5th Year : Journeys For Two 2011 / 2012

Editor's Letter in JFT 2011 / 2012 Issue

Without realising it, Journeys For Two : Destination Weddings For The Stylish & Chic is in its 5th year. I still remember that faithful morning 5 years ago, sitting at Old Town Kopitiam in Sri Hartamas with Kris where we decided, yes, this was something we would do and see where it took us (just as long as I do not have to deal with any numbers was my only criteria. Haha!) and in a flash of a flash, it had taken us into our 5th issue.

For the last 5 issues, every year was a learning curve for us - well, I can't say I speak on behalf of the team. It was definitely a learning curve for me. How do we do better for the next issue? How can we hit more sales? How can we make the content more relevant? More interesting? What sales strategy do we deploy in closing the sales? How do we expand our reach? Etc.... Etc......  For me, every year saw me getting more and more organized and focused with the targets and working on newer angles for contents.....  but still, this is a team effort and decisions are largely based on how the team feels (err,... the team here would mean my boss - Kris Wong. Haha.) since most of the time, I come up with some brilliant idea that is just not executable :P

For me, part of the learning curve was also about putting one's ego aside while doing the editorial work. It's OK to have your articles edited by the Managing Editor :) "How come it is different from what I wrote??!" is usually my first question - but no hissy fit, please. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing - a great magazine and brand out there in the market which will continue selling itself every year...... (and thus paying for some of my holidays, and most recently, my tri race participation!). The real kudos of course, goes to the team from Weddings Malaysia that works on the magazine too!

And after a year's work to get the last issue out (and it IS out now, sold at major bookstores - woohoo!), we are starting to work on our 6th issue already and I'm keeping my fingers crossed to be able to clinch this new content deal across the borders - since already gotten the green light from Da Boss Man :) So, with some luck, we'd have yet another exciting issue serving up! Who knows where this issue will take us then, since we had been trawling exotic beaches and beautiful highlands, embracing different cultures, appreciating history and heritage and keeping up with growing trends thus far.

p/s : Despite the perception of Kris Wong being anal and whose virtue really isn't patience, it has been a breeze working with him. We just both have to answer each other's emails on time. ROFL. Here's to another GREAT issue, Kris!

(for photo credit of the above picture - go get your copy of JFT now!) 

Bali Triathlon : An Abysmal Performance

Team Weddings Malaysia & Team JFT

For those of you who have been following my blog would know that I was in pretty ill-shape for the Bali Triathlon. Nevertheless, my stubbornness ensured that I was right there at the starting line on the cloudy morning of 26^th June 2011, together with my wedding industry friends and MOH who formed the relay team of Team Weddings Malaysia and our official cheerleaders : Shirley Hoo, Mama & Papa Lui. The damn cough and the damn pain in my left ribs were the major issues and I had been trying to ‘hide’ this for the past couple of days after we all met up in Bali – for fear that, you know, I might be curbed from taking part in the competition.
Having Kris, Lee Kuen, Shirley and my parents around really took my mind off the stress I was going through – imagining that I will not complete the race. Aaargh! I definitely do not want a DNF in my record! Kris was particularly funny, cracking jokes about racing, teaching us how to pose for the camera (“gaya mesti ada”) and making us all laugh like KKC (not helping the pain in my ribs though).

Oh – oh! I also had the honour of meeting Richard Sambera – the ex-national swimming champ for Indonesia! I got his autograph, a photo with him and his V-shaped bod (very impressive for a retired sportsman) and a few good tips from him about swimming in the open-water. Most of the Indon national team and most of the top athletes from Australia were competing too. Well, not so bad, right? Team Weddings Malaysia and Team Journeys For Two were competing amongst the best-of-the-best!
Bali in June is chilly. I looked at the choppy waves forlornly and say a silent prayer. I was not going to kid myself – I prayed that I completed the race safely and I prayed for Team Weddings Malaysia to complete the race safely too. We all know that in races like these, as well-organized as they may be, anything can happen (and obviously, it did). There was a bit of a panic during my prep-time since my Mom was holding my prep bag and she was at the swim start instead of the bike transition area. They had to do a power walk in the dark to deliver the bag to me so I could lay-out my stuff. Not funny then, but funny now :)

When the Bali governor sounded the horn for the start, it was a “here we go again” moment for me. I jumped into the water, along with two hundred over other athletes competing for top places, prize money and personal glory (Team Weddings Malaysia had a later start since they were doing the Sprint Distance). The swim in the freezing waters of Jimbaran Bay was particularly enjoyable, except for the choppy waters. Although I started at the back of the pack, I kept good pace and the cold numbed the pain in my ribs. One mantra remained in my head while I kept my pace and rhythm – “please don’t let me finish last, please don’t let me finish last..” I thought I was doing well as I overtook a number of swimmers, and then I touched the shore at 44mins. This was particularly de-motivating since my worse timing previously in the open waters was 38mins. Eeesh. (Later, I found out that we swam more than 1.5km since the bloody buoy shifted position!!) I ran the 800m to the transition area (again, a first for any tri I’ve been in) to get into my bike gear and head on out. Of course, Mommy dearest was cheering at the swim finish and Shirley was snapping away on the camera – therefore, must perk-up and smile for the camera, not look like half-dead (although she promised the photos of me coughing and dying were not going to be posted on FB!)

