Answer

On Saturday, me and Indra went to see display homes, we are thinking of buying a block of land and build a new home. We are happy of what we have now in term of house, but i feel the current house is a little bit too small for 3 of us and Indra needs a space that he can use as a home office.

We calculated our finance and we're pretty sure that it's enough to build a house if we can lease the current house. So me and Indra decided to take a step of faith and try. We know that if God wants us to have this, then He will make a way. If not then, it's not His time.

But then, looking at the house price made our faith (maybe only mine) shrunk a little bit, i had this doubt that we can actually build a house. So on the way home, i asked Indra:

Me: 'Do u still feel God's involvement in our lives? cos i don't feel it as strong as it was before".
Indra: 'Of course, the reason why you feel that way is because your busy life doesn't involve God, not the other way around"
Me: '.........(silent but admitting that it's true)'

Then i tried to build up my faith again by remembering what He has done for us, i remember when we first time got together (4.5 yrs ago), none of us had car, we took bus everywhere we go. I was still in uni and he was starting his job from zero. We barely ate outside due to money constraint. We didn't give each other gift on birthday, only prayer.

In 3 years, God changed everything, we are in a different stage of life and we are forever thankful. It's true when your life goes smoothly, you tend to ignore His involvement in little things like waking up in the morning, enough food, friends and good job.

And God heard my doubt, on Sunday morning my sister went to school, my housemate went to church early, me and Indra still at home. Around 30 mins before we went to church, my housemate called Indra, she left something at her room and asked Indra to bring it to church. When Indra entered her room, he could smell something burning. He found out that the iron still on and a plastic bag was melting near the iron. (If my housemate read this, no im not angry at all, i know you didn't do this in purpose. This entry is just for sharing about God)

Indra told me what happened and i was stunned! God heard me, He is still with us, He still involves in our lives!! We were about to leave the house at that time, if God didn't intervene at the right time we would be homeless right now!! Can you image if my housemate didn't leave the docs at home? no one would know the iron still on.

I am no longer afraid of taking a further and bigger step because i know that He is with me all the time, no matter how busy you are and how flat your life can be, He will remain faithful in your life.

My Man..

Love this picture (dagu pantatnya keliatan hahahah....)
I love you dear...

65 Days...

Goshhh....it's just 65 days left before the wedding...my 65 precious days.

The wedding preparation report:

- We have decided and made a sample of the placecard and the menu. Need to buy the paper this weekend so i can start.

- Still waiting on the noodle box for the ceremony. I ordered the wrong size last time, and they all wasted now (50pcs), anyoneneed noodle boxes?
Need to get the pink paper for the tag, hopefully the pink fabrics that i bought is enough, cos last time i checked Spotlight, they dont have it anymore.
Ribbon is ready.

- Waiting on the new menu from Swan Brewery, hope the price wont increase. I think the manager is quite annoyed by us since we kept contacting her about the menu, i know even 5 weeks before the wedding is enough to choose the menu but it's important to us to see the overall budget. The F&B takes up about 75% of the budget.

- I need to meet with the team: time schedule, PIC, activity, songs, etc...

- Need to confirm the rental cars (Ein, let me know ASAP!!)

- The wedding cake is done (need to pay in Sept)

- The invitation is done, should be here next week. Need to print names on the label.

- The video is done, im really happy cos he said it will be ready in 4 weeks, it means i can bring home the video and play it at the Indo wedding party.

- Wedding rings are ready.

- OMG!!! THE VOW!!!.....i got no idea...errr...let's skip this one...

- The dance, need to practice so he wont step on my foot.

- Need to book hotel for me and indra, where??? advice anyone??

- Tickets and visas for family, done!!

- Bouquet, corsages, buttoholes, centrepeieces: done!!! (Lets hope the flower arrangements turn out good)

- Cakes for the ceremony: done!! (need to confirm the amount in Oct)

- The honeymoon, need to check the packages in Sept, and apply for tourist visa.

- I need to do another wedding prep for Indo (start all over again *sigh*)

Well, that's it for now...will update soon...

