Cover Yvette Kang & Michael Tang; Suhaili Micheline & Aidil Azman; Ezran Daud Cheah & Ally Mukhriz
Does love conquer all? Three Malaysian couples share what it takes to stay together through thick and thin.

Datuk Michael Tang and Datin Yvette Kang, married 17 years

Tatler Asia

What little things do you do to make him feel loved?

Yvette: Cooking for my husband.

What does she do that makes you love her more?

Michael: Being a fabulous mother and taking care of all matters big and small pertaining to our three boys.

Favourite activity to do as a couple.

Definitely eating and checking out new restaurants together. Prior to the pandemic, we would travel to Japan at least twice a year and just spend the entire week dining at all the amazing restaurants Japan has to offer.

How do you resolve conflicts?

Being quick to apologise, whoever is at fault, putting it behind us and then going for a date night.

What’s your secret to staying together/keeping the spark alive?

To still say ‘I love you’ every day.

What song reminds you of your relationship?

You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban.

See also: Unconventional Date Ideas for Adventurous Couples

Ezran Daud Cheah and Ally Mukhriz, married two years

Tatler Asia

What little things do you do to make him feel loved?

We spoke about our love languages. Ezran’s is ‘Acts of Service’ and mine are ‘Receiving Gifts’ and ‘Physical Touch’. We’re aware of these things, so we take that into account when we’re trying to do things special for one another.

What does he do that makes you love him more?

Seeing how he is with my nieces, how he’s kind to everyone around him, just reminds me how marrying him was the greatest decision of my life.

Favourite activity to do as a couple.

Ez and I play a lot of games together. It gets competitive but it’s all in good fun. Whether it’s a video game or a board game, these activities just keep us close. It’s even better when we’re a duo against others—we’re a tough team to beat!

How do you resolve conflicts?

I think like many others, we try to have a productive conversation. When possible, we try to fully calm down and think about how we’d like to approach it before speaking to each other. That way, we’re less likely to say things we regret and we’re more level-headed to assess the issue.

What’s your secret to staying together/keeping the spark alive?

Don’t hold grudges. Once we’ve hashed out a problem, it’s done. It becomes a very toxic situation if people bring out arguments from the past. As for keeping the spark alive, we’re young! We act a fool, don’t take each other seriously and hopefully we never lose that. It’s my favourite thing about us.

What song reminds you of your relationship?

Any Disney/Pixar song. We love all the films and watch them religiously together.

See also: 8 Airbnb Getaways in Malaysia for a Romantic Rendezvous

Aidil Azman and Suhaili Micheline, married nine months

Tatler Asia

What little things do you do to make him/her feel loved?

Aidil: Gently pinching her, holding her hands, putting my arm around her shoulder or waist is a natural habit, especially since physical touch is Sue’s first love language.

Sue: He loves the massages I give—it's my speciality! Also cooking dinner for him.

What does he/she do that makes you love him/her more?

Aidil: I know that Sue’s got my back no matter what. I love her relentless efforts and thoughtfulness in both the little and big things which always lifts my spirits and wellbeing.

Sue: Little random surprises like a romantic dinner or breakfast to let me know that when I’m having a rough day or week he is there for me and for us.

Favourite activity to do as a couple.

Strolling to a cute cafe after a workout, enjoying our coffee, food and chat. And that could go for hours.

How do you resolve conflicts?

Aidil: We try to identify our best to identify our trigger points in advance. Difficult in heated moments, but we must always try.

What’s your secret to staying together/keeping the spark alive?

Aidil: We constantly check in with one another, remembering it’s a marathon not a sprint as we grow old together.

Sue: We show our vulnerability to each other, laugh like crazy and always look forward to activities together.

What song reminds you of your relationship?

Aidil: Zak Abel’s Unstable. Sue sent me her video dancing to this before we dated and I will always remember this forever.

Sue: I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd.

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