Valentine's Day: Celebrating their love for each other in a foreign land

The couple believe that honest communication and giving each other the benefit of the doubt is crucial to having a strong relationship, and even more so during the pandemic. Photo: Azalia Zaharuddin

For Japan-based Malaysian couple, Dr Azalia Zaharuddin and Ooi Kok Hin, both 29, love is in the small, everyday gestures and simple surprises that people often take for granted.

“Special nicknames for each other, affirmations, massages to lighten things up when stressed, knowing each other’s love languages, and even something as simple as saying ‘we will get through this together’, can be so meaningful, ” says Ooi, a Masters student at Waseda University, Saitama, Japan.