Public holidays are always a welcome occasion! We had a public holiday in the middle of the week. A break in momentum from golf, work, and routine, so hubby and I took in a movie which was a welcomed change.
So far, it is the only break for July; the next public holiday is at the end of August. Perhaps another movie during that time? Hmm.
It slipped my mind of another significant celebration because of the recent wedding. As of yesterday, my blog reached its tenth anniversary! Gosh, where did the time go?
It never crossed my mind that when I started this a decade ago, I would go on for so long. It seems that there is so much to write and share. Ten years is a long time. Honestly, it was simply to write and keep memoirs of significant moments in my life covering my travels, hobbies, and adventures. Who would have thought this prevailed all these years and still going strong?
Well, happy anniversary to my blog, and a big thank you to all my readers and supporters for keeping my blog going! A toast to many more years ahead.
Saturday was an eventful day for the family. The fun part was when the groom and his merry best men arrived and had to overcome the challenges prepared by the bridesmaids before being allowed entry. There was laughter aplenty, and the expressions were priceless.
The Chinese tea ceremony went well in the morning. Before we knew it, the whole affair was over, and soon, we had to get ready for dinner that evening. The Wedding Dinner was a cozy affair. My niece was gorgeous in her gown, and her new hubby was equally dashing. They make a perfect couple. My heart is bursting with love for them!
Seeing all the aunties, uncles, and cousins again was a boisterous affair. I discovered I had a niece (my cousin’s daughter) that I never knew existed! Oh, my goodness. She lived in Australia all these years and recently came back to visit. It’s nice to have family celebrations to discover the family tree has grown.
Like the previous wedding dinner (of my nephew), we dressed to look our best. I opted for a Cheong Sam this time instead of an evening dress. I don’t dress up often, so it’s nice to be able to do so once in a while. And it will be a while before we all gather again for another family celebration.
My heart is bursting with love and joy as there is another wedding in the family! This time, it is the elder twin of my only sibling. It is another auspicious celebration as we welcome another new member to the family after the recent addition of the younger twin’s better half in March.
Words can hardly describe the excitement as we prepare for tomorrow. The Chinese tea ceremony will take place in the morning, followed by the wedding dinner in the evening. I look forward to seeing and raising my glass to all the aunts, uncles, and cousins again, making merry, and sharing the family’s happiness on this momentous occasion.
I thought this month we would not have any public holidays to enjoy after all the long stretches in May; well, I thought wrong! Today is a public holiday, being the King’s birthday. Long live our King!
It’s also a welcomed opportunity to recuperate from yesterday’s tediously long drive back from hubby’s hometown. After this, it’s back to the grind and daily routine.
The days leading up to my birthday went by so fast! We had an early birthday dinner celebration last weekend with the girls. It was such a gastronomic indulgence.
Then hubby and I played a round of golf at Royal Perak Golf Club on Wednesday. I had the shot of the day on Hole 5, a Par 3, landing my ball a foot and a half away from the cup for a birdie. Perhaps my Hole-in-One shot is coming soon?
But the actual day of my birthday, the day went by so slowly. We were back in Alor Star and it was like a furnace. I could feel my body fat melting away, which was good because I’d been feeling a bit chunky, eating so much leading up to my special day.
And then it rained, no, it poured and poured and poured! Mother Nature was relentless. The outside perimeter of the house was flooded. Oh no! It was sometime before the rain subsided, and we had to clean up the place. Not the ideal activity to do on one’s birthday but it had to be done.
I was sweaty, I was tired and hungry. Sigh. It could be worse because look at the bright side – I am healthier now after my recent hospitalization, and I feel the love of my family and friends for their good wishes on my special day. That’s all that matters. Happy birthday to me regardless of the circumstances!
You could say the chill and fun period of the holiday break is over for now, until next week, the holiday break repeats! Unbelievable. Malaysia is a country full of public holidays. So what’s going on next week?
