“Pantang” Singapore

Email reply to eating taboos.

2006-09-15T13:15:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I add more taboos to our Pantang list. Lately I received an email from Seoul asking me to explain some of the eating taboos I've listed on this site. However, what I know is pretty limited, I apologies if this is inadequate.

"hi there. thanks for taking an interest in us. hee...

Sad to say, I am unable to provide you with more information as they are all sayings pass on from our grandparents to our parents. No reasons are given. I personally felt that most of these taboos are used as a "scared" tactics to "frighten" the children into behaving properly.

1. Always finish your rice-> or your future partner will have spotted face or be plain ugly (why?)

Personal opinion: it's a Chinese teaching to be frugal with our resources, to never waste unnecessarily, hence parents will want to encourage their children to finish up their share of food. They will trick the child into believing that one grain of rice left to waste will turn into one blemish spot on their partner.

2. Do not place your bowl on top of the plate-> this signifies a serving to our dead parents (why?)

Personal opinion: Chinese are particularly taboo on anything that has close or similar associations to death. For some reasons unknown to me, sometimes in a funeral when food was offered, a plate was placed under the bowl either to make it more respectful or to make it more presentable. Or there could be a hidden meaning to this and the meanings were lost along the way. Hence anything that closely resembles what was practice in a funeral wake becomes a taboo.

3. Never eat the last piece of food-> or you will never find a soul mate in your life (why?)

Personal opinion again: Chinese believe it’s rude and ill manner to be greedy. Whenever we are sharing something nice on the plate with everyone else, we should always be considerate enough to ensure we didn’t finish everything up so that someone else will get a share. However, it also means the last piece of goodies will often go to waste! Now, doesn’t that contradict with the first point to be frugal? Why soul mates? Probably because the gentlemen in the group are more likely to attract girls than the greedy ones that constantly stuff themselves with food! Kekeke…

I think over a few generations, some of these taboos were taken seriously and blindly pass on to the next generation. Some of them might have come from other races in Singapore but being multicultural here means most of these origins has merge and taken up by anyone who believes them regardless of their race or religions. If we look deeper into the reasons why these taboos are created, we will find that most taboos started with a good intention to encourage the right moral values and respects for one another. Don’t take them seriously, but they sure are interesting to know. :D
"
Thank you Grace for your email. Good luck with your presentation.

Swimming

2005-11-02T17:25:00.000+08:00

I just got back from a good soak in a community swimming pool! Since the day I force myself to learn swimming at the ripe age of 25, I am proud to say that I can confidently swim around the perimeter of the pool (so long as the edge is within reach and I don’t need to swim continuously in one lap). For some unknown reason, every time after a good swim, my body becomes so much firmer and well toned! Yes! It’s somehow true! Those floppy muscles are now solid and hard (muscle cramps…) My big tights and love-handle are now smaller and sleek (Suntan, or sun-burnt depending on the weather. But hey, a darker tights looks smaller ya?)

So is there any pantang swimming ethics? Let's explore.

NO SWIMMING in the hungry ghost month.
NO SWIMMING in the pool if you are a lady and you are having your period. (That is purely for hygiene purposes)
NO SWIMMING in red swimsuit or trunks unless you are very sexy and you don’t intend to drown. (Red clothing = revengeful ghost, we see that on TV all the time!)
NO SWIMMING after a heavy meal, stomach cramps and the warnings related to exercise safety.
NO SWIMMING if you intend to pee or poo in the pool (Hygiene again)
NO SWIMMING unless you have the proper swimming attires. (We are not interested to see half-cheek butt especially when you just got out of the pool and your pair of shorts are riding really low. But then again, if you are really sexy and handsome, we can turn a blind eye or we can just stare and drool)
NO SWIMMING if the life guard is not around
NO SWIMMING in the deep end of the pool unless you can swim really well. Do what I did, cling to the edge of the pool.
NO SWIMMING when you hear thunders or see lightings in the sky. (I once heard that Singapore has the highest fatality rate of people struck by lightning in the world. Wow, that's a lot of "天打雷劈" which means to get strike by lightings for any major wrong doings or for breaking vows)
NO SWIMMING with your electronic gadgets.

I seriously can’t think of much pantang issues related to having a good swim. Now isn’t this just wonderful? We get to enjoy this wonder exercise without worrying about breaking any serious taboos! Oh, and don’t forget your sun block and don’t wear your goggles on your face all the time. It makes this pale ring around your eyes while the rest of your face gets a healthy tan.

