Just HOW Do These Guys Manage To Find Me?

Life has been a little strange these past few weeks. Not only have a caught the flu... again... I find out that well, its all related to me doing the stuff that I'm supposed to do. Apparently, if I do what I'm supposed to do (It's all related to why I incarnated this time around...) I'll be okay. If I don't, well, I'll keep getting sick. I guess it is some kind of ploy by certain supernatural powers to ensure that I do what I am supposed to do... haiz!

Anyways, I have been pretty "good" in that I HAVE been doing spiritual stuff and keeping up with my meditations and all that... funny thing is, all these people have started showing up at my doorstep. I mean, it doesn't matter if I'm in a crowd, they tend to make a beeline towards me and then ask me some question or make some comment which... ironically... (You can see me doing the -_- here) is directly related to some conflict I am facing.:(

I'm not too surprised ... (see my expression... -_-) that lots of wannabe magic practitioners have also started showing up. And some of them come with some pretty big credentials. Now, I'm sure that consciously, they are generally well-meaning individuals... but certainly, they should not be in the magical, or psychic or even holistic field. Sometimes, when I am approached by an individual like that, I do have a small hope that somehow, they would be the kind of magician / wizard I am looking for. Well, fact of the matter is that for the most part, their understanding of magic is clumsy and often a repetition of some writer or the other. It is clear at least to me that they have not themselves internalized the information that they claim to have.

Often they try to make simple things sound big, mysterious and difficult. I'm pretty disappointed when I see that... really... It just tells me that the individual in question is ill suited for this field...

Now, quite a lot of people feel that I'm somehow pretty judgmental and that I'm wrong in my beliefs about magical or psychic ability. However, experience has shown me that, my own stand on magic and psychic abilities are true.

I very inquisitive young man once asked me about my beliefs. I told him simply that there is no way to "teach" someone how to be psychic and that magic is not for everyone. That is why I offer no classes that show people how to "open their third eye" for instance. He remarked that my own beliefs ran contrary to what 90% of the world believes. I said, that its not MY belief that runs contrary to 90% of the world... it just runs contrary to 90% of the people who are in the new age community.

In traditional belief systems, it is the spirits that choose the one they want, and NOT the other way around... Heck, a few good occult writers even acknowledge that. I believe that one cannot decide to become a wizard, a shaman or a sorceror, if one is not created for that function. I did not set out on this path to be someone who does magic. I set out on this path to find my own strength and peace with myself. I had said before to a young person who REALLY REALLY WANTED to have some magical or psychic power... "If I find out at the end of the day that I'm really created to be goatherd-12345, then well, so be it..."

Usually, these wannabes don't really like to hear me say that... they seem very very disappointed.

A certain new age practitioner once said to me when I was first starting out... "Don't concentrate on wanting to open the third eye or have psychic abilities... concentrate on making yourself whole and balanced and all things that are right will come to you..."

Now, I don't really agree with him regarding what he practices, but that one phrase from him sure made a whole lot of sense.

Seriously... if only people knew the trouble that comes into my life, they won't want anything to do with magic. I once met one who was wizard-born... the individual wisely said to me that he wasn't sure he SHOULD be doing this whole magic thing... because he knew that if he started down the path... it was a one-way-ticket out of respectability and big time wealth...

How is it that only those who are born into this can see the truth behind this whole magic business? I guess it might be the wisdom of hindsight.... in that, having lived so many lives as a wizard they understand what its like.

Well, back to the wannabes... I'm not sure how these wannabes manage to find me... but I'm sure it all has something to do with a particular past life incident in which I am involved in. I have NEVER LIKED charlatans... never... and I do get very very annoyed when people seem so attracted by "psychics" who say such nice, reassuring things and don't make a serious attempt to answer their questions in a practical and logical way... try to direct them to do something concrete that will really change their life.

