Sunday, November 2, 2014

Call 558 : ALL SAINTS

Hello Son,




Saturday, November 1




It's All Saints' Day today.



The day before, Friday 31st, your family members were still not sure as to what time we would be going to the garden today. 



Last week, Mom had suggested: Saturday (today) 8 am. 



Then, yesterday, Grandma said, "Go later. Saturday, 11 am ... because Aunty C will be on call and will still be in the hospital at 8 am."



Then, Aunty D said, "Megan has ballet on Saturday at 10 am ... " 



Later, Aunty C suggested, "How about we do on Sunday?"



Tsk tsk tsk ... 






Last night, after all the ding-dongs in the family whatsapp, Mom finally said, "Eh, I think we will stick to the initial plan. 8 am. I have a lot of things to do. Don't wanna waste my Sat."



By "we", she meant, Dad, Justine and herself. 



That was at 10:16 pm.



Decode :



You must have whispered to Mom to stick to 8 am. 



Somehow, after that, everyone agreed that we would leave at 8 am. 



Oh wait wait wait, Mom has to tell You about this earlier inciDAN first before she goes on about what happened today.






Saturday, Oct 25

Aunty C (7:48 am) : Hey, dreamt about Dans ... turns out staying in this house with like a back door ... through it, if you go in, there's a long long slide downwards and have to wear winter coats cos it's cold ... funny dream, right? And also, we were all at some concert ... and he kinda had like special treatment ... they put him up on stage to get better view of concert ... he was smiling ear to ear ... Man, don't think I've dreamt of him like in the longest time ...  



Mom (8:01 am) : Really Carol? Awwww. U know, yesterday morning, when I got up, I told Bryan I had a dream. Dans wus in it. I could only remember the tail end of it. He wus showing his back, with one hand showing thumb and pointer finger out, like number 7. Hand wus at his back. Haha. Dunno what's that about.



Aunty D (8:03 am) : What's the sign? Are we supposed to go for a concert? Hi-5 concert in Dec for kids.



Aunty D (8:23 am) : Maybe that's the sign from Carol's dream. We are supposed to go for this concert. 


Mom (8:48 am) : 7 of us?



Aunty D (8:52 am) : O my ... ya. There's 7 of us.




Aunty C (10:11 am) : Lol. Ya, was a good dream. He was really happy.



Aunty C (10:59 am) : You know, my dream was last night, and it was 24th. Hehe."



24th? 



Oh, that is significant. 



Big on the coinciDANS. O.O






Fast forward ...



Friday, October 31

Aunty D (6:27 am) : Had nice dream ...we were all on the way to USA. Ummm, weird part was ... we were driving there ... hahaha. Me, Megs and Chris were in one car ... the rest of yall in a big car ... DANS was with us too! We dropped my McDs and we were having picnic there.   



Mom (6:41 am) : Awww. Dans wus with us? D car must be flying. Hmmm. Guess we have to buy McDs and have a picnic at his garden now.



Aunty D (6:48 am) : I feel like MsDs now. Really, dream was so nice. We were all driving together ... last part at McDs ... for some reason, the McDs was by the sea ... we were looking for a place to sit ... all the seats nearer to the road were taken (by mat sallehs ... man, my dream was so real) ... so we were going to the lower area towards the benches at the beach!



Mom (6:56 am) : We go 8 am. Will get the McDs at 7:30 am. Haha. I'm sure Dans wants us to be merry and enjoy his fav food. :D



Freelance Illustrator Emma Randall






Okay, so those were the earlier inciDANS. 



The two dreams. 



Both your Aunts C and D dreamt about You, a week apart from each other. 



How cute is that?



Pause. 



Are You with Mom? 



Stay with her, Son ... <3 



The zap is coming. 



Omg.






Back to this morning (All Saints' Day) ...



At 7:31 am, Mom sent a text to the family

Going to get the McDs now. Shd be back by 8 am. All burgers?



Aunty C (7:32 am) : Yes!!!



Dad and Mom were in the car, driving out of the condo. 



Justine was getting ready. 



A song came on the radio.



Ohhhhhh yes, I'm the Great Pretender ...



Freddie Mercury.



He's a genius. He must be. He wrote Bohemian Rhapsody. :D 



Oh, our children are presenting that song on concert day by the way. 



Anyway, the song was on and Mom was singing in the car.





 
Freddie Mercury



Oh yes, I'm the great pretender
 

Pretending that I'm doing well  
(Frown)
 

My need is such, I pretend too much 
(Raise eye brow ...)
 

I'm lonely but no one can tell 
(Wait a minute ...)



