Dear wifey - Photographer Wannabe

Dear Bunda,

It has been a while since I always want to be a photographer wannabe. When I was child camera is something expensive that I couldn't imagine how to afford it. More than that, before digital era indeed photography was something that very expensive and cumbersome. Thankfully when digital era comes, photography is more accessible.

It was 2003 when I was a freshman in my campus. As a new student we are encouraged to join an extracullicular activity. From so many options I was so attracted to photography club. That amazing feeling I think continue from a wonder feeling since I was childhood about taking picture. Pelase remember in 2003, even there were still no affordable mobile phone with camera. Even if there is one that mobile phone will be damn expensive.

So at that time I decided to join that club. New member that want to join an extracullicular activity have to pass through inauguration process. For some club the meaning of inaugenarition is got bullying by senior. The photography club is one of the club that is famous for extreme bullying in inauguration. But however I just decide to join.

Before inauguration day we are participating with some photo rally. We were visiting kota tua at that time. We are divided into groups which every group is lended with one SLR camera. Please note, we were using SLR and not DSLR. Whe spent some hour in kota tua to took same picture which later will be exhibited in campus.

Some day after that the inauguration is coming. The venue was in Cipanas. All of us went there using military truck. The event was so heavy. We are fully get bullyed by senior. Like have stay in very cold swam in the midnight. Swimming through cold river. Etc.

Btw I just join the club for some months because I just find that I cannot match with other member culture and behaviour (mostly they came from art department which sometime little bit have weird behaviour). But still I always interest with photography. Since most of my interest relate to left brain activity, I always thing photograpy will be a good balance.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Infobessity

Dear Bunda,

Fortunately (or unfortunately) we are living in amazing era. The era where information is never as accessible as now. Where we can reach almost any information artifact from every human history only by a few clicks. We are living in information overload era. Some unlucky people can have infobesity problem. Overwhelmed and sinked because too much information to consume.

Actually those random thoughts were coming sometime ago when I plan to prepare it for a toastmaster speech. But considering that topic is so heavy I postponed it and plan for another more well prepared speech. That thought is coming because I myself is overwhelmed with so many information that I would like to consume. I always love exploration either physically or even mind exploration. In my highschool, I had a privilledge to lend a special book that was not lended to another student. Beside main book area accessible to all student, our library also had some special room where a latest book (mostly university text book). Since I was coming there quite often the librarian gave me access to lend any book that I want from that special section. I remember I lend College Physic book by Sears and Zemansky. Btw I was exaggerating about special privilledge I mentioned earlier. There is no special priviledge but the other student usually just don't care too much about book.

Back to the main topic again. In this time one of most important skill that is important to have is filtering information. The amount of information that exist right now cannot be consumed all even for the whole of our life. The first step of information filtering is to find most usable area of our interest, either in personal interest or professional interest. Personal interest example will be our hobby and professional interest will be information that we will need for our work, for my cose will be something relate to coding related. The second step after filtering area is filtering information within that area. This can be done for example by subscribe rss to our favorite information source or browse to the library website to read summary of the book that we interest to read. We will never can read whole the things. That's why we have to skim quickly to most relevan part of information source. Of course the case will be different when we are reading litarature. We have to appreaciate every word from a literature text.

The important of information filtering ability is so significant. Because it will determine how competitive we are in this world. Btw I have to admit this today's letter is little bit confusing but I want to resist my willing for not to send this letter. I try to write better story on the next love mail.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Three Girls in death sentence

Dear Bunda,

I just want to share a light story this morning.

Three girls got a death sentence for performing a criminal act. They will executed by group of sniper this morning.

Now the first girl is prepared. The judge ask her a last wish. The girl think for a moment then suddenly shouting so hard "EARTHQUAKE!!!". Everyone got panic and using that chance the girl escape before being executed. The judge so angry.

The second girl now have turn. Although still angry the judge ask the same question like to previous girl. The girl looks calm and suddenly she scream. "LOOK, TORNADOO!!!". Again all the people include the sniper group get intimidated and panic. This second girl take the chance to escape and successful.

The emotion of the judge is gettimg highest. The third but unlucky girl brought to the stage. Following the rule, the judge still have to ask last wishes of the girl before getting shot to the dead. The girl look so anxious and clumsy. Try to make surprise and hoping get some chances to escapr she scream. "FIRE!!!!!".

Hehe. Hopefully you understand the joke ;).

PS: I love u

Dear wifey - Riding on the rain

Dear Bunda,

This letter has been written since Fridaybor Thursday ago. I just finished it now. So double love mail 4 today. :)

This Singapore morning is welcomed by rain. So wonderful wheather for full spirit of work. Anyway full spirit person never put his spirit depend on something Include wheather.

I always love to talk about rain. Rain always be my only reason to buy descent vehicles to protect my family. A nice large family car maybe to accompany a nice sporty sedan in our garage and a 1200 cc motorbike for out touring like Honda VFR :).

I often riding the bike when raining. Maybe that is not the sweetest things that people love to do. But it is great. Of course you have to do that in full gear protection. A good leather jacket, set of raining coat and a cool helmet.

I always cannot stop sharing about thr enjoymeny of riding bike. But not all the time. When so tired with the worst city traffic and hot weather riding become something not enjoyable at all. Riding is great outside city when the flow of traffic is so smooth and you can push to gas throttle for more than 100 km/h while surrounded with beautiful natural scenary. Sometime I don't mind if it is raining in that situation.

Btw let share another bike story on another love mail.

PS: I love you

Dear Wifey - Angel who waking me up every day

Dear Bunda,

This morning I just want to say thank you. Thank you 4 what? For so many enermous things you have done for me. I cannot count all the sweetest treatment I got from you.

One of the most prominent example is you always with full of patient waking me up every morning. Without you I will wake late often. But you always stay up late just to make sure I can wake up and pray on time. Just your words, I want to do anything I can for you.

This morning sun shining so bright. So do my heart although physically not in 100percent vit condition. I want to be always sun in your heart also. Give a sweet light and warm there.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Happy Monday

Dear bunda,

There is a time when most people don't love monday. Some other people even never love monday at all. That's why to happiness in live people should find the thing that he love most. There is one exact quote relate to this situation from one of ermm... programming book. "We will never happy in this life if we spent most of the time doing something we don't love".

Some of people trapped in that situation. It must be so hard to work 8 hours per day doing the thing that we don't like. But at the other side when our work is our passion time often feels fly. More than that we can get paid to do our favorite thing.

For me Monday is always great. Even actually every days are always great. More than that for muslim, work (and study) are one form of worship. So why don't we be happy facing every of our activity.

So with this short email I just want to invite you to be more grateful every day. I cannot deny there might be a day when we are not in good mood. Just turn your lips into "u" hopefully can bring back our good mood. Happy wonderful monday, tuesday to... sunday.

PS: I love u

Dear wifey - Legendary Bikr

Dear Bunda,

More or less my interest with bike is descended from my dad. But the difderences are dad understand bike understand until the level of how to fix engine problem while me even don't know where is the location of sparking plug in the bike. Beside that the other reason I love bike so much is because we just a boy. You have to be quite understand for example most of the girls will stop playing doll when they rich puberty. But boy will still love to play radio control even after their 40 years old age.

While dad still stay together with us, I remember that we had two motorbike. The first bike is when I was child. I didn't know and remember exactly how it looks. The second bike the veryblong lasting one is a Honda GL Pro. This type is a legendary bike. He exist before the era a lot of sporty and sophiticated bike was born. Recently most of sporty bike will have monoshock breaker, racing velg, sporty headlamp, etc. But GL Pro has only double shock breaker, spoke velg (we call it velg becak a.k.a jari2), and clumsy square front light. But that bike bring me to many places. To school, to mall, etc.

I mention about went to mall above. When we (me and sisters) were child, we always want to join where our parent want to go. Since we were never have a car (yet), that legendary bike always used as our family vehicle. 5 human on 1 bike. Dad will ride, Vici will sit on the gas tank, mom sist behind while me and Thia will sit between mom and dad in the middle. We have ride to Mall Metropolitan Bekasi and even as far as from Jonggol to Mangga 2 North Jakarta with such style 5 person on one bike. We went to Mangga 2 to pick up me in Patuo house after stay for about 3 years.

That legendary bike also the first bike where I learn how to ride bike with a clutch (kopling). For a man, the real bike is bike with a cluth (we call it man bike). Semi automatic bike (we called it motor bebek) is only for a girl. Even matic bike is not bike at all because we consider riding it is like riding bike without soul. The function of clutch (which same function exactly with clutch at car) is to make surr engine doesn't turned off when transmission in not neutral position. In a man bike the clutch is activated by pressing left handle lever. In a car the clutch is in left most pedal. We have to push clutch when stop in non neutral transmission or when moving and will change transmission. At a glance it seems an inconvinience. Indeed for city ride using man bike will be more tired compare to ride matic bike. But for the real riding, for example ling distance touring, riding large engine man bike cannot dedcribed with a words. It has a great power with full of control and sharp response. I wish I could have some changes to ride in Europe maybe on a nice summer with 1000 cc BMW bike.

Anyways this mail is getting too long. Let share another story next time.

PS: I love you

Dear Wifey - December Random Thought

Welcome December. This the last the last mont in gregorian calendar. I was little bit laugh when reading some meme that in 30 days we can take a conclusion a 2012 doomsday when in Mayan calendar the world will be end is suspended. So, what is the speciality of this month? There are some. In western culture end of year means many holiday. But for the whom that doesn't prepare that too early, most likely cannot enjoy that holiday. Because in such peak time everything will be gone so mad expensive. Especially travel ticket and hotel.