I'm sorry, but for the majority of the people out there... solving problems does not have anything to do with fluffy notions about how some angel or spirit guide will "save" them from themselves... or how surrounding themselves with "love and light" will somehow lift them from their own mistakes... Often it takes self realisation and a will to want to change, day by day and remake their lives through serious effort.

My woofy friend did once say to me that people go to "psychics" not for the truth, but for affirmation or just to have someone say "everything is OK!"... Heck, I think they might as well pay a psychologist or therapist to do the same thing...

I suddenly am struck by Marx's comment about religion... I never did want him to be right, but it seems to me that he is. (ie. "Religion is the opium of the masses" - quoth Karl)

I guess in part my anger against the charlatan is also because of my own anger at the fact that magic has so little visible power today. I know deep down inside that magic is so much more than what people in the new age field, "witches" and practicing "magicians" say it is... But the problem is, I just don't see it and despite my best efforts at being honest with those I meet... it seems my honestly is not repaid...

Few... very very few who have ever gone through a reading with me have ever decided to come back for another. Sometimes it seems the the only people who have walked away from my readings feeling positive about it are those born to do magic... however, its not like they need a reading from me... heck... its more like a courtesy call from one magic practitioner to another...:(

Its like no one really wants to know the truth these days... my woofy friend remarked that few people really want to know the truth... it is true... sometimes I wonder why bother with truth? It does seem so much easier to be a charlatan.

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.

So Do We Have A Sacred Treasure Or Not?

The Lush Greenery of MacRitchie Reservoir

I was in the office reading news off the net when I came across the following:

World War 2 relic found at Clementi Ave 1 construction site

Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, March 4

SINGAPORE: There was plenty of police and military activity around Clementi Avenue 1 and Commonwealth Avenue West on Tuesday. The cause for the alarm was an unexploded World War 2 relic.

The war relic was discovered at about 6pm on Monday at a construction site near Block 411 Commonwealth Avenue West.

Experts from the Singapore Armed Forces said it was a Japanese aerial bomb dating from the Second World War.

Usually, when a war relic is discovered, it is taken to a military live firing range to be disposed of. But bomb disposal specialists decided it was actually safer to carry out the operation at the site itself this time around.

That was because the fuse had already been activated, so transporting the 50—kilogramme bomb could be risky.

To be safe, SAF personnel moved the relic to another part of the site, away from the residential block.

The plan was to cut open the relic’s steel casing and gently burn away the explosives. But in the process the bomb went off as planned at about 5:30pm. Fortunately sandbags ensured that no harm came about.

Earlier in the day, police had diverted traffic away from nearby Clementi Road and construction work on the site had to be halted.

Students from neighbouring NUS High School of Mathematics and Science were also asked to leave their campus as it was used as an operations base by the police.

Experts said war relics are a relatively common find in Singapore, but this was one of the rare occasions where a public disposal was necessary. The last occasion was in 2004. — CNA/vm

Ever since the Japanese Occupation in World War 2, people have been finding unexploded bombs and even skulls of individuals who died during the occupation in various parts of Singapore. To my knowledge, no one has ever been endangered by an unexploded bomb, although kids playing along Changi Beach may have been traumatized when they do unearth a cache of old skulls. Since an estimated 50 000 chinese men were led away and never seen again during the Occupation, I suppose that some of those skulls are still lying around somewhere.

Reading this article has reminded me of something that has circulated in the cyberways around Singapore for at least a few years now. Apparently, there are some who believe that there is a hidden treasure on this island, most likely from the time of the Japanese occupation. Now, mention treasure and the Japanese period in this region, and you will likely hear someone say "Yamashita's gold!" For those not familiar with local history. General Yamashita was the supreme commander of the Japanese army in these parts. Apparently, when they occupied the then Malaya and Singapore, the Japanese army confiscated lots of gold and valuable stuff from some of the rich Chinese families living in this region.

