Day before the Wedding

Since Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles, no other wedding has caught the imagination of the world in the same way. (Extracted from Sowetan Live)

The royal wedding of the century is just around the corner and it is set to be watched by millions around the world. Not only does it abuzz Great Britain, the rest of the world is also up in gear to celebrate this special day.

Indeed, what’s there not to love? Weddings are joyous occasions to be celebrated, and with the added charm of royalty, it is set to send hearts fluttering. Isn’t it every girl’s dream to have a “fairy-tale wedding”?

The British monarchy is one of the more renowned royal families in the world and one of the oldest. The thought of royals and palaces can be quite whimsical in this modern age, and I think this is one of the factors that awed people.

After all, they are quite elusive and it is only on special occasions that they are featured prominently. Furthermore, special occasions are quite hard to come by.

There are questions raised as to why non-Britons are interested in the wedding procession and I say Why Not? There is no denying that there is a certain X-factor the British monarchy enjoys and let’s just say there is this “Anglomania” going around, even in the 21^st century.

To quote Ms Ong Soh Chin, senior writer of The Strait Times “The propensity of human beings in general is reduced to stupefaction before royalty.”

That being said, I love being an audience instead of the recipient. With every movement and action scrutinised by the general public and the paparazzi is not my idea of fun. You will be considered “public property” and people look up to you as a role model. There are strict protocols to adhere too. Gone are the days of plain fun and carefree living. You can’t go out to the streets without being hoarded.

Yes, the wedding will be grander than most people could hope for but there are sacrifices to be made. It will not be a close-knitted wedding, with friends and families. Oh no, foreign dignitaries and other royalty will be invited as with others.

What makes a strong marriage, particularly one in such circumstances, is knowing this is what you want. I think that the couple has enough time to think through carefully and this can be a happily-ever-after. As put by others, they met as equals and enjoy each other company for around 10 years, this should act as a strong base for them.

As for me, I have been looking forward to this day and it does not help that there are news articles about royal wedding trivia every other day. I will be looking out for that wedding gown which is set to make audience sigh and the procession to come.

The whole wedding will set to thrill millions tomorrow and I wish the couple every happiness in the world.

Three times the Charm?

"Too much of a blessing does not necessary mean a good thing"

Oh gods, I just received a phone call from SMU saying that I have been shortlisted for their Business Management course. The interview and English test is scheduled next Wednesday in the evening.

The problem is, I don't even know if I want to do Business anymore. Furthermore, SMU is not my choice of University.

Now that I have 3 Universities offering me courses, each a different one, this is definitely a dilemma. NUS will be my best bet. NTU Economics is out. As for SMU, well, the course offered is my first choice but do I want to do accounting again? Do I even want to be there?

Anyway, I will go for the interview, if I screwed it up, then it will be fine. All the more I will choose NUS. If I managed to score an offer, well, that's another tale for another day.

One is my second choice in the University I like the best. The other is my first choice in the University l like the least. The problem is should I go for something new or do maths again?

It is better if I did not receive the lousy phonecall at all. Sighs. I have already made up my mind to go into NUS. I know there are a lot of people who want a place in SMU, but given that, I think I should make an out-of-the-box choice.

A few weeks ago I was thinking unsavoury thoughts about what would I do if no Universities were to contact me. Then, NUS came with a salvation. Although it is not my first choice, there was something. I am thrilled. I almost made up my mind.

Few days later, NTU came with an offer of Economics, also my second choice. I would have jump at that months ago if I had not been enlightened. I want to minimise the risk of taking calculus again.

The last surprise is today, when I received that phonecall. It does not mean that I am offered a place, it's just shortlisted for an interview. Now I am more shell-shocked than pleased.

Interviews are not my thing. But I will go through them because there is no choice. My problem with SMU is partly because of this, and that I don't see what the big deal is. Everyone sings the praise of SMU but the way they conduct the classes don't appeal to me. And I had a hard time convincing myself that I don't need to go through calculus or Maths again. Am I quite naive to think that way?

I shouldn't say too much, eh? Else I would put my foot in my mouth if I choose SMU.