Well...

Saturday: So my grandmother finally left her ailing corporeal form on Saturday morning. To be fair, I thought it was just a matter of time because she wasn't looking that well when I last saw her at reunion dinner. 

Because it was so sudden, I imagine that it must've put a damper on people's plans (if they had any) - I had a ticket to Gold Rain and Hailstones that night (which I got to exchange for another performance for a nominal fee and it was SOLD OUT), one uncle was in JB... I don't know about anyone else. 

To be honest, I was kinda dreading the funeral ceremony based on what I heard about my grandfather's funeral all those years ago (I was in the US then) - it was a long drag of a Taoist ceremony. I was expecting this to be no different. Especially with my dad being the eldest son.  

The 'rents got us (the sibling and I) rooms at a nearby homestay because having at least a dozen people and only one bathroom in the whole place is not pretty and they knew we (I mean my bro) hated that situation growing up. 

Sunday: The wake where people came to pay their respects, etc. Mum's siblings came by, as well as some of Dad's friends, colleagues, etc. As the "senior" daughter in law, Mum had to offer a portion of the food to her late mother in law before anyone else could eat. 

The funeral rites were LONG. Most of my other cousins either grew up with her and/or had a better relationship with her than I (or my bro) did. I would like to think they were tearing up because she passed, but it's probably because of the billowing joss stick smoke, etc. One cousin was noticeably absent because he just had a kid and it was just bad ju-ju in general.

Luckily for me, my Mandarin comprehension was (still is, TBH) shit because I don't really know what was going on even though the group conducting the prayer had a LED signboard with erm, surtitles for the spectators (almost the whole town showed up like they had nothing better to do on a Sunday night) to follow along.

I don't know if the people conducting the ceremony really knew their lines or were lip syncing, but wow, the waterworks... Several sessions over several hours. Tiring was an understatement.

The ceremony ended with us lugging all the paper money and stuff we were supposed to burn at a nearby open area and not looking back as we walked away. We only finished this portion of the ceremony after midnight. I was just ready to crash because the funeral starts at 10 a.m next day.

The catered meals were not too bad, I guess, under the circumstances. The auntie cooking them had A LOT of erm, wisdom, to share. 

Sure got people buy the "registration number"
for 4D already... 

Monday: More ceremony and at one point I slipped, landed wrong and my right arm hurt like a MOFO and I couldn't drive at all.

One of my mum's first cousins came and joined in the final walk around the kampung (he was carrying our bags and stuff) before we went off to Semenyih. The route was closed to usual traffic. My bro (as "senior" grandson even though I'm my dad's firstborn - yay for sexism?) and even a cousin-in-law (my aunt's eldest son-in-law) had to lead the procession with my dad and his siblings.

Because of my arm, I didn't join them in the burial process at the plot on the hill. But my bio-aunt joined us in Semenyih (who was noticeably upset when she came by on Saturday night because grandma had been her last living bio-parent).

After she was finally laid to rest (finally occupying the space next to the grandfather), we all travelled back, mandi bunga, had a bit of hair trimmed off (or else cannot get hair cut for 100 days or something like that). And apparently my bro missed the part/memo where we were supposed to dispose of the sweaty, unwashed mourning outfits we had been wearing (for a night and day straight, mind you) before we got back. (Which I only found out from some of the cousins at a gas station on the way back; changing with a sprained arm was a PITA)

But it was time for me and the sibling to head back to PJ because it was too early to eat the provided meal for dinner. Stopped for dinner on the way home at the infamous halal CKT in SS3.

All in all, there was a lot of missed and mixed messages and it was chaotic AF. It was also hot and miserable for this candle princess. And I'm sick and tired of regular 100 Plus now.

Family lunch at Rebung

Months since plans were made for the big family lunch at Rebung (for their buffet lunch, natch). Okaylah, since July, but still. 

Sibling and I got tasked with bringing the grandmother with us since the 'rents wanted to go to (nearby) Lake Club afterwards unencumbered and she (grandma) didn't really want to travel with my uncle, auntie, cousin and his two kids in a pickup she can barely climb unto. Having been there a few times now, we got there in no time. 