That's why in my inner me there some wishful thinking to have a descent 1000 cc touring sporty motorbike. Let say Honda VFR. Bike feels like will set us free. The limitation will be only asphalt road. As long as there asphalt in fron of us, we can still ride forward. Even soil or rock road remain, with some carefulness we also still can move forwad. But I prefer asphalt road anyway. I dream to drive my bike accross asian countries. From Singapore, Malaysian highways, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China maybe? Haha really wishful dreaming.

Traveling will always setup our mind free. Although this statement is written by less traveled person, but I believe traveling will always enhance our quality of life. More wise, more sensitive to surounding and more grateful to God for all of his almighty.

Let back to December. In western there will a lot of snow this month. I always want to see a real snow. Until now the only snow that I've ever seen is only inside refrigerator. In my childhood, I even hope can go to Jayawijaya peak. Because in many school book it often mentioned that is the only place in Indonesia which has snow on it. But of course for now it will be easier to go abroad on winter rather than fly to Papua and climb the high peak.

Anyway enough for wishful thinking. When december end it's mean another new year will come. I mention about grageorian calendar in the beginning of this letter. That is the calendar that internationaly used right now. It based on the sun and the counting was started around Christ birth. That's way years after Christ are often mention as AD which stand for Ano Domini. And before gregorian calendar was said as BC, Before Christ. Maybe you will familiar from some history book will mentino some years like 2000 BC, 600.000 BC which mean 2000 years Before Christ and 600.000 years Before Christ consecutively.

Year is only a counter. Which based from it we can make a calculation that will help us to decide. For example, average of human age is 60 years. So by having calendar we can roughly make a decision what to do in life toward that age. But of course we have to remeber as well, average human age is just average which mean some human will be taken so soon before that time.

That's all my random thought for today.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Shawshank Story

Dear Bunda,

Yesterday in your special day I miss to email you. In the morning we were discussing in the gtalk. Until evening in hospital my back pain so hard. Let just share something for today as a replacement for yesterday.

Let talk about movie, about The Shashank Redemption. It is considered as the best movie all time by many people. I will not make a poiler in case of you havent see the movie yet. But the general moral that want it to be delivered is about hope. When we have a hope never stop to act for that. Although it might be hard and nee so long time. The philosophy that is really applicable in human life.

In life human often easy to lost hope. Usually after facing a failure or even before make a start yet. When we can got everything without effort usually it will feel sour because lack of sence of fulfilment. For example When we want much money then we can get without any effort will sound great at the beginning. But we will realize that we will feel empty and even become more and more thirsty. One of real example is corruption. Seems like a great deal to be rich. But maybe in factual they will feel empty. Btw the example is little bit too heavy this time.

Let see to another side of the coin. Making a hope with a real effort. According to Maslow, the most important human need is not wealth but it is a selft actualization. This feeling can be gained mostly by achieving something. Ok hopefully this will not get you confused for now. In conclusion never lost hope when dreaking something. But we have to realize that hope might be need high effort and time. At the end all of the proccess will always give satisfaction to most inner part of us.

Dear Wifey, Say Love with Code

Dear Wifey,

This must be the uglist gift from a man to his wife. But believe that I put all of my effort to build this. I will enhance that as well. Btw you are my trigger to create many new things. Hopefully our startup or business idea will be nearby here. :-*

Happy birthday sweetheart wish u all the best and always have a blissful life. :-*

Dear wifey - Trance Story

Dear Bunda,

For this last one year actually most of time I just listen state of trance episodes from Armin van Buuren. What the mean of episode in here is every week armin will remix and compile several latest trance tracks from various DJ (including himself) into 90 minutes show. Every episode play usually more than 20 tracks. Woth so that much amount it difficult to remember which one is good track and which is just ordinary and which that I dont like. Oh ya, trance music also divided by vocal trance and just trance. Vocal trance means there will be a singer. Other than vocal trance whole remix will consist only electronic instrument plus sometime conventional instrument as well.

I haven't read about Armin so much. But compare with other star from for example rock music, Armin live style could be considered clean. No drugs no free sex life (I consider this because he has married with one daughter 1 year old that he mention often in his show). Even after succesful hit by often selected as a best DJ, he one time decided to finish his abandoned law degree in university. And really finish.

I actually doesn't mean to show a form of fanatism. But I can see a stromg consistency that is shown by Armin with releasing a new episodes everyweek. While for myself even sometime a hole happen whem releasing email to you.

Trance different with other genre many trance lover said trance music has soul. So in following years ahead whem we drive our own together maybe most time trance music will be played from car audio. But don't worry, trance is different with conventional electronic music who just noissy. Trance have melodies.

But now for the first time after sometime I am listening Just Feeling by Maroon 5 several time in a bus.

That's all some short sharing about trance for today.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Unproven Tips to Recover Mood

Dear Bunda,

This recent days I am in the full mood. I enjoy coding in office. I am happy coding "bebas" in home as well. Even not done yet I have make a progress for one of several my "to have done" motivation letters. In spare time I was so enthusiast reang books that I lend from library, books that I have, kindle or so many books in my lovely-but-note-so-lovely-as-you galaxy note. But I understand that mood always swinging up and down. Utilize properly when it is on top. And handle properly when it is down. Several things that I can suggest are playing imagination, refreshing and writing.

Playing imagination mean set your expected output and imagine detailly how it is. By having clear view about your output of target we can have some extra power to rerise our mood. Yes of course this theory is easier to talk but not so that easy to do. But I have do it. I always imagine how I feel, where I am, what I can accomplish when get some scholarship. Sometime this work well to boost my mood to write the application.

Refreshing is the act of to get refrehment. Refresh is clearing somethimlng stuck. The method is by doing something different than what wr usually did. Most common example is traveling. Hopefully your visit to Austria this weekend can give a full refreshment for you. Other example of refreshing could be watch movie, shoping :) and sport!!.

The third method is writing. Writing is thinking. Brain have so powerful capability in process so many thought in our head in very short time. Because of so many things that happen in our mind not all of those things can be process properly hit instead many things are just lost because not getting attention. Writing is the act how we can compose that so many random thoughts in our head to more structural way. From this definition we can see that random writing is good method for brainstorming. But beside that, writing also can make us more understand to ourself and oftenly can help to get rid a boring feeling and bad mood.

Anyways those 3 tips just appear instantly in my head while writing this letter. The writer is not responsible for any harms that happen by using this suggestion.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Love Expression

Dear Bunda,

Time moves fast like usual. But don't know why they move faster on weekend :p like you said on facebook. It always feels lovely to see you sleep. And I never stop to feel gratefull to have you as my wife.

Dear wifey, I just want to express that I really love you so much. Most of time it hard to define and measure what is love what is "really" means. I maybe never give you a gift surprise. I've never made beautiful things like you often create for me. Currently most tangble expresssion my love only by this email. But ironically it is also someday written and someday not. But believe me, with all of that defficiencies I always love you, I've never stop to feel so grateful with you. I've never wanted anyone else other than you.

Dear wifey, it has been one year since we get married. It has been some month since the first time you left to Germany. Some weeks since the second time you went back to Germany again. But in very short time Insya Allah we will meet again. Hopefully I can learn how to express my love more to you. Spent many sweet time together. Derping around Singapore, eating nice foods, wathing movies in cinema or wathing on the bed from laptop. Discussing and take an action for business idea ;). Writing together and reading together. Jogging and swimming. We can add any more things on the list. :) I cannot wait also to build a plan for our journey for the next mid year. That's gonna be a great journey. Hopefully we can plan properly together and have everything goes smooth.

Dear wifey, sleep tight sweet dream. I will call you when the dawn come in Ilmenau.

Wait for me in Frankfurt several months from now.

PS: I love you

Dear Wifey - Making Wealth

Dear Bunda,

Since a long time a go, I always want to build my own business. I don't like bureaucracy. That's why, I've never imagine to work as public servant Indonesia. I don't like hierarchy. But in opposite side I always love creativity, freedom of work, opportunity to learn many new things and assessments of performance based on merit and task delivery.

Luckily I was "trapped" in software engineering world. The place where creativity and exploration is granted so much. Creativity cannot live with bureaucracy and rigid hierarchy. In many software company even worker can use any dress code. For experienced developer with trusted deliverability even can work from anywhere they want. Apart from the condition a developer that work from employer, software developer have a unique characteristic. Software developer can be full independent if they want.

Quoting from Paul Graham book, wealth is unlimited. Different with entropy theory that is believed by many people, Graham offer different statement. Entropy theory in sort way is everything in this world have consistent amount. In term of wealth then there is consistent amount of wealth in this universe. Wealth cannot destroyed or created. Wealth only transferred. In easy way it means when on person become rich, there will be one rich person that bankrupt. Somehow this theory is intuitive because when we speak about economy, everything in this world will have effect to the other things. But Graham doesn't agree with that theory. He believe that we can create wealth. How? Making something, he said. Btw, Paul Graham is a LISP programmer. LISP is very old but very sophisticated programming language. Beside programmer, Graham also very successful entrepreneur who apply his knowledge into a real well sell product.

In past time people will make a something for iron or wood for creating wealth. They create and sell. They create wealth. In this modern world, most people work as employee. They don't create anything. They transfer their effort and got fix salary as a substitution. But actually there are still many option to create wealth beside work for other people. One of hottest option which is also close to us is creating software. That's why even though most people said process of creating software as software engineering, actually it will more proper to mention as software craftsmanship. Because software is half of engineering but half of art also.

I remember that actually I have sent you an email about this business topic as well. Consider this as the sequel. Speaking about specific idea, actually I still don't have any specific idea about what kind of craftsmanship that will we build to create our wealth hopefully. But at least we can collect some clue what kind of thing that we can create. First it must be relate to internet. Second maybe relate to data processing. Today is information era. We interact with information every time. Even corporation also consider information as an important thing. Let add another criteria later.

For the closing I want to make a statement. Making wealth is creating a product that is needed by people. If not needed yet we have to find a way to make them need it.