Interesting tibits 1

2005-10-30T01:28:00.000+08:00

Do you know that one of friend notice that it will rain everyday during the fasting month of Ramadan? Isn’t it amazing? So far it has indeed rained everyday, sometimes a light drizzle, sometimes one really mean storm. A great relief from the warm weather we have been experiencing for the last few months. But remember to bring an umbrella out.

Outdoor events and nice weather

2005-10-30T01:23:00.000+08:00

I just heard that event planners have pantang too!

When they need a signature Singapore weather that is hot and humid, the perfect condition to hold an event under the scotching sun, then they should get a big onion and a satay stick, poke the stick into the onion and place it behind the stage or tents. Then pray really hard because the success of the event really depends on the weather and usually pantang remedy doesn’t really works. I wonder if the national day parade held every year uses this trick.

Eating taboos

2005-10-20T00:53:00.000+08:00

Eating is a favorite pastime in Singapore. So, do we have any eating pantang? Why yes of course!

1. Always finish your rice.
Or you future partner will have spotted face or be plain ugly.

2. Never stick your chopsticks into your bowl of rice and leave it there.
In the old days, folks do that when they offer food to the spirits. You are not dead, don’t stick your chopsticks into the bowl.

3. Do not place your bowl on top of the plate.
Often, when we eat at a Chinese wedding dinner, we are served with a clean bowl and clean plate. On the 2nd dish which usually turns out to be something soupy, the bowl will be used. An auntie told me that we should never place our bowl on the empty plate when we eat. This signifies a serving to our dead parents. I don’t really understand what she means but hey, I don’t want to curse my parents with my actions, they are both alive and well. No bowl on plate! Yes Mdm!

4. Never eat the last piece of food
This I don’t know why, it was either, you will get fat, it’s rude, or you will never find a soul mate in your life etc etc. Either way, we are all supposed to waste the last piece of food on the serving tray. Say, if the restaurant only offered 8 portion of food for 8 guest, does it means when I am the last one to be serve, I will not take the food because I am pantang?!!!! Absolutely not! Do you think I am stupid? ;)

Some good advice I am about to give. If a particular dish is so tasty that you are willing to risk the taboos of taking the last one on the serving tray, do offering it to the others first, it’s simple courtesy. If someone actually has the cheek to take your offer, the person probably will get fat and not find a soul mate, that’s revenge enough.

Purify Negativity

2005-10-15T00:56:00.000+08:00

I am not just pantang, I am Kiasu too! When I read in a Buddhist website that the traditional prayer wheels have been converted to digital ones, and it is just as effective for purifying negativity. I didn’t hesitate to put them in this blog! Hee… maybe it will help all visitors of my blog be blessed, and this includes all living beings, regardless of race, language or religion, and of course nationality. ;)

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, has said that having the mantra on your computer works the same as a traditional Mani wheel. As the digital image spins around on your hard drive, it sends the peaceful prayer of compassion to all directions and purifies the area.

from http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/digital-wheels.htm

Surprisingly, we are encourage to put the mantra in the hard disk. It is suppose to make use of the computer hard disk to act like a prayer wheel! Isn’t that creative! Oh well, no harm trying, the file size of this mantra graphic is only 2KB! If it did works, hopefully it will purify all the pantang things I did in the past. Hee…. Just kidding.

The Mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" in Tibetan script

The traditional handheld prayer wheel

The digital prayer wheel!

Pictures from Dharma Haven

My wish list: May the world be a more compassionate and tolerant place, may all those that are suffering receive help and all wars and destructions to stop. PEACE!

Disgusting? But Auspicious!

2005-10-12T13:58:00.000+08:00

So, my husband commented that when cats walked boldly into your house uninvited, and decided to give birth to kittens in your house, the original bad luck now becomes good instead. Why is it so? Probably because animals will only give birth in a place where they felt safe and comfortable. Isn’t this nice? Never mind the bloody mess they left behind, it’s a miracle to see newborn animals, but beware of the new mother, they tend to be a bit protective. Some might find the mess disgusting, but look on the auspicious side, why didn’t they choose your quarrelsome neighbors instead? It’s because their instinct told them your house is a good place to be. (And probably because you left you doors opened again)

Since we are on the topic of disgusting happenings that turns out to be auspicious instead, let’s explores "POOS". Older folks thinks baby only poo poo in a place they are comfortable with, however, if they fuss and scream non-stop, that probably isn’t a very good place to be at. That’s why some folks “borrowed” babies to visit new house, they use the babies to gauge if a particular flat on sale is really a good bargain after all. If the baby sleeps, plays, laughs in the house, this place is auspicious. If baby poos, this place is not just auspicious, it brings wealth too!

