Choo! Choo! The Train is Coming!

Hello Guys & Gals;

First and foremost, I, The Hotel Station Master (soon to be former), would very much like to say;

THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
TO ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL GALS AND GUYS
FOR SUPPORTING US
@ THE HERITAGE STATION HOTEL,
KUALA LUMPUR.

I have had great moments with you all at the Hotel and it is with a heavy heart to inform all of you that my train is now coming ... it's slowly chugging along the rail tracks and would be stopping at my door. The Hotel Station Master is now lugging his bags, waiting for this train and will be relinquishing my title as The Hotel Station Master / Railwayhotel in the coming days. I will be bidding this grand old lady farewell and to all you guys and gals out there.

It is with great zest in informing you that I have agreed to allow The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, the continued use of Prewedding.info in order to pursue their dreams. My role will be limited strictly to a passive moderator and admin of the site, as I own the site .... It also gives me extreme pleasure to introduce Rosli Mohamad, the new author and brain behind this blog and we hope that we will be able to continue our community works under his stewardship ... (geez, sound pretty much like a political assembly! Ha ha ha ha!)

Once again, THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING US BELIEVE AND IN DARING TO DREAM!

SAND, SEA, GONDOLA's & YACHT's

RiYaz Heritage Resort Terengganu Presents;

IN CONJUNCTION WITH BRIDAL FAIR 2009, TERENGGANU,

A UNIQUE PHOTO OPPORTUNITY & PHOTOGRAPHIC OPEN FORUM
ON PRE WEDDING WITH MR. JOHN W. ISHII & MR. TOMMY YAP
23-25 April 2009

Riyaz Heritage Resort Terengganu is proud to bring for the first time in the Resort’s history, a Pre Wedding Photo shoot on board our Rooms, Gondola's and Monsoon Cup Yacht's with photographer Mr. John W. Ishii and Mr. Tommy Yap in conjunction with our bridal fair 2009. This unique experience is for a limited time only.

DATE : 23 – 25 April 2009

ACTUAL EVENT : 24 – 25 April 2009

LOCATION : RiYaz Heritage Resort Kuala Terengganu

ITINERARY

DAY 01 (24 April 2009)

0900 hrs - Registration
0915 hrs - Opening session
1000 hrs - Session I – Photo shooting on Gondolas & Yachts
1230 hrs - Lunch
1330 hrs - Reviews
1400 hrs - Session II – Photo shooting on Gondolas & Yachts
1530 hrs - Short break
1700 hrs - Session III – Photo Shooting at the Royal Suite
1930 hrs - Dinner
2030 hrs - Open Forum
2130 hrs - Free & Easy

DAY 02 (25 April 2009)

0730 hrs - Breakfast
0915 hrs - A thought on value adding
1000 hrs - Session I – Photo Shooting around the premises of Riyaz Heritage Resort
1230 hrs - Lunch
1330 hrs - Seminar rooms - Reviews - Q & A
1500 hrs - Session officially ends

• Photo opportunities on the Gondolas & Yachts are subject to weather and sea conditions.

TARGET PHOTOGRAPHERS
Open Category (First come, first serve, based on payment received)

PACKAGE PRICE
RM600.00 Nett per person (six hundred only). Normally such events would cost more then RM1,000.00.

PACKAGE INCLUSIVE OF
Accommodation in a Deluxe Room for 2 nights (Twin Sharing)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (Day 1 of Event)
Breakfast and Lunch (Day 2 of Event)

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Aspiring photographers looking to expand their portfolio, photographers who like to learn and mingle with one another, freelance wedding photographers, experts who like to share ideas at the same time taking this opportunity to shoot on board a yacht on the sea, a very rare occasion in Malaysia.

MINIMUM & MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PAXS
6 to start, 10 persons maximum - split into 2 groups of 5 each.

CURRENT LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Minimum To Start;
1. reddevil00 - paid
2. michelle01 - paid
3. michelle02 - paid
4. william - paid
5. columbine - paid
6. jack - paid

Due to safety reasons as it is on board a yacht, we have capped the number of participants to 6 only. We feel that this is a nice and comfortable number for us. Thank you.