Bloggers...

Almost everyone have their own blog now, as a diary, story, or just to upload any interesting topics.
I admit that im clueless with this kind of technology, anything which involve internet and computer, i give up. But trying to change, i keep myself updated with what's happening with technology and internet, then i forced myself to create a blog.

Im not good in writing an article or to express anything in written. So i often have no clue what to write. But since my wedding is coming pretty soon, i have an idea to at least record every preparation that i made.
After writing couple of posts, it's getting easier to write. I can actually write about anything i want, and it's getting interesting reading other people's blogs.
I love to read their articles, it gives me new information, ideas, and knowledge.

What more interesting is the comment that you can create for people's blogs. It's kinda funny that i still put comments on my friends' blogs eventhough i can chat with them anytime. It would be easier i guess to 'double click' their names on MSN and comment about their postings, but i guess that's just human nature, they love to be acknowledged and appreciated.
And what's more important is if the comments that we give not only to appreciate and acknowledge but also to encourage them.

*I love reading Tasia's blog because she often writes about her passion which is fashion heheh..keeping me updated with style..

*I love reading Carol's blog because it will definitely help me being a good housewife and keeping me hungry all the time :)

*I love reading Irene's blog because we can see how great is our God in our lives.

*I love reading Fenita's blogs because it's funny and hillarious, it makes me laugh in the office...:P

And so on...and so on...

And i love to comment on their blogs, just to encourage you girls to write more and become a blessing for others and a blessing for me too :) .
So girls, i still have a lot of comments on the way for your blog, dont get annoyed, ok?

Edwardian Mocha

*Saturday afternoon
*53 Stephen St
*Tazh & Fang
*Spotlight
*Ideas
*Ribbon
*Paper
*Scissor

Voila!!

....EdWaRdIaN MoChA....

Winner or Loser?

Every morning on the way to work, i always listen to one of the radio station here in Perth. The morning session is led by 3 funny and creative people (Em, Wippa and Tim). I never got bored listening to them, they do silly things and raise a funny and controversial topics for discussion which involve the listeners. Sometimes i just laugh myself in the car listening to them.

This morning, they raised one particular topic that interest me.
It's a story about Em's friend that bought a $700 dress but paid for only $70 because of the cashier girl's mistake. She realised that and she kept quiet and wait for the cashier girl to notice her mistake, but that never happen until she went home and waited for a week, still the shop did not make a contact. Now, Em told the listener that her friend had 'win'. She said that her friend deserved the dress and did not cheat. Then they challenged the listener to call them and tell them what they think, whether she should keep the dress or actually do the right thing.

Out of 5 or 6 callers, only 2 said that she should do the right thing!

Caller 1:........"Yes, she deserved that"
Caller 2:........"Well, that's gift from God!" (What de...!@$#!)
Caller 3:........"The shop deserves the loss as they've probably marked up the price up to 200%"

I really wanted to call them and give my opinion about this, but since i was driving in freeway, i just decided not to. And i remember this happened to my fiance yesterday.

He went to the ATM to get some cash and before he even put the card in, he found cash on the cash drawer, it was a thick pile of $50s. He said looking from the pile, it was definitely more than $1,000. He looked around, and he decided to go to the bank and return the money to whoever incharge. He spoke to one of the counter girl and there was an old lady there sitting on the couch, she had a problem with her ATM card, and the money was actually hers. My finace said, the old lady couldn't stop thanking him for the cash he decided to return.

Sometimes, the point is more than "deserve" or "their mistake" or "marked up price". Maybe it's true that the shop has marked up the price like crazy and it's true that it's totally their mistake. It's a question of your morality. Can you imagine the trouble that the cashier girl will go through? or the pain for the old lady if my fiance decided to take the money?, i mean he could totally bring that home, no name printed on the notes, and he could certainly claim the money as his. But can you live your life knowing that something doesnt belongs to you? and you have deal with that feeling for the rest of your life?

