Welcome to the unknown

Welcome to my blog. A place where i state all my adventures and history of places discovered and undiscovered. Some of my stories are just places i visited quite some time ago, please be patient on some of the details and my stories have no link to one another as i jump from one country to another.
I know blogs are meant for many to read and I do welcome that and comments as well but I will not welcome those who misuse my blog for their own reference in paranormal talks etc.
Am a SPI agent and thus this blog details will/can be use only for SPI events and publication.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Pulau Ubin


Well, after a long holiday, time to get back to work. I’ve just submitted a story on my ghost trip to Hawaii. This time round, let me get back to base, our home land, Singapore. Since my schooling days, I’ve heard many stories on ghost stories but I’ve yet the chance to get up close and personal.
Let’s talk about our little island Ubin, a place out of reach from the touristic changes that is currently growing in Singapore. Many stories have been told about our dear island Ubin. I believe you are no stranger to any of them. Let’s start with a little history on Ubin.
The settlement of people in Ubin and how it all started. The Malay village of Kampung Surau was founded by Encik Endut Senin who originally came from Kampung Kallang near the Kallang River. He sought the permission of the Sultan (then at Kampung Glam Palace) to live on the island, which at that time, had no name. 50 other Malay families later joined him to form a thriving Malay community at Kampung Melayu, Kampung Sungei Durian and Kampung Surau.

Attracted by the good fishing and farming on the island, the Chinese also came to Ubin and settled at Ubin Town and Kampung Jelutong. 25 families were the first to settle, followed by others as industries such as
granite quarrying took off.

Ubin was once a bustling settlement, with a
school and other amenities. Among its interesting historical sites is House No. 1 near Chek Jawa. There are also temples and shrines rich in history. Ubin Town itself is full of history.

World world 2 and how everything change. Pulau Ubin was the first point of landing by the Japanese on 7 Feb 1942. Opening fire on mainland's north-east coast, they gave the impression of an impending attack from that direction. Thinking that the Japanese intended to invade Singapore from the northeast, the British moved precious stocks of defence supplies like petrol and explosives from the northwest to the northeast. However, the Japanese main assault was on the north-west coast instead, encountering only minimal resistance.

According to an account, the Headman Lim Chye Joo recalls that intially there were clashes between the Teochews and Hokkiens. However, during the Japanese occupation, the two groups stopped bickering and banded together as Chinese. The Malays and Chinese have also gotten on well and there were no major incidents between the groups even during the racial riots of 1964.  
Well, I know you are going to fall asleep with all the historical write ups so let’s start with a small story of mine. I believe a lot of you knows about the datuk’s urn at ubin. If not here is a little write up about it. I know all these can be found online but hey where would stories be without history.
An urn in an obscure Pulau Ubin temple, said to hold the remains of a WWI German girl, has been attracting devotees since the 1930s. THEY call her the German Girl, or the Nadu Guniang - a Malay-Chinese appropriation of the words 'Datuk' and 'Miss'. She makes her home in a yellow shack by an Assam tree, among carpets of lallang and grass. The place: Pulau Ubin's south-western plains, far away from the cries of cyclists daytripping from the Singaporean mainland, or other gourmets slurping down prawns by the northern island's eateries. All around her wooden hut, the air is dead still. But signs of human activity show through the lick of flaming candles and smoking joss-sticks twirling around her altar of an abode every day. She is dead - and has been dead for more than 80 years.
Local folklore goes that the girl was the daughter of a coffee plantation manager who lived near the present temple site in the early 20th century. At the end of World War I, British soldiers rushed in to intern her parents but she was said to have escaped through the back door. In her haste, she fell into a quarry behind the coffee complex, stumbling to her death. Her corpse was discovered by Boyanese plantation labourers, who threw sand over her body and offered prayers, flowers and incense as a gesture of goodwill each time they passed her. Eventually, a group of Chinese workers on the island carted her remains to the crest of the quarry's hill and gave her a proper burial. In 1974, the grave was exhumed to make way for quarry excavation work and relocated to its present spot. Today, the supposed urn - a heavy white jar decked with tattered scarves - sits upright on a dust-caked altar strewn with a battleforce of eerie feminine tributes: hair brushes, nail polish, powder, Safflower Oil, Florida Water, Hazeline Snow and the odd tube of Revlon lipstick.
Well, my story starts in 2008, I went camping with a few friends. We lost our way to the camp site and we were all exhausted from the walk thus when we saw a flat ground we decided to camp there. After pitching up our tent, we started wondering around. We saw to our surprise a small little yellow hut. Our curiosity got the better of us and we went to take a closer look (it was only a few feet away from us.)  Unable to read most of the writing, the only words we saw was datuk’s urn and when we went in, a white urn greeted us with incense being burned. An urn located in the middle of nowhere. We carried on having our plans of having a mini fire to keep us warm in the night and a mini barbeque. As the day started getting darker, we started hearing a lady voice singing from nowhere. Creepy thus we decided to investigate where the singing was from. Apparently, the singing came from behind a forested area which leads to the sea. As my friend and I venture further, he told me to stop and turn back. I question him and he said he say something jumped across his path (Both of us had our flashlights on.) I asked him if it was a rabbit or some animal and he replied no. He told me it was a shadow of something. We headed back to camp without going any further. The singing continued till pass midnight. The next morning, we woke up and went straight to the urn to offer our peace.
Here ends my long history of dear old Pulau Ubin. I hope you enjoyed reading, I’ll be writing more history with little stories either of me or on others.

