Seasonal Migrations

Current Song in Head: Losing My Religion, R.E.M.

Here's something interesting I heard recently. Last Thursday, I paid a visit to Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre with the intention of ironing out the final details of my company's coming visit to the Hospital. The first thing I noticed there was that there wasn't any golden taps, I guess they aren't doing as well as NKF then. Haha...

Anyway, I was warmly welcomed by Alison, the Ren Ci representative, who showed me around the ward, as well as the office. While I was in the office, the other Ren Ci staff were quick to share various tales from the crypt, I mean various interesting tales.

There was one about a father who passed away a month after his son kicked the bucket. There was another about a granny who refused to kick the bucket. There was another story about 2 Malay buddies who both got involved in motorcycle accidents within days of each other. Both were paralysed from the neck down. Sad fact of life: Shit happens.

All these stories serve to show how lucky the rest of us are. Ok, what good is a story if it isn't interesting eh? Well, here's an interesting story, or rather, observation.

You know how holiday makers have a season to go on holiday. Or how birds fly south during winter? Well, the same goes to the human life. As observed by our dear friends at Ren Ci, there are more migrating souls during the Chinese Seventh month and during the end of the year. Yep, when you work with death everyday, you can observe really cynical things. Or rather, you have become cynical enough to make such observations.

In any case, an increase in the netherworld travels during the Seventh month could be explained by old Chinese superstitions, but why is there an increase in migrating souls at the end of the year? Hmmmm.... My guess is because the year end bonus is out, and so there is no point hanging around any more... Lousy explanation, but I guess that'll do for now. Can anyone on the other side care to enlighten me?