Qing Ming Festival @ 4/11/2008 12:42:00 PM

It is the time of the day where we go 扫墓 again. In fact, the festival is coming to an end. If I am not wrong, this coming Sunday (13 Apr) happens to be the last day of Qing Ming Festival.

Qing Ming Jie is a day for the Chinese to remember and honour to their ancestors at the grave sites. All young and old will pray to their ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, (joss) paper accesories to their ancestors. Me? No different from the others and will do what the other do. This coming Saturday (12 Apr) will most likely be going to my maternal grandparents and ancestors grave sites and columbarium to pay respect.

I like this day especially but hey, do not get me wrong. It is not that I enjoy having people dead then paying honours to them. I not that 'black-hearted', ok? I like it because of the togetherness that we will be sharing everytime we get together and this day is no difference.

I have close bonds with my maternal relatives. Really so close that I guess it is not that easily breakable. We might have our differences, bicker abit here and there, do not see eyes-to-eyes at times but when anyone of us need help, be it just to find 'kakis' to play mahjong or seriously need a helping hand, I can guarantee that ALL and I really mean ALL will immediately stand by to help. Not exaggerating a single bit! These have been tested and proven all times.

Talking about Qing Ming Festival, without fail, it always reminds me the past. The lost of my maternal grandmother and 4th Uncle whom had passed on in 2003. *sob sob*

Lost Ah Mah to pneumonia in 2003. She was fighting with 'it' for sometime and we were there for her all the time giving her all the support she needed. Seeing her lying on the hospital bed looking at us without saying a word. We know she had lots to say to us but the oxygen mask was on. She needed that to help her breathe. Everytime we went to the hospital, the earnest looks in her eyes brought pain to us. Bitchy me hated myself to the core because the day she passed away, I was not there to visit her. As usual, taking things for granted, I thought I can do it TOMORROW but TOMORROW never come. Best part of it was that very day was a holiday, I could have simply made a trip to the hospital which was just 10 mins walk away from my house. WHY? BITCHY enough right? Just because it was raining and wet that day, I decided to stay home. End up? I did not get to hold my Ah Mah hands for the last time. She was gone when we finally rushed down. Whenever I think back, I really hated myself. She was gone but peaceful enough, with her children around her. I heard that 2nd Uncle sang song to her, 世上只有妈妈好。How lovely, right? I guess that made Ah Mah contented that she decided that it is time for her to leave and join Ah Gong in the Afterworld. All these while, we were grieving but still, we gave support to one another and our parents as they have lost their mother. We managed to pull through and we tried to collect our feelings and let lives resume back to normal.

Just when we thought things could get better, another lightning struck us. 4th Uncle's condition worsen. He had been fighting with lung cancer for a year or so. There was a period when his condition was better. We were all so happy for him but when news of his cancer spreading real fast, even to his brains, we were told to be ready for the worse. We stood by our 4th Aunt and our cousins. Though they never once said anything or cried in front of us but we knew they were feeling terribly upset. They put up a very brave front because they did not want to worry their mother. I remembered something that their dad said to them when the eldest brother asked if there was anything that he wanted to fulfil. 4th Uncle's reply was "I do not have anything unfulfilled. All I ask for is that you boy can take care of one another and help me take care of your mother". *sob sob sniffle sniffle*. Sad right? Just one simple request from him made all the others around him at that time shed tears.

One precious lesson learnt from Ah Mah's episode was that never to take things for granted and think that you still have TOMORROW because TOMORROW might not come. Therefore, for my 4th Uncle, I never once absent myself from the hospital. We literally 'camped' ourselves in NUH.

4th Uncle left us in Dec 03. We felt that he has deliberately removed the oxygen mask himself. Probably he felt that he did not want to add on burden and misery to all thus he felt that it was best for him to go. Without doubt, we were upset but then, we felt glad for him as he did not have to suffer any further.

Time passes real fast as both of them had left us for almost 5 years. Funny thing is that all these happenings seems like they have happened just yesterday. Sigh!

Learn to treasure your loved ones as you do not want to regret like me.

Below is something that I learnt when I was still young....heheheheh...I was proud of myself that time when I knew how to recite that.

Hmmmm....maybe I should teach my son how to recite that also...;P

清明時節雨紛紛 / 清明时节雨纷纷 / qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
路上行人欲斷魂 / 路上行人欲断魂 / lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún
借問酒家何處有 / 借问酒家何处有 / jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu
牧童遙指杏花村 / 牧童遥指杏花村 / mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn English translation:
A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;
The mourner's heart is breaking on his way.
Where can a hostel be found to drown his sadness?
A cowherd points to Xing Hua village in the distance.

