Love just ain't enough: Romantic gestures that didn't quite win the day

It takes more than grand proclamations to win someone over.

Just as a dinner doesn't entitle anyone to more than a "thank you", planning out and executing a big romantic gesture doesn't guarantee that your feelings will be requited. Case in point: the story of a Chinese programmer from Guangzhou who proposed to his girlfriend with 99 iPhones...and got turned down. That stings, but sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles.

However, these broken pieces are still yummy! Eat 'em up, try again and, with time, these stories will be a source of bittersweet joy.

Get ready to cringe and commiserate. These are real stories, from real people who crashed and burned and came out alive!

Art by Jannielyn Ann Bigtas.

1. Should have gone with chocolates

My friends suggested that I purchase sexy lingerie for my girlfriend on Valentine's Day. I thought it was a great idea and it would be fun, so I picked one out. On the day itself, I presented my gift to her...and she slapped me, sabay sabi ng "bastos!" We broke up shortly after.

2. Distancia, amigo!

May nililigawan ako, and I think it was her birthday?

Basta, I woke up at like 3-fucking-am and I got her flowers and a fucking durian kasi paborito niya. Showed up at her door at like 5 am. Tapos pagdating ko d'on magkasama sila ng boyfriend niya. Classic ampota.

3. You can't have a cake and a "yes", too.

A girl, who was a lot younger than me, told me she liked me and, being a "halaman" (editor's note: asexual), wasn't sure what to make her feelings. I thanked her and our friendship became kind of awkward after.

Three years later, we started being okay again and I had the opportunity to tell her what I really felt for her. I wanted to tell her that regretted ignoring her feelings back then and realized it was a chance to have a normal human romantic relationship.

I thought I’d surprise her so I bought a cake (she’d just celebrated her birthday that week), and went to her dorm. I told her that I wanted her to be my “companion”. I actually meant to say that I liked her and I wanted her to be my girlfriend. She asked me to elaborate and so I did.

In the end, she just said: “I’m sorry. Wala ng feelings. There’s no turning back." She left with the cake.

4. Fortune does not favor the persistent.

In the hopes that showing off would garner me plus points, I planned to surprise the girl I liked on her birthday.

The plan was well thought of, all the preparations were made, and my friends helped me. A big banner was used to show how much effort we all put there. Then the time came to surprise her. But in a comedic twist of fate, she went home early from school as we just sat there shocked!

But I wasn't one to give up easily! I was intent on giving her the "surprise'" ... though later on I would know that she knew there was a surprise and purposely evaded it.
I told my friend I knew where her house is and we quickly went there. I was trying to remember the street when I saw it and exclaimed loudly in a PUV "Its here! My dear lord!"

We got down, called her, got a very mundane reaction and "thank you." It wasn't as magical as I wanted it to be and my plan to talk to her alone afterwards to confess didn't materialize, too...so two grand failures to be honest.

Art by Jannielyn Ann Bigtas.

5. Love hurts, literally

The girl I was trying to court was leaving the class early party and I volunteered to walk her to her car. She got in the driver's seat and we were saying goodbye...then she — perhaps not noticing because it was dark — pressed the power window button and my finger got sort of crushed. So much for being sweet.

6.  Return to sender

This was a really simple thing from that period in the '90s when exchanging photos with notes were the thing to do because what are cellphones?

I was one of the new kids in class and I immediately developed a crush on this boy in a different class. A girl who I became friends with said she also had a crush on him and suggested we give him our photos for Valentine's Day.

When the day came, we left the copies on his desk. The recess bell rang and we went down. A boy from his class approached us and while he kept my friend's photo, he returned mine! I stood there holding my photo...and then kind of just started laughing.

7. The little sacrifices matter too!

It was during one summer class when I met and became close with this guy. We'd have dinner together sometimes and would talk over the phone for hours. Then one night I realized I've already fallen for him. Our friendship continued even after that summer although we were no longer seeing each other much. But one time, he invited me to go jogging with him. And even though I don't really jog, of course I said yes. We agreed to meet at around 4 pm the next day.

I woke up extra early in the morning so that I could finish my chores on time. We have this Cinderella policy at home: No having fun unless your chores are all done.

It's a grand gesture to be a good daughter first, landi later.

So I got my tasks out of the way. After that, I got ready and waited for his text. But since it was also almost 4 pm, I thought I'd just go ahead to the park and try jogging a little while waiting. After a while, I checked my phone. No message. I jogged some more. Still no message. Where is he?

I was about to go another round when —  voila  — a message! "Sorry! I forgot about today. Let's try again next time?" Ha! I threw out a loud sarcastic laugh and mentally answered the text, "Try again? How about, Never again?"

I went home just laughing. Laughing at my foolish self.

The responses have been edited for brevity.

— AT, GMA News