Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Time Flies Like an Arrow
Time really flies like an arrow, an issue brought up by my father. It was initiated when I told him that I am going to celebrate my 21st birthday early this June. Im turning 21 soon, sounds still young but its not the case. My father told me that once someone reaches the 20s, time flies like an arrow. He reminisced when he got married to my mother and had us, it seems like yesterday. We are growing to become adults and our parents are growing old. Noticed their white hair emerging from the scalp and skin colour turned dull ad wrinkled, not what they used to be. The youth they had gradually fades and they shall age with grace. I will age too and soon, the youth i have will be consumed by time. There have been twists in my life and one remarkable one was the path I chose for my degree studies. Previously, I was greatly fond in medicine, dreaming of becoming a doctor one day. A typical ambition of Biology students. I limited my point of views and did not open myself to other options which may provide me alternative paths. My STPM pointer which was mentioned in my previous blog is not sufficient enough to secure a position in medicine as Im not a native. Failed to get into medicine really crushed my dreams and what I have been dreaming to become. I had been pessimistic and been moody for days. Friends and family advised me to move on and go for other options. My mother had been worried, she once told me that if i insisted to pursue in medicine, she would get bank loan which made me so touched. I had tearful eyes before I left for work the moment she told me. However, after much considerations, I did not want my parents to be financially burdened and worried for my future. I did not want them to take up loan. Went to UTAR to apply for Biomedical Science and I got a full scholarship for this course but i turned it down in the end. Something urged me...to take Microbiology in UKM. Something told me that this is the path that i should follow. Not the ideal path i have always dreamed about. Becoming a scientist had never got into my list before. Then, I followed what was ahead, my fate. I took up Microbiology and I know God has designed a path for me. Everything would be fine, i told myself. There was this saying 'When the God closed a window in ur life, He opens a door for u'. This path is the door after the window to medicine is closed. On the other hand, I had been thinking, the reason why I was fond in medicine was because of the fame it has and the prosper it brings. Never did i know it limits my life. After much considerations, I realized that a doctor dedicated himself to patients and not having the life he always wanted. How miserable, I thought. After seeing the bigger picture and confirmed that I do not want to spend part of my life on others, I feel that my current path has its own reason. I want to spend more time for my own and family. I realized that the higher power has its own reason of wanting me to choose this path because time flies like an arrow and I do not wanna waste my time, sitting in a clinic 24/7 to be visited. I want to explore, discover and feel the joy of amusement by becoming a scientist who still can spend much of his time with family.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
13th June 2002, A Day to Remember
It was a sunny day and back then I was only 11 years old. I still remember I started my day in my primary school with energy and optimism, hoping that the rest of the day would be fine. Back then, I was a prefect and I had alot of good friends. It was recess time when I was visited by my parents and Eloise. Eloise was in afternoon session and somehow she skipped her school, made me wondered why. Their appearance was out of my expectation. Eloise was only 9 years old and when she stepped forward, she brought a news that nearly made my heart stopped.
Eloise:" Gor, Popo passed away this morning"
Me: (Paused)....What? How????"
Eloise:"It was an accident...car accident"
I could not believe the news that killed my mood and made the twist of the day. Popo is my maternal grandmother. I looked into my mother's eyes and she was silence. Deep in my heart, I wanted to cry but I kept to myself, I went over to the office to tell the teachers and staffs that I would be taking leave for the next few days. They sympathized on my loss and granted my leave. I packed my stuffs and we were to go back to Sitiawan to pay the last respect. I had tearful eyes before I entered the car. Once I sat in the back seat, I began to cry out loud. Popo was a very kind and great grandmother. Every Chinese New Year, I would be longing to visit her. We then picked up Kay and Yen. Both could not take the news well and all broke down. On our way to Sitiawan, the atmosphere was moody and blue. Only musics from the radio heard and we did not speak in the 1 and a half hour journey. When we reached to the wooden house in Sitiawan, all other relatives had already reached and all were grieving. When my mother opened the car door, she quickly knelt on the stony ground and slowly, knelt into the house....crying at the same time, calling for my grandmother. It is a custom in Chinese that if the deceased is in the house, his/her descendants must kneel into the house. My mother could not stop crying and we saw popo was lying on a wooden bed in the house, facing the main door. Next to her, was the basin and white cloth with blood stains. Popo was covered with white cloth. Lying there was an old lady whom I always called Popo and who had been smiling to me all the times. The memories with her never fade. Uncles and aunts were surrounding my popo and all were crying. Seeing them cried, made us cry even louder. I heard that grandfather passed out after he heard of popo's sudden departure. When we were gathering around popo, a car stopped in front of the house and my grandfather who just gained his conscious in the hospital, walked weakly towards his beloved wife. On his face, I could see that he was devastated. We all were...That day was very very hard on us.
During our stay there, we heard how popo really died. It was a norm for her to cycle every morning to the market to buy routine-needed things. Since, the Dumpling or Duan Wu Festival was around the corner, she bought all the ingredients needed to make dumplings except for one, the dried shrimps. Every year, she would make delicious dumplings for her children and grandchildren. Normally, she would depart at 6:45am but that very morning, she departed early, 15 minutes earlier. She cycled towards the market and when she was about to cross the road, she saw a jeep from far. She had vision problem and she thought the jeep was very far so she crossed the road. Never did she know that the jeep was very near to her. The driver could not press the brake pedal and hit on her. She rolled over the jeep and her face smashed the back mirror. The golden tooth that she had fell off and the neck bone was fractured. The bicycle was a piece of useless metal. The smashed glass scattered on the road and the sound of hitting alarmed neighbours nearby. My grandfather's sister stayed nearby too and she knew my popo was hit. She quickly called my uncle and without delay, my uncle rushed to the scene where he saw his mother was lying on the ground. He gained all his strength to lift his mother to his car and sent her to the hospital. Some smashed glass cut his arms and entered the wounds which caused him to have further treatments. Everything was late, the impact was huge and my popo slipped away.