Oh yes, I'm the great pretender
 

Adrift in a world of my own
 

I play the game but to my real shame
 

You've left me to dream all alone



Too real is this feeling of make-believe
 

Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal



Oh yes, I'm the great pretender

Just laughing and gay like a clown

I seem to be what I'm not, you see

I'm wearing my heart like a crown

Pretending that you're still around











It was at that last line that she gasped!






Omg ...



Omg ...



Omg ...






Her eyes were on the clock.






It was 7:35 am.






Decode : 15






Forever 15.



"Omg, did you hear that? Pretending that you're still around ..." Mom sang the line to Dad.



"We are going to McDs now, and this song comes on. This is like the most appropriate song to play now ..." added Mom, still in disbelief. 



Omg.



What are the chances?



Mom looked at the time for a few seconds and suddenly remembered, "See the 7? Yesterday night, that person paid my mother 7K ... What's the balance?" 



Grandma made a sale, which we are not able to reveal at this moment in time.



Mom's eyes were somehow fixed on the clock. 



You must have whispered to her.



Look at the time, Ma. :D



She honestly didn't expect the next thing that came to her. 



Dad replied, "63 ..." and at the same time, yes, simultaneously, the minute on the clock turned from 35 to 36.



Before her eyes. O.O







Omg.



The balance 63K and the 36 minute ... seriously, what are the chances?



You definitely had something to do with that sale, Daniel. :D



For sure. :D



Mom knows. 



Both seller and buyer were going back and forth, ding-dong ding-dong for about 3 weeks now, and suddenly last night by 9 pm or even later, the 10 % deposit was paid by the buyer to Grandma.



7K.



Oh gosh.



Dad turned into the McDs drive-through lane.






Mom looked at the 24 jam ... and then noticed the SON.



She had to smile.



2683.



Decode : 44



Truly, everywhere we are, there You'll always be.



We ordered 7 breakfast sets, 5 coffees and 2 milos.



 


Mom sent a text to the family (7:47 am) : Paying now. Breakfast sets. 5 kopi 2 milo. Oh boy, do I have a story tell. Just got a ZAP.



We were soon on our way home.



Reaching the condo guard house some 10 minutes later ...



Mom sent another sms (7:59 am) : We are back. Come down.



8:00 am : We load up the car and wait for Carol.







Notice something?



This would be like one of the rare times when your family was really making effort to follow the schedule planned. You must have whispered to Mom, because she found herself a bit kan cheong (anxious) to leave on time.



We were waiting for Aunty C, who was at the time, said she had just passed the museum. 



Dad, Mom, Justine and Grandma were in one car, whilst Aunty D and Uncle C in another car. We sipped our hot McDs coffee while waiting for Aunty C.







A text came in from your Aunt C at 8:15 am : Turning in.



Immediately, Mom said, "Okay, let's go ... let's go."



See how kan cheong she was?



Tsk tsk tsk.



Aunt C hopped in to Aunt D's car. 



We were soon on our way to the garden.






Mom was talking at high speed, about The Great Pretender. :D



We arrived at the garden about half an hour later.



Let's skip the atmosphere and environment when we got there, and just go right to the point, shall we?



The first thing that Mom noticed was a key on the ground at your garden plot. She picked it up and showed it to everyone.



"Hey look. Key ... For Justine ... Her 21st birthday coming soon ... Nov 20." :D



Justine shrugged.



Your aunts were like, yeah yeah Jus, your birthday ... but your sister was not that excited.



Mom believed it was your way of showing your sister that You remember her 21st birthday is coming soon. :D Your sister has her reservations though. 



Wait wait, be patient. 



It's not the end yet.








All will end well, You'll see. 



At the end.



So anyway, the everlasting flowers on your garden bed and Grandpa's were all still in tact, except that they were all worn out (hot sun?) and faded. We started clearing the garden plot, with the help of a gardener, whom Grandma called.



There would soon be a mass. We saw several priests just -- standing there -- at the chapel. 



Grandma said excitedly, "The Archbishop is here."



Mom asked, "Are you sure? The Archbishop Julian? Here?"



Grandma said yes.



Hmmmm.





The crowd was starting to trickle in. 



Meanwhile, we continued to clear up and tidy the garden.





 Grandpa's plot




Mass started at 9 am. 



Grandma, your aunts and uncle, including Justine left your garden and joined the mass, leaving Mom by herself, taking her own sweet time to light all the 21 bulb candles, and more. She also spent some time trying to give your porcelain face a facial scrub. Dad was not done with the flowers either and when he was, he went around your garden plot taking photos of his masterpiece, from every angle.



So, no, we did not join the mass, although we joined in all the songs that they sang. We heard all the voices of the priets on the mike, but not the messages. She was too busy trying to make connection with her son.







The chapel is nearby your garden plot. 



A stone's throw away. 



Your parents were inactively participating. 



Can you blame them?



