She said YES!!! =)
It's kinda hard to surprise Lixin cos she has this knack for pre-empting whatever surprise I plan for her. However, I am most happy to report that this one caught her (almost) completely off-guard. Hahahaha.
So, on National Day, being the patriotic Singaporean that I was, I took Lixin out to this really nice French restaurant at Dempsey. It's called Au Petit Salut. I know, even the name sounds classy haha. Who cares what it means! Anyhow, unbenownst to her, I'd actually made prior arrangments with the staff to give me a nice table to carry out my plan. Here're some pics from the restaurant... it's really nice!
It's empty cos we reached pretty early... apparently, they're usually packed. There're some nice seats outside too, and it was a breezy day anyway so I wouldn't have minded sitting outside (they originally could only get us outdoor tables). Anyhow, the moment we walked in and I introduced myself, the staff were all nodding knowingly at me - something which thankfully escaped Lixin ha. She goes to the toilet and the staff all gather around me and ask me "how how? Ok or not? We got you the best table! And we're gonna make sure that the table next to you remains empty so you've got some privacy." How's that for service!
We order 2 set dinners. And to be nice to the staff since they were so nice to me, I'm gonna do some advertising. The pics below are what we had for dinner:
Lobster salad. Absolutely divine... the greens were very fresh and the mint sauce was tangy. Lobster claw was yummy too.
This is the famous French dish, foie gras. Or just simply, duck liver. I know, it sounds gross. But I was pleasantly surprised - it tasted really nice! I suppose as long as you don't think about it being the insides of a duck, it's pretty enjoyable. Note for the health-conscious: this baby packs a ton of cholesterol. Which explains why it tastes so good haha.
My main course: medallion of beef with shallots and mashed potato. Lixin and I loved the mashed potato so much we nearly ordered a bowl of the stuff. It's the milky kind, absolutely delicious.
As Lixin later recounts, she was actually thinking I might propose that night, but being the excellent actor that I was (somebody give the man an Oscar already), I was cool throughout the process and she gave up that idea after a while.
(She did really give up that idea but I was TOTALLY not cool. My hands were shaking throughout. Somebody give the man some points for honesty already.)
This was dessert, some orange (marinara?) souffle with chocolate truffle. The texture was a little not to our taste, but it was alright.
So by now, I'm getting extra fidgety and wondering what's the right time to pop the question. And she's getting restless too, wanting to ask for the bill and all. So I decide, it's now or never (cue music: "The Final Countdown") and I...
Send her an SMS.
Ok ok I know what you're thinking, but I DIDN'T ask her to marry me through SMS ok! It was just to distract her while I reached into my bag and took out the ring. Clever right! So finally, I ask her the all important question, and...
She takes like forever to answer me. I tell you, I've never felt more tortured in my life. But of course, she finally says YES! and I heave a sigh of relief haha. She later tells me the reason why she took so long was because she didn't know how to answer the question. Note to all girls: when you are proposed to, it's either "YES" or "NO". So don't have to think so hard and torture your man in the meantime. What, you want fries with that?
Because she's so touched (ok, just glad that I finally popped the question) she starts crying, prompting one cheeky waiter to come over and say "Miss, miss, don't cry!" So this is our happy photo after it's all over:
Isn't the diamond huge? Hahahhaa it's huge to ME. So the next time you feel something shining in your eyes, it's just Lixin flashing her ring in the sun.
Well it doesn't end there. I'll be honest and say I didn't go down on one knee when I proposed... ok ok I know I know, that's so terribly unromantic. Hahaha. Ok enough already, let's see how well you guys do the next time YOU propose!
So we headed down to Science Centre Macs to grab a drink before heading home, and to make it up to her, I took the ring from her, got down on one knee and proposed all over again. =) So I DID kneel down lah, for all you die-hard romantics out there. But I was so nervous I got the hand wrong when I was trying to slip the ring on, I pulled her right hand instead of her left! But I suppose that makes it even more romantic?? And it gives Lixin something to tease me about the rest of my life. =)
So anyway, to end off this post, here's a pic of Lixin being decidedly unglam in a very glam restaurant:
Hey, I told all the funny/embarassing things about me! So this is just me getting a little even hahahaha. =)
"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship..."
=)
