A Night At The Museum

A week ago on a Sunday, Wolfy and I decided to go to the National Museum because it was apparently "International Museum Day" and entry to all museums in Singapore was free and because I had been there recently, and was not able to take the pictures I wanted because my camera battery ran out. I don't usually go to museums in Singapore because there really isn't anything I want to see here and most of my friends aren't the museum-going sort.

Well, because we had a late night outing the day before, I guess when I met up with the guys, we were all feeling a little bit tired. We had a nice lunch and then decided to go to the museum. I suggested taking the bus, but Bob suggested walking since we were pretty nearby in Orchard. Upon hindsight, taking the bus would have been a much better idea. Because there are so many things that would waylay the guys en route to where we were going.

In particular, Bob discovered a really plush sitting area with red cushions in the shopping area that came up opposite the road from Centrepoint. We really shouldn't have gone in, but I thought at that time, why not? That was a huge mistake, because the moment we sat down on those plush seats, Wolfy fell asleep. Since he was sleeping so soundly, we decided to let him sleep a little since he had a late night.

We woke him up at about 5ish so we could still get to the museum. I had thought that apart from the history section, the rest of the gallery would be open till 8 at least.

Well, we got to the museum finally at about 10 mins to 6. And guess what... when I got to the gallery I wanted to see, I saw the museum people closing the doors in my face :P Apparently, the nice exhibits close at 6pm on the dot... Why that is so, I cannot understand. I would have thought the museum would get MORE traffic if it opened up later into the night. At least until 8. I think museums around the world really should consider extending their opening hours, or start admissions late and stay open later. With the trend towards nightlife, it might be a good idea to do so.

Since we were there already and not wanting to waste that free entry day, we decided to take a look around. We browse the Living Galleries, which was not really a bad idea since they had pretty interesting displays of everyday life in Singapore in the past. The Living Galleries covered everything from clothing and cosmetics to Film and Food.

I must say I was pretty impressed by the way the displays were done. They were pretty innovative. The Food gallery was quite a sight with really great displays of spices in jars. The only thing I found disconcerting about it was the fact that, at one point where I was focused on the process of capturing photos of the exhibits, Wolfy tapped on my shoulder and pointed out to me that we were ALL ALONE in the gallery.

The Food Gallery in particular had this true-to-life ambient sound recording playing in the background that mimicked the sound of people moving around and the banging of cooking pots. Being engrossed as I was with the exhibits, I didn't notice that all the people who came in with us had already left. :P

It was a little creepy but we sort of laughed it off ... its pretty silly to get frightened by a bit of human ingenuity.

Well, that set the stage for the really creepy thing that happened next.

Trying... in typical Singaporean fashion, to maximise our free entry into the museum, we looked around for a gallery we hadn't been to yet. I spotted a doorway in the circular walkway on the second floor of the entry area of the museum. It seemed pretty empty since it was already evening and the sun had set and the doorway to the gallery was not in a prominant area.

Even from the outside it looked pretty creepy through the glass doors because the colour scheme of the room was black or dark, offset by whitish, classic wall cornices. What made it worse was the huge black and white photos from the 1800s to early 1900s. It was like looking at Time itself being frozen... and not in a good way.

I was about to give this gallery a skip, but the Singaporean in me drove me to try and "maximise" our freebie. I went in and started taking pictures of the silver jewellery. I remember in particular I was trying to take a close-up of a rather unique looking silver tasbir when I was interrupted by a noise from my left. Shifting my eyeballs slightly, I caught sight of two pairs of feet in what looked like canvas shoes or sneakers of a couple walking out. I got the impression that the guy pushed the glass door and got out first, followed by a lady. Thinking nothing of it, I snapped away until Wolfy tapped me on the shoulder again.

"Did you see that guy, he was talking to nothing..." there was a strange look on his face. I wasn't too sure what he was saying until he repeated his statement again and explained himself. Apparently this young teenage fellow with a backpack and sneakers turned, smiled and made a noise or comment (something like "wow") to the empty air beside him. The expression on the young man's face was that of a guy trying to impress his gal.

I guess Wolfy was trying to get me to confirm that he had indeed seen a flesh and blood person... since he does sometimes see "people" who aren't there.

Since I had heard the sound, I was able to confirm at least that he had indeed seen someone. However, I said that there were two people, not just one. He however, only saw the guy. Well, since this was uber weird, Wolfy pushed open the glass door to try and find that strange teenage guy. Unfortunately, there was no one outside when we looked out. Wolfy was certain that this same strange young man was sitting alone on one of the benches in the Food Gallery when we were wandering around in it. I hadn't noticed him since I was busy taking pictures.

