Hungry Ghost Festival

“Bring your camera to snap some photos for my blog”, I pleaded with my brother. He firmly refused. “Don’t play the fool, you’ll never know what will come out in the picture”. My mum, as always, supported him.

Both were going to Bangsar to pay respect to the departed. Hawkers and vegetables sellers have formed an association whereby during the Hungry Ghost Festival, a temporary altar will be erected at the car park in Lucky Garden for worshippers who wish to pay respect to the dead. Opera shows were staged to entertain the ghosts who came to watch. We believed the first night of the show is for the ghosts, succeeding nights are for the living.

When I was a little girl, back in my kampong, I enjoyed attending these operas. They were usually conducted in the Teochew dialect but on rare occasions in Cantonese. And we had to travel very far to watch it. And there were lots of goodies to eat. And there were lots of games to play. And there were lots of things to buy. And the carnival was situated besides the graveyards. With all the bright neon lights on plus the amplifiers blaring so loud, no ghosts dared to harm us. And we had great fun then. In fact I looked forward to it. The fun not the ghosts.

And all these took place on the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. Not an auspicious month. This year it began on Aug 13 till Sept 20. It is during this period that the gates of the underworld are opened. The spirits are having their summer holidays. They are free to roam the earth, apparently looking for victims, scaring the living, visiting their love ones and evening scores.

No wonder there are so many accidents this month. You will believe if you believe in ghosts. Ghosts are real to those who believe.

This year the 14th day of the 7th month falls on August 26, ie tomorrow.

You’re On Your Own

You heard a call for help from a poor arid mountain land, your kind and caring heart made you rushed over to lend a helping hand. Upon reaching there you were very unfortunate. You were surrounded by a pack of ferocious hounds, very hungry for your blood and ready to kill you without any conscience. You called out for help, no one heed you. You are on your own.

You are a stupid fool to go out there in the first place. There is nothing to gain from going there except to become a martyr like Joan of Arc. How many people remember her today except God.

There are no roll out red carpets wherever Christian mission workers go to aid those who need their help. Help is dispensed with freely with no obligations, no recognition, no monetary gains. They provide aids in the form of food, financial assistance, divine knowledge and health care. They share but take not.

This is the life of a Christian. At the moment the lives of the Korean mission workers are comprehensively ignored. Are they considered a lower form of life?

The 7 Fairies

August 19 was the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar. A day for lovers. The festival of the Heavenly Weaving Fairies and the Earthly Cowherd.

If you look up into the sky on a clear, bright and cloudless night, you might spot the moon fairies represented by seven stars located close to the moon. The twinkling lights of the youngest fairy is dimmer than the other six. Probably because she was already married to the cowherd and conceived a son and thus not so pure as her celestial sisters.

I do not remember anyone celebrating this festival today. But when I was young a table was set up outside our house, with food offerings for the faithfully lovers. If the sky were scattered with clouds, we would wait patiently until the moon emerged behind them. The couple only get to meet up with each other once a year. So much longing pains and so much pitiful tears for the lovers, it flowed down as torrential rain that day.

These raindrops are believed to have medicinal purpose. We would collect and use it for soaking uncooked rice in an earthenware for 49 days. When the rice is softened, grind them in a stone grinder, sieve the rice flour with a white cotton cloth to rid off excess water. This fine powdery flour is used to make pearl drops. Dry them under the sun with fragrant pandan leaves then store in glass bottles for later use as powder. To use, take one or two pearl drops, mix with a little water in your palm and wipe it all over your face, neck and wherever you want to apply. This powder effectively helps to keep pimples and heat rashes away.

If your stubborn pimples still refuse to subside please do not look for me. Look up into the sky and pray for the moon fairies to help you or check and monitor your diet thoroughly. Refrain from oily and spicy foods. Or maybe, your hormones has mutated drastically due to the genetic food developed in this space age by enthusiastic food technologists. Well, someone has to be the guinea pig for food testing.

After the Apollo 11 had landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, worshipping the moon has gradually declined. Perhaps, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin had scared the celestial colony away from the moon. Or maybe, the strange machine Michael Collins was piloting had managed to drive them to Mars.

Now, you know why the Martians visit us and where they originated from. You visited me last time, I drop by occasionally to say hello.

Memories will stay on

Rita was without doubt a very brave girl to decide moving on to her next life. A glass of orange juice laced with rat poison, was all it took to shake us all up. Her death has brought on cold silence and uncommunicative atmosphere in her family.

Till today, memories of her are still strong and Kili just cannot let her go. Initially, she could not sleep. She would stay late into the nights, listening to music, did her ironing or just sitting up, starring at Rita’s photo and cried.

In the office, she was just as bad. Her concentration in her work deteriorated. Passing the wrong calls, jotting down the wrong information and opening the wrong letters were among her mistakes. We were all warned not to bring up any subject in connection with Rita. We had to pretend that Rita’s suicide did not exist. To divert her from her misery, I broached the subject of going for a movie or window shopping. She would reply she was not in the mood. At times she displayed a total lack of enthusiasm for living. She would reveal that life is worthless now that her daughter has gone away.

Time has healed and improved her frame of mind a lot. She is beginning to be more cheerful and is able to discuss about Rita now. But not completely. She still goes to temples to pray for Rita’s soul and on certain days she would fast.

Death comes so sudden in our lives. And when it strikes it takes a portion of our lives away. Time will heal but memories will stay on. And it hurts a lot to remember.

A Prayer for the 21 South Korean Hostages

I received an SMS requesting I pray for the 21 South Koreans hostages who are still in captive in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

These are innocent Church volunteers who have opted for a life far from peace and security in a land where hope and salvation are at their lowest. Among them are 18 helpless women who are vulnerable to the aggressive temperament of the hostile and hardlined Taliban militants. The remaining three men are powerless themselves. All of them must be very frightened, their lives similar to pawns on a chess board. A wrong move by peace negotiators may put their lives in jeopardy. They must be cold, hungry and thirsty. With their health deteriorating, they are dangling on a thin thread. They are where they are to serve not to fight.

Let us pray for these 21 innocent civilians.

May their lives be spare.
May God deliver them out of Afghanistan without further harm.
May God bless the hearts of the Taliban insurgents for setting them free.
May the fire for vengeance extinguish in the souls of these Talibans.
May US soldiers stop fighting in another man’s land.