Law Tiah

December 5

It began on Friday the moment we got ready to pick my tai yee and yee cheong from their home in Ulu Kelang and head down to my khaw foo's house in Seri Kembangan. My mum, grandma and other aunts, uncles and cousins were already there, having arrived from Taiping, Singapore, and Australia. My sister, Wendee and hubby, Kenny were to arrive later in the evening from Penang. My other cousin, Maggie to return from a working trip in Brisbane early saturday morning, whilst her brother Nicholas and wife, Lulu were due to touch down in KLIA from Tokyo in the evening the same day. Only my two other yee cheongs and two cousins, Frances and Geraldine were unable to make it for this auspicious family affair.The entire family had locked the dates a year ago when cousin Anthony announced his wedding plans with Yuki.

Since the dishes for the pre-wedding dinner were catered for, we did not have to prepare much for food. Instead, the few of us helped out by putting up the chillie red cloth at the front of the house, above the main entrance. The tables and chairs were laid out and lined with red table cloths. Four coolers were prepared - one filled with cans of beer, another with bottles of mineral water, one with packet drinks and one with plain ice cubes.

Three additional items were ordered to complement the other catered buffet items. Famous grilled otak otak in coconut leaves, crispy curry puffs and chewy kau chi (minced meat and shrimps with shredded mushrooms and chinese turnips wrapped in the semi-translucent sticky glutinous rice sheets. A whole roast pig was ordered and it was a gala!

Siew yuk (roast pork) and siew pau (baked buns with pork)

Bread pudding

Anthony's parents, my khaw foo and khum mou prepared the new bed with my grandma uttering well wishes as they went about dressing it with new bedsheets. A plate with mixture of lin chi (lotus seeds), hung zhou (red dates), and pak hup (lily buds) accompanied by a pair of oranges, a pair of calamansi, two ang pows (red packets) and peen pak (fir leaves) for good fortune and more offsprings for the new couple.

Tong yuen (glutinous rice balls) were being prepared for the midnight ceremonial ritual for the groom.

It was almost midnight. We called it a day, in preparation for the bigger day the next; the entourage would leave six in the morning to Bentong to pick the bride, and serve tea to the bride's elders before returning to Seri Kembangan before 11am. Day one was over.