23-year gap no barrier for love

She likes his kindness and he likes her maturity, say newly-weds

IT WAS his kind understanding and affection that drove grandmother Tina Yusof, 49, to accept 26-year-old Muhammad Zulhelmie Fikrie Salihin’s marriage proposal despite their 23-year age difference, Utusan Malaysia reported.

The wedding was held at the couple’s home in Felda Bukit Kepayang, Pahang, on Saturday, with photos of their ceremony making their rounds on social media a few days ago.

Tina has been running a small eatery for the past 20 years and is the mother of five children aged between 13 and 32 years. She has four grandchildren. Tina, who has been widowed for six years after her first husband’s death, said she met Muhammad Zulhelmie on Facebook and it took her two years to finally make the decision to accept his proposal.

“I accepted him because he always gives in. We like men who are tolerant and understanding,” she said.

“He accepts me for who I am and told me that he likes a mature woman who knows how to take care of a household,” she said.

Tina said she was also grateful that her children as well as new in-laws were agreeable to the marriage.

Her eldest daughter, Norashiela Muhammad Jamil, 32, said she and her siblings wished them nothing but the best.

“My siblings and I were against it initially because of their age, but over time and after talking with each other, we decided that if it’s meant to be, it will be and we accept it,” said Norashiela.

> A cook was fined RM7,100 by a magistrate’s court for filming his housemate and for possessing nude photos of the woman, Harian Metro reported.

Ong Siew Khong, 38, pleaded guilty to the charges before magistrate Nor Ariffin Hisham.

For the first offence, he stored nude photographs of the Filipina on his mobile phone.

He was charged under Section 292 of the Penal Code for this.

For the second offence, he behaved lewdly by recording the woman while she was taking a bath, which falls under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955.

He committed the offences at a house in SS 22/5, Damansara Jaya, between 11.30am and 1.45pm on Oct 21.