FOR REGISTRATIONS PLEASE INCLUDE
Your Name;
Contact Number;
Email Address;

Send to : riyaz@prewedding.info

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
All photos taken for this project will be downloaded and given to i) The Couple ii) RiYaz Heritage Resort iii) PreWedding.info and its partners for PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. The photographers will agree to give the above parties the rights to USE THESE PHOTOS for PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. We will not own the copyright or intellectually property of the photos taken.

Disclaimer:
The organizers reserve the right to amend/change the above stipulated event and/or its terms and conditions without prior notice.

EVENT ORGANISED & SPONSORED BY : http://www.ri-yazheritage.com
EVENT CO-ORDINATED BY : http://blog.prewedding.info
GOWNS SPONSORED BY : http://www.prettyinwhite.com.my
OFFICIAL BRIDAL & WEDDING FORUM : http://www.malaysiabrides.com
OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS FORUM : http://www.duniafotografi.com

IT'S A MYSTERY .... EVEN TO ME!!

What the????

Hello Guys and Gals,

Yesterday I received a call and an email from John W. Ishii. He was so excited that even I did not know what was going on ..... so I tried to dig for more details .... well, John has asked me at Pre Wedding [dot] Info to help put together a couple for a FREE Photo Shoot. Eh? That really surprised me!!! I asked John if he had any prerequisites and all he kept telling me was that he wanted to try a "NEW TECHNIQUE" for Pre Wedding ... and he was adamant not to tell me more .... so it's a mystery, even to me!!!

Oh, for you techies out there, John W. Ishii recently upgraded his equipment to a Nikon D3X .... so what has this got to do with anything? Well, firstly, it's one of the first cameras to achieve a resolution of 24.5 Mega Pixels .... closer to real film if not more!!! Fuyoh ... it's not cheap though .. its around USD8,000 for the body only!!! If you want to read more on the nikon, please click here and here. If you would like to read more on John W. Ishii, please have a look at his web site http://www.johnwishii.com.

Ok Ok .. nuff said. Now we are on the look out for 1 couple who would like to have a Photo Opportunity with Mr. John W. Ishii;

Our Basic Terms and Conditions;

• Please provide a closeup and full length picture of yourself & partner.
• The date of the shoot will be END APRIL - EARLY MAY
• The location of the shoot is currently a MYSTERY (even to me!)
• All couples will be shortlisted and interviewed by Mr. John W. Ishii
• The couples will receive, in return, a copy of the pictures in DVD format
• The couples will have to bear costs for their own gowns, make up and other accessories

That's simple. No other pre requisites. We will only open this for a week from now, so registrations will end on 12 March 2009! If you are interested, please email us;

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your contact number
• Your photos

to : shoot@prewedding.info

GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR READING!!!

OUR PERSONAL CHALLENGE .....

Hello there Guys and Gals, if you have been following our works, you will know that we are trying very hard to promote our History, Arts and Culture Projects here in The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Well, I have been very honoured to be working here as I was given the opportunity to meet a lot of people, including the daughter of Brig. Gen. Arthur Benison Hubback, who is the architect of this building and numerous other buildings in Malaysia (you can read more at http://blog.thehubbacks.org).

Err ... I think I will look something like this ....

Some of you know that I have been married for sometime now, and since doing pre weddding and wedding related projects, my wife and I finally decided to do our pre wedding photo shoot after 3 and a half years of marriage. (Erm, why so late? You may ask, but it was related to $ at that time). Ok we have assembled a team of people for our photoshoot, like most people do, but we decided we wanted something a little different .... we wanted a thematic shoot. And so I convinced my other half that we should do a "victorian-ish theme" where we will focus on stuff from a bygone era .... and in part as a tribute to The Old Kuala Lumpur Train Station.... (and also Jap Anime, 'Emma - a Victorian Romance.' ... hee hee hee). Mind you we are not taking pictures in the hotel nor the train station as we also wanted something a little different.

