Twenty sixteen has been phenomenal.
Its the kind of year that will be the turning point of one’s life and there is so much goodness to be thankful for. Its been a difficult but fulfilling year, as Ting and I bought our first home and went through the arduous process of renovations. The joy of stepping into our home for the first time after renting for so long (sixteen years for Ting) just filled our hearts with joy. The quiet nights spent on our own couch, going for walks on the hill, cooking in our kitchen, and the countless happy gathering with friends and family made it all worthwhile. And as the year came to a close, we finally got married, in a wedding that we could only have dreamed of, to a person that I could only have wished for. How does so many good things happen in a year, to one person, I honestly don’t know.. but I can only keep thanking my lucky stars and for the person who made all of these happen – my lovely wife, Ting.
We were so busy during the wedding that I missed out on thanking her, so please bear with me as I write a personal message to her now –
Dear love, the few years before I met you have been a mess. Life was completely different and somewhat aimless. Being with you has given it a meaning, and all that I have and everything that I have now is because of you. When I was lost, you gave me new meaning and inspiration, you made me want to get married for the first time in my life. I knew it when I met you and I’m sure you knew it too. It felt like deja vu, like it has all happened before. Freaky? Maybe.. but amazing nevertheless.
You taught me how to photograph, and the why to photograph, how to edit and to tell stories well. You are my leaning support for everything and I am where I am today, because of you. Being with you, is like being at peace. You bring a calming wave to my feverish thoughts, and with you I am at home.
Thank you for everything you have sacrificed for us to be where we are today. For taking a step back for us to focus on our lives. For designing the house and handling the renovations to give us the home of our dreams, to have many sleepless nights thinking about the little details and the entire styling of our wedding to give us the wedding we could only have previously dreamed about. Without you, none of these would have been possible.
Everything that happened, happened because of the effort you put in, and I’m so thankful for you, and thankful for you to give me a chance too.
For all our friends and the people who have impacted our lives this year. Thank you ALL so much. To the gracious hosts we met during our travels to Sri Lanka, Sumba and Melbourne, to our friends who helped out with the renovations and the house moving, our interns who helped us with our work, and the amazing friends who put in so much effort to help us with the wedding – Thank you so much! Ting and I just can’t thank you all enough. There are just simply too many to thank and words are not enough. You are welcome to our home, always.
This post is a long one, but is just a small slice of my twenty sixteen, and all the meaningful moments that has happened.
ps: some photographs are contributed by Ting and our friends (Jonathan Ong and Bloc Memoire), and please listen to the music as you look through the moments.