That's all my random tought for today.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - A Writer

Dear Bunda,

I always like writing since a long time a go. I am easier to express myself through writing. That's why, I've never forced to write something, especially to write love email to you.

I cannot trace exactly when is I started this hoby. Since I was living with patuo in Jakarta from my 2nd grade to 4th grade of elementary school, I've started to love reading and writing. At that time I start to read magazine like bobo, kuncung and tabloid fantasi. I started to love sending some postcard to that magazine. I even sometime sent a letter to my mom in Jonggol. At that time we didn't have phone line. Handphone was still something we never imagine.

I still remember my formal writing that I've ever wrote. A short story. Because I like read Bobo magazine, somehow I like read a short story. On my sixt grade I wrote a short story for my school assignment. My first formal short story. I still remember the title. "Antara Jakarta dan Ottawa". This is the story about two childhood friend who meet again in adult time after so many years separated. They meet in Ottawa, Canada. Even since my 6th grade I had been so obsessed to go abroad. That short story was one of way of me to express that willing.

For that writing hoby, my mom one time give me a very special gift. A typewriter! Again, at that time computer is still not common. With that typewriter I wrote several stories and sometime a poem. I also tried to send some of my writing to magazine. But there was never any of them published yet. Maybe because I still not put my best effort yet. That typewriter accompanied me until about highschool. When the ribbon ink already run out, I usually buy new one to a bookstore. At that time the closest bookstore from my home is either in Gramedia Bogor, Gramedia Bekasi or Karisma in Lippo Cikarang. So sometime I dedicated to come to one of that place just to buy new ink ribbon for my typewriter. In emmergency, actually we can do some work around by pouring liquid ink to the ribbom. But this method is work only for temporary. The ribbon of my type writer was also special. It have two colors. Red and black. So we can type with red or black color. There are so many stories with this type writer. Maybe I will share again sometime later.

Like I always make a bullshit to you, I always one to publish my own writing either novel or a reliable technical book. Hopefully I can turn this bullshit to not bullshit anymore. I know you must be saying about nike shoes. :)

That's all for now.

PS: I love u

Dear wifey - H-1

Dear Bunda,

Time flies. It has been more than 1 year since the first time we met. And it almost exactly 1 year we have married. H minus 1. It is like a dream. Although mostly we spent time away from each other since married. I hope and I believe our heart will be always close.

This time 1 year a go I was still in office. Little bit nervous I wathed the clock oftenly. I have to make sure arrive at the airport ontime because considering Jakarta's traffic always never lovely. At the same time I coordinated my parents and sisters, to make sure they arrived at airport ontime as well. Around 5 PM I went out from office. Went downstair through elevator while bringing our memorable red luggage. I stop the taxi from loby and ask the driver to go to airport. At the sametime my mother seems panicked, because dad have problem with his bike when on the way home. The bike tire hit some spike. I just ask mom to calm down and hire taxi instead from Cileungsi. Anyway it was understable to be panic. Friday evening trafic of Jakarta is so so not lovely.

After some hours finaly I arived at aiport. Almost at the same time with mom and dad. And not too long sisters also arrived using damri from campus. We head directly to checkin counter. Feel little relieved because at least we were not late. After checkin and drop baggage in the counter we were heading to inside terminal. The funny thing was after such hurry and a lot of worries for being late, at the end we had to face that the flight delayed for more than 3 hours. So you have to wait alone in Surabaya at that time. After very boring waiting finally we got the plane. Take off and after some hours touchdown in Surabaya. It was almost midnight. Thankfully you already book all our car to Jember. Although I still remember you handover our luggages to wrong driver which you thought was Cipaganti driver.

We spent our time on back seat of the car. Deep think, light talk. And today, it has been exactly one year after that events. Many years still wait us in forward. With a lot challenges and dreams wait to chase. Just with you. Thank you for accepting my proposal. Thank you for accepting for to be my wife.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - The Train (2)

Dear Chubby,

I forgot whether I have share this story or not. I have tried one time long distance train in Indonesia. Argo Bromo Anggrek. The train was departed from Gambir Jakarta to Gubeng or Pasar Turi (I forgot) in Surabaya. I had traveled on 2007 the first time I visit Surabaya for IMCC event. The great feeling when travel by train is, it is never interupted. On the train there is no intersection. No traffict light. Almost no passer by. Train have main priority. More priority will be granted for executive class train. Because other train have to wait executive to pass. From what I know from Jakarta to east java, most of the line is still single line. That's why all the train have to take part one by one to travel through the line.

The most beauty when ride the train is scenary. From Jakarta the train departed at night. Almost cannot see at all because outside just dark with some random lights. The train keep heading to east. Pass Bekasi, and what I remember somewhere in central Java. It was around dawn time. Since it was an executive train, it is not stop to often. It just stop for a while in very big station only. And no one except passenger can enter the train. No seller, no beggar and no amateur singer.

Start from that are somewhere in central Java the sun has risen little bit. At least I can see something outside the window. I can see the life. People who start their activity. Go to rice field, student goes to school, public servant goes to ofice. Some use bicycle, some just walk, some public angkot seems so crowded, some use old motorbike, some simple car passing suround. The train keep moving. Pass the city, some small village, rice fields, mountain, a lot of nice thing. Most of the passenger just still sleep. It was Ramadhan, I didn't eat anything, just some simple bread for Sahur.

Some few hours later the train arrive. At the first time in Surabaya. All passengers alight from the train. It was so hot.

To Be continued.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - The Train (1)

Dear Chubby,

I always love riding the train. Even in least development country like emmm (Indonesia) I like the train. Of course in Indonesia I will consider only above economy class of train. Because economy class seems so scary.

In Singapore trains are everywhere. Intercity. We call it MRT. In central area most of the line is put under the ground. So we cannot see anything outside. Except when we stand in most front of undrived automatic train like circle line. From there we can act as a train driver and see dark tunnel in fron of us. Out of central are some of the line will be above the ground. From there at least we can see some view. Mostly man made view. A bulding, a road or some cars. There are not too much interest from the train in Singapore except the people itself. The people that busy with their own business and become more and more less to talk each other.

To be continued :)

PS: I love you

Dear Wifey - Happy New Year

Dear bunda,

Little bit sharing about hijri year. Hijri year is started when first time Prophet Muhammad hijrah to Madinah. This hijrah is important factor for islamic dakwah at that time. Since Mecca is becoming not too safe. Prophet have to move to another place to gain new Islam strength. In Madinah Prophet start to lead the muslim using syar'i law. That's why many verses that is released when Prophet in Madinah many relate to life law while when still in Mecca many verses relate to Tauhid.

Unfortunately, different with gregorian new year, Islamic new year sometime is not considered important to some of muslim itself. From that reason of beginning this new year is good to choose as a starting point for some of our life resolutions. How we also have to hijrah to be better.

Since sometime, i often like to write a resolution. Usually I did in gregorian new year, on my birthday, in Aidul Fitri or sometime in this Hijri as well. Usually I have long list resolution detaily. For now let just make a simple hope, for our marriage will be never lasting. And happiness will be always with us. Please always stay beside me. Hold hand each other. Embrace and cuddle. Share and story telling each other. Laugh and always play even how old we are. Keep chasing the dream and catching it. Before next year, hopefully we already have proper shelter to live in. In some beautiful place on earth. Where we will growth our children together.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Random Thought

Dear Bunda,

Singapore is always feel nice. Everything is in order. No trafic jam. Less criminal. Much comfort. Actually if later we will rich enough, staying in this country will be a great choice. Because even though if we are boring, we can just do a short flight to visit some exotic travel site in Indonesia. But let see, maybe in few years from now Jakarta will be improved. That's gonna be cool when Jakarta will have their own MRT system. Reliable bus. No beggar no pengamen no pak ogah. Let see.

How is in Ilmenau? There is must be no mall. No MRT also for sure. Maybe there are some snow there. Beautiful castle perhaps? I always wonder europe. I always curious to touch natural ice by my own hand. Hopefully in couple of months from now we can make plenty of saving and secure saving of course for our plan future, for emergency saving as well and to do some adventour with you.

Time is fast but sometime slow, depend of with whom wi spent it. For me most of time, time is slow. Because you are far a way from me. But mathematically we will meet again very soon. For another adventour. For another enermous love. For another share and story. For another laugh and happiness.

I will wait you in couple of months from now. The scenario is slightly changing. But our life movie must be will be a very great movie.

Dear wifey - Morning

Dear Bunda,

I always love about live in rural area. In the morning everybody are busy. Children goes to school. Labour go to factory. Women go to traditional market. Ojek driver ride here and there picking many passengers. Chicken and duck also busy searching some foods on the street. There are no sophisticated thing like MRT or nice bus. There are some small angkot of course. There are no busy employee playing their smartphone on public transport. Some people will just use a standard handphone here. Only for sms or phone call.

How about morning food? Let's see some chicken porridge stall there. So many people queueing to get a bowl of breakfast. In another cart there is a rice cake vegetable a.k.a lontong sayur. The coconut milk plus rice cake and sometime some chicken plus fried onion at the top and some cracker is awesome choice in the morning. In some warung some student also queueing for another breakfast option. Uduk rice. This is a rice that is cooked with some extra coconut milk. Usually served with some sweet noodle, fried snack like bakwan, peanut sauce and cracker. Full of vegetable oil that is actually not too health. But its taste good anyway.

My favorite since childhood is uduk rice. I also sometime enjoy with extra snack, fried banana. When I was in school the lunch menu usually similar. Uduk rice plus fried bakwan. Sometime I think, how I can be smart with such unhealthy food? :) Of course these diets are uncomparable with recommended modern diets like less calory food, not too much vegetable oil, a lot fruits and veg, plus some milk and multivitamin. But for us we just have to satisfy with uduk rice or sometime chicken porridge. If sometime later we will live abroad, the thing that I will miss so much is this morning food and morning activity in Indonesia rural area. Whererever we live, that wil gonna be always sweet as long with you.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Dear Jakarta

Dear Bunda,

My yesterday statement is just kidding. Please don't take it seriously. I didn't write email yesterday because I was little bit lazzy. Hehe. I know you must be in hurry when you were in dusseldorf.