What about stepping on dog’s poo? By right, considerate owners should clear up after their dogs, hence reduced the opportunity of stepping on doggie excrement. This makes it rare because street dogs won’t leave their feces lying around on the streets and pavement. If one is to be so lucky to step on a pile of shits, one should quickly proceed to the nearest 4D store and buy a lottery ticket. However, due to the sudden explosion of dog owners, many of which does not believes in cleaning up the mess, it is now more of an irritant than a lucky sign. A note to all dog owners, please clean up your dog’s poo poo, with the consumption of mass produced dog foods, their feces are no longer nutritional to the poor trees and grasses. In fact, their feces are more likely to kill the trees in a slow death!

Pigeon or bird poo! Yes, those are lucky as well, especially, I stress again, especially when they landed on your HEAD from the AIR! Not from the trees I remind you again, it must be poo from the sky, from flying birds who has no time to find a bathroom. Must migrate before crow shooting season. Likewise, proceed to the nearest 4D store and buy a lottery ticket. You may choose to leave the excrement on your head for good luck but it might smell so bear with it.

Chinese pantang cats

2005-10-10T00:12:00.000+08:00

Hari Raya Puasa is just round the corner, this festive holiday often reminds me of my previous neighbors. My previous neighbor is an elderly Malay couple who always offered us really delicious snacks during Hari Raya Puasa. They didn’t have any children whom I can play with but they did have some really beautiful cats.

My parents did not mind having the cats next door except for one little irks. To them, it is bad luck for cats to enter through our door. Any cats that wander in uninvited will bring the household bad luck. Any dogs that choose to wander in uninvited will bring the household good luck. So whenever my neighbor’s cat sneak into my house to play with me, she will find means to distract the cat away or shoo her off. Both my mom and dad never once harm the lovely cats; they are both very kind-hearted people but they are really pantang too! ;) In fact, it’s pretty amusing to see them trying to lure the cats away from our door without touching or harming them.

I am not sure if my neighbors are aware of this Chinese pantang but I noticed they would try to keep their windows and door closed so that their cats won’t wander out. What my parents didn’t know was that I was the culprit. I often waited by the door for my neighbors to come home, and when they opened their door, I would lure the cats towards me so that I could reach out and stroked them. (To clarify, I was still pretty young then.)

Since they moved, we lost contact with them. My fascination for cats came from them, they taught me how loving cats can be. I really hope in the near future, it will be legal for us to keep cats in HDB estates. That way, I can sleep soundly knowing my cat are licensed and will not be taken away from me, just as I am now for my pet dog. I know my old neighbors will welcome the idea too.

This Hari Raya, some lucky neighbors of theirs will get to enjoy the homemade goodies, I hope they appreciate it as much as I did. Considering the numbers of years that has passed, they must be pretty old now. May they be well and happy, and Selamat Hari Raya to them!

PS: cats and dog CAN live together. Especially when I have such a timid dog. Hee…

PPS: as you can see, my post isn't about Chinese and Cats pantang; it is mainly about my neighbor, and cats, oh and how much I miss their delicious homemade goodies. *Slurps* Did I mention how my family always shows our appreciation by giving them fresh fruits when we return their plates? This always gets us second helpings! (of course, this means my parents will had to get more fresh fruits and "return" the good-will again.) I miss those goodies... I mean good times! :op

Good friends and earrings

2005-09-23T23:26:00.000+08:00

Today I manage to catch a good friend at lunch. Since secondary school, we have been close as sisters and would acknowledge each other as such. She told me she has been supporting my blog and reading it every now and then! I was so touched and surprised by it. Thank you Er-jie! (BTW, she’s demure, sweet, homely and unattached, any suitable nice gentleman, please apply with me)

Talking about good friends, my best friend’s mother once stopped her from giving me a pair of ear rings as a gift. She says that the giver of this gift will give away their wealth to the recipient. My best friends was in short need of fund and she can’t afford to give away any more of her “wealth”. It was then decided that she would keep the earring and get me something else instead. We actually had a sensible discussion over this and we both agreed that we should follow this superstition to save guard her wealth. We also recalled that some years ago, she gave me another pair of ear-rings as birthday gift, that might explain why she hasn’t been having enough to spend for the past few years. I am so grateful to her for my wealth now. She is indeed my best of friends.

Just a small footnote to other supportive friends reading this blog now. I am in need of money, is there anyone who is willing to give me a pair of earrings? I will thank you from the tiny hole of my ear lobe. :D

Sales person beware!