Now, this looted treasure has allegedly never been found and today is the source of the legend of Yamashita's gold. Treasure hunters have speculated that this treasure is likely hidden somewhere in Southeast Asia, and may likely be found wherever the Japanese were based, either in Singapore, Malaya or even in the seas off Philippines.

Now, most people, who have a passable knowledge of local/regional history have heard of Yamashita's gold. Sometimes, the occasional news report will pop up about intrepid treasure seekers who claim to have found the treasure. The last time that happened, was when Filipino fishermen pulled up something odd from the seabed off the coast of the Philippines. While it was NOT the fabled treasure, it was nevertheless a historic relic from the Second World War.

However, some 1 to 2 years back, I came across a claim of a fantastic treasure of great spiritual significance that might possibly be found on this island country. The source of the claim was from the then Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI)website. (They have since renamed themselves) The story of this claim can be read at the following URL:

The Ultimate Secret of Syonan Jinja

To cut a long story short, one of the guys from SPI was in Japan and chanced upon the son of an officer in the Japanese army in World War 2. This officer was allegedly in charge of building the Syonan Jinja, a shinto shrine that was constructed at a patch of land near the water of MacRitchie Reservoir during the Japanese Occupation (1942 - 45). In order to consecrate the land/shrine, the Japanese government allegedly had some precious artefact of great spiritual significance transported from Japan and it is supposedly burried under the shrine.

Now, bear in mind, even the SPI guy admits that the individual who told him this story had too much sake to drink. In addition, this enigmatic individual claims that the Japanese recognised Singapore as a land with spiritual potential and thus named it Shonan-to or Syonan-to (昭南島 Shōnan-tō, "Island of the Light of the South" - source from Wikipedia article URL : Japanese Occupation of Singapore).

This artefact, apparently something that was bulky, was allegedly buried in the belief that when its power matured, it would bring the Japanese victory over the entire Asian region as far downwards as Australia and New Zealand. However, according to the informant, some shinto priests had warned that the artefact required a period of 20 years for the power to fully mature. Not heeding that warning the Japanese went ahead with their conquest. And you all know what happened after that.

Well, supposedly this same artefact is still today hidden somewhere in MacRitchie because the Japanese apparently didnt take it with them when they surrendered. It was probably because they didn't want it to fall into foreign hands.

So what IS this artefact? Well, some have speculated that it is a giant sized diamond... some kind of sacred rock... Others have said that it is a legendary rosary, possibly made of 72 diamonds. The last possiblity was based in part on the claim made by the informant. In his semi-drunken state, he mentions the "seed of the Amatsu Tatara ". The "Amatsu Tatara" is a term from a legend that originates with some kind of Japanese spiritual sect. I think it refers to some sacred scrolls, but interestingly, this legends does make mention of an ancient king who came from a faraway land (allegedly Babylonia) who brings with him a necklace of 72 jewels with fabulous mystic powers.

Now, based upon excavations by the local authorities, this shinto shrine actually existed because of the foundation stones and other stone sculptures that have been unearthed. However, there is no mention in the media at all of the finding of any fabulous treasure or diamond rosary or diamond anything.

It might be that the "bulky treasure" might just be some rock that looks really ordinary to the untrained eye. I've been to Japan a long time ago and have had the opportunity to visit some shrines. Some of the sacred rocks do actually look like...erm.... rocks.

Of course, if you are a conspiracy nut, you might be inclined to believe that "the Old Man" (Singaporeans, you know who I am talking about), had somehow found the treasure and its now in a very safe place, guarded by tons of security personnel.

If you don't believe the story which the SPI guy got from a drunk Japanese stranger... think about this... the stranger claimed that the object DOES take 20 years to "mature"... don't you think its pretty strange that exactly 20 years from the years marking the japanese occupation the following thing happened?

