Best of TwentySixteen

Hi lovelies,
Last year I blogged about my 8 personal milestones of 2015 > HERE :)
Can't believe at a blink of an eye 2016 is coming to an end..
I hope you have fulfilled all your 2016 resolutions you set for yourself?
~
This year passed by exceptionally fast.. where did the time go?!?!
Below are some of my 2016 highlight! My personal #bestof2016! :)
It is another eventful year for me and I am very thankful for another great year! :) <3

1. #khswHome
We turned our empty home to a cosy home :) Oh ya.. Our house warming not over yet!
We still have quite a number of "groups" we yet to invite over..


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Our Wedding Day - Part Two

Bello! :)
Another long blogpost ahead.. because I am bad at selecting pics!
I will end up uploading all the pics I have.. lol
~
Loving every moment of #KhswWedding :) <3
So much love! <3 Thanks to our groomsmen and bridesmaids for going all out to make our big day a successful one :) <3 and thanks to our beloved friends/relatives for sharing our joy <3

To view Our Wedding Day - Part One click
HERE 

30th April 2016 - GATE CRASH

Bridesmaids came over early to prepare..thanks so much for your help girls..<3 <3 <3

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New Zealand Honeymoon Trip in a Nutshell

Our New Zealand Honeymoon Trip in a Nutshell :)

Click below to view Video highlight of our trip:)


Youtube Video done by my hubby <3 <3 <3

A full trip highlight! With sky diving, Campervan, Fox Glacier Helihike.. etc
We had so much fun in New Zealand <3 left our heart and soul there!
Will share our NZ itinerary soon <3


See you on instagram @bigtreeandkoala for now <3 :)
Enjoy your weekend everyone! <3
If you are not tired of seeing our faces more often,
you can follow us on our Youtube: @Bigtreeandkoala too :) haha.. 

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Our Wedding Day - Part One

30th April 2016 #khswWedding


Time flies.. almost 6 months since our wedding day :)
Whenever I think back on our big day.. my heart still filled with so much love I feel extremely thankful for all that life have given me thus far.. #grateful

and yup! my hubby and I are officially and finally married after 9 years of courtship.. :)

Photos below credit : Acapella Photography
Warning: lots of portrait pics of me below..
I can't decide which pic is my favourite.. so I upload all.. haha..

This #khswWedding Part One series I only upload the behind the scene pics..
pics before my hubby came over to my place to pick me.. too many pics.. have to split to afew posts if not it will take very long to load :)

To be honest..the night before our wedding, I cannot sleep at all.. I got no idea why..
too nervous? too excited? Too happy? I don't know.. I feel very amazed and surreal that the day I waited for so long is finally here.. I still remember when my hubby and I just started dating 9 years ago.. we felt that wedding was so far away.. back then I just get my O levels results and my hubby who is 3 years older than me just completed his National service.. 
I went to NanYang Poly after my O's while my hubby went to NUS after his National service.
After I graduate I worked in the bank while my hubby graduate one year after me..
When my hubby graduated from NUS I went to pursue my degree! Lol.. delay and delay..
Finally what seems so far away is happening!! haha..


Throwback to 30th April 2016..

at my hubby's place..

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Our Betrothal Gift Ceremony aka Guo Da Li

Hello friends/readers,

Long time no see! :)
Today I am going to share about our Betrothal Gift Ceremony aka 过大礼 (Guo Da Li) :)

If you follow us on Instagram @Bigtreeandkoala , you would have came across a video we posted 2 weeks before our wedding day (30th April 16),
that's a video highlight of our Guo Da Li.
Guo da li is like a gift exchange ceremony between the bride's and groom's family..

We will be sharing where to buy the Guo Da Li items and the Guo Da Li cake (
喜饼).
If you find this blog post useful.
Do feel free to share this blog post with your friends/relatives who are getting married!

Before our Guo Da Li ceremony, my husband and his parents came over to my place to discuss about the guo da li ceremony.. things to bring over, etc.. :)

As usual we did numerous research.. way before our Guo Da Li ceremony..
but one thing we would encourage all soon-to-be-wed couples out there are..
Don't stress over your Guo Da Li ceremony or do so much research online!
Because you will end up following what your parents want, so sit back and follow instructions.. :) Haha


What is Guo Da Li (过大礼)?

As a modern couple.. I would say searching for gowns, dream venues for wedding, photographer and videographer aren't difficult at all with the help of pininterest, Instagram and other social media etc.. but when it comes to the traditional parts of the wedding.. it can be quite confusing >.<

Guo Da Li (过大礼), or the Chinese betrothal ceremony, marks the important formal meeting between both families and symbolises the groom’s sincerity towards marrying the bride and his assurance that she will be well taken care of after marriage.