Anyways, I said that since the young guy wasn't there, we should just try to explore the rest of this black gallery. I saw an almost hidden passage to an inner room ("hidden" because the dark walls and evening lighting in the museum had a way of concealing the room from certain angles). This room had some chairs arranged as if there was a meeting in progress. As I was about to walk down the room, a funny feeling hit me. I wonder now if it was because of the strange encounter with the teenage guy. Although the light in the room was constant, I thought I saw something or somethings flickering in the air. like small slivers of images that should be there but somehow are not.

I said to Wolfy that I did not feel like going into that room and he immediately agreed with me. He felt that there were "things" in the room.

I guess, despite our Singaporean-ness, we decided that some freebies are not really worth going all the way for. Walking out of the museum, Wolfy said to me that he felt there were a lot of unseen presences in the National Museum, even back before it was renovated.

I suppose a ton of old things that were once used and owned by people might draw their spirits if concentrated in a particular place.

Well, if you have visited the National Museum and have seen something strange there, I'd like to know about it. OR, if you feel that any place like the National Museum is naturally creepy because of the architecture or lighting, I would also like to hear the skeptical view. Please post your views. :D

Funny Freaky Incident Happened Today...

Sometime around 4ish going to 5 this afternoon, something pretty strange happened at home. Someone apparently rang our doorbell. Because he was standing near the door my father opened it two seconds after we heard the ringing. However, strangely enough, he found no one standing outside. Now, I reckon that even if a person was ringing our doorbell as a prank, he would need some time to duck out of sight. Well, my father saw no one outside and we all thought it was pretty freaky.

Well, since there was no one outside, he just let the autospring on the door swing it close. However, when he let go of the door to sit down, we all heard something pull at the door pretty hard and the door snapped shut with a bang... my dad made some joke about a ghost and so did we all, after all, when something like this happens, it is best not to run around panicking.

I must say that the number of unexplained incidents I've witnessed have increased. Only that, this is the first time other people were part of it as well. I'm jotting this down as a record in case have to refer to it later in the future.

Another strange incident happened in March as I was on my way back from work. I was on this rather empty bus going past Clementi road to Upper Bukit Timah. Somewhere in front of a bunch of condos on a hill with a winding road that leads to the Hillview area, a woman in dark jeans, with a tight top and long, black hair got up and sat beside me. I got the impression that she was either Filipino or Indonesian. This is not uncommon in that area, as there are a lot of families with maids from those countries.

Now, I only got an impression of the woman from the side of my eye because I was pretty tired and I had put my backpack down on the seat beside me in the bus, since it was pretty empty. I was a little annoyed that she had completely ignored my bag and sat down on it. I was thinking... "like why can't she sit somewhere else..." its not like the bus had no seats.

Now, I closed my eyes for like a few seconds and the bus travelled 2 stops down past Railway Mall and stopped in front of a bus stop that was in front of this bank branch at the junction of Hillview. I was sure the woman was still sitting beside me because I kinda felt her body heat. Opening my eyes, I turned to my side to look at her when, guess what, she was GONE!

I was so shocked I turned all the way around and semi-stood up, looking at the entire bus. She wasn't there! Because I was a little shaken, I asked the Chinese gal who sat on the seat behind me. Since she was staring straight forward, there was no way she could have missed that woman, right?

Well, the gal said she got up at SIM (that means, she definitely had a chance to see the woman) however, she ALSO claimed that she was too preoccupied with her sms and therefore did not know if anyone was sitting beside me, even though she was barely 1 foot away from the person. I suppose if you wanna look at it from a paranormal point of view, she likely saw no one and probably thought I was insane. Well, I felt tempted to ask the fat guy sitting right at the back of the bus, probably he had a good view of everything... but I decided not to because it was starting to look too weird.

I mean, I have run this incident over and over again in my mind. Who on earth vanishes from the bus in between stops? And who on earth takes a bus only 1 stop! The bus stops here are very close to each other and hardly anyone just takes a bus for a single stop.

Friends who have heard this tale have mentioned that I encountered this near the Old Ford Factory... an allegedly very haunted place in my country.

Well, I dunno what this is.... coincidence or something more? What do you think?

This Supernatural Business...

With all the outburst that's currently going on with regards to AIG and how its now apparently possible to screw up big time in your job and STILL get paid big bucks... I thought it would be nice to not comment on the injustice of it all... since I am sure just about everyone else is going to do it anyway... and have something about a hardworking guy who is in this supernatural business as well...

I occasionally pick up stories like this because of:

1. interest
2. you never know when you need to know someone in that line of work
3. the thought does occur to me from time to time that if I ever find myself without a job again because of my stupid lifestyle, it might give me some clues to finding SOME JOB I can fill.