No, right?



After Mom cleaned your headstone, and made sure your porcelain face was clear of dirt and what-nots, she took her cellphone, placed it on the side of your handsome face, and said, 


"Call Mom, Son ..."



Of course, she didn't really expect anything to happen. 



She just -- said it.  



Pause.



Okay, fine. 



Maybe ... maybe ... there was a teensy-weensy tiny bit of a little microscopic fraction of hope in her, that You would zap her, but she really couldn't tell. Still, better to have a frail, little hope, than nothing at all, wouldn't You say?



It's amazing how difficult it is to have the faith the size of a mustard seed ... which is incidentally, just a dot.







The mass ended, and your family members came back.



"Can we eat?" said Aunt C. She was on call the whole night at the hospital, and she was really hungry. We all were. So we sat ourselves down, on the rainbow sarong-scarf that Mom used to cover the garden stone (See? We don't have to say TOMB stone), made ourselves comfortable, and had our McDonald's breakfast. 



Egg McMuffin.



Hash browns.



Filet-O-Fish.



Yup, did You see us?



Suddenly, Dad gave an exclamation, "Wow! Look at that!"



Everyone turned to the direction. 



Including Mom. 



It was a bright, glossy red 4 wheel drive, that had moved to our direction. About 10 walking steps away from where Mom was sitting.



Gasp!



Mom pointed excitedly, "8511 ... That's my number!"



Her cell number being :  xxx - 330 8511



And then she noticed the 2 letters before the numbers : WA



She held her breath.



Omg. Surely this is not possible?



"Is that not MA???" she drawled slowly.



The vehicle then reversed, and took this lane to exit. Mom grabbed her cellphone from your headstone, and tried to snap a photo.



Her eviDANS.



The photo is not clear, as she learns upon uploading the photo at the time of writing this line. But hey, all your family members saw the car and the number plate. 



WA 8511.



To Mom's eyes, and only her eyes : MA 8511.





WA 8511


"Is that not Son calling me?" Mom said to Dad enthusiastically. 



"I just put my cell here, beside his face, and a few minutes later, the vehicle came." 



That was so meant to be, because if that vehicle decided to just take the above exit lane without driving forward towards our direction first, Dad would not have seen it. That Ford drove forward to us, lane 1, reversed back, and then drove away in that lane 2 above. 



Like a Y. 



Omgosh. How absolutely incredible. 



Daniel called Mom, as she asked him to.






Thanks Son, that was super awesome.



Even Grandma cannot believe what happened.



Aunty D was sitting beside Mom, when Mom suddenly pounced on the small packet of creamer in front of her.







"Omg, you see? Is this not M, turned W?"



Aunty D said, "Megan is always saying M for W ..."



Yes, You would want Mom to see that M/W satchets, and hear what Megan is saying, so that there would be NO DOUBTS.



MA 8511.



Hi Ma, it's Me. I'm calling You ... :D



Omgosh.



ZAP ZAP ZAP.



It's too overwhelming. Mom couldn't believe it. What are the chances? 



Strange isn't it, that we keep saying, Nothing Is Impossible With GOD ... and then when GOD does something impossible, we find it hard to believe.



Monsignor from Romania happened to stroll by us. He and Mom had a moment of eye contact before he stopped by. He seemed intrigued by the rainbow sheet and little candles and flowers. Mom asked if he could bless the garden?



He said of course. 



"Who are these?" he asked, looking first at Aunty T's head stone.



Mom gave the introduction. "That is our sister, Tracy, 3rd year medical student."



Then, she pointed to your's, and said, "This is my son. Daniel. He was an altar boy."







"And this one over here is our father ..."








The Archbishop came by at the same time as Monsignor, and was talking to Grandma. 





Mom heard Grandma said, "He was an army officer ..." (Grandpa)



The Archbishop asked, "He died young. 36?"



Time froze for Mom. 



36???  
 


What's with the 36??? (The balance price.)



Grandma replied, "No, no, he died at 44 ..."



Yes, 44 ...






The angel call.



The angel sign.



The angel time.



Mom turned to the Archbishop and said, in case he didn't hear her earlier, "My son was an altar boy ..."



The Archbishop nodded with a smile and asked, "He liked McDonald's?"



We laughed.



Mom explained, "After his surgery, he asked for McDonald's ..."






More chuckles.



The Archbishop's last words to Grandma and Mom were, "God only takes the best."



Yes, we know that.



Still, it was good to hear that from the Archbishop.



The Monsignor and the Archbishop then left us.



After the left, it suddenly struck Mom that we did not take any photos of the two high priests. (Can you call them that?)



Aiyahhh.



What a waste. Who is gonna believe that the Archbishop and the Romanian Monsignor came to visit you?