"... [Singapore] declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, before joining the Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore. Singapore left the federation two years after heated ideological conflict between the state's PAP government and the federal Kuala Lumpur government. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965. Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first President of Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew remained prime minister."
taken from Wikipedia URL : Singapore

Now, assuming the Japanese took some time to build the shrine after driving the British from Singapore, the shrine itself would have been finished somewhere in 1943 and would have been in service till 1945... exactly 20 years later, Singapore became independent.

At that time, not even the "Old Man" believed Singapore could survive on its own. I think some of you might recall that archived footage of him announcing the independence of this country and he was crying. Well, it wasn't tears of joy... he himself admits in his biography that he was worried about the survival of this country. I mean this place has no natural resources and little land... the only thing it does have is people... too many in fact...

However, as we know it today, Singapore has become the financial, trade and travel hub in this region. Large part of the credit for this success has been attributed to its hardworking citizenry and efficient government. But... just think about it for a moment, how many small countries the size of Singapore ever gets to dominate the trade and finance on a regional basis? Monaco comes to mind, but I think it is more famous for its high class beaches and casinos than for its political, financial and commercial power.

Remember what the drunk stranger claimed... that the treasure will allow whoever owns it conquer the entire Asian region.

So is there any truth to this? Or is it just a myth? Honestly, I don't know. Despite my enthusiasm for anything magical or supernatural, I find myself at an impasse. I don't know whether I want this legend to be true or not. Part of me does, and part of me doesn't. I guess as a Singaporean, it is much nicer for me to think that our success is due to the tenacity of our people... and if we DO find a sacred treasure... well, its just icing on the top... I suppose it would be an object that would make a good tourist attraction... if the Japanese government doesn't want it back... heh

Black Magic, White Magic

This particular topic was brought to my mind recently by a member of one of the teams that I manage. A bunch of ladies came in early from lunch and I overheard them talking. They had picked up some magazine, something like the IS magazine or similar. There were some articles about alternative lifestyles and trends in the magazine and they started talking about spiritual stuff. From there the conversation strayed into the supernatural.

One of the ladies started saying that people who stared into crystal balls (I think she was thinking about the carnival gypsy types) made her nervous because she was sure they were doing some black magic. I then made a comment to the effect that I didn't think that staring into crystal balls had anything to do with "black magic" and that most of her examples of "magical" practices were done by people who likely based the ritual off some kind of superstition.

Well, I think she might either have had an experience with magic that went wrong or she had heard tales about it from friends or family. Either ways, she seems to believe that some kinds of magic are real and that its something to be afraid of. I also think she misinterpreted my statement to mean that I thought magic was some kind of crazy, unscientific superstitious belief. In truth, if I were in her shoes, I would have also have misinterpreted what I said to her.

Being in Asia, it is okay to express a belief in the spirit world and admit to occasional ghostly sightings, even if you work in an organisation that places strong emphasis on science, hard facts, empirical knowledge and evidence gathering - which quite simply describes my current work environment. However, I think even the most tolerant of my co-workers would balk at the idea of one of us engaging in the active practice of magic. Naturally, none of my colleagues know of my "alternative lifestyle practices". Anyways, this conversation sort of brought up the topic of black magic.

In Singapore, mention "black magic" and the images of either Adrian Lim (a medium who had murdered some people in ritualistic style in the 80s) or of a bomoh in a dark room with spirits and lots of blood. I the minds of most people black = bad. And I guess to most non-practitioners of magic, all magic would be "black magic" no matter who does it or why.

Reading forums and websites by members of the alternative beliefs community, there seem to be those who hold to the notion that there are some magical practices which are "black" or evil or dark. And others that are "white" or good. As to what constitutes black or white magic, well, opinion is divided.

I don't know where this notion of "black" magic first came up in history. I don't think the ancients (eg. Egyptians, Sumerians... etc...) had a specific notion that magic was colour / morality - coded in any way. Magic was magic, it was simply a tool. Or a force of nature. "Good" Egyptian heroes were just as likely to engage in communicating or working with the dead for instance... (some form of necromancy... if you think about it) as the evil villains. And "evil" villains were just as likely to perform blessings and beneficial spells on those they favoured.

