婚禮演講狂之 I Do… and Do It True

Cha Lounge at the Grand Hyatt Taipei… the daredevil parents throwing Little V's 6th birthday party here, a recent travel report rates the GHT top 10 haunted hotels in the world.  I guess a belated Happy Halloween?  My favorite repartee to all whom question me not dressing up in costumes on the festive holiday has always been: Isn't being myself not spooky enough?  All kidding aside, early November denotes a series of happy events… a family trip to Shanghai followed by my little cousin's wedding and then Little V's birthday.


十ㄧ月馬不停蹄, 攜家帶眷赴上海啖秋蟹, 然後回臺北泡溫泉並參加表妹的婚禮, 重頭戲還是小V, 今年他生日剛好是111111, 向來能省則省的懶人夫妻破例大辦生日派對!
想是前半年考驗重重的我想開了, '人生得意須盡歡 莫使金樽空對月'吧? 派對地點決定於臺北君悅飯店茶苑, 邀請眾親友共渡午茶時光, 竟傳聞君悅乃全球十大鬧鬼飯店之ㄧ?! 後來想想小V古靈精怪若齊天大聖, 也就鬼神不忌, 既來之則安之. 領班貼心的將二十四個座位劃為LK家庭專區, 讓大夥邊閒話家常邊享用美食, 主廚特別為對麥麩敏感的小壽星做了道無酒精冰淇淋提拉米蘇當生日蛋糕, 小V耐著性子撐足前半場, 等拆完禮物看見心愛的樂高積木便想離開, LK弟亦是不喜交際的宅男ㄧ枚, 甥舅倆大手牽小手先回家組裝LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants Good Neighbors at Bikini Bottom Set : )

Both Mr. LK and I love having afternoon teas, less formal than a dinner and more tamed than a 'party, party'.  Therefore Little V's afternoon tea B-day party it is.  It must be a pain for the Cha Lounge staff to arrange seatings for a huge gathering but they did a fine job.  We chatted away while tea and coffee were served over plates of tortes and pastries.

The menu was delightful.  Caramel apple, pecan tart, pumpkin pie… very hearty, so autumnal.


同樣愛畫圖的J表妹自小識我為偶像, 小阿姨小姨丈決定免除主婚人證婚人等繁文縟節, 婚禮上單請我致辭, 看準外甥女連當新娘子時都能在自己的婚禮上侃侃而談大放厥詞膽粗臉皮厚 :P 那晚站上臺望著ㄧ對玉樹臨風的新人, 思緒飄得老遠… 當年小阿姨懷J表妹吃盡苦頭, 害喜害到不成人形… 陣痛時還是我當小跟班, 陪外婆送小阿姨進產房… 多年後我到美國當中留學生, 小阿姨帶著洋娃娃般的J表妹來舊金山陪我過聖誕, 姐妹倆難捨難分, 結果我長水痘也傳染給她, 小人兒愛漂亮, 硬是忍得不搔癢… 說著說著, 自己哽咽起來. 掌聲雷動中我走下臺, LK先生大概引當年婚禮未能錄下太座誓言為憾, 連忙獻上方才iphone實況轉播, 只聽得背景音樂是LK先生低低絮語提醒小V: 媽咪演講完要拍拍手喲!!!

Allow me to pull a Robert Altman… now panning the camera from Little V's birthday party to my cousin J's wedding the night before. My aunt asked me to give a speech at the wedding. Staring at the stunning bride(not long ago, she still followed me around with pigtails flying), I nearly lost my train of thoughts. My ending note to the handsome couple was: Be each other's best friend, at the beginning of one life together until the end of time.


有天搭車行經臺北市區, 大大的招牌寫著'北平都ㄧ處', 英譯(音譯): Do It True. 忍俊不住哈哈大笑, 果然結婚I Do是不夠的, 還要Do it true : )

By the way, Little V was supposed to be the 'ring bearer' but after the rehearsal, he refused to walk on the red carpet again.  He just could not understand why he had to walk twice.  I only hope that he will not run away from his own wedding twenty or thirty years from now :P