Today was Ah po's last 7th. As mentioned in the last blog, the daugthers were excused from this last ritual. However, almost everyone turned up at ASL that evening to see Lynn, who was visiting Singapore under the pretext of a last minute business assignment by her company. The young generation gang had arranged to meet at ASL at 5pm first before they adjourned to Chomp Chomp for a short gathering. As I was downed with "feng mo", I told the gang that I was not able to go to the ritual at nite, let alone the gathering. Ok OK...I smsed only Janice about my condition and assumed she would tell the others.
As usual, Irene, the accountant in the family, was the first to reach ASL together with Eng, who visited her house earlier. The rest slowly appeared one by one after the agreed time. She gave me a call and was surprised to hear of my condition. If I come in contact with wind, my rashes would multiple and the itch would kick in shortly. Then 10 minutes after Irene called, Lynn gave me another call and asked me to join them at Chomp Chomp. She asked me to put on long sleeve and pants to meet them. She then offered to send Simon to chaffeured me. I reluctantly declined the offer, although I would want to go to the gathering. Another 10 minutes later and after much internal struggle, I gave Lynn a call that I would come immediately. Then I put on my spiderman jacket and jogging pants. I rushed out of the house with Viv and hailed a cab to Chomp Chomp. By the time I reached there, I would see Caiyi from afar. I could not recognise Lynn when she called me. There was something about her. She had lost some weight. Maybe it was the make up that she put on. Maybe it was her mannerism. Anyway, she looked different. One thing was for sure. The gang had already almost finished eating. The place was really crowded. Viv suggested that we dispersed and gathered at ASL. So we "dabao" and left for ASL in CM's new MPV.
As usual, Irene, the accountant in the family, was the first to reach ASL together with Eng, who visited her house earlier. The rest slowly appeared one by one after the agreed time. She gave me a call and was surprised to hear of my condition. If I come in contact with wind, my rashes would multiple and the itch would kick in shortly. Then 10 minutes after Irene called, Lynn gave me another call and asked me to join them at Chomp Chomp. She asked me to put on long sleeve and pants to meet them. She then offered to send Simon to chaffeured me. I reluctantly declined the offer, although I would want to go to the gathering. Another 10 minutes later and after much internal struggle, I gave Lynn a call that I would come immediately. Then I put on my spiderman jacket and jogging pants. I rushed out of the house with Viv and hailed a cab to Chomp Chomp. By the time I reached there, I would see Caiyi from afar. I could not recognise Lynn when she called me. There was something about her. She had lost some weight. Maybe it was the make up that she put on. Maybe it was her mannerism. Anyway, she looked different. One thing was for sure. The gang had already almost finished eating. The place was really crowded. Viv suggested that we dispersed and gathered at ASL. So we "dabao" and left for ASL in CM's new MPV.
Over at ASL, there was a buffet table set up in the courtyard. The aunties and uncles were there. As usual, the young generation gathered in the room. It was noisy. Lynn also hid in one corner of the room to talk to her hubby. Viv and I went to the kitchen to take our dinner. We left for home after that as I forgot to bring my medication along. I was told that the daughter gang dispersed around 10pm, while the son gang continued with the ritual. That marked the end of the last 7th. The family would gather in Dec 04 for a 100 days ritual.
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