I suppose, with the evolution of faiths that have strongly defined polar opposites of good and bad, the notion that some practices are "black" as opposed to "white" might develop in the popular cultural mindset of the civilization where those beliefs are widespread. For example, communicating, calling upon, summoning and working with spirits that are considered "evil" or "demons" or even the "dearly departed" is bad (the last one, because it is some form of necromancy), but working with, summoning or communicating with beings that are regarded as "good" or "angels" or communicating with the dead via angelic assistance is considered okay or even good.

As a person engaged in the study and practice of magic, I find that whole "black-white" divide rather... superficial and certainly silly. Ironically, it was a tract from a particular monotheistic religion that put the entire black-white argument for me in perspective. In the tract, which was written in the form of the story, the witch character binds the tongue of an opponent by calling upon some beneficial or benevolent being. Although she regards herself as a "white" witch, at the end of the day, she finds out that all magical acts (the doing of miraculous acts via some other power other than that of the belief's official divine being) are the same. There is no such thing as "black" or "white" magic. In the writer's opinion at least, ALL magic is "black" and therefore bad.

Now, I don't agree with the writer of the tract with regards to his points about the "evilness" of magical practice, but I have to say that in terms of the logic behind the belief, he is at least consistent. In his world view, acts such as drawing a circle, summoning a being, even an "angel" via the practice of muttering certain secret mystical words to call forth said being for assistance, is an act of magic and therefore "evil". In fact, the only legitimate means of communicating or working with the spiritual world is via prayer, and even then, prayer is to be directed at the official divine being and NOT at some other beneficial being, even though they might be working for or with the divine being on the same side.

Like I said, I don't agree with the portrayal of magic in the tract, but at least the writer has made a logical argument based on his world view.

Now HERE is what I DON'T understand. I what is the difference between summoning the dead to talk with them and using mystical rites to summon the assistance of an angel to speak with the departed? Does this mean if you call upon an "angel" so you can talk with your late grandpa, that is not some kind of necromancy? In the same fashion, it's "black" magic if you go to the graveyard and beg the spirits that are there with rites and offerings for guidance, but it is okay to have a spirit guide (some of whom are drawn from the ranks of the departed) to assist you in everyday decision making? And that does not make you a necromancer? ... I'm using the example of necromancy because in popular culture at least, this practice seems to be the default practice of most evil wizards.

And in case you might be thinking that I am somehow distorting the definition of the word, here is the official meaning from dictionary.com .

Nec-ro-man-cy

–noun

1. a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead; black art
2. magic in general, esp. that practiced by a witch or sorcerer; sorcery; witchcraft; conjuration.

Origin
1250–1300; necro- + -mancy; r. ME nigromancie < class="ital-inline">nigromantīa for LL necromantīa < class="ital-inline">nekromanteía; by folk etymology nigro- (comb. form of L niger black) was substituted in ML for original necro-

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Necromancy

Nec"ro*man`cy\, n. [OE. nigromaunce, nigromancie, OF. nigromance, F. n['e]cromance, n['e]cromancie, from L. necromantia, Gr. ?; ? a dead body (akin to L. necare to kill, Skr. na(?) to perish, vanish) + ? divination, fr. ? diviner, seer, akin to E. mania. See Mania, and cf. Internecine, Noxious. The old spelling is due to confusion with L. niger black. Hence the name black art.] The art of revealing future events by means of a pretended communication with the dead; the black art; hence, magic in general; conjuration; enchantment.

--Drayton.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

It seems to me that for the most part the decision of what's "black" and "white" is made not based on logic, but on whatever the individual believes. I think also, people tend to categorize what they do not understand or fear as being "bad". It is just human nature I guess. I did the same thing too when I was a lot younger and a fanatic.