The bike route was a whole different monster, I tell you. It was an arduous uphill cycle for most of 25km – and not just that, we had to maneuver potholes and sit in heavy ‘macet’. OMG. While the chilly water had numbed my pain, the constant uphill climb had brought it all back. It didn’t help that I was coughing and having a running nose. I had snot all over me by the 10^th click. Nevermind the fact that I was on a rented bike and was just not used to it (decided not to lug my bike around when I holiday in Bali). The first three hills, I was still motivating myself and I was trying to sing Rihanna and Eminem in-between to take my mind off. By the sixth hill, I was ready to cry. I could hear my knees creaking and my ribs felt inflamed. When I hit more hills and saw some other cyclists getting off their bikes and pushing instead, I decided that was the smarter thing to do and did the same. It was faster! And then it rained. OMG. The phrase “slippery when wet” was very much real in this race. Lots of bikers lost control and crashed. I myself nearly crashed into a traffic police. Good thing he managed to stop the traffic since I had gone over to the wrong lane as I wobbled to avoid falling! I had never in my life, lost my cool during any race. But at the Bali Tri, I did. You just imagine, you are trying to gather your momentum downhill to climb the damn hill only to find that there is a bloody traffic jam in the middle of the hill and you have to stop! Aaargh! I was cursing and swearing and I wanted to punch people.  It was extremely NOT enjoyable. During the race briefing, Robb Strom said “Enjoy the scenic route and suck in the very soul of Bali.” I was sucking in alright – the smog and pollution. And there was definitely nothing scenic about my route. If I did not know better, I would think I was PMS-ing :P

No, don’t get me wrong. I love Bali. I fell in love with MOH here and we made it full circle by having our wedding in Bali. But racing in the macet and avoiding potholes was a whole other matter. Besides, Bali is really overly congested and might be losing some of its charm. I’m digressing. The point is, the organizers should at least work on closing the traffic – at least one lane. It’s the 5^th year this has been organized, there should be a way!

I finally finished my 40km uphill bike battle in an unfashionable time of 1:57 – totally aargh, aargh and double aargh! I cursed all the way to the dismount area, cursed all the way as I walked in – MOH met me at the transition area (he obviously finished his 20km sprint distance earlier than I did and was spared most of the hills :P) and I was telling him how much I hated the bike leg. He told me I wasn’t the only one. Apparently, every biker who came in was cursing and swearing too.

I went ahead with my run and at this point, I just told myself to finish the race. I was in so much pain that I honestly didn’t think I remembered my own name (btw – I couldn’t even find where I parked my bike because they don’t mark the transition areas – hence, some athletes found their bikes missing when they came in from their swim!). I was coughing almost non-stop at this point and at the 4km mark, I thought I was having an asthma attack! Still, I pushed on. And then, as if wanting to challenge me further, there was no water available at the water stations. Just the Hydro Coconut Water thingy – while not too bad in taste, was not what my cough needed!! The running route was not any better. Still stuck in traffic, avoiding motorbikes and potholes. Come to think of it, it reminded me of why I do not train outdoors in da Penh :P I finally, finally finished the run leg in 1:02 – again, horrible timing – and crossed the finished line in an abysmal 3:54. My worse ever race timing clocked. My Dad – poor dude – was waiting for me at the finish line and I don’t think I will ever live down the “I waited for 3 hours, you know!!” On one hand, I was touched that both my parents cheered me on and definitely touched that my Dad stood around waiting patiently for 3 hours for me to show up. Of course, he complained afterwards, but I knew that when I didn't show up in the 2nd hour, he was worried that I might have fainted somewhere! Haha. On the other hand, I felt bad. I felt like I had let them down. I should’ve made it back faster. I could’ve. Just that the body ‘mogok’ – I couldn’t help it. MOH, however, scored a “SHUT UP” from me since the last thing I needed to hear was “I told you so.” :P :P :P

Kris offered a good consolation – he said I cannot compare this race with my other previous races because the route was tougher. Comparatively, the Top finisher finished in 3:05, so I wasn’t that ‘far’ behind. OK, admittedly, what he said did make sense. But it didn’t quite make me feel any better finishing 3 effin’ 54. Another consoling point – which MOH pointed out – was I was still Top 10 – I have yet to break that record. But yes, Top 10 out of 11 :P :P Aaargh! Fine, so Team Journeys For Two Solo didn’t do too well if you looked at overall timing (I will now need some time to get over this sore point :P).

