As Valentine’s Day celebrations draw to a close, many people across the world are taking the time to reflect on what this romantic season truly meant for them. From those who spent their first V Day together to others who may have celebrated four decades of coupledom, one thing is for sure – plenty would have gone out of their way to make 14 February a special day for their partners.
And there isn’t any difference for those in Malaysia as well! With the day designated for all lovebirds landing on an ill-timed middle of the week, various individuals took celebrations into their own hands, moving it to the weekend and planning fantastic surprises for their partners then instead.
In honour of all the hard work and effort made by these individuals, we compiled some of the best response from Malaysians as to what they were gifted with this year.
(Editor’s note: For safety and privacy matters, names have been altered for the contributor’s security).
1. “We’ll be going to Jamaica this July!”
“I’ve been dying to have a beach holiday for awhile, and God knows I haven’t let that thought slip from my boyfriend’s ear. He was giving me some hints by asking me what I thought of a few local destinations to visit for a short break – Langkawi, Tioman, and Redang.
“But then he gave me, probably what is the biggest shock of my life by surprising me with tickets to Jamaica for this coming July. I’m looking forward to gorging on Caribbean food and learning about a culture I have never been exposed to before. Especially for Malaysians, we never explore these kinds of countries, so this will be a monumental trip for us for sure.”
– Kim, 32 years old.
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2. “Two bouquets of white roses, everything I wanted and more”
“I’m a huge flower person, but I normally don’t get bouquets year ’round cause my family thinks its a waste of money. That is, except for one day of the year.
“My dad always gets all his children and my mom one bouquet on Valentine’s Day, yearly, and my partner knows I have a specific affinity for white roses. This year, I got one bouquet of white roses from my dad and another mixed bag with lilies and white roses from boyfie. It just made the house more cheerful, a great way to bring some life to the day actually.”
– Alex, 25 years old.
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3. “A 65-minute dinner at my favourite restaurant”
“My husband and I have a two-year-old daughter, and I’m expecting another child later this year. We really don’t get a lot of time to ourselves anymore, especially because I’d prefer to spend my free time resting at home or just kicking back.
“But he really did his best by making reservations to my favourite KLCC eatery on Friday night, so I decided to get dolled up and just have some fun that evening.”
– Grace, 31 years old.
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4. “Some peace and quiet”
“As much as I know I’ll sound like a Scrooge, I really did enjoy Valentine’s Day. My husband took me to a restaurant we always used to visit back when we were newlyweds, so we continued our tradition. But after that, I just came home and did absolutely nothing.
“I read part of my novel, we watched a few episodes of Mad Men (my daughter suggested it to me), and then just had a pretty regular day. People have different versions of special, but getting a day to just sit around and do nothing is a highlight for me.”
– Joan, 60 years old.
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5. “A new girlfriend (hopefully)”
“There’s no better way to find a partner than going out on Valentine’s Day. I know I seem more so hopeless than hopeless romantic, but imagine meeting someone when you’re out at night on 14 February, and then that’s the person you spend the rest of your life with.
“Anyways, I went bar hopping with my boys and of course we came across some girls in different places as well. I hit it off with one of the girls last Wednesday, and we’re supposed to be going out for our first proper date this Friday.
“This will either be a gift that keeps on giving or a fluke for dreamers. Either way, I don’t mind seeing where this goes!”
– Vik, 27 years old.
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6. “I got a few stems of roses… but I don’t know from who”
“I came back home from Valentine’s Day after work and I usually buy a lot of things online, so I always get packages while I’m at the office. However, I remember only ordering two things, but three things in my name were delivered.
“The package was wrapped in pink bubble wrap and a pink box. When I opened it, it was a small bouquet of artificial roses, which I thought looked VERY sweet. But, there was no note from anyone or any hint of who it could be. I wanted to thank the person that gave this to me, but apparently they wanted it to be anonymous??!
“The roses are still on my nightstand and I still wonder who sent me this (as I’m currently single and not speaking to anyone)…”
– Sam, 24 years old.