2005-09-19T21:46:00.000+08:00

Have you ever been a sales person before? Did you notice the coins paste on their calculators or cash registers? Attaching those coins on them can attract more of their buddies into the cash register or create more numbers into your “calculations”. Amazing.

My friends also mention that it is Pantang to count your earning before you close your business for the day. The moment you counted your earnings, it is as good as the end of your sales volume for that day. So when I was roped into helping out at the charity stall for an animal shelter, I didn’t dare to touch or count our donations and sales proceeds until we finish packing up the stall. However silly the actions, we'll try it if it means one more sales that will benefit the animals. ;)

If you are thinking of a nice Christmas gift for your animal-loving friends, do consider this calendar from Animal Lovers League. The calendar can be use as season cards as well. All sales proceeds will go to the shelter animals. Email me if you are interested. Thank you.

Taboos for risk-takers

2005-09-19T21:10:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, my friend has this overwhelming urge to buy 4D. While she was queuing up, the piece of lucky number on hand. I have this overwhelming urge to pat her on the shoulder for the fun of it. The 2 of us are always fooling around like this.

So, what’s with the shoulder pat? (note: not shoulder PAD!).

If you are a vivid risk-taker of 4D, mahjong, toto etc, you would have known that a pat on the shoulder translate into bad gambling luck. An elderly family member once told me a living being has 3 invisible flames burning on 3 points of our body. 2 of them are on the shoulders, and 1 of them on the forehead. When a person is running a series of good luck, their flames are especially bright and they will look radiant. This is why supernatural beings will not be able to go near them. On the other hand, bad lucks and weak health are a result of extinguished or weaken flame.

When we pat a person on the shoulder, his flames get weaken or extinguished, and he will be less likely to strike his pot of gold. How will you feel if I keep patting you on the shoulder during a company Dinner & Dance lucky draw? How? How? Ya, I know sometimes the prizes sucks but it feels good to win something, right?

Anyway, taboos for “risk-taker”.
1. No patting on the shoulder.
2. Do not take children to the library "图书馆" on gambling days.
3. In fact, do not have anything to do with the word "书" or anything that rhymes with it. "书" sounds like “lose” in mandarin.
4. Keep forehead clear of hair fringe. Don’t block the flame on the forehead.
5. Keep track of the lucky clothes you wore when you last had a windfall. Wear it each time!
6. Do not wash your hands unnecessary when winning. You might wash away some luck.
7. Do not change seats or facing directions when you are winning. In fact, when winning, do not do anything, resume as before and milk it for all it’s worth!

If you made a windfall by following my silly advise on this blog. I will appreciate if you can make a generous donation to either an animal or children charity. Thank you.

Of tattoos, makeup and mirrors

2005-09-17T02:10:00.000+08:00

Ok, this is something that may need verification from our Malay friends.

I was told that Malay isn’t allow to tattoo their body in case their souls won’t recognize the body when they die.

Wow, is there such thing? Isn’t it interesting?

Chinese also worried about the soul and such. Do you know that it’s ill advise to wear your makeup to bed in case the soul couldn’t recognize the body and is unable to find it and return before the sun raise. The person will wake up feeling lethargic if such thing were to happen. (Then again, if a girl was too tired to remove her makeup that night, it probably means she won’t have enough rest anyway. Common sense states she will wake up feeling lethargic. Hee…)

Another way to prevent our soul from losing their way is to avoid having a mirror or reflective surface faced a sleeping body. I guess the poor soul keeps hitting itself against the mirror by mistake and when it finally find its way back to the real body, it was probably all bruised and exhausted. This is the reason for waking up with an aching body and a tired mind.

So my friends, in order to have a good night sleep, please remember to clean your face, and cover all mirrors! Oh, and brush your teeth too. (I just had 2 wisdom tooth extracted, it not something I would like to go through again.) Sweet dreams!

*I found my tooth still stuck under the pillow this morning, maybe the tooth fairy couldn’t find it. Will hide it in some place more obvious. I wonder what is the market rate for wisdom teeth nowadays*

I'll die on July 2059.

2005-09-14T23:23:00.000+08:00

I did an interesting test to see when I will die using this website below.

http://www.okcupid.com/death

According to my stats, i will live till July 2059 at the age of 82. Right now i have only 19680 days left on this earth and it means I’ve already lived out 34% of my life. What a wake up call! This reminds me that no matter how long our life is, it will definitely comes to an end. High time to make sure I won’t have anything to regret upon my last breath.

From this as you can see, I am not so Pantang about discussing death, what will come will come, we only didn’t know when. Just make sure at your last breath, you leave this world in peace with yourself. I aim to achieve that; I want to die looking peaceful, or with a wink. ;) So now I celebrate life, not just my own but every living creature’s. May all be well and happy.

