With first handover scheduled in less than 2 weeks, the workers has started to attach the door to the frame. Almost all of the doors completed, except for the handle and lock. We even have our bathroom door attached

Walking to the en-suite bathroom for the master bedroom, they have fixed the shower. We can also see the ceiling fan attached and functional, and so does most of the light across the house

We’re counting down now, 11 days before the first deadline. And we’ve started measuring the kitchen set

One of the best progress in the last 3 weeks is: Floor Tiling. Yep… they finally have started the floor tiling. Starting is probably an understatement, since it is almost finish – I would say around 90%. It is a pity though to ask them to remove some part of it, for we have informed them about our plan for parquet flooring.

Apparently they’ve changed to new contractor, which might explain our slow progress in the last couple of months. I was greeted by Pak Marwan, the new contractor. “We expect to finish the house in 1 month”, which trigger a wide smile on our face.

At the front of the house, work has progressed to prepare the car port. Soon, not only that we can parked our car in front of the house, but also we can park inside our own car port. Another worker is also working at our front pillar

And finally the backyard! Finally, they have land-filled the previously empty land. And for the first time in a couple of month, I’m back walking on the backyard.

One hour later, we stand at our soon-to-be dining room. The sky is clear, and wind is blowing through the open space of the house, blowing our mind away into the future. We will have our dream fulfilled in 8 months: Celebrating Christmas in our new lovely house…

One of the most important thing stressed during our pre-wedding preparation course is that, the purpose of people to get married is to be happy. We couldn’t agree more. In fact, it shouldn’t be only the purpose of marriage, but the purpose of what we do in life. So, what limits the happiness a person can have?

I found the answer when reading an article here (in Bahasa). It is called: RESPONSIBILITY.

Many books said that happiness is depends on how you define it. Some found happiness through expensive bags, travelling, shoes, 3000 cc cars, or maybe doing charity. Responsibility however, is defined by people around you. Spitting in Singapore is considered irresponsible, and subject to fine. But in China, it is perfectly acceptable.

So, why does responsibility limits happiness? Some people might found happiness by driving well over speed limit. But does it feel responsible from other’s? Some found happiness by drinking a lot of alcohol, but when you start harassing people, do you think it is a responsible act? All people getting married with happiness. But when we break our vow for ANY reason, is it an responsible act?

Back to getting married or not, I’m yet to see someone exchanging  wedding vow while crying sadly. It is sure intended for happiness, whether for status, or for the sex. But can you be responsible with your vow? For better or worse, in sickness or health, for richer or poorer… till death do us apart? If your answer is not, then NOT getting married would probably the most responsible decision at the moment.

In our 2 months old of our wedding, we still manage to keep the promise….. Happy 2 months anniversary

All the wedding business had practically consumes all time that we can spared from office life. And for 2 months we have left the house neglected. So, it is only natural that, the first activity we did after we got married is house visit.

This is how the facade of the house look like, 2 days after our wedding.

We are not happy! Left for 2 months, we expect more than a clean flooring and door frame. We were ready to see some works on floor tiling. But, seems the developer face some issues with the contractor that left our house abandoned for quite some time.

Some work has apparently started in front of our house. From 2nd floor, we can see that water drainage has been prepared for the road.

And when we are back 3 weeks later, we park our car right in front of the house. The photo below is taken from our kitchen window.

During my college day, I made a promise to myself: I will get married after my 30th birthday. Thirty years old is the age, in my opinion, where I hopefully financially ready, and more importantly, mentally ready.

And on 23rd January 2010, I fulfilled my promise.

Our wedding plan started on 28 February 2009, when I propose her. “I do” she said and we hugged. We made a decision that night for a simple wedding. Not the lavish one in 5-stars Hotel Ballroom with grandeur stage, from which you are wondering who are these people. We want an intimate wedding, where you shake their hands while calling their names, where all our friends who knows us shaken with tears of happiness.

Housing is the next one to address. We spent long weekends, from houses to houses, agents to agents, trying to match location and budgets. We venture to places we haven’t been before, calculating budgets, negotiating prices. Until one day, we are at this place. This is not the perfect house we dream of, but the most acceptable so far, and fit the budget. I look at her eyes, holding her hands, and said: “I want to move on with our wedding plan. Lets buy this one”. We still have to wait for a couple of months until it is completed

Our parents are the people we mostly grateful for bringing us to this day. We can understand and fully accept if they have their own will on how they want to deliver us to our new family. But what we can’t accept is the people around them, whose voice are very confusing that, we don’t know anymore which one is our parents’ own will, or someone else’s will. For those people, whom we met maybe once, twice in couple of years, or maybe in our lifetime, we just wishes that they would mind their own business

The day has fianlly come, the day that we ahve been waiting for almost 1 year. It is also in that day that, you can really tell which one is your friends, and who among them that you can count on for important day. There are those who shops for flower in the middle of midnight, so they can gave us the most fresh flower available. A friend was so busy running errand that, he was like being washed with a bucket of water when we met him. But, there are another friend who seems occupied to check, whether his loved on has made it to the venue or not. There are another friend who took the precious time to don her make up. It is really moment of truth, and we are grateful that we have a lot of accountable friends.

The drama is a happy ending, with us finally standing before the altar, saying the sacred vow. Our friend sing the most beautiful wedding entrance song that we ever heard. We got a lot of wonderful picture, and in the afterparty, we enjoy the company of those who have helped us, we will be in debt to them forever.

At 11:00 pm, 23 January 2010, we lie down in the bed tired after months long of labor, phisically and mentally. It is the end of the day. It is the time, where, no matter how glamorous the party was, there will be two of us: Me, and the lady I proudly call my wife.

23 February 2010 – Celebrating 1 month of our wedding