Aiyahhh. So many of us, and none remembered to take out their cells? Justine, Aunty C and Aunty D are always taking pictures of every and any darn little thing, and this two big things, they didn't take???



What - la.



Then, would You believe it, but before she could say, HIS EXCELLENCY YOUR GRACE, the Monsignor came back to us and said, "Can I take a photo with the family?"



Oh my.



Your family replied in unison, "Cannnnnnn."






Mom knows You must have whispered to the Monsignor, "Can you please go back? My mother wants a photo." :D



Yes, that's for sure. :D



We left the garden in happy spirits. 



In the car, Justine said, "Did you see the butterfly?"



Mom was like, what butterfly?



Your sister gave a shriek, "What? You didn't see the butterfly? I told you there was a butterfly there!"



Mom was like, when was this? 



She didn't hear.



She didn't see.



Where was she when this butterfly appear?



Justine said in a huff, "I'm all angry now ..."



Mom had to persuade her, "What was it like? Did anyone else see?"



Aunty C said, "Yes, yes, I saw ... very beautiful."



Between Justine and Aunty C, they described the butterfly is really beautiful, bright orange with pure white at the edge of its wings.






Awwwww.



As orange as Mom's tee shirt, maybe?



As white as a pure white feather, perhaps?



It was an incredible, zap-filled day.



We drove to the school, to pick up the maid who was doing the weekly cleaning.



While waiting for the maid to change, Mom was flipping over some sample books left by book suppliers for next year's use.



It was within minutes that she stumbled upon this page.





A big fat 7 again?



Mom looked down at the page.



Page 2.



Hmmm.



Page 2 and 3?



Ah.



Decode : 1994 (23)



Your birth year.



Mom literally ran to her office, she was at the canteen, where Dad was at and asked in a hurry, "What time is it? Where's my phone?"








Dad passed her cell. 



She checked the time.



it was 12:08 pm.



Secret code : 21 / 44



All her angel numbers.



ZAP ZAP ZAP. :D



We went back to the condo. It was truly an overwhelming day of zaps.



You would have thought that that was all???



Nahhh.



One more lil zap up your angel wings.



At home, Dad said, "E is coming by to collect products."



Mom asked, "Is he coming up to the house?"



Dad said no. Dad said he will bring the products down for E when he arrived. 



Like usual.



So Mom went to take a shower, washed her hair and all.



When she came out of the room, she heard E's voice, in the condo. 



She wasn't dressed to meet anyone, her hair was dripping wet, and her face was bare of make up. She didn't care. Today, has been extraordinary. She was walking on cloud nine. Happiness was bursting from every nerve and cell in her body. :D



She walked out to say hi to E, and at the same time, said, "If I knew you were coming over, I couldn't have taken my shower ..."


Pause.



Hahaha.



That didn't sound right, she knows.



Hehehe.



E came with his computer. He wanted to show us photos of his recent trip to New Zealand. Gosh, nothing would have prepared Mom for this.



She didn't want to join Dad and E at that time, but You must have whispered to her to go check out the photos.



The first photo, she repeats, the FIRST photo, that E showed us on his computer was his ship.



Mom caught a quick glance and her breath was caught in her throat.



Gasp!



E had already turned to a second photo.



Mom said, "Wait wait wait ... can I see that first photo again? I wanna take a photo."



E turned back to the first photo. 



Mom looked at Dad, "See that?"






MASON 44 ...


Omg ... MA SON 44 ???



Omg omg omg ...



ZAP ZAP ZAP.



It was unbelievable. 



Ma Son 44 ... 



44? 



Like 44 ways to talk to your angel 44???



Omg.



Keep the zaps coming, Son. 



We miss You and love You very, very, very much. <3



At this point, Mom remembered about Justine's key and decided to google for a picture. 



She typed the words : illustration 21 key birthday.



A page appeared.



She scrolled down.



Oh boy. You're so not gonna believe this.



She sprang from her seat and yelled for Justine and Dad at the top of her voice.



Both your sister and father took their time to appear despite your mother's urgent tone. 



She's not very pleased about that. 



But ah ... she couldn't wait to see their faces when she showed them what she found.



Teng teng teng ...






 "Look, look here ... Omg ..." breathed Mom triumphantly.



Oh gosh. 



Honestly, what are the chances???



Mom said to Jus, "Your brother really is saying Happy 21st to you, Jus. That key we found there was really a sign ..." which at the time, Justine didn't feel like it had any connection with her. 



We didn't take the key back, in case it belonged to somebody who may have come to your garden and dropped it. You must have whispered to Mom to look for the picture. She was about to upload the draft already after her last line, "We miss you ..."



Gosh.



How awesome.



Thank you, Son, for all the super exciting ZAPS yesterday (Saturday) and today.