Of course, my wife and I do have our doubts and concerns; who doesn't anyway? But we are willing to do some experiments .... I will keep you Guys and Gals posted of our end results, but for now, let me introduce our team that is involved in our personal challenge;

MAIN PHOTOGRAPHER

Mr. John W. Ishii - John is our friend and has offered to take our photos. If you are familiar with his works, you will know that John is not a wedding photographer. He is a Professional Photographer specializing in Photojournalism and Commercial Shoots. However, John is very serious about his Photography and wants to delve into Editorial Style Pre Wedding Photography as a passion. He talks very passionately about his craft and I am normally swept away with his enthusiasm and passion. From his pre wedding projects from before, he is known for his edgy, intimate and no smiling shoots. Good. That's EXACTLY what my wife and me are looking for. With a dash of his editorial style, his pictures portray a story to the viewer, and my wife and I are very honoured to have him as our main photographer. More on Mr. John W. Ishii please visit http://www.johnwishii.com

PHOTOGRAPHER

Mr. Tommy Yap - Also our friend, Tommy, or more affectionately known as pan8a, is normally known for his Model, Underwater and CLS shoots. Again, he is not a wedding photographer. Pan8a told me that he always wanted to dress up in the Victorian Styled Suits, so he was kind of elated to know that we had decided to do this thematic shoot. Pan8a will be trying out new styles and techniques on us and we hope that we can perform to his expectations! Just for spice, my wife and me decided to throw in something contemporary to break the monotony of the 'victorian-ish theme'. More on Mr. Tommy Yap, please visit http://www.pan8a.com

GOWNS & SUITS

Well, I thought I would like to repay the kindness of Mr. Dennis Thean, Elaine, Veralyne and Stephanie at Pretty in White for always backing us on our projects. I took wifey to Pretty in White to see if she would like any gowns from them that could depict the 'victorian' style and her body size. True to their words; that there is a gown for everyone in Pretty in White, she found a nice gown. It does not have the bodice and stuff, but it does suit our theme, in our humble opinion. What's more, Dennis unlocked his bag of tricks and I managed to get a very unique and rare 'Coat tails' Jacket for me by Pretty In White! 3 pieces some more!! Fuyoh ... now I very kan cheong.... in the picture above, I am wearing one of their Jackets ...... More on Pretty In White, please visit http://www.prettyinwhite.com.my

MUA (MAKE UP ARTIST)

One weekend at home, my wife was bugging me about the Make Up Artist. I was not in too good a mood, so I asked my wife to, 'Go Find Online lar!'. She surfed and surfed and surfed and surfed. After a while she told me that she likes this .... this as in BODY PAINTING!!! I felt like *faint*. What's that got to do with make up??? She then went to the persons blog and she liked what she saw ... she told me that this MUA showed before and after pics and she liked it. So, ok I asked her to SMS the MUA and see if she was available .... Oh my, she was, and we confirmed her straight away and didn't even bother to ask others ... so welcome to our team Ms. Ally Choong, who is based in KL now .. but she will be following us up to Penang! All I can say is, I too like your body painting works!!! More on Ally Choong, please visit http://www.li-colors.blogspot.com

OTHER STUFF & OUR LOCATION

Fuyoh. Headache lar doing this PS .... we bought loads of stuff from ebay, domanchi, charles & keith, eve, burberry's, tangs Singapore, boutiques in Singapore (cause the choice and service here in Malaysia was so bad, we walked into a couple of high end boutiques in KL and they just ignored us, unlike Singapore! This is BAD!), talking to Hotels, transports ... enough to drive me mad!

Our location? Penang ... The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (The Blue Mansion) and around ... Our other challenges .... My wife and me are very stiff, we are not photogenic and we are like 'kayu' (wood) ..... ha ha ha ha..... we have to start practicing I guess ..... ha ha ha

Costs? Please don't ask. Many of my friends tell me, 'Wah, you so lucky, get free PS.....'. Sorry, I don't believe in that, cause it's just not my nature. You can call me crazy, but it's just not me! If you are thinking; we spent the norm of RM2 - 3 K, well, I can tell you not. I promised my wife a long time ago that I will take PS with her and so I am willing to go all out for this..... How it will turn out, lets wait and see!!! I am getting excited though .... waiting for April to arrive .....

STEVEN & EMILY

You know, I am actually fond of this guy .... why so? Well, if you follow my blog, you will know that I normally have some exchanges with one of the photographers who used to come here pretty often from a Bridal House. I am fond of him because I have seen his works grow .... and grow he did, and I do hope his new venture will only serve to make him better ..... I really like his style of photography (I like many others too! But not telling!!!). Who is this guy I am talking about? Well, he is a nice, bubbly chap, but as I don't speak much Chinese, at times I kinda feel it hard to communicate with him ... but we always end up playing with each other, exchanging friendly banters ..... Guys and Gals, please welcome into the foray of freelance wedding photographers, Mr. ADAM ONG.

