Application of Marriage (JPN KC-02)

I thought I'd just share on the processes on the application for marriage in Malaysia (within the Catholic context) for those who maybe interested (and who are getting married).

Anyways since I was married outside of the National Registration Office or fondly known as JPN (in other words, my Registration of Marriage was done outside of the JPN) in a Catholic Church, the processes may be different from those who signed their KC-05 at JPN.

So, marrying the Catholic way means you've got to, at some point, attend the pre-nuptial inquiry before the wedding date. And before meeting with the priest, you will need to get yourselves the application for marriage form (JPN KC02) from JPN.

Okay. First stop, head on to the JPN office - either their main branch at Simpang Tiga (if you're from Kuching), or head right out to UTC. I got mine from UTC as it really is a lot more convenient. (Another note of reminder - they close at 5pm daily during the fasting month).

So when you arrive the counter, inform the friendly receptionist / officer that you wish to obtain the JPN KC02 form. She will then request for both of your identity card (and yes, both party must be present), perform some computerized checked (no idea what, except I noticed she jotted down our parents identification numbers) and gave some brief explanation and hand you the form.

Basically the explanations were as follow:

1. Fill in parts A, B and C of the form (pages 2 and 3) in block letters.
2. Attach passport sized photographs to the form. It can be either blue or white background. However, take note that if one party used blue background picture, the other has to use blue as well - both need to be cohesive. (We used the white background since its the passport standard requirement).
3. Head on to a commissioner for oath, get the CO to witness and sign the form. Read note below on getting a Commissioner for Oath.
4. Head back to JPN. Bring the completed KC02 (with CO's stamp) to JPN, pay RM20, and you will receive an official receipt.

Pretty straight forward, and quite simple, too. However, remember to retain your official receipt and keep it in a safe place because you'll need it to submit to the priest during the pre-nuptial inquiry.

Note on CO:  

It was quite a hassle for us to find a commissioner for oath. So, to save time, these are the few COs around in Kuching town that I came across while I hunted for one. 

I'll first list out the one I used for my application (applicable for my fellow Kuchingnites only):

• Chan & Chan Advocates. No. 316 (1st Floor), Lot 2740 Central Park Commercial Centre, 3rd Mile, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, 93150 Kuching.  Tel: 082-411800.

The other that I came across (but did not use their service) are:

1. S.K. Ling & Tan Advocates. Lot 170, 1^st Floor, Song Thian Cheok Road, 93100 Kuching. P.O. Box 2989, 93758 Kuching. Tel: 082-232718.
2. Mr. Leong. Tel: 016-8993568. note: Referred by an ex-CO. Mr. Leong's office is based at the Satok area.
3. Peter Sim. Tel: 082-481874.
4. Evelyn Lau Sie Jiong. Ground Floor, Lot 663, No. 10 Lorong 2, Jalan Ong Tiang Swee, 93200 Kuching. Tel: 012-8861339.  note: I passed by the Chinese Embassy at Ong Tiang Swee and saw a "Commissioner for Oath" plate hanging across the embassy - I'm guessing this could be Ms Lau's office.

Okay, here's my advice on getting the CO to sign off your JPN KC02:  please call up the CO and set up an appointment.  Truth is, not all COs will sit still in the office at all times, so it is advisable to call up and schedule an appointment.  In my case, I did call earlier to inform their clerk that I'd be heading over.  However, unfortunately the message wasn't sent across to the CO, so, when we reached the CO's office, he was out running errand.  But, thankfully he was on his way back to the office, so we just had to wait a little.

And, in normal circumstances, a service charge of RM4.00 will be charged (but we were lucky enough that no charges imposed - we got it for free! yay!).

Anyways, while we're still at the topic on Commissioner for Oath, I would just add on what exactly happened at the CO's office when you get him/her to sign your KC02. Well, nothing significant really.  The CO will just ask what is it that you need the service for (to which you answer getting married). He will then proceed to request to take a look at your KC-02 form (make sure Part D was left empty), and your identity cards.  After being satisfied that you are who you said you are, the CO will request that you sign at lines 1. and 2. of Part D2. He will then proceed to sign his name and stamp it with his official stamp, and you're done.

Reminder: 

1. Payment for the JPN KC-02 (registration for marriage) must be completed before you meet your parish priest for the pre-nuptial inquiry.  
2. The JPN KC-02 form, upon payment of RM20.00, has a validity of only six (6) months. If you have exceeded the six months validity (ie. you have not signed your KC-05 aka marriage certificate), you will be required to pay for an extension.

Baby Fever

Title says it all!

Recently I've been down with baby fever, and told the Mister that I'd really love to start trying for one.

But alas, the Mister is not ready for a junior, so I guess baby-making's got to wait.

The Day I Became Missus Tan

It has been 72 days since we both said I Do, and I have yet to properly document the best day of my life. 

If there was just one word to describe our day, perfect would be it. That doesn't mean nothing went wrong.  Sure there were some little thing that did go wrong, but it's these little imperfections that made our day perfect. 

