Kenduri at Flamingo

CongratulationsDecember has always been busy for me. Not because of work, but due to the number of weddings I had to attend. It seems that I had invitations every weekend. Even though I was keen to attend, they can be a bit of an issue you if it were to happen every Saturdays and Sundays. I don’t usually talk about them, but I will have to give an exception this evening for a couple of reasons. It was the first time that I attended a wedding at Flamingo Hotel in Ampang. Secondly, it was one of the better organise one that I been invited to.

The gorgeous pelaminThe wedding was of the daughter of a very close family friend. I practically knew the bride since she was a young girl. A couple of months back, she, her mother and my Mum went to Indonesia to shop for the preparations. The akad nikah was held yesterday at the bride’s house, but was I was not able to attend. My mum did so on our behalf. Suffice to say that they make the plan well in advance for the ceremony and I was glad to see that everything turned out very well indeed.

My sister and her good friend texting while the proceeding was going on .... Oi! You should be concentrating!Flamingo Hotel was only about 10 min out from where my mum lives. Traffic getting in there can be tricky but it was rather light last night. After finding a parking spot, we went straight into the hall. We were given a number on to which table we were allotted to. We sat right in the end of the hall, maybe not to cause to much of a stir. We were well away from the pelamin, and since it was my sister, parents and another family friend, we spent the evening chatting away and laughing out loud. Walking in we were really surprised at how nice the hall was. It was a square, with the plumbing at one and and the high table on the side. 

 The pelamin was exquisitely prepared. There were adorned with clear crystal chandeliers with lightings and crystals, creating a shimmering reflection. The couple entered in a light gold traditional costumes, followed the obligatory doa and tepung tawar ceremonies. Very classy, and after the main meal, the they made a quick escape to change into a dark brown evening attire. The meal itself was very nice. I have been to a few other venues before and after being there for a few times, you can sort of guess what the menu would be. The change certainly made the difference, and we were served with tasty soto as starters before starting the nasi minyak meal. I must say that the meal was well above average to what was normally served. The rest of the ceremonies also went through without a hitch, and we left at about 10.30 before the crowd built at the exit.

I wish the happy couple the best for the future in starting their new journey together. And should I get another invitation to attend a wedding at Flamingo, I will definitely attend without hesitation. And for those planning a wedding, this place deserves serious consideration.

Wedding in KB

The main event for the trip to KB was to attend a wedding. Wedding of Puan Anita’s cousin. Marrying another one of her cousin. Confused? Well, we were as well. The crowd had to be split into two, so that some remain at the house with the bride, while the other half with the groom!

This way

Anyhow, weather was gorgeous. Food was gorgeous. Bride was gorgeous. Everything went well. Irfan had some sniffles after the flight in, so we served him some flu medication. He was out for 3 hours while the wedding was going on. Less drama! The akad ceremony was held at the bride’s house earlier in the morning. After a short break, it was the actual wedding feast.

The Qadi doing the akadThe groom in Malay traditional dressLater in the after noon, the groom came for the bersandingThe bride at bersandingThe MC for the day belting out some local favouritesThe theme was blue, which was just as well as the boys were both in blue, so was Puan Anita. My batik had a shade - well, a couple of stripes of blue - so that was OK. There were a few tradition that I was not familiar with - we had Perak and Penang ceremony for my wedding. For example, rather than bertepung tawar, the visitors came over, dropped some cash on a collection vessel and embrace the host. The bersanding and all the rest were I was quite familiar with. Hmm! I should study more wedding I think - the real ones. The ones held in the kampongs with all the traditional regalia rather than the pseudo-modern ones held in KL at big hotels with Western-style reception. There’s so much to learn ….

Wedding in Butterworth

My cousin, Ghouse had his wedding reception yesterday in Butterworth. Since the boys and Puan Anita was still tired from the birthday party the day before, I drove up there with my parents. We left KL pretty early, with a couple of stops on the way up, the first being at Tapah for breakfast. We went straight to my Aunt’s place in Sungai Petani, before attending the wedding at about 2pm.

