Death...

its the first time i ever encountered death so close...
i've never attended many funerals...
the few times that i have attended...
are Christian funerals...
and these are joyous events...
as the deceased have gone to join our Father in heaven...

last week...
kelvin's aunt passed away...
and we spent the whole weekend at the wake...
and finally "sending her off" at Choa Chu Kang

as we're not very close to this aunt
we actually did not feel anything much
however
on the last night...
when the priests came to do all the rituals and the chanting
so many people were crying their hearts out...
the deceased's sisters...
the closer relatives...
her niece and nephews...
her sons and pregnant daughter...
i couldnt help but feel sad from the bottom of my heart

it was also at this time that i truly felt that this is not just some kids playing "masak-masak"
its for real...
someone has actually left us...
though it didnt hurt me much...
as she wasnt someone really close...
however...to her close friends...her children...
they've lost someone so dear...

on sunday morning...
we were at Choa Chu Kang cemetary...
saw the coffin lowered down into the ground...
everyone started throwing a handful of sand and shouting out to her...
it was such a sad sight...
her sisters were crying their hearts out...
my mom-in-law just lost a sister-in-law...she too was crying her hearts out...

well...i used to be soooo afraid of Chinese funerals...
bcos of all the chinese dolls and chanting...etc
however, i've come to realise...
beneath all these...
people have lost their loved one...