Wedding From Hell vs A Fairytale

Aren't weddings just beautiful?It leaves you feeling all sappy and mushy.The flowers, the church, the smiling faces...I wanna get married!Before i get judged by being attracted to the superficial details, let me assure you that I believe in the sanctity of marriages. And yes, I do know that what happens after the ceremony is over is what matters.Yet, I'm a girl,and being a girl,I cant help feeling all warm inside anticipating my own..

Over the past week, I attended two weddings.One of which was my organ teacher's and the other was of my dad's colleague.Let's just say, they were worlds apart. While my teacher's was 'fit for a queen', the other one could be made into a movie and titled 'The Wedding From Hell'.

It wasn't just the lavishness that made it all perfect, but the thought that went into the little details.During the reception,the newly weds did a duet on "The closer I Get To You". Now, how often do you see the bride and groom get off their butts to entertain the guests. And in the spirit of the women's lib era, my teacher, the bride, actually presented her own speech.Now,of all the previous weddings I've attended,the wife would normally stand meekly by the groom's side and stare at the ground, while he thanked the heavens,God,parents and what not.The her brother and cousin sang to the accompaniment of a pianist and she threw 3 'fortune bouquets' to the outstretched arms of the single ladies in the house.For most of the wedding,they walked around and chatted with the guests.I think the hardly ate the yummy food.After most of the 'unhappening' had left,we danced the night away...it was like a fairytale come true.I personally feel that weddings are a celebration.And celebrations are about singing and dancing.Basically,just having fun.The bride and the groom danced a slow latin number and so did her parents..It's ovely to watch old coupls dance..

Oh,and i forgot to add that her brother sang "She Wears My Ring" during the signing of the marriage register in church.Like,how sweet was that?

When I told my dad about the wedding,he must have sensed my eagerness to have a similar event.Trust him to tell me to elope and save him the expenses.So much for the first wedding in the family.

Now,about the wedding from hell.I don't want to relive it,coz it makes me all sick inside. Lets just say the small hotel 'ballroom' took in more than its capacity and there was no space to move around,much less to breathe.And to my utmost horror,there were tables outside the ballroom door..about 10 of them.And guess what,they couldn't see what was going on inside.I'd be furious if i had to sit there in such a condition.

And you know what was on the menu?Well,the bride is Sarawakian while the husband, Indian.So they wanted to do the multiracial thingy by rojak-ing the menu.Bad idea.
The first course was a four season like dish with potatoes and brinjal cooked in the Indian style and some fried crap.BRINJAL??

Then came rice.Plain briyani rice with papadam kena masuk angin. No curry. For a while,i was embarassed to be an Indian.Besides my family,everyone at the table were Chinese.Six pairs of Chinese questioning eyes on us.And these Sarawakians,well..they havent seen papadums before.You can imagine the rest.This doctor put rice on the papadum and started munching away.I didn't know to laugh or run out the door.

Then there was starchy PUMPKIN SOUP.HOw do you serve pumpkin soup,brinjal and satay at a wedding? The best part was when the chicken curry came.there were little bowls on the table.Were we supposed to fill the bowls with curry and slurp it down like it was some laici dessert?

my teacher's wedding: I look at my watch and say,"what?11.30 already?So fast!"

wedding from hell: I look at my watch and say,"What?Now only 8.30?How long am I supposed to endure this torture?"

And the 'entertainment'.Good Lord above! Putting it simply,it was a Red Box session.Deluded guests wailing to the karaoke screen in a small room.William Hung's lack of talent would indeed be a blessing here. They should have given us earplugs as doorgifts.

Hmmm...I cant wait for my own wedding...if only the next 5 years will fly...
But being an Indian,I'll probably face RSVP problems.Indians just love bringing their whole herd of devilish children,eventhough the invitation clearly states 'Mr&Mrs'.Now,thats for another blog session...

Reality Bites And On Being A 'Malaysian'

So it's that time of the year again,the time when sad pictures are painted, and the colours washed down the drain by their tears. Disgruntled students and their angry parents flock to the Education Office,armed with letters of appeal and feelings of betrayal,only to face smug and unsympathetic officers. Of course, there'll be the occasional kind person;the security guard,perhaps, or even the cleaning lady. Significant, yet unsignificant.Four words, "Been there,done that".

I don't mean to be a party pooper, but there's nothing more to do than to post those darned letters, and hope for a reply.Keep hoping for the next six months,coz that's probably when they'll arrive in the mail,and it'll begin with the D word,'dukacita'. A friend of mine said she actually used it to wrap her pads.Ha ha!
Those who have tried calling the universities would have found out that there's nothing that can be done at the moment coz some of the VC's have gone to perform their umrah or whatever.At this crucial time! How convenient..

I really wonder if those making the press statements at the Education Ministry know what they're talking about, coz reading the papers this past week has been a joke.Indeed.

May I quote,"those admitted into the matriculation have a string of A's, but anyone can take the STPM". Really? So why dont we get these people,with the supposed string of A's to sit for one of the toughest papers in the world?I mean, if they're really that smart,this would be like,jujubi,right?Maybe they're cowards,Hmmm...but smart cowards,eh?

Before the results were announced,the Higher Education Officer said that meritrocacy is here to stay,coz the country doesn't want to produce 'jaguh kampung's'.As long as this Malaysian version of 'meritrocacy' stays, it's no lie to say thay we breath to produce exactly that,'jaguh kampung's'.

You want a level playing field?A common entrance is the answer. But since not everyone is 'qualified' to do the matriculation and the opposite is the case for STPM,it's only logical to scrap the Matriculation.True?

Now, going into the issue of the 128 students with a CGPA of 4.00 flat who didn't get into medicine. There's talk of awarding them with scholarships to pursue their medical degree overseas. Amazing how their dissapointments may change into something a lay person could only dream about. But what about those who have already obtained seats for medicine?Won't they be crying foul?Are they going to sit quietly while these people enjoy the experience of a foreign land,at no cost at all, while they pay the PTPTN with the sweat of the Malaysian sun?I wouldn't.

How are we going to resolve this? Bond those granted with overseas scholarships, to the government for longer periods?That's unfair,they have no options.Yet, the politicians seem optimistic and unperturbed.Then again, they always are. Hostages taken from Sipadan, maids abused,rapes and murders. Every incident is an isolated case,and everything is always under control.Is it really?

Let's face it,our education system has gone to the dogs.Our local universities excel in producing incompetent introverts lacking in substance.And I'm not exaggerating.I'll take you on a tour around my university and show you exactly what I mean.

Bangsa Malaysia does not exist.Period.It's a hoax intended to disillusionise us. As long as the system is here to stay,we'll only learn tolerance underlined with contempt than the true meaning of unity in diversity.

The country has enjoyed over 50 years of prosperity,and if a certain race cannot come up in this period of time,they probably won't till the cows return and leave to come home again. Take note that this so called 'hak istimewa Bumiputera' was agreed upon in different social,economic and political conditions. The other races have progressed, and if certain quarters insist that the Malays haven't,well...Tunku Abdul Rahman is probably turning in his grave.