether you know it or not. I want you to know that you have shortchanged me. I want you to know that a particular retired colleague left with a not so good impression of me, thanx to you. I want you to know that I have NO respect for you anymore and that makes me sad.Lupy, I want you to bow out now as I am really unsure if I can hide my glee, should you fall from grace.

With deep disappointment, I pledge to ignore you. With a lifted heart, I promise to do all I can for my department. By doing that, I will help my children. Anak kita, Anak bangsa.

May you, Lupy, enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Good Things.... I Like

There are just some things that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...

1. A warm mug of Lipton Tea in my hand while the rain is all heavy out.

2. Spontaneous hugs.

3. Diggoodigs.

4. When Mak calls asking me what I feel like eating.

5. The wind blowing through my window and blowing my hair all over the place....

What about you?

Daddy Dearest

Bak,

I miss you.

I miss having you around.

I miss having you to vent out all my frustrations on and still get a smile.

I miss having you listen objectively then offer suggestions on what I should do next.

I miss listening to your funny funny analogies on life and problems we go through.

I miss having you around so you can tell me that I'm doing ok taking care of Mak.

I miss having you around so you can tell me that it's not my rezeki yet to have children.

I miss having you around so you can stare daggers at people who say's I'm doing it wrong.

I miss having you holding my hand telling me it's ok as long I know I have tried my best.

I miss you. I really do.

I wish you were here.

What I would not give to have you here for just one more day, to look at your face, to hold your hand, to have you hug me.

Ya Allah Ya Tuhanku, kau berkatilah roh ayahku. Kau lindungilah dia dari seksamu. Kau tempatkanlah dia di sisi orang -orang yang beriman. Amin.

A Little Broken, I Am

I'm a little broken today.

Somewhere along the way in 05, I made some unforgivable errors. This has resulted in me having tea with my bosses but the absence of the tea was overwhelming. As a result of that, I was given a letter to warn me to not repeat anymore of such mistakes. I understand the need to shock me into seeing how necessary it is for me to NOT make them, hence the need for this letter of warning.

What happened today, I was not prepared for. Beacuse of the mistakes I made, I did not get some monetary rewards that I was somewhat expecting. Granted, no performance bonus, sure since i apparently did not perform. But when i got the news that i won't be getting any part of the plan today, it broke me a little. Sigh....

My immediate reaction was Bloody Hell! Who the hell do they think hey are to take my money away from me?!!! What right do they have?!! I need the money you know!!

Then I thought, aiyah , maybe i don't deserve that money since i didn't do my job well.

Then I also thought, somebody also never do their work well. But somebody got away with it. Somebody didn't do somebody's job, so my mistakes was not realised till it was too late. In fact I was doing this somebody's job... Maybe I was too stretched? But whatever it is I do acknowledge it was my error. I should have been more careful. But all this time I was working under a false sense of security of the vetting process. If somebody had done her job and vetted my work, wouldn't mistakes be discovered and necessary action taken?

Sigh... I dunno lah....

Then I thought again when I was given the warning letter, I was told that it would be kept in my confi file. Now, it's sent up to MOE. Why say one thing and do another? Teruk lah. I was so wanting that money to go for a short break. Macam taik betullah. If they had wanted to sent it up to MOE, then say lah jadi aku tak mengharap. Bodoh betul. Akulah yang bodoh. Too trusting. Sekarang, padan muka aku.

Dah lah, Enough is enough. This year, korang korang dalam Jabatan aku, pandai pandai lah do your own thing. Make sure you check and check and check and oh did I mention check your work? Because I don't want to help anymore. This year it's my big butt that I'm going to be quite busy covering. It's my work yang aku nak jaga this year. Apa nak jadi, jadilah.

Now, I want to go and cari my 'superglue' to fix me self. Where or where shall I go get my superglue?

Another thing, the cause of my being broken has made me broke. Ain't it funny?

WOOD's the word

This year, on September 1st, I will be married for 5 years. So I have decided to plan something a little extravagant for us. Any ideas anyone?