Yay! Heartstrings will tug your heart!

 My new 5-book series entitled Heartstrings is now available on amazon!! I'm chuffed!

Take a peek into the lives of the Manvin family and share their ups and downs. Each member has his/her own demons to deal with and the passions simmering below the surface will have you fired up too.

Stan is back to helm the family business empire after his father’s demise but it’s not what he wants. His return unravels the family in subtle ways. His first love Amy whom he left without a word is now married to his younger brother.

Amy cannot forget Stan and Steve has noted the effect Stan still has on his wife.

Julie the youngest Manvin who dislikes Amy because she has “taken away” her brothers’ attention has her own secrets that are taking a toll on her mental health.

Mama Leah the matriarch currently holding the family together but for how long? How will things work out for the Manvins? Will the family business survive? Will Steve and Amy go their separate ways? What of Julie?

Do grab a copy and while away your weekend with the Manvins in Heartstrings.

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The Annual Tomb Sweeping Day or Qingming Festival

 This festival is usually observed ten days before and after the actual date of Qingming which is in early April. It is obligatory for family members to visit the graves of their close relatives to pay their respects and to receive blessings from the departed. On this day, the cemeteries will be crowded with people, who have come to sweep the tomb and offer prayers, food and other paper offerings. However for the last two years, few have observed this because of the Covid-19 virus pandemic. This year, people have started to do tomb sweeping once more.

Food and paper offerings such as joss paper (currency in the after world), paper clothes, shoes, gadgets such as smart phones and tablets, etc. are brought to the site of the tomb. Before the goodies are laid out, the tomb is swept and cleared of any detritus or weeds.

Pieces of colored paper are put on the grave site (I don’t remember what the significance is). I remember as a young child, I was told to place a small stone on each of the colored paper so that it is not blown away by the wind.

When the grave site is spruced up, the offerings are laid out. Then family members will pray, using joss sticks (incense sticks). Prayers invite the departed to partake of the feast before them and then supplications are made, asking for blessings for the family, keeping the family safe, etc.

Coins are tossed to determine if the departed has finished his meal. A head and a tail would indicate that he has. Then the offerings can be burnt so that he will receive them in his world.

My grandfather’s tomb is on a hill and it commands a great view. The higher a grave is, the better the fengshui. My grandmother’s tomb is close by his.  She was the first of his five wives to join him after his death. As you can see, the tombs are big and elaborate. My brothers went to pay their respects and took these photos. The graves are very well maintained.

My grandfather's tomb

(The boxes contain the paper offerings which will be burnt later)

My grandmother's tomb

Swedish Death Cleaning

 This is an interesting practice which will benefit many of us. The term Swedish Death Cleaning was coined by author Margareta Magnussen in her book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter” (2017).

She asks readers to consider their loved ones left behind after their demise. Your loved ones would have to sort through all your things which you’ve left behind and this will not be an easy task. She gives suggestions on how to make this process as easy as possible for them.

Swedish death cleaning, then, is organizing and decluttering before you die so that your loved ones will not be unduly burdened after your passing.

It’s also about making decisions: what to keep and what to let go. This not only refers to your physical possessions but also your digital assets. You need to make sure that login details for your online bank accounts, your important websites, etc. are made available for them.

You might want to declutter your computer or desktop apart from your wardrobe and bookshelves.

Paring down one’s possessions will make your home much neater and a better place to live in.

I will be doing this bit by bit from now on as so much stuff has been accumulated over the last seven decades of my life. I shudder to think of it but it has to be done, so that my loved ones left behind will not be frustrated by the amount of “rubbish” mummy/grandma has collected!!

It’s something for you to consider too. It’s never too early to begin!