Do you guys feel neglected? I mean, here I am, preaching about being disciplined with updating blogs, and yet I haven’t been able to update for the past 2 weeks. My sincerest apologies, and sometimes at these moments of indiscipline, I really do wonder if I have what it takes to be a regular columnist (dream on…indiscipline is the least of my problem). But let me just warm up by saying Selamat Pengantin Baru to my old friend, Senor Afif and…well, I can’t remember his missus, but the best of luck to you in your newfound role as a husband, and leader of a family.

Congratulations too for my new friends, Saudara Hasli dan Saudari Intan, on your marriage. I haven’t known you guys that long, and yet somehow I feel I have more in common with you two lovebirds than anybody else. There’s more weddings coming along, with my old mooting partner, Musalmi, finally finding someone she can get along with (*snicker*). I would love to go to her wedding, but it’s in Kelantan. I’m still working out the traveling plans with my friends. Then it’s probably Tini (with a celebrity no less…*grins*), Mahir (don’t know when and where, so probably I’m out of his list…*grins even wider*), and finally…me, I guess. Unless somebody else I know plans to get married between July and December.

The preparations have been going on as planned, though the tight schedule I’m going through right now is a big problem. There’s the pupilage thing (which ironically is starting to contribute to a lot of work for very little pay…stupid me!), the Legal Aid duties (more of which will be disclosed some other time), restaurant business (which I’m kind of neglecting…damn me), the consultancy stint with Public Mutual (contact me if you guys are interested to know more about diversifying your investment portfolio) and finally, the investment in Malaysian stock market (it’s a risk, but a calculated one…more on this later).

Let’s not forget my social activities like playing futsal, going to the gym (when will I find the time?), meeting up with friends, checking out my mails, trying to pick up golf, thinking about how to make more money (trust me, it’s not as easy as you think…), updating this blog, going out with my girlfriend, catching up on the news, watching my favorite TV Shows…the list is almost endless.

Thus, it was with great trepidation and anger when I signed up for the compulsory Marriage Course (Kursus Kahwin). Actually, the course itself isn’t that important, it’s the certificate that matters. After listening to what the instructor had to say, there’s no wonder that most Muslim couples just have sex before getting married. It’s just so damn complicated!

Let’s just take the requirement to go for the Kursus as an example. After spending 1 and a half day stuck in a room filled with soon to be married couples, all I could glean from this course is the fact that Ustaz can talk about breast as openly like you and me, and in front of tudung-clad women no less. It just goes to show, that all men are horny, regardless of their religious background. But they ARE funny nonetheless, and it wasn’t offensive in any way.

What was offensive to me was the fact that the powers that be consider that such courses will somehow improve the prospect of a happy marriage. That’s a bunch of bull**** if you ask me. How can anyone change just by simply listening to some Ustaz talk about “malam pertama” (your first night as a married couple)? It was entertaining, of course, but if I wanted entertainment, I would rather go home and watch television.

The fact is that the Kursus Kahwin was good only in explaining the technical procedures to register your marriage (which again, seems way too complicated for a simple union between two loving souls…at least that’s the theory). It was a long drawn out affair, and I relived my studying days by skipping one session (for goodness’s sake, they were already talking about divorces!). Little did I know that the person in charge would start a roll-call at the end of the session, and when my name was announced, I was actually asleep inside my car. My car…there’s even a story about that!

Well, it was really a long weekend. And the incessant rain after our session on Sunday seems to reflect my thoughts on the whole affair. We were not aware that it was flooding (again) in KL as we headed back to Subang to have dinner with my girlfriend’s parents. It was nice to see them like me so much (hahaha), but then again, my mom seems more attentive to my partner than me (hmph).

Actually, I was invited to join my friends for a round of karaoke. Yes, I do love karaoke. Roshan and Firdaus wanted to celebrate the newly-weds, Hasli and Intan, as they embark on their journey as married couple. So after dinner, I drove back to Bangsar, chilling out to Nidji’s cool album, Breakthrough. It was still raining heavily, so I tried to drive as calm as possible.

I was just a few hundred meters away from Bangsar Shopping Center when I saw a cone lying on the right side of the road. Thus, I avoided the cone, but instead I hit the deepest pothole I’ve ever hit before. It was raining so the hole was covered with rainwater, which makes it impossible to distinguish it from the black tarmac. My right side front bumper dislodged itself, and it went under my car for quite some time. There was a terrible grating sound, and I feared that it was my suspension bottoming out, but when I stopped in front of BSC, I was relieved to see that the damage was merely cosmetic.

But cosmetic here means one whole M3 bumper broken into two, and totally useless anymore. I pulled it out and left it on the roadside, leaving an exposed front end with some wires and underside panel hanging down the road. I felt sick to my stomach, but I can’t do anything much about it, can I? I was so pissed with DBKL or MPPJ for failing to cover up the pothole. Bastards…but I still sang a few songs nonetheless (I can’t help it…).

So now the role is reversed. I depend on my girlfriend for transport, which is kind of nice. No wonder she enjoys being driven around…I should this more often…or get myself a driver.

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