Guo Da Li usually takes place 2 to 4 weeks before the wedding day. During the betrothal ceremony, the groom and a matchmaker (Mei Po "
媒婆"), or an elder female relative with good fortune, will present the bride's family with a variety of gifts that represent fertility and prosperity. The items used for the Guo Da Li should always come in pairs as a representation of good fortune and 双双对对.


Different dialect groups will have different items for the Guo Da Li ceremony..
Traditionally is to follow the groom's dialect.. unless the bride is a Teochew.
Teochew is the "biggest" when it comes to Betrothal Gift Ceremony 过大礼, even the groom have to follow the bride's dialect if the bride is Teochew.

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Here's what we prepare for our Guo Da Li :)

Guo Da Li items for the Groom's side to prepare:



  • A betrothal basket - to carry the items
  • One pair each of dragon and phoenix candles - Symbolises double happiness 
  • A red packet bearing the bride's price, or 聘金 (Pin Jin)
  • Pig trotters (available in cans) or a platter of roast pork - Gift for the mother-in-law
  • Hard liquor or wine - Gift for the father-in-law
  • Traditional wedding cakes (喜饼) - For bride's family to distribute to relatives
  • Jewellery for the bride (四点金) - For the bride
  • Oranges - Symbolises good luck, good fortune


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    JNC Slow Juicer Review

    Thank you BUY HOME for the JNC Slow Juicer :)
    We love it! :)
    ***This is a sponsored post.
    ~
    Here's a picture of me with the JNC slow juicer and fruits :)

    Eagerly waiting to try out..
    I have always wanted a slow juicer.. because I want to include all my fav fruits to create a juice of my choice :) sad to say I can't put durian in.. hahaha

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    JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner Product Review

    [CNY SPECIAL]

    3 in 1: JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner
    Vacuums, Sweeps, Mops

    Loving this IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner from JNC!

    Being a new home owners, doing housework is still very new to us..
    We are glad to have this 3 in 1 JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner to help us with our Spring Cleaning this year! :)

    Design
    JNC IQ robot vacuum cleaner is sleek and compact, measuring just 28cm in diameter and 7.5cm in height. It looks really good as well! Loving the white minimalist look of the robot, just like our house. :)

    Setting up
    JNC IQ robot vacuum cleaner is very simple to set up. Simply install the battery and 2 side brushes at the bottom, the container at the top, and the robot is good to go! Just press the power button and the robot will roam around sweeping and vacuuming. No complex modes or programming required!
    Above pic with the clean container before cleaning..

    Operation
    We let the IQ robot vacuum roam around while we do some packing. The robot operates rather quietly, emitting just a low humming noise. Whenever it touches an obstacles with its rubber protected bumper, it will right turn and continue vacuuming. No fear for curbs or stairs, as the IQ robot vacuum is equipped with proximity sensors. It will turn away when it reaches the edge of the stairs or curbs.

    after 30 minutes of vacuuming...
    We were shock to see this!! Because we thought our living room is already very clean!!
    Didn't know our living room is still so dusty!! 

    Cleaning up
    Cleaning up is also very easy. Remove the container from the robot, empty the rubbish, wash the container and filter, let it dry and its done! Fully charge the robot and its good to go for next round of vacuuming! :)

    Conclusion
    The JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner is a value for money entry level robot vacuum cleaner. It is compact and very easy to use. It does a decent job in vacuuming and can last about 50 minutes.
    As JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner is an entry level robot, it does not have those complex mapping system like those in Samsung or iRobot. Hence, there will be some areas where the JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner will miss out, and it does not automatically return to the docking station for charging when the battery is flat.
    Due to our busy work schedule, we think it is good to have a JNC IQ Robot to do the Vacuum cleaning.. For home owners who are looking for a affordable and basic robot vacuum cleaner, JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner is a must buy!
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    Moreover it is having promotion right now!!
    Get yours now!!
    3 in 1 JNC IQ Robot Vacuum Cleaner is having a CNY Special!
    Retail price is $229! Now it is going at $93.60!
    Limited time only!
    Click here:  
    *** This is a sponsored post. 

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    Seven areas to check for your BTO Defects, Defects Checklist

    Hello lovelies,
    Here's your long awaited post on the BTO defects checklist! :) Sorry for the long wait! :)
    We tried our very best to think of all the defects we can possibly think of
    to help you with your defects check :)
    Feel free to input at the comment session below if you came across any defects that we missed out in this post so as to benefit other readers :) You are welcome to share this post on Facebook and other social media platforms with your friends/neighbours/love ones! 

    We hope to help other new home owners like us with their defects check too! :)


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