finally when all the dust has settled and im slowly getting used to referring to him as my fiance, it's time to do some debrief. u really have to give it to him for coming up with this elaborate proposal. seriously. i mean any tom, dick or harry would know tt i will probably say yes considering the fact tt the chapel is in april and saying no does not give much allowance for a second try. it was kinda like cornering myself and leaving myself with no right whatsoever to say no to the proposal.

but knowing him, the man my friends and i have full confidence in, he did not disappoint. he could have come up with some slipshod proposal, definitely; but no, i had to get the best. frankly speaking all i really required was a decent proposal and him getting on his knee before i'd say yes. no need for flowers, fanciful meals or whatsoever. and i got what i wanted. and many folds more.

while i was on the train to ikebukuro, i was astounded at the gargantuan effort he had put into planning this whole thing. the envelopes and clues were all sent to a professional printer so that it would look exactly like the ones used in the amazing race. he had to race ahead to set up everything before i arrived, pleading (as i can imagine) with random japanese folks to assist him. and the money, oh gosh, the sheer amount of money it took to put this whole thing into action. i really have nothing else to say.

why the amazing race? other than the fact tt the letters, when rearranged, became Amazin gRace, it has always been my dream to do a (real) race. on top of tt, this was supposed to be a rite of passage. i would race alone initially and when i get to the wishing well, it is where i have to make an important decision of my life - whether to continue racing alone, or to join with him as a team.

a very redundant question to ask really. but i needed the race alone to made me realise that life is not the same without him. we've been to japan together so many times and of all the times, i've never been left alone to fend for myself. i've always been sheltered, coddled, pampered and brought here and there to places i like and food i like. racing alone, to me, is pointless because to be able to share experiences with a loved one is much more meaningful. while i was alone, i can't help but feel lonely cos there was no one to laugh at my stupidity, no shoulder to nap on while i was taking a long train ride and no one to share happy moments with.

but im really glad that was the last race i'd ever have to do, alone tt is. we'll now race together, for better or for worse, towards a common future together, assisting, encouraging, supporting, building-up and being there for each other. here's to many more years ahead. thank you so much for the wonderful proposal my dearest tobs, my best friend, confidante, porter, body guard, trainer, teacher, masseur, fellow foodie, travel companion, personal shopper, tour guide, lover and now, fiance. i thank God for you:)

if i didn't know the answer to this road block, i ought to be shot. my first guess was Snow White's Wishing Well. that is the only wishing place in the whole of Disneyland. but i took my own sweet time to get there, touring some museum where they featured illustrations of all the Disney fairy tales and how they conceptualised certain characters.

then i decided to head for the wishing well. to be honest, my bright eyes have (once again) spotted the tobs in a corner trying to be as invisible as possible while still looking out for me. not wanting to give the game away, and in order to get my next clue, i decided to follow the instructions. so i clapsed my hands in front of my chest and started to make a wish.

i must have felt him near cos i totally couldn't concentrate on wishing at all. i basically uttered a simple prayer asking for blessings for my family and friends and of course the dearly loved one. before my allocated 30secs was up, i decided to take a peek and found him standing behind me.

he did the (...fill in suitable adjective) phil thing, which is what phil says at the final pit stop. u know, that whole "xx continents, xx countries, xx miles, yadda yadda". actually everything was in a blur from then on cos he was holding the blue box. !!! then he got down on one knee and said a whole string of other things (for us to know only:), at some parts trembling with great emotion, before promising me that as long as he lives, i will be the happiest princess on the face of the earth and asking if i will journey with him as team grace and tobias in the race of life.

i don't know when i started crying but by the time he was done with his mini speech, i was in quite a sorry state. im sure the ppl around us knew what was going on cos suddenly, there was no one else around. from where i stood, i could see random ppl gesturing and pointing at us and it was a tad embarrassing, really, cos i was in quite a mess.

so i said yes (of course i said yes:) and he slipped the ring on my finger and we basked in each other's embrace for eternity. i saw one random girl exclaiming about us to her bf as she watched on happily and everything else fell into oblivion. when we (mainly i) recovered, i decided we have to take photos to commemorate this moment. and so we did.

