8419

My two sisters had dreamed Ah Gong for several time. Last night was the first time Ah Gong appeared in my dream. It came in at the end of my dream. It happened in my old house in Damasara Utama.

Ah Gong woke up from the bed in a small room and he walked towards the toilet in master bedroom. After that I called him but he did not have any reaction. So I kept calling him when he walked out from toilet. Ah Ma and my sister did not said anything. So only I called him alone and I felt excited. he walked without the stick and walked to the bed and lie down. I saw his hair is long and asked him to cut his hair in barber shop. He never replied to me . I can clearly saw Ah Gong. He was fatter that before.

After I waked up, tear came out from my eyes. I felt so glad to see him the first time in my dream. Last night was 19 Jan 10, and Ah Gong's actual age is 84 before he passed away. So, Jean's car number is 8419.

TC

THE 49th DAY PRAYER

According to the Tibetan School of Buddhism, when a person dies he is not reborn immediately. There is an intermediate flux state (Bardo) between death and rebirth. The Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Death) describes the various transitional stages of Bardos the dead person has to go through before his reincarnation on the 49th day. The Bardo Thodol is normally read (chanted) aloud to the dead as guidance to enlightenment and for the liberation to occur in the cycle of rebirth.

I don’t know whether Dad has ever professed himself a Buddhist or Taoist. However, in recent years he had come to terms with the issue of death and had decided on a Buddhist Memorial Park as his final resting place. Mom is a devout Buddhist. She is anxious that the proper rites, rituals and prayers are followed to the letter. It will bring her much solace and peace of mind if all prescribed procedures are followed. As children and grandchildren, regardless of what our religious belief or lack of it, we should respect her wishes.

The 49th Day prayer at the temple is the final rite that marks the end of the funeral ceremonies. As it is such a religiously significant and important event, we should all try to be present, to show our support and at the same time to pay our final respect to dad.
Ample notice is hereby given so that you can reschedule your other appointments and keep the day free for the final 49th Day prayer session.

Venue: Quan Ying Ting (Temple)
Date: Wednesday 27th January 2010
Time: 2:30P.M.

simon - 18 January 2010

My memories.

After reading so many write-ups about living experience with Ah Gong by Ng family members, I would also like to write sometings but don't not how am I going to start from. Maybe I talk someting during my childhood (from baby to age 6 years old) when I was staying in Kluang (Sunrise Park).

When I was 2 to 3 years old, I slept with Ah Gong and Ah Ma in a King size bed at night. I slept in between them, so I slept peacefully. In the morning when I woke up, I saw no one on the bed and I felt scared. I cried for Ah Ma to come to accompanied my. Sometimes, Ah Ma was busy in the kitchen and Ah Gong came to me. I was angry and asked him to go away.

Ah Gong always drove me to my young aunty's house to play with her. Her name is Ah Fen and she was one year elder than me. Sometimes I followed Ah Gong to his workplace, Magnum 4D. Every time I reached there, his colleges (mostly aunties) like to played with me and said I am cute. Once I simply wrote four numbers to one of the aunties. Luckily she bought the number and won a small prize.

Most of the time I went out with Ah Ma to visit her relatives. So most of them remember me when they came to KL to visit my grandparents.

TC

Imagine - John Lennon

Share a song with you all

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Happy Birthday Ah Gong

I didnt know when was Ah Gong's birthday.

Only last month I knew that his Chinese birthday was on 18 December.

And then I learn that his English birthday was yesterday. D:

I wish I was born earlier , like 10 years earlier ,

Then I got to get along with all my cousins and grandparents,

and spend more time with Ah Gong then,

And know him much better than now .

The memories then would not be just a page, but a whole book.

And now I kinda regret for not going often enough to Ah Ma's house .

So I think we all should go to Ah Ma's house more often ,

To keep her company ,

And spend time with her ,

Making wonderful memories ,

Before its too late.

And the last thing ,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AH GONG !!

I hope where ever you are now ,

you will be celebrating your birthday happily.


PS !!! Who's going to Guan Yin Ting tomorrow???