Dear bunda, going home to Indonesia without you are here is weird. There are not much fun and happiness in my mind. I still remember the excitement on Friday evening when I had to go back to Indonesia to meet you, while you was still in Indonesia. I will run so fast to the bus stop. Run again in MRT station. Run again in airport, just to make sure I will arrive as early as I can. But without you here I don't hurry at all. I took Saturday morning flight instead of Friday evening. Just walk normally. No run no fast walk.

The first time I arrived in Indonesia again is boring as usual. There are actually several enhancement in airport services. For example they have dedicated bus shelter for Damri. In that shelter there is a big LCD showing the bus schedule queue. So we can aproximate when our bus will come. At other side, in that shelter there is one special area for F*CKING smoker. I am sorry for my impolite word. But I hate smoker so much. The have to realize that every drop of smoke that is breath by other will make their suffer more in hell I hope. Sorry for being rough.

After wait only for a couple of minutes my bus arrive. I get on the bus. The bus start to move. In parking area of airport I saw something interesting. There is a car stop because have to pick up some people. Behind this car is another car that look impatient. The back start to horn several times and dim the front light indicating he don't want to wait. The girl from the front car who is in hurry pushing maybe her parent or grand parent start to shout. "Sabar!!!".

Sometime I went to a deep tought. Why people can be so impatient. Why people can be so rough? Why people can be so undiscipline? The worst thing from all of it, that people is from my country and even from same religion with me as well.

After the bus entering the main road, some familiar things start to happen. Traffic jam. Worst public transport system. It hard to imagine about how we can growth our children in city like this? Maybe we shall not. Look another city or better place? Not sure as well. Let just plan the best and let our God decide which one is really the best.

To be continued.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - The most important person in my life

Dear Bunda,

One day in a master lecture, the lecturer asked the students to write 10 most important person in their life. The list of people which student want to be with forever. List of people which they love most. Everybody doing what had been asked. Most of them will write mother, father, children, husband or wife, then some of close friends, etc until 10 count run out.

The professor ask to remove 5 from list. Who are the most important person? They start to remove close friends from list. Most of the student leave close family in the list which are parents, children and spouse.

The professor again ask to remove one. Students start to have vary decissions. But most of them will remove either one of parent or children.

Again the professor ultimately ask to remove all, except one person. Who is the only most important person in your life? The thing start so difficult. After hard decission, all of student start to decide.

The professor then ask one of his most brililiant student to reveal the answer.

"If I can only choose one, my wife is the most important person in my life." The student speak.

"Why?" The professor asked back.

"Friends are important for me. Parents and children are also important. But we cannot choose our parent either who are our children. God selects for us. In other side, we decide to whom we married with definitely. With careful and proper decission of course. That's why if only want to choose, I just want to be with my wife, forever."

The professor smile with that answer.

If I were asked, the answer will be similar. Because you are the most important person in my life. I love you with all my life.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Speaker Dream

Dear Bunda,

Have I ever told you that I always want to be a speaker. An engaging speaker. The closest thing that I want to speak about is what I am often doing, Software Engineering. Of course I also want to learn to speak about other things as well. Speaking about Islam for example. But now let me focus one by one.

In 2010 I attended Google Developer Fest in Jakarta. There are many speakers presenting many topics. One speaker resides in my mind until now and motivate me to be like him. His name is Timothy Jordan. His title is (if I am not mistake) Google Evangelist. Which means someone who really passionate with technology. At that time he spoke about social web platform. He introduce several protocol in exchanging social information like Atom, Salmon Protocol and pubsubhubbub (it's not typos, it's the name) protocol.

Ordinary speaker usually will speak using nice suite clothes. Tidy hair. Full manner talk. But IT industry revolutionize those things. Much speaker prefer casual style. Remember Steve Jobs who just using t-shirt when doing presentation. Or Bill Gates that often wear his famous sweater. So that Timothy Jordan. If we see him before going to stage we will think that he must be a band vocalist. He is quite short as westerner. He has colored his hair with a kind of emo style cutting. He use jeans and a t-short. There is an earrings in on of his ear. He looks more like a rookstar than a speaker.

Maybe he have a band but he is a truly a speaker too. He start his presentation by jumping several time in the stage. For another 45 minutes of his presentation, time flies. Every technical thing is explained with very easy way and sometime funny. Somehow what he did represent me. I want to see myself in such stage.

Since a long time a go I want to be a teacher. In general meaning, teacher is someone who share. The things that can be shared are such us wisdom, knowledge or maybe just simplifying the complex thing and not complicating the simple thing. Few month from now I want to see myself standing in one stage, speak and share. Hehe hopefully not a day dream

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Surprising Scenario

Dear Bunda,

Hal paling menyedihkan saat berjauhan adalah tak bisa saling menjaga secara langsung. Kita selalu bisa bicara, melihat dan bahkan bercanda. Tapi aku tak bisa menyentuh dan membelaimu apalagi di saat kamu sedang sedikit kurang sehat. Jika ada di dekatmu setidaknya aku ingin membuatkan kamu makanan dan minuman. Menyelimutimu dan memelukmu erat. Lekas sehat ya sayang. Makan dan tidurnya dijaga dengan baik. Pikirannya pun selalu dibuat riang.

Berbicara skenario kehidupan kita harus selalu banyak bersyukur saat ternyata (mengutip kata meme) "everything went better than expected". Saat pertama bunda berangkat kuliah aku tak pernah terbayang untuk bisa berkumpul sebelum dua tahun. Tapi ternyata tidak selama itu. Lebaran kita berkumpul. Insya Allah Februari tahun baru cina pun kita berkumpul lagi, merayakan tahun baru cina (loh!!). Hehe aku bercanda mengenai tahun baru cina. Memang banyak skenario-skenario kejutan menyenangkan yanh terjadi di hidup kita. Terkadang tak sabar untuk menunggu kejutan menyenangkan apa lagi yang akan datang? Pindah ke USA atau Finland misalnya? Jalan-jalan ke Jepang? Berangkat haji? Never under estimate our dream and never lower your effort and also never give up before trying (the last statement is from you).

Sampai ketemu dalam waktu kurang dari 4 bulan lagi. Nanti hubby akan selalu merawat bunda. Hubby rela menggendong gajah ke kamar mandi kalau bunda malas jalan (loh!). Hehe.

PS : I love you

Dear wifey - More Than Simply Java

Dear Bunda,

Did you know when my first interaction with Java? I have interested in computer since my childhood. Although I want to be a programmer since that time although I didn't know what is programmer do exactly. What I knew, that job seems so cool. And I always like be cool or at least looks cool. :p

I just interacted to them first time in junior high school. We were practicing use wordstar for word processor (this is kind dinosaur era of Microsoft World) and lotus 123 (great grandfather of Microsoft Excel) for spreadsheet and DOS (great great ancestor of Microsoft Windows) as operating system. You supposed had same experiences as well, otherwise then Jember is really far behind Jonggol. :p In high school is my first interaction time with programming language. I was learning Pascal and learning sometime with Visual Basic.

The real programming experience happened in university. We were programming from level to high level. Low level mean we were programming chip directly using machine binary language. In high level I were learning C language. And I was falling in love with it. All building block of modern computing can be said build by C and C++. C++ is classy and more sophisticated version of C. Let say for example, most operating system like Microsoft Windows, Unix family like Linux and Mac OS, include Android and iOS are built by C. Even higher level programming language runtime like Java itself is built by C. Most video game for PC and console like Playstation, XBOX, Nintendo are also built use C and its counterpart C++. C is fast. But C is difficult and not portable. That's why for other than mission critical system like operating system, flight traffic management, or system that have to be very fast people prefer to use more portable and easy code. Let's introduce Java, one of the platform that has boomed in more than 15 years.

My interest with Java is because it portability. We can run exactly same java binary in all operating system without need to recompile. Binary is machine code that can be understood by computer. Compile is a process to translate textual human code to machine code. Even Java can run in variety of devices. Mobile devices, GPS system, etc.

It was one day in 2007 when I saw one poster in my university announcement board. Indonesia Mobile Com Creativity Contest announcement in ITS Surabaya. I started thinking what kind of project that I can prepared for such contest? What kind of system that involve mobile and communication? After few days brainstorming with myself I decided to build SMS gateway system for praying time. The system will receive SMS query, parse the text and reply the requested data. The software will be installed in my server which connected to GSM modem that can receive and read SMS. Let's see by example. When user texting "Sholat Bogor", it will be processed by system and calculate 5 praying time in particular day for Bogor location. The calculation can be done using a kind of astronomical formula involving coordinate of requested city and some other special parameter. Calculation result then will be replied again to user through SMS. Btw that time is emerging time of SMS services in Indonesia. Just after I finishing the system, SMS premium services became so booming in Indonesia.

After gathering that system requirement I sent the proposal to contest committee. After couple of weeks, the committee announced participant who is invited to final, which mean have to build the system described in proposal and present it in front of judges. Although I'd never expect to pass proposal selection, I was one out of 10 finalist that is selected. Then I have to create the system.

First thing first is I have to decide which technology that I will use. The choice are between C, Visual Basic or Java. C is too complicated and too low level. It can be sophisticated but difficult. Visual Basic is not my style. VB is Microsoft minded and usually used by newbie not a geek programmer that just want to create windowed application in windows. I cross VB. Last option is Java. Actually that time I don't know too much about Java. I just know little bit from my basic in C. In syntax wise actually Java inherited many rule and syntax from C. But there is major paradigm shift that have to be learnt. C is procedural language. Java is object oriented. Don't get bothered with those terminology. Just imagine, Java is more conceptually difficult than C. After some consideration I decide to use Java.

