I've always thought that writing comes easily when one is emotionally distressed. It becomes an exercise in catharsis, to expunge all those pent up feelings and anger in words. Happiness is definitely not conducive to writing.
Hence why I haven't written in so long!
I turned 32 in December, celebrating from weekend to weekend in grand debaucherous fashion with friends, family and lots of cake. As I did 6 years ago on my 26th birthday, I made it a point to mentally note "Right now, at this very finite moment, I can truly say I am happy."
I think it's important to recognize these fleeting moments, because they are so rare: when everything is right and nothing is wrong, when you're surrounded by people you love and who love you, when you have no material want or need that you can't fulfill, when your past is finally and truly well behind you and the future gleans hope and excitement.
(That such stupor is considerably enhanced by consuming copious amounts of bubbly is a minor detail.)
I am also happy to report that in the run up to the wedding I have yet to morph into a Bridezilla (yuck). This is aided by the fact that I've engaged a very competent wedding planner (seriously ladies, do yourself and your sanity a favor and get yourself one of these) who does all my bidding for me.
It does take a bit of adjustment working with a wedding planner though - you mean I DON'T have to make my own appointment with the dress designer? YOU'LL source and organize aaalll of the wedding favours?? AND you'll deal with the flowers and pelamin??? You can design the wedding card YOURSELF????! For realz?!!
It's like I'm Lady Mary. Have Carson bring the car around.
As advised by former Brides, you have to pick and choose your battles. Fight for what is important to you, and laissez-faire the rest, s'il vous plaît. So, these are the Top 5 things that I have decided I will fight, fight to the deaaaath for:
1) Wedding Band - As you may, or may not know, music is a very integral part of my life. There is nothing I love more than listening to live bands, singing along to live bands, dancing along to live bands, singing at karaoke, singing and dancing at karaoke, singing and dancing at karaoke and pretending I'm Katy Perry / Taylor Swift / Jon Bon Jovi etc. I've managed to source a kick-ass band that can sing Taylor Swift AND U2 songs. For realz! Ain't no one gonna take that away from me! (Though the groom's father, in true Johorean fashion, has very strongly suggested we hire a Ghazal band, showing us a delightful sampling on YouTube whilst demonstrating how he would joget to such music. Johoreans, sigh.)
2) Wedding Dress - All Malay brides will wear a dress with sleeves in respect of the religious nature of the wedding ceremony. Ironically, whether the dress is completely see-through or not, is negotiable. I'm all down with being a conservative bride - I feel it's very important for me to say that very few people in the world look good in a white strapless poufy ballgown dress, and everyone should recognize this truth before choosing their wedding dress. Just because you are a "princess" for the day doesn't mean you're an actual princess. Which means that you should seriously re-consider wearing that tiara.
3) Jewelry, or lack thereof - I love my jewelry as much as the next gal, especially those resin Marni-type chunky necklaces. But I've always believed in less is more. Thus, your wedding day shouldn't be an excuse for bad taste i.e. draping yourself in diamonds. I've seen so many brides look like they've emptied out the entire contents of their jewelry box onto themselves. Yes, I know it's a very traditional (old-fashioned) mentality, that it's your special day, and you should look your most dazzling and sparkliest ever. Watch out people, get your shades on, she's armed with 64 carats worth of bling. But I think I'll stick to my beloved mother's pearl and diamond earrings and call it a day.
4) Bridesmaids - I'm so lucky to have made a lifetime of best girl friends over the years. I'm even luckier that all 6 of them have agreed to participate in the akad nikah ceremony as dulang girls, where they will walk with me to the pelamin carrying trays bearing gifts for the groom. These girls are a reflection of my whole life - Zales I've known since we were 5, Fish and I were up to no good throughout high school, Tsu and DeB are my Villiers Vixens from Warwick, King Ari, my bestie from my days at Aseam, and Iman, my newest BFF I met at K. Fish, DeB and Tsu are flying in for my wedding, which is truly amazing and sweet of them. If only I could get married every year just to have all of these girls I love in one place at the same time, sniff.
5) After Partayy - After the show (because we are, after all, getting married onstage...in front of 500 people) it's the after party, then after the party is the hotel lobby. Well not the hotel lobby exactly, but some fabulous venue where the young'uns can dance, drink, eat and celebrate, well, us. I got myself a funky 60s style dress, some dancing shoes, I'll get my hair 'did, stick on some black eyeliner and we'll party-til-the-break-of-dawn, cause we can't stooooop, and we won't stoooooop, can't you see it's we who own the night, can't you see it's we who 'bout that life....yeah eee yeah.
Anyhoo, I'm off to go torture myself at BodyTone class after which I will eat a lettuce leaf for dinner (okay, so maybe happiness does come at some kind of cost).
No comments:
Post a Comment