Between the two of us, we could piece together a string of events that has marked tangible memories worth passing on to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren! Read on as we unearth some ‘Heartstrings’ from our reminiscence.

Dec 1999

Terence and Deb were in separate countries for mission trips. Terence in Thailand and Deb in Taiping. It was Deb’s 17th birthday and her best friend was not there to celebrate it with her. Little did she know that, that day marked the beginning of many other ‘spontaneous’ surprises. Sealed and delivered on the same day, Terence handmade a 4 page card for Deb, with glue smudges and finger prints all over, because he had spent many hours cutting little triangles to decorate the borders or the card.

Flowers

Imagine after a hard day at work, you return home to the scent of lilies luring you. Following the scented trail, there a vase of lilies greet your presence. It’s not a scene from a romantic flick but a usual occurrence for Deb. It appears that Terence has mastered the skill of flowery actions. He has personally delivered flowers to her door step, arranged them on her desk and even scattered petals on her bed.

25th December 2001 – New York Homecoming

“Your home coming was the best Christmas present ever” – This was the words of Terence when he greeted Deb at the airport on the Christmas of 2001. Deb was greeted by her family and a few friends, but Terence was out of sight. She wasn’t expecting him since he told her he could not make it. Minutes after the moving from the arrival hall to the car park, she gets a call. It was Terence. She continued walking and as she approached the car, Terence hung up the phone and come into view. He was there! With a guitar strapped across his shoulder, he welcomed her with a song and a bouquet of flowers.

21st Birthday (16th December 2003)

It was a duo party, Deb and Gene (Deb’s best friend) had turned 21. Sixty guests were invited. Halfway through the party, Hoopee and Waddle barged in. Oh by the way, Hoopee is Terence’s clown name and Waddle is Tharsis. Dressed in their multi-colored costumes and make up, they put up a show at the party, giving out balloon flowers and playing pranks on the birthday duo. As all fun has to come to an end, Deb headed home after the hoo-ha.

Exhausted from the party, she steps into her room, switches on the lights and finds something amiss. Roses were arranged in a heart shape on her bed and an unexpected visitor greets her with a smile. It was him again! Terence strums his guitar sung her a song he had written for her. Baffled and unable to speak, she stood in wonder at how her 21st birthday drew to a close.

14th February 2004 (Valentine’s)

Even miles away, Terence never fails to surprise Deb. On the morning of Valentines 2004, Deb found a handmade decorated box sitting in front of her room door. She was in Perth and Terence in Malaysia. How did that happen? Terence contacted one of Deb’s college mates (Su) and got her to stash the box in her bag. Without Deb knowing, Su, her housemate had become an advocate of Terence plans! Sneaky!

23rd May 2005

After eight long years of waiting, this day marked the first day of Terence and Deb’s courtship journey. He picked her up, blindfolded her and took a slow drive to Lake Gardens. Then he held her hands and ushered her to a nearby tree trunk and gently sat her down. He took his seat and plucked a melody on his guitar. He had written yet another song entitled “Angel of Mine”, this time as an aperture to their courtship.

23rd May 2006

“Dear, no surprises ok?” Deb tells Terence a week before their courtship anniversary. He lightly nodded his head but had already planned a dinner for her. HE got off work early that evening, rushed home to cook some pasta and then to Starbucks for Deb’s favourite carrot cake. Then dashed to TTDI park prepare the place. Instrumental music, laced table cloth, matching cutlery and glass ware, tea light candles and a menu! He had prepared what you would call a complete candle light dinner. Without having to worry about picking Deb up, Pastor Sam was requested to chauffeur her to the park. She arrived to a park just in time for sunset and a scene plucked right out of a movie scene. Unbelievably charming!

24th Birthday (16th December 2006)

Chef Terence whipped up another romantic recipe. Instead of spending dollars for a high priced meal, he decided to take wok in his own hands. He set up an alfresco kitchen just beside a lake on a huge garden. Cooked her a scrumptious meal from appetizers all the way to desserts! Deb didn’t even have to lift a finger (he didn’t allow her to). Running from stove to table, table to stove, Terence played waiter, chef and customer all in one that night.

26th May 2007

After few days after they got engaged, both drove down to Kuantan for yet another surprise Terence planned for Deb. This time Deb was aware it was going to be a surprise but she didn’t know what to expect. After a long 4 hour drive, the finally arrived at the Grand Hyatt hotel to find a table for two set on the beach overlooking the sea. For a moment, Deb felt as if she was in Hawaii. Little lamps arranged as a pathway ushered them to their table. The symphony of waves filled the air and the moon illuminated the night. The Lord even held back the rain for that special night on the beach they felt they owned.