It took only about 1 month to develop the system plus learn more advance Java at the same time. After the end of the month I finished the system and I went to Surabaya at the first time to present my project. I was not win anyway. The next year for the second time I was selected again for another contest. LCEN, Lomba Cipta Elektroteknik Nasional. I flew to ITS Surabaya again. And still not win. :p Btw those two project are always exist in my CV and my life milestone.

Few months later I was graduated with with thesis that is developed from baseline of my project in LCEN. RFID absent system using Java. After graduated I was still not sure what kind of job that I will live for. Most of my friends became teacher like what we supposed to do in our degree. But I want something different. I want to see the world. I want to start by being a young executive. I imagine myself use funky suite, shiny pantopel shoes, cozzy hair style and have office in beautiful building in Sudirman Jakarta. Later my wish granted after joining NFS for almost 2 years. But I've never use funky suite anyway. I prefer casual use jeans and simple t shirt.

I start to achieve that wish by hunting in newspaper vacancy advertisement. I was sent about 10 application via pos. I was not aiming any particular kind of job because I also don'k know yet what I want to be. I usually just sent application to management trainee opening. Because this position is opened for fresh graduate and don't bother about our major background. I have invited sometime for interview. One of notable interview is when I went to Sampoerna office in Cikarang. I get the reference from university for position a kind of auditor for their new machines for cigarette. I was interviewed by a young chinese guy in Jababeka area. After about 45 minutes of interview I went home. I've never called back anyway.

I also had attended some other interview and test. I had attend chevron selection in UI. But never had any progress as well. Other important experiences is when I called for test in Mitrais, one of software developer house that have workshop in Bali. The position is Java Developer. Because I have some experiences in Java coding, I pass the selection gracefully. Written test and oral test. It was my first job offer. But that time I didn't take it because I want to have Sudirman job and I don't want to go to Bali.

From this Mitrais experience I start to know where I supposed to head. Software development. I start to exploring internet job board. I have known about jobsdb since I was in university, but just that time I started. And I was wondered, there are so much IT job at that time. There so many Java developer job as well. I also can save my money without need to send application via pos. But just via email. I sent some and got some interviews also. Finally I took one of job offer from PT Sistema Indonesia, which I spent time to work there form more than 18 months. My first job, my first java job. At least from that time I know where I want to go next. I was starting to imagine about abroad. But just in imagination, without ever expecting one day I will write this email for my wife, from abroad, because of Java.

Before closing have I told you, one day I applied position for management trainee. But later invited to training for forex broker. :p

Wow, I have written quite many. More talking than simply Java. I think this email supposed to pay all my email debt right? Hehe. I love you for all my life.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Tea Holic

Dear Bunda,

I don't know exactly since when I like a tea. But must be have been sometime. Tea is the simplest drink we can ever imagine. Basically we just need dried tea leaf, some sugar and boiled water. For other drink, for example coffe, there are some complication in fundamental level when we want to create our own natural coffe. We have to prepare the coffe seed. Burn it in oven and then break it into very small pieces before we can pour some hot water to the glass. If you wander to some home furnished store in kitchen or pub part you can seen unimaginable price of coffe machine that has been developed for coffe freak that cannot live without warm coffe drink in the morning. Anyway I don't like coffe.

Let's back to the tea. Tea is very cheap. Just with quite small amount money we can buy a box of full tea bag. We also have various brand to choose. Sometime I wonder how come almost similar tea leaf turned into various flavour. After get the tea bag just put it inside a cup. Pour a hotwater and some sugar, we can enjoy a great drink. In rural area tea will be gergous prepared with some sweet like fried banana or if you know, gemblong.

Beside hot tea, my main favorite is for sure, ice tea. The preparation process is almost same, except we add some ice cube in last step. This is the cheapest drink I can afford at the time I was in my school in university.

Btw I just remember again, tea also have some different purpose. In village usually they don't have good water for drink. The water just not transparent sometime little bit brown. Most people then use dry tea leaf for the drink to hide this brown water.

When move to singapore and malaysia, when we speak about tea it will have some different meaning. If we order in food court just by saying "tea" we will get tea milk. If we really want only tea, we have to say "plain tea" or most time "tea 0".

Ok there is maybe some of mind sharing about tea.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - An Interesting Chatbox

Dear Bunda,

When I stared to your skype chatbox this morning Singapore time, I remembered about something. About few month a go, there was one day when I was also staring to one chatbox. At that time was yahoo messenger chatbox, which I alsmost never use that again for almost one year. I stared to a message from someone who just I'd met. Someone which I am hard to believe that she has been my wife.

That message that day is about asking to meetup for a lunch, because you was nearby my office. But since I was going for Friday praying I didn't aware that message. I just aware when it was too late because you already went back to your office. That day was one of my darkest day that time ;).

It just hard to believe, we have know almost a one and half year. We have been get merried almost for one year. All those things are just feel like yesterday.

Honey I just want to say hopefully our small family will be always life in harmony. I won't change if it head to something not good. I want to be stay the same. As the beginning time we met. The only reason when I want to change is to be a better state. Better husband, better personal, better individual, etc. Other than that I just want to be stay the some. Same love like what it was.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Puppet Hijab Girl

Dear Bunda,

I just get back from bath room. I see you have been sleep so tight. The sleeping beauty.

I love your puppet show so much. I still remember, even though I was so sleepy, I laughed so hard yesterday morning. You always find a way to spreach cheerish around you. Most of time with unpredicted way. Like puppet using fingers represent hijab girl.

Since I was child I always adore with a girl who are using hijab. I adore them because their faith in obeying religion rule. At the beginning it seems that woman have to face stricker rule than a man in religion. Woman have to wear hijab, woman have to be this, have to be that, bla bla bla. But I disagree even from subjective view, I believe religion rule has been prepared with equally fair for both man and woman. For some woman just try to find justification to against the rule, especially about hijab. Most of them will say, I am still not prepared, I will cover my heart first with hijab later my body. Nonsense.

There is almost no timeslot to obeying the rule. When there is rule then we have to follow now, not later and not I will. Saying I will wear hijab when I am ready is similar with saying I will stop eat pork when I am ready as a muslim. Of course at inner level of human mind and human behaviour there will much more complexity about this attitude. Hopefully when we have daughters later we can teach them with very proper way about religion rule within their habit also make sure that they can be understand and not just be a follower.

Btw, it has been time for me to go to office. I cannot wait another episodes of your puppet hijab girl tomorrow.

PS: I love you.

Dear wifey - Dream and Vision

Dear Bunda,

Right now, while chewing jual banana (read: sale pisang) in my mouth and drink some ginger drink from you while listening latest episodes State of Trance I write this email.

I always love to talk about future dream. I like to imagine. I like to aim the target. I love the challenge. Speaking about future dream actually there are two types of people based on how they react to their dream. First is a dreamer. Obvious. The second one the most important is a visionary. Similar but not same (remember the clause of serupa tapi tak sama :p ).

A dreamer is a person who just live in his dream. Flying here and there like a junkies. He have many things to achieve in his list. Hist mind full of imagination about how is when the dream come true. But this type of person is lack of effort. Most of time, his dream is just a dream. Like a cloud in the sky. Visible but not tangible. Dreamer is a person who look forward but just looking without moving.

The second type is the best. Visionary is a person who look forward and start to move immediately. He have list of things to do and just do it. Visionary is never wait the perfect moment, he fetch the moment. When he want something he will start then talk. Not talking too much but never start.

By the way, this distinction is based my own analysis, so most likely you will not find elsewhere and this concept most likely will be not too valid :). By the way again, I share this concept just to make sure I am not too often to be a dreamer but more to be a visionary.

This story just come out after enjoying your morning talk about future. A family, children, a life, a car, a vision. Let's take that dream together while always holding hand each other. Thank you for always share your beautiful dream and vision.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Morning Story

Dear Bunda,

I am blessed to have you as my wife. People usually have one default feeling. Some oftenly behave negative. Some always positive and some just neutral. I think I exhibit neutral behaviour. Not happy and not unhappy as well in my default. I can be happy but sometime later I also can be gloomy.

But you are very different. You are always excited and cheerful. Always full of expression and spirit. Like this morning, when I wake up, you immediately share an anermous dtory with full of excitement. I was so enjoying that. You spoke not just use your voice. You used all of your body and heart.

Later when we have children for sure all of them must be as cheerful anf expressive as you. Not just neutral like me. Have a good day for today honey. Enjoy your free time without lecture this week but keep studying.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Bajaj Driver

Dear Bunda,

India quite similar with Indonesia in term of transportation system. Although recently they start to develop a lot of new modern public transport system like MRT but most of existing option will be tradional. One of the example is Bajaj the very familiar three wheel passenger vechicle.

This is one of the story of arogant bajaj driver. Seems to be arogant until we can see more what is inside him. One day he drive his bajaj around corner of Bangalore. Finaly he got one passanger. The passanger want to be drop off in another corner of the city. After negotiating the price the made an aggrement. The bajaj is taking off. Along the way both of them talk something for a while. Sometime both of them also just silent.

India similar to Indonesia, specially Jakarta in the traffic. Trafic jam, a lot of impatient and undiscipline driver also horning everywhere and everytime. Noisy and hot. In redlight there are many unusual people as well. Variety of seller and sometime beggar. One beggar approaching our bajaj to the passenger deck asking some money for food. Without taking too much time the passenger give some money. Then the beggar ask money again to bajaj driver while holding his hand up. The bajaj driver ward the beggar hand as a sign he don't want to give any. "Go!" Said the bajaj driver. But the beggar start to annoying and force keep asking. "Go!" Bajaj driver again.

