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My True Ghost Story – Operating Theatre

I used to work as an operating theatre nurse back in my Singapore days. During my 15 months working there, I encountered ghosts many times during the night and day, hence I have to split this into two posts.

This was my second job after I was unhappy working a year in Ortho/ENT C class ward near my home. My friend persuaded me to move to an operating theatre in one of the oldest hospitals in Singapore. It’s one of the largest and busiest hospitals in Singapore and they have multiple disciplines. There are a total of 28 operating theatres on the same floor.

My True Ghost Story – Operating Theatre

My True Ghost Story – Taxi

If you work late at night or do a night shift, you can have quite a lot of strange encounters. My third story is a warning to night shift taxi drivers. I have been listening to my favourite Singapore radio station Love 97.2FM Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcasts since last year. Some of the stories involve taxi drivers picking up some strange ‘passengers’. Or their business was poor because they had an extra ‘passenger’ in the front seat that they weren’t aware of which put other potential passengers off from flagging it down.

My True Ghost Story – Taxi

My True Ghost Story – School Toilet

Hello everyone! This is my second ghost story and the topic is school toilets! Whenever people start talking about school toilets, it always gives me goosebumps. I hate going to school toilets as they are always so small, dark, wet and dirty.

Back in the 80s and 90s, girls’ toilets in Singapore had two types of toilet bowls. One type was for squatting and the other type is the more common seated toilet. Even now, in some shopping malls, you will still find one or two squatting toilets inside the girl’s toilets in Singapore. There are still many people who like to use them as they are more hygienic than using a shared toilet seat. Nevertheless, back to the story.

My True Ghost Story – School Toilet

My True Ghost Story – Ang Mo Kio Flat

To coincide with this year’s Hungry Ghost Festival starting on 29th July to 26th August 2022, I decided to blog about my own true ghost stories. Don’t worry, I have only had about eight stories for now. Not enough to fill all 29 days. I will write more when I feel more comfortable sharing it.

Also, my favourite Singapore radio station Love 97.2FM plays Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories every Friday at 11pm SGT and have published a few of my voice records on the air. I will attach the podcast links in the post but they are in Mandarin.

My True Ghost Story – Ang Mo Kio Flat

What is Kopi – Coffee

What is kopi? Or do you mean ‘copy’? No! Kopi means coffee in a Hokkien dialect. If you are a coffee drinker, then you should know the different types of kopi meaning, especially in Singapore and Malaysia.

what is kopi

The Don’t Dos during the Ghost festival

A few years back, I wrote an article about the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival but I didn’t elaborate on the don’t dos during this festival. Now, I would love to share some tips and hope everyone stays safe during this period. Even if you aren’t superstitious or don’t believe in ghosts, it is best to show respect to the Chinese culture and people who do believe while you are in Asian countries.

The Don’t dos during the Ghost festival

Dumpling Craft for Dragon Boat Festival

Making Dumpling Craft for Dragon Boat Festival.  It was the Dragon Boat Festival again, which is also known as the Duanwu Festival. This year it fell on the 18th June 2018 which is the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional lunar calendar.

As some of you may remember, I help run Lichfield Mandarin Club which started six years ago and we often do arts and crafts with the children, especially with themes based on Chinese festivals. So this school term, one of the mummies Ailin organized some party games for the children.

Dumpling Craft for Dragon Boat Festival

Chinese Wedding Gifts

For English weddings, the bride and groom typically have a list of wedding gifts but for Chinese, we are more practical. All we want is money, partially to pay for the wedding costs and partially to pay your mother-in-law!

chinese wedding gifts

Chinese New Year Traditions

Ever since I moved to the UK for work, I have found it hard to keep up or observe the proper Chinese New Year traditions my mum used to teach me. I think part of it is because I have forgotten how it was as I have not been back to Singapore for 8 years during this festive period and another part of it is because I want to be a modern woman who doesn’t need to follow the superstitious rules.

Chinese New Year Traditions

Paper Chinese Dragon Boat Race

Yesterday we were celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, which is also known as the Duanwu Festival, and falls on the 9th June 2016. It occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional lunar calendar. The festival involves eating dumplings (zongzi – sticky rice) and racing dragon boats!  If you want to know how the dumplings look like, check out my post I wrote two years ago.

As some of you might remember that I help run Lichfield Mandarin Club which started four years ago and I like to involve arts and crafts with the children especially Chinese festival. So this school half term, I organized a Dragon Boat festival.

Make your own Paper Chinese Dragon Boat Race

Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival

The Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival is also known as Zhong Yuan Jie. In Chinese culture (especially Asian countries), the Chinese Lunar seventh month calendar is regarded as the Ghost Month in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, release from the lower realm (Buddhist- the wheel of Samsara) for the whole month. During this month, there will be a grand scale of praying and celebration which will have Getai (singing in Hokkien or Teochew) and dinner with bidding for lucky things on such a night.

Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival culture

Dragon Boat Festival & Dumpling

This year Dragon Boat Festival falls on this coming Monday 2 June 2014 which is today!  There are a few versions of how the history came about.  For what I learnt at school it is about Qu Yuan.  He was a poet and minister (c. 340–278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu.  To cut the long story short, he committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River.  The local people raced out to save him but was unable to do so.  So they dropped balls of sticky rice (dumpling) into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan’s body.

Dragon Boat Festival and Dumpling

Chinese Confinement 坐月

What is Confinement?

It is a postnatal practice aimed at helping a new mum recover from pregnancy, labour and birth.  It also means the new mum and baby are confined at home. For Chinese, the period lasts for a whole month, which will coincide with baby’s first month.  During this time, the new mums have a lot of taboos and restrictions.

chinese confinement traditions for new mum

Chinese Baby First / Full Month Celebration

In many countries like the USA, they celebrate baby shower before the baby is born.  As for Chinese custom, this is traditionally celebrated one month after the baby is born.  This also coincides with the end of the new mum’s confinement period.  During the confinement period, visiting the new mum and baby is not advisable.  The full month is the day where both mother and baby are introduced to the extended relatives and friends.

Chinese Baby First Full Month Celebration

Chinese Wedding – Bridal Door Game

You might be wondering what is a Bridal Door Game?  This is a game played when the groom picks up his bride on the day of the wedding.  The bridesmaids will give the groom and his group of ‘brothers’ (best men) a list of tasks/games to do before the groom is allowed to fetch his bride.  But they have to pass all the tasks/games!

Chinese Wedding 5 Bridal Door Game

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Hello!

Welcome to ET Speaks From Home!

I'm Eileen, a proud mum of two teenagers (aged 18 and 16), my daughter is living with visual impairment. Since launching this blog in May 2012, we’ve continued to grow and evolve, sharing our family’s journey and passions.

I love cooking, crafting, DIY projects, writing about Chinese culture, and creating YouTube reviews.

**Achievements & Recognition:**

* Top 20 UK Parent Blogs (2020)
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* Tots100 Top Mummy Vloggers (2015)
* Tots100 Top 20 Vloggers (2016)
* Shortlisted for BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards (BiBs), Video Category (2014) Read More…

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