The New Year 2012 Resolutions & Nadia Akwal’s Bollywood Wedding Glitz @ JW Marriott, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur!

Assalamualaikum and hollering to y’all! Wow, this is my first entry in this 2012 calendar. Before any jot-downs proceed, I pray that the Saving Grace and Blesses by ALLAH SWT will never fade away; echoing the resonance from 2011, Insya ALLAH. I hope that the year 2012 will bring better improvement in my life as whole.

Courtesy of Google Image.

Nadia’s wedding – Courtesy of Zara Sani.

As I am getting older, I realize that resolutions are essential so that throughout the year, we will have some targets or directions to aim. As for me, I hope that my health will be in a better condition and I am hoping to lead a healthy lifestyle; resuming the active year of 2010 as opposed to the soporific-immobile 2011. I hope that I can resume jogging or hill-climbing (at FRIM or wherever) and participated some fun run tournament like what I’ve joined Kat in 2010. It’s important to stay healthy and active and I hope that this year, I’ll achieve some goals – that is to enter some fun tournament! (,”)

Besides that, I am also thinking about secluding some financial allocation for personal collateral. I think I need to do it THIS YEAR because if I were to keep dilly-dallying, time will be wasted and I’ll only bite the fingers when others are savouring theirs. Insya ALLAH!

To secure a property is another agenda in line. Since I’ve already got a car, it’s time to think more seriously on the long-term property. Prices are sky-rocketing like crazy and time is so precious! Although it is inevitable that the property development industry is full of sharks, but one has to weather all that because everyone is vying with each other to secure one. I can’t be kept intoxicated by the ephemeral bliss. I need to have that sense of security. Insya ALLAH, I’ll try my best. After all, it’s all for myself, no? Who can help myself except for me alone, aite? (,”)

Courtesy of Google Image.

Travelling is also the new unquenchable thirst I crave! It’s amazing to venture out to see the real world outside of Malaysia and that is essential (at least for me!) to expand my knowledge horizon. As the matter of fact, even in Malaysia ourselves we have PLENTY of exotic places and my target is to enrich myself with all the different culture-tasting and hopefully that the budget will go hand-in-hand with the dreams, I shall explore some places throughout the year 2012, Insya ALLAH. 

And of course last but not least, I pray to ALLAH SWT that my parents are in good health and also that my personal and professional lives going stronger than ever, Insya ALLAH. May the year 2012 is a blessed year, too.

Anyway to recap; yesterday on 2nd January 2012, I attended my ex-banker colleague’s wedding – Nadia Akwal – at JW Marriott Hotel in Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur. It was a great red-letter event, heavily influenced with Bollywood glitz; you could see Bhangra dancing, Hindi songs being played throughout the event and also the lip-syncing performances ala Hindi movies! Nadia is of Pakistani origin and her father is Akwal Sultan, the CEO of Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK); so I guess they really embrace the root and culture. I’ve noticed that in her Open House, she donned all those Pakistani-influence elements – and I really admired that essence of not forgetting the root and embrace the ancestral origin.

The newly-wed walking the aisle with “Talaal Badru ‘Alaina” chanting played. Amazing Bollywood and Islamic embroidery, I say. – Courtesy of Kathleen Nandong.

You could see that Nadia really centralized her root in the wedding. It’s all about Bollywood theme – with South Asian cuisines that were sumptuous lot! And you could also see that all generations of her relatives and friends from different strata or status of life came together for the occasion. Although I only met Nadia’s parents once in the Open House years ago in Kota Damansara (when I was still working in the bank), I found out that they were humble lot and that was the kind of aura you didn’t really expect from people of their social statuses; but they did and that was really mesmerizing (at least for me!). I guess that’s why you could see that there were quite a lot of people attending the wedding ceremony and Nadia was a bit in a helter-skelter state when we approached her; partly because everyone was there to hug, kiss and congratulated her! LOL!

The atmosphere in the wedding ceremony. 

The journey heading towards JW Marriott was a bit fuelled with dramatic sequences! Took the right road and saw  The Westin and also Ritz Carlton. We didn’t realized that Ritz-Carlton‘s entrance was enjoined with JW Marriot; so we passed through and ended up in the congested old Bukit Bintang! Yikes!!! And to make it worse, it was RAINING! But luckily with some swift, bold and “cilok-cilok” squeezing, I managed to find the road again, and drove in.

Me wearing the newly-tailored Science Panel (Panitia)’s “batik”. I honestly love the shirt. The Jitra-based “Singapora” tailor (an old Thai guy) is REALLY good! Whereas Kat donned a feather-ish hairnet and leopard-ish veil. Wow !*Hahahah*

Once in, I missed the PARKING entrance and arrived at the front of the lobby which was actually meant for Valet. Well, quite embarrassed but braved ourselves to ask the porter the parking direction. He said drive straight and turned left. I drove exactly according to his direction ONLY to find that we were fighting against the current! Cars were flowing towards us and kept putting high-beam indicating we were in WRONG DIRECTION. But…. LIKE WE CARE? Hhahaha lol! It’s not like we had choice, either! I just drove the car (make way to the other cars to pass through) and VOILA! We managed to find a back-door entrance for car-park! Yeay! Hahahha! Enjoined with Starhill Gallery, JW Marriott was just nearby. What an experience. Hhahahahaa!

Zara, Fathiyah (Fa), Rashid (Blue Baju Melayu), Farel (Zara’s husband). – Courtesy of Fathiyah Haiyum.

I’ve got to meet my ex-banker colleagues – Fathiyah Haiyum (Fa), Rashid Graham-Brown (Rashid) and also Zara with her husband Farel. I brought along Kat with me (dressing up so yummily! Hahahha; kidding!) and it was nice to meet my ex-colleagues back and caught up with them. Of course they are still working in banking industry and I updated them about life as a Government civilian. In short, I am glad that I attended the wedding although initially I was a bit recoiled and indecisive whether I should go or not; but Kitty Kat advised me to go ahead and savoured the day; so…. I did and I am glad! (,”)

Kat and I – before my camera’s batteries gone kaput. The African waiter obligingly took the picture several times. LOL!

On whole, congratulations Nadia! May ALLAH SWT bless your marriage and may you enjoy your Dubai life. (,”)

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