Attending a wake

2005-09-14T00:38:00.000+08:00

I went to a wake recently. It’s for a Grandmother of a friend. She passed away at a ripe old age, peacefully in her sleep. I guess this will be a good time to discuss some interesting taboos in a traditional Chinese wake.

1. Try not to wear bright colors to a wake. Bright colors are reserve for happy occasions. However, a friend explained that some family are different, the death of a really old person is consider a celebration instead of a sorrowful event. After all, it is consider a blessing to be able to live out a long life. However, to play it safe, choose only dull color or black clothing when attending a wake.

2. No saying Good bye when we leave the wake. In mandarin, the word “Good bye” (“再见”) literality translates into “see you again”. Since a wake is definitely not an ideal reason to meet up again, we refine from saying “再见”. Either leave quietly, or simply inform them we are leaving and just go. Generally, the family will thank us for coming, just nodded, ask them to take care of themselves and go.

3. Remember to tie a piece of red string to your hand, and “accidentally” lose it after leaving the wake. Do not bring the string home. It’s supposed to help ward off any negativity from attending a wake. Chinese lar, when someone dies and they feel that there are a lot of negative energy at work. Bad luck and all sorts of negativity are associated with these. If you are Pantang, remember the red string. It can be found along side with the snacks and drinks provided. Don’t get caught for littering though. ;)

Not easy to kill photographs.

2005-09-13T23:12:00.000+08:00

The photos are not "dead" yet. The image is still visible although it's nearly 50% dissolved. I guess we need something stronger than just plain water.

The right way to kill photographs

2005-09-08T00:16:00.000+08:00

Oh well, I never realize my husband has his own set of pantang rules too but today, I had a glimpse of it. I found some photo of ours that were damaged. The developing center circle out the problem areas in blue ink and that totally render the picture useless. Anyway, I was trying to find a way to get rid of it. I debated if I should just dump them into the bin but he stopped me. He said that all rubbish will be burn in the incinerator and that is as good as burning “us”. I ask him why? He said our souls are in the photo lar!!!

Wow, I didn’t expect him to be so pantang! Anyway, older folks ( I really mean OLDER-than-our-grannies folks, and my modern husband ) believe that's how the camera capture our image onto a piece of paper. If we were to damage it in anyway, we damage the “souls” in the picture. Therefore, no cutting, no burning and no moustache drawing on the face. So, how do we get rid of unwanted photos without harming our “soul-image”?

His remedy is to soak them in water and wait till the pictures fade away. Only then will I be allow to cut, burn or whatever I wanted with that blank photo. Right now the photos are having a final dip in our Singapore-made “NEWater”, I wonder how long will it take for the photo to fade…

White hair

2005-09-06T10:24:00.000+08:00

2 days ago, I went to get a hair cut, literally a REAL cut because I am letting go of my long, unruly, wild hair of the past few years and opting for a short, sporty cut. My stylist loves the idea, she snip off a big chunk and immediately I felt light headed! SHIOK!

But after a while, I notice she keep brushing the same spot at the top of my head and inevitably brought my attention to a single white strand gleaming on the top of my head. I closed my eyes and pretend I didn’t see it, after all, I am doing some coloring soon, maybe that white hair will be colored and I won’t need to do anything about it. But after the coloring, I notice that white strand continues to mock me from the top of my head. It must have escape somehow! This, I will not tolerate. Knowing my stylist’s considerate nature, I guess she must have been trying to subtlety seek my consent to get rid of that strand.

Now, I am not too sure how many of you heard about the taboos or pulling out white hair. Each white hair strand pulled will result in a 3 new white strand grown to spite us. I didn’t want to ask my stylist to do anything about it simply because I didn’t want 3 more strands to deal with. But enough was enough, I consent to having that offending strand removed, but guess what, instead of pulling out the strand, my wonderful stylist took a scissors to it! I am so grateful to her! I should have known that she would know about the taboos.

I love my hair stylist for her sensitivity and wonderful skills. And I am really pleased with my new cut.

(Before & the last few years)

(After!) It's refreshing!

3 is a crowd

2005-09-02T01:57:00.000+08:00

Do you know it's unlucky to take photo with 3 people in the shot? The one in the middle will be hit with bad luck. If you must take a three-some shot, stand next to another object to add to the count, example a pillar, a giant potted plant or a pet. I am not too sure if the remedy is of any use but it has been suggested as a way to counter the effect.

“What’s the rationale?” you might ask.