Listening to how popo died really made my heart broke. It was so hard and cruel to know how ur relative died and to think where were we when all these happened. How i wish i could turn back time to prevent this from happening. The funeral procession was held in 3 days and my popo was lying in a wooden coffin. The neighbours and relatives came to pay their last respect while we, as her descendants mourned for her death. Grandfather kept blaming himself for her death and this made the atmosphere even more blue. HOWEVER, i must emphasized that some distant relatives were PLAYING MAHJONG. I was so angry but an 11 year-old child could not do anything. How stupid and idiot these fellows and I am ashamed to have blood relation with them, even little. They were being disrespectful and no manners! My mother refused to eat even though my uncle and aunt persuaded her to eat a little. I knew how she felt, she had been very close to popo when she was a child. My popo also loves her very much, we can see that. My mother could not stop crying during the funeral processions and when she calmed down, I could see her eyes were swollen and she stared aimlessly on the ground. It was a great loss to her, popo is her mother. On the third day, we were to bury her on the hill along with other maternal ancestors. We made our way to the hill and when her coffin was laid into the hole, I could not believe that she was gone.
After her burial, the daughters of the deceased were supposed to leave the house and if they were to come back, they have to bring a basket of fruits. What a weird custom...My mother wanted to go back to Ipoh so on the third day, we headed back to Ipoh since all 4 of us skipped school for 3 days. My mother did not show her grief in front of us but we knew she was deeply saddened by popo's death. That very night, she dreamed of popo. She told us that popo cycled to our house and stopped in front of our house. Sometimes, when my mother was sewing clothes, she thought of popo and will sob silently in the morning. On the other hand, I broke down many times when I thought of popo and her departure was deeply felt because she was the first close relative to depart in my life. I remember the grief that I bore. The driver who killed her was set free. The incident was considered as an accident by the local magistrate and the driver was not charged with murder. His driving license was revoked. Despite freeing from murder charge, the driver himself could not bear the guilt of causing death to an old lady. He went to my grandfather's house, knelt before my grandfather and asked for forgiveness. He broke down due to guilt and grandfather forgave him. Popo greatly influenced my life. Now, whenever I see old ladies in their 60s and above, either them be cycling or walking, I will think of popo and I really wanna reach out helping hands so that I can restore them safely to their family. However, I din do so for fear that these folks will think me as a lunatic person and reject my help. My heart will softens and I sympathize old people when I see them...I told myself that I will not let my parents to walk alone when they are old, I dowan them to end up like these old people...Popo had been sacrificing her life to raise her children and took care of my grandfather for years. Grandfather was very ill in the past few decades and she took care of him with care and love. After her death, grandfather was taken care of by my uncle and his wife. I remember popo's smile, her small eyes, her curly hair, her kindness, her chubby figure and her tendency to fall asleep. All the time, popo would fall asleep when she was talking to us or when she was watching TV. She loved to snore when she slept and she was afraid of heat, she would have two fans in her room and made a hole on the wall so that the cool air of air-conditioner in the next room would flow into hers. She loved to take nap but whenever my mother went back, she would stay awake and talked to my mother until the wee hours together with my grandfather. She brewed delicious salty pork leg too and she made the best Milo in the world. I have never drank such a fine Milo before, really tasty and I could never taste it again in my life. Her skills in cooking were passed down to my mother and my aunts. I love her and my mother's cooking. My memories with her still fresh in my mind and she is the best grandmother in the world. I love her the way my mother loves her. She is my maternal grandmother, my Popo and will always be. There was once I dreamed of her, she told me that she was working in the afterlife and when I told my mother, she was pleased to know that her mother adapted her afterlife and worked to support her life there. That was the last dream I had about her. I really wish that she is now somewhere in the afterlife, very happy with the rest of the ancestors. It is now the 10th year of her death's anniversary. She will always be remembered for the motherly figure she gave to all her descendants. I love you, popo. Im sure we can meet again one day.
Eloise:" Gor, Popo passed away this morning"
Me: (Paused)....What? How????"
Eloise:"It was an accident...car accident"
I could not believe the news that killed my mood and made the twist of the day. Popo is my maternal grandmother. I looked into my mother's eyes and she was silence. Deep in my heart, I wanted to cry but I kept to myself, I went over to the office to tell the teachers and staffs that I would be taking leave for the next few days. They sympathized on my loss and granted my leave. I packed my stuffs and we were to go back to Sitiawan to pay the last respect. I had tearful eyes before I entered the car. Once I sat in the back seat, I began to cry out loud. Popo was a very kind and great grandmother. Every Chinese New Year, I would be longing to visit her. We then picked up Kay and Yen. Both could not take the news well and all broke down. On our way to Sitiawan, the atmosphere was moody and blue. Only musics from the radio heard and we did not speak in the 1 and a half hour journey. When we reached to the wooden house in Sitiawan, all other relatives had already reached and all were grieving. When my mother opened the car door, she quickly knelt on the stony ground and slowly, knelt into the house....crying at the same time, calling for my grandmother. It is a custom in Chinese that if the deceased is in the house, his/her descendants must kneel into the house. My mother could not stop crying and we saw popo was lying on a wooden bed in the house, facing the main door. Next to her, was the basin and white cloth with blood stains. Popo was covered with white cloth. Lying there was an old lady whom I always called Popo and who had been smiling to me all the times. The memories with her never fade. Uncles and aunts were surrounding my popo and all were crying. Seeing them cried, made us cry even louder. I heard that grandfather passed out after he heard of popo's sudden departure. When we were gathering around popo, a car stopped in front of the house and my grandfather who just gained his conscious in the hospital, walked weakly towards his beloved wife. On his face, I could see that he was devastated. We all were...That day was very very hard on us.
