KOTA KINABALU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - May 9 was a special date for Malaysia. To one man, it became an unforgettable day when an unknown woman offered to share an umbrella with him on that scorching morning.

More than 100 days after the historic general election, the man - identified only as Gan - still cannot stop thinking about the woman.

Her kind gesture has driven him to place an advertisement in a local newspaper, in a bid to renew their acquaintance.

The advertisement in English, titled "Looking for a Lady I Met on 9th May 2018", appeared on Wednesday (Aug 29) and has since gone viral on social media.

The two paragraphs read: "I'm Gan looking for the lady that I met in the St Francis Secondary School polling station on election day.

"You were so sweet and kind to shelter me with your umbrella, we had a good chat. You went to your car to get your outer shirt. We had to split when it was our turn to vote and I failed to ask you for your handphone number. I'd like to see you again. Please SMS or WhatsApp me at 012-835 8467. I await to hear from you. Regards Gan."

When contacted, Gan remained coy about his full name, age, family and marital background.

"I've been thinking about this woman for months and I just want to be friends with her. I have no ill intention but to sincerely find a friend whom I can hang out with," he said.

He remembered the morning he was queueing up in the searing heat for his turn to vote.

"Then, this lady offered to share her umbrella with me, saying it was too hot. We hit it off as though we were old friends."

Gan said their turn came about 20 minutes later and they never saw each other again after that.

"I can't take her off my mind. I hope to see her again... maybe go out for a cup of coffee," he added.

Gan hopes the "umbrella lady" - whom he described as cute with short hair and is about 1.6m tall - will see the advertisement and contact him.