What I am going to post here is a tribute to knowing Adam and these will be one of the last batch of photos at The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, I guess, as Adam is now travelling to many other places, taking all types of pictures. As such, despite my extremely busy schedule, I will take the time to write one of weird haikus, once again, in tribute to Adam as I have seen his work evolve ... and what a beautiful thing that was .....

DARK
(a haiku-ish prose by The Hotel Station Master)

A seed, planted,
Without love, without care,
Dark and dank,
I huddle in search of warmth.

Appear, from the earth,

With painted colours, so vibrant,
I alone, withstand,
The trials and tribulations of nature.

The wind blows,

And you came, without care,
To ridicule and badger me,
My heart cries in the dark.

With your slightest touch,

I realize how wrong was I,
The warmth of your hand,
Brings hope to my world.

It's dark and warm, odd,

For in darkness I find my solace,
In your voice and tone,
Share with me your everything.

I feel your every move,

I take in your every breath,
I softly outline your every detail,
Nourished to flourish.

I spread my wings,

My heartbeat flutters,
Your warmth in the dark,
Is like no other in this world.

Fly! Fly! Flying,

It's dark but I see,
The different shades of black,
Crescendo after crescendo.

How I long to be,

It's warm and so cosy,
You bring life back to me,
in my darkness, you and me.

The couple Steven and Emily from what I gather is from the United Kingdom and The Team from The Heritage Station Hotel offers you our heartiest congratulations on your wedding. Adam has said that this his shots this time around were of a "concept shoot" in nature, but it just looks so good! Anyway, once again, CONGRATULATIONS to both Steven, Emily and Adam, for a great set of pictures!!! If you would like to see Adam's other works, please click here.

DAVID & DOROTHY

This week has been a very "interesting" week for me. Not only because of the Chinese New Year Celebrations but I have been getting funny calls. Erm.... you may wonder that this has got to do with our latest project; The Cambodian Pre Wedding Experience, but no, I get calls from people wanting to buy the hotel. Not only that, out of the blue I get calls from photographers that want to make sure that they gave me their pics??? Eh??? Oh my, is this really happening? Is there a shift in the general paradigm and mindset of our local photographers??? I would like to think so and I would like to say everyone is courteous and shares with everyone. Well, in reality, this will never happen. So I will continue to tighten and control till I can't take it no more.

Well, well. Did you know that actually there were a couple of professional photographers who came down to The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur to take some pictures here? I had a visit from 4 of the 7 Signature Photographers and I have not put up their pictures here for a long time. Why you ask? - Ahem - I won't tell you. I only provide the venue .... hee hee hee .....

Did you know I was an 80's kid? (Whats that got to do with the photography??) ... I kinda liked Falco's song "Jenny, quit living on dreams..... " and Nick Kershaw's "I won't let the sun go down on me......". One was a German pop star and the other was a typical British New Wave Icon. Eh? Don't get it yet??? Hee hee ..... But to be honest, this person (eh????) was really very efficient, cordial, profession in her work. She delivers when she says so ...... GUYS AND GALS, I present to you ... Ms. Jenny Sun's Works at The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The couple, David & Dorothy, is from Singapore! (Err ... another Singapore Couple taking pic's here??? Why not???? Hee hee). They were very happy with the hotel's setting and Jenny actually came with a secondary photographer .... wow. That's nice to know that the photographer community does really support each other! Erm ... but I won't keep my hopes up, due to bitten too many times. To David & Dorothy, the team at The Heritage Station Hotel Kuala Lumpur wishes you all the best and congrats!!! If you would like to view more of Jenny Sun's works, you can click here.

EUGENE & STEPHANIE

Gong Xi Fa Chai to all you Guys and Gals out there! May the year of the OX bring you much joy, happiness, good health and wealth for the coming year 2009! I just came back from Penang and this year I will do my best in going all out with our planned projects and not forgetting to update my blog! Ok Ok ... it's been a while since we actually updated this blog (I have not even finished the new format yet) but I will still continue with the posting....