During our stay there, we heard how popo really died. It was a norm for her to cycle every morning to the market to buy routine-needed things. Since, the Dumpling or Duan Wu Festival was around the corner, she bought all the ingredients needed to make dumplings except for one, the dried shrimps. Every year, she would make delicious dumplings for her children and grandchildren. Normally, she would depart at 6:45am but that very morning, she departed early, 15 minutes earlier. She cycled towards the market and when she was about to cross the road, she saw a jeep from far. She had vision problem and she thought the jeep was very far so she crossed the road. Never did she know that the jeep was very near to her. The driver could not press the brake pedal and hit on her. She rolled over the jeep and her face smashed the back mirror. The golden tooth that she had fell off and the neck bone was fractured. The bicycle was a piece of useless metal. The smashed glass scattered on the road and the sound of hitting alarmed neighbours nearby. My grandfather's sister stayed nearby too and she knew my popo was hit. She quickly called my uncle and without delay, my uncle rushed to the scene where he saw his mother was lying on the ground. He gained all his strength to lift his mother to his car and sent her to the hospital. Some smashed glass cut his arms and entered the wounds which caused him to have further treatments. Everything was late, the impact was huge and my popo slipped away.
Listening to how popo died really made my heart broke. It was so hard and cruel to know how ur relative died and to think where were we when all these happened. How i wish i could turn back time to prevent this from happening. The funeral procession was held in 3 days and my popo was lying in a wooden coffin. The neighbours and relatives came to pay their last respect while we, as her descendants mourned for her death. Grandfather kept blaming himself for her death and this made the atmosphere even more blue. HOWEVER, i must emphasized that some distant relatives were PLAYING MAHJONG. I was so angry but an 11 year-old child could not do anything. How stupid and idiot these fellows and I am ashamed to have blood relation with them, even little. They were being disrespectful and no manners! My mother refused to eat even though my uncle and aunt persuaded her to eat a little. I knew how she felt, she had been very close to popo when she was a child. My popo also loves her very much, we can see that. My mother could not stop crying during the funeral processions and when she calmed down, I could see her eyes were swollen and she stared aimlessly on the ground. It was a great loss to her, popo is her mother. On the third day, we were to bury her on the hill along with other maternal ancestors. We made our way to the hill and when her coffin was laid into the hole, I could not believe that she was gone.
After her burial, the daughters of the deceased were supposed to leave the house and if they were to come back, they have to bring a basket of fruits. What a weird custom...My mother wanted to go back to Ipoh so on the third day, we headed back to Ipoh since all 4 of us skipped school for 3 days. My mother did not show her grief in front of us but we knew she was deeply saddened by popo's death. That very night, she dreamed of popo. She told us that popo cycled to our house and stopped in front of our house. Sometimes, when my mother was sewing clothes, she thought of popo and will sob silently in the morning. On the other hand, I broke down many times when I thought of popo and her departure was deeply felt because she was the first close relative to depart in my life. I remember the grief that I bore. The driver who killed her was set free. The incident was considered as an accident by the local magistrate and the driver was not charged with murder. His driving license was revoked. Despite freeing from murder charge, the driver himself could not bear the guilt of causing death to an old lady. He went to my grandfather's house, knelt before my grandfather and asked for forgiveness. He broke down due to guilt and grandfather forgave him. Popo greatly influenced my life. Now, whenever I see old ladies in their 60s and above, either them be cycling or walking, I will think of popo and I really wanna reach out helping hands so that I can restore them safely to their family. However, I din do so for fear that these folks will think me as a lunatic person and reject my help. My heart will softens and I sympathize old people when I see them...I told myself that I will not let my parents to walk alone when they are old, I dowan them to end up like these old people...Popo had been sacrificing her life to raise her children and took care of my grandfather for years. Grandfather was very ill in the past few decades and she took care of him with care and love. After her death, grandfather was taken care of by my uncle and his wife. I remember popo's smile, her small eyes, her curly hair, her kindness, her chubby figure and her tendency to fall asleep. All the time, popo would fall asleep when she was talking to us or when she was watching TV. She loved to snore when she slept and she was afraid of heat, she would have two fans in her room and made a hole on the wall so that the cool air of air-conditioner in the next room would flow into hers. She loved to take nap but whenever my mother went back, she would stay awake and talked to my mother until the wee hours together with my grandfather. She brewed delicious salty pork leg too and she made the best Milo in the world. I have never drank such a fine Milo before, really tasty and I could never taste it again in my life. Her skills in cooking were passed down to my mother and my aunts. I love her and my mother's cooking. My memories with her still fresh in my mind and she is the best grandmother in the world. I love her the way my mother loves her. She is my maternal grandmother, my Popo and will always be. There was once I dreamed of her, she told me that she was working in the afterlife and when I told my mother, she was pleased to know that her mother adapted her afterlife and worked to support her life there. That was the last dream I had about her. I really wish that she is now somewhere in the afterlife, very happy with the rest of the ancestors. It is now the 10th year of her death's anniversary. She will always be remembered for the motherly figure she gave to all her descendants. I love you, popo. Im sure we can meet again one day.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Ghost Stories~~~~~
Hello readers, it is very obvious that tonight, im going to blog about paranormal events...those who have faint heart or alone in house, cn leave this page at once...lol...Well, recently on my trip back to Ipoh, I got to hear some ghost stories from my relatives and family. I have been very curious in things like this so I listen very meekly not to leave out any important things...I have always love horror especially ghosts encounter. Sometimes i doubt the existence of ghosts and had been looking for scientific explanation regarding the frequency emitted by the dead and the living. When both frequencies have the same range, the living will see the dead. Possible? Alright, so lets go straight to the point.