Sadly, I don’t know why. Maybe someone thinks it’s funny to embrace such taboos and make things difficult for a photographer.

Anyway, I’ve been photographed a number of times and had gallantly volunteered to stand in the middle each time. The worst that happens so far was that I have yet to strike any 4D for a long, long time. What a price to pay...

Mother-in-law "up" the months

2005-09-02T01:55:00.000+08:00

My mother-in-law told me today that we cannot have our customary wedding within 4 months of another family member. "Crashing" luck ("冲喜")... *glup* ... Oh well, for the harmony of the family, will follow. ;)

Shoes again!

2005-08-30T00:22:00.000+08:00

A sweet young lady posted me this question, "Do you know how to prevent blisters from new shoes?"

I told her to bite it! Oh yes, I mean to actually sink your teeth into it. Try not to leave teeth marks though; such a pity to spoil a nice, new pair of shoes. In Singapore, Chinese likes to use the phase “bitten by our shoes” ("被鞋咬" direct translation) to mean having blisters from their shoes. The remedy is to bite the shoes before it bites you. It does work too if you apply this “tactic” after you were bitten, however, the taste of a pair of worn shoes differs from that of a new pair. It’s strange but true, and I don’t just mean the taste.

To my “knowledge”, it doesn’t matters who, the set of teeth belong to. So, husbands and boyfriends out there, if you want to prove your undying love, you can start by helping your wives or girlfriends to nibble their shoes. A word of caution, do not go to your pet dogs for help, they usually love the taste of it so much that they will chew the whole shoes to bits.

Bon Appétit!

Do not attend weddings or funeral months B4 your own wedding

2005-08-28T01:59:00.000+08:00

Do not attend another person’s weddings or funeral if you are having a wedding that is just round the corner. The suggested timeline is generally around 3 month. Some slightly more modern elders will suggest 1 month or so. Hee… The guideline is quite simple; if you have very pantang parents, in-laws, or your friend’s family is very pantang, then do not attend. They believe it will bring bad luck to both parties. Something about “clashing” luck ("相冲"). ;) We must respect our elderly, try not to do things that make them uncomfortable. ok?

PS. Usually the young and trendy Singaporean will still attend. They just make sure their elderly isn't aware of it. So make sure all your friends keep silent about your wedding plans when they are there. Opps! I hope they (the older ones) are not going to read this blog.

Some taboos from the movie

2005-08-25T12:26:00.000+08:00

I finally watched the movie "The Maid". It wasn't that scary, had my eyes closed tight for only about a quarter of the show. This is the first time I voluntarily went to check out a horror movie after so many years, I can't say if it is good or bad but my favorite is still "Six Sense". (I didn't realize that movie was so disturbing and I didn’t sleep well for a week!)

Ok, a few things from the show:

1. Do not sit in the first row of a Wayang show.

Usually the first row is reserve for the ghosts. By sitting on it, you either took up their seat and make them angry, or even worse, you sat on them! Seriously, it’s very difficult to find a Wayang show nowadays, so how will our ghostly friends find entertainment? Is it because we have been burning tons of personal entertainment system to them? Or would they be going to the cinema instead? Maybe we should burn them some movie tickets of the latest blockbuster. But then cinema would have to start reserving front row seats for them and I am not too sure if this will be good for businesses.

2. Do not turn back when someone called you by your name (especially at night)

Advise your friends to sms you instead. Wait… what if our ghostly friends are holding mobile phone too?

3. Do not hang clothes out at night.

I thought this is a fengshui thing. Was told that clothes hang outside throughout the night absorbs lots of “ying” qi. This is not good for our health. The movie didn’t explain why this is not advisable in the lunar 7th month.

4. Do not let the shadow of a coffin falls on you.

The movie says this will cause some really lousy luck.

5. Do not eat the offerings meant for the deceased

Oh well, how would you feel if strangers without your consent ate your plate of chicken rice? "Nobody" tells me that some businessman will share the offerings to be eaten after they finish praying. Knowing businessman, I am sure those are some pretty tasty offerings.

7th month taboos

2005-08-23T11:13:00.000+08:00

Do not step on any of the offerings on the floor or what's left of the burnt incense and money paper. Do not step into the circle of ring (usually drawn using a white chalk). This is a practice to keep other spirits away from the offering except for the intended one. Do not go swimming in the sea and swimming pool because during this month, it is more "dangerous". (I believe the swimming pool was added only in the recent years)

Those doing businesses must observe the 7th month offerings to the “Hao Siong Di” ( "好兄弟" loosely translated as “Good brothers”). They will pray for smooth delivery process and seamless operation throughout the year. This is especially significant if their employees are working in very dangerous environments, it give them peace of mind and hopefully, helps them to be safer.

