Three Graduates and A Bride

Last Sunday was a very busy day. There was a graduation ceremony for the girls and a wedding of a friend. I was practically running around for both occasions, but in the end I'm glad that I did it although my feet were killing me by the end of the day.


The Wedding
Remember when I wrote about my friend, Ms.MCL's proposal during class? Well, they finally have all their papers in order and decided to register their marriage here legally. As she is of Romanian-American parentage and he is an Israelian, there were a lot of paperwork to get sorted out. But after all the hassle and running around, finally they were declared husband and wife on May 31, 2009 at the wedding registration place in town.

It was a really sweet occasion. Because it was all kinda last minute, they decided to forgo the pomp and frills and invited only close friends and family to the ceremony. I was deeply touched and honoured that she would include me in it and plus this would certainly be my first.

The ceremony itself was simple, short and sweet; practically hassle free and it took less than 30 minutes. The bride was really beautiful and glowing; she couldn't stop grinning all through it all, and I am really happy for them. As I said it was my first time in a Romanian-style wedding and was delighted to join in with the newlyweds-walking-under-flower-bouquets and rice-throwing thingy because before this we only got to watch how it was done from afar whenever we passed by this place while there was a wedding there.

It was a really really lovely affair, simple and sweet. No hassle no fuss. No frowns, only smiles all around. I wish I could have joined them after that when they went to Ciric to celebrate but I wanted to run back to the graduation ceremony before it's over. And so after giving her the flowers and gift I left the happy couple to join my friends in CUG.


The Graduation Ceremony
Got up early, got ready, and accompanied the soon-to-be grads to the university (5 minutes walk from our place) for a pre-graduation group photo taking session. After that we straightaway went to the Centrul de Providenta in CUG where the ceremony was to take place (which was very very far, according to Iasi's standard lah) and waited for things to get started. As I had a wedding to attend to at noon I had to leave and later on joined them again after the wedding.

The gummu girls :))

It was nice to see all of them happy and excited and seeing some juniors coming to show their support, but I was quite bummed coz didn't get to watch them actually walk onstage, receiving their scrolls and reciting the Hippocratic Oath. Rugi gila lah, tapi takde rezeki nak wat camno...
Eventhough people keep saying that our turn will only be next year, it's kinda hard for me to believe it coz it really felt like only yesterday that I had set foot in Iasi. Will I be ready to don the robe and cap and be a good physician in the future? Scary thought. Sigh, time flies so fast eh.....

I gave the girls white roses as a token of our (crazy) friendship which I had pre-ordered a day before and had asked the boys to pick 'em up for me and gave it to them because I wasn't sure if I could make it after the wedding. And after that we were just chilling out at the sistas place. Good times indeed, they were my travel buddies and also my partners in crime; I'll surely miss them when they've gone back home for good...

Oh, and I am really glad that I came back to the graduation place. Surprise surprise, I got to meet a friend who was with us for the first 3 years but had transferred to Bucharest in our 4th year. He told me before that he had exams the day before and couldn't come, so imagine my surprise when I saw him there. And apparently most of my classmates were there too, but only managed to meet some of them because they left early.

Wonder how our graduation ceremony is gonna be like? Compared to my first convocation several years ago in UM which was a very formal affair (DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah yg bagi scroll hari tu) the ceremony here is, I would say, semi-formal. Takde org kenamaan, cuma org2 besar & yg penting drpd uni kitorang je. Which is a good thing I think. Less hoopla, but a bit dragging also lah. Tak kisah la belalang, asal jangan tergolek doq masa kat atas stage tu nanti udah ler. Isy, malu giler tak terkata gamaknya.....

So, to the new bride and the new MD graduates:

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Update: Was asked to stand in line for the bouquet-throwing thingy, but the bouquet flew into the hands of Ms.MCL's bestfren. Fuhhh, nasib baik... :))

On Bended Knees

Today was a day of proposals. Why?

1. In real-time:
My dear friend and classmate, Ms.MCL is now engaged! And it all happened in Ophthalmology lab just now. Her bf (now fiance) actually got down on one knee, told her that she was the only woman that he wants to spend his life with, and asked her if she would do him the honour of being his wife! It was a lovely and sweet surprise; I knew I was gaping throughout and our lecturer (and some of the strapping macho guys in the class, heheh) were moved to tears. It was kinda like one of those Hallmark moments, because the love that they had for each other really shone so bright that it was almost blinding. But the best part of it is that I've actually had the chance of watching something like that with my very own eyes and not only on TV. How cool is that! I am really happy for her, and wish nothing but the best for both of them.

Congrats my dear MCL! May your lives together will be full of love, joy & laughter forever and ever...


2. On reel-time
This was about something on the House tv show. Yeah, I'm fan, and have been faithfully following each and every episode without fail. I really love the show, but needless to say after the shocking (to me at least) twist in the previous episode (S5 Ep20) regarding the untimely and rather gruesome and tragic passing of one of my favourite characters, Kutner (he was supposedly to have shot himself due to unexplained reasons), I did not expect that the writers would come up with another surprise in the show in S5 Ep.21 when Chase got down on one knee and proposed to Cameron! And this I watched on the telly just a few hours after the real-time proposal in class! Seems like spring and wedding bells are in the air.....


