The Official End

Issuance of the Death Certificate 

A funeral home would be able to assist with this as they would lodge an application at the nearest National Registration Department on your behalf. However, if you are in a rush, it's advisable to apply yourself as the next of kin. The department's more likely to issue the certificate earlier when the applicant is the deceased's next of kin—or that was what I heard. 

So, if you intend to apply personally, visit the NRD's website for the specific checklist before you head over with the documents. You could save the extra time of going back and forth repeatedly. 

For me, since I was paying the funeral home, I figured it would be better to let them handle everything as they are the experienced folks. It took quite a while, but it didn't matter as I was able to wait. (I honestly didn't want to run around, nor did I have the patience to do so.) 

That said, before you proceed to get the death certificate, ensure that you have copies of the deceased's IC. The NRD would destroy the original IC once the death certificate is issued (to prevent fraud, I'm sure.). 

And yes, it's always better to have extra copies lying around. 

Once you have the original death certificate, the first port of call is to have copies of this document before storing it in a safe place. You'd need it virtually for everything bearing the deceased's name—cancellation of accounts, cancellation of prepayments, and the grant of probate/letter of administration for properties, among others. (As for the grant of probate/letter of administration, you're better off dealing with the lawyer on this. Even better, do it when the deceased is still alive and has legal capacity to make uninfluenced decisions.) 

Any supplementary documents bearing the deceased's name shouldn't be destroyed as long as they used to own properties while alive. It'd be safer to prove their identity and ownership that way, too. 

Final Thoughts 

It'd be much better to deal with matters of death while the deceased is still alive. Trust me, a lot of unnecessary headaches can be avoided.

The Hospital Dream

I dreamt that I worked in an environment similar to a hospital, but my colleagues and I were in different departments. Then, as we were heading in from the entrance, we saw that there was a crowd surrounding a certain area of the hospital. Someone shared that when they walked past one of the rooms, they overheard a man and a woman arguing at the top of their lungs due to personal matters.

Photo by Freguesia de Estrela on Unsplash
That was why we weren't exactly surprised when we heard that the deceased committed suicide, as we connected the dots. Though we were sad, we were not close to the deceased.

The camera then panned to the next scene.

I thought I had lost my keys in the locker when I was clocking out. Someone—I don't know who—clad in a bath towel and hair towel reminded me that I might have misplaced it when I had a shower and a change of clothes. She even offered to help me locate the keys.

Photo by Ray Sison on Unsplash

At the end of the workday, I was dragged by someone—let's call him Guy A—as we ran toward the train station. It felt very much like the NYC subway, but we ended up detouring to the bus station for reasons unknown to me. We found another passenger—let's call him Guy B—in his trenchcoat, seated below a board indicating the station name hammered into the brick wall.

Then, the scene panned to someone's home where we were seated around a round table, deep in a discussion as we planned a hangout after work or during our mutual off-days. However, I had to collect parcels on the day that they had in mind.

Guy A even suggested to lose the contact lenses and wear my glasses more often.

So, here we go for the dream interpretation.

For the scene where I was entering the hospital grounds, it's possible that I'm assisting others to recover from whatever hell they are going through at this point in time. The dream website proceeded to elaborate that "each scenario holds a mirror to your inner world, challenging you to reflect on whether you're in need of healing or offering it to others".

This actually is in line with what I have read about astrology and dates of birth. 

Oh, about the scene where I lost my keys, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the main theme of the dream. The dream website indicated that "losing your keys in a dream can symbolize feelings of frustration and anxiety. You may feel like you are losing control or that you are not able to find your way. This dream may also be a warning from your subconscious to pay attention to your surroundings and be more careful with your belongings".

The same website also clarified that "losing a key means that an informal dispute with someone will upset you. This will hurt deeply and you will not be able to find understanding among your loved ones. The same dream can portend the loss of an important opportunity..."

Bull's eye, I must say.

Not only do I feel like I am lost in life, but I am starting to misplace the very exact thing - keys. Yes, keys. It also never helped that, thanks to a misunderstanding/dispute, I have severed ties with one side of the family's relatives, too.

As for the kind soul—the one clad in a bath towel and hair towel—who asked what happened, ChatGPT mentioned that this could symbolize vulnerability, cleansing, or transition when read together with the loss of keys, yet it might also mean that my unknown side has been projected in terms of matters of the heart.

For the scene with the subway passenger sitting against the brick wall beneath the signboard, I think what ChatGPT meant is that this figure represents a passive observer—or a part of me that feels helpless—trying to reach out, but held back by obstacles and limitations.