The passenger then remind the driver "Hei don't be like that. Have a manner. Give some money will not make you poor".

Finally green light so the bajaj move again. "He looks so healthy and complete, he supposed to work not just begging money." Finally the driver speak again after sometime of silent.

The bajaj arrive at destination and the passenger get down. Once more the passenger speak something "You supposed to respect beggar. They just unlucky people. Don't be so that stingy." The driver doesn't respond anything and just move a way.

Sometime later, the driver after driving his bajaj around the town and drop off some another passenger he stop in one of small foodstall for lunch. He turn off the engine and open his front door. His left leg is getting outside from the cabin. Then a walker stick comes later. There is no right leg. Empty only up to his thigh. He then walking slowly helped by his walker stick to the food stall. Taking rest a while after whole day hard work.

***

Dear bunda, the story can be interpreted as we want. Little bit similar like yesterday story. The most important thing is never judge to early. Respect should be we more put to hard worker rather than a person who just not work.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - The Dog

Dear Bunda,

There is a story about a boy who get a dog as gift. But the dog only have 3 legs. The boy hate the dog and is angry to his mom who give it. The mom only smile and talk softly "it is special dog honey. Later you will like it".

While grumbling "yes special. With three leg only" said the boy leaving his mom, but calmer now.

Inside the boy's room, the dog try to impress its new owner by bringing ball and ask to play with while barking softly. "Auf auf...".

The boy while sitting in front of his computer, ignore the dog. "Leave me alone don't bother me." Silent. "You cannot catching ball with only three legs."

The dog keep insisting with so cheerful expression. If it is a human he must be smile very sweet.

To make the dog stop bothering him, the boy take the ball and throw outside the room. The dog immediately looks so happy, can be seen from its shaking tail. "Go catch the ball!" said the boy. The dog start to run. Buy only after few steps it fall in its face because it seems so difficult to run only with three legs. But the dog try to stand again. Still cheer-full. Few more steps and fall again. The boy then feel so guilty. "Hey you stop!". He approach the dog which fall again and again. But the dog seen always happy. Shaking tail, bright eyes and a kind of smile face even with only three legs. "Why you seems always happy?" The boy ask while caring the dog in its head. "You cannot run like that." The boy continue to talk.

"Auf auf." The dog respond with happy bark. It still want to play.

"Ok lets go play ball outside. But just catch the ball slowly, don't fall." Said the boy smile now.

Both of them then walking outside the room. A dog with three legs and his master, a boy who only has one leg.

***

Have you feel great-full today? If not, please do so. Even with all challenges in our life, we are blessed with a minimum complete physically.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Sentimental Rain

Dear Bunda,

I don't have interest yet to meteorology or climatology. But climate -- one of theme researched in those mentioned science, is always affecting our daily life. One inforrmel signal of season change in tropical country Indonesia can be derived by it's naming. When the naming of the month is end with "ber" like September, October and November, rain season has come.

I often write, rain often bring sentimental feeling. Asphalt is wet, the air is humid and the temperature is cold. Singapore has been poured by rain again almost everyday since last week. But at least in here there will be not to many negative side effect of rain. As far as now there is no flood or even puddle and without any significan reason usually no traffic jam.

Sometime my memory is thrown back to previous one year in my life. That was when I was still in Jakarta. When I was working, rush hour come to office and going home from office will be literally rush and hectic. In normal condition all the vehicle will be stuck in that rush hour. For the driver it will stressful. For the public transport passenger, it will be boring time to home. The situation will be worst when the rain come. Even for very short rain, congestion will be increased significantly. Travel time can be doubled. When I was in university, I remember a moment when some of my friend spent 5 hours to home, because of the rush hour after rain.

Without elaborating to much, on of the main reason of the traffic congestion is overload road capacity. When rain come the congestion become so significant higher because there will be a lot of bottleneck happen on the road. First bottleneck is careless motorist who take shelter in the middle of the road (usually below flyover or bridge) and disturb traffic flow. Second because vehichels have to queue for passing some small to large puddle.

But that was a memory. Rain or not rain in Singapore the road traffic will be usually same. I just often enjoy sentimental moment in the bus ride to home. Rain is sweet and scary. Sweet because the cold that it brings can make us calm and scary because heavy rain usually brings black cloud with a lot of thunder. In Singapore we just need to wait for the last month with "ber" ending passed to leave this sentimental season. Hopefully can meet another rain season in next year.

PS: I love you

PS: After sending this I hope you also don't mind if this email will be published in my blog as well. :D But I send to you first. ;)

Dear wifey - The Power of Impulse Control

Dear Bunda,

In Emotional Intelegence, one famous book of Daniel Goleman, has emphasized the importance of delayed gratification. This concept is introduced through Marshmallow Experiment conducted by Walter Mischel at Standford University. In that experiment, some children is offered a marshmallow. If the kid can resist not to eat that immediately and wait another 15 minutes he can get one more marshmallow. But for the kid who cannot resist temptation and eat the first marsmallow before 15 minutes then he cannot get second marsmallow.

Some years later, researcher follows progress of the children at adolescence time. Researcher sees "the delayers" -- the child who can wait is somehow more successful rather than "the grabber" -- the child who took gratification directly. The delayers have more impulse control than the grabbers.

Impulse control is an important component of Emotional Intelegence. Impulse control is so easy in concept but need strong commitment in practice. Impulse control is element that distunguish between success people and not too success. Also distinguish honest authority vs corupt authority. Corruption is one habit which a person cannot stand against immediate gratification.

The common sample of impulse control can be found in morning wake up. When we don't have anything to do e.g. In weekend we usually will add sleep time more than necesary even though maybe we also not totally sleep but just lying lazy on the bed. We enjoy to take more sleep rather than wake up directly to do more useful things. In other day when we have an important things todo like going to work or school in the morning we can wake up easier or at least we can push ourself to wake up from the bed. From this sample we can conclude that brain actually have full capacity in controlling how we react again immediate gratification. We just need to train ourself harder to stand against immediate gratification. You can read how we can train ourself in The Power of Practice post.

Hopefully next time when someone offers a marshamallow we can little bit patient and wait hopefully he will give another marshmallow. ;)

PS: I love you Bunda I am sorry I am still in the state of trance in writing. I still using blogging style in this letter. Hopefully you don't mind if I post this writing to my blog as well. :D

Dear Wifey - Little Angel

Dear Bunda,

Sometime we feel like can fly to the sky. Sometime we feel like don't have any energy to stand up. Human heart and mind is not mechanical. It is continuosly changes. Fly to outspace straightly if you feel want to fly. Never let you down when you can't stand up. Try to stand on your feet slowly. Maybe difficult but at the end perhaps you will realize that even you can run.

Those words just came to my mind when I went outside my apartment this morning. At the same time I had a vision about you. Suddenly I remember the day when you picked me up at hospital using long blue dress. Even though you always try to act silly, you cannot deny yourself that you are always georgeous. Especially when you are wearing a long dress. I still remember that along the way home thay day you made me laugh all time with your funny and cute act. But still you are always georgeous for me.

Other suits of you that I love so much is your red long skirt. You look awesome with that. When we were leaving bukittinggi you wear that skirt. We were taking several silly photo. Like the one you put your finger inside your nose. Silly, funny and still georgeous at the same time.

Dear wifey I just want to say I am so lucky to have wonderful wife like you. You are trully my love and my angel.

One closing story about angel. A son approaching his mom and start to speak. "You always call my little brother as little angel, right?".

"Yes my dear he is." Answer the mom while she still quite busy cleaning something.

"Then if he is my mom little angel, we he cannot fly when I threw him from balcony." The son continue while walking away.

Mom: "What!!!???"

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Taken

Dear Bunda,

Seeing you sleep so peacefully make me feel miss you so much. You are trully an angel for me. With enermous patient and care. Sometime I often shy still haven't as care as you. But believe me, inside here in my heart I always care and love you. I will do anything for you.

I remember you throw me a hard question at the moment before we got married. More or less you had asked, "How long you will go, to get me back if I taken from you?" You asked to me at that time. It was one hard question. I want to answer correctly without being too bullshit. I don't like word and rhetorical playing. Just talking so much but not represent a truly of us. I prefer to be judged from what I am doing not just from what I am saying. I forgot what was my answer that time. But in silence I want to answer, I will do anything for you.

Seeing you sleep is like seeing our future. Seeing how will our children looks like. Obviously like her sweet mother. Seeing about my dream to have a proper and honored life. Happy inside out. Life with contribution to other as well. I don't know the exact form of that contribution yet.

Anyway, this is maybe just a short email. I just want to say from the deepest of my heart that I always love you. "How long you will go, to get me back if I taken from you?" I will answer, I will never let you taken from me.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Iqra

Dear Bunda,

This mail have been written since yesterday. But I just sent today, to fulfill quality control criteria. ;)

I always curious about knowledge and sophisticated things. You must be have known since I was children I was so interesting with outer space exploration. I wanted to be an astronaut at that time. The curiousness is always here with me.

At high school we were teach Calculus. Like I always fascinating with sophisticated things, I was also so fall in love with Calculus. Yes it is so sophisticated. Most of my friend was complaining, "this study is useless!" they said. "We will never use ridiculous thing like this in real life. Then why we supposed to learn" They continue to complain. Indeed, if real life that they mean is just ordinary job or just selling something in traditional market they will never need Calculus. But for the things beyond that we will always need even more than that. Creating spaceship rocket or build super computer for example.

Recently I am interesting with an emerging branch in science that we call as Complexity Science. As its name implied, this science study about complex things. Such as modeling economic behavior into computer simulation, understanding human connection through internet and even understanding about ant behavior. This study also emerge just recently because current capability in information technology which make more possible to do most of calculation and simulation when needed.

