Thanks to Samston, Red Kite & our favourite Singapore Char Siew Baos, featuring guest bassist Jase had been invited to perform at Ritz Carlton for a coupla Japanese and locals guests under Mitsubitshi.

T’was a fairly simple night. Jazz standards – instrumental and with vocals.

With a spread of food and drinks, of course.

Visit: www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

There is a diamond cut that is patented called the Rising Star Diamond. It is the first diamond to be developed as a five point star. It has 56 brilliant facets. It takes highly trained cutters to create this masterpiece and if you polish the bottom facets you are not trained to polish between the points.

Production supply allows for 60 diamonds to be finished per day. When buying this diamond look for brilliance and symmetry.

Diamonds, Diamond, Loose diamonds, Diamond rings, Diamond Wholesalers, Wholesale diamonds, Diamond earrings, Certified diamonds, Cheap diamond, Diamonds Perth, Diamond Perth, African diamonds, Ideal cut, Diamond Dealers Perth, manufacturing jewellers, princess cut, thediamondclub, Engagement rings, Wedding rings

Visit: www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

In 1977 the Radiant Cut was first developed and patented. It was the first diamond to combine the elegance of the emerald shape and the brilliance and fire of a round diamond. The Radiant Cut eventually became a fully accepted diamond shape and was widely distributed.

In looking for a ideal radiant cut diamond, it should have good proportions fully spreading its carat weight and it should appear to have life.

Dear and I had done some wedding band shopping recently. Though i had chosen the band i wanted, shopping for jewellary is never tiring for a female.  Here’s some of the bands we had tried during our shopping session.

Click pic to enlarge

Band: The Dave Murphy Band
CD Release: Waiting For Dave
Year: 1996
Genre: Funk, rock & blues
Home: Toronto/Hamilton

Chatham Connection: Guitarist Dan Noordermeer is from Chatham. Dan played locally with ‘River Road’, was a long time member of the Jeff Healey Blues Band, and has done session work on several CD releases.

About Chatham’s own Dan Noordermeer:
  Guitarist extraordinaire Dan Noordermeer has been with the band for almost a decade, and continues to dazzle audiences with his formidable talents. Originally from Chatham, Dan now resides in Hamilton. Dan is known for his Samson-like mane of hair and his wicked sense of humour. Unlikely as it seems, Dan was a full time country musician for many years before joining the band. But for those familiar with his playing it’s no surprise, since he has an uncanny ability to play every style of music with incredible authenticity, passion and virtuosity.

CD & band notes:
  Over 200 shows a year quickly earned the band its reputation as one of the most talented, versatile and hardest working acts in the business.

  In the summer of 1996 the band released its first album entitled “Waiting for Dave.” The ten original tracks display the broad range of the group’s influences and talents. Later that same year, a dream came true for the band when they opened for their hero, James Brown. Since then the band has opened for numerous other acts, including The Bare Naked Ladies.

  In 1997, the band made the prestigious Orbit Room in downtown Toronto their new home for weekly performances, where the band continues to perform on Friday nights. It was here, on a stage complete with a house Hammond organ, that the band really began to stretch out musically, and since then there have been many incredible shows featuring the band at their spontaneous and improvisational best. In early 1998, exhausted by years of nonstop performing, the band took a four-month break while Dave travelled around the world.

http://www.davemurphyband.com/

________________________________________

Visit www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

There is a diamond that is patented which is a modified hexagon cut diamond with 59 facets. This diamond is inspired by the Victorian era with elegance and grace. It is very distinct in its cut and it attracts the modern fashion savvy woman. This cut of diamond can be featured in bridal rings, necklaces and earrings, but it is known for the design of a three diamond right hand ring.

Attended the wedding of a dear cousin J to her lovely hubby H last evening at the Rasa Shangri-La Sentosa. Of course, this meant that we had to travel ‘overseas’. The sister was out of town on a shopping spree in Bangkok for her online shop PINK Flare so it was down to me and the parents. The boy had another wedding to attend so he couldn’t make it as well.

Side note: 23 January 2010 seems to be a very hot date for weddings! Anyone knows why? Is it very auspicious according to the lunar calendar or something?

