Okay, Gu WeiYi, you’re forgiven for calling Jerry Yan’s character in Meteor Garden (2001) a pineapple head.

lol.

Because you look like a stegosaurus here.

 

1. Hair

I get now why he went to the hair salon. He wanted a new hairstyle on the occasion of his proposal to Situ Mo. The hair was part of his plan to woo her. He already had his proposal. That afternoon, in the lab, his Prof and the Math guy read and approved of his poetry.

Prof: Gu WeiYi. Are you ready?
WY: Sure.
Prof: Good luck in your confession.

lol. It looked like a Great Commission or that biblical event when Jesus told the disciples to spread the Good News of his teachings.

After getting their , he went to the salon for his hair. Acording to the Dating Manual that Prof Jiang lent him, girls cared about a guy’s hair and he probably wanted this proposal picture-perfect for Situ Mo. He was ready to go along with her preferred choice although his hair stylist wouldn’t allow him leave the salon with that disaster and modified it to suit him better.

He certainly looked handsome here.

Hmm….I wonder now if he would have been so agreeable had he known that Fu Pei used to sport that headband, too.

But if he had gone to wear that headband, Situ Mo would’ve known for sure that he did for her. He wouldn’t have needed to needed to declare his affection for her because his hairstyle would have been a declaration already.

2. The “Proposal”

This is one of those times I’m frankly relieved to be female. Despite all these debates in gender equality, when it comes to romance and marriage, the society at large is still overwhelming traditional. Proposals are still believed to be the man’s role.

I must praise Gu WeiYi. Everything seemed to have fallen in place according to his plan, without a hitch. He worked all night on a proposal letter; he had it “peer-reviewed” by his Physics Lab Prof and classmate; he went for a haircut to look handsome on this important day; and he got the WEATHER to cooperate with him. How cool was that?

With the snow swirling around them, it would have been a picture-perfect moment for a proposal. And it would have brought her joy because she loved snow.

He had the candles ready for the “after proposal” quiet time together. hahaha. You didn’t think that he had 9 candles just lying around, did you?

And the Doraemon heat pack because he knew the power was going out that night.

But he forgot one major detail. He forgot the K.I.S.S. principle.

Of course, she wouldn’t get this. If she did, then she would have taken the qualifying exams to get on Prof Jiang’s Physics Lab Team, like he did, right?

3.  The Doraemon heat pack

Wanna bet that he bought that Doraemon on purpose and that he searched high and low for it? It was obvious from the way he was looking at her and waiting to see her reaction.

Mo: When did you buy them? So smart.

WY: I saw the notice on my way out this morning. I forgot to tell you.
Mo: A warming patch with Doraemon? I’ve never seen it before.

WY: I don’t know. I simply bought it. (surrrrre)
Mo: You like Doraemon too? I saw you draw one on your note, too.

Nooooo, honey child. 

He wasn’t doodling when he drew that one. It was drawn specifically for you.

He smiles.

4. The phone calls

Gosh! Part of me wanted to turn off GWY’s cellphone so his Physics Lab Team would stop texting him for updates. They were ruining the ambiance!

But I’m also aware that with young kids nowadays, when a guy is suddenly receiving and texting furiously, there’s something’s afoot.

Look: when a guy is planning a break-up, he does it alone.

But when a guy is planning a proposal, he’s going to consult a host of people for advice. His buddies, his parents, his sisters, his brothers, his girlfriend’s sisters, his girlfriend’s mom, and even the girlfriend’s dad. They’re all texting back and forth because he’s giving them an account of  what’s going on, and they’re giving him last-minute tips and warnings.

And this happened with Gu Wei Yi. His Physics Lab Team were coaching him from the sidelines. Although I was annoyed by their nonstop distraction, I get that they too were vicariously invested in the proposal.

And I’ve to praise the Math guy here. His explanation was just what we, laymen, needed to understand GWY’s proposal. He explained, “The Schrodinger Equation is about the particles. Particles stand for the structure of everything. You’re telling her that she’s the structure of your everything. And you said when multiplying it by time, it’ll be a complete wave function. Therefore, it means she makes your life more complete. It’s so simple and romantic.”

To some extent, Prof Jiang’s advice was sound, too. GWY needed to switch from quantum physics to more mundane subject matters.  However, I wouldn’t have advised him to “lower your level to match up with her.”

I would’ve worded it differently. I would have said, “meet her at a COMMON GROUND” instead of GO DOWN to her level. Do you see the difference?

