[focusing on the good things]

Y: Hi gal, hav u seen dr yet? What did he say?
Me: Seeing in the afternoon. Will let u know :)
Y: Good. U r not alone today. Dont worry.
Me: Hee so sweet :)
Y: I know how that feel ma. Dont want u feel bad again.
Me: So touched hehe
Y: Take good care gal, u will be the most beautiful bride in a few months, must take care. If there is problem, fix early. :-D
...
Me: Sure. Thanks 4 "accompanying" me heh.

It's friends like this who really make ur day. Definitely a change from the incident below. Yep..focus on this instead =)

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[the day i ruptured my lung]

was panick stricken to say the least. i thought the pain in my chest was just some muscle spasm, tho i haven't been coughing much. when i reached campus and it was still there, or even gotten worse, first stop was the wellness clinic. it was so bad that i requested to see the doc immediately. after realising i couldn't even lie down cos of the immense pain, and that i was not able to find a comfortable position to alleviate the pain, the doc told me to go to the A&E immediately for a chest x-ray. he asked me to take the shuttle bus but with the pain, i hailed down the first cab i saw. thank god for sending it to me so soon.

was a lil embarrassed when they wheeled me into the triage. took an ECG etc and waited for consultation. might i say this was also the day i realised how much my family cares for me. sent dad a msg to say i was at A&E for suspected lung rupture...pls pass msg on to sis n mum. 10 mins later i get an sms from mum saying she's sick, pls bring her to the doc (hmm she expected me to run home from work for a flu?). ok well, I assumed maybe she hadn't received/read papa's sms yet. awhile later sis msgs me to ask "are u alright?", but thereafter no response, i guess cos she was too busy in school. no further sms from mum either. at least papa called to ask how things were, was x-ray done etc.


waited and waited for hours in the A&E for the x-ray to be ready. alone. in pain. auntie sent her usual "it's that time of the day sms" and asked me how i was. i hadn't told her i was there earlier on cos i knew she'd be terribly worried and might've rushed down, and i didn't wanna trouble her. needless to say, she was the only one who continued "accompanying" me even if it was thru sms-es. she was shocked no one came. well i said, it was expected. if my own mum didn't bother, even if she were sick, i mean how much energy does an sms take? just to ask if i was alright perhaps? well that's my family. was so upset i was telling MB that maybe only if i collapsed and died they'd be there. maybe then it'd be too late.

looking on the positive side? thankfully it wasn't major. they suspected i might've ruptured some alveoli and the air entering the chest cavity was causing the pain. but as great as our doctors are, he laughed and said "depends on ur pain threshold" when i asked how long the pain would last. thanks a lot. went home with just painkillers. but at least i went home and didn't get admitted. maybe that's the bright side..but seriously, my family's reaction was unbelievable.

when i get home after that tiring morning, i see mum crouched on the floor so i assume she's sleeping. all i wanna do is lie in bed cos of the pain. but instead, despite her "sickness", she comes to my room and starts yelling at me at how i didn't greet her, how i hardly show love for her, i love ammi and MB more, etc etc. Wow, so much energy to scold for a sick person...where was that energy when u found out i was in hospital? And I guess the last point is gonna crop up more and more as I get closer to the wedding. Sigh.

I guess I should focus on the people who do love me. Who bother to show care and concern even if they can't be close by proximity. Thanks auntie, jam, MB for letting me know I'm not alone. From Wed's incident, I know who I can count on. I guess I should stop hoping for something that I'll probably not get. Then I question myself again...isn't hope the thing that keeps u going? Well I guess in this case, I should just let it go. Have to keep reminding myself that....

[happy wedding day]

It's exactly a week now..happy marriage-hood ruth. hehe. must say i thoroughly enjoyed the day, even tho I had to wake up really early for the day's events (luckily our weddings don't have tea ceremonies early in the morning heh).

it started out with the "jie mei" thing...since it was my first time being a "sister" i just stood by and let the other gals do their stuff (led by her very garang friend..who did a great job i think heh). it was pretty fun tho i think the guys could've been more sporting..and definitely more generous. too bad it was our first time being sisters...next time, we won't give in so easily..and more wasabi in the cake perhaps..haha. i was also quite suaku abt the tea ceremony, having never attended one before. ruth looked really good in her white gown, and tea dress. lucky se.bb. heh.

waiting for his sweetheart .....still not letting them in

........family portrait ................with his pretty bride..........who to give first? heh

the dinner was great too. i really enjoyed helping the lovely bride prepare for the night. her auntie was like..wah ur friend so good even where for u shoes..haha...but well, for me it was just abt making her feel like a princess on her special day, plus really, it was gonna be tough for her to put it on on her own lol. the most touching moment came when they presented me with their pretty ring pillow. now i must find a couple to pass it down to after my wedding :P.

