Ning is ENGAGED!

Aiyoh... susah la no internet connection at home. See, Sasha also beat me to blogging this already.... ish! But hope I beat Vernon to it pulak HA!

Yup. Both of us were Ning's dayangs last night! I was dulang bearer #4.
Preparations followed up right after the announcement in Harian Metro which ran the exclusive story of Ning's big day. It's not even her wedding yet but it felt like it was.
Prior to all that, Vernon had called me up 2 days before the public announcement and asked if I would hold Ning's dulang.... DULANG? I was stunned for a minute....DULANG?! I kinda yelled. Yes, he said, Ning's getting engaged next week.

The Groom-to-be

Omar Sharif aka Chris Dalton was the mystery man for over a week. The public had no clue how he looked, who he was, what he does, where he came from, how they met or when.
Us, the close friends, had of course already met him. I finally met him for the first time only recently, at Ning's birthday dinner on June28, after months of raving how wonderful this man is whenever we got a chance to girl-talk. I guess she was also dreaming of her own wedding when she was at mine. I've been so happy for her, happy to see her so extremely content with her now soon-to-be husband whom she had met in Bali.
Omar is such a gentle bloke... very gentle.... undoubtedly the loving kind. And warm, very warm. And awfully dashing too! He looked so charming in his baju last night!

The Works
How wonderful! But how very scrimped for time I thought. Gosh Vernon and Aunty Stella must be on a frenzie. So we were summoned to go to the tailor almost immediately, followed by a gathering/meeting at Omar aka Chris' apartment for a meeting and rehearsal.

The ceremony was lavish in a simple sort of way....
The most fragrant flowers were used to decorate the house (Ning's father's house) including my favorite Jasmine. Twigs, ivy leaves, lilies and other wild flowers intertwined into artistry from the interior to the dulangs where all the hantaran sit.
The choice of gifts as hantaran were totally tastefully picked and placed and propped, only a perfectionist like Datin Farida could pull it off in only a few days.
Simple yet very classy and needless to say, glamourous.

Sasha & Ning

Omar is looking forward to doing so many things with Ning from now on. One is to see Ning perform live on-stage (yes, he has yet to...), go out hand-in-hand shopping and enjoy some lunch at KLCC (so sweet and simple kan...?) and take salsa lessons from me!

I've been looking forward to that for MONTHS now, my god! But I think we should double-date and go watch DIVA together soon huh Omar?

Omar didn't know how big of a star Ning is when he met her. He realized only months after when he saw the crowd at her performance on TV, a show broadcasted world-wide! Omar is kind and caring, a very simple person. Ning needs to go home to someone like that.... someone who loves her not for the (glamourous) world she's in now but all that she is for now and always.

- Aunty Stella

What a beautiful speech I thought.
Sorry la, my battery died before I could take any more pix! But many more coming so please come back in a day or two for updates!!