am glad that i have work to do.

weddings.

the constant topic at weddings.
"shan, when is your turn?"

coupled with terms like "terlepas"(missed the boat) and "belum masa lagi" (not time yet). also with talk how my ideal wedding should be like.

i was in the car with my uncle, aunt and my mum. i told them i didnt plan to get married. these are the responses.

aunt: alah.. cakap jer tu shan (you say only, shan)
mum: you're just bitter after a heartbreak.
uncle: usually when people say that, the question to ask is, are you gay?
shan: im perfectly straight, just malas(lazy) to get married.

heh.

at the table at my cousin's place.

talk about weddings, why the void deck wedding is so hot, no fan, yadayadayada. dont even know who's that person sitting at that table, forgetting names, familiar faces and former girlfriends and/or boyfriends.

my mum actually told me that she knew this woman. who was sitting closeby. she shouted (yes, shouted across) whether she was so and so and whether she had a daughter called amira who was of my age. apparently the woman did. my mum hit the jackpot. i was in disbelief. cos a few months back a girl called amira said hi and added me on frienster/msn. she was my kindergarten classmate. k1 and k2. so.. i was told that amira, has been recently engaged. i didnt bother. but the mum said "alah, dah tunang pun boleh putus." (already engaged, can also break it off). which is weird. considering her daughter's life is at stake. haha. madness.

oh.
this is a random list i talked about with my cousins.

1) to have name tags at weddings.
2) to sign in ur name, and state ur relationship with either bride or groom, using a large flow chart or excel template.
3) not to have it at the void deck.
4) to invite only those people who bother to know you and keep in touch.
5) to have no relatives on manpower standby to clear plates, etc.
6) if done at the void deck, to delegate proper work procedures so that everyone knows what to do and wat time to report.
7) uniforms to distinguish between guests and people who help out
8) livestrong bands to distinguish between bride's side and groom's side. heh.
9) to charter a designated driver at all times in case of emergency.
10) to put the aunties at different locations of the area, so as not to hear them gossip.

weddings. the time for embarrassment, joy, pain, suffering and a whole load of emotions.

on the ride back.

me: what girl names were there in the 1960s? (doin research for script)
mum: siti aisyah.
uncle: ramlee. (he goes on ramlee-ing for the next ten mins)
mum: shikin. siti. nur.
uncle: ramlee. ramleee.. (different versions and tones included.)

(pls note i asked for female names. my uncle is saying a male name. no idea why.)

mum: i think my daughter in law would be named siti aisyah. u know anyone like that?
dad: here we go.
me: wat about _ _ _ _ _ _ _?
mum: where is she?
me: oh, working somewhere.

conversation ensues.

(my dad is averse to all the talk about weddings, etc. so he rather keep himself busy by really helping out, clearing plates, while we were eating and chitchatting. now i know why.

flashback.

dad: i wanna marry another.
mum: hmm.. (while looking sheepishly and dad laughs, me stunned.)
dad: oh. if u add an egg to fried rice, means u want to marry another.
me: huh?
dad: superstition la. like if u put salt in soup or to fried rice, when already cooked, u want to marry one more. (after this sentence it was all gibberish).

i was lost. like waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat nonsense.


den i remembered the scene in pramlee movies where they keep adding salt to an already super salty dish. and now, it sorta made sense.