She added that “there are no secrets” between them.
And it turns out that her significant other has a “dark past” too. In 2008, when he was still in his former job at a local media organisation, he was convicted of corruption in a lucky draw scam and served three months in prison.
“He opened up to me about this on our first date. I thought it was really brave of him,” said Low.
She declined to reveal his identity. She is concerned that “should his identity be exposed, it might affect his current job”.
“He deals mainly with landed properties and his clients are the high-flying sort, so he hopes to be more discreet (about his past),” she added.
When The New Paper contacted Low’s boyfriend over the phone, he said: “Why should I judge her? I am far from perfect. I have my fair share of wrongdoings as well,” he said.
He decided to tell Low he was an ex-convict with the simple reasoning that “if I am genuine towards somebody, I should be totally honest”.
“In fact, we have a good laugh and sometimes, we compare our ‘popularity’,” he said.
Low chuckled and added: “I remember joking with him that when you Google my name, you get many, many webpages, whereas when you type in his, you get at most one or two search results.
“So, I am the ‘more popular’ one!”
The pair met in late January at a spa where she was working as a part-time beauty consultant.
His direct approach struck her, said Low, who was attempting to sell him spa packages.
“He suddenly commented that he found me very attractive and asked me for my number,” she said. “I was extremely surprised by his frankness and a minute later, I just blurted out my mobile number.
“Till now, I don’t know why I did that – he must have used black magic on me!”
Two weeks later, the couple had their first date at Escape Theme Park in Pasir Ris, where they realised they shared a common liking for thrill rides.
When they go out, they often attract attention from curious members of the public. Despite the unkind stares or teasing sniggers, Low’s boyfriend said he feels “very proud of Ris, when people recognise her on the streets”.
“It’s the way she carries herself, she has so much confidence.
“With regard to those negative remarks, I always tell her, it’s not important how people look at you, it’s how you look at yourself that matters.''
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