A couple enjoys Valentine’s Day atmosphere at Grand Indonesia shopping mall in Central Jakarta. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
Whether you give flowers, heart-shaped chocolates, pink-wrapped presents or have a candlelit dinner,
love is in the air.
Get ready for romantic surprises. The day to celebrate love is just a day away, sending people rushing for romantic surprises for their loved ones on Valentine’s Day.
It’s true that people can express love every day, but stopping the contagious spirit of love on Feb. 14 may be impossible — for the young and in love, it’s time to show the love.
When greeting cards may now be replaced by text messages or a one-and-for-all status in your Facebook’s wall, flowers and chocolate somehow manage to secure their spots — becoming the icons of Valentine’s Day celebrations. After all, who does not like them?
But some young people beg to be different, shifting away from sending chocolates or flowers for their loved ones.
“Chocolate and flowers have become way too ordinary,” says Yohanest Chandra, a 26-year-old employee of a Singaporean construction company currently assigned in West Nusa Tenggara.
On a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend, who lives in Jakarta, he planned to give her something fabulous this year as the couple plan to take their relationship to another level.
Yohanest said he had ordered a diamond ring that would be ready before he flew to Jakarta on Valentine’s Day. “She will be really surprised and there will be kisses,” he said, unable to hide his excitement.
He even composed a three-minute love song, with the lyrics promising his commitment to love her until the end of the world.
The moment of love does not end there. Yohanest also plans to go on a two-day vacation with his girlfriend to Singapore after celebrating Valentine’s Day in Jakarta.
Yohanest was not the only one who has gone all the way to celebrate love without involving flowers and chocolates.
Rudi Hartono planned to give a cute but useful gift to his girlfriend, something that she could use in daily life.
“I’m thinking of giving her a pair of shoes but haven’t decided whether to get her a casual or fancy pair,” said the 23-year-old employee of a trading company in West Jakarta.
What do girls think of celebrating Valentine’s Day without flowers and chocolate? The two have never failed to bring in the celebration spirit although some may expect their loved ones will go the extra mile for the moment.
Stefanie Kosasih, a public relations officer of a South Korean restaurant, said her boyfriend usually took her to a French or Korean restaurant or a hotel for a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day’s Eve.
“Usually, I get flowers and chocolate,” she says, adding that the thing which made her truly happy was when she learned that her boyfriend has carefully prepared everything for the day.
When asked about what surprise gifts she expects, her answer is definite — a marriage proposal or jewelry like a diamond ring and a diamond necklace.
“Jewelry symbolizes affection and love. I was very happy when I once received something that I really wanted, a Tiffany and Co. necklace,” Stefanie says.
Flowers, especially tuberose or the ordinary red rose for Valentine’s Day is a must for Evyorista Pratiwi, a 25-year-old employee of a mining company located in South Jakarta.
Last year she made brownies for her boyfriend who gave her a Tazmanian doll in exchange. But chocolate and flowers are still favorites among youngsters for Valentine’s Day. Sixth grader Dania Chairani plans to exchange chocolate gifts with her best friend Risa Mawarni for Valentine’s Day.
“There are many other students who plan to exchange chocolate that day, but we are the only ones who will do it in my class,” the student in Depok, West Java says proudly.
Eighth grader Benyamin Imanuel Silalahi said his student organization would organize a Valentine’s Day celebration at his school in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Monday, and the first event of this kind in his school.
“I hope this event will run smoothly and make the students closer to one another,” he says.
Imanuel said the event’s highlights would include music concerts from each class and competitions, from poetry reading, chocolate decorating to a couple sprint contest.
“In the sprint contest, the contesting couple will have one of their legs tied to each other before running,” he says.
Dyatmika School in Bali regularly holds a special event using a “secret admirer” concept to have fun on Valentine’s Day.
The school’s coordinator teacher for student organization, Rizkia Nurannissa, said for the event, the organization’s members would sell gifts like cupcakes, roses, pink and red balloons as well as greeting cards to other students and teachers ahead of the celebration day.
The buyers, she said, could hand the gifts to anyone they liked at school — with their names out in the open or staying anonymous. Income raised from the sales would go to the organization’s treasury to fund other school activities.
“The organization members will wear cupid wings and crowns. They will deliver the orders to the admired people during class hours,” Rizkia said.
With a day to go, there is still time to celebrate and declare your love. Happy Valentine’s Day.
