AXIOO

Happy New Year friends :) I hope your holiday was refreshing. For those who had the time to travel somewhere during the holiday season, I'm sure it was unforgettable. The weather has taken most of us by surprise, air travel in most of Europe has been a nightmare (we were in London during its worst winter), east coast USA (not as fun either), and for our friends who went to Korea, you guys must have been penguins to withstand -15 Celcius.

But even if you didn't get to go anywhere far, the holiday is meant for a longer sleep, catching up with old friends and favorite movies, finish that book you've always wanted, and of course the perfect excuse to eat like a pig (most of us gained weight over the holiday).

Now that it's 2011, let's start the new year with new hopes & dreams. Don't be discouraged by yesteryears unfulfilled resolutions. Time to start fresh. Don't let anything or anyone stop you from becoming who you're destined to be. Nothing is impossible. I know it does not come easy, but it all must start as a dream.

Over the new year, i found my journal and began reading what i've written several years ago. Only to find that one by one my dreams are becoming reality. Thank God for His favor.So for this year and many more years to come, I set out to live my dreams. But first it's time to put it on paper, that will make a big difference.

For me this year, i have a longer list to accomplish. First off, I want to meet Nemo & Manta Rays. I have been putting off my diving certification for a while, no more excuses now, it's time for me to get wet and just do it. Next I've always dreamed of spending a month in Italy, to learn how to cook from the locals. So this summer, that's what we'll do. I'm so looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll learn a thing or two on pasta making from the grandmothers in Tuscany. The list goes on and on...and i'm so glad this is the beginning of a new year.

We wish you a fabulous new year, so full of surprises that will always make you smile. Let's live life to the fullest.

What a great year this has been for all of us in Axioo. Just last week we got together for our annual Christmas dinner. Yes, we love parties!! We'll make excuses to party all year long. But this time it's a proper celebration. It's Christmas. We warmly celebrates the joy and laughter that Christmas brings to us all.

You are an inspiration to the world. Looking at you, we know that soulmates can find and keep each other, commitment means something, a great team can overcome life’s troubles, and love triumphs over all.

Tonight we are celebrating our dear Pastor Peter and Nani Tayu 32th anniversary. You are parents to us all. We laughed, shed happy tears, join our heart celebrating your anniversary. You are so much loved :)

Love doesn't make the world goes around, it makes the journey worthwhile. Here is the clip of the couple's journey from dating, tying the knot, honeymoon, pregnancy and having a family.  

I've been to Bali numerous times, either to shoot a wedding, pre-wedding, or even for holidays. But this is the first time, I went to Bali doing something completely different, a little deeper than usual... Yup, this time I carried my scuba diving gears and went for scuba diving in Bali. I left my kids at home, brought the wife and a few friends, amongst them are our previous clients who have become my diving buddies, Andry and Enzy.

We went to two different diving sites, Tulamben on the first day, and to Nusa Penida on the second day. Tulamben is one of the most famous diving site in the world, in fact, it is the top 15 diving site in the world. One of the greatest attraction in Tulamben is the Ship Wreck Liberty that sunk right off the coast, and the beautiful Coral Garden around the area as well. The water is supposedly very calm and very clear. Yes, supposedly... Sadly when we got there, the waves were so high that we had to wait a few hours before we even could get in, and when we got into the water the waves were still very rough and caused the water to be murky. In short, we didn't enjoy the dives very much that day.

On the second day, we went to Nusa Penida, famous for the two things, Mata Rays and Sunfish, or as the locals call it, Mola Mola. Mola Mola is a 4 meter tall fish that literally looks like a sail. They travel along the East Australian Current or the EAC (watch Nemo). IF you ever decide to dive here, make sure you wear a full diving suit, plus a vest and maybe a hood so that your brain don't freeze, because the water is extremely cold.

Well, we saw plenty of Manta Rays, but unfortunately no Sunfish. But all in all, the trip was an unforgettable one and I will defintely be back for more dives here. During the trip we managed to take a few underwater shots for you to enjoy, courtesy of Andry (our future underwater photographer :p).

Enjoy!

- Donny 

2.191 days of up and down, over the hills, down the valley, up to the mountain. It’s been a colorful journey. David and I have been married for 6 good years now. And let me say this , “ Marrying him is the best decision I have ever make” :) Cautions: this particular blog gets very personal

So for our 6th year anniversary, we decided to do a road trip in Europe. We landed in Paris, then we drove to Germany, Austria and Swiss. A little bit of it all. Short but sweet. So here you go, let the pictures speak by itself

This kiss wasn't just a kiss

This kiss was the demise of eternal bliss

This kiss wasn't just a second of meaningless feelings

This kiss was the end of priceless beginnings

This kiss wasn't just a thing you had to do

This kiss was the duration of me and you

Michael J. Burt

A while ago we posted a photoclip video of the Darjoto Family photo shoot in Bali. The photo shoot was part of the things they are doing to celebrate om Darjoto & tante Felissa's 25th wedding anniversary. A little background story, they actually wanted to just celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in a "normal" way in a restaurant, but Devina, their eldest daughter had other plans. She arranged for her parents an elaborate wedding celebration, complete with a full make-up, wedding dress, all the wedding vendors (including us) and even a pastor to bless their wedding anniversary. By the way, they had always wanted this pastor to bless them on their wedding day, but he was unavailable 25 years ago. Well, 25 years later, they got their wish come true.

But, Devina's surprise didn't stop there. She wanted to do an appreciation video from her and her sister Febiana. She told me about her plans, and because of our tight schedule, we had to secretly shoot the video at her place on the 30th of December 2009! Interviewing the two sisters that night was indeed a memorable moment for me. Listening to them telling the stories about their parents touched my heart deeply. I went home tired, but contented.

The result? See for yourself.

We love Christmas!! All the thoughtful gifts, yummy dinners, and of course great friends. So for this Christmas we're posting not only the dinner we had in Axioo, but also the little dinner we shared with a few other couples. Aprilla & Yosi (the famous funny man from Project Pop) were fantastic hosts, they prepared everything from the dinner, games, caroling and surprise gifts...thank you :)

This is our couples cell group, better known as couples DATE Gandaria from JPCC. For the last few months, we've been sharing stories, encouraging & praying for one another. With our hectic schedules balancing work, family and kids...being in this DATE is a luxurious getaway for us young couples. It seems like we're not the only ones going through our challenges. Life is so much more meaningful when we share it ;)