The passing of a skillful seamstress from Ipoh

September 22 or The Mooncake Festival (The 15th day of the Eighth month on the Chinese calender) will always be remembered  and in my heart. Thats the day my mum passed away at 8.30pm on the nite when we are about to celebrate the Mooncake Festival.

She passed away peaceful holding her last breath with the watchful and teary eyes of my family (me, my wife and 2 children) besides her.  No struggling for breath what so ever and with a peaceful posture bid farewell to the world she was born 84 years ago.

Mum learn sewing when she was very young and eventually became a very skillful dressmaker specialising in female dresses.  Her customers ranges from young  teenagers, housewifes and cabaret gogo gals. I must said that her skill was to the perfection, where she will do the measurement herself, cut the material to the right measurement and sew the clothing up, all by herself.  She even sew the hemlines herself but during the Chinese New Year period when there are more customers, my cousin and myself offered our help to do it. We were paid some money for helping up and this goes as my pocket money to spend during Chinese New Year.

A great article about her can be found here.

Her last trip with us in Cameron Highlands


Mum had a fall 3 months ago and had a hairline fracture/displacement on her right arm at my brother's house in Singapore.  I brought her back to my home in KL to nurse her and also it will be easier for those relatives who wants to visit her during this period.

Over the 3 months, her condition was good and bad.  One day she can be looking very alert talking to everyone and another day she will look very drowsy and tired sleeping throughout the day.  Her appetite to eat deteriorate day by day, from semi solid food to 100% liquid food.  Under such condition, her health also slowly becoming worst.  We can notice that she is getting thinner and thinner day by day, and eventually showing sign that she had difficulties in swallowing,  Thats the signal of the throat is shrinking and will eventually leads to organs shutting down,

We were mentally prepare for the worst but will give her the utmost care to make here as comfortable as possible.  Eventually the heart and other organs of her body start shutting down and on the nite of Sept 22, 2010 she was called to Nirwana by Amitabha Buddha.  The moment she passed away with me confirming that there is no breathing at all, my buddhist friends came over to my house to do a 12hr prayers for her before we do any necessary things like arranging for the police to certify her death and moving her body to the funeral parlour.

After the 12 hours prayer, I then started to get in touch with the funeral parlour to get all logistics done up and informed my relatives of the passing away of my mum.  It was difficult times for my family and we were fortunate that our buddhist friends were all around to support, help and assist in getting things moving.














And finally by late afternoon around 4pm, I got everything sorted out from getting the police certifying my mum's death to moving her body to the funeral parlour.  It will be a Buddhist service for 2 nites conducted by some monks and also prayers offerings from the nuns and buddhist friends from the temple where my family go for the Sunday services and Dharma talk.

Our family and relatives paying their last respect


Mum's funeral was on 25 Sept, and she was cremated at the DBKL crematorium and her ashes was placed at the Chee Wan San Temple at Jalan Sg Besi, Salak South area.  I hoped she will Rest In Peace and be lead and protected by Amitabha in Nirwana.

Mum, may you rest in peace.  AMITABHA.