Cousin's ROM

This afternoon was spent at Mandarin Oriental Hotel attending the ROM ceremony of my cousin, Junxiang and his now-wife, Shandy.

It was odd, seeing the cousin who was the naughtiest of us lot get married first. The same cousin who scared me at Haw Par Villa's wax museum, threatened to push me into the pool with a dragon sculpture and fought with me over who owned which body part of our favourite uncle. He also attended the same university as me though in a different course. I remember the three of us had lunch and studied a couple of times together when I was in year 1 and 2.

Now they have already graduated for a year and I am ending my 3rd year of university studies. It was not too long ago that I was only a year 2, watching them work on their Honours theses in the library. Last week, I stood in the library and watched the Journals section, remembering they liked studying there the most because it was quieter and warmer. I realize I miss them and those few times spent together. Time has absolutely flown past and I realize that somehow school don't feel the same, knowing they are no longer studying there. Well, at least I still have 2 other cousins in there still! =)

So today I watched my cousin get married. I really like Shandy and am happy that she is now related to us. Yet at the same time I have this odd feeling that we are all growing up.

And my fantastic relatives have skipped directly from asking, "Do you have a boyfriend?" to "When are you getting married?"

ROM ceremony was held at Axis Bar & Lounge at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The hotel was a lovely place - even the toilets were gorgeous! They had hand towels, tissue paper and proper soap bottles with equally wonderful smelling soap. The bar itself was beautiful as well, a lovely place to relax and, I'd bet, awfully romantic at night.

The area where the ceremony was to be held:


Junxiang in the jacket on the right, his parents and my father on the sofa:

Junxiang

Flowers to be held by Shandy later on

Quite some time later, Shandy arrived with the photographer and just about everyone else, except the Solemniser.

Shandy

Shandy's only 2 years older than me.

Junxiang opening the gift from Shandy

There's a photographer on the right and the white blur is one of Shandy's closest friends who was taking video and photos the entire time.

I was starting to get really hungry by then. The waitresses were serving tea and coffee but for some reason, probably because I wasn't sitting down, I did not manage to get a cup of drink at all. So I stood in the bar, drinking water from my own bottle. Anyway wherever I sat, I'd have to move off because the photographer kept taking photos where I'd be in the way.

It was funny, watching the photographer take photos of the couple because they were so shy.

Finally, the Solemniser arrives.

The couple clarifies some things about the ceremony with the Solemniser (which is really too solemn a word because this Solemniser is anything but solemn).


At one point, Junxiang asked him quite loudly,

Where is the script? I can't remember the whole thing.

We all laughed.

Finally and somehow without much warning, the ceremony starts. The whole thing was carried out with everybody standing. You'd think that everyone will be sitting down in chairs, watching the whole ceremony quietly, but NO.

This is the most squashed ceremony I could have ever imagined because everybody was just kind of crowding around, watching everything very closely. Whenever there was a significant portion in the ceremony, like the exchange of rings or the holding of hands, there was a huge rush to take a photo of it. It was really hilarious because there was really only a small distance between the couple and us. Heh, I am one of those rushing to take pictures and was squashed several times.

Ceremony was quite long and in the middle, we clapped and the Solemniser said, "And we are only half-way through it!"

So after they have said their "I do"s, they went on to uh, I guess the second part of the marriage vows.

Junxiang, repeating after the Solemniser, saying his vows:


Shandy, repeating after the Solemniser, saying her vows:


It was at this point that Shandy started crying while repeating the words. She had to pause several times to hold back her tears and at the last line, stopped for quite some time, trying not to cry until she forgot the line and the Solemniser had to repeat the last line again.

Junxiang's face just crumpled up when he saw her cry and he wiped away her tears after that. You could have felt everybody around on the verge of tears as well. Mine just leaked out of my eyes.

Solemniser asked rhetorically, "Isn't love the most beautiful thing?" Then I think he pronounced them husband and wife (haha, I don't remember) and said he may now kiss his lovely wife. So they kissed.

And then the Solemniser said,

You can see they have been practicing last night.

I told you this Solemniser is not solemn.

They then signed the certificate, lawfully making them husband-and-wife.

And finally we had our refreshments. Singaporeans as usual, piled lots of things on our tiny plates. I felt like we were eating at a coffee shop instead.

Watched the newly-wed couple and realized nothing about them has really changed. If you look at them from the same perspective as before, they are still a couple in love. If you look at them from another perspective, they are still in love but are now married. It is sweet, but odd.

It finally ended at about 5pm. My uncle fetched us home, I nearly puked on the car because of the mixture of food and tea in my stomach, the rocky ride and the fact that the auntie beside me kept yawning and I kept imaging her breath in the car and around my face. Had to open the car window, eat a sweet, hold a plastic bag and pray we would arrive at our destination(s) soon.

So I declare my cousin is married! =) The first over on this side of the family.

I wish both Junxiang and Shandy a happy marriage! 祝夫妻俩，白头偕老！

p/s If my Chinese words are wrong, do tell me! Thanks!