Exploring Hawaii

Am no story writer so be warn that whatever that follows are just history that I’ve come to know about. Be it real ghost sightings or just a mere expensive tourist attraction, I find the tour boring compared to the tours we did in Singapore. The only fun part of the tour was getting to know people from different parts of America. (Well, I guess PR has always been a part of me)
Here goes what happens before I bore you with all my rubbish talks.
Arriving at Waikiki at one of the hotels for the tour pick up, we were all given a consent to sign (like we always do). From the looks of the number of people I was excited as there were very little people (the less “yang” qi the more we see thing) but to my disappointment a huge group appeared (noisy little school girls). Well, our 1st destination was up the mountain where the ancient people sacrifice people by throwing them off the cliffs. It was being said that till today the marching of the parade for the sacrifice can still be heard in the middle of the night. It does look creepy at night but during the day when I went again, it was a beautiful place. Anyway, it was also being stated that till today you would be able to see some of the remains of those being sacrifice.
Next we arrived at some ancient burial grounds, It was being stated that one must respect those buried there or trouble will follow. A story was being told to us: A lady not respecting the unknown climb right up the burial grounds and started being sarcastic and told the guide of the disbelieve. The following day she did not turn up for work and neither did she report to work for a couple of days. She was found in her house by a friend who claims she has gone insane. She was brought to many different types of medium but no cure could be found. Thus it was being said that do not play with the unknown even if you do not believe in it.
The next site we went was a dark and creepy lane where many had spotted a half man half dog person (body of a dog, face of a man) We drove up to a place where it was being said that a young marine was hang up a tree. Story started as the marine was up that place with a young girl dating and when they were about to leave, his car just would not start thus he told the girl that he would leave and go to the nearest house to seek help. The girl waited for him in the car, from minutes to hours and then suddenly a police car drove up and approached her. They told her to get out of the car and walk to their car without turning her head back. Being curious, she turned and saw the young marine hanging right on top of the car, dead. (There goes the saying, curiosity kills the cat.)
Our next and last destination was the chinese cemetery, located at the entrance of the cemetery were 4 stone lions. Around the main tomb, you would be able to see the 12 animal in the Chinese horoscope. Located not far from there was the scared tree, a tree which branch split out to make a huge hold, enough to have at least 6 people in there. It was claimed to be a place you will be able to call your love ones back to earth to talk to you. My guy and I went in to experience it, he felt a presence but I on the other hand felt nothing at all. Some of the girls went in and one girl came out screaming. She said she felt something touch her. (Damn I wish I had a detector with me then. Well, I know I’ll be going back again so I’ll make sure am equip by then.)
Well, my stories will end here for now. I’ll post up the pictures when I grab hold of them. Anyway I did go back to some of the place in the day time and it was not so creepy, the pictures in the day will also be out. I hope I don’t bore you with all my stories.