Counting Down

At last the invitations have been sent either by post or hand-delivered.

RSVPs have started coming in. Almost every invited guest has confirmed their attendance except for a few who had more than one invitation for the same date.

I've sorted out the table seating, putting friends together on the same tables so that they will enjoy the evening better. Relatives and siblings have also been placed at tables where they can mingle with guests and make new friends.

The little details have been attended to. The marriage will be solemnised in church in Singapore, so the program there has been taken care of by my son and his wife-to-be. They have done a marvellous job of organising the function and their friends have rallied round to help.

It's wonderful of my siblings to go all the way to Singapore to witness my son's wedding and I'm most appreciative of their support and love.

We will have another dinner in Kuala Lumpur a week later and the tea ceremony which is the formal introduction and acceptance of the bride into our family will also be held that weekend.

I've seen the wedding photo shoot but will not be sharing at the moment as the marriage has yet to be solemnised. Once it is done, I will share the beautiful photos with you, and some will be posted on FB so that the Australian branch of the family can see them as well.

I'm getting nervous as the day draws nearer, although I'm only the mother of the bridegroom!!

Old Times and Old Friends

The past two days have been spent catching up with old friends, one of whom had flown in from Ozie Land.
The last time she was here in the Land below the Wind was more than two decades ago and the many changes, mostly positive, created a favorable impression on her.

Reminiscing the past and present whiled away the hours all too quickly. Have you ever noticed the ease with which old friends slip into the joyful camaraderie of old, the years dropping away and picking up where you left off a long time ago?

So it was with us, as we first chatted over toast and coffee and lataer strolled through the mall, browsing among the displays of colorful apparel. She made a couple of purchases with which she was very pleased.

The following day another old chum treated us to lunch and an update of her family with lovely family photographs. The hours simply flew by and it was time to say adieu with promises to catch up once more but in Down Under, where we have standing invitations.

Good friends are hard to come by and tested friendships should be treasured till the end of time.

On to New Beginnings

We will soon be on our way to join our son as the date of his wedding draws near.

In preparation for the big day, invitation cards have been sent out.


We will be bringing along with us a traditional basket which will hold the gifts for our future daughter-in-law as per tradition.

The discussion over the gifts took place a while back when we went for the food tasting at the venue where the wedding dinner will be held. Our son's future in-laws' requests were simple and they didn't want to be tradition-bound. Nevertheless, I felt that at least the basics should be adhered to.

So there will be a red piece of cloth plus two red rosettes which will be placed over their doorway to indicate that a marriage will take place and that their daughter is leaving their home. There is a certain way of folding the red cloth which will indicate this. The groom's home will have a similar red piece on his door too to indicate that he is bringing back a bride.


The basket will contain the dowry which is an auspicious sum of money put into a red envelope printed with the word "Double Happiness" and also jewellery for the bride.


There will also be bridal biscuits but the bride's parents have said that there is no need for that as not many people eat these traditional biscuits anymore. However we will include a cake. There are so many delicious cakes available in the bakeries today. Instead of liquor we will give fruits.

Our younger daughter and her brother, the bridegroom, will be our emissaries presenting the gifts to my future daughter-in-law's parents.

There is also a token number of dinner tables to be given to the bride's side for the wedding. They have agreed to accept the eight tables. Eight is an auspicious number.

This is what will take place during the next few days.

Once the wedding is solemnised in church, followed by a light lunch for the invitees, the wedding dinner will be held that evening. There will be a tea ceremony too during which the young couple are introduced to the members of the family.

It is an occasion that we are looking forward to very much.