FINAL FUNERAL RITES AND RITUALS FOR MY PAPA KEE NAI SENG

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

MY FATEHR KEE NAI SENG DIED AT DAWN ON MONDAY (NOW I KNOW WHY IT IS CALLED BLACK MONDAY) 1 AUGUST 2016.

Papa usually woke around 6 am every morning, latest 6.30 am so when Mum woke around 6.30 am she was surprised Papa was not up yet. She went into my bedroom where he slept on my bed and saw him sleeping apparently in deep slumber. Mum was pleased as he had complained about not sleeping well for the last 2 nights. So she left the bedroom to allow him to sleep longer.

Mum was actually delighted as the night before, Dad had eaten a hearty dinner of kolo mee, orange and grapes. For the past 2 days he hardly ate and only drank glucose water. She said Papa told her it was a delicious meal and around 10.30 pm he decided to go to bed and now he was sleeping soundly.

However, her sixth sense indicated maybe something was wrong so 15 minutes later Mum returned to my bedroom and tried arouse him by calling his name 'Seng'. She recalled seeing a slight smile on his serene face yet she felt something was wrong.

She shook him and happiness turned into horror as his hands were horridly cold though they were still soft as rigor mortis had not set in.

I can imagine Mum wailing her husband's name and begging him to wake and have breakfast with her and fearing the worst. She phoned my cousins living nextdoor who rushed over and texted me in Bangkok. The first SMS said my father could not wake up which made my heart sink followed by the worst message I ever received in my life which said my father had just passed away. I collapsed in room 1828 at Shangri-La Bangkok.

How I managed to shower and walk into the lobby to tell my host TAT Tourism Authority of Thailand I had to fly back to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Baru remains a blur. TAT was the perfect host and I could not ask for more as they booked me on the first flight available and paid for everything including 2 tickets on 2 different flights should I miss the first connecting flight from KL to KB! Plus a limousine from Shangri-La Bangkok to Suvanabhumi airport accompanied by Ranit Tokrisna from TAT Thailand to make sure I was alright and boarded AirAsia safely.

 MY PAPA KEE NAI SENG DIED AGED 95 IN HIS SLEEP SUFFERING NO PAIN AND GIVING NONE TO HIS WIFE AND SON SO MUM AND I COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE AND WE THANK BUDDHA FOR THIS PEACEFUL DEATH BLESSING

MY PAPA IN HIS 'TUA CHOO' (GRAND MANSION A.K.A COFFIN) LOOKING SO SERENE AND PEACEFUL BUT AFTER CREMATION, I WAS STUNNED TO SEE HIS HUMAN FORM WAS NOW REDUCED INTO SKELETAL FRAGMENTS BELOW!

 I ALMOST COLLAPSED WHEN WE ARRIVED AT CREMATORIUM IN KAMPUNG DALAM TO SEE MY FATHER'S SKELETAL REMAINS ARRANGED ON TABLE IN FRONT OF FURNACE! 

 THIS IS MY FATHER KEE NAI SENG!

 SO WHITE AND CLEAN AND SO FINAL!

 I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS MY FATHER!

 MY TUASOH  AND MUM UNWRAPPING THE URN TO PUT MY FATHER'S SKELETAL REMAINS

 MUM CHOSE THIS URN

 MY FATHER NOW REDUCED INTO BONE FRAGMENTS THE SIZE OF A CHILD!

 DAD WAS CREMATED INSIDE HERE

 MY TUASOH PRAYING TO MY FATHER

 WITH MUM

 SO SAD

 MONK CHANTING PRAYERS

 AND APPLYING POWDER

 WE BROUGHT PERFUME BUT IT WAS NOT NEEDED

 MY MOTHER ANG SIEW SOH APPLYING POWDER ON THE BONE FRAGMENTS OF HER HUSBAND AND SOULMATE KEE NAI SENG, MY FATHER

 SO WE ARE REDUCED TO THIS!