The weather had been nothing but amazing. Did it pour? It sure did. I was a little fidgety while getting ready when I saw the sky started pouring.  But I was reminded that I have a choice to accept it as it is, so I said a little prayer and moved on.  Strangely enough, the rain stopped just when I was getting into my car heading to the chapel. 

For the entire day, the rain came and went.  It came when I was indoors and pre-occupied with my wedding program. It went as I head out into the car and when I was having my bridal photo taken. Was the weather perfect? It wasn't. But it was perfect for me for that day.  I was (still am) beyond grateful for such wonderful day. 

The nuptial mass went on well, and I was delighted that we were ahead of schedule (yay!) so for the entire day, we were on schedule.  The photos taken were wonderful and we all looked great on camera.  The dinner reception was amazing.  The turnout was great, the food was way beyond our expectations.  The venue decorations was amazing, and our guests were all having a great time, and so did we. 

So it had been 72 days since we tied the knot.  We were blessed by friends, family and the Almighty from the very first day we became husband and wife, and we are beyond grateful. 

Happy Valentine's Day - two days late

This is our second Valentine's celebration together, and first as husband and wife. 

This year, we decided to go low key. So, instead of celebrating it as a lovers' affair, we make it a family affair - celebrating it with the in laws since my FIL is a Valentine's baby. The more the merrier, right? 

But, the Mister did not forget his romance.  He still went mainstream and got me a stalk of pink rose, put it on my side of the bed and let me discover it on my own.  

Simple gesture, nothing over the top, just so us.  And for that, I am grateful for such a wonderful husband.  Here's to more wonderful days to come.  

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! 

Wedding Talks - Budget, budget, budget!

It's coming to my second month as the new wife to the mister, and since it's public holidays (Lunar New Year, folks! Happy CNY!) and since I'm not celebrating, maybe it's a high time to do some wedding talks.

Now when you hear the word "wedding", all you think of is the money. Yes, you got it right. Wedding is all about the money. So a word of wisdom for all brides and grooms to be: budget, budget and budget!!

So nugget of wisdom #1: set a budget

Set a budget together, or if your folks are chipping in for the wedding, decide it with them, too, on the amount you feel comfortable to spend.  Remember - pay for what you're comfortable with, within your means.  It is always a no-no to go into debt for just that one day.  And I know some banks are offering loans for weddings, personally, I advice against taking up a wedding loan but it's entirely your call. But remember, it's just ONE day, peeps, so there's no need for overdoing it!

Nugget of wisdom #2:  decide what is most important

After you've come to an agreement on the budget, decide amongst yourselves what is important to you.  For the more important items, you can splurge more and save more cash for the less important agendas / items.  In a typical Malaysian - Chinese culture, our parents would insist on a sit down dinner.  If you're up to appeasing your folks, that's totally fine.  If you'd like to have something that's more of your style, perfectly fine, too! As long as both of you (bride and groom) can come together and agree on it together, that's what we aim for.  Remember, as you're starting a lifelong journey together, it's important to stay on the same page together.  No doubt disagreements will arise, but compromise and remember why and what you're doing this for.

Nugget of wisdom #3:  shop around

Shop around for everything wedding related.  And since it's a wedding, prices go up by the double no matter what.  So, be a wise shopper.  Shop around, and please, do not impulse buy! I'm a victim of impulsive buying and boy do I waste precious money on things I either do not need or do not use.

Nugget of wisdom #4: stop comparing with friends

Remember this: comparison is the thief of all joys! Jane has a million dollars wedding? Good for her, but this doesn't mean you need to have a million dollars wedding, too! Again, I cannot emphasize this enough: stop spending unnecessarily just to impress people who don't matter. It's your wedding, so make it yours, within your means. There really isn't any benefits in showing the world how luxurious your wedding is when in actual fact you're paying up your nostrils and getting knee deep in debts. Not a good way to start a life together, don't you agree?

Anyways, I'm getting way off track from my post's intention.  To cut the chase, let me present to you my wedding budget guideline: 

Please click on image to enlarge

Okay, confession time: in all honesty, I did not create the guideline by myself.  I improvised it from a guide I read online while wedding planning, and I regret to say that I've completely forgotten which site I've gotten it from, and hence I'm unable to give credits to the original author.

But it is always helpful to grab a general idea on where (and how much) the money will go to.  Generally, dinners are the most expensive, hence me jacking it up to a hefty 40% of the entire cost of the wedding.  However, every wedding is different, so this budget guide actually offers you the flexibility to adjust according to your wedding needs.

Well, after having a general idea on how much to spend and what are the major items, it's time for us to break things into little pieces - let's go micro!

Please click on image to enlarge

As you can see from the above image, I am quite anal. LOL! You certainly don't have to go into that much of details if you don't want to, but again, those are what work for me, so feel free to change it.  Again, I'm keeping it as detailed as possible because I would really like to keep track of our costs, hence the projected and actual cost columns; it's also a great way to see how far off from reality you can be, too!

