18:11 – Berangkat dari kantor

18:19 – Bundaran kecil Pondok Indah arah deplu macet, jadi diputuskan lewat BCA yang baru saja

18:25 – Putar halauan, karena arah gedung BCA pun macet lebih panjang. Akhirnya ikut antri di arah deplu

18:37 – 12 menit dr bunderan kecil pondok indah-deplu, much better dari lewat gedung BCA

18:55 – 18 menit dr underpass deplu sampe pertigaan pizza hut bintaro, macet berat

19:09 – menurut gps: 9.8 km to destination, 1.5 km to gintung, ciputat

19:28 – ciputat, finally, 20 menit untuk 1.5km = 4.5 km/jam. Thanks to jalan rusak didekat Sandratex

19:34 – Legoso, ternyata arah Ciputat arah Lebak Bulus macetnya dari sini

19:40 – 3.5 km away from home, lancar jaya

19:49 – Sampai di rumah…. 1 jam 38 menit untuk 15 km

Not bad… untuk sebuah Jum’at dimana alam semesta berkoalisi untuk membuat Jakarta macet

The blog has served its purpose. Skimming to couple of posts, I can watch my life as if watching it on DVD. My English has also much improved, which is proved by approval of my travel blog to join Lonely Planet’s Blogsherpa. I’ve also got more chance to practice my English at work, since I mostly works with foreigner.

Now, as life unfolds, I decided to write it in my mother tongue, Bahasa Indonesia. It is the perfect time, with so many Indonesian become more connected to other media. I’m proud to be part of this young generation, the most creative one I can tell since the renaissance era.

Sampai jumpa in Bahasa….

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

But her as Indonesian President? Wait a second, I won’t suddenly agree with this.

Why don’t we nominate Rudy Hartono, winners of 8 All England Trophy, or Icuk Sugiarto, Susi Susanti or Alan Budikusuma as our Minister of Youth and Sports? Or those who has traveled across Indonesia as ministry of tourism? For sure, he/she will know Indonesia’s great tourist  spots better than the current minister, right?

I don’t think SMI should run for presidency in 2014, at least not now. Being a president would require more than just excellent financial experience, similar like Minister of sports have to know more than doing sports, or Minister of Tourism to know more than traveling and tourist spots.

It is the communication and leadership that has to be proven. Skill to communicate effectively, and in a tactical way. Negotiating at a bigger scale of a nation. All this might be more important for a leader at a country level.

Besides, you won’t ask all the great people to be your foster parents, or do you?

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…

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

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.

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

Seven days to our wedding date, and we have been through the most tough weeks of the preparation. Last weekend wasn’t feels like weekend, as we so busy driving to test food, looking for parents’ dress, discussing make up for the bride, talking with the photographers, and watching our friends who will sing for us. Just to make sure that they won’t hurt anyone’s ear .

New Year was spent with finalizing the book for the holy matrimony, reviewing invitation list, printing labels, putting invitation in the envelope, and sticking the label. A little celebration in the middle of hectic chores, as we celebrate the passing year with a bottle of Champagne, and boxes of Royce.

One thought last week, that I think we have been cruel to our parents. We got a lot of helps from our friend, either voluntary or due to our request. But we never allowed our parents to contribute, to help in our big day.

We are grateful for what they’ve done for us. Taking care of us for 30 years was never easy. All we want is for them to give their blessings as we said our vows in front of the altar, with tears of happiness in their cheeks. But well, parents is forever parents, and no matter how old we are, we’re still kids for them.

Seven days to our wedding, we wish that we have through the lows, so that the days ahead would always better until the date came. After that, when all the guess have gone home, there will be only the 2 of us….

We are getting married in 3 weeks, in the first month of 2010. And marriage is not the end. It is a beginning of a new chapter in life, and we definitely don’t want to spoil it. There should be another great thing after marriage other than making babies.

That evening, we created our new bucket list. Not the list to be done in 2010, but a far greater list of what we want after the wedding. Some we wish to cross off  during the year, other might took years to complete. The list so far:

1. A travel book and travel literature library, with attached coffee shop. Travelers are free to read the travel guides and literature over a cup of coffee and plate of snacks. We will keep a corner for ourself, for us to write our travel story
2. To relive the nomad live, to live and work at a new city, country for at least 3-5 years before moving on. City list so far: Singapore, Melbourne, London
3. To be able to work and make money at anytime, anywhere
4. To have her own regular column about travel, architecture and food
5. To have a furniture shop featuring works of non-famous designer. New designer with great talent but little opportunity will have the chance to feature their works.
6. To travel round-the-world, fly to the east

Happy New Year 2010, hope that you cross off many things in 2009, and add even more in your bucket list for 2010