What better way to start the year with our first VIDEO SHOOT in The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!!! Wedding Story (part of integricity) came here with Grace and Kee ... they wanted to do a pre wedding shoot (which of course I agreed readily) but a video as well ... hurm ... Kee convinced me that his video would not disturb my guests and willingly allowed me to post the video as part of our 'barter' agreement! Great! What's more important, they actually lived up to their end of the bargain!!! FANTASTIC!! Unlike many photographers who come here and say yes, yes, yes and then later fly kite ..... Hate! Hate! Hate! In fact I got so fed up that I revamped my MOU (which is available for download by clicking the "Application Forms" link above) to include more details. I don't really think it fair for people to commit when they need something and then drop you off when they don't need it. Enuff!

But to Grace and Kee, thanks so much for believing is us and keeping to your end of the bargain. Professionals like you are so rare ... because I know loads who don't even bother!

So anyway, I have edited the video to show only the hotel as follows;

Yes, yes, I am using Picasa and Google video, so the quality will not be that good. Anyway, to Eugene and Stephanie, we would like to extend our heartiest congratulation on your wedding! I really liked them too, as they were so warm and nice. Their photos and video were taken by Grace Tan and Kee Sitt from Wedding Story (whom I like to call LOCK & KEE, hee hee hee) and you can view more of their works here. Better yet, you can also view their full video (hi-res about 16 MB, Mine only 7 MB) and their lovely pictures here. *Update 2 Feb* - I decided to post some pics too ...







If you would like to view our Cambodia - Angkor Wat Pre Wedding project, which we think is something really 'fresh', please click here.

I GOT A NEW LOOK!

Yup, its been a long time coming with me struggling with Java Scripting, CSS controls, XHTML, PHP, XML, Robots and a whole load of stuff that won't interest many of us. Actually, it does not really interest me as well, as I have always loved the creative side of technology ... *sigh* ... why cant they make a true WYSIWIG editor for websites .... argh! But in totality I can say it has taught me a lot .... it's not so easy making your own website, with the advent of the latest technology for web called AJAX. *sigh*.

Anyway, all said and done, I am now unveiling the 'new look & feel' of our website, www.prewedding.info! Taa daa!

Ah ha ha ha .... so much for my coding works of about 2+ weeks ... well it's only 90% finished but please do drop by and you can leave me a comment or as the photographers community says, "C&C" ....

Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

AERIS & CALVIN

"Chained"
by The Hotel Station Master

Its been a very challenging and frustrating couple of months for me. Since taking over @THSH, loads of skeletons in the closets are beginning to surface. Not many people know the amount of troubles we have to go through just to maintain our current outlook. In fact, I had a very cordial visit from one of the government agencies today, and they told me the scenario. Its not like I am blaming that particular government agency, as they were very helpful and cordial, its the fact that there was so much history (literally!) in the running of this Hotel that even I am bewildered despite having 16 years in the Hotel Industry. Well, I should not mope about it, cause I am now in charge and I guess I will have to do something about it. That's the tough part. At times I do feel like chained. Literally chained to the pole ..... so much to do, so little time (doesn't that sound familiar?)

Anyway, today I received an email from a couple that had come to @THSH in my infancy days, in fact the photos were dated 28 July 2008. Just received them today and I'm not complaining. I would like to thank Aeris and Calvin for remembering to post me some pics even though I have not been really active posting online. You would think that I have a backlog of pictures, but to be honest with you, there are many, many people and photographers who still owe me pictures even though I have signed an MOU with them. Guess its pretty apt to say, "When it rains, it pours". Ha ha ha .....

When I opened Aeris's email, whammy! I was shocked to see that they had scribbled something on the photos .... eh? A "Thank You" note to me on the pictures? *Blush* *Blush*, No need lar ... I didn't do anything whor .... I now very shy leh .... *Blush* *Blush*. To see that they did take pictures with some tourists, that makes me happy! It actually doesn't take much to make my day, whats more important is that the couple enjoys the photo shooting session here! Thanks again to Aeris and Calvin!

Eh? Got my logo some more ..... Where you copy from ar???

Wah, sleeping ka .... Calvin kept you up all night did he????

A happy gathering with tourists from another planet? Ha ha ha ....

