A Week of Celebration

Despite having to cope with a “crazy” lecturer, projects and upcoming exams, Daniel planned a series of events to not only celebrate my 25th birthday but also THE SURPRISE that we have all been waiting for – THE PROPOSAL.

I didn’t ask much for my birthday as all I really wanted was an exercise band to carry around with whilst on biz trip (to ensure that I stretch myself well in the hotel room after the flight…and come to think of it, it would be a good “stress” reliever after having to have mandatory dinner meetings) and a box of Ferrero Rocher. Obvious to many, the latter most probably defeats the purpose of having an exercise band and my new exercise regime. Back to the point – Daniel was “obliged” to get me an enormous birthday card as the one I gave him was already huge. He must have been fitting in well in this Asian society where we place great importance on “saving” and “giving” face. I had an awesome treat to Betty’s Roast Chicken from Billy Bombers (American restaurant) and a movie ticket to watch “THE UGLY TRUTH”. I am no movie-goer. My friends have given up asking me out for a movie. Even Daniel had to persuade me to catch a show with him when he first came to Singapore. I prefer to be in the comfort of my own home watching DVDs. But I must admit that “THE UGLY TRUTH” is the movie that has made me laugh throughout, and no regrets. It was predictable, but I really needed that laugh. Daniel must have had a culture shock at the cinema because everyone was literally LAUGHING OUT LOUD whilst he was doing his typical “British Laughter” (I can’t think of the word for it, but Daniel claims that the “British Laughter” is different or is he just trying to be classy? =p) Most Singaporeans (75% of the population) will not have a problem understanding what the actors are saying although we are laughing out loud because we can read the subtitles in Chinese. But for Daniel, if he cannot hear the lines, he won’t have got the joke.

THE SURPRISE was meant to be a surprise but I kind of knew when it would come because Daniel has to schedule it around my biz trip. It all started on 19.09.2009 when Daniel rang me on my mobile while I was still in bed (he lives just in the next room but he had to ring me!) and told me to wash up and head to Chinese Garden. I was told to bring what I thought was necessary for the day (no make-up, no extra clothes…). I was told to climb to the peak of the pagoda (7 storey) in Chinese Garden. The scenery was awesome and the best part was seeing Daniel waving to me from a distance in the Japanese garden! He was a real teaser throughout the day but I think it made me even eager to hear him pop the question.

We then headed to Sentosa where Daniel had secretly booked a night’s stay at the prestigious Sentosa Resort and Spa (Botanica). I knew nothing of it at all – all thanks to the absolutely fabulous planning duo, Daniel and Rene. The spa retreat was awesome except for the drizzle but it made us feel very relaxed. We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant by the beach and watched the sunset (ok, we didn’t notice the sun setting).

We were up bright and early, preparing ourselves for the buffet breakfast by the pool. And I thought, “When is he going to pop the question?”. I enjoyed swimming boring laps in the pool. But Daniel insisted on heading to the sandy beach despite the hot weather which I swear could have caused me a heat-stroke that morning. Whilst I was tanning, Daniel placed a ring on a Precious Moments figurine and asked if I would marry him. Before any of you go “Awwwww…”, I didn’t say yes immediately. Do you seriously think I could say yes after all the mental torture and games Daniel played with me over those 2 days? I stood up and said, “Hmm…I’m not too sure if I should say yes. Let me ask other people around. Ah, but there aren’t that many people around.”. Daniel’s expression was priceless then when he said, “Yolande Lim, this is serious. It is not time for you to fool around!” and then I said, “YES!”