BTW, parking there now is RM4 per entry. 

We got there, mentioned my aunt's reservation and we got one of the private rooms (plus another table outside...?). The three of us got there just as the buffet started (few minutes before noon), so we started to digging in right away. Some of the families got a little lost finding their way there; I think one actually ended up at Titiwangsa...? (Allegedly)

There were also a couple of weddings happening there, so the place was the most chaotic I've ever seen once the wedding guests got their turn to eat. Was kinda sad that there was no grilled pari or the ais kacang station (can use the evaporated milk for teh-o and kopi-o), but I'm okay with the asam pedas too... to the detriment of my post nasal drip. Some of the party complained that the desserts were too sweet, to which I say... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Before we left, one auntie asked someone if Chef Ismail was available to take some pictures. I dunno what line she used, but I give the man credit for agreeing (I've heard that he's pretty accommodating). I'm just kinda hoping that my grandma didn't accidentally call him Chef Wan or something... 😬

Wedding reception at Hotel Bangi-Putrajaya

Better part of Saturday was spent at the second cousin's local wedding reception (they were already legally married in San Fran last year) held at the Hotel Bangi-Putrajaya (formerly Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya). Since I actually like and get along with this second cousin (also I wouldn't have to foot the angpau bill with the 'rents in attendance), I was fine with going. Her dad (my cousin-uncle) mostly invited first-cousins (mum, her siblings as well as the East Coast cousins and their kids) and a second cousin (which I didn't know of/brain farted about?) and his family (that I noticed). 

What the invitation card didn't say (or if we missed it somehow) was that it was going to be held outside by the pool in the heat and the haze. Can't say I wasn't the only one tempted to jump into the pool. Some over-accesorised with scarves and jackets. I was just glad that I didn't wear stilettos. There was also a contingency (indoor) venue in case it rained, but fat luck with that since it hasn't rained that much in weeks. Which must be great for the Canadian in-laws (his parents, aunt and uncle, brother) that actually made it  because it's chilly back in Toronto, but still. 

The only other thing I knew about this was that it was going to be a buffet dinner. What threw me off was that everyone got served with minestrone soup tableside. By the time I was done with the soup, the line for the buffet got annoyingly long. Started with a salad because there was no line at the salad bar :P Food was mostly edible.

There were the usual speeches and stuff. What I didn't expect was the shoe game where both bride and groom answer questions about the other by raising the other person's shoe (that they swapped at the start) to mean the person. The only people who made some use of the dance floor at the end of the evening were the Canadians. 

No one was sure if guests were supposed to help themselves to the cupcakes and cookies until the MC gave the okay. Then all hell broke loose... kidding.

Orchid or vulva? You could ask the same of Georgia O' Keeffe paintings..

As it is with these things, sibling and I ended up waiting for the 'rents as they chewed the fat with mum's cousins and cousins-in-law while the hotel staff were clearing up around them. Only got home past midnight. So tired, and not just from the weather, haze and also general stickiness; but also from the sudden Ominous Itch in the Throat. So annoying. 

Anyway, we got a portion of the (edible) wedding cake home - fondant covered fruit cake - which might take awhile to erm, finish.

Haul from Down Under

The 'rents are finally home from Sydney. I think my mum sapu-ed Australia of their Arnott's biscuits - she said they were AUD2 each :P - not to mention a whole lotta stuff too.

See?

Saddest part is that this may be the only pair of balls I'll ever get to handle in my lifetime :P

Cheng Beng again

I don't know when exactly is Cheng Beng this year; but yeah, another year, another trip to Semenyih. 

It wasn't hard getting out of bed at 5.30 a.m. this morning because I basically did not sleep a wink - I never got past the first stage of the sleep cycle (it was too warm to fall asleep properly), so there was no deep sleep to get out of. I also heard my dad already up and about at 4.30 a.m. for goodness-knows-why (I checked my watch, that's how I knew the time). I definitely wasn't expecting my appetite to be working at that hour, either - I finished most of a beef pie before we left.

