Jakarta Wedding

We're back from Jakarta, from my brother's wedding. It was an awesome wedding, the holy matrimony ceremony at the cathedral was solemn & yet warm, and the dinner was a grand affair. It was also a rare opportunity for me to meet up with all my aunties & uncles given that I hardly have the chance to go back to Malaysia these days, as well as meet up with all my brother's friends. Yea, my brother & I are that close that I know almost all his friends from secondary to uni to Sydney, Tokyo and Hong Kong where he has worked. Some I have met when I visited him, others only from our conversations when we chat, however it seems like he talked alot about me too to his friends...and so when I finally met them, it seems like we had all known each other all along.

Over this occassion, I feel like I have so much to be thankful for

1) Firstly Isabelle survived the flight to and fro. In fact, she proved to be an excellent traveller. She kept awake while waiting at the airport though it was her naptime, cleverly choosing to nap during the flight, which allowed us much rest and woke up bright & chirpy again when we arrived at our destination.

2)Being able to find the appropriate food for Isabelle, given she is rather fussy. It was rather amusing that on our 1st dinner, that the noodles we had ordered for Isabelle turned out slightly spicy. Isabelle must have been very hungry (JKT time is 1 hour behind SG) or the noodles very tasty, she could not stop eating despite breaking out into sweat. Also, thanks to my sister in law's mum who asked the helper to cook noodles for Isabelle as she was not interested in any of the buffet spread at the wedding lunch. Isabelle survived mainly on noodles and nuggets (and milk of course) the entire trip, a rather unbalanced diet, and so when we got home on Sunday 7pm, the husband & I rushed to make her a home cooked dinner of pan fried salmon & rice.

3) A warm gathering of family & friends. As mentioned, I rarely get to meet up with everyone at the same time, and really appreciated this time off to meet people whom mean a lot to me as well as my brother. And I had so many baby sitters too to relieve me of all the toddler duties.

4)In some ways, this was also a break for me to rest. Just the week before, I had been down with a very very bad flu which kept me away from work for 3 days. In fact, I have never been this ill before and was relieved to have recovered just in time for the wedding.

5) A wedding which was absolutely perfect in every way. I can still remember my brother briefing my parents on the sequence of the church ceremony, the wedding planners updating us what we needed to do. Timing was so very important, given there was the video shooting, tea ceremony, church ceremony, family studio photography and finally the wedding dinner all in one day. My mum & I had to wake up at 4am for the make up & hair do!!!! We did not get a chance to rest after the church ceremony cos the make up artist was back at 3pm to do our touch ups! So yes, we were all dead knocked out that night. Thank goodness in Jakarta style, wedding dinners do not end late unlike in Singapore. As the dinner was buffet style, everything ended by 930, and the only people left hanging around would be the young ones i.e. close friends & family. We managed to get back to our hotel room by 1030 as Isabelle was knocked out.

6) An experience of its kind...for the first time in our lifes, we had police escort. Given the very very bad traffic in Jakarta, my brother's in laws engaged the traffic police to escort us family members to the bride's home for the tea ceremony, then to the cathedral and back to the hotel. And yes, an hour plus ride was easily shortened to half hour. Amazing!

But most most importantly, I am thankful for the gift of Isabelle. She touched many people, family & friends with her warm smile& laughter, hugs & kisses. Many many people complimented me for the loving & affectionate Isabelle.

With all the single parenting I have to do everyday, i have to admit...

I can never sit down and have a family dinner with Isabelle. I have to pack her school bag, get the laundry done etc, and so Isabelle eats on her own with the television as her companion. I quickly get as much done as possible to join her for dinner, and this is mainly when I grab a few bites, and we bond as she asks to share in mummy's dinner.

I dont' have much time to do all the educational stuff with Isabelle every night. The toddler is tired, she doesnt have much more concentration span...and I guess I don't blame her after she has spent like 8 hours in school...and so I go easy on her for now. We do some puzzles together some days, a bit of drawing or counting or sticker/magnet fun; but bedtime stories and singing is always a must.

What there is plenty of though, is lots and lots of hugs & kisses & high fives. I can never say no to any of these, whether she request them mid way through her meal with her dirty mouth, or way past bedtime. This is what I can give her; and I want to make sure she knows she is loved everyday and in every way.