So, the conclusion is:
"Love is in the air, everywhere we look around...."


p/s: Am trying to compile plausible answers for one of the most dreaded questions that will defintely be thrown at me during my cousin's wedding party this summer. Ideas anyone??

Purpose Driven Marriage

This was forwarded by a friend through an email:

She has it all planned...

THE 84 YEAR-OLD BRIDE

The local news station was interviewing an 84 year-old lady because she had just gotten married -- for the fourth time.

The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be married again at 84, and then about her new husband's occupation.

"He's a funeral director," she answered.

"Interesting," the newsman thought.

He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.

She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years.

After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she first married a banker when she was in her early 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, later on a preacher when in her 60's, and now, in her 80's, a funeral director.

The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.

"Easy son," she smiled.

"I married one for the money...two for the show...three to get ready...and four to go!"

If only it's as simple as that, heheh... ^_^

Divorce Letters...from both parties

This was a good one ^_^


Dear Wife:

I'm writing you this letter to tell you that I'm leaving you for good.
I've been a good man to you for seven years and I have nothing to show for it.
These last two weeks have been hell. Your boss called to tell me that you had quit your job today and that was the last straw.
Last week, you came home and didn't even notice that I had gotten a new hair cut, cooked your favorite meal, and even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers later that night.
You came home, nibbled at your food for two minutes, and went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps.
You don't tell me you love me anymore, you don't want sex anymore or anything.
Either you're cheating on me or you don't love me.
Whichever is the case.....I'm gone.

Signed,
Your EX-Husband

P.S. Don't try to find me. Your sister and I are moving away to West Virginia together. Have a great life!

----------------------------------------------------------------------


Dear Ex-Husband:

Nothing has made my day more enjoyable than receiving your letter.
It's true that you and I have been married for seven years, although a 'good man' is a far cry from what you've been.
I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining and griping. It's just too bad it doesn't work.
Yes, I did notice when you got a hair cut last week,,,and actually the first thing that came to my mind was "You look just like a girl"... but my mother raised me not to say anything at all if you can't say anything nice.
And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with my SISTER, because I stopped eating pork seven years ago.
I turned away from you when you had those new silk boxers on because the price tag was still on them. I prayed that it was just a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed fifty dollars from
me that morning and your silk boxers were $49.99...
After all of this, I still loved you and felt that we could work it out.
So when I discovered that I had hit the lotto for twenty million dollars, I quit my job and bought us two tickets to Hawaii. But when I got home you were gone.
Everything happens for a reason I guess. I hope you have the fulfilling life you've always wanted.
My lawyer said with the letter that you wrote, you won't get a dime from me. So take care.

Signed:
Rich As Hell and Freeeeeeeeeeee!

P.S. I don't know if I ever told you this but my sister 'Carla'.....was born Carl. I hope that's not a problem for you.


HAHAHAHAHAHA.....PADAN MUKA!!!

Post-Wedding Ramblings

Weddings are supposed to be about the people that you love, your family and friends, coming together to celebrate your special day. And with that also comes the chaos, tension, busy-ness, and drama that seemed to be attached to a wedding preparation. But amidst all these chaotic, nail-biting, hair-rising, mind-numbing craziness, at the end of the day you could still feel the love and care that are shown to you by the people that matters to you and made your special day a success.

Well, that just about describes my sister’s wedding. In the end it all turned out well, alhamdulillah. More than just well, actually. It was a beautiful day, filled with love and happiness and some funny moments too. I hope it will be a day that the newly weds will cherish forever…

Weddings as some of you may know are stressfull. Honestly. The wedding preparations alone can give you stomach ulcers. And being born a Malay doesn’t help either. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud to be a Malay, rich in culture and traditions, but sometimes they can be a tad overwhelming especially when it comes to weddings or to be precise the process of getting married. There are also those authoritive, "I have eaten salt earlier than you…" elders that you feel are a bit intrusive and that you just can’t say no to but deep inside you know that they do mean well. But no matter what, I am glad that they are there to give advice and wisdom to us, the young and inexperienced lot, to be passed on to the next generation. Without them we ceased to exist. Since we were small we were taught to respect the elders and to honour our culture and tradition as long as it doesn’t go against our religion and beliefs. And basically that was what I kept reminding myself of whenever I felt that I was going bonkers. Just a couple of deep breaths, some time out and then I am good to go. Lucky thing I didn’t develop a post-wedding over-inflated lung syndrome, heheh…

And on top of that, also had to deal with the one question that seems to pop up whenever we have any family gatherings or functions, especially weddings. Yup, it’s the famous "So, when is it going to be your turn, my dear?"… Seriously, nothing else to ask is it? Hmm… Funny thing is, it always comes after the how are you greetings, and then BOOM!! Honestly, by the end of the day I really sounded like a broken record machine/cassette player/scratched cd when it comes to answering that particular question. Guess I should have taken a friend’s advice to record a standard answer and just play it back whenever anyone asks me that question. Silly me…

Anyways, to my dear sister, Congratulations! I am really happy for you and glad that you have found someone that you are willing to spend the rest of your life with. For all my siblings, I wish you all a happy and blessed life with your families. Treasure your loved ones and live your life to the fullest. This also goes out to my friends and to all of you out there. You only have one shot at living and make sure that it is worth your while. And to you guys whom are tying the knot soon, Congratulations and Best of Luck!