In case you are wondering, Aeris and Calvin also happened to use the same bridal house as Gavin and Laney, their photographer was Meng Soon, and you can view more of their works here.

WE’RE MOVING & MORPHING

Metamorphosis. Normally such a word would be associated with a beautiful butterfly emerging from a withered our cocoon …. Yes. Such words normally instills in the reader the thought of something wonderful coming out from the ugliest looking insect.

Well, in recent weeks, we @THSH have been plotting and planning, and we would like to thank all of you out there for supporting our blog and community projects. In fact I am writing this post in the new beta “Windows Live Writer” as I would like to see if this thing really works …. Gwa Ha Ha Ha ….. With much support from all you guys and gals on the web, we have decided to move www.prewedding.info to a new home, a home full of wonder and excitement. No, don’t worry, the format will still remain the same, in fact, www.prewedding.info will always be a community focused group for all you guys and gals out there.

We are also planning to launch our online newsletter and as such, we are looking for contributions from you, it can be stories of how you met, what you think of certain service providers, tips and tricks, reviews and much more so we can share it with all of you in an online newsletter that will not be limited to purely pre wedding.

Please send all your contributions to news@prewedding.info and I look forward to launching our inaugural issues perhaps in November, depending on the amount of contributions received! Oh, btw, don’t forget to send me some nice photos too! Iam in hopes that this newsletter would involve anything relating to weddings so please help us! We are trying to upgrade our services to serve you better!

(Note : OMG .... Windows Live Writer really works .. now lets see how we can add pics .....)

DOUBLE DOUBLE

Erm ... quite apt that is, Double Double which can also be tied in to the Chinese character "Double Happiness". For the inundated, here is an excerpt from Wiki (I love Wiki! Maybe because it's free?)

Double Happiness (simplified Chinese: 双喜; traditional Chinese: 雙喜; pinyin: Shuang xi; sometimes translated as Double Joy or Double Happy) is a Chinese ornamental design commonly used as a decoration.

It is a ligature "囍" composed of two Chinese characters 喜 (xi, 'joy'), compressed to assume the square shape of a standard Chinese character (much like a "real" character may consist of two parts), and often modified in various ways. - excerpt from Wikipedia. Full article here.

Despite my title reading Double Double and it being tied to 'Happiness', it is by no means a happy time for me. Why, you may ask. Well, firstly, after sitting down with our 'Couple Selection Board' to select the couples for our community project, I feel for all the couples that were unsuccessful because this time around, we had to stick more closely to the rules and regulations, unlike our first community event. It was a learning point for us from the first event and we even threw in some 'exceptions' for our Road Trip Up North, but alas, it was still a very, very close call. In fact, we were torn in between so many applications and deliberated for more than 3 hours! Goodness.

I, on behalf of our partners and @THSH, would now like to Congratulate our 3 + 3 selected couples, (Wait, isn't that considered a Double Double?), on your success and they are;

MAX ONG & NIEL YOW

TONY HO & CONNIE YEOH
LENNARD LIM & JOCELYN YONG
VANESSA CHIA & CHEAH SIN DEE
WONG YUNN LOOI & LAU WENG HUNG
CHEAH KEI YUEN & POO MING LEE

I hope that you will enjoy the Community Event as much as our earlier participants."Is that all you wanted to say? Are you lamenting on your emotions?" - you may ask ..... well .... not quite.

In the spirit of our DOUBLE DOUBLE, since we have the couples, @THSH and our partners are keen to welcome our latest partner, our "Northern Network Partners" - Fotokrazy.com. Fotokrazy is a photographic forum catering predominantly for photographers in the Northern Region and they have agreed to come on board! Please note that it's always been @THSH's policy to work with any interested parties in the the areas of promoting our National Heritage, be it Buildings to Natural Resources.

Guys and Gals, please give a big welcome to;

All in all, I would believe that this announcement will help us garner more interest in our Community Events and more people/organizations would come in to help us! And now our real work begins, as we start our engines and check our compasses, err ... GPS units as we head North! Look out as we will be revving to your city soon!

