In-Laws & 'Out-Laws' :)

My parents and us at Khmer Surin for dinner

 Over the last 3 weeks, we had been slightly thrown off our usual weekend routine here in the Penh with both our parents taking turns to visit. We were both excited and happy that they were coming in to stay simply because we lived away from home and it was nice to have them around for a bit.

My in-laws were here only for a few days. I was of course a little bit anxious as I was welcoming them into my home for the first time and there was a little bit of pressure on me to strive to be a 'star' daughter-in-law.

Now, I am actually very anal about the cleanliness of my living space. We got rid of the maid because I just couldn't be bothered paying her and then doing her job all over again. So, I might as well just do it myself. Of course, MOH helps - as per his wedding vows (although, I did think when he vowed to do the household chores, it meant that I wouldn't need to lift a finger!) - but then again, as I said, I am pretty anal. Anyway, in anticipation of both parents' arrival, I cleaned and cleaned some more. Not that it wasn't clean before, but just getting rid of the cobwebs and stuff like that.  

And finally, my in-laws arrived. I did really want them to enjoy their visit - their first in Cambodia. We had planned a big trip to Siem Reap for them to see Angkor Wat but unfortunately, a couple of weeks before the trip, my mother-in-law had a big fall and thus, climbing the Angkor Wat was out of the question. As such, I revised the itinerary and packed it with activities for Phnom Penh instead. And in Phnom Penh, there is generally nothing much to do except to eat :) My in-laws were not very adventurous folks and most of the time, they stayed in the apartment watching TV, unless we took them out. I think overall, they had quite an experience in Cambodia - with the food, with the sights and with the living conditions. They couldn't believe how people could live on the streets and of course, the dirt, dust and grime of the city got to them a bit too. But they did enjoy their meals :) Over and above that, it gave me a chance to bond with them as well. Eversince I got married, I haven't lived in MOH's home, I haven't been in KL for that matter and most trips back to KL were so short and packed with activities, there was hardly any time to bond.

After my in-laws left, I cleaned and cleaned again, awaiting the arrival of my parents. I think my "anal-ness" with the cleanliness of my living space is an "illness" i got from my Mom. I don't know how she does it, but she kept our home in KL spotless - on a daily basis (eversince I can remember as a kid, our feet remained clean walking throughout the house so much so that this has become very important to me!!) I try, but maybe Phnom Penh is just dusty!! No matter how much I sweep and mop the damn floor, my feet seems to get dirty if I don't wear the house-slippers! Now that I don't have a maid, I can't blame the maid if the apartment wasn't "up to cleanliness standard" :P My Mom can be very particular about, you know, clean stuff :) Well - I don't know if she was being nice or polite, but she didn't complain a single bit. So, I hope it was because I did keep a clean house :)

"Entertaining" my in-laws were generally very much different from "entertaining" my parents. Don't get me wrong. They were not difficult guests. It has more to do with the fact that I didn't know my in-laws that well. And vice-versa. Whereas with my parents, they are after all my parents and we know each other pretty well. As Mom would say in Chinese, directly translated : "When you lift up your tail, I would know whether you want to pee or you want to shit."

Well, with my in-laws, I couldn't really sit on the sofa and lift my legs on the coffee table! What would they think? This siao char bor so rude! But with my parents, I could. Mom would dagger-stare me but Dad does it too, so it was perfectly fine. If not, it would just be so much more fun for Dad and I to annoy Mom! Hahahahha! And then, one morning, I came back from my morning run and to my horror, I saw my mother-in-law mopping the floor. I was so horrified that I rushed into the room and woke MOH up. I certainly didn't want my mother-in-law cleaning my apartment! MOH merely grunted in his sleep and said to leave her be. OMG. Whereas, when my Mom was here, she swept and mopped almost all the time. And I did leave her be. She probably couldn't stand that the floor felt "dusty" and she wouldn't be able to sit still if she didn't clean something. She even ironed MOH's boxer shorts!! (Ok, admittedly, I do suck at the ironing bit - and I definitely do not iron undergarments!!) And as per my itinerary (yes, I even planned this) - Mom cooked up a storm in my tiny kitchen. And she made enough to last the whole week so that I could still taste home-cooked food when she left (as of right now, finishing the last of the Low Gee Yuk...). And talk about "princess treatment" - when I snacked, she would bring me a plate so that the crumbs do not fall everywhere and as soon as I finish, she would take the plate away for washing - I did not have to get out of my chair one bit. Hahahaha! It had been too, too long since I had this treatment. Dad, of course, always had his "King's treatment" from Mom all the time. Now, would I allow my mother-in-law to do that for me? Hell, no! Again - what would she think?? "Siao Char Bor thinks she is the Queen??" OMG. (*point to note : it's not that my mother-in-law calls me siao char bor. At least not to my face :P)

Whilst my in-laws needed a little more 'baby-sitting' in terms of to-do activities, my parents could be left to their own devices. Especially my Dad. Like me, he just cannot sit still and when my itinerary calls for "Rest & Relax In Apartment" - he would be in the apartment sighing "So boring! So boring!". My parents would venture out on their own and walked around (to my Dad's delight, there was a market down the block from where I lived - he loves markets and so do I), take photos, etc. During their 10-day stay in Cambodia, they even ventured over to Saigon and stayed an additional day in Saigon (mentioning something about there being "too many rules in the apartment" :P) and had a great time there - as per the photo evidences.

It's been great having them around and I definitely hope they had a ball of a time here (and my itineraries for both sets of parents were well-thought and well-planned). Of course, it did test my patience at some point. Like I said - I am very anal. I have a "Monk-ish" side to me. I don't like my things being re-arranged. If the tissue box is placed on the top right corner of the coffee table, it needs to be right there. If it was moved slightly away from its spot, it gives me a ticking :P Yes, yes, I am OCD. My refrigerator is organized meticulously too. Dairy drinks, soft drinks, juices, water, dairy products, sauces, etc... are all 'compartmentalized' and again - if sometimes a product is moved, I will KNOW and I will start 'ticking'. MOH has suffered through some of my 'ticking' :P (he's smarter now - after grocery shopping, he lets ME put the stuff away). With my guests - I just had to try very hard to close an eye. It doesn't help that my Dad threatened to re-arrange EVERYTHING before he leaves to help "cure my disease" :P I couldn't sleep thinking he wasn't joking! Can you just imagine how 'crazy' I would get if he did that?? Again, I believe this is something I inherited from my Mom. She may not admit it - but she doesn't like people re-organizing her stuff either! She definitely doesn't like people messing up her kitchen - and that is why I have never cooked at home (to the point that my family finds it so hard to believe that I Can Cook!).

Anyway, in-laws are back home safe and sound and my parents are back home safe and sound and you know what? The apartment seems to be bigger, emptier and lonelier now. I miss them very much. I wish they could visit every weekend!

And so, I now look forward to the Chinese New Year where I will see my family again. Counting down begins!



Mother & Father-In-Law with MOH at the park right in front of our apartment block