The Era Of Good Lookin' And Healthy Skin Tone.

Now THAT'S what I'd call a fairy tale wedding. They are a truly handsome couple with the husband towering like a pillar of strength, and the missus pretty as a princess should be. Not to mention a head of a major oil and gas consultancy outfit. You don't get to meet a woman like that every day but I figure you're gonna see more and more of them in the next couple of years down the road. I see them more often these days, women being sent to the offshore rigs to do the job what was traditionally a man's sacred domain to earn good money in US dollars.

Now that there are women on the rigs those guys in boiler suit smelling of diesel and saltwater don't get to see naughty movies anymore. You gotta show some respect. Especially in the galley when you tuck in on thick slabs of rib-eye steak with guys who don't have anything left in their mind except pretty women in pretty dresses now that they haven't seen their missus for close to two weeks.

I was one of those who felt a little intimidated by the presence of women on the rig. Like everything else in the world, you gotta get used to the whole idea or you'd better go find an outfit where they haven't allowed women in like those land rigs in Sudan. The sight of women in boiler suit with safety hat going around the rig in the middle of South China Sea was comical when they first started to send them in. At times I wonder what their mommy and daddy could be thinking about their daughter working with a team of men out here. I figure they must be pretty worried about her safety and although I've never met them, I figure if anything ever going to happen to their daughter out here I'd be the first to protect her. I figure that's what her parent would wish, someone to take care of their daughter when she needs help.

Does this remind you of P.Ramlee's line in the movie Madu 3? I think it goes something like this: '...manalah tahu kalau-kalau atap bocor ke ape ke. Kalau atap bocor pakcik ni sakit sapa susah? Aku juga yang susah...' Of course he says this just when Sarimah comes in from work to see P.Ramlee and his colleague at the house to collect the rent that hasn't been paid for three months.

You don't have leaking roof in the rig and I don't go around collecting rent with a colleague like P.Ramlee and it'd be a miracle to see someone like Sarimah (in Madu 3) on the rig who is naive enough to say something like: '...Encik Jamil tu baik orang nye kan, bah?' And the father goes: : '...baik...baik ada makna tuuuu...'

I like Madu 3 because it reminds me of Uncle. He had 16 wives and Grandmother would say: '...budak ni makan nasi lekat kat bibir, nak jadi macam Ayah Long dia lah ni, kawin ramai...' And deep in my heart I'd say something like: '...I want to marry four.' But Aunt would be quick to say something like: '...mintak simpang malaikat 44.'

Why 44?

Beats me.

To the royal couple, here's to you, beautiful people!