Once in the life time

I have been away for sometime, or as always? But this time it is for some good reasons, extraordinary occasions. My sis’s wedding!

Like most people, I attend numerous wedding occasions, when I am are still a kid, of my uncles’, neighbors’, teachers’, friends’, colleagues’, flat mates’…and finally of my own sisters’. Each time, I played different role even if it is only slightest variance. Sometime, I make phone calls, drive a car, serving guests, be observers, be ‘brothers’ (兄弟) or even ‘sisters’ (姐妹) and many more. I thought I’ve seen it all, that I’ll know what to do if it finally hits me. But to be honest I do not know how to react when sis told me her big day is on May First (五一), months ahead. What should I do? Or even, where to begin with?

Anyway, I am flooded with relief when sis just gave me one main task: Snap photos. Actually she said ‘photographer’, which sounds a little too heavy on my shoulders. “I want faces, faces!” Well, if I just snap photos that I wanted to, god knows what will I shoot? It is good that she had seen some of my earlier ‘works’, that she would drop me a warning before hand.

As expected, there were dozen of other cameras that day, giving me some ‘space’ and ‘time’ to look at things differently. The new couples have not seen my work just yet, since they are still in some island. But here are few that I consider main component of a Chinese wedding.


Cooking. More than what you cook, how it taste like, it’s really about who is doing it. I wish both women could cook for my own wedding. That says it all.


You need Heaven, Earth, People and Harmonies of all (天地人和). It was a hot day, rains at night, house was crowded with people and stuff. Dealt with it, keep it all together anyway.


As when you have guests, you’ll need to serve. Get it done nicely, correctly. When Chinese says ‘any number will do’, that’s not really for special occasions.


You may drive any car, any class, at any price. Not special or appropriate unless you do just that – or something else, it’s your freedom, creativity.


You need a HE.


While SHE is waiting.


It is good that someone could sing for you, even if you never met them before. It’s like you prayed for Mother Nature even if you don’t know what it really represents.


缘 – fate, or something makes you missed an important flight but found another life. You search and circle around and found one, at last.

Once in the life time, because this is what we believe, what we try to keep for as long as we could.