 PREPARING THE URN WHERE I WOULD PUT PAPA'S BONE FRAGMENTS FROM THE FEET UPWARDS TILL THE SKULL

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE PLACING HIS FATHER'S BONES INSIDE THE URN, STARTING FROM THE FEET

 I ALWAYS THOUGHT SUCH URNS CONTAINED ASHES AND NOT BONES!

 MY DAD'S ASHES WERE BURIED IN THE GARDEN BEHIND!

 LUCKILY MY COUSIN RICHARD KOE TOOK THESE PHOTOS AS I DON'T REMEMBER DOING THIS! MY MIND WAS BLURRED AND MY BRAINS SUFFERED A MELTDOWN

 SADDEST TASK EVER FOR MOTHER AND SON!

 MY TUASOH WAS A PILLAR OF STRENGTH AND SUPPORT WITH MY COUSIN KEE HUI BENG

 DEAREST AND NEAREST RELATIVES ALSO HELPED PLACE DAD'S BONES INSIDE URN

 RICHARD KOE AND LUCY KOE

 MY POOR MUM!

 MUM AND DAD WERE MARRIED FOR 66 YEARS AND NEVER BEEN APART, NOT EVEN FOR 1 DAY!

 MUM WAS DEVASTATED AND HEART BROKEN AS SHE PUT THE BONES OF HER HUSBAND INSIDE URN GENTLY AND CAREFULLY

 MUM PLACED THE SKULL FRAGMENTS ON TOP OF THE REST

 MY FATHER WAS NOW REDUCED TO THIS!

 AN ENTIRE HUMAN IS NOW INSIDE A JAR

 MORE POWDER

 URN IS SEALED

 IMAGE OF MY FATHER'S SKELETAL REMAINS, JUST LIKE THE SHROUD OF TURIN WHICH SHOWS THE FACE AND BODY OF JESUS CHRIST

 THE CLOTH IS RED AS MY FATHER LIVED TO SUCH AN OLD AGE OF 95

 GENTLY DOES IT

 THAT IS MY FATHER INSIDE!

 SHE IS REALLY GOOD

 THE CLOTH IS RED AS MY FATHER DIED AGED 95 WHICH IS CONSIDERED VERY AUSPICIOUS AND LUCKY

 MORE SO WHEN DAD DIED PEACEFULLY IN HIS SLEEP, SUFFERING NO PAIN AND GIVING NONE TO HIS WIFE AND SON

 I WROTE THIS IN MY BEST HAND WRITING

 SON, FATHER AND MOTHER!

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE, KEE NAI SENG AND ANG SIEW SOH

 URN CONTAINING MY FATHER'S BONE FRAGMENTS IS NOW PLACED BEHIND BUDDHA IN WAT CHON PHRA CHUMTHAT NEXT TO CREMATORIUM IN KAMPUNG DALAM, KELANTAN

 ON 18 SEPTEMBER 2016, 49 DAYS AFTER MY FATHER'S DEATH, WE WILL BRING THIS URN TO DOUBLE DRAGON TEMPLE IN BACHOK

 DAD AND MUM BOUGHT A SHRINE FOR 3 URNS IN DOUBLE DRAGON TEMPLE DECADES AGO FOR THIS PURPOSE

 ONE DAY MY FATHER, MOTHER AND I WILL ALL BE REUNITED AGAIN WITH THE BLESSINGS OF BUDDHA

 MUM AND MY COUSIN RICHARD KOE

 TUA SOH AND MUM

 LUCY KOE

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE TOUCHING URN CONTAINING HIS FATHER'S BONE FRAGMENTS

 ANG SIEW SOH AND SO N DATO KEE HUA CHEE 

 MY MOTHER ANG SIEW SOH GAZING LOVINGLY AT HER HUSBAND'S PHOTO AND CRYING 

 WAT CHON PHRA CHUMTHAT

THE MAIN HALL OF WAT CHON PHRA CHUMTHAT