1) Kay told me about her incident in Amalada Hotel, KL. She came to KL for a meeting with her colleagues and slept with a Malay woman. Kay was sound asleep when this happened. She was awakened by the sound of hair dryer the Malay woman was using after her shower. She was preparing to pray. Kay was semi-conscious and her body gestures showed that she was somehow disturbed by the sound. The Malay woman went towards her bed and took a pillow to cover her ears (Kay was sleeping sideways). After that, Kay was still showing body gestures that the sound still disturbed her. The woman took a cotton and inserted it in her ear. When sun rose, Kay woke up to find that the woman was no longer in the room as she went over to her friends' room for chit-chat. Kay waited until breakfast to confront her. Take note on the following conversation...
Kay: "This morning, did you cover my ear with pillow and cotton so as not to wake me up from the sound of hair dryer?"
Malay woman: "......noo...I had never walk towards your bed......" (sensing something was amiss)
To Kay's surprise, the woman denied of doing such things to her. Then, the woman told her that she was wearing black when she dried her hair. Suddenly, Kay remembered the woman who came towards her was wearing white and she did not see her face.....
2) The second incident happened to Kay too, in the same room of the same hotel. It happened at 1am in the morning. The room's phone rang and woke Kay up. She answered and found that the caller to be a man, brother of the Malay woman. Using an irritated tone, she told her brother that he should not call at that hour and his sister was sound asleep before hanging up. The very next morning, the Malay woman confronted Kay. She told her that her brother called last night and the one who answered his call was a rude person with very coarse and harsh voice. Scolded him with vulgar words. Kay was stunned by the description being made...as long as she remembered, she did not use any vulgar words on the caller...she lost her appetite to eat breakfast....
3) This story was told by my father who had never been superstitious. This story was shared by my father when Kay brought up the incidents she encountered in the hotel. Here the story goes. My father has a friend, very religious one and they both knew each other since their younger days. Lats call him Uncle Fei. He lives near to our housing estate and every night, he will attend religion class (Buddhist) and read the incantation in the sutra...been doing so for years. So, he knows another friend, X from that class and both are religious. One night, both of them went to Tapah with two other friends who are not religious. They went to the Tapah woods to pray for lucky numbers to be won in the coming bet. It is quite common for gamblers to do such things. They believe a being will help them to draw the numbers for them and they will strike the lottery. It was around midnight when all 4 of them reached the woods. The woods was dark and could be lit up by the dim light of moon. The spot was spotted and the two non-religious friends quickly made their move to the spot and started to burn incense and offerings to the 'being'. If you are a Chinese, you will know why we burn incense and offer offerings to the dead. Once Uncle Fei and X stepped out of the car, they instantly felt an evil aura and had cool chill running down their spines...They knew something was wrong but did not spill the magic bean. Both sensed something was amiss but stepped forward to the spot where the other 2 were busy burning incense. What they saw next really stunned them. They stopped behind the other two and to their horror, they saw a black figure with human entity squatting in front of the other two who were bus burning....
Uncle Fei: "Do you see that?"
X: "Yes..."
Both did not utter a single word and stood stiff at that very spot. The other two urged them to join them in the ritual but both did not move from their place, staring straight to the figure...
When the ritual was over, all 4 headed towards the car and drove back to Ipoh...Then the conversation started...
2 non-religious friends: "Why didnt you guys join us and stood like poles just now?"
Uncle Fei: " Didnt you see someone was squatting right in front of you two just now?"
The story ends here and my father did not probe much on the reactions given. For my father, he does not believe in these stuffs but told us just for the sake of sharing. My mother is a religious woman too and she keeps telling us that we must not offend beings from the other world. She always teach us precautions especially during Hungry Ghosts Festival.
4)The fourth story is told by Eloise. Have you ever heard of Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak? Quite near to Ipoh and had been a tourist attraction for many years. It was first built by a very wealthy Scottish man, I think back in the 20th century for his beloved wife. The castle was named after him and it was close to completion. The wife then died in an accident and the man had to go back to Scotland. He never returned, leaving the castle abandoned until now. The Perak government made it as a heritage to be protected and used it in tourism. The local folks said that the castle is haunted because they always hear people screaming and crying at night. They see strange light through castle's windows too. Some said that the Scottish couple came back to live in their castle and some believe that this abandoned castle became a favourite place for lost spirits in that area. Alright, done with the introduction, now go to Eloise's story. She told me that a friend of hers went to Kellie's Castle with 3 other friends. When it was time to go back, they had to show the student ID to the guard before exiting. All were in the car. When the guard checked on the 4 students' ID, he forwarded a shocking question.
