2023 had been a monumental year. I ticked off many milestones on life’s to-do list and I guess I can say that I have finally progressed to the next stage of life. The year started off with a road trip in New Zealand, one that had been on my bucket list for the longest time. What made the holiday extra special was that we did our own pre-wedding photo shoot and also the once-in-a-lifetime proposal in Glenorchy.

That was soon followed by the house moving and solemnisation in the very busy month of May. Having been a city boy all my life, uprooting and moving somewhere else was a huge change especially where things weren’t as convenient as before. Having my own apartment also meant shouldering many responsibilities and making decisions which didn’t use to be in my domain. But despite all that, nothing beats having our own home to return to at the end of every day.

Thankfully, in the midst of the bustle of moving, solemnisation was kept as a simple and close affair. The bigger wedding reception was scheduled for later in the year, so we weren’t too concerned in the middle of the year. We continued furnishing our home and having friends over for housewarming months after we moved in. We even managed to squeeze a short getaway to Taiwan where we went electric bike riding and snorkelling.

As the end of the year drew close, the big day finally arrived. In spite of having many months to prepare and keeping the wedding reception as simple as possible, we were still a bag of nerves and couldn’t sleep the night before. Our anxiety was undue as the reception went as smooth-sailing as it could have proceeded. A mini honeymoon in Australia soon beckoned where another small road trip to the Great Ocean Road rounded up a life-defining year.

I started off 2023 as a single who was still living with my parents and ended the year married with my own place. If you asked me at the beginning of this year that this would be how the year panned out, I wouldn’t have quite imagined it. Although it’d be hard to find moments that can surpass what this year had been, I can’t wait for what next year brings.