Everyone is busy with preparing for the Chinese New Year. The cleaning, the food preparations, the shopping, etc….
I was preparing for the same until so many things struck…….
3 weeks before CNY, I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, a size of 8.5cm x 7cm, sitting in my uterus. The hassle of going for more tests, in and out of hospitals, is just tiring. And when one is so sedated after a colonoscopy, the doctor starts to bombard with even more of his analysis, sharing whatever much you can comprehend and ultimately leaving the doctor's clinic with as much understanding as you had just walked in. The only difference I realized? I have max out my credit card simply by walking in and out of the clinic!!!
The ordeal? A tiring one.
Then just one week before ushering the Rat, I dreamed of one of my deceased uncle. He was childless and had doted on me a lot. So I was made his god-daughter. I'll cut short on the dream. I decided to pay him a visit at the temple since it was his death anniversary. It was pouring en route to the temple. And since I can't just go empty handed without buying some "food" for him, I stopped by at a petrol kiosk and the only thing I could get hold of to offer the dead were chocolates, potato chips, biscuits and a can of iced coffee!!!
On the same day, I was also told that one of my grand aunt had passed away, at age 80. She is kinda of close grand aunt of mine. She is a nun and lives in a temple which we visit her every year during CNY. My dad's and sis's tablets are also in the same temple so I pop over to say hello to her every time I'm there and she will always give me a red packet. In fact, she had just attended my wedding 1 year ago!! I decided I had to attend her wake that night. So, I drove up to Tampines with my 86 year old grandma to pay our last respects. It was crowded. My great grandfather had 4 wives, so you can imagine the number of relatives there. But the crowd could not beat the chilly night. It was cold and wet…..and it somehow made it more depressing when the huge entourage of monks and nuns from the temple were chanting. Made me goose pimpled….but I felt peaceful.
On that same day, while having lunch with my ex colleagues, I was told that one of my ex-colleagues' brother had passed away in a road accident that morning!!! Another news of a death.
Yesterday night, while closing up the business for the day at HQ, we received a call from a staff from another outlet. There had been a fire outbreak!! Fire engines were called in!! We rushed down from HQ and arrived at the wet, burnt out scene. It was a disaster. The stall next to us was affected too. The whole place was burnt to black, now covered with powder and water. And I can still smell the smoke. The landlord was called in, the operating agent was called in, insurance surveyor was called in, statements were given, photos were taken. And…….? We couldn't contact the chef of that outlet!!! But the best thing that happened……. No casualty. All our workers were not hurt, just frightened. Thank Goodness!!