Don't simply throw tissue paper around

2005-08-23T09:53:00.000+08:00

I got this from an email forwarded to me by a friend. I can't verify the source from this but then again, none of the pantang culture can be verified either. Enjoy.

hungry ghost's month is here so better don't play play (Mai Siao Siao) I've got 1 story to share, I got a bunch of friends living together as housemates during their campus days. One night they decided to go out for supper and went out driving 2 cars. Nothing happened during their way to supper, but after supper something spooky happened.

As I said they were driving 2 cars, 1 driving at the front of the other car. Some of my friends that are in the car in front start throwing out some tissue paper which has been torn into pieces out from the window just to "kacau" the friend's in the car behind.

Then my friend (with gifted eyes) sitting in the second car used his handphone to contact the friends in the car in front to stop throwing the papers and fortunately the friends in the front car finally stopped doing their stupid act.

They reached home safely and the housemates suspected the my friend is hiding something from them about the phone call because my friend also very well known with his gifted eyes. At first my friend didn't want to tell to his housemates what actually happened but after some persuasion, he finally told the reason.

He said, during their time throwing the pieces of tissue paper, he saw a lady in a red dress sitting on their car bonnet and a small little child jumping around the car roof. My friend said that maybe the tissue paper attracted that 2 things. Because according to some old chinese movie, people throwed some "passing road paper" during a funeral.

After his housemates listen to his explanation they start to worry and was scared. Then they asked him where did those things go ? Did they disappear after they stopped throwing the tissue ? My friend answer "no, I can stil see her outside of our house right now, she looks very angry staring into our house with the little child running around her"............but luckily nothing happened to them after that night.

so I advise you guys better don't simply throw any stuff from your car windows, especially at night...who knows you might get something special in return.

My friend says sharp object are only worth 10cents

2005-08-22T12:01:00.000+08:00

As I was penning today’s topic on avoiding giving sharp objects as gifts, a good friend who prefer to be known as “Nobody”, gave me this advise, “if wan 2 give, need tt person to pay u pay 10cents!”. I LOL and ROTF (Acronym for “laugh out loud”, and “roll on the floor”). Looks like sharp objects ain’t worth much, at least a clock is worth a dollar. Hee…

This particular pantang practice is one of the first taboos I break and had actually suffered for it. I believe I was still in primary school when I had to buy a birthday gift for an older friend, one that I really admire and look up to. Even at that tender age, I believe in buying practical birthday gifts and I chose a set of Mathematical Instrument for him. The box contained a compass for drawing circles, which as we know has a sharp end on its leg. When my friend and I started to drift apart, I was miserable. Coincidentally a classmate’s birthday was coming up and I went with the others to buy her a gift. When I suggest a Mathematical Instrument set, I was told that the sharp pointed end of the compass might affect our friendship. It dwell on me that maybe this was what causes my friend and I to drift. That is one of the saddest memories of my childhood; the first time I lost a friend.

Below is a picture of a Mathematical Instrument Set similar to what I have given him. Look at the number of sharp edges these has!

Socks and Ex-Collegues

2005-08-20T14:21:00.000+08:00

Surprise Surprise! Remember my previous article “We can't buy shoes as gifts either!”? Well, as I was cleaning out my bookshelves (I always seems to be doing spring cleaning, ya?), I found an old Christmas list stating which gifts are for which group of ex-colleagues. Back then when I was much younger, I enjoy personalizing my gifts by adding specially packed goodie bag. That year, I bought adorable baby socks and stuffed candies in them. I also did some other style of goodie bags. On my list, I stated which ex-colleagues would get the sock of candies. As I went through the list; I realize I am no longer in touch with any of them, only those that received the other form of goodie bags… *gulp*

Do not use old clothes as floor rags

2005-08-20T13:13:00.000+08:00

A day ago, I've decided to clean out my husband's wardrobe and discard away those that he seldom wears as well as those that he has out-grown. We selected nearly half of what he has and began to sort them out. Those that are quite new and is still fashionable went to the Salvation Army, those that were found with torn sleeves, holes or stains went to another bag to be thrown away. Now, some of you may wonder why we didn’t recycle those ruined ones and used them as cleaning rag or floor rags. Well, it seems that when we used our old clothes as floor rags, we literally get stepped on all over. If you find yourselves being taken advantage off very regularly, or that everyone you know simply has no respect for you. Check if your old clothes had been used to wipe everyone’s feet! Hee…

Actually my feet just prefer proper floor rags to old clothes especially those that still has buttons on them. Ouch! ;)

I am going to watch "The maid"!