Guard: "Why isnt your friend at the back not showing his ID?"
All 4 showed and only 4 were in the car....the guard saw the 'fifth' one....
All 4 looked shocked and were paused by the question forwarded....the guard knew it instantly...
Guard:"Not to worry pals, it happens often, just drive back to the castle and let your 'friend' disembark, ok?"
The students made their way back to the castle and all got down from the car, opened all the 4 car doors and left the car in that state for a while before driving back to the guard. The guard looked into the car and gave hint that the 'friend' is gone. All 4 rushed out of the castle immediately...
Scary? I have more stories that will scare you out of your couch...haha, stay tuned for next horror stories.
1) Kay told me about her incident in Amalada Hotel, KL. She came to KL for a meeting with her colleagues and slept with a Malay woman. Kay was sound asleep when this happened. She was awakened by the sound of hair dryer the Malay woman was using after her shower. She was preparing to pray. Kay was semi-conscious and her body gestures showed that she was somehow disturbed by the sound. The Malay woman went towards her bed and took a pillow to cover her ears (Kay was sleeping sideways). After that, Kay was still showing body gestures that the sound still disturbed her. The woman took a cotton and inserted it in her ear. When sun rose, Kay woke up to find that the woman was no longer in the room as she went over to her friends' room for chit-chat. Kay waited until breakfast to confront her. Take note on the following conversation...
Kay: "This morning, did you cover my ear with pillow and cotton so as not to wake me up from the sound of hair dryer?"
Malay woman: "......noo...I had never walk towards your bed......" (sensing something was amiss)
To Kay's surprise, the woman denied of doing such things to her. Then, the woman told her that she was wearing black when she dried her hair. Suddenly, Kay remembered the woman who came towards her was wearing white and she did not see her face.....
2) The second incident happened to Kay too, in the same room of the same hotel. It happened at 1am in the morning. The room's phone rang and woke Kay up. She answered and found that the caller to be a man, brother of the Malay woman. Using an irritated tone, she told her brother that he should not call at that hour and his sister was sound asleep before hanging up. The very next morning, the Malay woman confronted Kay. She told her that her brother called last night and the one who answered his call was a rude person with very coarse and harsh voice. Scolded him with vulgar words. Kay was stunned by the description being made...as long as she remembered, she did not use any vulgar words on the caller...she lost her appetite to eat breakfast....
3) This story was told by my father who had never been superstitious. This story was shared by my father when Kay brought up the incidents she encountered in the hotel. Here the story goes. My father has a friend, very religious one and they both knew each other since their younger days. Lats call him Uncle Fei. He lives near to our housing estate and every night, he will attend religion class (Buddhist) and read the incantation in the sutra...been doing so for years. So, he knows another friend, X from that class and both are religious. One night, both of them went to Tapah with two other friends who are not religious. They went to the Tapah woods to pray for lucky numbers to be won in the coming bet. It is quite common for gamblers to do such things. They believe a being will help them to draw the numbers for them and they will strike the lottery. It was around midnight when all 4 of them reached the woods. The woods was dark and could be lit up by the dim light of moon. The spot was spotted and the two non-religious friends quickly made their move to the spot and started to burn incense and offerings to the 'being'. If you are a Chinese, you will know why we burn incense and offer offerings to the dead. Once Uncle Fei and X stepped out of the car, they instantly felt an evil aura and had cool chill running down their spines...They knew something was wrong but did not spill the magic bean. Both sensed something was amiss but stepped forward to the spot where the other 2 were busy burning incense. What they saw next really stunned them. They stopped behind the other two and to their horror, they saw a black figure with human entity squatting in front of the other two who were bus burning....
Uncle Fei: "Do you see that?"
X: "Yes..."
Both did not utter a single word and stood stiff at that very spot. The other two urged them to join them in the ritual but both did not move from their place, staring straight to the figure...
When the ritual was over, all 4 headed towards the car and drove back to Ipoh...Then the conversation started...
2 non-religious friends: "Why didnt you guys join us and stood like poles just now?"
Uncle Fei: " Didnt you see someone was squatting right in front of you two just now?"
The story ends here and my father did not probe much on the reactions given. For my father, he does not believe in these stuffs but told us just for the sake of sharing. My mother is a religious woman too and she keeps telling us that we must not offend beings from the other world. She always teach us precautions especially during Hungry Ghosts Festival.
4)The fourth story is told by Eloise. Have you ever heard of Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak? Quite near to Ipoh and had been a tourist attraction for many years. It was first built by a very wealthy Scottish man, I think back in the 20th century for his beloved wife. The castle was named after him and it was close to completion. The wife then died in an accident and the man had to go back to Scotland. He never returned, leaving the castle abandoned until now. The Perak government made it as a heritage to be protected and used it in tourism. The local folks said that the castle is haunted because they always hear people screaming and crying at night. They see strange light through castle's windows too. Some said that the Scottish couple came back to live in their castle and some believe that this abandoned castle became a favourite place for lost spirits in that area. Alright, done with the introduction, now go to Eloise's story. She told me that a friend of hers went to Kellie's Castle with 3 other friends. When it was time to go back, they had to show the student ID to the guard before exiting. All were in the car. When the guard checked on the 4 students' ID, he forwarded a shocking question.
Guard: "Why isnt your friend at the back not showing his ID?"
All 4 showed and only 4 were in the car....the guard saw the 'fifth' one....
All 4 looked shocked and were paused by the question forwarded....the guard knew it instantly...