We also (for once) weren't stuck waiting for everyone else - the place is too crowded and vast to just casually meander off and see what everyone else's burial plots look like. Man, was I glad we were done before 10 a.m.  and home before noon.

Unless you have to clean up graves, I wouldn't do a road trip to anywhere with a decent-sized cemetery until late April.

Got home, did an errand, and got my second free frappucino at the 'bucks in Kelana Jaya for some more caffeine. Aahhh....

More on the long CNY weekend

Saturday: Family CNY dinner (other side) happened Saturday night at Two Fatty Seafood in SS2, located literally the other end from Cheow Yang if you're familiar with that area. It started to rain an hour before we were due there and it poured heavily by the time we got there; we were the first to arrive and it took me and the sibling literally a walk around the block before anyone else finally got there in that weather. One uncle's family (uncle, auntie, three cousins, one's cousin's wife and two young sons) was stuck in highway traffic on their way back from up north, but fortunately for them we were only on the third dish when they finally got there.

The dishes were edible, and they were certainly a different take on the usual dishes, like the steamed fish with chicken essence and the duck roasted chicken; the (and my favourite) "shark fin" soup was seasoned enough that I didn't really need to lay on the soy sauce (I don't take mine with vinegar) - not that there was any to be found. And the corn mochi portion of the dessert was pretty interesting as well. Being at the table with the lowest average age, we got stuck with leftovers from the other tables. Sorry, no pictures - everyone attacked the food before I had a chance to and I didn't want to be that person :P

Afterwards, we adjourned to the gambling afterparty where there were the usual low stakes card games (grandkids) and mahjong (my mum, two aunts and one of the aunt's sons taking turns; they finally decided to take it up again after years of not doing so, so the rules are pretty fuzzy with them and they're going with what they can recall of Malay mahjong [go figure]) going on until after midnight. The sons- and daughters-in-law and uncle were huddled in one corner drinking and talking cock. Me? After losing RM1 the first time I played cards with the cousins, I decided to jump in again before the night ended and just broke even :P

Sunday (so far): Was up around 8 something - it was a couple of hours before I drove with the cousin in tow to Midvalley and Gardens for her to get her shopping on (and staying in KL the rest of the week to do so). Only lasted a few hours :P And I was road testing the Shape Ups, and I feel fine so far.

Mummy's back from Egypt

Mum got back from Egypt yesterday afternoon. Apart from the dry, itchy skin she got from under-moisturising while there, she seems fine.

So I got a HUGE collectible Starbucks City mug (which she got at the airport, since she didn't spot any outside of the airport), which looks something like this ... no, I didn't take a picture, but I found it on this site: GOT MUGGED: STARBUCKS CITY MUG COLLECTOR SERIES 1994-2008. You get the idea.

She also bought tee shirts, other clothes, perfume (which is so pure one drop is enough)...

Family matters

'Rents came back from Bali Wednesday - as usual, all we got were souvenir Bali tee shirts (was hoping for something from the Bali Hard Rock Cafe, but oh well). As usual they also brought back a lot of food stuff, including steamed choc cake (what the..?) and Mum's favourite prickly, serpentine-looking buah salak.

Found out later yesterday morning that one of the grandaunts (one of Gran's sisters) have passed away from colon cancer (O_o). With Mum on leave most of the week, she went ahead with her siblings (that are available) to visit. We (the family) are going tomorrow afternoon, which I'm fine with, since it's not like I have a JOB to go to at the moment. To be fair, I can't remember the last time I've ever seen her - if I had to guess, it was probably about 10 years ago, when I was still in high school. It has been that long and I don't remember seeing her since. No worries, not terribly broken up about it.

Annual longest Sunday of the year

This is the first weekend before actual Ching Ming (which is next weekend, if I'm not wrong).

Woke up around 5 am yesterday morning (after only a few hours of sleep after being awakened by the noisy stray cats), had some tea and scrambled eggs before leaving the house about half an hour later.

Only got to Nirvana Semenyih after 7 a.m. because of the jam going in. Waited quite a bit waiting for the rest of the relatives to come with the rest of the stuff. I think there was a reason why they had the "tradition" of the graveside picnic - to finish the food they brought so that they don't have to bring any of it home.

