Hello everyone! School is officially out for me so I would be updating this space more regularly until the new school term starts in August! (Yup, a 3-month break for me)

I haven’t been writing about my life so here’s one about some happy events I had been to this month although May hasn’t ended yet.

Last month, I received a surprise Facebook invitation from a secondary school classmate whom I had not spoken to for a long time (if you don’t include birthday wishes on her wall). Syamilah and I were in the same class for the last 3 years in Hillgrove before we graduated. The last time I saw her face-to-face was on the day we received our ‘O’ level results in 2008 when we were only 18. Blessed with good looks and pretty deep dimples on both cheeks, I remember her as a very prim and proper, prudent, refined and faithful Muslim girl who hasn’t changed a bit (in terms of character) through the years. Now 24, my dear “Mylah”, as I affectionately call her, has found her lifelong partner and was ready to transition into her next phase of life :’)

The wedding reception was held at the block beside Teck Whye LRT on 4 May and only a handful were invited from my cohort. It was a wedding celebration not just for one couple, but three (the other two were Syamilah’s brothers’)! Apparently it’s normal to have more than one couple in the same Malay wedding reception but held at different time slots – how cool! But I almost went for the wrong session if not for my mom’s reminder haha. All of us arrived about 10 minutes late but we were in time to catch the kompang performance which we would always hear from a distance away and never had the chance to watch it (unless you’re some thick-skinned aunties like those we encountered at the wedding, “crashed” the wedding, see-see-look-look for a long time and walked away -_- Pretty sure they ate some food at the buffet too).

Oh, did I also mention that it was the first Malay wedding I had attended? I had no idea what to wear, how much to give and what to expect at the wedding thus I did my homework prior to the wedding and found this really useful site! Click here to read if you’re going to attend your first Malay wedding as well 🙂

Even though the minimum sum to give as stated on the site is $10, I gave more than that because being Chinese Singaporean has taught me to be less buay pai seh (shameless) and more generous. Also, contrary to Amy Cheong’s belief, it is equally pricey to have wedding at the void deck with each typically costing about $10,000? Because most of the money goes to the decorations. Oh gosh! Want to have simple wedding also cannot. So yeah, giving $10 is being really cheapskate.

Also, unlike Chinese weddings, the money (in small paper envelopes) should only be given before you leave or after you are done eating! I totally forgot about it and gave it to the hosts (bride’s parents) when we arrived. This eat-first-pay-later tradition gives me the impression that Malay weddings are not out to make profits, though it may not be the case.

I also spent like an hour in front of my closet deciding on what to wear to the wedding. Bearing in mind that it was a traditional Malay wedding where you’d expect other Malay guests to be in their baju kurungs, you definitely can’t go in provocative outfits because it’s just showing disrespect to the hosts. Well, not saying that I have many revealing clothes… The most revealing one I have just bares 1/4 of my back ^___^ And I haven’t worn it out yet cos I’m rather conservative myself -_- I picked the most cheerful and conservative dress which wouldn’t make me sweat buckets in this extremely hot weather – a Lilypirates number purchased 2 years back! Never got the chance to wear it cos it’s too flare for my liking (tends to make me look fatter than I already am) but I couldn’t bear to sell it cos the colours are so pretty!

Anyway, hungry me devoured the buffet lunch before I realised I hadn’t taken a picture of it, so no pictures of the food I’M SORRY!!! Haha but it was great with the right amount of spiciness! Malay cuisine has always been one of my favourites! If I were in a canteen with only a Malay and a Chinese stall, I’d definitely go for the former! Drinks however were a little diluted with too much artificial flavourings though but that’s not a huge problem for me.

Stayed for about 45 minutes and left before the next session began! 🙂

On 10 May, which was yesterday, I attended my cousin’s wedding lunch and dinner reception at Chijmes and Hilton Hotel respectively. Jiamin 姐姐 was the bride and is also one of my closest maternal cousins who tried to coach me in badminton and Math when I was 12. Despite my constant failure in both, she had never once lost her patience and temper at me 😀 I doubt she remembers any of this now since it happened a really long time ago but yup, it’s still etched in my mind! She has an older sister who got hitched 3 years ago on the special date 11 November 2011 and I got to be one of her bridesmaids. Didn’t blog about that as I wasn’t that active on the blogosphere then (i.e. lazy), oops!

Back to her wedding at Chijmes, the wedding procession was held at the multi-purpose hall which was really breathtaking! The arched ceiling and stained glass window fit into my description of my ideal church wedding. After that, we had our lunch at the French restaurant beside it. It was a French buffet and boy, all the dishes were really good! Boyfriend kept going back for the dessert – not sure what it’s called but it’s like a small cup of mango pudding – while I really loved the lemon butter cod fish. Enjoyed the couscous as well!

Returned home after lunch to get changed into my evening outfit (lol I know). I picked a Love Bonito dress which I bought in January during my short stint in the company supposedly for Chinese New Year. But knowing that many girls would be wearing it since it was such a popular piece, I abandoned the idea. I bought the petite version because I like my dresses to be above-knee length but it turned out a little too short for my height HAHA. I had to remind myself not to bend forward as doing so would expose my butt huggers (even though I was wearing safety shorts… you know guys’ imagination can be really wild sometimes).

It was my second time at Hilton Hotel, which I remember for its super creamy and thick American Cheesecake. I felt that the banquet was not too bad, but not phenomenal at the same time. The dish that I enjoyed the most was the starters because the chicken in beancurd roll was really good! Actually I kinda love anything that is wrapped with beancurd roll.

My apologies that most of the pictures are of the food I ate and not of the newly-weds, because I couldn’t get a good angle from where I was seated 😦

There was also a photobooth (is it a trend nowadays at wedding receptions? Hehe) near the entrance of the ballroom. I wanted to take pictures there but there was a long queue 😦

The banquet ended near midnight with Or Nee (yam paste) as the final food item. It was the bridegroom’s favourite dessert which is coincidentally mine as well! In the hot dessert category at least… Ice Kacang is still the best. 😀

And that’s about it! Now that most of my same-generation and older cousins are married, I am starting to feel the heat from relatives. I feel that marriage is a private affair and should not be anyone else’s business so I really hope and appreciate that people would stop asking me the question and pressurizing me into ending my bachelorette life!

“WHEN IS YOUR TURN??”

HOW ABOUT NO, NEVER HAPPENING??

Kidding. Later boyfriend scold me.