Personally, I don't think there is anything like "white" or "black" magic. For me at least, magic is a tool, like an axe, which can either be used to chop wood and build houses or harm and kill. What makes something good or bad is the action and intent of the person doing the deed, not the instrument by which the deed is done. Is the pen evil because an assassin used it as a stabbing knife on the eye of his victim? (I am reminded of this particular killing from a movie. I believe it was from the Godfather trilogy.)

I think that for people certain faiths, the labelling of magic as something bad or "black" might result from a notion of where the magician's powers originate. It is in the belief system of quite a few religions that supernatural works are the domain of either the official divine being or his opponents. No magical power is attributed to or originates from Mankind. Therefore, in belief systems that hold this to be true; if supernatural works from an individual cannot be attributed to the official deity, then it must come from the opposing side.

However, I am of the belief that when the original creator made everything, he made it so that working magic is possible for members of the human race. That we do not have to call upon beings in the "spirit" world for magical knowledge or power. Personally, I don't think there is a definite distinction between the so-called "material" and "spiritual" worlds. We all live in one universe - Man, ghosts, spirits, "demons", "angels" and whatever unnamed races or species wander around out there and all around us. We are not separated by a "veil" that divides the material and mundane from the incorporeal and spiritual. The same rules that govern us... also govern those that we cannot see.

We have merely fooled ourselves into thinking that there is a definite division between the "material" and "immaterial".

I also don't think that those in the "spirit realm" so to speak are at a "higher" or "different" level of evolution compared to us. Neither do I think that they are in some other "dimension". We probably don't see them, because like the severely myopic or blind, we only see what we are capable to perceiving with our limited human vision, but not everything that is actually THERE. For all we know, giant coloured balls of ethereal light course down Orchard Road on a daily basis. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean that they are not there.

In case your mouth is dropping open now, think about this. Science and knowledge as we know it defines the universe through "rules" and "laws" discovered by its adherents. But truly, are the "laws" of science that we know today, truly the laws that govern our universe?

If you look past flesh, blood and bone, we consist of trillions of atoms - quite literally constructs of energy. I'd go so far to say that we are, in effect, beings of energy, just like members of the "spirit" world. If that is so, then we are equally capable of magical / supernatural or energetic acts often attributed to denizens of this "spirit" world.

I guess I have deviated quite a bit from the original topic. Before I digress any further, now is a good time to stop.

Return Of The Naked Wonders

Here's a short update on that naked couple strolling down Holland Village incident...

No charges against Holland Village nude couple yet

Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, February 17

SINGAPORE: More than three weeks after a Caucasian man and a Singaporean woman were arrested for strolling around Holland Village totally nude, no charges had been pressed against them yet.

Police said investigations are still ongoing.

The naked pair stunned drinkers and diners when they strolled hand—in—hand up and down Lorong Mambong at 11pm on January 24.

They were nabbed one hour later near North Buona Vista Road but were released on bail afterwards.

The incident sparked off a flurry of postings online and even became inspiration for a new Ikea advertisement.

Under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, anyone who appears nude in a public place can be fined up to S$2,000 or jailed up to three months, or both.

Apparently Ikea has taken advantage of the hullabaloo over this incident by coming up with the following funny ad...


I for one am quite surprised that the police haven't charged them with something yet. I wonder why its taking them so long to come to a decision since the case seems to be pretty direct.

Busy... Busy... Busy

I really dislike this time of the year. I am really really busy because I have to wrap up some of the projects from the teams. And they have this pattern of coming in all at once :( However, amazingly this year, I am having lots of dreams at this point in time. I don't know why this is happening. Perhaps well, when I am super stressed... strange things just pop up in my dreams. Or it could be the alignment of the stars and planets as some believe. Well, whatever it is, I'd like to be able to remember some of the more interesting dreams, but well, I can't because they fade almost as soon as I am awake.

