I Will Carry You Home

Despite the geographical distance between them, as well as their demanding nature of work, Dr Farid Razali and Dr Fazliana Abdul Rashid still keep the flame of their love going strong, as told to Lily Ong

To most of us, modern dating is complicated. Factors like celebrity divorces and dating apps have made us more cynical to the idea of love and romance. That is, until you meet a pair like Dr Fazliana Abdul Rashid and Dr Farid Razali—a married couple so in love with each other and who aren’t afraid to show their affection in front of others.

However, the couple’s public display of love is very much understandable, especially once you know that Farid and Fazliana have spent more than 30 weeks of their marriage, 450 miles apart, over the past year. Kuching-born Farid currently works in Sarawak General Hospital’s orthopaedic department. On the other hand, Fazliana serves as a medical officer at the breast unit of the KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Singapore. Despite the distance between them, their love and commitment to each other remain rock solid.

They first met as medical students at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Farid admitted that he had seen her around the campus and was intrigued by her. “It is rare to find a beautiful and open-minded Malay girl like her, so she stood out of the crowd by a mile. So yes, I was attracted to her first,” he says with a grin. They only officially crossed paths at Fazliana’s birthday party, an occasion Farid ‘gatecrashed’, as Fazliana remembers with a playful smile.

“A mutual friend invited me—how can I say no, knowing she’s there?” Farid interjects cheekily.

Here, Fazliana opens up, “I did recall feeling this vibe that he was special the moment I met him.”

They settled on a warm friendship but never pursued a relationship for many years until they both returned to this part of the world. Farid still had hopes though. “On and off I would text her because I want to be a part of her life,” admits Farid.