I did not use any sophisticated software or app for my budget planning.  Rather, I rely on good ol' Microsoft Excel.  There are certainly hundreds if not thousands of wedding planning apps available on the play store or app store, but Microsoft Excel is really good enough, just no fanciful platform to stare at.

So, there you have it. My wedding talks on money.  It's all about the money, really, and it's quite an important task to manage your budget as wisely as you can.  And next stop, we'll talk about wedding checklist! So stay tune!

Becoming Missus Tan

I've been contemplating if I should write a short installment on my journey towards marriage.  

On the one hand, it would always be fun to reminisce the wonderful journey we have, but on the other hand it may not be everyone's cup of tea.  

But in the end, I cave. I still would like to share (over-sharing is my weakness) my journey in wedding planning, which I hope will be useful information as well to all who are interested.  For what it's worth, some part of the Becoming Missus Tan installments are extracted from my other personal blog (which I've closed for public viewing - readership is just me, myself and I) which I reckon are good information for friends who are planning their wedding. 

So here it is, the "launch" of my Becoming Missus Tan segment. 

xx,

Missus Tan 

Missus Tan Bakes: Kuih S

With the lunar new year closing in, it's time to roll up my sleeves and start googling for recipes. 

As with the past years' celebration, I will usually bake an item or two for the family.  This year shan't be any different.  

However, this year I attempt to do the almost impossible: to bake the almost unheard of festive cookies that got lost with time: the notorious Kuih S. Kuih S, or S-shaped cookie, was once very popular amongst the Kuching community in the eighties or seventies, or even earlier.  For some reason, it seems that this wonderful creation is only known amongst the Kuching community, hence the speculation the S shaped represents the State of Sarawak.  And for reasons unbeknown to us, this cookies seems to have slowly disappeared from the festive cookies list in modern years.

So I tried searching for this recipe (since last year, can you believe it?), and thus far my google search only lands me with one related entry - Guai Shu Shu's recipe. I did try his recipe out last year, but I failed miserably.  (By no means am I saying that Guai Shu Shu's recipe ain't good. There are folks who succeeded by his recipe, so I presume it's my own lack of skills that contributed to my first Kuih S failure.)

But since Kuih S is Mister Tan's favorite cookies of all time, I took it on as my wife-duty to search high and low for this recipe (remember what they say: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach).  

Anyways, after much desperate search, I've finally gotten the recipe which I believe to be as authentic as it gets.  The only challenge with this recipe though, is that there are literally no precise weight measurement given.  Every items are measured in a really, really vague manner so it was quite a challenge.  But fear not! Missus Tan is here to the rescue! Okay too much of an exaggeration. But I will impart the recipe with measurements (as accurately as I can get) so it won't be too much of a hassle for you. 

Okay.  Less nonsense and let's head on to business:

 S-shaped Cookie (or fondly known as Kuih S)

Ingredients:

• 227 gm of your favorite butter.¹
  
• approximately 400 gm of plain flour²
• 2 egg yolks
• 120 gm of sugar 
• 6 tablespoons of coconut cream

Method:   

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Add in the add yolks to the mixture.  Beat until even. 
3. Add in coconut cream and beat until even.
4. Fold in flour and start kneading until it forms a dough. Okay, this is where it gets a little tricky. 
5. Roll the dough into a long tube, and then push both ends towards the center, in opposite direction, to form an S.  To be honest, the shaping part is the most challenging for me as I am aesthetically challenged. 
6. Arranged the cookies on your baking tray,  space the cookies 2.5 to 3.0 cm apart to allow some room for the cookies to expand.  Bake at 150 degree Celcius for 10 minutes.³

Notes:

1. The original recipe calls for canned Golden Churn butter as it is believed to be more flavorful than other brands of butter. 
2. Okay. So the orignal recipe did not give an accurate measurement of flour needed, so I sort of eyeball the amount of flour I used for my cookies.  However, my rule of thumb is this: add just enough flour, bit by bit, until you reach a smooth dough which is just soft enough to form into shape.  Any more flour, your cookie will be too hard. 
3. Different oven may have a different baking "behavior".  So, once the side of the cookie starts to brown slightly, remove from heat and let it cool.  Any longer it sits in the oven will caused it to be overbake - Kuih S should be pale in color and not too golden brown. 

I hope you have fun trying out the Kuih S recipe, and do drop me a word or two on your Kuih S adventure.  I'll come back and update with photos of my Kuih S after I've snapped a photo or two of it. 

Update: here are the pictures as promised! 

Kuih S: before sending them into the oven for a good tanning session

Kuih S:And the end result, fifteen minutes later

Hello, World

First post, and I am so excited!

I hope you will enjoy your visit here, however long or short it is, and that you will be able to takeaway something positive when you leave. 

And most importantly, I hope my virtual hospitality will keep you coming back for more visits.

Until then, I wish you a wonderful day ahead!

hugs,
Missus Tan