Showing posts with label brunei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brunei. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

A Malay Engagement Day


Let me run you through it.
In a Malay culture when a couple wants to get married, they got engaged first, i mean thats normal everywhere in the world but most of the time, the guy didnt go down to his knees, unromantic right? thats what she said, but that just it, we went straight to the point, its like asking or even telling "Lets go dinner" but instead "let's get married." It is like a planned vacation. "This summer we go to Italy" but instead "This summer we get married"and no.... most of the time the guy didnt get down to his knees. If there is then he probably watched too many Hollywood movies. I think wedding is overrated or at least over budget. Usually when a couple wants to get married they made sure they have enough money first. Duh! Aint we all?? But really, a malay wedding can go up to $20K. True story. But that's the first stumbling block. A wedding can be cheap but with the way malay wedding culture goes, it tends to go over budget. Not "tends", but always.

EM10 with 25mm 1.8. Mad sharp!

X100S

Anyway, lets get into the engagement event.

Usually the guy's family will come to the girl's family home, by family i mean the guy's parents, uncles, aunts minus the groom-to-be, they'll come to the girl's house to meet with her parents as some sort of proposal. Usually, they also bring gifts for the bride-to-be and the engagement ring. Yes, the family is making the proposal and when you're at this stage basically the girl/parents already agreed to this proposal. This is just like a standard malay culture procedure, like a family meet up....

Fuji X-M1 OOC JPGs.
"These are the gifts and the ring"



Most of the time, the guy's family will come up with some kind of a poem,

roses are red,
violets are blue,
bla bla bla bla bla

and the bride's family will respond to that poem.

Fuji X100S

Fuji X100S

Of course this is all in malay. I dont remember what the poem was, but basically what they are trying to say is that their son (groom's name announced) is "interested" with the daughter (bride's name announced). And this is usually also the time to set up the wedding date and other things.

So assuming everything went well, this is when the bride-to-be comes out of her room, meet with the groom's mother, where the mother will put on the engagement ring into the bride-to-be fingers. I said fingers because usually there are 2 rings. I'm not really an expert in malay culture, so i cant explain why 2 rings, why this and why that but thats usually the flow of the event.

Taken with Fuji x100s

Fuji X-M1

After that, food is served. 




The groom-to-be comes for a photo session with family and friends and then after finish with the hi-tea the guy's family gone back home. So thats about it. The rest of the day is just photo session of the just-got-engaged couple. Look at the flower. Look into the sunset. Happily ever after.

Taken with X100S

Taken with OMD EM10 


Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Flood...


Went for a trip to the inner parts of the Tutong district in Brunei Darussalam. Rambai to be exact. Brunei did not stop raining for almost a week, it did stop for a few hours and then it rained again. Heavy downfall. Water arisen, flood it becomes.

i went with a friend, driving in his Nissan Patrol, the old school patrol, not the new ones, something about us loving retro, vintage cars and that also goes to my cameras. i brought my x100s for the trip. He's going to visit his parents as their place was hit by flood but the day we came the water had lowered a bit. some parts of the road are still flooded but with higher cars/jeeps it was alright to drive, small cars, not so much.

 countryside

 uh oh, flood. With Nissan Patrol.... piece of cake

 mud guard is really useful here. Without one the water splashes up right to my arm, almost wetted my x100s! Gasp!

 This house not so lucky. The upper part survived but the bottom, i think that is at waist level high. Hope today its fine now.

 Water did get in, if we didn't slow down, it will probably flooded the car. So note to self: Be slow and steady

next to a river is not helping


Our car did not stall, his parent's place was not flooded anymore. but we forgot to bring food supplies. felt like a dork.