25 Nov 2018 – 29Days To Christmas

Wed: CC’s wake, where you meet members of family one seldom sees. Not exactly a happy occasion, but sadness is also part of life. A precious collage of the 3cousins+family&friends from their growing years. Being a mother I feel for 17thAunt and having been a wife, I also feel for CC’s pregnant wife, another Amy who is expecting their first child, a son in Mar 2019.

Thu: Happy Thanksgiving and this must be one of the few Thanksgiving where a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau 2018 could not be located. After trying and running around 3different locations, was too tired  to do anything.

Glad that the family in the US is able to get a bottle as it is our family tradition to have the turkey dinner with this wine. Pix credits to Linn.

 

Appreciations to Mr Naoto Orui, the founder of The MusicalBox Museum for a most interesting and sweetest Thanksgiving.

https://amylamsg.com/2015/08/21/musical-box-museum/

Today I learnt and tasted 19different honeys and that the bee’s lifespan is a month and in that month, it produces only 1teaspoon of honey! Group pix credits to Yoshie.

Will definitely think more about adding that extra teasp of honey in the future. Many tkx Yoshie for the invite and to Mr Orui for a delicious home-made lunch by him. He mentioned that those who like his cooking will fall in love with him, but I must say that I have fallen for his cooking 🙂

A Taste of Honey, tasting much sweeter than wine – Beatles

Fri: not TGIF for me today – the last time I followed directly with my hands on the casket vehicle (for immediate family) was in 1965 when mother died, and we went barefoot then. Pix credits of cousin Sara&I to CE. Today no one had to go barefoot and a private bus took us to Johor/Malaysia for CC’s funeral. Anyone who has been that route will know the long lines at the immigration at both ends…

Not sure if it is coincidental or planned where this is concerned – CC lived on Jalan RumanTinggi/SIN and now he is buried in Nirvanna MemorialPark on Jalan KotaTinggi/Kulai, Malaysia – Jalan=walk or road, Ruman=home, Kota=fort in Malay

 

Do not mean to be blasphemous, disrespectful, out-of-line or rude in any ways, but this must be one of the most colourful light-show burial ceremonies attended!

Sitting at the back row and hoping that taking pix discreetly without flash is OK – 1pix tells 1,000words. The circular center opened and in a dark room and from the forehead of the deity KwanYin various colour lights beamed across the room to the back wall. The white lights were the finale, assuming that the soul/spirit is being beamed up to paradise. My personal thought – in this high-tech world, it would be quite something if CC’s image could have been incorporated into those white lights – no offence there, CC.

The burial grounds are tranquil and extensive.

Last stop – Chinatown Buddha Tooth Relic Temple back in SIN. Not sure about why here, but will edit when I find out.

Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them – Cousin Lam ChengChwab, you will never be forgotten – RIP. Anyone who has seen Coco (2017), an animated film that celebrates the Mexican tradition known as Día de Muertos will be able to relate to the quote.

Sat&Sun: needed this weekend to chill and to start with the Christmas gifts now that Thanksgiving is over. A Christmas shopper’s complaint is one of long-standing but the nice thing about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present.

Sun: tkx to Martin for lunch. Introducing him to my favourtie Popiah joint@Glory. Per his request for the foods (left-right) – Achar (Nonya Spicy Pickled Veg), Otak (Fish Paste in Banana-Leaf), Popiah (Springroll SIN-style), Chicken Rendang (Nonya-style) and Laksa (Peranakan style Spicy-Noodle Soup). This young German friend is a real sport and a pleasure to see him try everything with gusto.