The great spillover of job titles

I received an invite to a former classmate/relative's wedding two days ago. Via Facebook. Yep, that's how we roll these days, old-timers. Anyway, the content of the FB page was something like this:

The wedding of Dr. XYZ and Dr. ABC

Time: XXX

Place: XXX

I took a look at it and my almost immediate reaction to it was: "Really? Dr.?"

I couldn't but felt that it is wholly unnecessary. It is a wedding invite, not a freaking conference schedule. Your job title doesn't have to be there. I know who you are. You are a bau-bau bacang relative of mine whom I have no idea how we are related despite the countless explanations from Mom. You were a classmate of mine for many years. You don't need to convince me or anyone else of your professional capabilities. For ceremonies of the holy matrimony kind, all we need to know is your name and your future spouse's name. 

Maybe I am being a bit too harsh here. I know doctors spent like five years studying, so maybe that should allow them the privilege of tacking on the title on whatever they want. 

I wish Hidayah a wonderful married life, regardless. 

PS: And I still cannot believe that she is going to marry soon. People my age are so adult right now. 

Acting Adult-like

It is amazing how time changes so many things and yet, deep inside I feel fundamentally unchanged. I am still that same person I was 7 years ago - naive, angsty, confused, dependent and directionless. 

And I used to think that adults automatically know things. Now that I am legally an adult, I still don't know a lot of things. Perhaps adults are just tiny little children hiding themselves in grown-up skin. We walk with swagger and speak in a loud voice. But we are actually pretenders, who tiptoe across this face of earth, hoping that no one discovers our mask. 

Books/Manga/Films/Anime that I really love

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Boy in the World by Niall Williams
• The Boy with the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
• Nodame Cantabile by Ninomiya Tomoko
• Seirei no Moribito by Uehashi Nahoko (both the anime and the book)
• Whisper of the Heart (Studio Ghibli production)
• Howl's Moving Castle (Another Studio Ghibli production) (love the film more than the book...)
• The Third Eye by Lois Duncan
• Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
• First Light by Rebecca Stead
• Shuukatsu! Kimi ni Naitei by Yoshino Aki
• Hakuji by Morie Satoshi
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Lord Calthorpe's Promise by Sylvia Andrew (Harlequin manga version)
• The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
• Immortal Rain by Kaori Ozaki
• Fullmetal Alchemist by Arakawa Hiromu
• The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
• When I Was a Kid by Boey
• 20th Century Boys by Urasawa Naoki
• Monster by Urasawa Naoki
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery