My first Indian wedding! Day 2: Welcome to Bollywood

Woke up the next morning in time for the buffet breakfast, but Jo and I spent a good half hour just lying in bed, recapping the night's events and just catching up. Apart from meeting really awesome people and being exposed to such a beautiful culture, these kwento moments, I think, were among the highlights of the trip; reconnecting with one of my dearest friends was part and parcel of the whole wonderful experience. As Ia was asleep, I guess Joey and I felt that it was completely safe to talk about stuff we normally wouldn't talk about in front of other people. (Now guess who felt totally punk'd when they found out that Ia was actually a light sleeper?)

At breakfast (which was pretty much brunch as it was past 10:00 am), Jo went nuts over they DIY Nasi Lemak, apparently one of her absolute favorite dishes. Our game plan: Stuff ourselves at brunch and wait 'til dinner to eat again at the buffet! (Can you say "ka-cheapan"? Haha.) Avin was at breakfast, and he was with the other dude we were to spend the rest of our stay with, Yogi. I later discovered that he's my Indian counterpart--he doesn't drink!

We ended up hanging out with them the whole day at the beach. At some point, Ia headed back to the room to nap. Jo brought her disc with her, and we challenged the boys to a game of Ultimate. And who beat the 6'1" man and his speedy teammate? That's right, two sweet little girls! It was 4-2, baby! And of course we had to tell everyone about it! Haha.

Top: Ice, ice baby: Yogi and me savoring the feeling of having ice cubes melt in our hands. Bottom: Rishi being such a pimp! Haha. With Jo, Teri, and Jacq.

I left the beach a little earlier than the others as I had to attend practice. Here's one thing that amazes me about Indian weddings: the amount of preparation, and the effort that people lovingly put into it! Rewind to a few weeks before:

Mads: Tisha, can you dance for Tash's wedding?
Me: Sure!
Mads: Great!...Can you choreo?

Hahaha. Mads had asked me to choreo for another wedding before, so I kind of knew what to expect. I had to choreo this Indian song mixed with Shakira's Hips Don't Lie. First practice was at Mads's house; the next one was at Mahesh's, where there were bottomless margaritas!

Top: Sexy Mads teaches Teri (in her office finery) the steps. Bottom: How can anyone memorize the steps when everyone's downing these things? (Random conversation re the flavored sugar on the rim of the margarita glass: Me: Where'd they get this from? Jacq and Teri: The can says Bed, Bath and Beyond. Me: Huh? Baka naman bath salts 'to!)

There were so many other people there that night, practicing the skit. "Is every wedding this...elaborate?" I asked. "Normally there's a skit or dances," they explained. "This is the first time we're doing a skit and dances." Tash and Sunil must be really special! I was so in awe at everyone's willingness to actually participate. You could never get my guy friends to act in a skit for my wedding, much less attend numerous practice sessions!

Back in Bintan, I ran to practice (which I was unwittingly late for). Mads had put the fear of god in everyone...she was quite stressed out and I didn't want to cross her! So I waited patiently in the sidelines while they ran though the skit. Arrun (who played Borat in the skit--hilarious!) pointed out that we were wearing matching outfits...

My shirt, which Rene got from Disneyland, has a picture of Cinderella's coach on it. And it says: "Sorry, I'm taken. But I have two evil stepsisters." I love it!

I intended to get a good nap in, but strangely, I wasn't able to sleep too well the whole time I was there. Before we knew it, we had to get ready for the Engagement Party that night. The attire: Indian formal. Tash, such a sweetheart, had given me a sari from India. She didn't want me to worry about the complexities of draping it, so she advised me to have Mads, an uber-talented designer, turn it into a dress. I so loved what Mads did with it (and so did a lot of other people). She even gave me a bindi to match! (It covered my built-in bindi. Haha.)

Front...and sexy back.:) (If the second pic looks familiar, it's because it's my current profile pic!) We clean up nice, huh? Haha.

It was a super fun night, made more hilarious by Jo's little, uh, blooper (sorry, Jo, I couldn't help but laugh). The presentation was a success...

From top: Karis as Mads and Mads as Tash, pre-weight loss! Me (in the long-sleeved top) in action. The boys doing their thing--it was hilarious when they had to raise a drink and Yogi had a carton of milk in hand. The family performs. (Photos from Jo)

It was a two-hour extravaganza, telling the love story of Tash and Sunil (beginning from their birth!) And it ended with the cute couple performing a dance routine--so Bollywood!

Again there were free-flowing drinks that night, but Jo was still a bit traumatized by her blackout moments the night before, courtesy of a deadly shot, so she pretty much laid off the alcohol. We spent the rest of the evening just dancing, laughing, and taking photos with Borat!

From top: "I like!" Borat with a monobrow! Arrun (out of "costume"), Ia, Joey, and me.

Again, more photos in my multiply!