Finally left the place around 9.30 a.m. taking the scenic route back home. Turns out we've been driving past the Semenyih dam, which is pretty to look at, but was going so fast I couldn't really get a good picture. I probably should've used the burst photography mode, but oh well.

Glad that I didn't drive.

Anyway, was home for a bit and went to check out the Triumph sale in Jaya 33 - only bought some thongs, didn't really bother with the bras. Lunch was at one of the mamaks (Kayu was there for a while, but not anymore), which could be better.

Finally fell asleep for a bit watching the second hour of The Tonight Show, in front of the TV.

Mum didn't cook, so had Pizza Hut for dinner. The pizzas we had were less than delicious (there seems to have less tomato sauce than usual), but still finished them because we were hungry.

Heavy thunderstorm soon after, which gave me a bit of a break.

My last couple of days...

Wednesday was spent in Genting with a couple of friends who wanted to get out and I was the one with free lodging (in the form of an apartment in Genting Permai). Managed to use the "heated" pool (still cold cos the heat wasn't on - sheesh) for a bit before it rained. Learnt some mahjong before dinner at Gohtong Jaya before taking the cable car up (now RM10 return; it used to be RM6 a trip before). Managed to walk through the newer casino and had drinks at Starbucks (not in that order) before coming back down again. By the time we got back I had to retire as I was having a headache and I didn't bring my Panadol supply (damnit).

Woke up early, had some caffeine in me before attempting the block pool (again) before giving up after 5 minutes because it was a cold morning and the heat didn't kick in. Showered, hung around waiting for someone to wake up and shower before leaving for breakfast in Gohtong Jaya. Later checked out the nearby strawberry farm (not worth it) before coming back again. Fumbled my way through some more mahjong before calling it quits and leaving.

Stopped by Desa Waterfront en route home but it was too hot to check out the actual waterfront.

Came home and killed a few hours before the annual family potluck, where I learnt the Malay version of mahjong (HAH), which is about as confusing. It was interesting to see my mum and aunts trying to remember how to play the Malay version of the game after 40 years of not playing. Good thing the uncle was around to serve as mahjong consultant. I swear, this will die with our generation because of the PJ third generation (myself included) are not proficient enough.

(No, I have no idea why we never learnt this any sooner as well)

Another mob dinner...

Well, not really the mob lah (allegedly), but it was time again for another street dinner. (Previous bitch fest here). Mum got her youngest sis and her family all the way from Puchong, plus Gran.

Despite being table number one (shit you not), we were right in front of the freaking huge speakers (I always wish that the sound system would conk out, but it never does). It was either that, or the occasional whiff of the nearby drain. Guess where we ended up at.

This time the drinks were not generic Tesco pop, which I can't bitch about - we got a big bottle of mineral water, sugarless Pepsi Max (the sibling nearly wet himself), and orange soft drink.

The entertainment was ghastly - more singing of the old Chinese songs (to please the major demographic of attendees). The guy (this time) tried singing Billie Jean at someone's request, but thankfully stopped after a couple of lines.

Auction of gold painted lucky shit was ridiculous - starting bids of RM388 end up being in the thousands. WTF. Also no luck with the lucky draw this time, which was too bad cos the sibling wanted the microwave oven grand prize, haha.

Food was not that bad (same caterer, methinks), but it was freaking slow (as usual). It took so long between dishes we cleaned up everything and didn't really have anything to tar pau (this time a lot of people brought along containers for leftovers). Only thing we brought back was scraps for the cat and the unfinished drinks.

Sigh, should be in bed now. Adios.

Another wedding, another makan

Went to my (paternal) uncle's in-law's place, who conveniently lives NEXT DOOR to aforementioned uncle. And you thought Ray Barone had it tough having his parents live across the street from him, but I like to think my uncle's got a better relationship with his in-laws than Debra has with Marie (haha).

Anyway, we were over there Friday night as his brother in law is getting married this weekend and was invited for the pre-wedding buffet dinner at the house.