SIMON & RACHEL

I'm in 'La La Land' after taking cough syrup this morning on an empty stomach. Been sick, frustrated and demotivated cause small hotels like us always don't measure up to the guests expectations. What's wrong with @THSH? I know that the building is old and needs an uplift, but its tough running this place with all the legalities, manpower constraints and financial restrictions. Many people assume that it's a walk in the park ... well let me tell you, its not, and it 's no stroll by the beach either way .... Problem is, there is rumours in the hotelier circles that big corporations are eyeing us for a takeover (since years ago, but I'm only 6 months old here!) ... I feel it's sad cause then @THSH will most probably become a boutique luxury hotel and I will have to say 'Bye Bye' to all you beautiful brides and grooms out there....... so much for believing that @THSH should remain as a community-ish model of sorts with events on the side ....

And then came Adam. Adam again? Yup, just plain ol' Adam! Not the Adam you are thinking about I bet, but Adam Ong ... the most consistent photographer from Touch that comes to my place for a photo shoot. The one who gave me a wrong blog address the last time. You remember him? Bet not. Well, to be honest, I have been poisoning Adam to try and take new angles and poses for Pre Wedding Photos here @THSH, cause if you can remember, I said that most of the shoots by Bridal Houses in Malaysia are very similar, due to time and budget constraints. What I really like about Adam is that he is always very bubbly and loves to exchange a few banters with me.... Appreciate that. So, whats the result? Be the judge of that yourself!

ME & YOU (A duet/dialogue)
Another 'haiku-ish' free form by Hotel Station Master

leaning on the wall
eyes wander towards yonder
frustrations inside

leaning on the wall
hearts a flutter with doubt
where can you be, dear

lift your spirits,love
for I am here, awaiting

go, tunnel of life

lift your spirits, love
for I await you, wanting
forever with you

I cannot fathom
why you'll want me, forever

for confused am I

I cannot fathom
why you'll stay with me, forever
doubts blur my heart

have courage my love
a pillar for you, to lean
throughout confusion

have courage my love
a beacon of light, I give
to clear your doubts

man are blind, my dear
committing and providing
material wealth

man are blind, my dear
they give up easily, for gain
forgetting themselves

look to the stars, love
neither commitments matter
but your guidance, seek

look to the stars, love
neither wealth or gain I seek
but the warmth of love

shelter me now, dear

as I embrace you, together

your strength in silence

shelter me now, dear
I was foolish, doubting you
longing your comfort

through the Storm, love

you and me, together, us

our love now stronger

through the storm, love
undying flame of passion
ignites a new beginning

Me & You

-end-

First and foremost, @THSH would like to Congratulate Simon and Rachel on their nuptials. May you be blessed with loads of health, wealth and prosperity! I must have met them in passing but always too busy 'arguing' with Adam .... ha ha ha. Ar well. Anyway, eh, Adam, how come you make your series like 'sepia' like that ar? Want to capture the rustic feel is it? Later people complain @THSH look like haunted house again. (Argh!). Also, this haiku-ish poem was written in my 'La La Land' mood .. so apologies if it looks weird, must be like writing a poem when you are on LSD, CRACK or DOPE in general ..... ar well. If you would like to view more works from Adam Ong, please view here. (Adam, can you change your play list on your blog? Or no time is it?)

HELP SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY EVENT!

All I can say is that a lot of our partners and we, @THSH, have put in much time, effort and our own money into this event, especially John, Dennis, Tommy and I. Realistically, we will have some costs at the end of the day, and we find it very difficult to find a company who will willingly give us some cash to offset our travelling costs up North, as we are too insignificant a project and there is no 'immediate visible monetary' gains to be made from our project. So much for a time and age where everything revolves around money. Neither do I want to put up a button asking for donations as I feel this is not very correct.

Anyhow, all is not lost. I called my buddies in the liquor business and asked if they would like to do something different. And guess what? They agreed! I don't even have liquor offered @THSH ... ha ha ha!

Ok, so here is my plan. I would love to offer you wines, hard liquor, sparkling wines and champagne at a very special price. The markup I am thinking of will be as follows;

• RM2.00 for every bottle of wine
• RM5.00 for every bottle of hard liquor
• RM8.00 for every bottle of sparkling wines
• RM12.00 for every bottle of champagne
  

They have also agreed to the following;

• They will offer special discounts on certain items from time to time
• They will offer trade discounts on quantity orders (minimum 1 carton & depends on the item). Example of trade discount; 1 Carton (12 btls of wine) + 1 F.O.C.
  