Qing Ming Festival @ 4/11/2008 12:42:00 PM

It is the time of the day where we go 扫墓 again. In fact, the festival is coming to an end. If I am not wrong, this coming Sunday (13 Apr) happens to be the last day of Qing Ming Festival.

Qing Ming Jie is a day for the Chinese to remember and honour to their ancestors at the grave sites. All young and old will pray to their ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, (joss) paper accesories to their ancestors. Me? No different from the others and will do what the other do. This coming Saturday (12 Apr) will most likely be going to my maternal grandparents and ancestors grave sites and columbarium to pay respect.

I like this day especially but hey, do not get me wrong. It is not that I enjoy having people dead then paying honours to them. I not that 'black-hearted', ok? I like it because of the togetherness that we will be sharing everytime we get together and this day is no difference.

I have close bonds with my maternal relatives. Really so close that I guess it is not that easily breakable. We might have our differences, bicker abit here and there, do not see eyes-to-eyes at times but when anyone of us need help, be it just to find 'kakis' to play mahjong or seriously need a helping hand, I can guarantee that ALL and I really mean ALL will immediately stand by to help. Not exaggerating a single bit! These have been tested and proven all times.

Talking about Qing Ming Festival, without fail, it always reminds me the past. The lost of my maternal grandmother and 4th Uncle whom had passed on in 2003. *sob sob*

Lost Ah Mah to pneumonia in 2003. She was fighting with 'it' for sometime and we were there for her all the time giving her all the support she needed. Seeing her lying on the hospital bed looking at us without saying a word. We know she had lots to say to us but the oxygen mask was on. She needed that to help her breathe. Everytime we went to the hospital, the earnest looks in her eyes brought pain to us. Bitchy me hated myself to the core because the day she passed away, I was not there to visit her. As usual, taking things for granted, I thought I can do it TOMORROW but TOMORROW never come. Best part of it was that very day was a holiday, I could have simply made a trip to the hospital which was just 10 mins walk away from my house. WHY? BITCHY enough right? Just because it was raining and wet that day, I decided to stay home. End up? I did not get to hold my Ah Mah hands for the last time. She was gone when we finally rushed down. Whenever I think back, I really hated myself. She was gone but peaceful enough, with her children around her. I heard that 2nd Uncle sang song to her, 世上只有妈妈好。How lovely, right? I guess that made Ah Mah contented that she decided that it is time for her to leave and join Ah Gong in the Afterworld. All these while, we were grieving but still, we gave support to one another and our parents as they have lost their mother. We managed to pull through and we tried to collect our feelings and let lives resume back to normal.

Just when we thought things could get better, another lightning struck us. 4th Uncle's condition worsen. He had been fighting with lung cancer for a year or so. There was a period when his condition was better. We were all so happy for him but when news of his cancer spreading real fast, even to his brains, we were told to be ready for the worse. We stood by our 4th Aunt and our cousins. Though they never once said anything or cried in front of us but we knew they were feeling terribly upset. They put up a very brave front because they did not want to worry their mother. I remembered something that their dad said to them when the eldest brother asked if there was anything that he wanted to fulfil. 4th Uncle's reply was "I do not have anything unfulfilled. All I ask for is that you boy can take care of one another and help me take care of your mother". *sob sob sniffle sniffle*. Sad right? Just one simple request from him made all the others around him at that time shed tears.

One precious lesson learnt from Ah Mah's episode was that never to take things for granted and think that you still have TOMORROW because TOMORROW might not come. Therefore, for my 4th Uncle, I never once absent myself from the hospital. We literally 'camped' ourselves in NUH.

4th Uncle left us in Dec 03. We felt that he has deliberately removed the oxygen mask himself. Probably he felt that he did not want to add on burden and misery to all thus he felt that it was best for him to go. Without doubt, we were upset but then, we felt glad for him as he did not have to suffer any further.

Time passes real fast as both of them had left us for almost 5 years. Funny thing is that all these happenings seems like they have happened just yesterday. Sigh!

Learn to treasure your loved ones as you do not want to regret like me.

Below is something that I learnt when I was still young....heheheheh...I was proud of myself that time when I knew how to recite that.

Hmmmm....maybe I should teach my son how to recite that also...;P

清明時節雨紛紛 / 清明时节雨纷纷 / qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
路上行人欲斷魂 / 路上行人欲断魂 / lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún
借問酒家何處有 / 借问酒家何处有 / jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu
牧童遙指杏花村 / 牧童遥指杏花村 / mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn English translation:
A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;
The mourner's heart is breaking on his way.
Where can a hostel be found to drown his sadness?
A cowherd points to Xing Hua village in the distance.