-ML -

Ah Gong's car

before moved to Subang Jaya at age of 17
I always cm to ah ma's house during weekends & holidays
while brother studied in Aust, sis studied in Metro,mum & dad went to travel
Auntie Nancy went to work
I ll be at ah ma's house with ah ma & ah gong
last time when ah gong still able to drive
he ll drive us out for lunch
normally we ll go for chicken rice
there were once when ah gong reversed his car from the parking,
somewhere near RHB bank,SS15 & under a tree
he asked me to look behind & check whether got car or not
ah ma explained to me again as she worried i didnt understand what he said
i was like 5,6 years old
actually tat time i didnt get wat they r trying to say
& ah gong bang a car when he reversed the car
luckily no one was hurt & little bit of car damages
i remember the car owner is a young chinese man
he paid few hundreds to the car owner
then ah ma said i was wrong bcuz i didnt giv ah gong the right signal to reverse the car
i was so scared i will get scolded by ah gong
but in the end,he didnt scold me
& didnt mention any word to me
& even open the car door for me when we reached home
that was the last time i sat in ah gong's car

2 years after i got my car license
no one was at home
only left me & ah ma & ah gong
so i suggested we go out for lunch
i remember i reversed my car to park inside ah ma's house
to ease ah gong to get in my car smoothly cuz the passenger seat is at the walking side
but ah gong complaint to me
said i shouldnt reversed my car at steep side
if not the car will roll down and hit the gate
then he explained to me how the brake works....etc
& i could see the insecure-ness from his eyes & reaction when i was driving
& i ll never forget it

i admit ah gong looked fierce & smile-less most of the time
but actually he has his cute side on the other hand
he is so kind & caring to us
especially during chinese new year'eve
he will ensure everyone has cm for dinner
if not, he ll ask someone to call those who not yet show up on time/late
everytime b4 CNY, my mood will be so good & happy
to see everyone gather together,happying around
but this time,i dont have the feeling anymore
i feel so sad when i think about this CNY
i know he wants to be with us too..

ah gong,tomorrow is your birthday
Happy Birthday Ah Gong
i miss u alot alot alot

-NC-

REMINISCING DAD - Part 7 (Final)

I had very little contact with dad, the 8-9 years I was studying in New Zealand. The technology for web-cam and e-mail were still not available then. Telephone call charges caused an arm and limb. While in NZ, I had not heard of anyone using the phone to call home. Even sending a telegram was considered a luxury and the service was only used when absolutely urgent and necessary. So the only recourse then was postal mail, now known as the snail mail. An airmail letter would take about a week to arrive at its destination. A sea mail parcel would take 2 months.

I seldom wrote. Maybe once every 2-3 months. My letters were written in English and only dad could reply. I do not remember receiving any letter from him except once when I wrote about a racist construction team supervisor who challenged me to a fight during one of my summer vacation jobs. Dad wrote an immediate reply, advising me to be less emotional and avoid getting into trouble. Then there was the other time when I wrote a long, dark brooding letter describing the dank cold winter scenery outside my window and nothing else. I think he got rather worried about my emotional state of mind and instructed my eldest brother to write a reply.

Being away and out of the picture, there is very little I can write on the events and happenings at the home front during the 1970s.

Nevertheless, I believe dad mellowed a lot with age and when he started working on a regular job at the 4D shop. Mom had to rely on dad for transport to and from town. Life settled down to a more domestic pattern and I believe their relationship grew much closer then, The golden years for mom and dad begun when the elder children returned home from study, started working and got married. Soon after, the grandchildren came along. The eldest grandson TC was raised by mom and dad in Kluang until schooling age. I believe that must be one of the happiest times for mom and dad.

Mom and dad would travel to Kuala Lumpur to visit their children and grandchildren every now and then. We would all drive down to Kluang to celebrate Chinese New Year. There was no highway then. The journey took 6-8 hours along congested 2 lane trunk road passing through small towns and kampungs. We used to stop at Tampin for toilet break and coffee and to buy purple colored Kuih Kuci. The annual CNY pilgrimage continued until mom and dad moved up permanently to Subang Jaya at the end of 1987. Without a balik kampong ritual and a small town festive atmosphere, Chinese New Year in Subang Jaya somehow feels different. A case of nostalgia?

I think there is no need for me to continue my reminiscence of dad into the later years. All the children and grandchildren will have their own experience and memories of their dad and grand dad. They can continue from here, reminiscing in their own words and sharing with everyone in the Ng Family their stories and memories.

simon 8 - January 2010