A wedding that had a lot of heart and planning in it. From her Pinterest boards to frequent discussions with friends…Jolene gave her all as she planned her wedding. I loved the many DIY details that were present at her wedding and the coffee theme that was very strong (pun intended!) at the dinner reception. People who are coffee lovers know that people who love coffee group together like a cult. It was great that they even had a booth to serve cappuccino and lattes during the cocktail session before dinner.
The outdoor wedding ceremony was held at Holiday Inn Glenmarie. About an hour or so before the wedding was supposed to start, it poured. Even though the wedding set up was shielded under a gazebo, still, the rain poured in through the sides. But Chee Kiang and Jolene didn’t panic. It all turned out well in the end because the rain stopped in time, and there was a cool breeze that enveloped the place as they said their vows.
As a 1.5 year old mom, I now fully appreciate what my parents used to do for me – the endless hours of sacrifice making sure that I grew up to be a responsible, mature adult. Memories of my mom include her waking up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare breakfast for me every day before I go to school. I did get sick of the milo, bread and half-boiled eggs after a while, but it was all done with love. My mom did not go to university, but she worked hard. After she was retrenched from her job in the fisheries department, she started her own business out of necessity.
She sold Pyrex, Arcopal (for those who don’t know what they are… they are heavy sets of dining plates, bowls, pots etc!) to anyone who was interested. She would travel mostly to the kampung in Malacca to sell to her majority Malay clientele. Even if the set was worth RM300, she would offer them an instalment plan, and diligently come back month after month to collect a mere RM10. The plates were definitely heavy, and I recall her having to lug it on her own to some of her client’s homes. As a child, I sometimes followed her on these trips (grudgingly). It was tough work, but she never complained (at least not to me!) and succeeded in her business.
When the Chinese New Year season came around, she would wake up at 5am to make cookies to sell them. Thousands and thousands of them. I was a very naughty daughter. I hated having to help in the kitchen, and tried to escape whenever I could, much to her despair. She would labour in the kitchen till midnight, and had to endure lots of nagging from my dad who didn’t like seeing her work so hard.
Well it did take a toll on her, and she fell sick when I was 13. My mom had a stroke which left her half paralyzed. She couldn’t do anything and had to learn to hold a fork and spoon again, learn to walk etc. It was really frustrating for her and my dad but she pulled through. She learnt how to drive again after much perseverance. I learnt that from her. To never give up despite life’s circumstances.
Now, my mom is 77, and she is not all she used to be. Her heart problems and other health issues has made her retreat into a shell. I feel a little sad about it all but I am glad that when she sees my daughter Krysta, her face lights up, if only for a few minutes.
Mummy, I love you. I don’t think I say it often enough.
xoxo,
Grace
Contest Details and T&C:
1. Find a photo with you and your mom (it could include other family members).
2. Write a story about why she is beautiful to you (any length!)
3. Share it with us by posting it on our Facebook wall (www.facebook.com/stories.my) before midnight Malaysian time on 16th May 2014.
4. Our judges will decide on the best (or most touching) story and decide on one winner.
5. The winner will receive a 1 hour family portrait shoot from Stories. The shoot must be done on a weekday before 31 August 2014. You can choose to do the shoot in our studio or outdoors within the Klang Valley. A Stories photographer will be assigned for the shoot. The winner will receive 20 soft copy images (printable up to 8R size) and one 12″ x 8″ matte print.
6. A limitation of up to 8 people is allowed for the shoot.
7. A surcharge of RM100 is chargeable for weekend dates. Outstation surcharge of RM800 applies for shoots done outside of Klang Valley. Costs of flights / transportation & accommodation is not included.
8. To purchase the entire set of high resolution images, a fee of RM500 is chargeable.
9. Up to 2 postponement of dates is allowed, however, if a 3rd postponement is required, the prize is considered forfeited.
