Love is even sweeter second time around
Diana Yen and Albert Wong's college romance didn't work out 10 years ago, but when they met again they realised love had never deserted them.
Diana, a business analyst at HSBC, and Albert, director of Jefferson V Sakk Asset Management, got married on November 8 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, celebrating with 400 guests. They met in 2001 when they were studying at the University of Hong Kong.
They became friends, chatting often on ICQ, an instant messaging service, and going out for desserts after class. 'There was a minibus stop near my place and the minibus passed her dormitory. So I used to take the minibus, pick her up and we'd go to Causeway Bay for desserts at night,' Albert recalled.
The first time they kissed was on one of those nights. After having sweet soup, they took a walk in nearby Victoria Park and Albert asked Diana to be his girlfriend. They got together but their love affair was intense and filled with drama, Albert said.
The young couple didn't know how to handle each other and split up after less than six months together.
'I still liked him after the break-up so I'd avoid him as much as I could on campus,' Diana said.
Albert, too, found the relationship hard to put behind him.
They barely talked to each other after they split, although they still had each others' contact details. Seven years later, Albert started chatting to Diana on MSN, another instant messaging service.
'I was pretty upset back then and wanted someone to rant to. Then I saw Diana online and thought she'd understand,' he said.
After a few exchanges, they set a date to go out for dinner.
'When we broke up, we were both pretty devastated, but we had too much pride to get back together. After so many years, when we met up again, I felt the spark was still there,' Albert said.
After dinner that night, they decided to give love another try. They dated for two years before Albert popped the question this year. This time around they barely argued. 'Our frequencies finally synchronised,' Albert said. 'We had both matured and were wise enough to know that it wouldn't be so easy to find the right person.'
Albert planned to put a rock on Diana's finger this February on the night before Valentine's Day.
The couple went to out for a casual dinner in Causeway Bay and Diana had no inkling of what was to come. After dinner, Albert casually suggested they take a walk in Victoria Park, and when they got to the spot where they had first kissed, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. He had also asked a friend to wait for him in the park with roses.
A tearful Diana was taken by surprise, but eventually she said yes.
'It's not so easy to find someone that you love for his best qualities and whose flaws you can also tolerate,' Diana said. 'We lost each other once, there's no way we want to do that again.'
