OK OK...its already been more than a year since I got married and I just published this! Talk about procrastination! Anyway, it was a great ceremony done in Merak Kayangan in KL. The ceremony started a bit late due to some confusion with the VIPs and there was also a woman who came to the wrong ceremony! We also had a hell lot of posing done for the photo shoot before the actual event which could have given me a smiling injury. It was quite nerve wrecking trying to maintain composure and thinking about not doing something stupid like slip at the staircase near the stage! Thank god all went well.

I am proud of my brother who did well in giving his speech (which I wrote of course!) but he added some of his own at the end. Unfortunately, our video ran during his speech which wasn't what I had intended. So you couldn't hear the song that was playing in the background, which was actually "Just the way you are" by Billy Joel. Food was good and everybody had a swell time.

All in all, thank you to all who attended especially three of my special friends; Claudia, Kate and Kah Yeim who flew in from Hong Kong, US and China respectively. I am deeply touched by your presence and having travelled all the way to KL for this wedding. To my pengapit, Razlan and his wife Liza and also his parents who have been there throughout. Also not forgetting my buddies Alvin, Fint, Mike and Yeow Wei. As always, to my parents, brothers and relatives and especially to my father and mother in-law, who hosted this wonderful ceremony for us and made this day more than just special but most memorable for us to cherish for the rest of our lives. To those who have helped in any way, you are definitely not forgotten and deeply appreciated.

To my wonderful wife, thank you for choosing me as your husband. We have a long road ahead of us and may Allah bless us and our marriage for eternity, amin........

After a tiring day in Kuala Pilah for the reception on the bride's side and the evening celebration filled with food and the traditional joget lambak (a village style disco dancing in all sort of ways possible! Believe me you should have seen these young kampung fellas dancing and it will make you rethink the term that only white men can't dance!), the next day was my reception in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.

This was a traditional kampung style reception with a silat performance for the couple and good old kampung menu cooked by the kind folks from my father's kampung in Tanjung Agas. One thing I will never forget was that on the way to PD, we had to make a pit stop and of all places, a small town clinic! That pit stop was for none other than me! Oh yeaaaa....for all you lads who are still a bachelor, this is a word of advice - Never eat anything spicy or something in the morning before your reception which will give you an anal eruption!! Good thing the timing for sucha excruciating experience came when I was on the way to the reception and not at the reception itself! After a brief disembowelment period, we managed to get to Tg. Agas in time for the reception, causing at the same time, a traffic jam just in front of the house while we paraded into the venue!

I was really glad to see my close buddies and friends who came all the way to PD. My heartfelt thanks go out to the kampung people of Tanjung Agas, who have toiled and sweated out in cooking and preparing for my reception without any fuss and working together efficiently as a team to make this a memorable occasion for us. For all those who came, thank you so much especially to a few who came much later despite getting lost. Last but not least, my love and appreciation to my dad and relatives who helped in any way possible to make this reception a memorable one.

One more reception to go! Yes....this is not the end yet, so look out for more photo updates on the next reception in Kuala Lumpur

After a late night for the berinai ceremony, the first wedding reception was held the next day in Kuala Pilah. I was still nervous coz anything can happen like me fumbling onto the road while walking to the pelamin or my sampin falls down! After adjusting all sorts of things on the wedding costume (thanks to my best man who did the adjustments), we headed for the bride's house. Its hard to keep a smiling face and getting a face cramp at the same time!

Again, sitting on the pelamin seemed like an endless number of hours while getting butt cramps and face cramps! It was a bit of relief being able to walk again to go and eat. To the surprise of many (especially Dhilia's side of the family from Sarawak), we were entertained by our good friend and singer Khatijah Ibrahim. She was dragged all over for photo sessions with the guests (sorry eh, Kak Kathy!) While the crowd died down towards the end, we finally had some quality time with Kak Kathy, my mates Gareth and Marwan and some close friends and relatives.

The whole event went smoothly and a big thank you to all those that came for the reception in Pilah and for the lovely gifts.

Onto the next event after that solemnisation event which is the Berinai ceremony. This is of course, as far as I know, is a traditional thing to do. To be honest I had no flipping idea what the heck am I doing for this and I got giggles from the salesgirl at the shop where we bought the cloth for the attire. Thats what you get for being ignorant! Come to think of it, its quite weird, if you notice, I don't even have "inai" on my hands!! Yes, I forgot about that! (Hmmm...most probably too busy thinking about having a shagadelic night after nikah!)

Its like a mock ceremony and having to sit for quite some time on that chair, your arse falls asleep on you when you get up! It was nice though having all those relatives doing the blessing stuff when we are sitting them and they are called up one by one. If we had to go through the whole list of names, I think I would have collapsed up there! Anyhow, the event went smoothly and I had to go back to the rest house for the next day's event which is the first wedding reception (Nope, no shagadelic night!! Tradition is, the groom has to bugger off and cannot stay over with his new bride on the first night! WTF!)