2005-08-19T11:13:00.000+08:00

It just crossed my mind that I need to go and watch the movie “The Maid”. How can an aspiring “Pantang” queen-to-be not watch a local movie whose theme is based on the 7th month taboo? My husband will be so happy to know this; he hasn’t been watching any horror movies since the day we met. Till now, I simply refuse to pay money and frighten myself silly. But for the greater good of documenting our knowledge on Singapore Pantang cultures, I shall support this local movie by visiting my nearest, friendly cinema (preferably one without scary The Maid images in the ladies toilet). *cold sweat*

(I hope it is alright for me to use this poster.... )

A plead to understand why we can’t give perfume as gifts?

2005-08-19T10:39:00.000+08:00

I have received 2 comments so far that says we can’t give perfume as gifts. Please, does anyone know why? I have given perfume as gifts before, and now I am monitoring this friendship closely to make sure this pantang belief will not do any harm to our 13-year-old friendship!

… 13???!!!
Disclaimer: This picture is not download illegally or used without the owner’s permission. (Policeman will catch me if I did…) This is my own creation drawn on a piece of recycled paper. I am not an artist so this is the best I can do. :)

We can't buy shoes as gifts either!

2005-08-18T16:39:00.000+08:00

It’s heartening to see my blog being visited by friends and new friends-to-be. Thank you! It’s even more encouraging to read your comments. Yup, I actually knew about the shoes too. In fact, I intent to talk about the peeves my then-boyfriend, now husband has. Let’s share our “bitter” experiences.

My then-boyfriend would refuse to go anywhere near the ladies’ shoes department with me. In fact, whenever he sees any shoes shop, he would steer me away as quickly as he can. When I had, I mean I really HAD to buy a new pair of shoes (I wanted a pair of shopping sandals, those sporty ones and work-wear ones don’t count), I was dropped off at a shopping mall, alone, do my purchase before he comes back to pick me up. I am not too sure if this taboo really works but this man manage to stick around for a long time, and now I am stuck, tight!

Recently i realise there are so many accessories in the shape of feet and shoes. It occur to me that this closely resembles the pantang thing on giving shoes as gift to our partners or friends. Giving them shoes usually means to give them a chance to slip away from us. So with all the key chains and handphone accessories in the shoe of a mini shoes with cute laces, shouldn’t they come with warning that the buyer should only consider these accessories for themselves. Do not buy these as gift to friends, especially your girlfriend or boyfriend, okie? Hm.... I wonder if this includes husband and wife as well?

Yes, we are afraid of breaking the mirror too!

2005-08-17T12:19:00.000+08:00

It’s bad luck to break the mirror. 7 years in fact! This familiar superstition comes from the west. Singapore's history is so intertwine with the west that we even adopt their superstitions. Oh well, being kaisu means we have to make sure we cover all grounds. We sure could use the good luck with the amount of lottery tickets, 4D and toto my local countryman likes to buy.

A Clock for $1

2005-08-17T02:16:00.000+08:00

A day before, my sisters and I found a shop in Plaza Singapura selling clocks for decorative purposes. The clocks came in all shapes and sizes, interesting styles and beautiful drawings. We were fascinated. But when I mention getting these clocks as a gifts for housewarming, they say I can only do so if the recipient paid a dollar for the clock! Pantang!!!

We are not allow to give clock or watches as gifts because the mandarin words for giving clock sounds the same as "to send the decease off", "送钟". If we die die also must give, then we should ask the person whom the present is for, to give us a small token of $1. The cash transaction make it look as if they bought the gift from us for 1 buck. That’s how clever Singaporeans are at twisting the words around and making clock giving possible.

7th month...

2005-08-17T00:31:00.000+08:00

My first blog and I wanted to make sure I have good materials to start off with. I chose a favorite subject discussing “Pantang” (superstition) things that Singaporean observed. However, I realize I forgot to check the Almanac to see if today is a good day to begin this new “venture”, and an even worst thought occurs to me, this is the lunar 7th month, where all the ghostly beings are release from hell and given a holiday. Chinese in Singapore refuse to hold weddings, start home renovations works or begin a new business venture in such a month! What have I done?!!! How can I expect to be the queen of “Pantang” if I can’t even remember to check out tiny details like this! ARG……

Oh well, it looks like today isn't such a bad day after all. It's good for marriage, good for moving to a new home, good for travelling and good for starting renovation works. The only lacking is the money bag sign.... no luck in money making ventures.