Hello! I am writing this post as a newly baptised Catholic! *exploding fireworks*

I sat through a very very very long 3.5 hour Easter Vigil mass on Holy Saturday that lasted from 8pm till 1130pm and there were 7 readings + responsorial psalms :OOOOOOO (that is my jaw dropping)

And I dozed off some time between the 4th and 5th reading oops.

But yeah it was a very long mass if I haven't reiterated that enough. Right smack in the middle of the mass after the homily was the baptism!

I only vaguely remembered what we were supposed to do although we had a rehearsal the Monday before. But all is well! I went into the pool, Fr Michael immersed my head in the water 3 times, and poured even more water on me, and I walked out of the pool as a child of God!

My mother also attended which was quite a surprise considering I only told her on the morning itself. It is also very remarkable that my parents are very accepting of my decision.

But she mentioned later that she thinks "Audrey" doesn't really suit me and "Sophie" is not nice because it sounds like "Sofy" i.e. the brand of the sanitary pad ahahaha. So I guess it's a good thing I didn't go with Sophie? I think all the names don't really suit me la, but how. I'd rather just go with Si Yi but oh well.

So... what lies ahead?

Truth to be told I am not very deeply rooted in the faith yet for I spent my whole life thinking that religion is pretty much a waste of time and it is not easy to have a switch in mindset. While I do think there is a God somewhere, organized religion isn't really my cup of tea. If not for the fact that I am marrying a Catholic I probably wouldn't even think of entering the faith.

I have to thank Paul for being very patient (sometimes...) with my questions and for being my sponsor and journeying with me for the whole 9 months! Every Thursday we had to sit through 1 hour plus of (sometimes sleep inducing) lectures and it could get quite dry sometimes. Yes so he sacrificed many hours attending the classes with me and even going when I couldn't go. Thank you my squishy!

Now I have to try and work towards living a more Christ-filled life and be more life-giving! All for the greater good (i.e. my future family).

It is a life long process of journeying and discovery! Let's hope God will enlighten me more along the way and convince me that my decision is right. Because every now and then I am filled with doubt about this whole getting baptised thing but now that the deed is done I have to look forward and carry on!

Was getting busy the past couple of weeks with some church stuff (Natural Family Planning or NFP, Stations of the Cross, and the weekly RCIA sessions), wedding gown selections, and most importantly, exercising!!! Yah then after exercising I proceed to stuff myself with good food at Restaurant Week hurhur.

We are in the season of Lent and supposed to be like eating less meat and doing more good (almsgiving) and reflecting but ermmm I'm not really following that strictly.

This week it looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of time in church again attending penitential service (heard it is going to take HOURS! Bahhh), and a whole afternoon retreat on Sunday, and baptism rehearsal on Monday night...

Don't think I've mentioned it here yet but I finally chose my baptism name which means "noble maiden" or something along that line. Not that I'm very noble la, choosing it purely because
1) I picked 7 names and drew the final 3 contenders from a random "lucky draw"
2) Superficial reasons - it sounds not too bad
2) I polled 2 people (Saint and Empress) and both of them preferred Audrey to Sarah or Sophie LOL
So yup Audrey it is!

On a more sombre note.

This morning Singapore woke up to the sad news of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's passing. Given his frail condition, this wasn't entirely unexpected. Better that he doesn't suffer anymore and gets reunited with his beloved wife in heaven. I think all of us have a lot to learn from him and the steadfastness and love he has for his wife and how they work together as a team.

It's such a pity that he couldn't get to witness the 50th birthday of the country that he dedicated his entire life to and fought so hard for. :(

He was always a larger-than-life figure to me. Kinda like a very high up there, awe-inspiring, intimidating but respected figure. There is no denying the contributions he made and for that we really have to thank him. I complain a lot about horribly late buses and overcrowded trains but hey, I am gainfully employed, I will soon be the owner of a tiny house (thank you CPF) and I can return home at 2am alone and still be safe. I'm glad that I can speak and understand 2 languages (although a bit half-baked now) - so thank you Sir for having the foresight to insist on the bilingual policy.

Rest in peace Mr Lee.

Happy belated Vday!

Slumpy's birthday falls on Vday so I bought a cake and we sang a birthday song for him :)
(Squishy and Rolly's birthday is on 22 Feb - they are non-identical twins)

Oh yes, Brown is their cousin who looks perpetually solemn.

It wasn't the most romantic of Vdays coz we had a little disagreement/incident. But it's all good now!