 

 

i know i probably look retarded cos i cried too much. but so what. i am the happiest princess in Disneyland:)))

now i finally get to wear my hearts on fire. i love it!!

it wasn't hard. really. u just have to read the clue really carefully. to get in without paying cash, just pay by card. (duh) when i was at the cashier i was half wondering whether i was supposed to get a one, two, three or four day pass. but of course it was one since the hotel is not anywhere near maihama. paid 5,800Y for the ticket (ouch) and wondered how come we can't make it for the halfday pass. or is tt only available in hk? hm.

 

his original intention was to get a stranger to hand the key to me. but i was so smart and alert i spotted him first, before he could enlist the help of random stranger. haha. left without a choice, he had to pass me the key himself and as usual, i need to give him a headstart to go set up the next station:)

  

the locker costs freaking 300Y ok. which is close to S$5. i wanted to faint. and when i opened it, there was only ONE item inside. the locker was used for a grand total of less than 15mins? i told him later on tt he could have left the envelope on top of the row of lockers it would have worked too. or under some seat. some place free. and accessible.

  

 

i suspected that the detour was a trick. i was obviously not supposed to go eat a buffet when the big day is less than 3 months away. so i chose treat and made my way to ikebukuro. it was really easy cos uguisudani was on the yamanote line. and i've known this line since our first trip ever so i didn't really need help frm anyone to get directions.

but once i reached ikebukuro, it was a different matter. tobu had separate sections in the basement and after walking around trying to find takano, i decided that it was alot faster to just ask the information counter girl. so it was the usual "do you speak english?" which usually warrants a "a little" reply and a sheepish smile. but it was not hard to ask for takano in japanese either so i got my directions easily.

once i was there, it was really hard to choose something above 1000Y. but i know his intentions. we've always toured the dessert heaven in the basements and everything seemed so drool-worthy but expensive so we usually limit ourselves to little cups of stuff or items tt don't cost more than 500Y. takano was something i've always wanted to try. esp their to-die-for strawberry tart which looks like a strawberry farm on a semi-sphere. u get the point. it happened to be their #1 best seller too.

he had expected me to get that i think. but as usual, i was very cost conscious so i picked the item tt was closest to 1000Y but within the top 3 sellers of the store. settled for a berry cheesecake which looked yummy and not too unhealthy. made payment and as usual, they spent much effort packing the pretty thing and reminded me tt it had to be consumed/chucked in the fridge within 2 hours.

next clue was easy. the only place in Tokyo where dreams come true must be Disneyland. and since im such a sucker for Disney, i knew it had to be there. the problematic part was getting there. i got directions from the JR information counter and made my way there via subway then JR.

i was all ready to sing the silly chorus but i found the tobs standing outside the gantry. apparently the Disneyland ppl could only help out if i were to arrive within the next 5-10mins. any longer, they cannot accede to his request for help. so he had to meet me. and tt was where i had to complete my extra task (for choosing snuggle) - have lunch with the tobs. easy peasy right! if i knew this was the extra task i wouldn't have even bothered with struggle!

 

  

 

we couldn't find the cosy food court we ate at 2 years ago so in the end, we grabbed a public table and ate the cheesecake there. after "lunch", i got my next clue and was told to give him extra 15mins cos he has to go set it up. so i hung around abit more, read the clue and thought real hard about it. (... ... ...)

did not get sufficient sleep cos our flight was 2320 and it took awhile (after midnight snack and settling in) before we got to sleep. was handed the next set of clues before we disembarked, along with 10,000Y allowance. since i didn't know where on earth i'd be going, i only have singapore dollars with me so the yen was definitely very helpful. at least it meant i didn't need to busk on the streets or sth to get money.

there was a slight hiccup cos the inefficient imbeciles at singtel did not activate my roaming even though i notified them on monday. the fella promised activation within one working day but it was wednesday and still no signal. this posed a severe threat to the race cos the original intention of the tobs was for me to sms him once i get to the next station/receive the next clue so he knows im not kidnapped by japanese gangsters or just plain seriously lost. without roaming, i am left to my own devices.

but the very smart me (haha) thought of using the pay phone. so the final arrangement was i would call if i got seriously lost. other than that, i am very very much on my own. after getting to the information counter, my next clue provided directions (in japanese) to the next stop which was the hotel, which was terrific cos i really didn't like dragging my luggage along. i know its light as a feather but its just inconvenient and people race with backpacks, not luggages, u know!

