Writing my side of the proposal has been a disaster for me. In fact, long overdue na ang revision one ko ("you can do better than that no?" ang nareceive kong comment doon sa una). Kapag hindi pa ako nagsubmit e may mapapalo na pag-uwi this golden week. :(
Mas kumportable lang talaga siguro ako na ikwento ito ng personal. Almost all of my friends here in Yokohama knew the jist: I proposed on a pirate crew ship in Hakone, on our 7th anniversary and we are getting married on our 8th year on November 8 this year. Ganun lang kasimple, pero I would see in their faces light, hear the "astig/sweet/galing naman ninyong dalawa" remarks, and feel proud first hand. Enough na yun para pumalakpal ang tenga ko. :D
Writing about it? Sablay talaga. Hindi ko alam kung bakit. I'm just happy na natapos ko din at panalo si Pacquiao (Pacquiao-Bradley fight - April 13, JPN time).
ABOUT THE PHONE GRABBING INCIDENT
Nabasa ko na din yung proposal story ni Dheng. So proud! And jealous at the same time. Galing nyang magsulat e.
And I really didn't have a clue na upset siya nung inagaw ko yung phone ko sa kanya. And now that I think about it kaduda-duda nga naman yun. To be honest takot naman talaga ko mabuking noon, but for a different reason.
Yes, I planned the proposal myself but I asked help from friends. Choosing the ring, setting up proposal scenarios, and I even had a spy photographer kung natuloy yung proposal plan A ko.
(I would like to thank Mark and Namu for helping me choose the ring, Gert for the ring size estimation, Jo for being my emergency photographer, and for my Ozie/BS/Sueyoshi family for all the love and support.)
Pero dahil hindi talaga fixed ang sched namin (also accounting for weather changes during our vacation), gumawa naman talaga ako ng mga contingency plans. At yung iba doon ay nakasave sa phone messages ko.
Takot lang ako na mabasa nya ang mga tips from my bubwits about my plans kaya I grabbed my phone away. And I know my hands are clean kaya madali ko naman naexplain kay Dheng after. +)
PLAN ABCDEF
"You'll hate his methods but you gotta love the results." - Gibbs on Dinozzio, NCIS
The proposal contingencies in a nutshell
- Ang proposal plan B ay dapat sa Disney. Kaso noong nag-aayos kami ng schedule at di ko sure kung may fireworks noon. We even planned to stay overnight on the Disney Hotel but it was out of the budget. Oh well.
- Proposal plan C: At Osanbashi. I planned to spend our time sightseeing at Minato Mirai tapos sa sunset ako magpo-propose by the bay. May kinuntsaba na din akong photographer. Just in case hindi kami makagala ng malayo.
- Proposal plan D: Tobu world. Kaso hindi naman kami natuloy doon.
- Proposal plan E: Sa tapat ng luma naming bahay sa Maita. Siguro kung nasa Pinas ako, malamang naisip ko din magpropose sa UP Bliss.
- Proposal plan F: Ilagay ang singsing sa laruang panda (favorite kasi ni Dheng ang panda). We went to Ueno Zoo pero hindi ko alam kung paano ko tatakas para bumili ng panda stuff toy. :(
I always had the ring in my bag tuwing lalabas kami. Baka kasi may mangyari at sa plan G ako matuloy e, yosh!
HOW I IMAGINED MY PROPOSAL WOULD BE:
Sea turtles, mate! :p
ACTUAL PROPOSAL FACTOIDS
What I really wanted was a simple and intimate proposal.
But since we were on a cruise ship, I decided to look for a secluded spot on the upper deck for us to have our moment away from prying eyes. At wala akong nakita doon. I weighed my options: una, lalayo kami sa front side kasi maraming nagpipicture. May isang pamilyang Pinoy pa na panay ang selfie doon kaya pasimpleng iwas ako. I don't want our proposal to be going on someone else's Facebook/Instagram page first, gusto ko sa amin na muna ang moment na iyon.
Luckily, yung pinuwestuhan namin ay konti lang ang tao, a few foreigners na gusto lang enjoy ang view. Walang camera, swerte.
When we were almost near the middle of the lake (Dheng was complaining about the cold and the wind and the cloud hiding Mt. Fuji), I proposed. Without kneeling and saying the proverbial "Will you marry me?" right away.
I never knelt for sole purpose of not catching everyone's attention. Baka kasi maglapitan yung may mga camera e. Mahirap na.
Then, I told her na "seryosohin na natin ito, Mi."
For all the years na long distance relationship kami, madalas ang hirit namin e matagal na kaming naglolokohan. Virtual and emotional support lang madalas ang nabibigay namin sa isa't isa. To some outsiders, our relationship may look like a joke.
And I want them all to know that it is certainly not.
What we have is REAL.
Our moment that time may seem simple but for me it really felt surreal. Iba talaga ang saya ng salitang "yes" nang mga sandaling iyon. Sobrang saya.
Then bigla akong kinabahan, 'sinong nakakita'?
As we turned around, we saw an old tourist couple (probably Canadian but I wasn't sure). They may have watched us the whole time, but instead of shouting or clapping to gather everyone's attention, they just whispered "congratulations" and gave us their sweetest of smiles. And with that I was very thankful. Wish granted.
Siguro after nyo mabasa ito e naconclude nyo na sablay talaga ako magkwento. Walang ayos, walang denoument, walang sense.
And the proposal was really planned on the fly. Dahil nabigyan si Dheng ng opportunity na pumunta dito e noon lang umikot ang gulong ng proposal plans ko.
But there was never a doubt. I knew she was the one. If parallel universes exist (kung saan isa sa mga proposal plans ko ang nangyari), I would still be equally happy.
Be equally overjoyed.
Back to engineering work,
Louie