I got my teeth cleaned (and nagged by my dentist) and was told that I had to get my wisdom tooth extracted at the hospital. Better remember to get that done soon coz I have a feeling I will forget alllll about it.

Then I got my eyelash extensions removed because half of them have fallen off already! The eyelash-ian (?) was quite surprised that mine only lasted 3 weeks because it was supposed to be able to last a good 4-6 weeks if you take care of it well. I'm like super chor lor plus it's really hindering how I wash my face. Although I must say, they really make a difference to the eyes. A few teachers said my lashes were nice! But a few of my real lashes fell off with the extensions :( so I better give them a break now.

(My brow resurrection is still holding up pretty well though it has faded considerably in the weeks after!)

Concluded the evening with the 10km Brooks Marina Run and I think we did well! We went at a very steady pace and managed to finish the run without stopping, and at a very decent time too. 

Rewarded ourselves with dinner at ECP

Trying to recreate what we ate for our first date hahaha

(Answer: Sambal kangkong, sambal stingray, rice and sugar cane - but we got greedy and added sotong and chicken wings LOL)

Also volunteered at the CEE as a reception couple on Friday. If there's a "ministry" that I have to join, I wouldn't mind joining this. One thing they told us during our EE weekend was that through our love for each other and our marriage, we can show other people God's love. And that was one of the things that struck me the most. Haha not sure if I make sense. Still quite bad at explaining this thing.

So anyway I mentioned that I was still looking for a baptism name and one of the couples told me to pray about it. Honestly I really (1) don't know how to pray and (2) too lazy to pray haha. So I'm thinking maybe I'll just flip the bible or look at all the Saints' names and find one I like. But for now Sophie is still quite a strong contender.

Shortlisting another name! Sophie! Which means wisdom.

During RCIA last night, we asked if my future mother-in-law can also double up as my godparent (for baptism purposes) and we were told it was not advisable... I guess due to potential conflict of interest! Rationale is that assuming I get mad at Paul and I want to confide in my godparent, she would be inclined to side with her son... or something like that.

So how ah! I don't know any elder who is Catholic and can be my godparent!!!! Jialat jialat.

Speaking of which, how does Stephanie Peh sound? LOLOL.

It looks weird when I type it out. Do I look like a Stephanie? Haha.

I need to think of a baptism name for myself! :O

What should I be called? Jane? Mary? Alibaba? Squishy?

Quite hard to think of a good and meaningful one that doesn't sound too awkward with Peh...

Need some suggestions!

Having gone through the Rite of Acceptance during RCIA 2 weekends ago, I was a little perplexed (and insulted) when my friend insisted that Catholics are not Christians when I met her for lunch over the weekend.

Her argument:
1) We have the Pope, and he is most certainly Catholic because there is no Pope in Christianity
2) We have Mother Mary
3) The teachings are different (but but... isn't that the case for all the different denominations?)
4) There are many denominations under Christianity but Catholicism is an entirely different branch and most certainly not part of the "Christian" umbrella
5) The way we have communion is different
6) In Chinese the 2 are called differently: "天主教" vs "基督教" hence they are 2 entirely different religions

We were taught at RCIA that Catholics are Christians so to me it was like... North and South Korea being at loggerheads at each other. Haha not the best analogy but both believe in God and Jesus so.... why the insistence?

Turned to good ol' Google and the conclusion is:

All Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics.
(http://www.diffen.com/difference/Catholicism_vs_Christianity)

But then I also found another page declaring that Roman Catholicism and Christianity are not the same so.... *shrug*

Most certainly there will be different things taught and I do not know what is being taught to Protestant Christians (myth buster - I was taught during RCIA that we do not worship Mother Mary). But different and distinct religions to me would mean something like Christianity vs Buddhism vs Hinduism.

So anyway, after the Rite of Acceptance, I am called a "catechumen" instead of an "inquirer". How do I feel about this "upgrade"? Haha. I don't feel much about it at this point to be honest. Then again, I'm not someone who has very strong faith (religion to me was never a necessity). So yep. Going along because my husband-to-be happens to be Catholic. Just something that I have to go through.

If I were to compare this to 2 years ago when I was very very very reluctant to turn Christian... on hindsight I think it was a good thing because certainly there was a mismatch, or a perhaps a sign of better things to come in future. Because really, all that was stopping it from progressing further (and also caused much angst) was the religion issue. In contrast, I see many many good qualities in Paul that will allow him to be a good husband and leader of the house. And he has been very happy to try to explain my sometimes silly questions about his religion. Least I can do is to try and understand his faith.