Well, Labor Day is Monday, followed by Wesak Day on Thursday. That’s two days of public holiday again. But the holidays are between two working days during the week, thus a tad disruptive to the week. Am I complaining? Of course not! Hehehe. I should enjoy such breaks whenever they occur.
Whenever we have a long weekend, I get disoriented with the days, losing track of what day it is because there’s no agenda to meet. We are not mindful of the time and enjoy the break.
Hari Raya was on Saturday, but we had an extra public holiday on Friday and a replacement holiday today. As a result, it is four days of holiday, and today, being a Monday does not feel like one.
Well, holidays are always appreciated, whether short or long stretches, for we kept busy with golf, food, and shopping! Yes, it’s a Monday today, but more like a Sunday, so enjoy the break while we can because tomorrow, reality kicks in, and it’s back to routine.
Recently, at the wedding, I decided to wear heels to match my outfit, but I was in a bind. I didn’t think I could balance on either the black three-inch or the bling-bling four-inch dinner stilettoes. It’s been ages since I wore these!
So I decided to don my Ferragamo shoes instead. It was either the classic Vara pumps or the Artiste block heels. I prefer the Vara over the Artiste, and the ever-reliable Vara pumps have held up after all these years. Perhaps a tad hardened on the insides that I have to grit my teeth when I walk, but what’s a little pain for a night of glam?
However, the other pair of Ferragamo has suffered a terrible fate. With two years upended by the pandemic, traveling and meeting people was out of the question. Furthermore, there have not been many new business opportunity meetings, so wearing good shoes were not required.
Anyway, my Artiste Ferragamo shoes suffered massive hydrolysis on the bottom. It’s like a replay of my Blundstone boots, only this time, it’s my designer label heels. The rubber underside of the shoes exploded to smithereens! The only consolation is that the shoebox contained the mess.
I am not upset, but wondering if I bring the shoes to the Ferragamo store, can anything be done to save them? Would I be accorded a solution or a replacement (wishful thinking here) like Blundstone Australia did? Hmm.
Double happiness is when two people discover each other for a lifetime together. Double happiness also means during the wedding, the extended families can gather merrily for a happy celebration.
Two nights ago, my nephew tied the knot. Congratulations to him and his beautiful bride! My heart is bursting with love for the newest member of our family!
It was a heartfelt, joyous occasion for everyone present. The younger twin of my only sibling is now a married man and will be starting his family soon. There was so much love and affection throughout the Chinese tea ceremony, which was steep in tradition. A boisterous close family affair that morning.
Then the wedding dinner that night was equally a heartfelt and joyous occasion for the family. I was ecstatic when I reconnected with my cousins again, having not seen them for ages. It was such a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we caught up, reminisced, squealed, and giggled like teenagers until we teared up about the growing-up years with our grandpa around.
Grandpa was the center of our universe, but there was so much fear in us whenever we visited him and Grandma. Nonetheless, my cousins and I have happy childhood memories. Now only our memories remind us because, during the dinosaur era, smartphones to record every moment did not exist yet. Today, the wedding is a memory filed away but captured in print, video, and almost everyone’s smartphones.
As I have said, there was double happiness for everyone during the wedding dinner – not just for the newlyweds but for all the aunts and uncles meeting up again. Many a time, I felt emotionally moved to see the elderlies hugging each other affectionately and catching up, something we all could not do, especially during the peak of Covid. It takes a happy occasion to reconnect with everybody again. And it takes a pandemic to reevaluate the importance of family and being in touch.
A cousin lamented that the clan should not meet only for weddings and, sadly, at times, for funerals, but it should be more frequent now that there are no longer lockdowns and restrictions. Time is precious, likewise family members and our extended families too.
As such, efforts are underway to spur the next generation of cousins to get to know each other better and ensure their bond grows, just like it has been for my cousins and me. As for the newlyweds, a toast to their happiness and the start of a beautiful life together.
Angieneering 
Remarks