"Aku terima nikahnya......" For those who are married, you know the rest of those lines! That day finally came when I was solemnised and married to the love of my life, Dhilia Udie, thus ending (finally! as some of my close friends and relatives would say) my bachelorhood. Yeah, I was a nervous wreck, in the car to the bride's house in Kuala Pilah and before sitting down on that large cushion and facing my father-in-law who did the solemnisation. Dhilia sat behind me in that room filled with people, probably praying hard and hoping that I don't screw up the lines and having to wait for me to get it right!! OK I have to admit I fumbled the first time! My mind went blank, my words was swallowed and I was like "Dammit! You are a twat Eddie. Stop making a fool of yourself!" Thank god I overcame that and the second time was a breeze, with a loud and clear voice and if the witnesses didn't hear that one, I would have gone bezerk!

A sigh of relief after that was over. The great feeling of happiness and to be married was there inside me. Upon reading the legal statement out loud (a formal thing to do in case in the future you do nasty things to your wife like bashing her up), I heard a faint remark from someone saying "that does not apply for the second marriage OK!!". There's always a joker among the crowd! Anyway, after all that I had to get back to the rest house to change for the "Berinai" ceremony. The photos for the berinai will be in the next set.

Anyway, a big thank you to my parents for their love and support especially to my father who was there through thick and thin for this wedding to make it happen. His heartfelt speech during the Nikah ceremony created a lot of tears because deep inside his heart he is touched by those that have come to support this wedding. I am also lost for words on how to thank my two most wonderful god parents, Uncle Omar and Auntie Sa'odah who once again created a masterpiece in my hantaran to the female side. Their immense effort with late nights of working on the hantaran and those funny moments while working is something to remember by for a lifetime. You both are dear to my heart and always will be. To my Enda Tik and Uncle Sham, I thank you both for all the support, advice and encouragement from day one of my relationship with Dhilia. Thank you to Tok Ishak and Tok Wok for your support and advice to me and to my dear brothers, Abg Zul (unfortunately could not make it) and Nain, thanks for being there for me throughout the ordeal. Last but not least, a big heartfelt thank you to all relatives and friends for your support especially to my best bud and pengapit, Lan and wife Liza and my other best buds Murni and Hilmi (thank you so much Moo for making my union with Dhilia happen in the very first place. U made this union possible).

Thanks to all who have in any way supported, advised and believed in this union. Dhilia and me treasure your support deep in our hearts.

Rasa Sayang Penang was recently upgraded and before its official opening, I had the privilege to spend a couple of nights in one their premier rooms in the Rasa Wing. Mind you, one of these rooms cost at least RM1,700 per night! Not surprising for that price when the hotel toiletries are from Aigner! Well, thank god I didn't have to pay for this holiday. One of those little perks you get working part-time in the hotel chain! . For 3 days two nights, this trip would have cost me a bomb! As a reservations agent, we need to know some details of our hotel chains and what better way than getting to stay there for a few nights eh!

In the beginning I had no one to go with and called one of my best bud, Fintan, to come along (yeah, of all people!! Hahaha! A chick would have been nice, innit?) Alas, I didn't want to spend a weekend alone in a splendid room so I had to resort to a weekend "sausage party"in a resort! Apart from having free nights, we got to eat for free by trying out the hotel's restaurants and bars. So we scoffed ourselves to a scrumptious dinner of grilled lamb for me (RM90) and a duck magret for the Ape (RM89)! Oh yea, the prices were "great" but its all worth it even if you had to pay coz the service, presentation and ambiance was superb.

After a wholesome meal (I dont think I wanna mention all those side-dishes we had!) and one full day of eating, we headed off to get some DVDs in Batu Ferringhi. No need to get into details what we bought but I am sure anyone staying next to our room must have had suspicions on the "noises" coming from the LCD TV Darn Ape had to put the volume up loud to seduce his ears I suppose!

Despite the bathtub being on the balcony (Strange place to put one but this is a room for honeymooners!) I didn't try it. Its a real turnoff trying anything of that sort when your roommate is a "batang"!! All in all, anyone with the money, spend a few nights at Rasa Sayang Resort, Penang. Its a great resort and not all rooms are at those kinda prices!! The Garden Wing is a bit cheaper and new too!

Its graduation time again. I never thought that I would be going through another graduation ceremony but it was worth it though. Studying at Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) was a great experience having those renowned local and international Professors. Most of all was making new friends both from Malaysia and abroad.

For those who could not make it to graduation, hope you guys are doing well wherever you are. For those who came, it was great to meet up again. Hope we can all get together like old times. To a friend and supervisor, Gareth, thanks for all your guidance and help throughout the course. We should have a squash game to celebrate! Not forgetting the other staff members of AEI, thanks for putting up with our demands and assisting us in any way possible. To Mike, my pal and good friend, for who without his advice, I would not have gone into this Masters programme.