Close from that there are also similar discipline that is called system engineering. This field usually study something so big and complex like developing a airplane or high scraper building. From all those invention I arrive in one realization, "How come human can invent so that great thing?" We often riding an airplane, but most of us will not bother about how it work and why it can fly. Same like not too many people take much concern about how their laptop can be functioned. I am not. I always curious even though realize to arrive to that full understanding I will need so many fundamental knowledge, when I think even I only have understanding of basic calculus. Anyway, we need more than calculus, to invent most greatest invention of this century.

Yesterday, while doing nothing I spent sometime to read an article about Concorde airplane. I knew this sophisticated airplane since long time a go. I triggered to read that again after reading first chapter of Jeremy Clarkson book. Clarkson is a host of Top Gear in BBC a automotive review show. He is machine expert. Back to Concorde, for sure this plane is one of other human greatest invention. We call it as supersonic jet. Supersonic because it can fly faster than sound (sonic). About 2 times of sound speed. Sound speed is around 1.235 Km/Hour. But the plane have to retired, because likely human not only need something sophisticated but also there are still so many things need concern, like environment and economical efficiency. Like other things, I was so astonished by how come human can invent this jet. What kind of knowledge that they have?

Like usual hopefully this "love mail" will not make you confuse. I just want to share about my big interest about how our world and all the things inside it is working. Start from interest we supposed to do a shallow discover and then deep discovery. From discovery then we continue to looking problem. From that then we move to offer a solution. This is a cycle of research which most academical people do. Basically, knowledge can make people closer to God. Because finally we have to admit that we cannot understanding so many things. But at least we can learn as many as we want. We cannot read all the things but we can spare sometime and read some good things and share. In religion we are teach with one so fundamental concept. Iqra.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Live in harmony

Dear Bunda,

Ada satu firman Allah yang selalu aku ingat yaitu mengenai alasan Allah menjadikan manusia bersuku-suku dan berbangsa-bangsa tak lain untuk tujuan saling mengenal. Multikulturalisme dan keragaman fisiologis manusia itu terkadang aku membuat heran. Bagaimana mungkin semua manusia yang satu nenek moyang Nabi Adam (setidaknya yang diyakini oleh penganut agama samawi) bisa berkembang dengan demikian berbeda-bedanya. Beda fisik, beda ras, beda bahasa, beda budaya, beda kebiasaan dan beda-beda yang lain.

Keragaman menjadi semakin terasa saat kita menjadi minoritas. Beberapa hari ini di Singapura sedang heboh berita tentang statement rasist di sosial media yang dikeluarkan oleh seorang asisten direktur sebuah badan yang punya afiliasi dengan pemerintah. Tak pelak kelalaian tersebut langsung ditanggapi dengan sangat keras berupa pemecatan. Pemecatan yang berbuah dari sebuah posting facebook. Bahkan perdana menteri Singapura pun sampai mengeluarkan pernyataan juga. Kurang lebih, sekarang di sini banyak orang yang mendengungkan mengenai no tolerance for any statement that bother life harmony.

Life in harmony adalah sebuah eksklusifitas yang dengan beruntung bisa kita dapat. Berbeda dengan beberapa saudara kita yang menyedihkannya hidup di negara Islam yang tengah konflik. Sebut saja Palestina, Libya atau Irak. Tadi pagi bahkan di BBC memuat artikel tentang seorang gadis muslim pakistan yang ditembak di kepala oleh taliban hanya karena menyuarakan pentingnya pendidikan bagi wanita. Ia baru berusia 14 tahun. Tentu saja pelakunya pasti adalah oknum yang biadab. Demikian juga dengan banyak konflik di negara Islam lain pun bukan tak mungkin adalah buah propaganda dari orang-orang yang tidak suka Islam dengan memanfaatkan oknum pemimpin Islam rakus yang haus kekuasaan.

Inti yang sebenarnya ingin aku angkat di sini adalah bagaimana kita yang minoritas sebagai muslim bisa membangun keunggulan terhadap mayoritas non muslim. Topik yang agak berat mungkin untuk sebuah email cinta. Keunggulan di sini bukan harus dalam artian menguasai dunia. Tapi bisa unggul misalnya dalam kekayaan ilmu dan unggul dalam memelihara sikap dan perilaku yang baik. Setiap manusia itu adalah agen dari setiap atribut yang ia bawa. Jika ia muslim maka ia adalah agen Islam. Jangan sampai karena perilaku yang tidak baik orang akan sekejap mencap muslim dengan tidak baik juga. Misalnya, aku masih suka heran dengan Indonesia. Mayoritas muslim tapi perokoknya banyak. Mayoritas muslim tapi sendal saja bisa hilang di mesjid. Aku juga tak mau muslim dicap tidak disiplin, padahal sudah dilatih disiplin 5 kali sehari.

Dari semua hal kurang baik yang cukup besar tersebut ada satu langkah yang bisa kita lakukan. Kita sebaik mungkin menjadi agen Islam yang positif. Apalagi sekarang kita ada di posisi yang strategis sebagai minoritas. Kita harus selalu berusaha untuk membawa pesan positif dari atribut yang kita bawa. Kita harus terbiasa membuat orang lain melihat orang Islam itu disiplin, pekerja keras, cerdas, toleran, berpikiran terbuka namun tetap berpegang pada prinsip dasar. Jika sudah melakukan hal tersebut secara minor saja maka kita sudah bertransformasi dari sekedar penganut namun juga bisa sedikit berdakwah. Setidaknya dalam tataran mencontohkan perilaku. Aku sadar aku masih jauh dari relijius. Namun aku selalu sadar pentingnya Islam dalam kehidupan dunia dan akhirat.

Di akhir email ini aku tutup dengan sebuah cerita. Di London ada seorang imigran muslim yang menjadi supir bus. Di satu hari setelah seorang penumpang rutin membayar ongkosnya. Si penumpang naik dari satu halte dan turun di halte dekat sebuah mesjid setiap harinya dan selalu bertemu supir bis yang sama. Si penumpang ini adalah pria tua Inggris tulen. Namun di hari itu si supir muslim ini kurang membeli kembalian 10 sen. Ia baru sadar setelah si penumpang itu duduk di bangku belakang. Dalam hati si supir ini berkecamuk. Haruskah aku kembalikan uang 10 sen ini? Ataukah biar saja toh hanya 10 sen si penumpang itu pun belum tentu sadar. Lagi pula si penumpang itu adalah orang kafir. Akhirnya dia bulatkan tekad untuk tak mengembalikan uang 10 sen tersebut. Tak lama bus mendekati halte tempat si pria Inggris itu biasa turun. Si pria Inggris itu bersiap turun. Bus berhenti dan pintu bus terbuka. Tiba-tiba si supir bus itu memanggil si pria Inggris. "Tuan, anda masih punya sisa kembalian di saya." Ucap si supir bus sambil memberikan 10 sen. Ternyata di detik terakhir si supir bus berubah pikiran. Meski si kafir itu tak tahu tapi Allah pasti tahu. Akhirnya ia berubah pikiran untuk mengembalikam 10 sen tersebut.

"Bagus." Ujar si pria Inggris. "Saya menguji anda. Sejak beberapa minggu ini saya tertarik dengan Islam. Saya mendapat informasi bahwa di daerah ini anda adalah salah satu muslim yang sangat taat. Saya sengaja memberikan ongkos lebih untuk tahu bagaimana nilai-nilai Islam yang anda anut. Anda telah meyakinkan saya untuk masuk Islam". Seketika si supir bus merasa hampa sambil beristighfar bahwa ia sempat hampir membuat persepsi buruk.

Dear bunda, semoga sedikit celoteh dalam email ini dapat menggantikan beberapa email yang absen kemarin.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Science and Social Science

Dear Bunda,

Since long time ago I always love science. I falling in love in Maths and Physics since I was in Junior high school. I did many problem solving in Maths and Physics in my spare time. Usually I will fill up my Student Worksheet (Lembar Kerja Siswa, LKS), a special book that consist many problems to solve. At that time internet have not been so common like now and video games was not sophisticated as now, so I didn't have too much distraction that time.

I have one important reason in choosing science as my preference. I don't like memorizing and reading boring article. In maths and physics most of the text is a number or logical article that is not boring to read. The other interesting aspect is every problem have an exact answer. We didn't face ambiguity when solving number problem. If the answer is 7 and its mean 7. If the answer 10 then its mean 10. No need to argue, no need to write Long rhetorical statement in essay question. Interstingly again, I feel not annoyed if I have to write long answer in math or physics essay question. Usually in essay we have to expand formula and calculation. I always love that

But of course thats all was past time. I fully understand both science and social science are important. Even for now I forgot almost all the thing relste to maths and physics. It has been some time since last time I was interacting with. Need sometime to refresh those informations. Recently I start to interest social science as well. I start to curious about business, pshycology, management, economy, public speaking and so many things. Maybe you could teach me something about PR later ;). Ok the bus almost reaching my destination. Let's talk again later. Have a great day sweetheart.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Passion

Dear Bunda,

Like my status last Saturday I plan to do nothing this weekend. :p But anyway actually I did some little things. I was going to library to lend some more books. I went to cinema watching a movie today and stop by for a moment in Kinokuniya. From yesterday and today I also read some little things. Some part of book, some article in Entrepreneur magazine and also Harvard Business Review. I know inside of you will yell to me "Just do it!". I am doing it honey (whateve it means). :D.

This two days, I was gathering again my realization of being up to date person. In this competitive world, being not up to date will make us left behind. Either in sense of materiality like financial things and also in sense of fulfilment and happinest. That's why we supposed to keep maintaining the spirit of never bored to learn and improve. Always read something interesting, taking nice course and get useful certification for example.