The wedding was held at a hall, and frankly speaking, it was more suitable for a meeting than a wedding reception. The lay out of the room were pretty long and narrow, making access a bit of an issue. I think my Aunt underestimated the number who showed up, exaggerating the issue. It made the hall seemed full even though it was not up to capacity yet. The food however was nice, unfortunately, they have run out of ais kacang by the time I reached the stall. Mee goreng was also about to finish, so I decided to go for the rice as well.

To cut a long story short, Ghouse being the only child, everybody from the clan turned up. My sister can’t make it, but I brought her son, Imran (spot the theme - Imran, Idlan, Irfan) along with us. My grandmother was there, but she has clearly lost a lot of weight. Mind you she suffered a stroke 8 years back and was unable to talk and move the right side of her body. But I never remembered her being this thin. We spent to rest of the time catching up with relatives. My Dad was especially happy since most of his childhood friends were there. All of them had a story to tell, and oh Boy, did they not want to tell me stories about my Dad when he was a lad growing up!

We finally made our exit just after 4, driving back to KL. The traffic was considerably heavier on the way home. We made a couple of stops at Bukit Merah and Sungai Perak for some food and titbits. I will be taking Monday off and planning to take the boys to watch a bit of Shrek!

Congrats Habibah

It's Habibah's wedding today, and I was there quite early having gone out to get myself a brand new pair of shoes. Finding her house proved to be a challenge since I was not familiar with the area.

Waiting for everyone to arriveThe happy couple arrivingWhen I finally got there, I was amongst the first to arrive. Habibah's family home was right beside the main Alor Gajah, Melaka and Muar road and traffic was quite heavy. But once you reached there it is pretty clear that it was a tranquil kampung. The entrance lead straight into an area of houses all occupied by her family members. So guess were lead around te compound where tents were built. There were 3 departed eating area with a separate theme.

I was lead to a tent underneath durian trees. No! There were no risk of fruit hitting my head. There were none to be seen. I shared a table with a couple of doctors who were UM gradutes from the 70s and 80s. They were talking about UH was back then. Quite an interesting lunch.

Food was very nice, biryani I'm afraid, so there went my diet. I wondered around the other tent waiting for staff from UM to arrive a few of them dis before the bride and groom arrived.

Looking so happy - kanak-kanak riang gitu!Being stopped at the entraceHabibah and Azman arrived just after 1.30, and were paraded with pantun and kompang in the background. They were wearing maroon and orange/teal theme, swamped by photographers. I left after bersanding as I have other plans with the kids later.

Weather however may be too warm for boys today, but I'll try not to curb their enthusiasm too much. We'll see what they wanted to do. As for Habibah and Azman, all the best and congratulations!

Wedding at Wardieburn

I would just like to take this opportunity to congratulate a former neighbour whose daughter got married yesterday. The wedding was held at a hall in Wardieburn Camp. Yes, it was inside the Army Camp itself. The hall was brand new, and in the last few months there have been a few weddings held there.

Irfan and cousin Suraiya enjoying the PSPShould I be encouraging Irfan to play this game?It was an afternoon reception. We were amongst the first to arrive there, just before midday. The happy couple arrived for the bersanding at around 12.30. Everything went smoothly. The food was nice. The MC was clearly having fun singing a few numbers before the couple arrived on the karaoke. I have a point of contention though. Not against the host, but against the Camp management itself.

The MC belting away at the karaoke. Seemed to be having too much fun!The happy couple entering the hallThere was a lack of coordination and for the army - both myself and Puan Anita coming from army families - it was embarrassing. Some of the guests were asked to take passes, while others wasn't. Some were asked silly questions despite coming in with invitation cards, dressed in batik and carrying an MPV-full of children. I got in without any problem. But coming out, questions were asked and I was asked to pop the trunk etc. I personally don't have a problem with that. My problem is the the lack of coordination. I am sure the simple reason why the army allowed for the hall to be used is for extra revenue, and maybe to have better community relations. To admit otherwise and open out the camp for other reasons just does not make sense. It just did not justify the possible compromise to security.

In other words, make the procedure of entering and exiting the camp during one of this events standardised. Guests will know what to expect. Maybe the host will also know what to expect so that the guests will be informed. It wasn't just me but many of the guests were bemoaning that fact as well.