At any rate, that was how GWY acted around her…well, most of the time.  During those moments when he and Situ Mo were connected, he wasn’t at all superior to her.

No.

For instance, when they were cracking the walnuts together, she taught him how. Or when they were at the beach together, he tried grilling for the first time. Or when they ate watermelon together, he learned to eat watermelon as if he really craved it. Or when they talked about Fu Pei’s dropping in at midnight, he discovered and confronted jealousy for the first time.

The way I see it, during those moments of connection with Situ Mo, he was becoming more of himself: thoughtful, caring, empathic, protective, and very romantic. With her around, he could get in touch with his authentic self. He could go beyond the logical and mathematical walls, or the “superior level” he was accustomed to.

And that’s why I said “lowering” to Situ Mo’s level gave us the incorrect understanding of their relationship. GWY needed to break free of the limitations of his level in order to see an entirely new world with her.

lol.

5. How to be romantic

I think Gu WeiYi’s major mistake is that he listened to his friends too much.

On his own, he was naturally romantic. But because of the instructions of his well-intentioned but misguided friends, he was forced to overdo the romance and created awkward situations for him and Situ Mo.

First, there were the math equations. When the Schrodinger equation didn’t work, he tried a “lower level” math dealing with polar equations. He gave her a problem thinking that she could figure out that the answer was a cardioid. Of course, she was unable to solve it.

Mo: Did I annoy you today?
WY: What’s wrong?
Mo: Why do you keep on insulting my IQ? Don’t trouble me with science anymore.

When the Math guy texted excitedly, “Did she solve it? I never expected you to be so romantic. I would say yes if I were a girl,” Gu WeiYi replied, “She didn’t solve it but got mad instead.”

Then, the poetry.

Off the top of my head, I can remember three RECENT instances when poetry won me over.

First is this scene from “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”

 

Second is this scene from “Goblin.”  Viewers swooned when Gong Yoo’s character read it.

Physics of Love

Mass is not proportional to volume
A girl as small as a violet
A girl who moves  like a flower petal
is pulling me towards he with more force than her mass.
Just then, I am
like Newton’s apple
I rolled towards her without stopping
until I fell on her
with a thump, with a thump thump
My heart
keeps bouncing between the ski and the ground
It was my first love

-Kim In Yook, 1963

Then, there’s this scene from Love O2O (hahaha) when Xiao Nai quoted an old poem to Weiwei who had returned home for the summer.

He said, “Flowers along the field paths have bloomed, take your time to return. Enjoy the flowers on your way back.”

The poem is deceptively simple. He was telling her that the blooming flower reminded him of her and so he missed her dearly.  But although he pined for her, she should take her time and return to him when she was ready. She shouldn’t hurry because he would wait for her. He loved her so he would wait for her even though waiting was most  unbearable.

lol. I explained that already but I just did it here to encourage you to watch Love O2O.

So those are three recent instances when I found poetry to be useful. Otherwise, I’d have to agree with Lizzy Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice.” Mr Darcy said, “I thought that poetry was the food of love.” She replied, “Of a fine and stout love, it may. But if it’s only a vague inclination, I’m convinced one poor sonnet will kill it stone dead.”

Poetry is a hit-and-miss, and Lizzie Bennett…err…Situ Mo totally missed the poem and killed Gu WeiYi’s hopes.

WY: Situ Mo. Wind of Autumn, blooming of flowers, as if we meet each other again. How’s that?

Mo: Huh?

And he gave her this smug look on his face.

WY: Wind of Autumn, blooming of flowers, as if we meet each other again.
Mo: I’ve only heard of this: Winds of Autumn. Yummy crabs. It’s tastier when you add chilis.

She thought she was being witty!

And his eye glazed over.  I laughed when he admitted defeat.

WY: Forget it. I’m going to go to bed now.

And that’s why I said that Gu WeiYi’s major blunder was listening to his Physics Lab Team.

He forgot that the whole point of being romantic was to show Situ Mo that he cared for her and that she meant the whole world to him. The math equations and the poetry were only an ARTIFICIAL way of showing his love. He didn’t need them. He’d ALREADY shown that she was constantly in his mind in numerous SELF-INITIATED and GENUINE ways. And she could already feel that she was loved and cherished when he did simple things for her. Like lending her his snowjacket.

Don’t you think she looked like a walking snowman here?

Thus, my advice on how to be romantic is to keep it simple and sweet and sincere…and sexy, too.

K.I.S.S. principle = Keep it simple, stupid! = The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

I’ll have to continue this next time.