Congrats Kenny & Jeannie!

Captain Kenny Gordvyn Mariapragasam has finally decided to give up galloping around the cosmos and settle down with the woman in his life. About time to, I think.

The caricature (pic above) of the groom-to-be by his office colleagues only reminded me of how we all are 'required' to take the "next step" in this finite life.

Kenny and Jeannie are getting hitched!

August 14th. 9.45am. Registrar of Marriages, Maju Junction Mall.

As luck would have it I will be on Court detail on board the USS Justice. Duty calls!

I would be much obliged to grace this ocassion and bear witness to the long awaited conjugation. You two met long ago. Along your voyages, circumstances left you both apart but God obviously decided to have you both crossing each other's path again and just like Captain William Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi, you two have sought to travel life's journey together into the final frontier!

"May the wind be in your backs"...

T-Minus 1 day!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned, for the wedding, the lights of which you've never seen...

Cho Teong and Kelly Lum

20th October 2007. Yeeeessssssss...it's another one...... These last 2-3 months; I tell you, at this rate, I'll go bankrupt with all these 'summonses'. *grin*. It's our fellow divers, Ng Cho Teong and Kelly Lum's turn to tie the knot.

Diagressing a little, the last time I met Kelly and Cho Teong was at Sg. Chilling, in Kuala Kubu Bharu (for moderate hikers, this is place to go, but watch out for flash floods during the rainy season) a hike which Mike Tjoa and I did with them on the 27th September (I've yet to blog about that excursion). It's a nice waterfall area with a precursor; 45-minute hike into the woods, through at least 5 to 7 river crossings...ok, back to the issue at hand...

Last nite was their wedding dinner (Cho Teong's in-laws side) in Puchong, at a chinese restaurant named 'Hei Lai Ton', just opposite the IOI Business Centre.



There's still Round 2 at Sri Kembangan next week, on the 27th...and this time, Francis and I, inter alia, are the 'Heng Tais' (aka "gunmen", aka "fools who are going to make fools of themselves" aka "screwed!!!") for Cho Teong's entourage. We've already identified the 'chi muis' who look like they're undoubtedly going to rag us to death....fortunately for us, we've been told that they're not allowed to use women's undergarments because its 'pantang'....Har Har har...but that's no consolation... the wasabe-laden 'delights' are enough to take us out already...

Asther and Francis were the official photographers and I, was the official photographer's assistant, keeping an eye on their equipment and hard disks and lenses.

We were seated at a table of Kelly and Cho Teong's friends. Dinner was enjoyable, save as the 'in-house entertainment'...

Just as I thought I could escape karaoke, there it was...the horrid sight...a karaoke machine at the left-anterior of the podium. AARRRGGH!!! No more Hokkien songs please!!! The kids singing Mandarin songs all are ok...I don't understand a word, but they were adorable. But it's the over-zealous 'Ah suk' I can't tahan!! (this word I know: "Beh Ta Han") Pan Chung and Siew Lui (a couple next to me) were pleading..."Peter, please go up there and SING, please SAVE US"....he he he...At least, "Ronan Keating" and gang with amongst others, "When you say nothing at all" or somesemblance of entertainment... he he he.

Don't worry Cho Teong!!! We'll take care of the rest!!! You just make sure our 'ang pows' are fatter than usual...

Now, where's my insurance policy...??

Congratulations, Adrian and Vivian

15th October.

Finally, our beloved 'Uncle' Adrian Yeo has tied the proverbial knot. And who a better person than Vivian to be his life-long companion.

I nearly backed out from being his 'Heng Tai'. Then after reflecting on the long friendship I had, and my concern that Adrian would be at the mercy of vicious and merciless 'Chi Mui's', I promptly told Francis that our friend will need reinforcements. "Never give up, never surrender"!!!!

So, after meeting at Adrian's place at about 7am, we went allllll the way to Klang to pick up the bride. There was Thomas, Boon, Francis and I.

I tell ya, negotiations were a killer. First, for the young one to open the car door also must 'tarik harga'. Then, got iron grill some more. Sigh... so how? Drink beer....warm beer...at 8am in the morning...bottoms up some more....

Before the gas could clear, must eat wasabe sandwiches... You should have seen Thomas' face...not to mention Boon and Francis who looked like they had red-hot iron rods shoved up their nostrils.... hahahahah....I had escaped that fate. Then, the last punishment at that juncture was to down a nasty concoction of vinegar, chilli and 'god-knows-what', a pleasure given to Francis. All he could say was "OK what?". He he.

But ultimately, once we breached the iron grill, got one more obstacle. The door to the bride's suite. So how? Must tarik harga some more la. This time, managed to get Gibson, the traitor who devised those nasty exercises for us. Had to pump iron and eat a WHOLE banana at the same time...Ha ha ha.

After losing mucho $$, we tried to siege the bridal suite, only managed to nearly kill the 'chi muis'. Only much $$$ flew, we did managed to get into the bridal suite...the correct one that is, seeing there were 8 doors on that floor.

Fun la. Looking forward to Ng Cho Teong and Kelly Lum's wedding coming up next week.

July 1st, 2007.

Congratulations Mee Queen and Edward! Just barely 3 weeks after receiving a call from MQ, I found myself at yet another wedding dinner. My 4th one so far in a span of 6 months. This time, at the Ritz-Carlton, KL. This was also a mini Sunway College "reunion" for some of us who went to college with MQ.

MQ was my A-level schoolmate at Sunway College back in '94. She was known as the shortcake girl who lived in Klang whose father owned a printing press. We used to trail down all the way to Klang to meet up for bak-kut-teh and to visit another Klangite, Raymond Soosai, another Sunway groupie. Needless to say, this meet-up wedding dinner was another path down 'Nostalgia Street'.

Especially with Rabinder Singh, now Datuk Rabinder Singh and lovely, but quite pregnant wife, Simren, Simon Hong (my god-brother), Alison Anthony, Yin Kit, Edmund Marc De-Run, James Teh and missus. All of us were once terrorizing our Econs lecturer back at Sunway College. Now, surely and steady, one by one are getting married.

From left: Takashi (not sure who he is) , MQ's dad, MQ's mum, Nigel Walker (Edward's brother), Rabinder, Simren, MQ, Simon, James, Missus James and a Takashi's girl

Yin Kit and Alison

Rabin and Simren

Now, rewind a little, Rabin was my one of my best buds in college. We remember his antiques back then, until he met the lights of Simren Kaur Sachdev. Yes, the "love at first sight" cliche applies here as well. Pretty soon, Rabin was despatching Alison to pass love cards to the then, not-so-pregnant bai girl. After about 2 years of courtship, they got married in '04 and look at these loving couple now...one in the oven some more.

We were really quite a fun bunch, always making it just in time for class after a good hour or two of Outrunners (an old arcade racing game), which we indulged at Sunway Parade. We drove our lecturers up the wall. We had our run-ins with each other and we wasted a lot of time, but, we were living life doings the things we did.

Good luck Mee Queen. Have it great in London!!!