There is a particular dream I have that is recurring. I think I had it before many many years ago, but I am having it again. It's all about trying to take the right bus. In this dream, I am trying to get to the school at which I currently have some part-time lecturing classes. It seems I am in Singapore of the 1950s when there was still a lot of uncleared forested jungle or in some place in South America. I am standing along a country road looking at passing buses, to see if I can catch a ride to the school. There are no buildings around and I see vegetation and far hills, and blue skies. And always, when I do flag down and get on a bus, I ask the bus driver if the bus gets to the school. The bus driver will then say that he is not sure about the place I am trying to get to. Perhaps he is unfamiliar with the location.

In trepidation, I sit on the bus, hoping the bus will get there. Then, as I am about to lose all hope, the bus turns a bend on a very heavily forested road and there the school is. The bus driver then either says I am super luckily or says he's been messin' around with me all this time :(

In every recurring dream of this pattern, the school in the dream always looks like it is made of ancient stone and covered with creeping jungle foliage. Or it looks like some colonial or old 1930s structure whose walls have faded to a hard grey speckled with black and white fungal growths and covered with jungle creepers. It seems like a very old place, but the students are always around the late teen to young adult years. When I get to the class I am supposed to go to, I always think I'm late, but the students tell me that everything is okay and they even invite me to a kind of rough, rooftop eating place. This eating place always serves some kind of grilled/fried sausages or meat. The food is reminiscent of a very oily and salty British-style breakfast of fried bacon, sausages or egg.

The eatery is always a rough, unsophisticated place that is on the top of one of the 3 storied buildings. It is connected to other eateries on other rooftops with rickety footholds. The place itself is outdoor and the rooftop looks as if it is made of some kind of very old concrete, so old it is spotted with green algae, and black places.

The students built up a small cooking fire on which they roasted some meat. One of them had a dog, a white toy poodle or terrier type, which rolled so near the fire, I was worried it was going to turn into barbecued dog! But the students laughed as it rolled in the hot fat that dripped from the fire. They said it would be okay, but I highly doubted them.

From there the scene would change as I made my way off the rooftop, a little put off by the scene of a little dog rolling near the embers. I knew they had somehow got the dog to do that, but I didn't know how it could willingly, even playfully roll itself through what amount to hot fat. :( When I went down to the ground floor, I think I arrived at the administration area. It was crowded, old and decaying. There was a reception window with a small ledge-like counter. It seemed as though many people were trying to speak to someone in the school's administration, and they loitered around that small window, trying to stick their hands across the counter.

At this point, I'll usually wander around this crowded area and would sometimes meet someone I have not seen in years. In this version of the dream, I saw a guy I haven't seen in ages. He is an acquaintance who is quite a pretender and who fabricates lies about himself as easily as he breathes. I have learned never to believe in a single thing he says. We met this time in the dream, and there was none of tension that built up in the last days when I saw him. He brought me to one side and showed me a comic. He said he drew it after a story I had written long ago.

After that, the scene morphs into some kind of fantastic fantasy novel. I recognize it as a story I wrote in the distant past, it seems familiar and I know all the main players in this tale, but the truth is, I have never written this particular story at all in this lifetime. :P

Was this a flashback to an earlier lifetime? Or is it something in my subconscious that are meshed with random images? I can't tell. Sometimes, I would like it if I could dream of my past life as it was, without the bias of interpretation from my experience in this lifetime. But I wonder, would I actually be able to understand what I see? It could consist of scenes so alien that there might be no modern interpretation of whatever transpired in some faraway time.

Dreams of World War II

I've been having some pretty strange dreams recently, and I'm putting it down on the blog for future reference.

Yesterday, I had a strange early morning dream. I woke up with the lights on in my room at about 9 am after falling asleep halfway though doing a project at about 3 am. You know, you tell yourself, I'm gonna just rest my eyes a little and then... Zzzzzzzzz you are in snooze-ville.