..accompanying the bride in the bridal suit............................the ballroom

i must say that of the not-that-many weddings i've attended, this one really affected me because i was just so so genuinely happy for the bride and bridegroom. the smiles on their faces as they marched down the aisle just lit up the room and i must say, i was honoured to be a part of their day. so girl, don't need to thank me so much lah heh ;)

[engaged to Mr M.i.R F.a.R.o.O.q A.L.i]

I wonder why they term it an "engagement". Maybe because of how it "binds". I am now engaged to someone. Woo. Sounds binding. Lol. (Auntie says I can't flirt anymore...but if someone flirts with me, I can reciprocate..hahaha) So I have 'sold' half my life to a man by the name of F.a.R.o.O.q @ bogglingbear @ mindboggler (MB). He still boggles me. So how was the trip? This is for my own remembrance so if u get bored, please stop here heh.

Day 0 - Friday 24.10.08
Poor Auntie had a tough flight especially after one very bad turbulence (tho I enjoyed the "rollercoaster" ride lol). Good thing she didn't puke on the plane...maybe my loving nursing and distracting her with really lame jokes worked after all..phew. First stop upon touching ground was the loo...to freshen up and look pretty for meeting MB. 3 vain women all sprucing up hehe. Was damn nervous about meeting him (I shouldn't be right..after all it's not the first time). Butterflies in tummy. Oh no, they're not at the exit. Did they come? Lol. Yay I spotted Abbah (father-in-law to be). Huggies with Ammi (MIL to be)...nice to see u again. Where's my hero? Hehe. They took me in their car while MB went with the rest to the hotel. All along the ride, I was thinking - wow this feels like the last trip when it was just the 3 of us. Abbah felt the same way too. Told me how they both missed us right from the point they waved their last goodbye at the airport. Awww.

This was also the day my most genuine of intentions to let the parents mingle got misconstrued as purposeful disregard, which resulted in me being slighted for the next 1.5 days. Argh, if only people weren't so sensitive.

Day 1 - Saturday 25.10.08
First lunch together. Auntie was having migraine so she slept in. Started noticing how I was being ignored. Still puzzled why. I did greet her...I did say how she looked good in her saree. Then had a horrible time because I wasn't involved in the conversations. What was I doing there? Hmmm. Talked to Auntie at night about how Ammi was treating me coldly for no apparent reason. MB comes at night and accuses me of being uncordial to Ammi. Wow, if just letting parents mingle is considered being unfriendly, dunno what I'm up for. Fine, Auntie says I should just suck it up and apologise.

Day 2 - Sunday 26.10.08
Lunch at their place. Swallowed my pride and apologised. Even then Ammi still complains to Auntie that I was wrong. Still don't think I was wrong. It was just some miscommunication that if had been cleared up earlier, wouldn't have let to such an issue. Well whatever, I've apologised.

Pre-engagement talks. Where someone behaved horribly. Getting defensive over nothing aimed at her. Wanting things to go her way as usual. Was ready to bury my head in the ground. Surprised at how cool I was lol. Enjoyed the gifts part tho..cos I got the most lol..oh and Abbah was clapping loudly for me lol. Yay! Engagement date set for Tues.

We go to the mall near our place since we have nothing to do. Nothing out of the ordinary...so just bought bathroom slippers and the emergency ring for MB. MB comes over at night to talk abt mehr (dowry). Kinda disappointed but well, it's complicated... Realised that someone doesn't have a backbone..sigh...

Day 3 - Monday 27.10.08
I get an award for "eagerly" coaxing someone to eat so that she's not sick/depressed. We stay in the apartment totally bored cos MB can't bring us out. Auntie n I drive each other crazy lol. We enjoy some pre-Deepavali fireworks from our room window at nite. Nice.

Day 4 - Tuesday 28.10.08
D-day. We're so bored from previous day of bumming in the room so we go out to Hyderabad Central mall. Our first adventure in an auto. Auntie is excited but scared - grips on to me the whole ride lol. Mall is a high class place, not somewhere to go to for cheap shopping haha. Auntie enjoyed the salesman putting on shoes for her...what a luxury eh? She almost took advantage of the 'service'..notti notti. Bought sandals to get ready for her climb up the 360 steps then had lunch at a really rip off food court.

