7 February, 2012
Lifestyle

In the mood for love… Sassy’s Perfect Valentine’s Day!

7 February, 2012

Having written about a million gift guides for Christmas, we’re feeling a little guide-d out here at Sassy! So instead of delivering yet another gift guide for Valentine’s this year, we thought we’d instead tell you about our perfect Valentine’s Days. Whether or not these actually come to fruition remains to be seen (and who can predict the inner workings of boys’ brains)… but a girl can dream right?!

So read on for our Valentine’s wish-lists, best-laid plans and a last-minute dose of inspiration Sassy-style!

This year for Valentine’s Day I would love to take inspiration from the first date my husband and I went on. After 10 years together, it’s easy to sometimes get into a romantic rut so I will be taking a trip down memory lane and remembering when all the butterflies, sappy emails and marathon phone conversations all began.

What I’m getting him
An iHome Boombox. On our first date my husband brought me not flowers, not candy, but a car radio. I had mentioned to him that my car radio had been stolen (yup – that stuff happens when you live in the not so nice part of town!) and when I opened the door to greet him on our first date there he was holding his old car radio with a ribbon tied around it. This is my modern take on the old school car radio from back in the day. Thankfully my man is not scared of pink!

What I want him to get me
Sadly for him, I did not put out on the first date (I am a nice Catholic girl, thank you very much!) so I am thinking I can be persuaded to alter our first date story just a bit and add a new ending to the evening. If he were to get me something as lovely as these Miu Miu heels I am pretty sure he would get “lucky” at the end of the night!

What we’re going to eat
Our first date found us sipping margaritas and eating tacos at one of my favourite spots in my neighbourhood, so this Valentine’s Day I will be taking him for the very first time to one of my fave new spots for tacos and margaritas. We will be dining at Heirloom but I am contemplating a lunch date instead of dinner, as I always enjoy seeing him during the workday since it is such a rare treat!

Fave Valentine’s film
Zoolander, our first date movie. I am pretty sure it is not romantic for most people but it is for me; I still remember sitting in the theatre waiting for my husband to inch closer and closer to my side of the armrest. Things like that seem so ordinary now and it is nice to remember how big of a deal holding hands for the first time in a movie was back then!

My boyfriend and I generally like to celebrate any and every holiday with our favourite pastime – the long lie-in! Sadly, Valentine’s is on a workday, so here’s what we’ll be doing instead!

What I’m getting him
I’ve actually already got it! I’m a firm believer in the early bird catching the worm so we already ordered and had delivered a Kindle from Amazon.com, which you can’t buy in Hong Kong. Now he doesn’t have to lug heavy hardback books on his daily MTR commute… and it’s keeping him quiet at home too, so I can enjoy my tv in peace! It’s not my fault he doesn’t get the appeal of Rachel Bilson and Hart Of Dixie!

What I want him to get me
I’m sure all of you know by now that I’m obsessed with make-up, especially nail polish! For Christmas, he bought me a load of super hard-to-find Brazilian nail polishes – a massive case of crossing our fingers and hoping for the best as the website (and all subsequent emails) were in Portugese! I’m currently lusting after some amazing Picture Polish rainbow ones from Australia… so I might be leaving that webpage open over the next few days. That or just continuing to make him buy junk food he doesn’t want or need from 7-11 so I can keep collecting for those cute Hello Kitty Tokidoki toys! (P.S. If anyone has any spare stickers, please send to Sassy HQ as I’ll accept all donations!)

What we’re going to eat
We’re creatures of habit and once we’ve found a restaurant we love, we’re there all the time. One of our favourites is Tapeo in Sai Wan Ho – I love the harbour-side view and the quiet laidback vibe of the area, plus it encourages us to walk off all those crispy prawns, patatas bravas and pork belly on a post-dinner stroll! We’ve been known to head to the playground nearby for a quick go on the swings to bring out our inner child too!

Otherwise, it’ll be the afore-mentioned junk food from 7-11, tucked up under the blankets, and enjoying a tv marathon!

Fave Valentine’s film
I’ll be rollin’ with the homies and watching Clueless. Whether my boyfriend wishes to join me in my entire script recital is up to him but I give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up, fine holiday fun. Plus, does Paul Rudd age?!

What I’m getting him
Considering last year he was treated to a pair of fish, I’m thinking of getting him something that is slightly less high-maintenance. Perhaps a guidebook to somewhere we haven’t visited – not dropping any hints or anything!

 

[It’s an obvious one but Page One is probably your best bet for any book gifts this Valentine’s!]

What I want him to get me
I’m pretty easy to please so probably just a bunch of my favourite flowers – he should know what these are! [Sassy hint: we’re big fans of Pacific Petals, who deliver professionally-arranged flowers direct to your door!]

What we’re going to do
There’s a great little Pétanque bar [you may know it better as boules!] in deepest darkest Kennedy Town, which would be a great date activity. Whoever loses buys supper!

What we’re going to eat
I love a bit of cheese on Valentine’s Day, so would opt for a bar that serves a good platter for some pre-dinner cocktails – and Shore Bar never fails. Following this Linguini Fini gets my vote.

Fave Valentine’s day film
I do enjoy all the classics but would probably opt for a comedy, something like Blades Of Glory or Step Brothers… Couldn’t be less romantic, I know!

What I’m getting him
This year I will be getting my man these wool and leather slipper socks!

Now I know it’s not the sexiest looking footwear but let me tell you that they are the warmest things he will ever have on! These are the socks that astronauts wear while in space and if they can keep those guys and gals warm floating far above us, then they can certainly toast my man’s toes while we are motoring through another dank HK winter!

I may also send him a telegram to tell him I love him old-school style! You can send one to any country for only HKD$36 so tell your friends and family how much they mean too!

What I want him to get me
First, let me just say I don’t need anything. But… if I had to pick a little something to keep me warm this winter then a Theodora and Callum scarf would do the trick! Another V-Day option would be one of the myriad of delightful Michael Kors gold bracelets to add to the very jingly pile already on my wrist

What we’re going to eat
I know the fastest way to my man’s heart is through his stomach… and what his stomach prefers is pizza! We will most likely be seated downstairs at the bar eating the mouth watering goodies at 208 Duocento Otto on Hollywood Road. I am mildly obsessed with the Pizza Diavola followed by a generous helping of stracciatella gelato! Oh and they have a great cocktail menu too!

The fastest way to my heart? Chocolates! I will probably pick up a box of See’s Candies caramels and toffees to nibble on throughout the day!

Fave Valentine’s film
After our bellies are nice and full, maybe we can settle into a movie and drink a little bubbly. Unfortunately, we rarely agree on movies! I would be happy watching Clueless over and over whilst he can quote Wall Street in his sleep. We will probably just try to score tickets to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and share some caramel corn to sweeten it up!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Perfect Valentine’s feature over the next few days for the rest of Team Sassy’s picks… and don’t forget to let us know your perfect Valentine’s Day in the comments below!

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