We photographed both Irwin and Vanessa’s family over 2 sessions, and while they were fun in their own different ways, the whole purpose and gist of these shoots is best summarized through Vanessa’s open and honest sharing below, which she has graciously allowed me to repost here. Vanessa, thank you for reminding us about how sovereign God is, but also to appreciate the daily, little things in life, and most importantly, relationships around us.
Vanessa’s Story
“In July 2013, my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease – a degenerative neurological condition that doctors say is incurable.
My dad is one who comes across as a charismatic leader, always enthusiastic about work and life; never defeated by challenges no matter how big. Although the brut he may be at times (I know this because I work for him), I know I can always count on him for solutions to all my problems.
After learning of his condition, for many months, I lived in denial and could not come to terms with his diagnosis. For me, I just could not reconcile how a global entrepreneur like him, so respected in the industry could be ‘taken’ by such a degenerative, incurable disease. And I thought to myself, how could I ever speak of it to anyone for fear of ruining our business and reputation?
However, my dad has taken a totally opposite approach from Day 1 after being diagnosed of his condition! He has spoken openly about it to everyone – And in his Christmas whatsapp message to our Family group chat, this is what he wrote:
“I feel privileged to be chosen by God (to have PD). He is using me for His plan and purpose. He may continue to allow my condition to deteriorate to such an obvious physical extent before His miraculous and complete restoration. Eventually God wants all my friends globally to know that He is still in control of the situation if we turn to Him. He can perform miracles as we have seen in our families.”
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring for my dad’s health, but I have decided that every day from now till then is yet another day to rejoice and to be thankful for. I thought it would be apt to organize this photo session just to capture this moment of our lives – that despite life’s changes and uncertainties, we still find our strength in a God who is constant and ever faithful.”
Greg and I first met at a wedding years ago when I was new in the industry as a photographer. He was in a band, and I seriously don’t recall much of our meeting, but years later, Greg meets me and tells me… “We met there. I remember you took a really nice photo of our band.” Well, I was glad that I made such an impression, because that led to us photographing Greg and Amanda’s wedding at the quaint and highly coveted venue, St Andrew’s Church in KL.
I love how both Greg and his brother Chris (who is a well-known theatre director in KL) are equally fun and theatrical (pun intended!). They have lots of wonderful facial expressions, which makes for great photography. On his wedding day, Greg, being the extroverted person that he is, outspoke Amanda during his speech. Good thing is that she complements him in her own seemingly quiet little way.
They first met at a church camp when Amanda was only 12, and Greg… well, let’s say, he was much older. Fast forward years later, and they bumped into each other again… now, both working as lawyers (correction, Greg told Amanda he was a partner…good move!). When you’re in school, age means the world when you’re dating, but now… Amanda is a grown up woman, beautiful and mature.
You have to watch more of their wedding highlights to find out more about this cute couple, including hearing Greg’s wonderful singing voice. Greg and Amanda, thank you for inviting us to be part of your beautiful day. I love connecting with couples like you guys who make our work feel like such a joy. Thank you for your friendship!
To our viewers, sorry for the massive post! It was just soooo hard to cut down on our favourite images!
Simon and Monique live in the UK, but were back for a short holiday in Malaysia, where they decided to have a family shoot together. Unfortunately, on the day of the shoot, they got terribly lost getting to our shoot location since they haven’t been driving around Malaysian roads for a while. Monique’s mom, dad and aunt had arrived but we had to try our best to give them manual directions since she didn’t have a smart phone on her. I can’t believe how much we rely on Google maps and GPS etc. I remember years ago, I had to read and place stickers on a STREET DIRECTORY book before I head out for any shoot. Needless to say, getting there was a huge source of stress for me.
Well, eventually, they found their way, but was naturally quite flustered by the time they got to the location. I had the task of calming everyone down and having to come up with beautiful family photos, and make a good experience out of it. So a photographer’s job not only involves technical aspects, but people skills too, all the time! Good thing was that grandparents immediately smiled when they saw cute little Ethan. It was his first time seeing his Malaysian family on this trip! What a trooper he was, cause I am sure it wasn’t easy posing and smiling in humid KL weather.