However, Team Weddings Malaysia finished very well. Kris was super fast in the swim (12^th out of the water), super funny in his 800m transition run (a length longer than his swim –  which he constantly reminded us about throughout our trip together thereafter), MOH finished his bike pretty damn fast as well (16^th finisher on the bike) and Lee Kuen completed the race in fashionable manner (20^th to come in from the run). Lee Kuen – another funny one – everyone looked worn-out after the race but she still looked posh and glamourous – like not a hair out of place! How the hell? Anyway, a BIG kudos to Team Weddings Malaysia for a great virgin race J - finishing Top 16 in a time of 1:47 ahead of many other teams J I am happy that my industry friends are starting to pick-up on my passion too and here’s to more teams forming and more races in which we can all enjoy together J

There had been many lessons learnt in the run-up to the Bali race and even while racing itself for me. I’m not going to talk about the “I told you so” lessons :P At the very least, I know that my “Never Say Die” attitude is embedded strongly and I am not a quitter. I say this easily now because I completed the race, pain and all. But I think the one thing that was going for me on race day was the fact that the sun was hiding pretty much throughout the race. If the heat was on – I am not sure I would’ve made it. I am also very happy that my parents have come to cheer me on and support me and knowing that they were standing and waiting at the finish line kept me going. Of course, thanks to Kris, Shirley, Lee Kuen and MOH too for all the laughs and jokes and mutual team support. These are all the enjoyable part of it all J An experience – nobody can give or take away from me.

And now, I shall start on writing a strongly-worded letter to the organizers because, nevermind that the route was terrible, nevermind that we had to climb uphill on the bike in traffic, nevermind that there was no water BUT what I do mind is that they didn’t have enough finisher’s medal and as such – I didn’t even get mine! C’mon, people! For the effin’ climb and the smog and all the sweat and tears – I should at least get a medal, right? Right? Right. 

Personal Cheer Troupe :) Mama & Papa Lui

My Editorial Message in Journeys For Two

It's been a year's work getting the magazine out but finally - it is out NOW and available to all. I am personally very glad to have been given this opportunity by Kris Wong from Weddings Malaysia to work on Journeys For Two - an area which is rather close to my heart (and my work :P) and as Kris had mentioned - we will be brainstorming for the next issue while we sip on Long Island Iced Teas at Maya Ubud this coming October :)

Thanks to ALL!

The Editor's Letter
Considering the effects of the economic downturn, we are certainly very grateful to be back with our 4th issue of Journeys For Two – Destination Weddings For The Stylish and Chic. A big round of applause goes out to all who have believed in us and supported us despite the effects of the economic scenario. I would also like to personally extend my appreciation to Kayumanis Nusa Dua for helping me arrange my once-in-a-lifetime wedding. It was fun and oh-so-memorable for us and our guests. Kudos to the team at Kayumanis Nusa Dua.

In this issue, we continue to bring you fabulous destination wedding locations, ranging from the affordable to the luxurious, from the contemporary to quirky and also adding in some eco-friendly venues for those who would like to make a small difference in the world. Coupled with some views and thoughts on destination wedding choices from vendors as well as married couples, we hope this will help you make a sound decision for your dream destination wedding.


"I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance; a church filled with flowers and friends. I asked him what kind of wedding he wished for; he said one that would make me his wife.” – Anonymous

** snapshot of page 3 of the JFT magazine

Bitch Says Sorry, Screw You

I read with utter disgust at this blogpost by that "I am different" sourpuss photographer. This time, I shall no longer hold my piece. And with the consent of my clients R&G (the clients whose photos I supposedly "stole") - I shall have my day to speak.

To the sourpuss - first and foremost - had you kept your slander to Eileen Lui ONLY - I would've let this slide. But no, you dragged my company into this, and worse still - you dragged AWP into this. To me, that is plainly tainted with MALICIOUS INTENT. And as what the Japanese said when they bombed the Pearl Harbour - you had awaken a sleeping giant. I ain't taking this sitting down. You want your sorry? Here's your sorry.

First and foremost - let me clarify a few points. I was given permission to use the photos by my clients R&G. R&G did not hire us for the full planning service as they were on a tight budget. When we wanted to start our wedding website, we asked all our clients to allow us use of their wedding photos. We further received permission for the photos to be used by The Star in their wedding pullout. And herein, the trouble started - plain and simple - it was MY MISTAKE. And MY FAULT. I failed to credit the photographer. Obviously, a big mistake. In any case - to clarify again - I'm a wedding planner, NOT a photographer. If I were to "steal" photos, wouldn't I be better off stealing photos of wedding set-ups to showcase my portfolio?? And no, from the get-go till now, there are NO photographers under our payroll. Point made.

