Coming Live From an Airport Near You - the Wedding Relived!

Hi hi! I'm posting from KLIA! RandomThots reaches new dimensions - it's an international airport bloog! (And one of the best international airports in the world, no less)
Anyhoos, my flight's been delayed an hour so I have utilised the magic of technology- with my one-earphone ipod session, free wi-fi for blogging and the instant SD card uploading - (and the faint smell of vomit lingering in the air - not me!) decided to bring you, the Mandarin Oriental Wedding Experience! Now in technicolour...
Have no pictures of the church wedding and tea ceremony because I saw the horde of cameras around and couldn't be bothered to bring my own. But here's the night time - what a beautiful ceremony! (worth all that stressing after all )

So... why not recount the tale of my emceeing? Was very relaxed about it, thought hey, can just make it up on the spot. Just welcoming people and introducing who's to talk. At 4.30 pm decide to come over for a mike test and stood there saying 'Good Evening...' and then was speechless. Oh Crap i thought. So, my 2 hour speech writing and I finished it at the reception table as guests were coming in. In the end, i had brilliant cheesy one-liners but they seemed to go a bit unappreciated by the crowd. However, i did get quite a few comments about how good my speaking was and managed to impress some people (maybe even some job offers on the table) Muahaha.. at least i impressed my aunties (who are the hardest to impress anyway)

Oops..
my flight's boarding. will continue later.. but just for the sake of posting in an airport! =) see the melbournites tomorrow!

The Beginning of a Long Run....

Woah... 1 open house and a few random cocktails later and I feel like the whole affair is in full swing.
There's no stopping now - wedding at 9.30 am, tea ceremony at 12 pm, rehearsal at 4 pm, dinner at 8 pm (where i am emcee no less!)
Lordy, did i mention I'm flying back to Melbourne 9.30 pm the next day? Okay, a bit of a break but still i reckon i'll be tired!
I thought I had no friends left in KL but it was good catching up with Abes, Rich, Jo Lim and Gigi tonight. Haha... regardless of how long an absence it's been, i can still talk ages with them (see.. some friendships are just low maintenance but no less lasting!) Thanks for coming abes ( i know you read my blog!)
Still, felt a bit anti-social with all the other relatives and friends, but chances are i'll be seeing them at dinner tomorrow anyway and finally it's time to spend some time for myself! Such a relief. I think i can soldier on for the next 2 days now.
I still have no idea what I'm saying tomorrow at the dinner. My brother said, (and i quote) 'Be Yourself'. Oh dear lord - dirty jokes and foot in mouth moments, i think he doesn't really know me quite well enough! Here's hoping that:
1) i can wake up to drive to the church in 7 hours
2) i behave myself and don't say anything too embarrassing
3) i don't get too smashed in the process (which shouldn't really be a problem - i'll be nervous!

Time to get excited about the wedding. (the first one i've been personally invited to!) Will see all you Melbournites soon enough (and i miss you lots and lots)
p.s: for the valedicts, the shirts arrived today! they're a bit loose but i think that's better than tight. and they look awesome! would take a picture but it IS 1 am and i can't be bothered.
Will prolly not blog til sunday or monday so enjoy the end bit of the hols!
(didn't take any pictures tonight - can you believe that! but the food from the caterers was yum yum!)

Ish... Not enough friends lah.

In the end, i'm just a spoilt brat.
It annoys the hell out of me knowing that all my friends are together in Melbourne and enjoying themselves. Even if they're not, i'm imagining it. So kiasu!
Is this what it will be like next year?

No, even the good food and cheap shopping is little compensation for the friendless nights.

how appropriately alone in the home nest this bird is

I think it's time I got a boyfriend (so at least there's someone who can be bored with me, right?)

New Music Corner

I'm so so shocked that MTV plays anything other than tits and arse.
In fact, they played music that I LIKE. And it's GOOD. very maroon 5 feel.
The song's been stuck in my head the whole day. Love it!
Jamie Scott and the Town - When Will I See Your Face Again?

Wow....

For those who don't know I'm going to Tasmania in December, I am!
And the Hobart Beer Fest will be on then.
Thought I'd better start training already. Here's something for me and Kai to learn.

Haha.. the Germans really perfected the art of skolling eh?

Cutest little fat kid ever!

While I was lunching in Ipoh, I couldn't help but notice this little boy next to me. He was so round and chubby and cute! And he seemed to be enjoying his food lots and lots! For about 15 minutes he had a continuous hand-to-mouth motion.
Yes, i did it. I video-ed him. Hahaha. But only for a little while. (still enough to make me voyeuristic?)



eeee... want to pinch his cheeks!

