2017 has been nothing short of life-changing events, discovery, growth and full of adulting. In no particular order, these are the most memorable events in 2017 that I never want to forget.
- I got married!
This is hands-down the most life-changing event ever. Getting married to my best friend is the bestest feeling and I can still remember vividly how happy I was on that day to finally tie the knot after 8 years of courtship. Can’t believe our anniversary is coming very very soon, because it felt like just yesterday! Where did all the time go..
- Getting our own rental flat
This is perhaps one of the achievements that I am most proud of, as husband and wife in our first few months of marriage. It was not an easy decision to make, to move out of my in-laws’ place. But with a clear conscience and intention, we did it. We are one family unit now, separate from our parents. And it’s the husband’s nafkah to provide shelter for his family, which is me. Setting up our home in the temporary flat also allowed us to discover more about each other. If you think you will learn more about your spouse only after the wedding and living together, you will discover even more new things about him/her after getting your own house together. We have been living in Boon Lay for 8 months now. As our first ever home, we have made so many memories here even though we still hate the west side. Will never forget this journey of setting up the home, taking in our foster cats, prepping the house for raya, cooking for iftar in ramadhan, hosting our guests, dealing with eccentric neighbours and horrible neighbourhood.
- The best honeymoon ever
Allah’s plans are indeed the best. After our Hawaii trip was cancelled, we decided to go to New Zealand just one month before the wedding. I know for sure New Zealand is in my bucket list. But to be able to experience this country during a honeymoon instead of a normal holiday, is really the best form of trip I can ever imagine. The highlight was definitely the campervan experience. I realised I have become a more adventurous traveller than I expected and that I can indeed live without a hotel bathtub during my trips.
- BTO keys
This is no doubt another life-changing event. Mainly because it got us into a 300K debt with the government hahaha. Seriously though, I am beyond happy to be able to secure the best unit I can think of. It is the top floor, has a gorgeous view, 10-15 minutes away from Simpang Bedok, and only 5-10 minutes walk away from my parents’ place. The funniest thing is that this BTO was launched in 2012, when we were both still in uni. And when I saw the BTO under construction, I thought “hmm wouldn’t it be awesome if I could buy a house here, so close to mum” but H and I were still studying and nowhere near talking about house or wedding yet. But we still managed to secure it as a SBF flat last year. Like wow, I really feel like Allah has reserved a spot for us in this BTO. Alhamdulillah.
- Bintan trip
It was H’s first birthday as a husband. So of course I had to plan a huge surprise. It was more or less an all-expense paid trip for him. Now member tengah panic cos I spoil market for his birthday and he still has no idea what to do for our anniversary in Feb and my birthday in March. Hahahaha. Although it was my first time staying in a resort, I think The Canopi was pretty awesome.
- H’s career progress
H has been making really good and impressive progress in his new job. He switched teams this year which gave him more responsibilities, and will be embarking on another new journey and milestone again next year, which is even more exciting. I couldn’t be prouder of him. Looks like my road to taitai-hood is underway! Hehehehe
- Discovering the truth about marriage
I recently saw a youtube video by Sid & Dina Tokio about surviving the first year of marriage, which is so on point! I never really noticed this, but I guess it makes sense for a couple to fight a lot in their first year of marriage. For me, I find that marriage life is like becoming a vampire. Everything feels amplified. We had the worst fights after the wedding than we ever had during our courtship days. But we also laughed the hardest after marriage. If you know he is a loving guy before marriage, you will discover how much more loving he can be after marriage. And same goes for the negative traits. But after awhile, you learn to choose your battles. We used to pick on each other’s small irritating behaviors and create a fight out of it. But now we embrace them more or just be more tolerant because some things are not worth fighting over. Time and energy are just too precious. We also learned that being married to each other also means being “married” to each other’s family, friends, colleagues and everyone else in our social bubble. Sometimes it’s not as easy as saying person A sucks and has been treating you like shit, so why must we attend his/her wedding? But most important of all, marriage allows us to share our lives together so that when we are happy, we feel happier because we have someone to share our joy with and when we are sad, the sadness doesn’t feel that bad when we have someone to share our sorrows with. The best thing in marriage for me is the companionship, that feels like no other. Nothing can ever provide us with such a wonderful companionship better than a spouse.
- Our foster cats!
I will never forget our very first experience of having, not one but two cats! Even though it was a very short 6-week stint, my love for cats have increased so much. They are really really natural source of anti-depressants and can instantly lift your mood after a long day. But at the same time, their naughtiness can also drive your blood pressure up after messing up the house and destroying our floor mat and boxes. Will forever remember Arnold and Bernard as our first babies.
Bride's Bites 