Are Malaysian families shy to say "I love you"?

Expressing how you feel is no walk in the park for most Malaysian families.

"If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her?" so croons Ronan Keating as he wonders what would happen to his lover if he were to die the next day. While the song deals with the thought of losing a partner, it can also be used to describe the relationships we have with our own family.

Despite the significant weight the three words carry, the L word is rarely heard of in our daily conversations, much less uttered in person. Instead, we hide the words behind phrases like "Have you eaten?", "Drive safely", "Take care" and more.