I still dont agree with Em saying that her friend is 'a winner' in this situation, it's been said that women have as strong connection with fashion but for me a winner is someone who is capable of controlling themselves despite of any connection that u have with anything. When you decided to buy the dress, it means that you have prepared the $700 to be spent then you have to be ready to let that go, rite?

In the end, maybe you can get the dress for $70, a fridge for $50 or even a house for $500. But you can't get the old lady's face when she got the money back, or the relieve face of the cashier girl when you tell her the correct amount. They are more valuable than dress and other things that will not last. You can't buy those faces no matter how much you spend because those things are priceless.

So, are you a winner or a loser?
Me? i definitely lose to win :)

Finding and Keeping a Life Partner

This post might be a little bit long, but this is absolutely worth it for those girls out there who are looking for life partner or who are engaged and thinking of getting married, or maybe those who are married already.

I got this article from my dear friend Ci Silvy (pinjem yah ci..hehe).

"Golden rules for finding your life partner by Dov Heller, M.A."

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they're getting married, they'll say: "We're in love"; I believe this is the ..1 mistake people make when they date. Choosing a life partner should never be based on love. Though this may sound "not politically correct", there's a profound truth here.

Love is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of a good marriage. When the other ingredients are right, then the love will come. Let me say it again: "You can't build a lifetime relationship on love alone"; You need a lot more!!!

Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you're serious about finding and keeping a life partner.

1: Do we share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important? Let me put it this way: If you're married for 20 or 30 years, that's a long time to live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time? Travel, eat and jog together? You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a common life purpose.
Two things can happen in a marriage:
(1) You can grow together, or
(2) You can grow apart.

50% of the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work, you need to know what you want out of life!
Bottom line; marry someone who wants the same thing.

2: Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

This question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship. Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of having good communication is trust - i.e. trust that I won't get "punished"; or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings. A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the person you plan to marry.

3: Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you test? Here are some suggestions. Do they work on personal growth on a regular basis? Are they serious about improving themselves? A teacher of mine defines a good person as "someone who is always striving to be good and do the right ";.
So ask about your significant other: What do they do with their time? Is this person materialistic? Usually a materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character refinement.

There are essentially two types of people in the world:
(1) People who are dedicated to personal growth and
(2) people who are dedicated to seeking comfort.

Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing. You need to know that before walking down the aisle.

4: How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person pleasure.

Ask: Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they wrapped up in themselves and self- absorbed?

To measure this, think about the following: How do they treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, bus boys, taxi drivers, etc.. How do they treat their parents and siblings? Do they have gratitude and appreciation?
If they don't have gratitude for the people who have given them everything; can you do nearly as much for them? You can be sure that someone, who treats others poorly, will eventually treat you poorly as well.

5: Is there anything I'm hoping to change about this person after we're married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention of trying to "improve"; them after they're married. As a colleague of mine puts it: "You can probably expect someone to change after marriage for the worse" If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them.

In conclusion, dating doesn't have to be difficult and treacherous. The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with your heart. It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating; to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues. Falling in love is a great feeling, but when you wake up with a ring on your finger, you don't want to find yourself trouble because you didn't do your homework.

An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye"; Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren't really that important.

WHAT KEEPS A RELATIONSHIP STRONG IS:

1. TRUST
2. COMMUNICATION
3. INTIMACY
4. A SENSE OF HUMOR
5. SHARING TASKS
6. SOME GETAWAY TIME WITHOUT BUSINESS OR CHILDREN
7. DAILY EXCHANGES (meal, shared activity, hug, call, touch, notes, etc.)
8. SHARING COMMON GOALS AND INTERESTS
9. GIVING EACH OTHER SPACE TO GROW WITHOUT FEELING INSECURE
10. GIVING EACH OTHER A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ASSURANCES OF COMMITMENT

If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment withdrawal, abuse, neglect, and dishonesty; and pain will replace.

Good article rite? have you assessed your relationship based on the above questions? Try and ask yourself, you will find the answer there.

I have assessed mine, and thank God i got all the answers correct :)
How about yours?