Paying respects

This morning, we paid respects to my paternal grandfather, as part of the annual Qing Ming (Tomb Sweeping Day) tradition.

A new old institution

Today is our second wedding anniversary!

Of course, we ended up visiting the National Archives in the morning.

In my defence, I had a valid reason. I had applied to view National Archives documents for my ongoing research project, and some of them were for Restricted Access only. This meant I could only view them during office hours in the building off Hill Street. Since we were both on leave on a weekday, which was rare, we decided to head there and tick that off my to-do list!

It was my first visit to the National Archives since it reopened last year after extensive renovations. The interior is now newer, fresher, brighter - and its old rustic charm has vanished. Even the toilets with historic Save Water Campaign posters and old-school tiles have been completely overhauled. (They look like hotel toilets now.)

I should have taken photos of the interior before it closed for renovations.

Anyway, I had fun going through archival documents which probably haven’t been touched or viewed for years.

Eternal neighbours

It’s the season for Qing Ming (Tomb Sweeping Day) again.

Today, we visited my maternal grandparents, who are resting in the columbarium of Tai Pei Yuen Temple, along Jalan Kemaman, off Balestier Road.

My dad brought some simple offerings for them.

The columbarium niches - high-rise living for the dead.

My grandfather.

My grandmother.

It comforts me to know that their urns are on the same floor, in adjoining rooms, so they won’t have to travel far to see each other.