As evening gets closer I get all hyper from the nervousness of the event. 25 strangers gonna be staring at me tonite. Yikes. Try to sleep for a bit but to no avail cos even Auntie was excited so she kept talking n talking lol. Finally caught 10 mins of wink wink. Then the preps start. I also got a bravery award for doing something hehe...consult me for details ;) Thank you for making me look so pretty, Auntie!

Engagement party is VERY tame. Just sitting in a circle and very silent talking. Me bored..lol. Finally get to sit with MB...we get garlands (so Indian..heh). He puts ring on my finger but not before going "which finger am i supp to put it on" lol. I'm a lil surprised he put it for me cos for us we're (supposedly) not supposed to touch each other before marriage so the same-sex future parent-in-law will put on for us i.e. I thought Ammi would do it. Nvm lah..at least got to feel him lol. Papa put on ring for him. Then it was dinner. Since we were at the roof garden we could enjoy the fireworks. There was a special 2 min display of fireworks which I told MB was meant specially for us. Hee. =) What a bonus since I love fireworks. Lovely setting.

Day 5 - Wed 29.10.08
Finally our sightseeing starts. First stop: Salar Jung Museum, the largest one-man collection in the world. Followed by Chowmahalla Palace which was awesome. The grandeur of the place was really breathtaking. Wish I could live in a palace like that lol.

Day 6 - Thur 30.10.08
MB can't bring us out today cos Ammi isn't feeling well. We're quite tired by yest's itinerary so we don't mind resting at home as well. Get a surprise call from MB that he's bringing me to his college..yay. Buildings weren't too impressive...but I guess it's the education that counts..since MB turned out brilliant anyway lol.

Next we have the most awesome moment at no-more-Secret Lake. Which I'm not supposed to report btw. Lol. Parents made me feel bad about going out myself but later find out that they were too lazy to go out on their own anyway..bleah.

Day 7 - Fri 31.10.08
I tell and I tell my parents what they can do for the day but do they follow the plan? Of course not. So after Jummah prayers, papa comes back and tells them they're not going out. Well, not my fault. I had errands to run with MB. First stop was his uncle's vacant apartment that MB has shortlisted for us. Nice place tho a bit pricey. After that went to the tailor to get my measurements for some clothes Ammi will be making for the wedding and stuff. Back home Ammi got me to try on a saree...felt sexy lol. Modelled in the melon punjabi suit as well. Lovely.

Went for dinner with my future family at 4 seasons. Food was really good till I was so bloated up by the end of it. And they still had space for ice cream...twice at that!! (Ben & Jerry's wasnt satisfying so they had round 2 at Temptations. I was so full ad nauseam that I really could only take one spoon at Temptations). Not surprisingly parents (actually just one of them) made me feel guilty again for "leaving them stranded" on their own. Sorry but it's not gonna work. Even Auntie understood that I needed some time alone with MB/his family. Oh well...

Day 8 - Sat 01.11.08
Yikes, so fast we're on the second last day...sob sob. Had a great day out minus some (expected) annoyances. First was the Qutub Shah tombs..and then the highlight of the trip...the Golkonda Fort. Yes we conquered the 360 steps! Mama was a bit sick but I think the rest of us managed really well. Didn't feel that enlightened when we got to the top tho..tour guide duped us lol.

A trip wouldn't be complete without shopping so our final stop for the day was Shilparamam Handricraft Village which was the only place I visited on my last trip. Managed to get good gifts for everyone, after much haggling. Thanks baby for bringing us there even tho u had to be home and u hate shopping :P

Then came the point I couldn't bear it any longer. Held on to MB really tightly the whole drive back. Sigh. If only this moment could last forever. I'll miss you baby.

Day 9 - Sun 02.11.08
The Last Lunch with both families. Auntie traumatised cos she isn't such a chatty person but each time she goes quiet Ammi says "u're not talking to me cos u don't like me anymore?" lol. Too bad, she's gonna aim u from now on..wahahaha. Managed to avert some major embarrassment after lunch and was pretty happy it went successfully.

Night time. It's time to say goodbye. I thought I'd be fine. But the moment I saw him at the airport, my tears flowed again. Stuck to one corner to calm myself down. Thanks for distracting me with ur lame jokes. It worked (tho I may have been pissed at the time lol). Final huggies with Ammi. Abbah tapped my cheek so lovingly...hee. Cried some more looking at MB, but promised I'll be his brave girl so I tried my best to stop. Ammi was like tapping my shoulder and saying..don't be sad, u'll see him (us?) again next July. That's still a long time Ammi. So much for being strong...was crying even at the check-in counter...then immigration...lol.

Till we meet again *muah muah muah*.

Lots of pics of the trip here.