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Vivian Chen

What would you do if your girlfriend or boyfriend burned down your kitchen? Abraham Wong's immediate reaction was to ask his girlfriend Tina Shi to marry him.
Tina, 28, a former language consultant who is now studying for her MBA at the University of Hong Kong,  and Abraham, 31, a senior educational assistant, were married in Vancouver on August 27. 
The pair have been friends since 2003, but did not start dating until 2008, right before Tina decided to move to Hong Kong. 
'We had been good friends for six years and I guess we just didn't really see each other in a romantic way before,' Tina said. 
The two were foodie buddies and hiking friends and often spent lazy nights watching TV soapies together on Abraham's couch.
But in 2008 they both started to develop feelings of more than just friendship for each. That is when Abraham started making his moves and cooked Tina a seven-course candlelit dinner. 
Switching from being friends to lovers wasn't a hard decision. 'I really liked her from early on, because as a friend she was always there for me,' said Abraham. 
'It wasn't awkward,' said Tina. 'We feel very comfortable with each other and we have absolutely nothing to hide because we've known each other so long,' agreed Tina. 'That really helped our relationship.' 
The kitchen fire incident happened in 2008. The couple had moved into Abraham's apartment in Vancouver and also shared a car. 
'She was supposed to pick me up from work, but that day she decided to cook me a big dinner like I did for her before,' Abraham recalled. 'So when she was late, I called her to check in. When she told me over the phone that she burned down my kitchen, I thought it was so funny.' 
Abraham kept thinking it was a joke until he saw the fire engines and an ambulance in front of his building. 
'She literally burned down my kitchen,' he said. 'She was trying to deep fry some  tofu, but left the lid on the pot and turned up the heat. When she lifted the lid, it exploded into flames and she panicked.' 
But when Abraham met up with Tina in the hospital emergency room later that night, he could not get mad at her. 'I think most normal people would be upset, but I wasn't angry with her, I was more worried about her. Then I realised how much I cared about her, loved her and that I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life with her,' said Abraham. 
He proposed to Tina at the hospital using his key chain as a stand-in engagement ring. 
Tina was more than a little surprised at his action. 'I was still in shock after the fire. At that time I only said yes because I felt guilty burning down his kitchen,' she joked. 
Tina was more convinced that Abraham was her Mr Right when he moved to Hong Kong to be with her in 2009. 
'I didn't think twice about it when she decided to move to Hong Kong. I just sold everything and came here to be with her,' he said. 
'I realised he's really someone I can depend on and spend my life with. The fact that he's willing to make these sacrifices means a lot to me,' said Tina. 'He cares about me more than I do about myself.' 
Abraham believes all the sacrifices he made were well worth it. 
'Tina's smart and intelligent. She's someone I can really have a conversation with. She's quirky and cute and she always makes me laugh,' he said.




Kitchen accident set two hearts ablaze with love