Ms Junita Simon has her producer friend, Lorraine, to thank for introducing her to Dr Amal Dass. The former top model was hosting cable TV programme Fashion Unlimited when she was set up on a blind date with the medical doctor in 1997.
"Lorraine and her husband were friends with Amal and, for some reason, she thought I'd like this guy. Well, I can't say she was wrong," says the 35-year-old mother of one.
Together with the couple, Ms Simon went on a dinner date with Dr Dass at Chijmes.
Her first impression of him, however, was not great.
She recalls: "I thought he was a cool guy but aloof, you know? He was very quiet and did not really say much."
"So I thought he was not interested in me at all and that the set-up had failed."
But Dr Dass, 42, who is in Kuala Lumpur for a wedding, has a different version of the story.
"I was reserved because I wanted to get to know her better first," he says in an e-mail reply.
While not much was said during the dinner date, things warmed up later when he drove her home, and the two talked during the ride.
"Because he was so quiet in the restaurant, I was very surprised that we hit it off talking in the car," Ms Simon recalls.
Due to their busy schedules, the next time the two met was a month later, when he asked her out for dinner.
While they had a good evening at a cafe at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, Ms Simon would not hear from him for the next three months.
"When he drove me home, I told him to keep in touch. Apparently, he took it the wrong way and thought I was brushing him off."
With a laugh, she adds: "How would I know that meant something else? I really did want to keep in touch with him."
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(Photos: ST, TNP, Junita Simon, Singapore Tatler)
