1) Whenever I went near my father's coffin during the 5-day wake, I could smell a very strong & distinct fragrance. I asked my siblings, but they did not smell anything. The casket was airtight, and there were no flowers on the coffin, so I felt very puzzled.  

2) On the 2nd and 3rd days of the funeral wake, whilst I was in the washroom changing, I suddenly felt an overwhelming surge in my chest area ( and it sort of spread downwards), almost as if my chest was being filled up... very hard to really describe - closest I can describe is that it reminded me of the times when I was going to breastfeed my sons when they were babies, and milk rushed powerfully into my breasts. This sudden & strong surge/rush/filling up of my chest area brought on a strange sense of physical tightening -  BUT what was stranger still, was how I simultaneously experienced sadness and joy. After these 2 'surges', I became calmer.  

3) On the last night of my father's wake, around 4am, whilst I was sitting in front of his coffin, just sitting calmly and mentally telling my father that I was grateful to him for being such a wonderful father... suddenly, I heard a young man's voice called out my name ( the way my father would call me, a sort of family pet-name), BUT the voice did NOT sound like my father's. So for a few seconds, I froze, and was really terrified since the funeral period had coincided with the Chinese Hungry Ghost Month. My brother was the only other person at the wake with me, but he was sitting about 5-6 meters away and reading. I quickly asked him if he heard the voice. He replied "No." But I was very sure someone had called me...  

4) On the 7th day (my father was buried on the 5th day), close to midnight, whilst I was about to fall asleep in my brother's home, on the sofa, and my eyes were shut... I suddenly smelled THE SAME fragrance that I had smelled at my father's coffin! I was scared and did not open my eyes. But I sucked in my breath just to be sure I was not imagining things. The smell was distinct, strong. It lasted about 10 seconds - and then, there was nothing again! I opened my eyes... I sniffed hard - but the smell which had come so suddenly, was gone. I was very puzzled... and admittedly, a bit unnerved... 

5) My elder son ( the grandchild closest to my father ), told me he simply woke up in the middle of the night ( during the funeral wake period) and saw a bright whitish balloon near the bedroom door... 

Was this experience difficult to express in words?         

No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?           

Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?         

Uncertain

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:  

AS described in Question 3

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated? 

Voice was from outside, loud & clear - from the direction of the coffin... somewhere in front of me

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?          

Dissimilar - younger, higher-pitch

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?          

It was 4am. No other family members were around at the wake ( held at an empty space beneath the apartment building). Only my brother was keeping watch with me. But he was sitting at a distance, and he said he did not hear the voice. The fact that the voice called my family pet-name convinced me it could not have been outsiders...

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?  

No. My hearing has always been good. Moreover, when it happened, I was in a very calm state of mind, and feeling a deep sense of peace.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?           

Uncertain

As described in Question 3, I experienced the 'surge' in my chest area.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar?  

As described in Question 3

            Was anything communicated by the touch? 

No.

            Is there any possibility what you felt was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience? 

No. I was alone.

Did you see the deceased?        

No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?     

Yes

            What smell, scent, fragrance or odor did you smell?          

AS described in Question 3 - the sweet sharp fragrance near my father's coffin and then again, in the middle of the night on the 7th day of his passing.

            Was the smell, scent, fragrance or odor familiar?    

No.

            Was anything communicated by the smell?  

No.

            Is there any possibility that the smell, scent, fragrance or odor was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?       

No - unless the coffin was not airtight, and unless it was the smell of embalming fluid? But how to explain my other olfactory experience on the 7th day? It was the same sweet fragrance.

How long did the experience last?       

During the funeral, I noticed the smell from the 2nd day onwards, and it was always there whenever I went near. Funny thing was, no one else could smell it. 

On the 7th day, the fragrance lasted at least 10 seconds

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?        

The smelling experience? sudden

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          

Uncertain

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          

Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:         

The smell - the physical surges - the calling of my family pet-name... collectively, these add up to something which is too real to ignore or doubt

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  

No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:          

I was very sad, but calm. Deep down, I somehow understood that my father had made a decision to leave and I had to learn to let him go.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?          

Yes

Yes - in the sense that I knew my father had somehow managed to convince me that his Soul has definitely survived physical death...

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     

Best part - I feel that I have been most blessed to receive these signs from my father. 

Worst part - there's still a corner in my mind which tells me I may be over-interpreting...? So I'm still praying hard for more signs and proof.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?        

Uncertain                  Describe:           

I talk a lot more to God and Jesus...

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Uncertain      I am now even more determined than ever to have my experiences validated. I hope that someone who knows more about such psychic-experiences can tell me more...

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?  

Uncertain

A few weeks before my father died, he actually asked me why I was starting to read books about angels and near-death-experiences. At that time, I answered him, saying that when he passed on a decade later, I would be able to psychically contact him if I started learning now.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?           

I was amazed... but being brought up to think so-called scientifically & logically, I had a hard time being 100% convinced. So I started to surf the internet to find out if anyone else had such experiences.

Did you become aware of future events?      

Uncertain

A few weeks after my father died, I learnt that a friend's mother also died suddenly... my son's classmate's mother choked on a duck bone and died the same week that my father died... and then another acquaintance emailed to say 2 of his pals committed suicide a couple of months ago... From what I knew, these other deceased, especially the friend's mother and the classmate's mother, were all very nice loving folks. So when I heard the news, I felt that God was calling back some good souls to help with something... and I told my siblings ( something along this line) - " I think there will soon be a major natural disaster, which is why the strongest and most loving souls must return to help deal with the emergency..." THEN a fortnight after I verbalized my inner-thoughts, the Katrina catastrophe took place.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Uncertain

When I was younger, I had 'sleep paralysis' - I would be wide awake and unable to get up... it happened very often...