Alright. In case you don't know yet my grandfather passed away last Sunday night. I got the news on Monday morning just as I was going for breakfast so i went back home and well 4 days of proceedings started. It was quite a quiet affair with small groups of people coming in at different times so there weren't much times in which the place was packed, unlike the wake in Indonesia for my paternal grandparents. That was was crowded! Anyhow I'm not complaining. Most days were spent folding paper money and taels of gold (I bet my origami has improved) and the night duty was rotated. I had the honour of doing the first night so everyone else could sleep.
So things went on. Nothing much happened until the funeral in which I was amazed as to how efficient and high-tech cremation is in Singapore. You watch the coffin go in from this airconditioned viewing gallery like thing and the entry of the coffin is mechanised. There isn't any of the fanfare that more rural cremations have but it's a different type of feel. And so, I thought that was the end but I was so wrong. Picked up the remains about 3 hours later and had to transfer a bone from one container to another for symbollic reasons. Was quite "goosebumpish" but guess it was alright in the end. Then transferred the urn from the crematorium to the columbarium and went through all the rites and all before heading to a temple where the either shrine or tablet is placed. I don't know the English term for it but that marked the end of a tiring, but peaceful 4 days, before I had to go back to my vocation.
So well, I don't have much to say about the whole incident but looking forward is a good thing to do! Rather than looking at the past too much. Don't want to think too much as well. Had a good Saturday afternoon going out but a depressing Saturday night watching Man Utd create so many chances with Scholes pin-point visionary passing but still lost to a solitary Drogba goal. Sad. Then spent $70 (after discount) today on new wheels for my skates. Hope I don't need to buy wheels anymore. The m-cro wheels look quite solid but it's taking a while to adjust to. I can't do my hockey stop anymore! Think it's cause of the difference in hardness as well as the size and the wax which I don't think I've gotten rid of completely yet. Was very frustrating and tiring trying out slalom today! Keep having to put the cones back to the proper position or going back to the start to try again.
Okay. Nothing much from me. Tired from the week and weekend. Hope the coming week will be a peaceful and uneventful (highly unlikely though) week.
Word of the day: Veritable - Agreeable to truth or to fact; actual; real; true; genuine.
So things went on. Nothing much happened until the funeral in which I was amazed as to how efficient and high-tech cremation is in Singapore. You watch the coffin go in from this airconditioned viewing gallery like thing and the entry of the coffin is mechanised. There isn't any of the fanfare that more rural cremations have but it's a different type of feel. And so, I thought that was the end but I was so wrong. Picked up the remains about 3 hours later and had to transfer a bone from one container to another for symbollic reasons. Was quite "goosebumpish" but guess it was alright in the end. Then transferred the urn from the crematorium to the columbarium and went through all the rites and all before heading to a temple where the either shrine or tablet is placed. I don't know the English term for it but that marked the end of a tiring, but peaceful 4 days, before I had to go back to my vocation.
So well, I don't have much to say about the whole incident but looking forward is a good thing to do! Rather than looking at the past too much. Don't want to think too much as well. Had a good Saturday afternoon going out but a depressing Saturday night watching Man Utd create so many chances with Scholes pin-point visionary passing but still lost to a solitary Drogba goal. Sad. Then spent $70 (after discount) today on new wheels for my skates. Hope I don't need to buy wheels anymore. The m-cro wheels look quite solid but it's taking a while to adjust to. I can't do my hockey stop anymore! Think it's cause of the difference in hardness as well as the size and the wax which I don't think I've gotten rid of completely yet. Was very frustrating and tiring trying out slalom today! Keep having to put the cones back to the proper position or going back to the start to try again.
Okay. Nothing much from me. Tired from the week and weekend. Hope the coming week will be a peaceful and uneventful (highly unlikely though) week.
Word of the day: Veritable - Agreeable to truth or to fact; actual; real; true; genuine.