Only left about 8 something cos was waiting for the 'rents to come home.

The food was not that bad (catered), there was free-flowing Tiger beer, satay and ais kacang... etc etc. The only carb I had (really) was the spuds in the chicken curry.

Only left about 10 something - I don't know really know why Dad insisted on lingering as there were more and more people coming in and we were just taking up space - and I was bored stupid from 9 something.

Fortunately, only the 'rents are going to the actual wedding dinner the next night.

Sorta busy Sunday

Woke up around 8 something to get to the temple to do the Cheng Beng rites for the grandfather and great grandmother. The place is under renovation and traffic was bad (not terrible) because of both the Thai New Year (Songkran) and Easter celebrations of the nearby churches (First Baptist and Glad Tidings). At least the boys had fun burning the hell notes and all that stuff. Even my youngest uncle showed up, which is not very often. We finished up quickly.

We made it home pretty quick because we took another way home instead of the direct route past Glad Tidings.

After a brief interlude at home, I drove over to 1U and found a parking spot pretty quickly despite the noon-ish hour, which was a bit odd lah... I wonder if the Easter celebrations have anything to do with it?

Anyway, spent a good few hours there, wasn't really rushing it like I would've normally. Finally had a McDs McValue lunch set - think I'm getting too old to have McDs anymore cos I couldn't finish the last bite of the double cheeseburger. Fries were great as usual. But man, was that place packed.

Stopped by the Stila counter, which was not as crowded as yesterday (from what I heard). Only got an eyeshadow refill (no pan) as someone else beat me to the foundation stick in my shade. Oh well.

Another year, another Cheng Beng

Almost forgot about the Cheng Beng until Mum reminded us kids a couple of days ago that we're supposed to wake up before the sun come up for this. Ho-kay. I guess being like the very first weekend that people could do this, the trip was not as painful as previous years: minimal traffic in and out. Weather was also not too bad, it didn't get too warm.

The burning part ran a little too long because they had loads of hell notes to burn and there was also a Merz effigy to burn on top of all that.




Got home about 11 something, which is none too soon. Fell asleep around 1 something in the afternoon from the lack of sleep. I only woke up because I was sweating and just as well, as it was about time for my weekend dose of Leno. AND I've not entirely caught up with all the Colbert Report for the last couple of weeks because of the crappy internet connection and I won't have access to my laptop for about 36 hours once I wake up tomorrow morning. (I refuse to lug it around, if I had a netbook, perhaps... but not the typical-sized laptop). Thank goodness for Changi's internet-enabled booths.

For the moment I'm done packing (checked off the packing list I made on Monday), but there could be a couple of things to stuff in just before I leave.

CNY week comes to a close...

Yesterday was the family annual potluck. This year was at the youngest aunt's place in Bukit Kinrara, where most of us have never been before since they moved there. Mum attempted to make Gran's famous laksa, which also saw approval from the matriarch when she stopped by earlier in the day to check on it, haha. While my brother vaguely remembered how they get to the Kinrara in general, but not the house exactly. Eventually found the place based on logic lah. Dad didn't come along as he had a prior engagement.

One aunt made nasi kunyit and chicken curry (also with Gran's supervision), another bought 200 sticks of chicken and beef satay, my uncle bought KFC and my auntie (in my uncle's absence, who's still in America) ordered Domino's and the pizzas came before they did.

I was glad that their living room was air-conditioned cos of the number of people present and all that. Lost some money in low-stakes card games (which is just as well, cos someone of my sign has been told not to gamble :p), and we ended up playing Uno and the (very painful) Heart Attack towards the end of the night.

My cousin and his family came; everyone was busy fussing with the new 5 month old baby. I had to remind the aunties that they're now kor po (grandaunt), and it was a little funny when one aunt said that sounded SO OLD. (So did Mum when she thought about it some days before). He and family disappeared for awhile (presumably to mind the baby in some peace and quiet), and came out again while some of us were playing cards. I saw him watching (while downing a slice of pizza) when I was dealing the cards and I remembered the days when he used to take charge of the card playing sessions. Oh well.