Popped round to my parents’ to pick them up at 6 pm before heading down south to Sentosa. They were worried that there would be a jam because of the IR and although I didn’t think that it’d be crowded, I wanted to head there early as well because I understand that the carpark situation at the hotel is pretty bad (i.e. many cars, very little lots).

Indeed, the carpark was full but thankfully, we managed to slot the car into a little corner space without blocking anyone (i.e. illegally). It was only my second time to the hotel so wasn’t quite sure where the wedding dinner was held. We almost walked into the wrong wedding because there was another wedding dinner held at the Ballroom located on the ground level. Heh. Saw the couple’s name and realised that oops, wrong wedding.

Took the lift to the 5th level where the wedding was held – The Pavilion. I like it that the reception area is non-airconditioned.

If you stood still for a bit, you could almost smell the salty beach air. Ahhhh….

We hung around the reception area for a bit and caught up with another cousin, J and his lovely wife A. They recently became parents to this super cute-as-a-button little girl, K. Check her out – HOW CUTE IS SHE??! She even has a lil’ oretty hair clip to hold up her hair.

Such big and lovely eyes! Such chubby cheeks! Aiyooooo *gush gush*. She was also very well behaved amidst the noisy crowd of strangers. All she did was to look around and take in all the new strange surrounding. Awwwww.

Another cousin Little Mint was manning the reception table. Did I mention that she’s got a little bun in the oven? We attended her wedding in September and now, she’s preggers!  Can’t wait to meet my little nephew.

She informed me that  we’d be sitting at the VIP table. Wow, the honour

By the way, the table number was supposed to be “9″ but apparently, the set-up crew placed it as “6″. Doh. We figured it out because we noticed that the table behind us was “10″. Heh. As we were at the VIP table, we had our food individually plated.

It was the usual chinese wedding dinner with appetizer, shark’s fin soup (the bride, J, is an avid diver and I’m pretty sure she didn’t play a part in wanting the shark’s fin soup!), ending with my favourite yam paste (or nee). Woots.

Guess what the little box contained?

At about 8.30pm, the dinner started with the first march-in of the happy couple. Even though they were walking pretty slowly, I couldn’t get a good picture of them! RAAH! This was the best I did:

Oh well, at least I got a picture, never mind that it’s pretty blur! BUT! I got a good picture of the…back of her gown. Lalalalalalala.

She had a really L-O-N-G train! She looked like a princess

I also managed to snap this picture of the bride’s parents waiting to welcome the couple into the room. My uncle (who’s actually a twin of my dad – yes, my dad is part of a twin!) was fiddling with the camera and trying to get it all down on record.

Awwww, I thought that was so sweet. My aunty (the bride’s mum) was ‘complaining’ to us about how her hair is too ‘pong’ (springy), how there was too much hair spray in it and that her make-up was too thick. We had to reassure her that she looked fine and looked very pretty.

J’s brother, T gave her a wedding band as a wedding present and I must say, it was money well-spent!

It was a 3-piece “band” with one guitarist and a male and female singer. The male singer in the middle is a lawyer. Yes, he’s a singing lawyer and he’s only doing this on a request basis. Apparently, T met him at another friend’s wedding and thought he was pretty good so invited him to sing at his sister’s wedding.

Their repertoire ranged from Michael Buble’s “All of me” to Teresa Teng’s 月亮代表我心. Of course, my uncles and aunties were really excited when they heard a familiar old chinese tune and quite a few of them (including my dad) was swaying and humming along to the music. Very sweet.

Here’s a short vid I took of them performing ‘All of me’. The video quality’s not great so you’d have to trust me that they sounded waaaay better live.

Dedications started to pour in and one of the songs requested was Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’. They didn’t have the lyrics to the song so Mr Singing Lawyer googled the lyrics on iPhone and sang it while holding the phone. Heh. This explains the picture above.

Halfway through, it was the usual ‘yum sengs’. I love ‘yum sengs’! I think it’s very important to have it at a wedding dinner! The louder, the better!

Did I mention that T went around making everyone drink wine? That was quite a good move because alcohol relaxes people and at the end of the dinner, there were many very happy guests

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and may the journey ahead be filled with lots of happy memories and joy, H & J!

Visit www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

The Maharaja Cut diamond was introduced about four years ago in India.