Guard:"Not to worry pals, it happens often, just drive back to the castle and let your 'friend' disembark, ok?"
The students made their way back to the castle and all got down from the car, opened all the 4 car doors and left the car in that state for a while before driving back to the guard. The guard looked into the car and gave hint that the 'friend' is gone. All 4 rushed out of the castle immediately...
Scary? I have more stories that will scare you out of your couch...haha, stay tuned for next horror stories.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Mother's Day Celebration
Celebrated Mother's Day with my parents, grandparents, Kay and Eloise. Yen could not make it because she was far away, in Johore. We went to the Pasir Pinji and dine in Tuck Kee Restaurant, famous for its smoke duck. That dinner really made me so full. We had smoke duck, pork, cheese prawns, fish fillets, seafood pot and vegetarian dish. Very delicious, i must say. Even now, makes me hungry. The dinner cost MYR309 and it was actually out of my expectation. I expected at most MYR200...my parents said its quite reasonable because we had duck, prawns and fish which are quite expensive. One thing saddened me this time back in Ipoh is that my parents and siblings said I am thin and do not look nice...I think its because my chest muscles and biceps' have not grown...makes me look small. I wan bigger biceps so I called Ryonx to purchase protein supplement. Hopefully with the aid of protein, i will have my big arms soon...Gotta go, its just a brief blog. Gotta take shower and prepare for dinner.
Friday, 11 May 2012
The Real Origin of my Surname
Previously when I blogged about my family, i did mention about the origin of my surname which i also said that the source was unknown and therefore, cannot be trusted 100%. Recently, i found out the true origin of my surname, thanks to Wikipedia. Ye (Mandarin) or Yip(Cantonese) have relatives all around the world, bearing the same surname, even in Japan and Korea. In China, it was ranked as the 43rd most common surname. It is known as Yo in Japan and Seob or Yeop in Korea.
Ye means "leaf" in modrn Chinese, but the name arose as a clan name referring to the city of Ye in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. The city gave its name to the present-day Ye County in Henan Province.
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historians, Yuxiong, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and his grandson Zhuanxu, was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou. After the Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, King Zheng of Chou (reigned 1042-1021 BC) awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi the fiefdom of Chu, which over the ensuing centuries developed into a major kingdom. King Zhuang of Chu (reigned 613-591 BC) was one of the Five Hegemons, the most powerful monarchs during the Spring and Autumn Period.
In 506 BC the State of Wu invaded Chu with an army commanded by King Helu, Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu. Shen Yin Shu, a great-grandson of King Zhuang and the Chu field marshal, was killed in the aftermath of the Battle of Boju.
After the war King Zhao of Chu enfeoffed Shen Yin Shu's son Shen Zhuliang with the key frontier city of Ye, in gratitude for his father's sacrifice. Shen Zhuliang subsequently put down the rebellion of Sheng, Duke of Bai, in 478 BC and restored King Hui as ruler of Chu. King Hui then granted him the titles of prime minister, marshal, and Duke of Ye (葉公).
In Zhou Dynasty China, noble families usually had two surnames: ancestral name (姓) and clan name (氏). Shen Zhuliang, from a cadet branch of the ruling house of Chu, shared the ancestral name of Mi (芈) of the Chu kings. He also inherited the clan name of Shen from his father, but his fame led some of his descendants adopted Ye as their clan name. Later the distinction between the ancestral and clan names was abolished, and Ye became the surname of Shen Zhuliang's descendants. Shen Zhuliang, now better known as Duke of Ye, is considered the founding ancestor of the Ye surname.
The above text was taken from Wikipedia.
Wow, in other words, all the Yes are actually descendants of royalty? The founder is Shen Zhuliang whose father is Shen Yin Shu. Shen Yin Shu's great-grandfather is the King of Chu who was the descendant of Yuxiong and he happened to be a descendant of Yellow Emperor. So, Yes are descendants of Yellow Emperor...Haha, never did it come across my mind that I have blood relation with the royalties of Chu, one of the great monarchs in ancient China. Chu Kingdom is actually one of the kingdoms that rule the Mainland of China along with other kingdoms. Another famous Kingdom in that period was Qin Kingdom and the notable person was Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Anyway, monarchy has long been abolished in China and I am sure alot of Chinese worldwide have royalty blood since so many dynasties ruled China before.
The Yellow Emperor or best known as Huang Di (黄帝)
The Chu Empire
Ye means "leaf" in modrn Chinese, but the name arose as a clan name referring to the city of Ye in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. The city gave its name to the present-day Ye County in Henan Province.
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historians, Yuxiong, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and his grandson Zhuanxu, was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou. After the Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, King Zheng of Chou (reigned 1042-1021 BC) awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi the fiefdom of Chu, which over the ensuing centuries developed into a major kingdom. King Zhuang of Chu (reigned 613-591 BC) was one of the Five Hegemons, the most powerful monarchs during the Spring and Autumn Period.
In 506 BC the State of Wu invaded Chu with an army commanded by King Helu, Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu. Shen Yin Shu, a great-grandson of King Zhuang and the Chu field marshal, was killed in the aftermath of the Battle of Boju.
After the war King Zhao of Chu enfeoffed Shen Yin Shu's son Shen Zhuliang with the key frontier city of Ye, in gratitude for his father's sacrifice. Shen Zhuliang subsequently put down the rebellion of Sheng, Duke of Bai, in 478 BC and restored King Hui as ruler of Chu. King Hui then granted him the titles of prime minister, marshal, and Duke of Ye (葉公).
