1st Entry of 2008 - Reflections of 2007 (part 1)
It may have seemed odd to some of you that my 42nd entry was dated 31 Dec 2007 when I had mentioned about my Phuket trip in Jun 2008. Well, there is no mystery: my draft was last saved on 31 Dec 2007 and Blogger published my post as at that date.
The real mystery is: what happened to the writer of this blog for the past 6 months?Let me begin with the latest happening.
I am back in the same unit doing in-camp training. Obviously its the only time when I am free and in the mood to Blog, given that work is so hectic these days that I hardly have energy to Blog at all. There were some changes implemented since my last in-camp training but it was mostly the same - spending time in the library blogging, swimming in the luxurious pool, having unlimited teabreaks and free lunch, enjoying 2 "official" sports activities in the week which takes up the entire morning each day, and a lot of merry-making with the other guys.
Winds of Change
In 2007, my dad retired from his job in a retail store in early 2007. After resting at home for 2 months, he tried working as a security officer for 3 months but didnt like the shifts and the nature of work. He then started working with a recreation club, manning the fruit/jackpot machines, where he is still working today. He is still subject to a shift system and the work is also mundane but more bearable. He was quite happy after visiting Las Vegas with my mum - it was his dream for many years. Gambling is his only passion (besides cooking) and he is so serious about it that he even reads up on casino management and gambling games etc.
My mum started working at a company specialising in providing non-medical care for the elderly. One of the pioneer staff in the company, she became a "star" of a documentary programme on television, which was about elderly care services. In the programme she spoke about her work, and enacted a scene with one of her clients to give a demo of the service provided by her company. Later she was offered a promotion to an administrator job, with higher pay and more responsibility. She was even sent for an overseas training course in Chicago, USA in early March 2008. It was an all expenses paid trip. She didnt like the cold weather there, but she felt honored that at her age she is still considered for such training opportunities that were difficult to come by. Frustrations with work and colleagues abound, but she had found a way of coping - by complaining to me and my dad. haha......
In 2007 I had witnessed 2 deaths in the family. The first one was my maternal grandmother who passed away on the eve of Vesak Day in May. The second was my cousin (mother's brother's eldest son). Both deaths were shrouded in mystery. According to my 2 maternal aunts, both of whom were beside my grandmother when she died, my grandmother's entire room was filled with the fragrance of flowers and she bore a peaceful, serene expression just before she breathed her last breath. The phenomenon only lasted for a few minutes. They believed this phenomenon to be the manifestation of the coming of the Buddha or a Bodhissatva to bring my grandmother's soul to Western Paradise.
My couin, on the other hand, died alone in his home about 72 days later and was found in a pool of dried blood at least one or two days after his death. The cause of death was internal bleeding caused by trauma to the skull, apparently due to a fall that caused his head to hit the floor (there were no signs of forced entry and foul play was ruled out). He was only 40 years old and he was in the pink of health, eating only organic vegetables and not suffering from any diseases. The circumstances surrounding his death were similar to his father's more than 30 years ago - alone in the house, died after a fall. I guess that a momentary blackout caused by stroke probably caused his fall, but my mother's theory was that it was grandmother's soul who returned to bring him to Paradise with her.
(continued in Part 2)
The real mystery is: what happened to the writer of this blog for the past 6 months?Let me begin with the latest happening.
I am back in the same unit doing in-camp training. Obviously its the only time when I am free and in the mood to Blog, given that work is so hectic these days that I hardly have energy to Blog at all. There were some changes implemented since my last in-camp training but it was mostly the same - spending time in the library blogging, swimming in the luxurious pool, having unlimited teabreaks and free lunch, enjoying 2 "official" sports activities in the week which takes up the entire morning each day, and a lot of merry-making with the other guys.
Winds of Change
In 2007, my dad retired from his job in a retail store in early 2007. After resting at home for 2 months, he tried working as a security officer for 3 months but didnt like the shifts and the nature of work. He then started working with a recreation club, manning the fruit/jackpot machines, where he is still working today. He is still subject to a shift system and the work is also mundane but more bearable. He was quite happy after visiting Las Vegas with my mum - it was his dream for many years. Gambling is his only passion (besides cooking) and he is so serious about it that he even reads up on casino management and gambling games etc.
My mum started working at a company specialising in providing non-medical care for the elderly. One of the pioneer staff in the company, she became a "star" of a documentary programme on television, which was about elderly care services. In the programme she spoke about her work, and enacted a scene with one of her clients to give a demo of the service provided by her company. Later she was offered a promotion to an administrator job, with higher pay and more responsibility. She was even sent for an overseas training course in Chicago, USA in early March 2008. It was an all expenses paid trip. She didnt like the cold weather there, but she felt honored that at her age she is still considered for such training opportunities that were difficult to come by. Frustrations with work and colleagues abound, but she had found a way of coping - by complaining to me and my dad. haha......
In 2007 I had witnessed 2 deaths in the family. The first one was my maternal grandmother who passed away on the eve of Vesak Day in May. The second was my cousin (mother's brother's eldest son). Both deaths were shrouded in mystery. According to my 2 maternal aunts, both of whom were beside my grandmother when she died, my grandmother's entire room was filled with the fragrance of flowers and she bore a peaceful, serene expression just before she breathed her last breath. The phenomenon only lasted for a few minutes. They believed this phenomenon to be the manifestation of the coming of the Buddha or a Bodhissatva to bring my grandmother's soul to Western Paradise.
My couin, on the other hand, died alone in his home about 72 days later and was found in a pool of dried blood at least one or two days after his death. The cause of death was internal bleeding caused by trauma to the skull, apparently due to a fall that caused his head to hit the floor (there were no signs of forced entry and foul play was ruled out). He was only 40 years old and he was in the pink of health, eating only organic vegetables and not suffering from any diseases. The circumstances surrounding his death were similar to his father's more than 30 years ago - alone in the house, died after a fall. I guess that a momentary blackout caused by stroke probably caused his fall, but my mother's theory was that it was grandmother's soul who returned to bring him to Paradise with her.
(continued in Part 2)
posted by sunshine wallflower at 4:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home