This cut of diamond is a modified round brilliant cut comprising of a 89 facets in total, with 32 on top and 56 at the bottom and 1 on the table. Rings and pendants are the most common form of jewellery for this particular diamond. The Maharaja cut fuses old fashioned diamond cutting with new technology and as the name implies it brings to mind the splendour of the great rulers of India with its royal look.

So I know it’s the cliche of all wedding photography, but there is something special about taking two wedding rings and photographing them in a unique way.  The ring symbolizes the circle of love which is never ending.  What is more romantic than that?  I decided to play around with my engagement ring and my fiancé’s wedding band the other day.  Hope you enjoy some of the results!

On the agenda for this weekend:

- go shopping for wedding bands

- get an oil change

-buy a gift for a baby shower I’m attending

- go to said baby shower

- gym/jog on Saturday, and Bikram on Sunday

- pick my youngest sister up from the airport and take her back to her dorm in San Marcos

- a new client interview

- laundry

- clean the bathrooms

- other random things that need to get done before I go back to classes

I tried out Lara bars today, the apple pie flavor (yum) and the cashew cookie flavor (eh, I didn’t finish the bar).  Do they really only have, like, two ingredients in them?!?  The box we bought at Costco has those two flavors, and also cherry pie.  Now I want to try the other flavors I’ve heard of, like key lime pie and coconut cream.

Breakfast was pretty big today.  Kellogg’s Special K fruit and yogurt flavor, 2 protein pancakes from http://www.heathereatsalmondbutter.com with some pumpkin cream cheese spread on them, and cantalope.  Then a packet of Quaker instant oatmeal before going to see my wedding dress that had arrived, and Sonic mozzarella sticks and low-cal cherry limeade before it was yoga time.  After yoga, I was certain to drink the full serving of Gatorade I had brought with me, then had Progresso Chicken Noodle soup for dinner with 1.5 Lara bars.  My after-dinner snacking consisted of 3 unfrosted strawberry muffins and some pretzels.

I felt so much better after my yoga having had the Gatorade.  Thinking Gatorade was just fancy sugar water, I used to only have one or two sips after class to clear the sweat taste from my mouth, and then I would switch to all water to rehydrate.  And I was getting soooooo tired within an hour of finishing class.  The kind of extreme fatigue that would extend into the next day.  I finally brought this up to Steve, and he asked how much of the Gatorade I was drinking.  Bingo.  So this time, I felt like myself an hour after class, when normally my energy would be crashing.  I’ll be drinking the full eight ounces from now on!

Today was not only the day my wedding dress arrived, but it was also my first time wearing those short shorts that so many of the girls wear to Bikram.  And I felt fine!  I thought I would look so bad, and be so self conscious, and that wasn’t the case at all.  In fact, it made the poses a lot easier to do because there wasn’t any material restricting my thighs when I had to get in squat position, like for awkward pose and tree pose.  Before class I hit up the Academy near me and bought a whole slew of workout gear.  I went in there intending to buy just a sports bra (rather than do laundry), but then a pair of shorts on the sale rack caught my eye (they were only $2.88!!!), and then the beast was unleashed and I started grabbing things to buy without even trying them on.  Two pairs of shorts, a sports bra, and 7 sweat wicking tops later, I got home just in time to pack up my yoga bag and jet off to class.

48 days until my wedding, and 50 until Paris!

Visit: www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

There is a diamond cut that is patented called the Rising Star Diamond. It is the first diamond to be developed as a five point star. It has 56 brilliant facets. It takes highly trained cutters to create this masterpiece and if you polish the bottom facets you are not trained to polish between the points.

Production supply allows for 60 diamonds to be finished per day. When buying this diamond look for brilliance and symmetry.

Diamonds, Diamond, Loose diamonds, Diamond rings, Diamond Wholesalers, Wholesale diamonds, Diamond earrings, Certified diamonds, Cheap diamond, Diamonds Perth, Diamond Perth, African diamonds, Ideal cut, Diamond Dealers Perth, manufacturing jewellers, princess cut, thediamondclub, Engagement rings, Wedding rings

Visit: www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

There has been a recent revival of this old cut in the marketplace. The old rose cuts are between approximately 70 to 200 years old and they have a knife edge with an irregular shape. Compare this with the new rose cut which is based on the old rose cut but with contemporary knowledge of the optics of refraction and reflection.

