I meet couples with touching love stories everyday doing what I do. But every now and then I get the privilege to meet couples who shares a funny moment like Arifin and Jessica.
After long and hard pursuit of nearly half a year, Arifin finally won Jessica’s heart. On one cold winter night in college, as he was sitting alone in his apartment, he felt the torture of being away from the woman he loves. He entertained the urge to go and see her, with a dessert as an excuse. That’s a pretty good idea actually, because which woman doesn’t like dessert? Jessica sure does. So he walked over to her place and rang the bell. When Jessica opened the door, he presented her with a single ramekin bowl. In it was guilinggao. If you don’t know what guilinggao is, don’t worry, you’re not the only one. In the beginning, even Jessica was unsure about what Arifin was holding in his hand. It was black jelly made out of Chinese herbs that is believed to encourage better skin complexion. Yes, Jessica thought the same thing – it was not the most romantic of desserts.
Jessica thought she’ll leave in the fridge and gather the courage to eat it the next morning. But Arifin encouraged her to stay. He wanted more time with her, even though it was late. Jess wanted to go upstairs, but Arif didn’t want to make a move. Just then, the sprinklers turned on, leaving them both drenched and freezing in the middle of the cold winter night. Arifin held her tight to keep her warm. And Jessica will always remember that moment, a moment that was as bittersweet as the dessert she held in her hands. A guilinggao moment.
Seeing how their portraits make me miss Los Angeles and Vegas so much. I love how their chemistry brings out the best of both cities.The shot with the birds on the beach is my favorite work of 2011. Just as we were wrapping up with the shoot at the beach, a flock of birds flew by and we just shot like mad. It was an experience worth treasuring.
I wish your marriage will be filled of more guilinggao moments to share.
Cheers,
Ivan
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