Rendy and Dioni met in 1996, when he was 15 and she 14 in the bleak city of Jakarta, in the arguably the best high school in Indonesia (but definitely has the tallest building, hey). Got together about a year later, when he was 16 and she 15, in 1997.

They were happy together for about 1.5 year until the big riot hit Jakarta (they could see the smoke from the burnt buildings at 4-5 different directions!) Not long after, Dioni had to leave Indonesia to Malaysia.

For the next 1 year plus, they snail-mailed each other every week, wrote almost every day. Apparently internet and telephone was still too difficult or expensive back then. They talked on the phone about once a month for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The snail-mail was as horrible. They arrived just whenever they wanted, sometimes a few letters came at the same time. They numbered all the letters so they knew if there was any missing. Sometimes the ones with bigger number arrived first.

Rendy went to Singapore to study (while she in Malaysia). But not long after in year 2000, Dioni had to leave once more to Australia and Rendy back to Jakarta. By this time they were no longer officially together. But they still managed to see each other every year, when she went back to Indonesia on summer holiday.

Dioni's family migrated to Australia in 2002 and so she no longer had home to return. She didn't return to Jakarta for 5 years. They didn't see each other for 5 years. Communication was getting sparse. Emails were for Valentines and birthdays. Life went on. They graduated and started working. They both had other relationships and told each other about it.

At the end of 2006, some twisted fate brought Dioni a job in Singapore. She went back to Asia and intended to visit Jakarta. She sms-ed Rendy if he wanted to meet up and catch up. So there he was in the airport with her relatives, picking up Dioni.

They naturally decided to pursue back the long lost love. It was like the most natural thing in the world. She is the water and he the fish. He is the cheese to her macaroni. Always has been, always will be. The story hasn't ended. It was another 2 years of Long Distance relationship before Rendy finally managed to come to Singapore to live with Dioni.

Two months later they decided to get married in two months. It's only natural. When you have been separated for that long, you just don't want to be apart again.

The teenager Rendy always said to Dioni, we'll be together in 10 years. She said, but that's too long. You know what, the time she left Indonesia to the time they met in Singapore is exactly 10 years. September 1998 to September 2008.

Finally, the love that started almost 12 years ago, can finally meet its end. End of one journey and a beginning to the next one. Countless letters and emails, three continents, a couple of wrong relationships, a lot of skepticisms from other people, many tears and laughs later, the love's still going strong. Cheers to happy past, present, and future! Cheers to love!