This particular cut of diamond can be found in antique or estate replacement jewellery. It is a popular cut of diamond with the jewellery makers due to the large face and soft cut.

Diamonds, Diamond, Loose diamonds, Diamond rings, Diamond Wholesalers, Wholesale diamonds, Diamond earrings, Certified diamonds, Cheap diamond, Diamonds Perth, Diamond Perth, African diamonds, Ideal cut, Diamond Dealers Perth, manufacturing jewellers, princess cut, thediamondclub, Engagement rings, Wedding rings

It’s hard to imagine that Jacqueline & Ali’s wedding has come to an end.  It seems like just yesterday, that we just started our wedding planning for a South Florida Wedding of what has become one of the most amazing South Florida weddings that we have been apart of.  After all, it was at The Breakers Palm Beach, one of Palm Beach’s most sought after South Florida wedding reception venues.

I knew that Jacqueline & Ali’s day was going to be spectacular from the very start, we just clicked so well.  They were both so easygoing and so appreciative of all our efforts.  I remember my many conference calls, discussing the many wedding details of the day.  It was like talking with my best friend and something that I admit I will miss.

Excited does not even come close to the feeling that I had for Jacqueline & Ali’s wedding day.  I simply could not wait.  I knew that their emotions were going to be obvious to the world on their special day, and I was right.

From the very beginning of the day, when I first saw Jacqueline, I knew what my camera was going to find.  Perfection!  It was the most incredible collection of a perfect wedding story.  The girls were all so beautiful and having such a great time helping Jacqueline get ready.

From there we went outside to some of South Florida’s most photographic wedding backgrounds, the best that any South Florida wedding photographer could ask for.  The weather was perfect by my standards, but a little chilly for the girls, so we moved about quickly.

When I found Ali and started to tell him about the beginning of our day with his bride, he was more than excited and could not wait to see her.  It was truly a romantic and memorable moment when they first came together, with the most perfect setting.  I am sure that my entire crew was as effected as I was.  When it is true love, it shows and with Jacqueline & Ali, it explodes.

The day just kept getting better, with phenomenal shots of the bridal party, bride & groom with an awesome oceanic background.  Followed by a Persian wedding ceremony with Ali’s dad officiating.  What a ceremony it was! They had the most amazing Sofreh Aghd.

As with many other Iranian and Persian traditions, the sofreh aghd and the items placed thereon have deep symbolic meanings.  The wedding vows are taken at the sofreh aghd in the presence of the bride and groom’s parents, family members and close friends.

After Cocktail Hour, the guests were brought into the most lavish of ballrooms, the Mediterranean Room, with up lit walls, elegant table décor with centerpieces that were each lit from above.

The guests danced the night away to the amazing sounds of Vox Blu, one of the many talented bands of the Powerhouse Group.  This band was a real treat to hear, with each member being equally impressive.  The bandleader, Michelle Doyle, had a voice to die for and had all the guests out of their seats.  She ran the party with fine details, keeping us in tune to any formalities.  We were truly a great team!

At the end it was difficult for me to say goodbye to my new friends.  Having the opportunity to share in their lives, this very special day, well that privilege I will savor forever. Thank You Jacqueline & Ali, for sharing your family and special day with me.

Visit:   www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

The oval cut diamond is based on the traditional round brilliant configuration. The intervention of the oval cut goes back to the early 1960s. Generally, this particular cut of diamond is used in graduated sizes for necklaces, but recently they have become very popular as center diamonds for engagement rings.

There is a shortage of finely made ovals and the prices are rising. Buyers should look for shape and cut pleasing to the eye. The ends should be gracefully round, not flattened or too narrow and shallow ovals create a larger look that belies their actual weight.

Diamonds, Diamond, Loose diamonds, Diamond rings, Diamond Wholesalers, Wholesale diamonds, Diamond earrings, Certified diamonds, Cheap diamond, Diamonds Perth, Diamond Perth, African diamonds, Ideal cut, Diamond Dealers Perth, manufacturing jewellers, princess cut, thediamondclub, Engagement rings, Wedding rings

Visit:  www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

There is a diamond cut in the marketplace which exceeds the standards of a Princess Diamond in its cut, proportion and return of light, as well as most other traditional cut diamonds that are available in the marketplace today.