The Ipoh Pre-Wedding Dinner

Because I like to flatter myself thinking that people like to keep up with the goings-on in my life, I am going to put up photos of the last 2 days in Ipoh. A bit of a sore leg (from driving) and too many relatives whose names i have forgotten later, here they are! Photos from the Ipoh pre-wedding dinner!

They say when in Rome, do as the Romans... So, when in Ipoh do as the Ah Lians?

The function room in the afternoon before the whole affair
My brother... the alco. But seriously. A 2 litre bottle of Black Label... (o_o)

Before walking into the function room. (so sweet ya?) too bad my cousin walked through the doors to spoil the shot. haha

Aaaawww... so cute right got big cheesy picture outside?

Me and mummy - alcos too! i managed to end up serving brandy to people as my dad and brother went round toasting the guests. haha.. can't stop serving the alcohol!
Customary champagne-pouring time...
The new family - and my tablemates! (even including them i'm the youngest. Sigh....)
Better picture - her oldest sis, 2nd bro's gf, the bride, Moi and cousin Mike who's getting married next year! *sigh* all these marriageable/married people! i think i have a little while more to go.After dinner and shooing away guests, the leftover relatives head down to the bar (cos they packed up the place). haha.. drunk relatives are highly amusing. and the bar was aptly named 'emergency bar'

The whole affair was pretty good - happy drunk relatives, good food of which i ate very little walking around being a good semi-hostess and finally meeting the rest of the new family. Still dawning on me that we're stuck with them now. haha.. not in a necessarily bad way. But imagine you're away for a while and everything at home's going on like normal. And next thing you know your brother will not be coming home as often, there will be this extra person who's always part of his (and therefore your) life and there's suddenly new family members too! (or am i putting too much importance on the whole in-law relation?)
We shall see... a hectic week ahead what with more dinners, relatives and the wedding itself!
Onward ho with shoe shopping! (wish i had more time...)

A Vent for Marriage

It's the night before the big Ipoh dinner.
Considering I'm driving there I should really be asleep now. But i'm feeling worked up.
Most of the day's conversations were spent bitching about some relative or other, which leads me to conclude that blood is more fickle than water.
Is my brother consigned to being some other family's bitch? Are my parents forever going to complain about how they've lost a son, not gained a daughter?
Behind the happy bride and groom sits the newly-forged ties of in-lawdom.
Ha! There was a time when I believed that Love was just boy meets girl, they like each other and everything else is fine and dandy.
How cynical I've become since then!
Noone tells you that woven into those professions of undying adoration, that underlying the scent of perfumed roses and laced into the gowns of adulation are the invisible threads of family and upbringing and image and power. Like the Marxist I am - always power.
This is probably the disgruntled tirade of 2 am. Irate, tired and over-familied as i tend to be.
Here's wishing me continued sanity over the weekend and a great time faking smiles and manners.
Congratulations to us all.

All-round Achiever?

The oddest thoughts strike me when I am in the shower, and this time it was while pondering the many qualifications on my CV.
While I had busied myself with attaining scholarships, H1's, picked up various posts in the many organisations I join and squeezed in as much work experience as I possibly could, I thought about how much I had missed out in personal development - the string of failed relationships (well, i suppose it was development of a pick-yourself-up-and-you'll-be-stronger sort) and not as many drinking or mahjong sessions as the successful networking people are prone to.
But really... even though I am uni-smart, I think that other people deserve to put their own qualifications on CVs too..
Like if you are a really great boyfriend...

• excellent dispute management
• experienced driver, bodyguard, escort, guide
• presentation skills (especially to authority figures e.g. parents)
• time management
• financial planning
• dedication and patience

Maybe these are things that should be in the CVs of the future. You are selling yourself to the employer anyway, right? Why miss the important bits?
Oh well... i think i just have too much time on my hands. Random useless thought of the day!

Feels Like Home To Me.....

Corrine May once sang:

I feel like a little girl
Trying to conquer the whole wild world
Everybody wants a piece of me
And I just don't know where to run

I am truly lost in this world they call adulthood.
It's been just under 2 days that I've been in Malaysia and I am missing Melbourne terribly.
I don't understand it. Didn't I say I wouldn't mind living here? This is just a holiday, which is what makes it worse.
I should be enjoying the food, the shopping and the family, but I feel quite swamped and disillusioned by the whole culture in Malaysia.
I drive to get everywhere.
The sky is permanently hazy.
Everyone walks around in a zombie-like daze, shopping for god-knows-what in every shop that looks the same same same as you walk by.
When did Malaysia lose its character? Where is all the flavour, and life, and beauty that I held in my memory?
When did everything turn into a series of air-conditioned malls connected by an endless stream of rude drivers and traffic jams?
I fear that I really over-glorified Malaysia in my mind - that I thought I could live wherever and it wouldn't be a problem.
I miss my friends. I miss my freedom. I miss the little alleys and streets with their shops that exasperate me for closing at 5 pm, but remind me that there are better things to do with your time.
I miss the coffee culture, where people meet up just to have a chat.
I miss the bars, where you can walk around the city looking for a decent place to have a quiet beer - and not be afraid of walking home in the wee hours of the morning.
I miss the people around me - whom I can call to go to any of these cafes or bars, or just stay at home and talk or play games, or even cook to feed.

