Please be warned that the following post may contain some incredibly corny and mushy lines. Those who wish to stay, please bring your own barf bucket. Thank you.

Someone asked to see my wedding photo, so here it is. It is in B&W, so that 11 years later I won’t gag when I see the colour of my eyeshadow and lipstick..

This is actually a tag from Firehorse many many moons ago. She has retired from blogging, temporarily I hope, and I really miss seeing her around. So my dear FH, this is for you. Don’t stay away too long, ok?

I always thought PG has the best of Msia – land, sea and mountain all in one place!

My first trip to PG was when I was about 8 years old. A kid, what did I know? I didn’t know how to eat, well actually didn’t know how to appreciate great PG food like CCF, lorbak, assam laksa, oh-chien and char kway teow. I was just happy to be able to play with my cousins and romp at the beach (all innocent, ok? I never played hamsup with anyone.. :P ) .

PG CCF with hae-ko, Thai belacan fried rice, lorbak and fried tofu, the fast disappearing lorbak sauce.

My second trip came much later, 10 years later to be exact. I followed my godparents to attend my godbrother’s convocation. This time I prided myself to be a sophisticated KL-ite, who has seen the best KL nightlife has to offer and was curious to see how PG was like. We stayed at the the Parkroyal Hotel, and apparently the disco there was quite the ‘in’ place then for PG’s young and trendy looking at the big crowd of youngsters there. It was here I had my first taste of parasailing – it fun, fun, fun sailing high above the ground. It felt so quiet and peaceful up there, it’s no wonder my superpower wish is to be able to fly..

It is only recently that I have come to appreciate the beautiful and peaceful temples of PG

I liked it there. I liked the pace of the town, not as fast as KL but not as slow as Ipoh. The shopping malls had my favourite shops. I loved the tree-lined streets and the beautiful mansions. I thought the pre-war shophouses looked charming and the trishaw rides amusing. I loved the smell of the sea so near to the town. I even loved taking the ferry!

Such gorgeous flowers found dotted all over PG Hill.

I envisioned myself getting a job in Penang so that I could return. To cut a long story short, I did the next best thing, I married a local boy. And whaddya know, even though he has left THAT island, we still ended up at THIS island. So I guess, we’re destined to be island-people! :D

Actually, the original tag was not Why-you-like-the-place-your-husband-is-from, but 10-reasons-why-you-should-marry-guy-from…
How do you give an answer to a question like that?? Love has no rhyme or reason. I didn’t marry him because he was PG. I mean, I did but that wasn’t the only criteria. Let me try to count the ways..

  1. I married him because I trusted him (I trust him 110% all my secrets)
  2. I married him because he wooed me (when he first brought his mom to see me, he also brought along 2 dozen long-stemmed red roses. And to this day, the one and only time .. flowers that is. I see his mom all the time)
  3. I married him because he had PG plate on his car (I thought his PBX number plate was quite unique amidst all the Wxx and Bxx number plates)
  4. I married him because he took care of me (he always took me to wherever I wanted to go, even all the way to Ipoh)
  5. I married him because he made me laugh (I once went to a dinner in Kajang, and he came all the way to Kajang to look for me because he missed me. My aunt made my uncle go out of the restaurant with me to make this fella wasn’t some pyscho stalker..)
  6. I married him because I had respect for him (this is one of the most important tenet in a marriage, along with love and trust)
  7. I married him because he respected me (He always asks me before having his way with me..)
  8. I married him because he took care of my parents (He is the one who always reminds me to be more considerate towards my parents and always think of my parents whenever we go anywhere)
  9. I married him because he took care of his parents (He is a good son, always a good indicator to what kind of father he would be.)
  10. I married him simply because he asked me to (Well, I’m not the kind of girl who assumes the guy would marry her just because they have been together for years. Actually, he told me he would marry me after going out for only 2 months. I guess since he is a PGite, I decided to give him a chance and not get spooked by his confidence.. FYI, we got married about 1 1/2 years after his cocky declaration.)

Isn’t it wonderful when you are with someone who inspires you to be a better person? I have blossomed in more ways than one (and that unfortunately includes my girth.. :P ), basking under the glow of his love. He is very indulgent, allowing me to do as I please most of the time. He trusts me to do the right thing and it’s amazing what it does to your self-esteem when someone has total trust and confidence in you. I have grown to be more matured, independent and self-assured. There are always little fears like how my happy little bubble may burst and I may be left to fend for the kids all by myself, but hey! when push comes to shove, I know I will be able to do the right thing when the time comes.

Each day I find
Our hearts a little closer,
Our lives a little fuller,
Our love a little deeper.

11 years together is but a drop in the ocean. There is still so much I want to do with you, and I am thankful I have a lifetime to do so.