Six celebs expose the truth about men, women and romance

SINGAPORE - You know that special, fluttery feeling you get in the solar plexus? No, not heartburn. We’re talking about love. With the season of Cupid soon to be upon us, MediaCorp TV Channel 5 is debuting the three-part telemovie series, Love Is Love, an anthology of multi-generational Singaporean love stories.

Featuring an all-star cast that includes Felicia Chin, Shabir, Nurul Aini, Lim Kay Tong, Shane Pow, Elfaeza Ul Haq, Benjamin Kheng and Hong Kong actor Jason Chan, each of the three 90-minute episodes - titled Sunrise, Sunshine and Sunset - follows the stories of three different couples in various stages of life: From the springtime, when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, to the winter of our lovelorn discontent. We put six of the stars to the test: In the game of love, are men really from Mars and women from Venus - and never the twain shall meet? Here’s a glimpse into what’s on these celebs’ minds when, as Dean Martin once sang, the moon hits their eye like a big pizza pie.

Q: Do you believe in grand romantic gestures?

Felicia Chin: I’m not a very romantic person but when I’m in love I can go all out and do a lot of silly things. If I had two or three days, I would fly somewhere really far away just to see and surprise the person. I’ve done that before.

Nurul Aini: Not really. I’m not the sort who is into flowers or candles. If he tried to get me flowers, I’d probably scold him. I think it’s a waste of money and I don’t like flowers at all!

Shane Pow: Once in a while I might do something romantic but I’m not like some of the guys that are out there spoiling the market. Some guys come up with very original ideas. I don’t know what they’re thinking. (If I’m on the receiving end) I’d hope she doesn’t do it too often because, you know, pressure. Not that I don’t want to do it but I’m just not very detailed and sometimes I’ll forget stuff. Like, sometimes I’ll forget to reply texts because I’m very bad at multi-tasking.

Benjamin Kheng: Like folding like a thousand paper stars and putting them in a jar? I once did a whole music album for someone. I wrote a bunch of songs that, on hindsight, weren’t very good; recorded them; put them on a CD; wrapped it in a very hipster way; and drew the front cover. This was a long time ago, when I was 16.

Q: What’s the best pickup line that has ever been used on you?

Shabir: ‘You look so much like my ex boyfriend whom I used to love so much.’ Eww. Such a turn-off. I’ve been quite unsuccessful in all my pick-up attempts in the past. I don’t make it natural so the mission gets aborted halfway. I think I tried the Singaporean cliché a couple of times: ‘Do you want to get to know me?’ Which doesn’t work. They look at you like, ‘Go away, creep.’

Benjamin Kheng: I’m just awful at flirting and recognizing when people are flirting. People say, ‘You know, I used to flirt with you.’ I just thought you were weird, in your own way! Most of my relationships have involved me not knowing and half way through going, ‘Oh, right, that’s what’s going on.’

Nurul Aini: ‘Hey, are you waiting for someone?’ ‘No.’ ‘Maybe we should just hang out.’ What the hell is that? It’s so obvious I’m not waiting for someone, especially when I’m at the train station waiting for the train!

Felicia Chin: I received fanmail four years ago… There was a letter and one ticket to J J Lin’s concert. It was a guy saying he liked me a lot and I’d be sitting next to him and he hoped to see me there. It was really sweet and he sounded really sincere but I didn’t really know who he was so in the end I didn’t go. But I really thank him for making the effort. It sounds clichéd but if there’s fate, I’ll still meet him if there’s a chance!

Q: When is it okay for the girl to pick up the check on the first date?

Elfa: It’s never okay. The first few times, the guy has to show he’s making an effort. The girl can only pick up the check after they’re officially together.

Felicia Chin: When you know the guy might have difficulty footing the whole bill. But most of the time I would give the guy face, you know?

Nurul Aini: I think it’s nice for the guy to pay for everything on the first date. But once you’re more comfortable with each other, you can split the bill, or, ‘You pay for dinner, I pay for the movie.’

Shane Pow: When the date is happening because she said, ‘I want to buy you dinner because you helped me with something’. And then I’ll have a reason to ask her out again because the next dinner will be on me. Other than that, I don’t see any reason, unless I’ve lost my wallet.

