“I had to level up my charm in order to convince her to change her mind…”
Lionel and Rebecca met back in 2006 when they were studying for their Certificate in Legal Practice at the Brickfields Asia College. Unfortunately for Lionel, Rebecca didn’t quite notice him until he made extra effort in charming her with his good looks, intelligence and persistence!
Rebecca: We clicked well but I never thought much of him back then. Not long after, he started to appear at my doorstep unannounced to surprise me. It started with one of our usual MSN conversations and I mentioned that I was craving for an Oreo Mcflurry. About an hour or so later and around 11pm, my doorbell rang – the boy had gone to the nearest McDonalds to get that Oreo Mcflurry and rushed to my place just so that I could have my ice-cream.
I remember being stunned and I felt compelled to invite him in and to share the ice-cream with him since he had come all the way. I also remember being embarrassed because I was dressed in ‘home clothes’ and totally unprepared for visitors at that hour! From then on, Lionel started to surprise me more and did nice things for me. Just before the exam, he bought a whole box of brands essence of chicken to keep me going. Picked me up and gave me a lift to class when I was not feeling well. Even changing seats in class just so he could sit next to me (and ignoring the teasing in the process).
Lionel is a pretty shy and quiet person but clearly, he was not shy in showing that he was interested! Eventually, he expressed his interest with a bouquet of flowers. I was not sure if I was interested at that time but some time later, I decided to give it a go and I’m glad I did.
Throughout our 7 year relationship, we have had way more ups and downs. Lionel is incredibly calm, patient, supportive and kind. He balances the impatient side of me and accepts me for who I am including my faults. He gives the warmest hugs and makes me feel safe. He tells me I’m beautiful even when I’m not looking or feeling it. He tells me “its okay” when I’ve been silly. He makes me laugh. He enjoys going shopping with me. He shows me the respect every girl wants. I cannot get any luckier than that.
We wandered around the romantic village of Oia for photos with Terence and Sarah. While we were doing so, we kept bumping into other couples on their pre-wedding photo shoots!
Just recently, Siu Fai and Chia Wen celebrated the 100th day since they were wed. It was so lovely to see on Siu Fai’s Facebook page this note to his dear wife Chia Wen.
I love this marital bed that symbolises their union. Si Howe told me how he and another cousin had to painstakingly take the bed apart from another cousin’s home and transport it to this place. And then he had to put it together again, pretty much like a jigsaw puzzle. If you look carefully, you will see his yellow sticker notes on the bed frame which we ‘conveniently’ left in the shot. Tells a story!