The Proposal

I proposed to Amy on the 15th of November 2007, a year and a half after we got together. She already had an inkling of it, because we had been doing pre-marital counselling with our pastors, and they had given us the green light to get engaged. (We were really blessed to be able to have Pastor Chris and Auntie Stella help us start and build our relationship on solid foundations!)

Therefore, suprising Amy was going to be a tough task. Thankfully, a couple of circumstances swung it back to my favour: Amy’s birthday just over a week away, and finally her own curiosity …and subsequent honesty. It went something like this:

• A month or so before, I secretly ask Amy’s parents for their permission and blessings to propose to their daughter. I send a thank-you SMS the day after, and at the same time suggest a few dates for “high tea”.
• Amy suspects that I went to see her parents… and promptly checks their mobile phones. She “stumbles upon” the thank-you SMS and gets all confused with the “high tea” suggestion.
• Amy confesses to me that she saw the SMS.
• I panic. Oh oh. Plans in jeopardy.
• Amy goes on to ask what the high tea is all about, thinking that it can’t be the proposal since we’ve always talked about how our proposal was going to be a private, one-on-one thing, and not something in front of other people. Phew!
• Amy doesn’t realise that I changed my mind about having a one-on-one proposal; I had made up my mind to include our families.
• Before I can say anything, Amy asks “Is it the surprise birthday party that my mom’s planning for me?” (Her mom brought up the issue of her forthcoming birthday a few days before that, and asked Amy if I was planning anything for her. Her mom then jokes, saying “I’ll do it for you-lah”.)
• It all suddenly clicks into place for me: I tell Amy that the “high tea” she’s stumbled upon is supposed to be a secret birthday party for her, and that she’s not supposed to know about it (and added that she’s not supposed to read other people’s text messages either, for good measure). I add some flavour by telling Amy that her mum was working hard to plan it, would be really upset if she found out that Amy knew!
• Amy, the repentant and ever-loving daughter, promises to “play along” and pretend that she doesn’t know about her secret birthday “high tea”.
• We all have great fun preparing Amy for the secret birthday thingy, sending her to do her hair, nails and happily feeding her with nuggets of leaked “secrets”.
• Amy has great fun thinking that she’s preparing for the secret birthday thingy. She happily does her hair, nails, and thinks of all the people who will be there!

The Day Arrives…

• The day arrives. I rope in a couple of friends – Alex, Grace and Choon Ean – to help take photos and videos of the day. Edmund helps drive us. Amy still thinks it’s a surprise birthday thingy.
• Amy gets blindfolded on the way to Subang where our helicopter awaited us. She sees the helicopter and starts getting suspicious that this was a bit over-the-top for a birthday… but still thinks it can’t be a proposal because our friends are around us and we’re going to see our families too.
• We fly to Carcosa Seri Negara. Just before we arrive, I make what must have been the most nervous speech I’ve ever had to make, culminating it by telling her that for “this birthday”, I wanted to give her a gift…
• I blindfold her again!
• We hover over Carcosa Seri Negara, where a giant banner asking the magical question “Will You Marry Me?” lay.
• I tell Amy to take off the blindfold and look out of the window for her present.
• Amy sees the banner, turns back towards me, *lots of tears*, I get down on one knee, take out the ring, and ask her to marry me.
• She says YES!