This particular cut of diamond has over 100 facets, giving it nearly twice as many facets as the standard princess cut diamond. However the secret behind the extraordinary brilliance of this diamond is not the number of facets but their strategic placement, which ensures the brightest prince cut possible.

The woman at the store was covered in diamonds. Her hands put my mother’s ring-clad fingers to shame and she had pinned more than one glittering brooch to the lapels of her immaculate suit jacket. She presented the rings with an air of informative efficiency, friendliness at arms length. I was nervous putting them on. They glittered just so and the flashiness of them felt alien on my own almost bare fingers.

And then, there it was. Exactly what I was looking for. The diamonds set off the diamonds of my engagement ring and together, they sparkled like nothing else. It didn’t get lost on my finger like some I had tried, thin little wires of diamonds. But it didn’t overpower, either, stealing the show from my hands themselves.

It felt like a wedding band.

Now, it’s waiting for M, waiting for May 8, and the moment he slips it onto my finger. This symbol is more important than the wedding dress, more important than the chair covers, more important than the photographer or the cake or the place in which we hold the reception, or the dance, or the centerpieces on the tables or any of the other details.

With this symbol, I thee wed.

Visit: www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

This particular cut of diamond is based on the ideal square-shaped diamond and it has 49 facets and sharp corners. It is always cut in ideal proportions to maximise the brilliance of the stone. It is not cut for weight retention, as many Princess cuts are. Therefore, a Princess will always look slightly smaller than this particular cut of diamond of the same carat weight.

When buying this particular cut of diamond you must look for brilliance above all. Every diamond is stamped on the shank and is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity and warranty.

Visit www.thediamondclub.com.au for more information

The term Ideal Cut is used predominantly for round brilliant diamonds, and it refers to the set of proportions that yield the highest degree of brilliance. Ideal cuts have always commanded a premium price due to the additional cost of manufacturing them and the higher price consumers are willing to pay for them.

Collected my curved wedding band today from Fairy’s Inc. Had to battle traffic at Orchard Road, a taxi-driver who didn’t know which way was up, wasted $50 in cab fare (@#$%^&!!!) I actually burst into Fairy’s Inc after 45 minutes on the road, practically breathing smoke, and announced….”WUAHHH!!! It was a BITCH getting here!!” And suddenly realised that there were FOUR couples there! *redfaced*

I’m not usually so foul-mouthed, but understand that I was smack in the middle of road rage. (Actually had a migraine from suppressing the mad.)

Anyway, I was so pleased with the ring that it put me in a good mood again. I’m such a girl.

So here it is!

The front bit of the ring. The curved edge accommodates the engagement ring.

Side-view. Detail of the scalloping on the side seen here.

The back view of the ring. I had the ring designed in such a way that it could be worn alone and still look pretty. The scalloping makes the curve look like part of the design. Or, I could turn it around and wear it like a regular eternity ring! 

I can even wear it the other way around like an arch or a crown!

Worn with the engagement ring!

I’m absolutely loving my wedding set! Pictures do not do it justice at all; the diamonds are very bling & high quality. Colourless. And it’s also very comfortable on the finger, although I must confess, nothing beats my beloved Bezet ring for comfort. 

So…is Princess Panda a totally over the top bride or what? TWO wedding rings, one plain for humble & home use (and worn on the right hand on the days when I’m wearing the wedding set), the other bling band for going out. And I’m loving both!

YAY!

Red Kite managed to pull off having multiple events on New Year’s Eve, thanks to the follow bands:

Singapore Char Siew Baos

Los Santos

Phase to Face

Audionauts

Maybe Friday

All of the Above (Shi Li & company)

DJ Matt Wainwright

Thanks all, for making the night possible.

Here are some pictures where I was, which was at Oriole Cafe (Pan Pacific Suites). I counted down with All of the Above, which is made up of Brandon on drums, Adrian on bass, Adi on keys, Shi Li on vocals and Moses on guitar.

I couldn’t take a break after the 31st – we had celebrations at the Waterfront, starting with Impromptu on the first day.

day 2 was Phase 2 Face

Day three is for Inc Co. band which plays at Lobby Bar, St James Powerstation weekly

Also, Jason & Lyn was married at the ACM on January 1

we had Phobee and Clarence live