Tonight is Ron & Jessica’s wedding. Ron and I go way back.
Before I moved to America, I had listened to Ron on the radio. I always wondered how he looked in person and whether his off-air voice sounded just like his on-air voice.
Years ago when I started working at ICRT, he was the first person I met on the job. He was hilarious in person just as what we hear on air if not funnier. Ever since he became like a brother to me, the kind of brother I always wanted and the kind of brother every girl would love to have. Most importantly, he’s the only one who taught me how to be a good radio personality when I began my first radio show. No one else bothered to give me pointers but he listened to my show and would call me to make suggestions. If I’m considered somewhat a decent radio host, I owe it to Ron.
Very few people know that Ron has been living / working in Taiwan for twenty years. When you listen to Ron’s radio show for the first time, you probably will be startled by his wild laugh. Gradually you’ll find yourself laughing with him while listening to the radio even though you have no idea what’s so funny. That is what we call Ron’s charm. I don’t know how he does it but he’s always happy. It’s absolutely amazing! For all the years I’ve known him, he’s always hyper and super charged. It almost seems like he doesn’t have bad days. He’s the person I want to talk to if I’m having a lousy day. Just his voice alone makes me rejuvenated and takes all my troubles away.
Tonight’s banquet is more than a wedding. It also serves as a reunion for everyone who used to work at ICRT. I saw so many old faces that I have not seen in years. It’s been four years since I quit the station. And it feels good to see old friends gathering in one place for our beloved friend Ron’s wedding. Most people didn’t recognize me ‘cuz I chopped my long hair off. The last time they saw me my hair was all the way down to my waist. And now my hair is barely covering my ears.
My favorite part of tonight’s ceremony is the clip about Ron and Jessica. Every wedding you go to these days will have some sort of film footage or slide show in the beginning. I remember this wedding I hosted last year, the bride and the groom collected pictures they’ve taken in various countries and show them as a story about them. To me it was not personal at all. Ron dubbed for the clip and his voice made our viewing experience so much more fun. It’s like watching Ron’s life story unfold while he talked about his childhood and the impact his mother had on him. At some moments I was laughing my head off. He said when he was growing up he couldn’t quite figure out the mood swings that his mother went through. It would take months of eating livers & green peas for dinner before he finally understood that his mama was upset.
At some moments my eyes were filled with tears. He shared his philosophy on happiness. “From an early age I learned to enjoy the simple things in life and find pleasures in places that no human being has gone. If you find yourself unhappy all the time, you have no one else to blame but yourself.”
Ain’t that the truth? The ability to humor yourself and others comes from within. In the end, he dedicates tonight’s ceremony to his mother for she’s watching us from above. Finally Ronny did it as he promised her long ago.
It means a lot to me to be there for Ron’s big day. At the radio station people used to say that Ron is the kind of guy who will be a bachelor forever. For him to walk down the isle with a bride is like a mission impossible. Ha! The mission is completed! So who’s next in line?