I still cannot depicted detailly where I'll be and how I'll look exactly (in term of achievement) couple of months from now in future. But I fully understood that we have to be more settle in many ways. Especially in financial capability. I want to have proper career, either work in decent company or work independently as an expert consultant. For that, I want to find my real exact passion and specialization. I believe that real interest is not too far from where I am standing right now. I just need more deep knowledge and understanding. That's why I always interest to take master degree or to get some certification. In IT industry, sometime certification is more valued than master degree.

Without being too technical, I have several specific interests. First is Information Security. Second is Data Scientist. Thirds is System Engineering. I think my real passion is somewhere around that. I will elaborate those sometime, hopefully will not make you fall sleep. Don't know why I just feel so excited recently. Very excited.

How about your passion? :)

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Live in another continent

Dear Bunda,

I forgot to ask you yesterday. If you passed Singapore area last evening, please wave your hand to me. Maybe I can wave you back.

Until now I still amaze about how it looks there in Europe. My first interest to that continent, like maybe you have known, was triggered by Edensor novel by Andrea Hirata. Since that time I want to study in Europe one time later. I always wonder how it feels to see blonde people in their own habitat. In Singapore I often encounter with blonde people as well, but in here their eyes are tiny. :p

Baby I don't know how it feels to live separate again from you. It must be feels not good. Wherever you are wherever I am, I will always love you and miss you. I love you, you love me, we are happy family.

I will try to write more proper mail later. For now I am waiting you in my tiny empty room to have another skype session again with you when you arrive in another continent.

PS: I love you

Dear Wifey - Sweet Farewell

Dear Bunda,

I still remember the first dear wifey letter that I wrote the day after the first time you left on 24 March 2012. That day was so hollow for me. Everything feel so empty and lonely. And start today maybe I will fell the same way again.

Dear I am so sorry cannot accompany you before your flight. I feel so sad actually. Until yesterday morning I was still expecting can hug and kiss you one more time before you left. I miss the smell of you and I miss when my skin touch your soft skin. But at the end this morning I still in Singapore and aproaching you this evening is not visible for now. I just wish you to have safe trip.

Dear if everything go smooth, my contract will be end May 2013. Still long time is it. But after trying to stay away from you for more than 4 months I hope both of us will strong enough to live separately at this moment. So the soonest visible time to see you again will be after that May. Hopefully we can have matching free time and derping around interesting place there. Hopefuly we will have enough saving at that time that we can spent without bothering other important thing like buy our new house. For now I don't have any interest to buy that cute thing like XBOX :D, at least until we have our own place to play that XBOX.

At the end of this year some scholarship result will be announced as well. I don't want to have over expectation and just want to let it flow, all is well. :). Btw I think I arrive at the moment of immune against failure. Failure is good teacher and lesson learned. I will hope for not failing. But eventhough it does, there are so many trials that I can do more.

I believe in between this long time, there will some surprising sweet scenario that will happen. I don't know what I don't know when exactly. I just believe. I am sorry one more time if I don't treat you properly when you were in Singapore. I am so sorry if I ever have some behaviours, words, or statements that make you uncomfortable, honey.

Now I am staring an empty single bed in front of me. It was someone there, a sweet girl with cute cheek sleeping there so peacefully. I can't wait to see that beautiful girl again.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Take Care

Dear Bunda,

Finally the day has come. So sad, even I cannot accompany u to Changi. ;( Have a safe trip dear. Till we meet again as soon as possible.

Sometime I cannot strong enough to know or realize exactly when that "soon" will be come. Next month? three month? Half year? Or another september? Don't know. Actually at the first time you left, I prepare myself for not see you for 2 years. But Allah is so kind to give us a chance to meet with plenty of time, at least until this morning. I hope we can get another surprise to be met in very near time. "soon" is my favorite word now.

Dear baby, like usual I really want to drop a tear this morning when you left the hospital with the cab. I need more more time to hug you and enjoy warm of your body like we often did in weekend. But it is never enough.

Dear baby, have a safe trip and happy studying again. You always be my inspiration. I want to be like you too. Get to study again very soon and stay together with you without any break anymore.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Time Flies

Dear Bunda,

Do u remember about time relativity story? It has happened again. It feels like just yesterday I was picking up you in Changi Airport. With red clothes and surprisingly thinner body. I was so happy that day. Indeed I am still happy to right now although maybe at least until tomorrow morning. This holiday moment is the longest time we are staying together as husband and wife. We have been together for almost 8 weeks. It is so sweet.

Dear wifey from the depest of my heart I want to apologize if I have made any inconvenience to you. I am sorry for any statement that perhaps you don't like or any of my behaviour that make you uncomfortable. These times we were together was awesome. Melaka and Legoland. Jember and Jonggol. Even by doing nothing and tickling each other with you in the room always awesome.

Dear bunda have a safe trip for tomorrow and this Friday. I am gonna miss you so much. It's been a while since I wrote this statement: please wait me in one of the city in Europe. I failed to make it come true for this year. But maybe God somehow shifted the time to another time soon from now. At end of this year or beginning of next year or latest (so confidence isn't it) mid year of next year at the new semester.

PS: I love u

Dear wifey - Blessed Husband

Dear Bunda,

Getting merried with you is the most amazing thing in my life. Sometime I feel so lonely when have to spent most of our time not together with you. But at the other side I feel so blessed at our minimum together time that we have when we do so many things together. Like just walking arround Singapore, driving from district to district like when we was in North Sumatera, flying with airplane and seeing you sleep so peacefully, travelling to neighboring country like yesterday or even when we just tickling each other on the bed will be always the wonderful thing to do.

Dear wifey, thank you for being so sweet, patient and always nice with me. You are trully my angel whom I want to be with forever. I love you now and later.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - The Rain

Dear Bunda,

The sky is cloudly in this couple of days. Even the last two days was always raining everyday. It will be so wonderful to spent sometime lying on the bed. Just not doing anything and enjoying the warm of the room while at outside rain falls heavily.

Rain always bring a melancolic moment. Rain will bring colder temperature. Wet asphalt. Splash of water when hitting pavement.

I have been being a motorbike rider for almost 10 years. The sadest moment but at the same time the sweetest moment on the ride was at the time of raining. If I brought a wet suit, I will stop to nearest place with a roof to use the coat and continue to ride again. If I didn't bring it I will stop and wait until the rain stop or until at least the rain not so that hard anymore. But most of time the rain is never stop at the time I move away again. So at the end I always get wet with or without stopping.

While stopping I often stop in different places. My favorite will be a mosque. Because usually it will be more comfort and warm. One I remember was a mosque near Pondok Gede when I was still in college. At that time I stop from before maghrib until about 9 PM abd the rain even still not stopping yet.

Beside mosque, other nice stop is warung. Not as comfort and warm as mosque but at least we can chew so many things. Other option will be a gass station, people front house or just an empty building.

Seeing cloud this morning bring me again to all of those memories. Rqin will be always a sweet moment.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Happy Ied Mubarak

Dear Bunda,

The last two weeks we were together is one of the most wonderful time in my life. I can't wait to have unlimitted wonderful time with you for the rest of ourlife and there after.

We are blessed by had been born in muslim country. We have full of enjoyment and excitement in every religious celebration especially hari raya and hari qurban (using malay term). Idul fitri always will be a sweet moment where almost all family member gathered. Sometime I can't wait to arrive at the moment when we will gather with our grand children later. Of course as a nice and wise grandparents.

Do you realize that time often moving so fast. For example, do you realize that we have passed 9 months as a husband and wife? I think it will felt like no time for us to became mom and dad also grandmother and grandfather.

Dear bunda, this is my official mail to say happy ied mubarak. I want to apologize for so many mistake that often I made (sometime repeated mistake). I promise want to try harder to be best hubby for you and best father for our so many children. Thank you for beautiful ied holiday from J to J, Jember to Jonggol. Can't wait to enjoy barakah of next ied, Insya Allah with our first baby, with our owned house and of course nice sport car.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Wonderful Breakfast with wonderful people

Dear Bunda,

This morning suddenly I remember a moment when I was staying in Choa Chu Kang. Knowing your friend is a wonderful thing for me. All of them are very nice people.

Every weekend usually we will go for breakfast together. There are some central market near their apartment. In second floor of that place there are a hawker. We usually will eat at malaysian food stall.

Oh ya, we need to walk sometime from apartment to approach that place. But since we went together it is always so enjoying to talk and laugh with them. The member of the party usually me, Feri, Was, Yoso and sometime Fikie when he came to Singapore. We will talk so many things a long the way. We will jaywalkimg silently when suddenly cop patrol car passed.

When we arrive at the hawker we will queueing at our favorite stall, most of time was that malaysian food since there are not many option for halal food. Later we will order our drink. For me most of time I order tea o peng. The one that I always remember is Was. He is really love coffee. So most time he will drink coffe with toast bread and half boiled egg. After finished eat we will talk for a moment then heading home together again.

It was always a wonderful time.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Rhe Sound of Dddrrrttt Drrrttt

Dear Bunda,

Have you ever heard sound from luggage wheels when dragged on the top of travelator? It sound like drrrttt drrrttt drrrttt when we drag our luggage by walking on travelator. We will hear it mostly in airport. But in Singapore there are some travelators also in MRT station. Usually in interchange. I heard that sound just now. It remind me a lot at the beginning time I moved to Singapore. I quite often go to Indonesia that time. Mostly for wedding preparation. When I brought a cabin luggage and in a hurry for catching the flight, I will make my cabin luggage sound drrttt drrrttt when I walk fast on travelator.

Now it has been more then 8 months since we married and half of it was spent by staying in a distance from you. Sometime time move so fast isn't it? Yes I have discussed time topic quite many. Because it is the thing that separate and also unite us again. The time is now. After 8 months. I reminded by a simple dddrrrttt ddrrtt sound.

Can wait to go to evening of this day and meet u at the airport. I will make sure for us to have a wonderful time together.

PS: I love you