I AM ENGAGED!

December 29th 2007 (Saturday, 7.00PM) was the day I got engaged to my boyfriend of four years, Azizul Hakim a.k.a. Jijoe. Seeing that our Malay culture runs deep, getting engaged doesn't actually mean kneeling down in front of your partner and presenting her the ring. It consists of a lot steps, in which both sides of the family congregate and negotiate the terms (dowry, how long the engagement is, where the wedding will take place, how many gifts to be exchanged, etcetera). Fortunately, both sides have reached an agreement and everything went smoothly (thank God!).

My fiancé and I looking forward to a wonderful future together. I was so nervous I thought I was sweating waterfalls. Apparently he was too, since he forgot to unfold his sleeves :D

Sitting among my gifts for the man. It is customary for the girl to remain in her room and the man to stay out of earshot (of the discussion) until both families reached an agreement; Only then can the girl show up with her gifts for the man (normally carried by the girl's sisters and relatives/friends). My mother spent four nights of love rearranging the gifts in the baskets and stitching the sequins on my dress. Thanks mom!

Exchanged gifts from both sides - 5 from the man's side, and 7 from the woman's side.

Meet our proud mothers, Jamaliah and Florence@Faizah :D

Amongst my siblings. 1 down, 4 to go!

Both our families making a memorable day. My cousins, aunts, and uncles found Jijoe & family quite charming and took an immediate liking to them all

Here are my engagement rings, looped through my old necklace for practical reasons (I'm prone to losing them if I keep taking them off every time I wash my hands). The gold one is actually the previous engagement ring of Jijoe's mother, now handed down to me (both of us were really surprised upon discovering the 2nd ring in the box that night). My mom had Jijoe to break the tradition, so instead of having the intended's mother to slip the finger on me (as a sign of showing the other family's approval of me), he knelt down in front of me with the rings; I almost melted there and then.

He just keeps surprising me :)

Thanks, Mom, Dad, and everyone for making that night possible for the both of us. It'll be impossible for me to forget everybody's unconditional love, care and help. Bless you all and I wish everyone a safe step into/through 2008. Happy New Year, everbody!

Piccies!