But what this sourpuss did to call in on my mistake - with his so-called lawyer friend from a reputable law firm (whose partner ironically, introduced my lawyer to me) was what my lawyers termed as "entrapment" and that lawyer could lose her bar license. Upon advice, a police report, together with a copy of the CCTV security tapes from Plaza Mont Kiara, was lodged at the Mont Kiara Police Station shortly after the confrontation. I was placed in a position of "utter fear and duress" and "threatened" not to mention - shocked that sourpuss demanded a compensation sum of RM40,000 for the use of 8 images without credit. When this sum was revealed to my lawyer - swear to God, the first thing he asked was "Is this guy going out of business or what?" Aside from that - sourpuss wanted a full-page apology ad in The Star.

Honestly, the apology ad - we were all ready to go ahead with. Since it was blatantly my mistake. But upon advise from the lawyers - we were not to do anything except lodge the police report - until we received a proper letter from sourpuss. And the advise was also that - if he had an issue - he should be taking it up with the clients for giving me permission to use the photos (this was where, previously, R&G didn't want to have anything to do with this case and I had promised not to drag them into the mess).

In my profuse apologies to sourpuss over the phone and text messages, I had asked him to please understand that my partners are insisting on seeing the letter - just to make sure that I wasn't in cahoots with sourpuss (I mean, if you think about it - I could be screwing my partners over for the sum of RM40,000 and sourpuss and I take 20 a piece :P) He said if I was sincerely sorry, I should start paying the compensation. During this period too - a formal letter was sent out to The Star's T.L.D. regarding the issue and disallowing them to use the photos.

Anyway, the formal letter from sourpuss NEVER came. But here's what - the so-called lawyer of his, during this period, left the firm and went into a partnership with a local fashion designer in the wedding business. How ironic. Anyway, a chance meeting at a bridal fair at Crown Princess KL with sourpuss had us ironing out our issue - or SO I THOUGHT. We agreed to put this issue behind us and I apologized for the last time to him about it. He said he didn't want to put R&G in a spot either. Of course, maybe he knew too that R&G were very displeased with his services.

Over the next many months, I had been professional - I continued to recommend clients to sourpuss, not just weddings, but also advertising clients for product shoot (since he claims to be a really good photographer), trying to work out packages to work together - but sourpuss was of course, too high up there for the likes of me. In fact, another client of mine - A & T did eventually hire him. Not a word of thanks - it was as if I owed it to him to bring clients forward. But hey - whatever keeps the clients happy, yes? I even recommend clients to that lawyer-turned-wedding gown designer friend of his - C & T were one of the confirmed clients for their gowns. I mean, I can honestly say - I've taken the high road. And not to mention - never ever made the same mistake again. In fact, when I start my computer each morning, there's a pop-up that says "CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHERS" (admittedly, since it's been there forever, it has now become a blind spot!). Anyway, since sourpuss always plays hard-to-get, after awhile, I had a list of other recommendations and in any case, we all heard less of him - except for one round of hate mail about him circulating amongst the wedding industry people.

And then, sometime in 2007, after the launch of Journeys For Two, there was another interview in The Star. Horrors of horrors - they used R&G's photos despite the letter sent to them in 2003! Needless to say, once again, sourpuss was,... you know, sour about it. He confronted me yet again and he said that he had given me a chance, bla, bla, bla and now I am doing it again, bla, bla, bla.... this time, I told him to take that case with The Star - because I certainly would! I had no intention of ever using R&G's photos again. I mean, what for?? When someone says "Put It Behind You" - it means just that! He once again threatened to take this matter further, wanting compensation, etc.... and once again, my lawyers were conferred - my arms were tied till I receive a letter.

And then no news. Until the blogpost which was as recent as last month. To think, this guy spent all of his time and energy bearing this grudge for what? Was it because I was making tiny headways in the industry? He thinks I am minting money? Believe you me, I'm struggling to survive - just like the average Malaysians. I don't exactly drive around in a Lexus, you know.

Apologies - he had received from me - not just ONE - over a thousand - because I do concur - MY MISTAKE for failing to credit the photographer and thus leading it to be misread as MY photos. Once again, if I were to steal photos, I wouldn't steal from him! Duh!

Being in the advertising line as well - every fucking day, we get our ideas stolen by clients and they even implement these ideas right under our very noses. Do I chase each one down with a lawyer's letter and demand for money?? Do I hold a grudge with them forever? NO! What do we do? Sure, I bitch and bitch about it but inevitably, we MOVE ON and continue steering our businesses down the right paths. We will also continue striving to uphold AWP Malaysia's strong code of ethics. I'm sure my President will have something to say about this.

So do I want to take this slander matter up now? My partners are asking. But you know what? Our plates are full. We're better off making proper money than to chase down some old bag of grudge for pittance.

Point made. And once again - thank you to R&G for allowing me to say my piece.