Reunion Dinner

Another (lunar) year is ending. Every year, the 'official' reunion dinner has to be spent with my in laws. It's tradition. Don't have to like it, just have to do it.

So being a daughter and a chinese wife to a chinese husband, I can't give priority to spending the actual evening with my parents for reunion.

Had a rather quick one coz ER was rather unsettled. He wanted to walk all the time, just like how AN used to be. Adorable, but inconvenient. It wasn't as fruitful as I was hoping it to be with a not too cooperative AN and fidgety ER.

After dinner, we had to go over to SIL'S house because Mr Liow's brother in law's brother and family from Australia are in town visiting. The last time my MIL informed me to make ourselves available, it was for lunch with them last Sunday. When I told her it was my grand dad's birthday, she went: "Really? Then how?"

Sounded like she expected me to reply: "Ok, I'll skip my grand father's birthday for lunch with people I don't even know." You wait long long lor. You really shouldn't be getting your way all the time, especially when it makes no logical sense.

Anyway, she got the date wrong and coincidentally, we were to be available TODAY to meet them, after reunion dinner with MY family. "It's rare they travel to Singapore so try to make it.", she says. How about dinner with them since they are here today and dinner with my parents tomorrow, on the actual day? Because while the family RARELY visits Singapore, my family NEVER gets to dine with me on the actual day since we got married. How's that to be fair?

Anyway, ER didn't allow us more time to interact so I couldn't suggest a coffee session after dinner.

ER fell asleep in the car while on the way to meet the VIPs. Don't get me wrong. I'm not bitter towards the guests. I'm bitter being 'strongly encouraged' to share my reunion dinner day with people not related to me and hubby.

When we got there, she was waiting with door wide opened and excited. And loud. Poor ER was asleep in my arms and Mr Liow sshh-ed her.

She responded happily: "It's ok. If he wakes up, so be it! Better still!"

Oohs....that same familiar selfish trait pushed that selfish comment. My 15 months old cannot talk. He can't entertain. Sorry about that. It's past his bed time and he really should be wandering around in dreamland, on his bed.

Poor baby was so tired he didn't even budge when I put him down on the younger niece's bed. 99% of the time, he wakes up when I attempt to lay him down. Not today. Dead tired.

I really feel bitter. She probably wasn't the one who planned today's meeting up. She probably didn't mean to sabotage time with my family. But the fact remains that this INDEED interfered with time spent with my family.

IT DID.

Anyway, there had been a little surprise after dinner before we left for SIL's place. There were fireworks. Took some pictures, here's one:


And we had a good chat with the guests. If only they came 2 weeks earlier, or later.