Daily Archives: July 27, 2011
XXVI. the rain on my parade.
See the rest of the photo album here.
I was as cool as a cucumber the entire day. I was so composed that I impressed myself because not once did I give it away by verbal or nonverbal cues. And I exploited Huiyi’s frequent toilet visits to update and keep myself updated with Gideon and Caleb. There was no way she could tell what my evening plans were.
It was bright and sunny the entire day, and it looked really promising that we would be treated to a beautiful sunset later. The only time I started to panic (on the inside) was when we couldn’t complete the last attraction.
The Waterworld show actually stopped halfway due to the inclement weather. Lightning struck and it began to drizzle. I received an SMS from the crew already at KBM and they did not bring positive news too. I had to pull myself together and trust that the Lord would clear the skies for me.
But He didn’t.
The one thing I persistently petitioned God for the entire week was for a nice sunset, for it was the only element out of my control; I had indented sunset, but God indented a thunderstorm. And I understood the idioms “Rain on my parade” and “When it rains, it pours” at a whole new level. There was nothing I could do except to remain positive.
We left USS to return to the car with dark and heavy clouds hanging over us. As soon as we exited the car park, before we hit the U-turn at Sentosa Gateway, a deluge of precipitation suddenly hit us.
“Woah, heng we got into the car in time man! Otherwise we would have gotten drenched!”
This actually translated as, “Sian sian sian sian sian sian sian sian sian sian!!!”
Nonetheless, I texted the crew at KBM with bravado, “Rain or shine, we will proceed! Nothing will stop me from getting engaged today!”
Next chapter: the lead-up to the proposal.
XXV. the actual visit to USS.
See the rest of the photo album here.
It was crucial that we secured the Subaru Impreza (Huiyi’s mother’s car) for the day and Huiyi used her birthday trump card to ensure that. She picked me up in the morning, not knowing that I had barely three hours of rest the night before; I was tying up all the loose ends of what would be the most exciting day of our courtship so far.
We ate a simple breakfast of chai tow kuay and chwee kuay at Ghim Moh Market. Then we drove to Telok Blangah Road and parked the car behind Seah Imm Food Centre, displaying a dashboard full of coupons to ensure that we didn’t receive a parking summon when we returned from USS.
Then I asked her if she wanted to take the bus or the monorail into Sentosa. It would have been my third time if we took the bus but I had to pretend that it was my first time attempting to enter USS. She opted for the monorail.
We entered USS together – her first time and my third – and I felt so terrible and guilty having to act surprised, astonished and impressed by all the sights and sounds we were taking in.
- “Let’s try to find the map of this place.” (I could navigate USS with my eyes closed.)
- “Look, Kungfu Panda! Let’s take a picture with him!” (This was my third time seeing Po.)
- “This place is really cool uh? I didn’t know it’d be so crowded.” (I knew all along.)
- “We can pick up a couple of souvenirs at the gift shop later if you want.” (There’s nothing nice in there.)
- “Huh? We’ve walked one round already? USS is smaller than I thought!” (Same thing I told Rudith… Twice!)
- “Let’s look for the washroom.” (I pretended to study the map.)
- “Dear, what’s Universal Express Pass?” (I wanted to answer my own question…)
- “Shall we have lunch at Coffeebean instead?” (I wanted to avoid the overpriced and overrated restaurants in USS.)
After we queued up for and completed our first ride (Shrek in 4D), we decided that we should each pay $30 extra and purchase the express pass. And we were glad we did because we took all but two rides and didn’t get a chance to revisit a ride! More importantly, the $60 spent helped to prevent disappointment; the only ride that urged for a repeated attempt was Battlestar Galactica. The other rides simply did not justify the waiting time.
Next chapter: the rain on my parade.
XXIV. the music that changed the mood.
This Garage-Band-mixed-MP3 was part of my arsenal of logistics on the actual day. I also brought along my iPod Nano, and had lined up four other significant 五月天 songs before this original composition played as the fifth song on the playlist.
I had to ensure that the entire playlist took around 20 minutes to play from start to finish. I will explain why later. I chose songs that represented different phases of our courtship. These were the songs I selected in sequential order:
- 我又初恋了
- 倔强
- 最重要的小事
- 让我照顾你 (by 阿信)
- 让我照顾你 (by 阿舍)
I remember taking out three blindfolds, charging all the gadgets that I needed for the day, packing the all-important ring, earphones and a change of clothes for the evening. I said my bedtime prayers and told the Lord that I’ve done that I possibly could. I guess I could say that I prepared ‘til my maximum, but I think it’s fair to say that I’ve prepared ‘til my optimum. Now I depend on His grace to see me through.
Yes, I think I am finally ready to write about how Friday transpired!
Next chapter: the actual visit to USS.
joey asher | misunderstoodsunshinekid 