Day 2 in Miri started early with us having to be there before 7am to prepare all the obstacles for Mark. Lucky for us, everything was relatively easy to prepare, and we even had enough time to have a quick breakfast before locking everyone away from the bride.
Soon Mark and his entourage arrived and we let the games begin. First round was the time tested drinking game of 5 concentrated flavours, sweet, sour, spicy, salty and bitter. Then we had him eat an onion, but he didn't want to spoil his breath so Richard (acting best man) had to do it. Finally was using the traditional East Malaysian hunting tools to try pop a balloon on the bride's room door. He tried really hard, and after a lot of tries, grandma said he did good enough. So the groom finally got his bride and the celebrations started with a loud bang of the lion dance troupe's drums, followed by firecrackers, and more lion dancing.
After a short celebration and introduction to the family, the wedding couple, Mark's family, bridesmaids, groomsmen, the official little kid, camera and video crew head to the hotel for the tea ceremony. The little kid had to bless the couple by rolling around the bed and peeing in the pot, and a good thing he didn't have stage fright!
Some of us were already getting tired by then, but I guess the rest of us were more excited about the whole day. Poor camera and video crew were all napping while we waited for transport back to the house, while I was busy taking photos. Anyway, back at the house, we were greeted by a really delicious spread by Michelle's mom, aunts and maids again. I won't be surprised if they cooked for the wedding dinner later, but I think they deserve the break and have others do the hard work!
After lunch, back to the hotel and we ended up having a mini pool party with Michelle, and some kids who wanted to check out the underwater camera. The rest of the bridesmaids and Richard back for a rest and to get ready for later, while we recharged in water. After a few cocktails, Mark found us and told us we had a few minutes before we ought to get ready for the night. So after a bit more splashing, and a light snack, we got out and got ready for the night.
Upon reaching the restaurant where the dinner was being held, usual bridesmaids duties seemed to be handled and we had nothing better to do than take photos and wait for familiar faces. Good thing was that we weren't too early, so the rest of our table got seated soon enough. Another good thing is that most of them didn't want to be later than Michelle's grandmother, and so were all seated on time. The whole ceremony reminded me of the times we celebrated my grandmother's birthdays in the restaurant, just with entertainment on a grander scale as there was the lion dance troupe that started it all off. Even the wedding gift packages were a reminder of the past.
After dinner and all the drinking was done, everyone was invited to the party at another location as the restaurant didn't open too late, nor did it have enough space for a dance floor. Off the the disco for their New Year's Party and Wedding celebration! The music played, and everyone was dancing the night away, away into the new year...
