No. 3 son's wedding etc.

29.4.2012.

After, I can't remember, how many months, I finally pulled myself back to the old pc to write about No. 3 Son's  wedding last week. The long break was forced by the modem and the cpu being put down by both virus and lightning. I was just too lazy to replace and repair them quickly enough.

For the wedding, for a change, my wife and I decided to have a joint reception with our new in-laws in KL, rather than having a repeat performance in our hometown, after the bride's "kenduri". We thought we'd save cost and energy. It turned out to be neither.

For one thing, the KL bash was much more expensive than what we thought it would be. For another, the  sheer logistics were  truly energy-sapping. When we finally came back home the Sunday noon, I took a nap that lasted till 6 p.m.!

The 2-day affair went nicely, however. The "aqad nikah" was well-attended but not too large to lose the "family feeling", with a beautiful and colourful setting.  No. 3 Son  utterred the wordings with one take only.  Sometimes they take strangely long. 

The grand dinner was  great. Only the "crowd control" and "event-content" were tested - the crowd being bigger than expected, and the entire event longer than planned. Both were the direct results of an untried joint-venture.

I had spent some time in preparing for my acknowledgement speech,   a  must at weddings these days. By the time I was finally called upon to deliver, it was already  past the hour, and I had wanted to give it a pass.  But that was being  difficult, and so I  proceeded

anyway.

It is customary for me to have a written text. Even in those  days when public speaking was part-and-parcel of my job, "official" speeches were always from written texts. This is for two good reasons - so that I don't forget the points, and so as not to stray from  the time frame.

This was a gist of what I said:

1. Welcome Honourable Guests and Thank You.

2. I couldn't invite as many people as I like, so I have to prepare for the complaints.

3. I have some advice for the blessed couple -

      learn to respect each other long after the infatuation wears off

     you have a vast network of family & friends to fall back on at all        times

   it's your turn in the cycle of life, improve upon both parents' record.

Of course they were not in exactly those words, nor and in that order. But  I did also say "when we're young we often smell of "minyak wangi". But when we're old, we smell  "minyak cap kapak".  I added a little extra touch by quoting Pak Cik Piei who said "if a man opens the car door for a woman, it's either a new car or a new wife!". Ha ha!

I specifically told my daughter-in-law about the speech before the reception.  I won't touch on their academic achievements etc. These days parents at weddings make it a point to highlight the fantastic scholastic achievements of their off-springs. Which is perfectly legitimate, by the way. As far as I know, my son and his brand-new bride have very good jobs and the future looks bright.  It's all up to them now. 

I asked, in my short speech, that my guests join me in praying for

the well-being of the couple. Amin !

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