Selamat Pengatin Baru, Tuanku!

Finally, one of the country's most eligible bachelors will call it a day for his single life. The Raja Muda of Perak (Crown Prince of the state of Perak), Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah, will tie the knot with the lady of his choice - Miss Zara Davidson of English-Malay parentage.

Alhamdulillah. It seems the prayers of the people of Perak and many Malaysians too (I suspect) has been answered. You see, Raja Nazrin is not getting any younger. He's already 50 years old. I'm not suprised if some of his peers are already playing with several grandchildren. But I have to admit, he's good looking with that sought after boyish disposition (like me, chewah, hahahah). But seriously, Raja Nazrin is a handsome man. He's got the package - handsome, articulate, debonair, gentlemen, highly educated and affluent, of course. And to be honest, I am proud of him because I come from the state of Perak. Well, my parents to be exact. I was born and bred in Kuala Lumpur. Well what d'ya know? Raja Nazrin was also born in Kuala Lumpur. And we also went to the same school for our early education, at St. John's Institution, Bukit Nanas. Hehehe.

I've always liked the Perak royal family. From the father, Sultan Azlan Shah (the current Sultan of Perak), to the mother, Tuanku Bainun, (the current Raja Permaisuri of Perak) and his siblings - the beautiful Raja Azureen (I named my youngest daughter after her), Raja Ashman Shah, Raja Eleena (another babe) and Raja Yong Sofia. All of them are like their father - highly educated and all of them qualified lawyers except for Raja Nazrin who is a qualified economist. Their mother, Tuanku Bainun, is a graduate educator who was part of the first batch of Malaysians sent to the prestigious Kirkby College for Teachers in England way back in the 1950s. Like I said, a really, really articulate and highly educated bunch. Oh, I forgot to mention, their father, Sultan Azlan Shah, was Malaysia's Lord President (now called Chief Justice) before he relinquished the post to become the Raja Muda of Perak in 1984 and on to become the Sultan of Perak a few months later when his predecessor, Sultan Idris Shah passed away suddenly. Sultan Azlan Shah still holds the record (in the Guiness Book of Records) as the world's highest educated monarch. Cool, kan?

Anyway, back to Raja Nazrin's wedding, I'm sure it's going to be a gala event. It doesn't matter if he's already 50 years old. I'm hoping that his wedding would even top the so-called Wedding Of The Decade of the country's pop sensation, Siti Nurhaliza with Datuk K. In fact, it should be. Raja Nazrin deserves a grand wedding because he's not only first in line to the Perak throne but also because he's sort of a celebrity too. He is the most quoted royalty by the Malaysian media mainly because he's able to give out intelligent comments on many current issues.

As for his bride, Miss Zara Davidson, all I know is that she is half English and half Malay (her mother is a member of the Kedah royal family). She's also a practising lawyer and a former PETRONAS executive. Rumour has it that Raja Nazrin and Zara has known each other during their PETRONAS days. (Raja Nazrin was also a PETRONAS executive in the early 80s).

Well, whatever it is, Selamat Pengantin Baru to Raja Nazrin and Miss Zara. Daulat Tuanku!