In Zhou Dynasty China, noble families usually had two surnames: ancestral name (姓) and clan name (氏). Shen Zhuliang, from a cadet branch of the ruling house of Chu, shared the ancestral name of Mi (芈) of the Chu kings. He also inherited the clan name of Shen from his father, but his fame led some of his descendants adopted Ye as their clan name. Later the distinction between the ancestral and clan names was abolished, and Ye became the surname of Shen Zhuliang's descendants. Shen Zhuliang, now better known as Duke of Ye, is considered the founding ancestor of the Ye surname.
The above text was taken from Wikipedia.
Wow, in other words, all the Yes are actually descendants of royalty? The founder is Shen Zhuliang whose father is Shen Yin Shu. Shen Yin Shu's great-grandfather is the King of Chu who was the descendant of Yuxiong and he happened to be a descendant of Yellow Emperor. So, Yes are descendants of Yellow Emperor...Haha, never did it come across my mind that I have blood relation with the royalties of Chu, one of the great monarchs in ancient China. Chu Kingdom is actually one of the kingdoms that rule the Mainland of China along with other kingdoms. Another famous Kingdom in that period was Qin Kingdom and the notable person was Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Anyway, monarchy has long been abolished in China and I am sure alot of Chinese worldwide have royalty blood since so many dynasties ruled China before.
Spartacus-Blood and Sand
Just finished watching Spartacus Season 1-Blood and Sand. The 13 episodes series is rated to be very violent, bloody and the sexual content is too much for minors. Initially, it was my roommate who suggested me to watch. He found it very interesting and strongly recommend it to me. However, i was in the mid of exam when he watched so after the exam, i asked him to transfer the series to my laptop and in trade, i transferred The Walking Dead Season 2 and Burning Palms to his. The story tells a legendary gladiator called Spartacus. His name was mentioned in the history along with other characters like Crixus, Onaemeus, Legatus Glaber and also Lanista Batiatus. Sparatcus was a Thracian and lived happily with his beautiful wife in a small village during The Third Servile War. Their village was attacked and The Romans offered help. However, the Romans lead by Legatus Glaber broke their promise and made the men of the village to kill a few Romans. The news of killing Romans reached Glaber's ears and he ordered to have Spartacus detained. In the mean time, Spartacus' village was attacked by their enemies and burned down. The Romans found Spartacus and Sura. They condemned the husband and wife to slavery. Spartacus was to be crucified in the arena but he survived. He was later purchased by Batiatus, the owner of the ludus (school of gladiators). Back then, slaves who wished for freedom have to show them worthy in the arena by becoming the gladiators. Spartacus worried for his wife and blamed Glaber for what happened to him. He survived in many fights and Batiatus wanted him to become a true gladiator and he would help him to find his wife. News of Sura was heard and Spartacus trusted Batiatus for the quest. He became the true gladiator and eventually the Champion of Capua after slaying Theokoles, the Shadow of Death. Crixus on the other hand who was the champion felt left out and in the mean time, he had affair with Batiatus' wife, Lucretia. Lucretia ordered him to sleep with her when she desired and Crixus had to follow her order. Crixus had crush on Lucretia's slave, Naevia. Both developed affection for each other and often meet at night. Spartacus had a true friend, Varro whom he treated as a brother. Doctore (Onameus) was the trainer and an honourable man who he respected Batiatus the most. Varro had family-a wife and a son. He sold himself to slavery to clear his debts. Spartacus and Varro developed good brotherhood in the ludus. When Spartacus finally had the chance to reunite with his wife as Batiatus had promised, he plotted to escape ludus with his wife. Upon his wife arrival, he found that his wife was attacked and was seriously wounded. The reunion was short-lived and Sura died in Spartacus' arms. In fact, it was Batiatus who secretly ordered for her death for fear Spartacus will leave the ludus. After Sura's death, Spartacus accepted his fate and became a very great gladiator, drew the attention of Magistrate Calavius and family. The magistrate had a young son, Numerius whom he favoured gladiators. Glaber's wife, Ilythia also often spent time in the ludus and became close to Lucretia. Lucretia however, did not favour her presence especially when she laid eyes on Crixus (Lucretia's lover). Lichinia, the cousin of the richest person in Roman Republic, Marcus fancied Spartacus and wanted to sleep with him. In the mean time, Ilythia wanted to sleep with Crixus too. Lucretia refused and secretly exchanged the partners for this lustful desire. Ilythia slept with Spartacus whom she hated the most. Both were wearing mask when they had sex. Lucretia wanted to teach Ilythia a lesson. Lichinia laughed at Ilythia which made Ilythia to kill Lichinia. Lichinia's murder was kept a secret by both Lucretia and Batiatus. They gave good hospitality to Ilythia so that in return, Ilythia would persuade her husband, Glaber to give power and patronage to Batiatus. On the other hand, an exhibition was performed by both Varro and Spartacus to please Numerius. The match was suppose to be friendly and no death was intended. However, Ilythia seduced Numerius and made him ordered Spartacus to kill Varro. Spartacus was reluctant to kill his brother but Varro consented to his own death. Spartacus had no choice and killed Varro in front of the public. Spartacus was devastated and Mira, a slave came to comfort him. Varro's wife, Aurelia confronted Spartacus if her husband perished under his sword. Spartacus admitted and Aurelia hated Spartacus for this. Spartacus also figured out from Aulus that Batiatus secretly ordered him to kill Sura on their way to Capua. Spartacus was in rage but kept to himself. He plotted to kill Batiatus and witness the fall of the house. His plan was revealed to Mira and Mira told him the Roman's rule. When a slave kills his master, the entire slaves of that particular master will be showered with blood-all other slaves will be killed by the Republic. Mira feared