Anyway, I was so tired at 9 am on Sunday morning, I decided to sleep in and went back to sleep again. Almost immediately I started dreaming. I dreamt I was taking the MRT (that's the subway here) in Singapore, but that scenery was all wrong. Most MRTs in this country are quite nicely done. They are nicely tiled, some have pieces of floor or wall art and are mostly tiled in polished granite or some kind of stone. However, the subway in my dream was grey, and had a very unpainted or roughly painted concrete look. Something like what I saw of the Metro in London when I was there about 10 over years ago.

Suddenly, there was a flash and I felt a sensation of falling. Although there was no physical movement in the dream, I saw my dream self "fall" into a different time zone. There was a loud explosion and I looked around, shocked to see English people dressed as though they were in the 1930s or 1940s with ladies in hats and men in grey coats and funny fedoras. I found myself in my normal clothes, with an additional wraparound shawl/blanket/cape that looked a rough blue (it was confusing so I'm not too sure about the details). I panicked finding myself in such strange place. However, there was no doubt in my mind where I was.

I was in the Second World War in the middle of London. I felt the need to get somewhere. I have this notion that the place was some kind of safe place or hospital or even some kind of strange mystical place which was causing this very chaotic distortion of time and space to happen. The name amazingly was Indian and had two words starting with "P" and "R". I know it was a very long name, but I think the meaning of the place was something like "a place of peace", "a haven of peace/harmony" or "garden of peace"... this elusive place seemed to be some kind of retreat or cloistered sanctuary run by some kind of guru. And yet, the temporal distortion came from that supposed sacred place. Yes, I did get the notion there was an element of the religious sanctity to it.

I ran around trying to find a train that would go to that place. In between, the scenes kept alternating between ... amazingly... modern London and World War II London. Halfway though, I received a phone call from Nashran. I heard his voice clearly, but there was some static and he didn't seem to be able to hear me. He asked me where I was. I said that I'll try to get to where he lived.

As I was trying to get my phone to work so I can contact him and tell him what was going on, I saw strings of algorithms and programming script coming out on the screen of my mobile. It was as if my mobile was trying to tell me that its programming was going haywire with all the temporal shifts.

While I was stumbling through subways and time, I remember standing around in a grey place, perhaps a hospital, perhaps a makeshift care unit in the subway, and there were nurses in old style outfits standing around. They had bluish uniforms and white aprons with the old-style caps on their head with the distinct red cross logo. Outside what appeared to be a window a bomb exploded and I saw the flash of the bomb.

Eventually, I stumbled to the entrance of a metro and at this point in time, my mobile was going crazy in my hand and I was unable to navigate the mobile's menus. Frustrated because I was certain some magic was afoot, I drew up a magic circle in front of all these commuters streaming out of the station and did a spell to get rid of whatever interference was causing the device to go haywire. It did help in that I managed to surf to the right portion of the menu I was looking for.

The dream ended just about there.

Now, I know that I have been alive sometime in the Second World War in London. Were these flashbacks of that chaotic era? I don't know. It wasn't too clear to me what I was doing running around in the subway and seeing nurses. I don't think I was a nurse or doctor back then, so what was I doing there, walking through the rubble that was London?

Not every dream I have which has probable past life memories are really as clear as the one I had of myself as a priest in France. Sometimes they are just fragments. And they leave me wondering what I was doing in the middle of all that chaos. No, I don't have battlefield dreams. The closest thing to that was as a petty officer in the time of the Napoleonic Wars... probably on the British side.

Yeah, I have been born in merry ol' England or in a nearby country many many times in the past. That sorta makes me wonder why I am in Singapore now. I mean, really... I am the kind of person that like a familiar setting, so I am not too sure if it was really my choice to opt for life in Southeast Asia in this lifetime.


PS: I chose this archive pic of World War II so you can get an idea of what I saw in my dream. hmmmmm......now to think about it.. that wraparound could be something like the nurse's cape... but still, I'm pretty sure I was a guy back then.