Anyway, we need an Alumni meet-up! Take care all and all the best in your future endeavours. Those who end up becoming a millionaire, don forget us! Can or not? Caaaaaannnnnnnnnn!!!

The day finally came when me and Dhilia are to be engaged on 29 July 2006, truly a day to be remembered for life. Despite the many setbacks that went on earlier prior to this auspicious occasion (no elaboration needed here!) the ceremony went smoothly. I would have never imagined this day would come but it finally did. The love of my life, Dhilia, was mesmerising and I can only tell with these photographs, the whole event. In line with the Malay tradition, I am not supposed to be there while the ceremony is going on so me and my best mates headed to Kuala Pilah town to have a drink while they carried on with the ceremony. Not long after that I was called back to have lunch with everyone. Was I nervous? Yeah, I was! Then again, being happy is too short to describe what I felt inside and still feeling inside now. Its a wonderful feeling indeed

Anyway, a big thank you to the Dhilia's family and relatives for being a wonderful host to and being patient. My family, relatives and friends truly enjoyed your hospitality and great food. To my best and close friends, Murni & family (unfortunately could not be there), Lan & Liza, Haron & Linda (Linda could not be there as well), Nazlan and Adlan (also not there), a big and heartfelt thanks for all your advice and support all the way. A big thank you to all my friends, Dor (thanks for the long distance call to wish me, touched me deeply), Art, Poh Wan (No sheep, its not in August!!) , Aida, Belle, Hara, Mike, Ray with the sms of wishing me. Buzzie, I know you couldn't make it coz of some slutty Ape who kept to his motto of "ada pompuan lupa kawan!" Hahahaha!! Oklah Fint, I know you had to go off overseas (over the border more like it!) but you better make it for my wedding, you schmuck!

My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Uncle Omar and Auntie Odah (Lan's parents) for painstakingly taking the time, effort and patience to create a masterpiece of a hantaran for me. Uncle, the umbrella idea is copyrighted. If Siti wants to do one, she's gonna have to pay one heck of a sum to you and auntie! I owe it to you both for caring and being supportive and created something which I would have only dreamed of. The grandeur of your artwork and talent truly stood out. I love you both with all my heart. To my relatives and family, thank you so much for caring, your support and for coming esp to Enda Tik, my wonderful aunt who shares my thoughts, sadness and happiness (We are both Librans after all eh Enda?!) To Abah, Mak, Abg Zul and Nain - your love and support means much to me for always. For those that I have missed out, my apologies but thank you so much.

Last but not least, to the love of my life Dhilia, who has been patient, supportive and caring despite all my funny antics, commotion, frustrations etc. You were there for me through thick and thin and in the end we both pulled through to make this happen. Next is our wedding insyaAllah, which will be a momentous event for our lives together from there onwards..amin. I love you with all my heart

Sorry folks for having to read all this!! Abit like receiving the Oscars pulak! heheheh....There will be more pics to be uploaded so keep checking.

MIFF...no it does stand for the above title! Its the Malaysian International Furniture Fair! Being in a company that organises a huge and important event for the nation does have its toll. Literally speaking, competitors out there are "miffed" at us! Well, c'est la vie innit? Behind such a successful event are the people who make it happen, especially our boss, Dato' Tan. Being in this company however is not all about furniture. Its also about "fun-iture" and with a bunch of hip and happening lot! Never thought I would be in this industry.

Anyway, there will be more pics to be uploaded. This is just a jist of what we all do apart from the fair. So, look out for more to come...

Its that time of the year again where people flock to places to get drunk, get laid or just get a lotta fun! For us, it was just to get out of KL..and have fun as well at least, if not drunk! As with the previous year, Cherating was the destination. Sun (and the rain) , surf, the beach..wat more can you ask for. All went well on 31st Dec at the local pub and the disco started and almost everyone got drunk. A word of advice...DON'T DRINK and DANCE! What is supposed to be a night of fun, turned out to be a pub brawl! You get one drunk dude (mind you he was Malay, some mat rempit!) trying very hard to dance (and you thought white men can't dance!) and then knocking into other mat rempits from another town. Then wat do you know, a fist fight broke out. Looked like one of those gang fights but this one seemed to be more of between a gang of Cherating Choppers vs Dungun Devils! Lasted to short to see some chairs flying about! Anyhow what's comical is seeing two of my mates still wiggling their arses up on stage to music while everyone cleared the dance floor!!

Well, to some people, no fight ain't gonna spoil our party! Yeaaaa..way to go fellas. U showed them how to have a good time! After all that commotion, it was time to head back to the chalet and continue our own party. Fint decided to see the sunrise but alas as with all the years we've been to Cherating, the weather was not too kind to him! Tough luck baldy! All in all it was a swell trip. Looking forward to next year. Wonder where we will go this time? Cherating? Naaaaahhhhh...we need a new spot