did not feel safe carrying 10,000Y. did not help that it was a big note. first thing i did (thanks to the reminder frm tobs:) was to go to the convenience store and get the cheapest bottled drink so that i had small change. then next it was off to the toilet to dress more warmly and to separate the money in different locations, just in case.

it was quite easy to reach hotel sherwood although that required some help from the tourist information center. but they definitely speak english so after the cursory "do u understanding english?", which i am able to say in japanese, the rest of the conversation was very much understandable. i had to take the keisen line to nippori then change to the jr line to uguisudani. simple.

bought tickets to nippori and arrived at the platform. morning liner came by around 0754 and i wondered if i should board. checked the schedule and realised there was a rapid coming in at around 0808 and decided to wait for that one instead. when the morning liner left, i realised it stopped at less stops than the rapid and should get me to nippori much faster so i wanted to hit myself for being stupid. but on hindsight, that was a good move cos morning liner would not have cost 1000Y and if i had indeed boarded the morning liner with my ticket, i would have got a nasty surprise should the train conductor come and check my tickets.

snuggle it is. and i'll have to do another task. we left for terminal 1 around 2100ish when i finally knew where i was heading - tokyo. kudos to me for being so duper intelligent and guessing it correct. even though i had guessed it correct, it was still quite unbelievable that im actually doing it. via JAL too. on our past trips i had always quipped tt some day, i will fly JAL or ANA and enjoy top rated japanese service. and so he thought he'd make it happen for me:)

   

the service was good and it helped that the drinks menu rocked. loved the special JAL yuzu drink and their plum wine. we also got the last row which is a 2-seater instead of the usual 3-seater in all the other rows:)

thank God it was snuggle, really. i can't imagine what an overnight flight would be like beside a complete stranger. pls i had this really splitting pain behind the right ear and right forehead during the descent the race was almost called off. it was so painful i cried and all the air stewardesses were trying to help out.

grace gets her 2nd clue. a DETOUR: snuggle or struggle.

may i say, this is how extremely cruel can!! but i figured since it'll just be a night flight, i'll survive. and instead of wasting time doing an extra task or taking a time penalty (yes, tobs actually offered that. cruel right?), mayb i'll just take struggle right? i could also use the extra time alone to really spent time with God and recount the good 5.5 years we've been through.

but then again, i kinda secretly want to do the extra task. after all the trouble he has gone to plan this whole thing, how could i not right? and snuggle beats sitting with strangers and having to excuse myself when i need to go to the toilet. cos in the end i'd usually just try not to drink any water at all so i dont have to cause so much inconvenience to others.

after i smsed my choice (struggle), he immediately called back to reconfirm my decision. i guess he was doing online check in at tt time or sth? hm. i was halfway through tuition so i really did not have time for a proper conversation or a cost-benefit-analysis. so in the end, i think he thought i opted for snuggle. we'll see how it goes later when we check in.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

i know it took me a while. i am not slow okay. even though tobs had to give me a few hints. like he asked me if i'm intending to eat my mints, which caused me to replace the pack of mints into my bag. and yet i did not see that yellow envelope sitting right next to my bag. in the end when he had enough of waiting and asking me why i am so blur, he just pointedly asked what's that on your bag?

and so i found my first clue. which is actually a road block. and the task was to pack. the list is there for you to see. this is highly destabilising to my life bcos i had the idea that everything was going to start on thurs. well, apparently not. i have to complete this road block and i am told that there will be a detour to complete nxt. grrrr. and i obviously am not in the mood to pack right now cos i have pt tml morning at 0830 and its already 2330 wayy past bedtime!

yet i am super excited at what is to come. its like this whole new novel u're reading. u kinda know what lies at the end but the in between chapters are still a total mystery. i am told to pack warm clothes and bring moisturising products so i am guessing we're gng to a cold place. no prizes for that i know. so, with my intelligence, i think we should be going to JAPAN. it should be cold there still. and that is the only way its going to cost such a bomb. plus, the night flight clue. so we'll see if im right and i'll update abt my nxt detour when i get to blog again. stay tuned!!