7. “A year’s worth of subscriptions to all my favourite streaming service platforms”
“I am the biggest movie and television series buff in the world, it honestly does not even compare. So obviously, I have subscriptions to practically every streaming service that’s available in Malaysia.
“But my beau just won girlfriend of the absolute century. She made secret payments for all these platforms for the next year. Like, all of it: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube Premium, HBO GO, Apple TV, and Spotify.
“When you do the math, this can actually be a very cost-heavy indulger. So not only did she save me so much money, but it’s something that I would have never thought about, but meant so much to me at the same time!”
– Thomas, 25 years old.
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8. “My favourite kind of shopping spree – books!”
“I wouldn’t consider myself a very interesting person. Most of the time, I just like to stay at home and read anything new that I can get my hands on. I have a similar-ish boyfriend, so he knew the jackpot was to get me new reading material.
“We went for a nice lunch in Bukit Bintang, then he took me to Kinokuniya and said I had a RM1,000 budget for anything I wanted in the store. When I tell you I reacted like a crazy person who struck the lottery, but it really was a lottery win for me. I didn’t end up using all of the money, cause honestly I didn’t need to. But this will go down as one of the best Valentine’s Day gifts for sure.”
– Anya, 28 years old.
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9. “A business website! Yes, I know only entrepreneurs will find this interesting”
“About eight years ago, I started a small business where I create knitwear and sell it online. It was always just a hobby, but I really had the chance to hone in on my craft during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward to last year, I decided to make it my primary stream of income.
“One of the biggest struggles I have is creating my own page. I made some slow progress over the years and it was relatively simple. But on Valentine’s Day itself, my husband revealed that he hired someone to make a new page for my business. It was nothing I expected but everything I needed.
“Like, who will find a man that will buy a whole domain for you?”
– Amirah, 27 years old.
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10. “New electronic devices”
“Let me start by saying that I did offer to pay him back! But he said it was fine. I’m the kind of person who keeps my phone, laptop, and tablets for a long time. Seriously, maybe close to if not more than 10 years. So after my boyfriend got tired of seeing my broken down laptop break again for the 15th time, he finally decided to ignore my empty threats and buy me new gadgets.
“Long story short, I have a new phone, computer, watch, and tablet. Don’t know if I should say thank you to the boyfriend or to Apple!”
– Robbie, 33 years old.
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11. “A visit from my grandchildren”
“My two sons migrated to America years and years ago. They’ve settled down and had their children, but of course, I don’t see them very often. They come down every three to five years, and I try to go there at least once within that interval, but it’s still painful to not have your grandchildren with you.
“I know he didn’t do it alone, but my husband worked with my boys to get every family member to come down and see us. They came on 10 February, and they’ll be here for about three weeks.
“I always yap at my husband for normally not doing anything for Valentine’s Day, but he had a great comeback to me after he organised this whole plan: ‘Ah, now this covers Valentine’s Day for the next few years, okay?’.”
– Julie, 73 years old.
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12. “A note of our future plans and a box of chocolates”
“I haven’t seen my boyfriend in about a year and a half. He moved to Perth and is building a life for himself there. I miss him terribly, but I know it will be temporary. When things finally get settled, I know I’ll be going to join him soon.
“On Wednesday, I got a handwritten note delivered right to my doorstep and my favourite Australian chocolates – Tim Tam! I cried reading the letter. Third Valentine’s away from each other, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end.”
– Pippa, 25 years old.
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13. “A Galentine’s celebration like no other!”
“This was my first Valentine’s Day alone after about three years of being in a relationship, but my girls didn’t want me to sweat it. My main clique of five took me for a night out with good food, even better drinks, and the best thing of all – NO MEN!
“I know it was a big sacrifice on their part because some of them have partners too. So I really appreciate these girls for doing all of this for me, and their men for being so understanding. Sometimes, what your friends do for you can mean even more than what any ‘partner’ can bring to the table.”
– Wendy, 32 years old.
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What did you do for Valentine’s Day this year? Let us know!
Also read: M’sian Shares How Her Now-Husband Appeared in Background of Her Photo Before They Even Met
