By MELLY LING
alltherage@thestar.com.my

AS sweet as Valentine’s Day can be, it can also leave a pretty bitter taste in the mouth with all the jacked-up prices. Let’s take a look at how much some of the guys splurged on their sweethearts last week…

Shaun Christopher Ellis, 24, full-time deejay

Flowers: RM200
Dinner: RM250
Valentine’s gift: RM369 (pendant from Pandora)
“She was touched from all the surprises and it was truly an amazing Valentine celebration for us. My hard work has definitely paid off for the most memorable Valentine ever!“

Sarenraj Rajendran, 23, engineering student

Flowers: None
Dinner: RM200
Trip: RM750
Valentine’s gift: RM350
“Since my girlfriend was going to do her Masters in Melbourne for two years, we wanted to do something different this Valentine’s. We decided to go on an excursion to the East Coast. And have a beach dinner. And fly kites in Rantau Abang. Too bad it wasn’t turtle nesting season!”

Geh Chee Ho, 24, graphic designer

Flowers: None
Dinner: RM50
Valentine’s gift: RM650 (Topshop High Kicks and a trip to Legoland)
“This year’s Valentine’s was an adventurous one in Legoland. It was an expensive celebration but worth it – especially since we didn’t celebrate last year. We had fun and it was definitely a memorable day for us.”

Shazwan Elias, 26, engineer

Shazwan Elias, 26, engineer
Flowers: Couldn’t get any…
Chocolates: RM38.50
Dinner: RM350
Valentine’s gift: RM100
“It was an eleventh hour plan but I managed to get a reservation at a fine dining restaurant and got my girl chocolates. It was quite a pinch to my pocket with over RM400 for everything but it was all worth it. We had a great night!”

Maziz Aziz, 24, web coordinator

Flowers: None
Dinner: RM280
Valentine’s gift: RM200
“Our Valentine’s celebration was casual this year. We had a lovely dinner at an Indonesian restaurant and some drinks at another place. There were no flowers and chocolates because I find it too cliché. It is the quality time spent with my girlfriend that matters most.”

Nicholas Chew Seng Kit, 22, sales executive

Flowers: None – flowers are too cliché!
Dinner: RM200
Valentine’s gift: RM60 (perplex instant camera casing)
“Forget luxury and fine dining, it is always about spending time with your loved one. Mine was a simple celebration where we celebrated at a nice bar with cocktails and finger food. We enjoyed ourselves very much.”

Christopher Tock, 28, social entrepreneur

Christopher Tock, 28, social entrepreneur
Flowers: RM250
Chocolates: RM100
Valentine’s trip: RM350
“People say Valentine’s is overrated, but I don’t normally have a lot of time to spend with my girlfriend, and still she has always been understanding. That’s why I like to use the special day as an excuse to give her all the attention she deserves.”

Eric Chan Chee Khai, 29, programme manager

Flowers: None – too expensive!
Dinner: RM50
Valentine’s gift: None
“Our finances are a bit tight because we are getting married this year. But we still celebrated Valentine’s because it has always been a tradition for us. All in all, it was a budget yet sweet celebration.”

Fabian Cornelius, 22, student

Dinner: RM40
Movie: RM30
Valentine’s gift: RM15 (self-made paper butterflies)
“She doesn’t like flowers, so I decided to show how much time and effort I would spend for her by folding a container full of butterflies. I wanted to make 143 (representing the number of letters in “I love you”), but my plan got busted. She found out about it, and I couldn’t finish them in time, but then she helped me fold them as well!”