Anyway, got lost on the way home - missed the first U-turn back and ended up taking a freaking long detour through KL and PJ Old Town before reaching home. Urgh.

Happy Chinese Niu Year

Sorry, had to get the pun out of the system. :P

Anyway, the day was mostly a snore because I spent most of the day taking short naps because the weather was so terrible. Only left about 3 pm only because my uncle and family were going out to visit other people.

Came home, leftovers for dinner and went out for yumcha in Uptown with friend Ivan, who's fortunate enough not to have to leave town for the celebration :P

So that was how my birthday went. Hmm.

Craptastic street dinner

Get this: Dad bought a table at this dinner which happened last night. Word is that it's organised by the local mob, I don't know. Which would be no problem, except for the rain yesterday. It rained most of the day - from mid-afternoon all the way into the night.

Despite the fact that I only left the office around 6.30 p.m. (shit happens), we were still pretty early as the turnout's pretty slow because of the thunderstorm. My mum called her sister and her family, her brother and sister-in-law, and Gran along to fill up the table as Dad wasn't gonna show that night. (I should mention at this point that the dinner's held on the street in the industrial area near Mayang Plaza - makeshift shed for the night, the works). So when we first got there, we saw my uncle and auntie and chewed the fat for a while. It was still pouring heavily and our table was next to an uncovered rain gutter, rain water pouring unto electric wire used for the AV equipment for the night. Sounds safe, no?

So to stay on the safe side, Mum took it up with the organiser and they literally MOVED the table, cutlery and all, to the back of the dining area, near the makeshift kitchen.

The food was so-so, but the service was damn freaking SLOW as they took forever to plate the food and get it out for us bloody hungry diners. We were waiting for what seemed to be forever for the first dish (and the rest of the menu, basically). Being placed near the kitchen didn't really help as I was getting myself annoyed for no reason that they haven't assembled the next dish as we were digging into the current dish we're eating. Gah. If it was Friday or Saturday night instead of Wednesday night, I wouldn't have minded so much, but come on... the rest of us had to go to work the next day!!

The entertainment's really craptastic - singing PYTs and an auction of gold-painted feng shui items in varying degrees of gaudiness and dust collection potential. I couldn't tell if it was only ONE singer with several costume changes or there's more than one person singing - that's how far from the stage we were. It's times like this I wish that the AV equipment was out of commission because between the singing and the crappy remixes of old pop tunes I wanted to shoot myself. I was contemplating killing the singer on stage with a killer delivery of a chopstick or carrot stick (as an ode to Shoot 'Em Up), except that I didn't have access to the latter at that point in time. I was laughing my head off when the singer on stage mentioned (in Mandarin, of course) that she'll be signing autographs later. (I should mention that they were selling albums and posters).

As it is with dinners of this kind, there usually is a lucky draw. (We were given the stubs earlier in the evening). It was really dumb of the organisers to have the lucky draw towards the end of dinner as people are more eager to leave than to stay for it. (They had wasted way too much time on the damn auction). Out of the numbers we got, 2 got drawn (my auntie went up after me, I heard). As we were about to leave, I heard one of our numbers being called and I ran towards the stage from the car (we parked nearby, so I didn't have far to run). I got the prize (a tiny hamper) from the local state assemblyman and the moment recorded digitally (DAMNIT!!!), which made me wish that I sent my bro instead. I was cursing at myself as I got off the stage and we went home right after that, which was great cos I didn't think my bladder was gonna hold it anymore.

My first glimpse of the hamper was the small bottle of SKOL as the tower item. Once we unwrapped the hamper at home, it was pretty obvious that it was sponsored by Carlsberg as the bottom layer consisted of 3 cans of lychee-flavoured Shandy (which we've been meaning to try anyway) and three malt drinks. Stocking fillers were a beer bottle cosy (at least, that's what I thought it was - could be a pen holder for all I know), a multi-tool that had both Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, pliers, a tiny LED flashlight and knife. The only item I kept out of the hamper was a little baggie holding five clear green dice which I thought were pretty cute.

Birthdays, birthdays

Today my dad and cousin is 60 and 13, respectively.

