If you are keen on working with the Stories team, do send in your resume to us. We welcome students who are looking for an internship position. Requirements:
Time frame: Able to work min of 3 to max 5 days from our PJ office from the months of September – December 2011
Skills: Basic Lightroom or Photoshop skills, preferably familiar with a Mac platform, otherwise, we will train
Tasks: Photo editing, and album design
Perks: Get to hang out with cool people at Integricity, tag along for shoots (whenever possible)
Attitude: Willing to learn, humble, friendly, passionate about what you do!
Do note that this is not a full time position, though it may translate to one in the future. So do send in your resume or write to me at grace.tan[at]stories.my to say why you’d love to join us for these few months! Looking forward to hearing from you, and have a great weekend!
Some time back, Wyeth ran a Be Photo Ready competition for families where the grand prize is a portrait shoot with Stories! Through this contest, I met 2 awesome families – CK, Martina, their sons Melvin and Mavis, and Ivan, Jennifer and their 2 cute girls Cayla and Liz-Myra. My job is a breeze whenever I get to photograph really cute babies like these…
I am sure he gets his cheeks pinched every so often.
You know the advice that every mother gives to her soon-to-be-wed daughter… “You should always have a separate bank account from your husband. It’s for a rainy day, you’ll never know what may happen…”
Yesterday was one of those days when the topic of finances came up during a discussion with friends. Whenever it comes to finances, I have to admit, I am really lousy at managing it. When I started work years ago, I didn’t really think about budgeting or planning for my future. All that mattered was that money came in, I didn’t spend more than I earned, and that was fine.
When I got married, everything became even more complex. Put into the equation a man who says that my shopping and shoe purchasing habits are rather extensive, and you have a recipe for arguments. He believes in spending more on fewer pairs, but buying quality. I prefer quantity.
So… I worked hard to earn all that money, right! Having more shoes means more options for a girl! :) I don’t really consider myself a spender, in fact, I am super excited whenever I get a good bargain – I’d rather shop at the Chatuchak market in Bangkok any day than at any branded goods store selling LVs or Guess dresses.
But you see, when I said “I do” five years ago, I also said “I will” to opening a joint bank account with Alex. And part of that “I will” also meant “I promise” to be accountable to you regarding financial matters, and he the same towards me.
I don’t regret it. I remember a story someone told me before… this couple had separate accounts and as usual, they split the bills for everything… he paid for the daily expenses and she paid for the house. They were happily married, but soon, their marriage turned rocky. It was then that things got complicated when she said that the house was hers because she paid for it.
Frankly, I think money can either unite or divide. People quarrel over money matters all the time. So when Alex suggests rethinking my shopping habits, I need to stop myself and think, “Is it really worthwhile quarelling over this? If I go ahead and spend anyway, ignoring what he says, will it be damaging to our relationship?”
Think about it, even if you had your separate bank accounts and one partner bought something the other does not approve of, would that not be cause for conflict too?
I can imagine some of you saying, “But it’s only a pair of shoes!”
Ok, so we had an agreement. If we intend to purchase anything beyond RM200 in value, we’d consult each other.
I am happy with that arrangement. As for my mother (who did give me that same advice at the top)… I didn’t really have an answer for her then. But now that I am older, I wish I had told her, “I don’t want to go into any relationship thinking that a rainy day will come. I want to go into this marriage thinking that both of us will make it work, come what may. It’s a permanent covenant, not a contract. It’s not to be broken, it’s for life.”
She waited 3107 days for him to propose. And propose he did, on the 18th of September 2010.
3338 days since they started dating, they officially registered their marriage at the Old Chelsea Town Hall in Kings Road, London.
And precisely 3388 days since their first date, Wilbur & Helen were married on the beautiful beach at Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi.
Helen was new to London. She had moved from Coventry to start her new job at KPMG London in 2001. Wilbur was new to KPMG too, and since both needed to look for a place to stay, it was fate that connected them together via a simple email. Wilbur asked Helen, “Are you still looking for a flatmate?” Helen had already sorted her accommodation by then, but they continued communication via email and MSN.
Two months later, she was surprised to discover that Wilbur was in the same department and team as her! Wilbur was kind enough to bring Helen around London, and soon, love developed.
Wilbur & Helen love traveling, especially if the place has a gorgeous scenery. There’s only one other place apart from Venice that they have been back twice, and that is Langkawi. They love this charming town (I love it too!). Because of their love of traveling, they decided to name their reception tables according to the places they’ve visited and had many happy memories – Maldives, Venice, Santorini, Hallstatt, Mauritius and Cornwall.
The other theme at their wedding which was really apparent were the butterflies and cats. Helen sourced all over UK and Malaysia for this particular shade of pink, and also custom made this wedding invite. I love the little kitty stamp too! I was told that the black cat looks pretty much like their beloved cat Milo, who had to be left in London while they came to Malaysia for the wedding. I was amazed when I heard that Wilbur drove 45km away from his home to put their cat Milo in a special cat hotel – the only one that had a webcam and internet connection! So while in Langkawi, I had a peep via the internet at Milo, who was sleeping in his little hotel room.
I found out that Helen is a detailed and meticulous person the moment she met me for the first time months ago. As she opened her folder with cut outs of images that she liked, she shared with me the plans for her wedding. I knew it was going to be a wedding filled with lovely details. On top of that, I found out that there were only 50 guests, which is absolutely small by Malaysian standards! She said that she wanted the wedding to be an intimate affair, attended by the people dearest to them. These guests flew all the way from KL, Hong Kong, Singapore, Austria as well as London to be there for the wedding!
It’s amazing how two paths can cross… two distinctly different people who are opposites of each other, and yet these same two souls connect, and a relationship is formed. Christina and Sze Mai (also known as SM) first crossed paths as colleagues. Initially, there was nothing more than work that connected the both of them, but eventually, they started hanging out as friends, became best friends cum confidante, and eventually, discovered that they complemented and understood each other well.
Right from the start of the relationship, they talked about all things under the sun… from life, to marriage, childbearing, parenthood, religion… They held no qualms about discussing everything in life. Personally, I think the best relationships are formed this way, when couples start out as best friends. :)
Christina: What I love about SM… He is always the quiet and calm guy that takes everything in stride and is extremely patient! Since the start, we talked about everything… and I even told him about my dream proposal, wedding and future! He had always initiated the question to marry him right from the start, and I always joked, “Hey, where’s the protocol of a real proposal?”
SM: She’s always the happy and optimistic one and she keeps me in high spirits whenever she is around. Her smile, laughter and cute antics just lighten me up immediately. She always knew what she wanted, and I see that as her strength. I had always known that she is the one for me, and I knew that I wanted to give her a great proposal; which she would never forget.
A quiet beach. A relaxing vacation. What better way to propose!