What happened to the Malaysia I knew? Why has Melbourne suddenly oozed all this charm?
As baffled as I ever could be... and really questioning my stubbornness in wanting to come home.

Where is home now?



*sigh*

The Fallacy of Democracy

Perhaps it's evidence of the three years in politics.
Perhaps I only really understand it all now when it plays out in front of me.
Eerily resembling Orwell's Animal Farm is the great Valedictory Democracy.
I realise that when given too much choice, people are, ultimately, petty.
I don't think I could sum up the whole thing because it's been a drawn out affair.
Let's just say voting is not always democratic, choice is not always freedom and greater effort doesn't always amount to better outcomes.
Should've taken a leaf out of the seniors' books. Dictatorships may not be that bad after all.
As always, I am timely in my reading, Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children explains:

'...in the upper reaches of my mind, another army was also destroyed by things - bickerings, prejudices, boredom, selfishness - which I had believed too small, too petty to have touched them. But optimism, like a lingering disease, refused to vanish; I continued to believe - I continue now - that what-we-had-in-common would finally have outweighed what-drove-us-apart. No, I will not accept the ultimate responsibility for the end of the Children's Conference'.

Rushdie, p. 342

For we are but children after all.

I Have Only Myself To Blame...

For being awake at 4 am, counting Bar money (for the 2nd last time!)
For having 2 big things to organise concurrently (Valedicts and Tassie)
For scheduling National Night this weekend
For having AGM the Sunday after
For leaving my handover documentation to 2 days ago
For not doing my readings even though I could have in the library
For having to wake up in 6 hours so that I can buy the alcohol I never got round to buying
For not getting enough sleep in the last few days
For still wanting to rant about it on my blog
For feeling that this week is going to be a hectic, tiring one (isn't it always though?)

Haha.. the harsh life of an involved student.
What will I do when I am unemployed and friendless?

I'm allowed to like my readings

In a rare moment when I appreciate being an arts student...
I like all this talk about identity. It reminds me of first learning sociology back in Taylors. It MUST'VE stuck to me because I still remember quotes from 4 years ago now. How come it doesn't seem as easy in uni?

Here's a recap. My favourite symbolic interactionist, Cooley, and his Looking-Glass theory:

I am not what I think I am
I am not what you think I am
I am what I think that you think I am.

Ever thought of it that way? You make yourself out to suit what others think. And you will never really know what others think, you'll just have a perception of what you think they are thinking. I think that is such a clever theory...

But anyway, I read newer things... like this article that talks about awareness:

Awareness creates potential change, and may actually induce change in and through itself. For instance, the question, 'Are you aware of your breathing right now?', at least when first posed, usually produces an instantaneous change.

(Giddens, 1991, p. 71)

Haha... how's your breathing right now? Suddenly conscious of it right? The first time i read the paragraph i was inhaling and exhaling deeply throughout the article. Haha.. Hate it when the books are right.

But here's the one that I really liked. It's gloriously long and I don't really expect anyone to have read right up to here (boy, you must be bored. Haha.. if i said whoever reads this gets me to cook for them, i wonder how many will take me up on that?)

People who fear the future attempt to 'secure' themselves - with money, property, health insurance, personal relationships, marriage contracts. Parents attempt to bind their children to them. Some fearful children are reluctant to leave the home nest... The harsh psychological truth is that there is no permanence in human relationships, any more than there is in the stock market, the weather, 'national security' and so on... this clutching at security can be very discouraging to interpersonal relationships, and will impede your own self-growth. The more each of us can learn to be truly in the present with our others, making no rules and erecting no fences for the future, the stronger we will be in ourselves and the closer and happier in our relationships.

(Giddens, 1991, p. 73)

*phew* what a mouthful. But i really believe it though. Delude myself into thinking that I am going back to Malaysia because I am confident enough in myself to not be tied down into the whole PR business.

Final quote to emphasise my point:

... the paradox is that until we give up all the feels secure, we can never really trust the friend, mate, or job that offers us something. True personal security does not come from without, it comes from within

(Giddens, 1991, p. 78)

Oh my, hasn't this post been a window into my non-commital self?
Betrays the questions that plague me as the future looms ahead.