So what do you guys and gals think? Workable? As to payment, I think for now, we will only accept C.O.D. For cheque and credit card a bit troublesome cause you will have to go through @THSH and some more the bank charges. I will be the collection centre, meaning all your orders placed through me and you pick up from me also ... I become 1 STOP SHOP of sorts lar.

Also I was thinking if you guys and gals really interested and want to have a small tasting before buying, please find enough people, then I can organise a small workshop on wine knowledge and tips with tasting of wines lor ... I actually majored in Food & Beverage lor, so you give me opportunity to brush up my skills! Ha ha ha .... but seriously, I wouldn't mind doing this for F.O.C. @THSH. If you really want maybe a short course on Table Social Etiquette as well??? I dunno, you guys and gals tell me lar!

Ok, I just got their price list today, and I'm not sure if its cheaper then your supermarkets, but they are quality suppliers cause they supply to loads of hotels, clubs and pubs in Malaysia! I don't know what you guys think of this, so if you are interested and willing to help out, please send your 'show of support' to sodapop@prewedding.info! I won't mind making space for a list of the names of people who buy from us on this blog too!

Please give me a few days or so to sort out their list and prepare it for you, but let me know if you guys are interested as it really depends on all your support! Please help support our community projects!

THE REVENGE OF AMY & TONY

Goodness! Its Sunday and I am casually browsing the Internet and touching up my blog on The Hubback Brothers. @THSH's History Project which I am sure most of you won't find interesting. Well, for a person like me who likes Documentaries (I am a fan of National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel and loads more), the story of the Hubback' s has been very interesting, some filled with more intrigue and mystery than what you can find in works of fiction or Detective Academy Q! (The last one Japanese Anime lar .....)

Anyone remember Amy & Tony? Anyone remember my ramblings about a very 'sweet voice ' calling me when I was about to throw in the towel sometime ago? No? So sad .... anyway, today I received an email from Amy, saying that she just got married last week and is so tired. She even suggested that we, @THSH, should start a fund with support from the local community for the restoration and preservation of the Hotel. Well, in actual fact, I was planning of doing something similar in order to raise funds for our community project, so let put some final pieces together before I ask you Guys and Gals out there for your opinions. Thanks so much to Amy for her support and believing in us @THSH!

She was so sweet to share some of her pictures with me, and I am so touched! In turn, I have decided to share some Amy & Tony's pictures with all of you, despite not getting their consent ... err .... hope they don't kill me or worse still, sue me in court until I become a bankrupt and live out my years as their personal kuli!

"I'm getting married in the morning
Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime
Pull out the stopper, let's have a whopper
But get me to the church on time"

"This is no time for a chat
Haven't your lips longed for my touch
Don't say how much, show me, show me
Don't talk of love lasting through time
Make me no undying vow
Show me now"

"I could have danced all night
And still have begged for more
I could have spread my wings
And done a thousand things
I've never done before
I'll never know
What made it so exciting
Why all at once my heart took flight
I only know when he
Began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced danced all night"

"Just to know somehow you are near
The overpowering feeling
That any second you may suddenly appear
People stop and stare
They don't bother me
For there's no where else on earth
That I would rather be
Let the time go by
I won't care if
I can be here on the street where you live"

Can you tell where these song verses came from? Come on... the 1st and 3rd verse are dead giveaways ..... anyone? Let me give you a clue. This is from the Broadway version of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. This Broadway version has a happy ending (of sorts lar). Guess lar ... come on ... Ganbatte!!! Add Oil!!!

To Amy & Tony, our heartiest congratulations from @THSH, and we wish you every happiness, prosperity and luck in whatever you guys do! Let's keep in touch ok? Take care!

Reminiscing - 'A Romantic Interlude'

In case you guys and gals didn't get it correct, the above verses were taken from the lyrics of songs from the Broadway Musical (and later a film) "My Fairlady". The Broadway version starred Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, but for the film version Julie was replaced by Audrey Hepburn even though its still Julie Andrews voice you hear when she sings. Julie Andrews turned down the film to do Marry Poppins with Dick Van Dyke, and later got a academy award for her portrayal as Marry Poppins. So there!