14 February 2017, Tuesday
No car. But, thanks to Grab and Uber, Dad, Mom and I were able to visit Grandma’s niche in comfort. It was her 16th death anniversary.
Before and after.
Heading Out
Took GrabShare by mistake. With three of us, it should have been GrabCar (ie cost-wise between GrabShare and GrabTaxi). Driver was kind. Rejected incoming GrabShare booking and completed our ride.
Wanted to top up the $4.50 difference (if we had selected GrabCar). Smallest change Mom and I had was $10. Gave him anyway. He tried very hard to return the cash top-up, and then to return some change, saying it would not have cost that much anyway. I was just as determined. The man was kind and honest; deserved the extra change (and positive feedback on Grab app).
Sniffing For Flowers
As usual, we had gotten there without flowers. When we had a car, it was a matter of detouring to the next-door cemetery insearch of random flower stalls. Today, no flower stalls on the way there (the Cemetry we passed by on the way had completed its exhumation works).
After asking some staff at the place for the nearest stall – and turning down their repeated offers to snip some flowers from their garden – Dad and I walked some distance to the Christian and Catholic cemetery in the diagonally-opposite junction. Mom stayed behind as her rheumatoid arthritis would not have allowed her to keep pace with us. I got a $3 bouquet (Smallest bouquet so that it would fit the narrow-mouthed vessel for flowers at Grandma’s niche). We walked back.
Housekeeping
Spent time shifting plastic flowers and adding the real ones we got.
All done. Time to go soon. Not now though. Not yet.
Just A Little While Longer
Lingered to admire the place. I believe each of us felt a sense of reluctance to leave, knowing another year would pass before we (or just some of us, if schedule got busy) would visit again.
It was an exceptionally windy and cool day. So comfortable and peaceful that, Dad commented, students could take their books here to study. The same idea I had when we first brought Grandma’s ashes here.
Since our last visit, they have made some changes to the place.
See You Again, Grandma
Time to head home. No GrabCar nearby to accept our booking. After a few attempts, switched to Uber. Pleasantly surprised we managed to get an UberX ride out from such a rural (perhaps too morbid to some, or even tabooed to the superstitious) part of Singapore. Also pleasantly surprised to find Uber had a $3-off promotion.
Thanks to Grab and Uber, we could head out to The Garden of Remembrance, and make it back in good time (and with energy left) for lunch, work and other activities each of us had in our typically busy day.
krallstan 