Tales From The Crypt In Singapore

AFP - Tuesday, March 17

SINGAPORE (AFP) - - Wong Shun Feng says he has seen spirits, been afflicted by supernatural phenomena and taken advice from gods -- and that it's all just part of the job. Affectionately known to his friends as "Tua Ya Pek" after a Taoist god of the spiritual underworld, Wong is a gravedigger who exhumes the bones of the dead to make way for development in Singapore.

According to Taoist belief, Wong is among the first to greet the dead when they embark on their journey beyond the grave.

But instead of guiding the spirits towards reincarnation, nirvana (transcendence) or the "nine hells," he sends them to a new earthly resting place as cemeteries make way for roads, housing and public services.

The dead are not always willing to move, he says.

"I've seen spirits hovering beside me as I dig their grave, heard them whisper to me 'Ah Tee (young man), please don't move me'," Wong recalls matter-of-factly.

But not all spirits are so benign, he said.

The 53-year-old, who has been a gravedigger for almost 30 years, says he once saw a tree standing over a grave he was exhuming "shaking violently when trees next to it were still -- and there was no breeze".

He said once he was even "punished" for disrespecting the dead when he swore at a grave.

"In the evening after the dig, my left forearm was completely stiff even though I did not injure it, like the forearm of a corpse, and it was only after midnight that I regained use of it," said Wong, gesturing to the affected area.

Nevertheless, he says he is not afraid of the supernatural.

"As long as you have a good heart, they won't harm you," he said.

Neither does he care that people here might look down on him as an anachronism in a Westernised society, despite the fact that superstition has deep roots among ethnic Chinese, who account for 75 percent of the 3.6 million population.

"People might think that this type of work is taboo but I'm fine with it. I like the rugged life," he said.

A stocky man, Wong cuts an imposing figure with a variety of tattoos, the most prominent of which are the images of Tua Ya Pek and Li Ya Pek emblazoned across his chest and back.

The images of the two Taoist deities, who are said to be in charge of keeping spirits in line, are not there for decoration.

"I respect the gods, that's why I tattoo them on my body," said Wong, who claims to have seen apparitions of the gods and received lessons on life and work from them.

On a recent exhumation conducted by the Singapore Land Authority to clear a Chinese cemetery in northern Singapore for redevelopment, it took Wong and three colleagues nearly three hours to dig a narrow hole about four metres (12 feet) deep.

Using simple tools such as plowshares, crowbars and wicker baskets, they burrowed through soil, sand and cement, which the rich used in the past to seal their graves, before finally reaching the coffin.

Prying open the lid, Wong and another gravedigger picked out the bones and washed them with rice wine before handing them to the family, who gave them red packets containing token sums of money in appreciation.

These envelopes are the main source of income for gravediggers because the 100 dollar (65 US) payment for each exhumation only goes to one individual and the gravediggers take turns receiving it.

"The income is not fixed. It depends on how generous the families are with their red packets," said Wong.

As the work is not stable he supplements his earnings with odd jobs such as house painting and repairs.

But he has his hands full for the moment as the 70,000-square-metre (753,000-square-feet) Guang Xiao Shan Cemetery, near the border with Malaysia, has been earmarked for conversion into a train depot.

The pace of Singapore's development has meant that between 1970 and 1998, more than 240,000 graves in 100 cemeteries were exhumed, the latest available estimate shows.

And according to Wong, all the deceased, including the current "residents," must be placated.

"Ghosts are the same as human beings," he said. "They have feelings and emotions as well. How would you feel if you had to shift after living in the same place for 50 years?"

When asked about his own mortality, Wong shrugged as he pointed to the tattoo of the deity Li Ya Pek smiling serenely on his chest.

"I haven't really thought about it. Let's see what my big brother says," he said with a laugh.

At one very somber moment during one of my long streaks as a partially employed bum, I had thought of switching to a career in the funerary services. I have never had a problem with dead bodies and its a business that is recession proof. I don't have a problem getting into contact with the people in the business because for... whatever reason, I have been going to funerals regularly since I was a kid... and I don't even know some of the deceased.

The BIG PROBLEM was that at that time, I had not yet resolved a large percentage of my problems with the spirit world. So a career in that field would have been a one-way ticket to either anti-psychotic medication or the loony bin. And once you have been to the loony bin in this country, you are a guaranteed bum for life. I was once told that there are some poor ex-patients of the mental hospital who return not because they are still insane, but because their families do not want them.

Anyways, it was a nice read, something different from all the hullabaloo that's taking place in the financial world these days.