Sunday, November 06, 2005

cK Goes To Malaysia! Part 2 of 4

Shery's Wedding,Wedding Reception and Bellydancing!

The day of Sherita's wedding. The main reason I got on a plane 6 different times and travelled for more than 30 hours. Everyone was supposed to meet at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Pulau Tikus, Penang at 2:30pm -- that is when the wedding was scheduled to commence.

Justin picks me up at my hotel and takes me to the amazing restaurant that he works at as a chef. The place was called The Mansion. It was off the chain -- quite possibly one of the TOP 5 most beautiful restaurants I have ever been to anywhere! Yes... that good. The architecture was inspired by Italian art and design. The entrance and atrium are beautiful, a place that welcomes royalty. Since Justin was well known there, I got to meet the other great people that make the restaurant special. We ordered some food, and had a little something to eat. Time was dwindling down and we had to race to make it to the church on time.

We get to the church ---- the time is about 2:45pm, and we see Anoushka looking at us sternly as we pull into the parking lot. To our relief, we see the limo with the bride pull into the parking lot the same time! We made it... but it was close.

The church itself was big, and it was beautiful. It has been here since 1819 and is maintained so well that you thought it was built last year. The weather was quite hot, so there were fans everywhere. I didn't see any air conditioning units anywhere, but I'm sure certain rooms had them. Soon, the wedding commenced. The beautiful bride, Shery was escorted to the alter by her father. Nicky, the groomsman was at the alter waiting for her. The wedding went on, and the bishop or whomever you refer to the guy at the top performed a little sermon. We sang hymns that were on little sheets given to us. Some of them I actually knew! I videotaped most of it, so I have only a few pictures. I don't think I have ever been to a catholic wedding per say. I have been to christian, hindu, muslim, scientologist and atheist weddings before. The Catholic wedding had many similarities to the Christian principles that I have witnessed. There was also an element where the groom put a special necklace over the bride, before he placed the wedding ring on her finger. That I have never seen before, but it was a special moment.

Well, the wedding went quite smoothly. Outside the church we all posed for pictures and introduced ourselves to other people. Justin and I then left and he drove me to my hotel to change. I changed from my black suit to my tan party suit for the reception. After changing, Justin took me to his area where he lives. It was so interesting to see the suburban residential area, all the way around the world. It is kind of like the houses we have in North America, but just little changes that adapt it to the climate and area its in. I wish I took a picture, but I didn't.
After Justin changed, we drove to the wedding reception.

The wedding reception was being held at this really classy country club. I can't remember the name off hand, but I think it was called the Tanjong Country Club or something. Very posh. The place was decorated so nicely. It was covered, but it was still outdoors overlooking the beach and the coastline. Just beautiful. Shortly the bride and groom arrived and we all stood up to applaud their entry.

cK and Justin	Anou and cK	Outside the church
Justin and cK Race!	Wedding reception	Bride & Groom's table

So of course --- I must talk about the food!! The menu was set to be an EIGHT course meal!8 courses?!?!? Oh my goodness... I have never, ever had the pleasure of having that before. The most up until now was 6 courses. Below is a picture of the menu laying out the choice selections for the night:



Well, if I wasn't such a social butterfly, I probably would have had all 8 courses, but I was too busy running around meeting people and videotaping the whole experience that I only had a few of those great selections. While we ate, the father and mother of the bride said a few words. Then the bride and groom said a little something -- which was real sweet... and that was IT! No open mike.. no drunk uncles coming to talk... it was just them! I liked that!!!

There were 2 special dances that were performed for the bride and groom. One girl danced to Jennifer Lopez's "Waiting For Tonight" --- just a freestyle dance. The other dance was done by Shery's little sis, Anoushka. She performed a belly dance in a blue sari. It was good.

The Prosporous Four Season	Shark Fin Soup with Crab Meat	Chicken In Two Preparation
Anoushka Belly Dance	GO ANOU... GO!	O0o0o0o0!!

After Anoushka did the mesmorizing belly dance... the dancefloor was shortly opened. With the bride and groom having the first dance, of course. The DJ kicked it up with some bhangra and some nice indian music to dance to. At times, I was just thinking this is unreal. I couldn't believe where I was, and what I was actually doing. (That would be dancing at a wedding reception all the way in Malaysia to the beautiful night air)

I got a chance to dance with the bride and more people. I even met one of Shery's cousin's --- Dr. Sapna. She pulled me to dance with her -- I didn't hesitate! Everyone treated me so well. Another one of their cousins, named Shai treated me nice as well. He flew in from London to be here. A real cool guy that I can't wait to party with again someday. Anoushka promised me a dance for over a year... and tonight she came through. She was so sweet. Well... I guess thats it for the wedding. It was one of the best I've ever been to. The location, the setup, it was very well organized. Congratulations SHERY and NICKY! All the best and thank you for inviting me to share your special day.

Anou and CK!	Justin and Anou	Alicia, Shery, and Anou
Sisters dancing	Dr. Sapna and Mrs. Bhar	DJ Dana and CK
Anoushka's Shoes!	Shai and cK!	Alicia makes a toast
Newlyweds Shery and Nicky	Justin and Alicia	Anou and Justin

Continue to PART 3