Rebecca Heng: An Eventful Day; Wedding

Let me tell you guys a thing or two about my brother, Calvin. He resembles a little of Louis Koo / Aaron Kwok / Andy Lau, according to many people we've encountered. He is somewhat like me, can be really talkative or just want to be in his own world, without wanting to associate with anyone else. He doesn't stay in Johor Bahru with us because of his work in Pahang. So, mum was pretty worried that this 35-year-old ( his age in 2014 ) guy be left on the shelf forever because we didn't have any news of him dating or having any girl friends except of being a hardcore workaholic. Countless girls ( I supposed ) lined up for this eligible bachelor ( hey, who doesn't want a Louis Koo / Aaron Kwok / Andy Lau lookalike boyfriend? ) but he didn't take a liking to anyone until one day, elder sister surprised or rather gave us a shock with the news of brother having a girlfriend. Curiosity struck upon us. Honestly speaking, he's not very good with words. Who would actually catch his eye and whose heart was he able to melt.....we wondered.

We were only able to look at his girlfriend's pictures on Facebook and shoot elder sister who was still clueless with numerous questions about his girlfriend. Then one day, we were finally introduced to her in JB. Her name's Yan Ping, nicknamed Ice. Well, to us, she's a warm-hearted person, friendly, humorous.... In short, she's just like a sister to me. There's quite a lovey dovey story behind how they met but let's keep it private and confidential.

Then, months ago, mum picked up brother's call and he announced ( really calmly, that's how he is ) that he was going to get married in December. And he did in Mentakab, Pahang, 4 days ago, on the 28th December 2013.

We only have 4 and 5 seaters cars at home. So we rented a 7 seaters car to Pahang on the 27th December, as there were 6 of us. Although the ride was quite bumpy ( because of the unpaved road ) and we even had a swollen tire when we reached Selangor ( which delayed our schedule but was solved at a nearby car service centre. Thank God we weren't on the highway. ), we were welcomed by the relatives at Jerantut with open hands.

The food aroma lingering from their kitchen was indescribable. I must say that they have superb culinary skills. We also had freshly picked fruits which were grown at one of the relatives' plantation.

Durians.

Pulasan. Similar to rambutan but the seed is edible! Tastes a little like almond to me.

Few of the dishes they've prepared;

Chicken nuggets.

Pumpkin Kuih with Dessicated Coconut.

Curry Chicken.

Chicken Feet with Mushrooms.

Tau Pok.

Rendang.

Purple Glutinous Rice.

Yellow Glutinous Rice.

Pork Knuckle.

Toppings for Nasi Lemak.

Thai Pineapple Salad.

Braised Duck.

Satay was catered though. Grilled on the spot.

They baked these too!

Cheese Tarts.

Chiffon Cupcake.

Before the pre-wedding celebration started, we checked in to a budget hotel, Hotel Wau. There are not many hotels in Jerantut, so I presume that this is one of the good hotels you can get there. It was not as bad as a few budget hotels I've been to before.

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Pre-wedding celebration;

Everyone in the pictures are relatives; whether distant or not. The family is so big, I can't remember who's related to who; whose kid, whose husband, whose wife, whose sister, whose brother...... yeap, you get my point. It was a great night indeed, as the bonds between one another were tightened and people got along even better than before.

Time passed extremely fast and the day was finally here.

And this is my brother.

Elder sister helped him with his tie.

Coat wore by his mama.

His 'brothers'.

Had some homemade fried noodles to boost energy.

I have no idea how can he be so photogenic.

We reached the bride's place at Triang after a 1 to 2 hour ride.

It wasn't easy getting into the house. They had to go through the bride's 'sisters'.

His 'brothers' were required to blow balloons as one of the tasks.

And drinking a few bottles of oolong tea with long multiple-attached straws.

At the mean time, brother was just resting in the car, watching his brothers having 'fun' and had a little chit-chat with others.

Their next task was to burst the balloons they blew before by sitting on them.

A little yoga too.

Brother was blindfolded and was told to put lipstick on his bros.

Using breads to form ' I LOVE U ICE ♥ '. The breads were shaped using their mouths.

A task specially ordered by the bride: To write 'Yan Ping, I Love You' in Chinese. For your information, he doesn't know how to read nor write Chinese characters. Like me. You may laugh.

His brothers were there to assist him, luckily.

He kind of did it.

The bride's 'sisters' were given a red packet. They must be satisfied with the amount before the main door was opened for the bridegroom, of course.

Sweet phrases for the bride before entering her room ( assisted by his bro ).

Finally.

This, is Ice.

Prayer before leaving home.

Group picture.

Bride has to be accompanied by the father with a red umbrella when she's leaving the house.

Bouquet tossing to the single ladies. Whoever who catches it is said to be the next who will marry.

But it failed.

Successful at the second attempt.

Back to Jerantut, where the bridegroom's house is at..

A recognition of their marriage.

Tea ceremony.

To the elderly first.

Then it was the youngsters turn to serve tea to the newly-weds.

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We stayed at EV World Hotel, Mentakab on the second night. It was also a budget hotel but it was a pretty good stay.

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On that very night... in Restaurant Shuang Xi.

With brother and sister-in-law.

With mum.

With relatives.

I was dragged by dad to take pictures with him and two relatives... You can tell by my expression actually.

Popping champagne.

Brother wanted to popped it at the emcee.

The 'older' relatives were invited to the stage to join the newly-weds. And I thought the stage was going to break with the crowd..

The two fathers hugged them while they were kissing..

The wedding ended well, when everyone has gotten pretty high on alcohols, happiness, contentment and glee. We also had a pre-wedding celebration at a mamak nearby the hotel for a little chit-chat and drinks.

Before the post moves on to the next day, here are the pictures of the food ( they may appear blurry because I used my phone and I had to take it quickly before anyone helped themselves with the food ) served during the wedding;

P/S : Many pictures of food are coming up!

Abalone, Scallops and Broccoli.

Buddha Jumps Over The Wall.

Fish.

Buns with Roasted Pigskin and Braised Pork.

Prawns with Crackers and Fruit Salad.

Mixed Vegetables and Scallops.

Fried Rice.

Snow Fungus Soup with Longan.

Fruit Tarts and Custard Buns ( Favouriteeee ) at the bottom.

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The next day, on the 29th December 2013, we had ~~heavy~~ breakfast at a coffeeshop with a few relatives.

Fishball Soup.

Wat Tan Hor.

Fried Vermicelli.

Hokkien Mee.

Bid goodbye to brother, sis-in-law and others and had lunch with one of the cousins' and his family at Bukit Tinggi.

I highly recommend this place if you're going to Bukit Tinggi anytime in the future, or if you pass by Bukit Tinggi or even if by any chance, you're going to Genting Highland. The food taste good and the price is reasonable. All these for only RM200, mind you.

Pork Knuckle.

Garlic Clams and Vermicelli. A must-try.

Fried Noodles with Long Beans. This was tasty too.

Four Season Beans.

Tofu Soup.

Stir-fry Kailan.

None of us knows the name of this fish. All I know is that this fish cannot be ( or rarely ) found in Johor Bahru but it's commonly found in Pahang. Do tell me if you've any idea what fish is this. ( A little update here, the name of this fish is 鲶鱼 )

Just look at that set of sharp teeth.

Nice surrounding to have your meals too.

Before coming back to Johor Bahru, we went to a small wooden stall nearby that was selling fruits and vegetables. They were so fresh that my mum couldn't resist buying them.