Update.
A strange event happen today at Dad's exhumation that even now, with my technical mind, I cannot explain.
I am using a video camera that I owned since 2006. 4 years - you cannot say I do not know how to operate it. It have been with me for so many trips. I use a brand new disk media - so nothing wrong with it too. Further, I use the same setup to video dad resting place last week before they do any digging. I even video Cat and Jen coming and then standing by the grave side. There are many sections of videos that is typical of such recording.
Then, when they start removing the coffin cover, I started video taping again. At least 3 segments, namely, opening of cover, removal of skull and left lower arm bone, opening of chest for the rib and lastly the thigh bone. Then, I get a "error in data" message.
Despite all the tools I used at home to restored the error segment, there is no recovery. Yet, even if the last segment is in error (for whatever reason that has never happen before), the first 2 segments should be ok since the error message occurred only at the last segment. No go. Why???
To conclude, I only managed to capture all video of living people and NONE of the bone. Strange!!
Fortunately, I am an onsite witness to the event. Witnessing to the digging, removal of cover, the smell of the flesh, the surprise of the diggers that after 17 ears, dad is pretty much intact, the redness of the bones, etc
The crux came when they unbuttoned dad's jacket - which is holding the chest cavity. The buildup pressure swell the soft body and even when they tried to lift the chest, I came up pretty much in one piece initially before collapsing like fremented flesh. The man, using his bare hand, reach into the chest and pull out a piece of the rib - all red and wet. Not sure if the redness is blood or a result of the decomposing process. And the smell - unique on its own. And I get to hold and rub dad's skull cap later at Mandai (WOW!!).
Ok, just a little description for those who cannot be there, now you feel closer to the event.
As the flesh is fairly intact, we need the black bags to move the remains, not all though. Bones are in white bags. Everything was transported by truck to the exhumation office where washing is done. Later the bones are yellowish in color, no longer red. Cremating commence at 1100 hours through the lunch hour.
Break for a big lunch after fetching Cowan, then to Mandai. Mom's ashes and the urn were with me and we went into "ash transfer room 1" at 1500 hrs. Unlike dad's who still have bones, mom is all ashes - 2 types, a finer powder-like greyish ash and a black grandular particles. They will pour out to a plastic container before I scoop the ash and particles into the urn by HANDS. I then stick mom's identity tack on the urn and prayed for her.
Ferried mom to Block D, Level 1, Room 11 - so, D111 for short wrapped in a white cloth. I installed dad inside the niche 527 first with his label on the cover and after checking out the bone pieces. Check all the documents to ensure that it is the correct guy. Hey, need to be sure in matter such as this. Then place mom on the outside to guard the 'door'. Then, the blue pearl marble plague was sealed and another prayer for both of them was made.
I was rather sad but am ok after a while - so I drove home, in the rain.........
CH
