Nostalgia

It was my JC mate Big Day on 2nd of July 2005. She is Finally getting married to her primary classmate.

Finally because they have been in this love marathon for about 8 years and they know each other for more than 14 years. Finally because she is Chinese and he is Malay. Still recalled when they become a couple back in 14th Feb 1997, I did ask her if her parents object to their being together. She said yes.

Having met her parents before, I felt they are the kind who will object. Well, we came from similar backgrounds; conservative parents don’t like their children to marry someone of a different race.

Anyway to lighten things up, I remember myself saying something silly to encourage my friend back then… It goes like this, “Anyway you don’t like pork, so I don’t think it will be a big problem for you to convert to Muslim next time.” I have to admit I am quite naïve, I think so far for my friend to think about their different religions and about conversion for her. Maybe they only adopted a try-try attitude. Why I so KPO? I also dunno.

The wedding dinner was held in a hotel ballroom.

Lots of their studio bridal photos were on easel stands at the reception area, nice – just like exhibition.

One thing I must mention is that there is a photographer taking instant pictures of guests with a Polaroid camera. Guests took pictures and wrote down captions and words of blessings for the married couple. This is the first wedding I attend that make such brilliant use of the Polaroid camera. Maybe I have not attended alot of weddings to witness this yet. Anyway, I’m still impressed.

Simply Nostalgia! Memories! Still remember I took one such Polaroid picture in a career fair with her about 8 years ago. We were such good buddies then.

We knew of each other’s existence back in JC year 1, and really got to know each other and 14 others better during an OBS 5-day course. The images:- studying together in fast food joints, the writing of cards, notes to encourage one another, executing ad-hoc school activities as department representatives in school, attending of performances, sharing of hopes, thoughts and fears… fading yet powerful memories.

To witness her happily marrying her first love was like experiencing a fairytale coming true. No words can describe the happiness I felt for her.

Felt sad and 可惜 (it’s a pity) that after the ‘A’ levels we were not as close as we used to be as we went to different universities. We did not contact each other frequently as we are basically both very independent individuals. However, deep in our hearts, we know that if we need a friend, we can always count on the other for an ear or a hand.

When I wed, I invited her but she has to give it a miss as she & family were going on a trip to Japan. Now that it’s her turn, how can I give it a miss?

Lao Gong has a little misgiving at first as her invitation to us reads, “Dear XXX & Hubby”; I persuaded him to 赏脸 (give face) and attend the dinner with me. Lao Gong felt that to be sincere, she should have asked me for his name before sending the invite to us. Well, I have to admit he is pretty particular about these things. Anyway, Lao Gong was a little upset when we arrived at the reception counter as my name was in the seating plan but his wasn’t, nor was XXX’s hubby. I tried to pacify him.

A misunderstanding might have occurred as I did not RSVP. She smsed me prior to her sending the invite to notify me about her wedding. And I gave her my word that I will attend. However she made no mention that she is inviting my Lao Gong as well on the sms. When I received the invite which is addressed to both of us, I take it that my Lao Gong should attend together with me as I gave the word that I am coming. Maybe this was why the miscommunication occurred.

Due to this oversight, we are seated not with the two friends we came together with but with another table of her JC ECA mates. However, it was a pleasant surprise after all as I know four people out of nine at this table. My Lao Gong is of course not surprised at all that I know them as he know me best - I am the extrovert kind back in school days. Was concerned that he might felt left out as he was not from NJ like the rest of us, however am thankful that our table folks are pretty friendly and initiated talk with him – an introvert.

Anyway, Lao Gong is definitely not an introvert when he is with me or with closed ones. With my aunties or cousins, he will gang up with them and teased me. With his family, he is the noisy and mischievous one.

It was a good dinner on reflection. My friends & I managed to witness and share in the joy of the wedding couple; listened to the groom sincere speech in English and yes, in Chinese too for the benefit of his in-laws family and earning their approval too; catch up with friends we have not seen for a long time; stomached multi-cultural dishes of Malay, Chinese, Teochew and Indian origin.

Having organised our own wedding, Lao Gong & I agreed that it was an arduous task to see to everything. I would have done a lousier job in planning the seating arrangement if I have 40 tables to work with instead of 20 which I managed during our wedding.

Am thankful that Lao Gong keeps me company during this event even though he doesn’t know the married couple. He has all reasons not to attend with me yet he chooses to.