I attended a wedding of a friend from my undergrad UBC days and got a blast from the past. I saw old friends whom I had not seen in ages. They were people I knew from the church I was going to nine years ago. I had mixed feelings about seeing them. On one hand I was glad to see them again and know where they're at now, but I was also sad that these people who were once good friends of mine are no longer in my life. All of them didn't know that I had come back to Vancouver and gotten married. I had not bothered to notify them because I had lost touch for so long. Even while at Regent I barely saw much of them, if at all.

Overall it felt awkward to see them again because I wasn't sure if I should make the effort to reconnect with them again. Do I suggest that we meet up soon and catch up? In the end, I decided to just leave it at "Hi" and "Bye." Frankly, there's really nothing we have in common that would reunite us and make us a regular part of one another's lives. The only thing we share now is a history, a brief period of our lives. We had some good times back then, but I doubt we could recreate them. We've all gone in our own direction.

Latest project is a nightstand on which I decoupaged some gift wrap paper.

And I've just embarked on my first reupholstery project! I need to go out and find some foam today to replace the one that's in the chair's seat. I'm very excited about doing this project.

The Dude and I will be moving out of the co-op house at the end of the month. Our new digs will be in Kerrisdale! The mecca for retired senior citizens in Vancouver!

We're sad to leave our awesome housemates, but we found that co-op living demands too much of our time. Our current house is very old, and an absentee landlord results in tenants doing much of the maintenance work. Also, we realized that being newlyweds requires us to put in a substantial portion of our energy and time into establishing our new marriage. Hence, we need to give ourselves the space and time to do that. Personally, I also discovered that living in a house is not my thing. I really do prefer small spaces because they're low maintenance. I rather be outside enjoying the city or exploring something new rather than working on my house. Accordingly, the Dude and I are in no hurry to buy a house any time soon.

I'll be spending a lot of time at www.apartmenttherapy.com as I fantasize about decorating our sweet, little apartment.

We're back from our honeymoon!

We went on a road trip that took us up to the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island, and Salt Spring Island. Yes, lots of ferry-ing around.

Memorable moments:

::Watching the lightning storm from Sechelt.

::My favorite ferry ride was hands down the one between Earl's Cove and Powell River. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous scenery.

::Visiting the Old Country Market in Coombs--famous for having goats on their roofs.

::The Dude fooling around with his seaweed "whip" on the beach while we were in Tofino.

::Canoeing in Clayoquot Sound.

::Chatting it up with Bruce of Bruce's Kitchen, owner of a small cafe in Salt Spring Island that specializes in using produce from local farms. We especially enjoyed the amazing orzo salad that had delectable slices of heirloom tomatoes.

Based on the positive feedback we got, I think our wedding celebration was a success. So many guests told us what a great time they were having, and that's what really mattered to us when all was said and done. And we sure had a good time ourselves, too!

Of course, putting on the party wouldn't have been possible without the amazing help we got from our friends and family. I was really moved by the love and support people expressed.

I just finished my first carpentry project! I built a 3.5 ft. long planter for a wedding decoration project. Yay, I can't believe I actually managed to make something out of lumber! All by myself! It feels good to realize my ambitions in carpentry at last.

The other day I bought my one and only wedding magazine since getting engaged: the Summer 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. I was drawn to its special DIY (do-it-yourself) section, and I'm a sucker for all things DIY. Heck, our entire bloody wedding is DIY. Anyway, the magazine also features real weddings, and to my utter surprise one of the brides wore the same dress as mine (except with a slightly different neckline). Cool...I think. Some twisted part of me wishes that the dress I chose is exclusive to me only, but given that I bought it off the rack, I'm sure many other women have worn it for their weddings.

DIY has been the operative theme for our wedding, and I chose to do it this way so that I could make sure that things are done in the most environmentally friendly way. One of the downsides to weddings is the incredible amount of waste that's produced, not just in materials but also in energy. And even the things that we outsourced to others, we chose to work with vendors that are mostly within a 5-mile radius of our house.

But DIY comes at a price, which is that it takes more time. I'm also finding that choosing the ecological option is usually very budget-friendly, but at times it is definitely not. And I've been struggling with the challenge that being "green" may result in your wedding looking sparse when it comes to decor. It's been an interesting learning experience to strike a balance. I think the solution is to be as decorative as you want but try to use as many materials that are either used and/or that can be reused or re-purposed after the wedding.

All in all, I'm very pleased with how I've designed the wedding. Nevertheless, I'm anxious to see how it will all pan out on the actual day and if my vision of the wedding can be realized the way I had hoped.

I just came back from an invigorating bike ride. I feel so alive when I ride. Yes, I finally got a bike! It's used but in solid shape, and I got it for only $50, way below what it should have cost. I totally lucked out. The quality is much higher than the bike I had when I was in L.A., but unfortunately, it's not hot pink. Perhaps, a spray paint job is in order.

Anyway, this is a good time to start riding again so that my inflated ass can be whipped back into shape. I need to fit into my wedding dress! My energy level has been hit hard by various health issues in the last couple years, but especially recently, so I haven't been as active as I used to be and the state of my derriere shows it.

I just discovered today that it's World Wide Knit in Public Day. I miss it every year! If I had known, I would have joined the group that's meeting at Kits Beach right now, but my day is already booked.

For months I've been wanting to paint our bedroom walls, and today I finally started! A while ago, I scored a quart of Ralph Lauren paint in a gorgeous gray-blue hue for $3 in the "Oops" section at Home Depot. A very lucky find! So I used it to paint one wall of our bedroom, and I totally dig it. It just livens up the room so much. It's amazing the difference a paint job can make. The rest of the walls will be in a pale yellow, and I can't wait to see the outcome.

Also, I'm going to check out a used bike tonight. I hope this one's it because I'm dying to ride again. It's been way too long since I last rode.

Whilst wedding planning, I've avoided scouring the world wide web for wedding ideas and stalking a million and one wedding websites. But there is one wedding website (www.oncewed.com) that I recently started tuning into regularly because I adore their DIY projects and the real weddings they feature. If I could plan our wedding all over again, I'd do it on a farm or in someone's backyard.

Now, I present to you The Behemoth.

Before



After

Before



After



My first furniture refinishing project, which I finished a while ago. My favorite feature of the whole project is the handle. Doing the bird silhouettes was a pain in the ass. The nightstand is far from perfect, but considering it was my first project, I'm pleased with it.

I'm currently on my third piece, which is another nightstand. I shall post pictures of the Behemoth (the oversized dresser) as soon as I'm able to document it.