for her own life and also the other slaves'. Spartacus did not heed her advice and proceeded to kill Batiatus. His plan was delayed when Aurelia condemned herself to slavery in the House of Batiatus to clear the debts. Spartacus promised Varro that he will take good care of his family and if he killed the master alone, Aurelia will be killed together with other slaves. He had second thoughts and gathered the other gladiators, persuading them to join him in his plot. Lucretia found out that she was pregnant with Crixus' child. On the other hand, Naevia and Crixus relationship was known to both Batiatus and Lucretia. Lucretia was mad and sold Naevia to another master while Crixus was punished. Crixus was devastated for his lover's departure and to reunite with her, he wanted to become the best gladiator and then gain his freedom to hold Naevia in his arms again. Spartacus told him that the same fate will only falls on him where Batiatus might secretly order for Naevia's death. Spartacus also asked Mira's favour to open the door for them to enter the villa and in return of Mira's help, Mira wanted Spartacus to sleep with her. Batiatus wanted Spartacus to win Crixus and eventually kill him in the fight for having affair with Lucretia. Lucretia wanted the same as she knew this man had no heart for her. Thus, they poisoned Crixus' food and during the fight, Crixus grew weak. Spartacus convinced Crixus that they should rebel their masters since they poisoned him and wanted him dead. Crixus agreed and the rebel began. Doctore first stood against them but later Crixus told him that Spartacus' wife was murdered and the rebel was a vengeance. Doctore later joined the rebellion. The men invaded the villa and slayed all the notable people present. Aurelia later confronted Numerius if he had ordered for Varro's death. Numerius, not knowing the relationship of Aurelia and Varro, admitted. Aurelia took a knife and stabbed Numerius multiple times, ending the life of that boy. Crixus asked Lucretia of Naevia's where about but Lucretia refused to reveal. When he wanted to kill Lucretia, she begged him to spare her life for the sake of their unborn child and what Crixus said made me laugh. He said
"I would rather him dead than to suckle your breast"
His sword pierced through her womb, killing the unborn child and severely wounded her. Ilythia asked her men to seal the door and left her society friends to their fate. Batiatus was surrounded by slaves with the entire high-class people in the house dead. Spartacus then killed him in front of his wife. Spartacus told the men that they are now free and can forge their own path or join him, to make the Romans tremble. In the end of season finale, the slaves both men and women broke through the gate of ludus, claiming themselves free.
The series is really interesting and especially the season finale, everything was revealed and the antagonists deserved their fate. I will ask for Season 2 from my roommate...haha...goodnight.
Spartacus, Crixus and Varro
Sura
Aurelia
Naevia
Batiatus
Mira
Ilythia
Doctore
Lucretia (top) Glaber (below)
Numerius
Magistrate Calavius
"I would rather him dead than to suckle your breast"
His sword pierced through her womb, killing the unborn child and severely wounded her. Ilythia asked her men to seal the door and left her society friends to their fate. Batiatus was surrounded by slaves with the entire high-class people in the house dead. Spartacus then killed him in front of his wife. Spartacus told the men that they are now free and can forge their own path or join him, to make the Romans tremble. In the end of season finale, the slaves both men and women broke through the gate of ludus, claiming themselves free.
The series is really interesting and especially the season finale, everything was revealed and the antagonists deserved their fate. I will ask for Season 2 from my roommate...haha...goodnight.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Salem Witch Trials-The Truth
Salem witch trials, sound familiar to you? This was the event than happened in the year 1692 where a lot of women were accused as being witches. It happened in a town called Salem, England. Those women were detained in prison and later brought before the magistrates where the trials were held. Witchcraft has always been considered as evil in many cultures so was the European's. These accused women would then be sentenced to death where the common way of dying was to be burned at stake or hanged to death. The men will lit the fire and watch the accused women burned alive, screaming for the piercing pain, pleading for mercy and finally, what was left were the remains of dead innocent women. Ever since then, the people have been aware and advise their children not to go out at night for fear of witches. However, after more than 300 years, the scientists finally revealed the truth to these so-called-witches. No magic was involved but just a minute organism, Claviceps purpurea, a kind of fungus. When I learned about Claviceps in my last sem in the course of Fundamentals of Microbiology, I was amazed and shocked to see how this fungus brought about an influential superstitious and claimed the lives of many innocent women. Yes, this fungus infects human and when humans are infected, the medical condition is termed ergot poisoning. Humans with ergot poisoning will have common symptoms-throw up and hysteria. Unfortunately, this was what the Salem people saw as witches behaviour. The women behaved the same and had hysteria. Back then, Claviceps infected the grain and this grain was made as rye bread, a common food for the Salems. Many women had this bread for their meals and the ergot poisoning spread among the women which many saw it as a spread of withcraft. These patients were wrongly accused and were sentenced to death despite suffering from ergot poisoning. The cruel act and highly superstitious people back then made me realized that the lack of knowledge really condemn one to damnation. The belief of witches existence lasted for centuries and even now, people still believe witches exist. Let me tell you, you have been conned and the one who conned and also blinded us for centuries is actually something that you cant even see-a fungus.
The examination of an accused 'witch'
The burning of 'witches' at stake
Accused 'witches' were hanged to death
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