Shabir: I think it’s okay because we’re equal. We’re not identical but we’re equal. But if she really insists then you don’t want to get into a tug of war. If you can read between the lines, then, you go for it – just don’t be an idiot!

Benjamin Kheng: I think the guy should offer. If she really wants to pay then she has every right to pay. If there’s a back and forth tango, then third time’s the charm – the third time, if her voice changes – okay, let it go.

Q: What is one thing that bugs you about women/men or the way they handle romantic relationships?

Nurul Aini: Their ego. Men are so egoistic. It actually makes a woman feel good when they say, ‘Oh, I was wrong. I’m sorry.’ But because of their ego they don’t want to admit it and choose to ignore the issue. So annoying.

Elfa: Their ego. It bugs me that they are egoistic and do not want to appear vulnerable. I don’t blame them because it’s how society made them. But if a man allows himself to be vulnerable in front of person he loves, it shows more strength and character. But not too much because then it becomes whiny.

Felicia Chin: I’ve had good experiences so far with my relationships. People have this misconception that I’m a girly kind of girl but when they get to know me, they say, ‘You’re like one of the guys.’

Shane Pow: Too much paranoid sensitivity. If you start checking my phone or if you’re like, ‘Are you sure you’re doing that? Show me photos.’ Then I’ll get a bit annoyed because you don’t have trust in me.

Benjamin Kheng: I can never tell what they’re saying. They go, ‘No, it’s fine.’ It’s not fine. Red alert! ‘No, it’s fine.’ ‘Okay!’ And then later on, ‘Oh, wait a minute!’ Even with friends – everyone’s like, ‘Do you sense that?’ ‘No.’

Shabir: When nothing is enough. It’s a basic human thing – both men and women are guilty of it. It’s a problem I used to face and I wanted to end it so I found someone who does not have it.

Q: How do weddings affect you?

Nurul Aini: Weddings always make me weep a little bit. Also, being a woman, I always feel like, ‘Ah, sh*t, I should have done that (at my own wedding).’

Felicia Chin: I get teary-eyed. There’s always a warm, fuzzy feeling. I also envision what it will be like for me – will I do videos and stuff like that. And people will throw me looks, like, ‘When’s your turn?’

Benjamin Kheng: I love them. You see all sorts of people – the families who are very happy, the relatives who are not very sure what’s going on and the friends who are getting increasingly upset that everyone around them is getting married. I appreciate aesthetic detail so I appreciate the bridezillas doing their thing. And it’s wonderful to see too people crying on stage. I get emotional very easily (though) I don’t get hysterical or drunk or raise my hands.

Shane: I do get emotional, especially at the last one I went to, because the bride was a very close friend and I felt that the groom was really the right guy for her. I teared when they showed a video of the two of them thanking their parents. But marriage is not what I’m thinking of right now so when I go for weddings I don’t feel like, ‘Aww, I want to get married.’

Q: Valentine’s Day – yea or nay?

Shabir: Nay. It should be every day, every week. But no harm – I don’t hate it.

Benjamin Kheng: I’ve always enjoyed Valentine’s Day because even if I didn’t have a girlfriend I’ve always had friends to spend it with. It’s just another modern day holiday.

Elfa: Nay. Because if everybody’s doing it, I don’t want to do it. It’s not special. And it’s depressing for the single ones so I don’t want to celebrate when all my single friends are alone. I’d rather go out with them.

Nurul Aini: Nay because my wedding anniversary falls on the 15th of February! It’s about the same thing. That’s why every year, wherever we go to celebrate, there’s a romantic setting. And it’s cheaper, lah! I’m glad we chose that date!

Felicia Chin: Yea. A lot of people say that every day should be Valentine’s Day and it’s commercialised. But to celebrate with so many couples in the world – I think it’s a very romantic feeling. It’s always nice to make an extra effort to celebrate a special day.

Catch Love Is Love on Jan 30, Feb 6 and Feb 13 at 10pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 5.

To find out more about the characters they play in Love Is Love, visit tdy.sg/stargazingblog