| Storytime!November 26, 2007
Coming back from Thanksgiving break, I was looking forward
to celebrating my birthday, but actually I was thinking more about all the
things that needed to get done for school and small group. The whole time before break and immediately
after were pretty busy with church meetings/activities and school, so I wasn’t
really thinking that much about when Yao Hua was going to propose.
I happened to wake up late, and I texted Yao Hua, telling
him that I had woken up late and was thinking about skipping class. It was raining and it was my birthday, after
all. He texted back, saying that I
should go. Feeling a little guilty, I
started getting ready for school. My
sister helped me pick out what to wear (I knew I was supposed to dress up for lunch),
and made me eggs for breakfast before I headed out.
I sat through class and held office hours, then I rushed
down to Columbus Circle
to meet Yao Hua for lunch. He was meeting me after spending a half day at work (supposedly). I had figured
that we’d be eating lunch at Jean-Georges, since it’s our favorite restaurant
in that area. We celebrated our 1-year
anniversary there with a crazy 4-hour dinner, and we went there during
restaurant week last summer. Anyway, we
both really like the place. We had a crazy
2.5-hour lunch with really yummy food and lots of desserts, and then we headed
back to my apartment around 5pm. We had
a birthday dinner planned at 8:30pm, and there wasn’t much we could do in
between, so I thought we’d just go back to my place and nap from the food coma. Dessert at Jean-Georges. We shared 1 dessert (which was actually two), plus we had a complimentary bday cake, plus the usual stuff they give at the end of the meal... mmm... :)
At that point, I really wasn’t expecting any other surprises. When we got back, Yao Hua went to the
bathroom (he had been having stomach problems earlier but this time, I think it
was to get the ring), and I was headed for my room. I got a little suspicious because my sister
pulled me back to practice German with her until Yao Hua came out of the
bathroom. Yao Hua and I entered my room,
and I was surprised to find it lit with candles and fully decorated with cards
he had given me from past, and colorful paper pom-poms hanging from the ceiling. There were a line of stuffed animals on my
bed, holding cards that spelled out “Happy Birthday,” and so I figured it was
surprise for my birthday. I noticed that
not all of the stuffed animals were mine, but many of them belonged to Yin, my
roommate for 2 years. 
pretty...
fuzzy friends, cards, and pom-poms (oh my!)
Yao Hua directed me to two stuffed animals he had hidden in
my bed, along with a card. When I opened
it, I realized it was the same card as the one he had given me for our 3-month
anniversary. In this updated card
though, he had written that there were other “updates” around the room. There was one obvious update, and that was a
picture frame Yao Hua had given me for our 2-month anniversary. He had changed the picture to one from just a
week or two ago, and there was a post-it under it directing me to this
photobook he had made me for our 1 year anniversary. I got the book, opened it, and flipped 2
pages before I realized it wasn’t the same book! He had made a new book with updated pictures,
capturing events such as our families meeting and other favorite moments we
shared.
looking through the new book...
At the end of the book there was a message to look back to
the first gift Yao Hua gave me after we started dating, which was this box he
had given me the day after we started dating.
It had originally held laminated cards with excerpts of conversations we
had before we started dating, but it now held new cards with conversations we
had after we started dating in chronological order, as well as ticket stubs,
restaurant cards, and other memorabilia that marked different things we had
done and places we had gone. We went
through the box together slowly (I think it took us about an hour), going
through the different words we had exchanged, and things we had experienced
together. I think I started tearing as
we went through the box because there really were some really special moments
that had been captured in our conversations (sappy, I know. Sorry, but it’s true!). Anyway, I also laughed quite a bit as we read
through the cards, because there were a lot of fun moments too. Anyway, as we neared the end, I was realizing
that this was more than a surprise for my birthday, but I think part of me still
didn’t really think it was happening.
But at the bottom of the box, Yao Hua had placed one card, which said
there was one thing left which he wanted to say…  the box that scared me so much the first time around... (ask if you're confused)
the last card!
I actually don’t really remember what he said in his
speech. Something about having gone
through a lot of things together, and wanting to continue for the rest of our
lives, and something about how it took me 3 weeks last time to give him an
answer, and he hoped it wouldn’t take me as long this time. He got down on one knee, pulled out a ring
box, and asked if I’d marry him. It took
me a few moments to take in what he was asking, but after what felt like a long
silence, I said “yes”! I had a much
faster response time than last time, I’d say.
We enjoyed our special moment together, and then my sister came into the
room and started taking pictures. I tried
calling home and my dad’s cell phone, but no one picked up. I was just starting to whine about where my
parents could have been, when my mom walked into the room, followed by my
dad! I was really so happy that my
family was with me in that moment. We
also called Yao Hua’s parents in Malaysia, and they congratulated us
as well. We had a little bit of time to
take pictures and enjoy the moment, and then we went over to a restaurant where
about 30 of our friends were waiting to have dinner to celebrate my birthday
and to the surprise of many of them, our engagement as well. I really felt so blessed, to be able to share
this moment with our families and many close friends all in the same
night. Throughout the past two days,
receiving so many messages wishing me a happy birthday and offering
congratulations, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed, in a good way. I think I can safely say that I speak for
both of us when I say we really are surrounded by loving friends and family,
and of course, an awesome God. I'm so thankful. 
 proposing on one knee... and really happy :)
 we're engaged! and really happy :)
 with Mommy and Daddy Pai talking to Mommy and Daddy Ooi on Blackberry... and really happy :)
 Pai family picture with the really happy couple :)
 sharing our joy with friends... who were also really happy :) This is already a long entry, but there's just one more thing I wanted to share. Hope Yao Hua doesn't mind me sharing... After Yao Hua had asked me out and before I had responded, he wrote me a letter from the plane on his way to Malaysia. He wrote something in it which was has only become more relevant to us I think, as we've been in this relationship.
"... as I think back at these past few months, I truly truly am so grateful for the community God has put into my life. When I think about the hard questions asked, encouragement given, anxieties shared & love shown by those close to me surrounding this whole issue [of him asking me out] I just feel infinitely blessed... I was just realizing that one of the beautiful things about sharing with community is that all the negative emotions (fear, grief, anxiety, pain) get reduced when shared with a group... but when joy is shared with community, everything is magnified (ie. even though all the people you share with get to experience part of your happiness, it in no way diminishes your happiness but rather enhances it even more)..."
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