Didn't really buy a particular gift for my dad, seeing that he's one of those people who can bloody well afford what he wants, so I didn't. However, I DID buy a humourous birthday card, which the both of us signed. So yeah. I know 60's a huge milestone in the Chinese tradition, but.... meh.

Dad wanted to buy a nice dinner, but as his son (my brother) had an exam ending at 9.30 p.m. tonight, that was out of the question. Mum went out to buy dinner and a cake instead from SS2.

Cake's untouched at the moment because 'rents had nodded off to sleep. Oh well.

More Cheng Beng

This being the last weekend where one can perform Cheng Beng rites to the dearly departed (the 10 days before and after April 4), we finally done it (for Mum's side).

We picked up Gran in the new car (yes, it's finally here) and drove on to Section 10, PJ. Got caught in the traffic of churchgoers leaving church and people also paying their respects to their own departed relations at the temple, which is what happens when there's one too many places of worship concentrated in one area. *swears under breath*

There was Gran, all four of her daughters, 3 of her sons-in-law and some of the grandkids showed up (including yours truly). Both uncles and their families - no show.

Didn't help that the locally-based Thais were also celebrating their new year called Songkran - equipped with HUGE water-filled, fluorescent-coloured water guns and plaster, dousing each other in the spirit of washing away the bad to welcome the good.

Like the last round, we set out the food for both late grandfather and great-grandmother, lit some incense, paid the respects, and to pass the time waiting for the incense to burn, snooped around the other residents of the columbarium, including the ones in the new building right across the one they're in, which is more modern-looking and air-conditioned. Even the double lots weren't too shabby.

We also brought along the paper stuff to be burned: my aunt bought the boxes of clothes and other "necessities" - though I can't help but notice that the sets were a little "gender neutral"; erm, a pearl necklace, gold man's watch with a "leather" man's wallet in one package? I'm sure they could do better. My bro's contribution was a "carton" of cigs for Ah Kong, who was quite the smoker in his day. (It was either that or a paper radio as he also listened to the radio a lot too).

[Sorry, no pictures - maybe next year lah, haha]

My only thought about the matter is:

- There's no paper "iPod"; and the media hasn't picked up on it if someone somewhere makes, err...recreates and sell it (The Star likes to highlight the new and different items that are available for the dead around this time of year - stuff like laptops and such that dead people can use where ever they are).
- I think they should have mini paper Starbucks-es or something like that as well, haha - to which that brother of mine tells me that he'll burn for me when the time comes (and if available). Oh gee, thanks.

Once we checked if Ah Kong and the great grandmother was done "eating", we went on to burn the other paper stuff in their burn box. We let the guys indulge in the socially and culturally-sanctioned pyromania tendencies and let them burn the things before we went our separate ways back home.

Cheng Beng, Qing Ming, Tomb Sweeping Day

Woke up around 5.30 a.m. to get to Nirvana in Semenyih to beat the crowd.

Even at that hour, most of the cars we saw on the road were pretty much on the same way there, so that was a little redundant. But got there with plenty of time anyway despite the slight crawl encountered here and there. With the rest of the relatives still stuck in traffic, mum and I still had time to go to the loo (inadvisable).

Killed the waiting time by going around admiring the other places of eternal rest (not the whole park, obviously - it's massive)...

When the rest finally turn up (who were bringing the rest of the paraphernalia: hell money and what not), the food offering was set up, joss sticks were lit, and we prayed.

After that the paper was burned, and then more incense was lit (probably to use them up, but whatever).

At 8 something in the morning... or was it 7? Oh, who cares.

The hills are alive... with people, noise and smoke.

Additional touch announcing to the world that it's NOT strictly just a cemetery.

I like the lawn furniture touch... some of the family plots had more than one set of table and chairs. Don't want to know how much they paid for it.

My brother, taking a break from all the praying, burning and cleaning

We all left about 10 something, took a rather scenic route (didn't expect to see a LAKE, and no - I don't know which one is it), but at least we weren't stuck in a lot of traffic, and was home in less time than last year. (Got home about noon-ish).