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Supernatural Games that Open a Gateway

Do you know any supernatural games that open the gateway to a dark, hostile and incomprehensible world? Have you played them before or heard anything about it? Read on and let me tell you more about it.

Some of you might have read that in some of my true ghost stories and Chinese superstitions, I have often referred to examples in Mr Zhou’s Ghost stories. If you are not familiar with Mr Zhou’s Ghost stories, it is a radio segment hosted by Singaporean actor/DJ Dennis Zhou and DJ Nana/Chen Lina, every Friday from 11 pm to 12 midnight (except during Chinese New Year periods and holiday season), at Singapore Love 97.2fm. You can also listen to their podcasts from November 2017 till present with MeListen and Spotify apps.

supernatural Games That Open Gateway

Exhuming Your Loved Ones: Family Views

This year Qing Ming Festival/Tomb Sweeping fell on the 4th April 2024. It saddens me that yet again, I have not been able to pay my respects to my dad and my grandparents on this festival. There are a couple of reasons for this: my family are in Singapore so it takes some preparation to plan a long haul trip from Britain. Also, it is not easy to fly over due to school term and travel costs.

Exhuming Your Loved Ones Family Views

Chinese Culture: Pregnancy Taboos

On Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories live radio last Friday, guest speaker Genesis (Top 3 finalist for Be A Podcaster) shared a story about her relatives’ pregnancy. This prompted me to ask my mum about the pregnancy taboos she followed when she was younger.

These taboos are largely considered old wives’ tales. Whether you choose to believe them is entirely up to you—they are shared here for cultural interest and entertainment purposes.

Chinese Culture Pregnancy Taboos

The King of Fruits Durian

Every time I go back to Singapore, we will always have a durian feast with my family. My sisters would source the best and one of the most expensive ranges of durian for me. Through the years, even though they have tried to buy from many durian sellers, they will always look out for more – in case, their usual sellers run out of the type of durian they want, they have someone else to fall back on.

The King of Fruits Durian

Feng Shui: Keep Fake Flowers and Plants at a Minimum

I mentioned in an earlier post that my mum came to the UK to visit us. During her stay, she passed down a lot of feng shui tips and suggested I change several things. One of the suggestions was regarding fake flowers and plants. She said that if a house is filled with too many fake flowers and artificial plants, it will attract a lot of fake relationships, like friendships, and also gossip into our lives. I’m not sure where she heard it from. But she is quite an avid listener of feng shui podcasts and Buddhism YouTube channels. Each day, the channels will share tips and predictions for the zodiac animals.

Feng Shui Keep Fake Flowers and Plants at a Minimum

Chinese Superstition: Ji Shi Teng Ward Off Evil Spirits

Is Ji Shi Teng 鸡屎藤 (a Chinese medicinal vine herb) able to ward off evil spirits? According to the older generation — like my mum and some of my elderly relatives — they truly believe so! I first came across Ji Shi Teng while listening to Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcast on 13 May 2022.

Chinese Superstition can Ji Shi Teng Ward Off Evil Spirits

Chinese Superstition: The Umbrella Taboo

Several years ago, I wrote an article about gifts to avoid buying for Chinese people, and one of the items was an umbrella. Today, I would like to expand on the Chinese superstitions surrounding the umbrella taboo in Chinese culture. In feng shui, it is believed that, when used correctly, an umbrella can bring luck and wealth. However, if used incorrectly, it may bring misfortune. Do you believe it?

Chinese Superstition: Umbrella Taboo

Why you should never hang clothing out overnight?

I hadn’t heard of this taboo of never hanging clothing out overnight until I heard from Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcast. Some people believe that hanging clothing at night will attract wandering spirits to get attached to the clothing. It will cause us to have bad luck. I will list a few examples later in the post.

Why you should never hang clothing out overnight?

Chinese Customs To Observe When Moving House

Buying your new home is a very proud moment for you and your family. It is likely one of the most expensive purchases you will make and therefore it’s a big deal for everyone involved. Many Chinese people observe or believe in several Chinese customs.

Chinese Customs To Observe When Moving House

Mahjong Taboo

Many Chinese people are very superstitious, particularly the elderly—and I would include myself among them. If you read the blog post I wrote earlier this year on the meaning of the 15 days of Lunar New Year, you may recall that some Chinese (in Taoism and Buddhism) pray to the God of Wealth for blessings. This “blessing money” is referred to in Chinese as 偏财 (Piān cái), meaning unexpected income or windfalls such as bonuses, lottery winnings, or stock gains.

mahjong taboo

Day 7 The Return of the Dead Night

Do you believe that the soul of a deceased person returns to visit their family home on the seventh day after death? Some Chinese believe in what is known as 回魂夜 (Huí Hún Yè) — the “Return of the Soul Night” — or 头七 (Tóu Qī).

Day 7 The Return of the Dead Night

Haw Par Villa Hell’s Museum

We are nearly at the end of the seventh month of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival with the last day on the 26th of August. If you are in an Asian country, do check out the list of don’t dos during this festival and the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival that I wrote a while ago.

Recently, I took my children to visit one of my childhood parks – Haw Par Villa in Singapore. The last time I went was with my third aunty and cousins 30 years ago. I still remember that every child would have to take a photo with Confucius, hoping we will show humaneness, righteousness and filial. Needless to say, my modern children did not believe in this.

Haw Par Villa Hell's museum

My True Ghost Story – Operating Theatre Night Shift

As mentioned in my previous post, I used to work as an operating theatre nurse back in my days in Singapore. This is my second story about the strange paranormal incidents I experienced during my very first three night shifts.

During the first few weeks of orientation, we mainly worked office hours. Soon after, however, we were required to trial night shifts. On a normal night shift, there would usually be seven staff members running three operating theatres if things became busy. Since I was still a junior nurse and it was my very first night shift, I became the eighth member of the team.

My True Ghost Story – Operating Theatre Night Shift

My True Ghost Story – Operating Theatre

I used to work as an operating theatre nurse back in my days in Singapore. During the 15 months I worked there, I experienced several paranormal encounters — some during the day, but most during the night. There were simply too many strange incidents to fit into one post, so I’ve decided to split them into two parts.

This happened during my second nursing job. Before joining the operating theatre, I had spent a year working in an Orthopaedic/ENT Class C ward near my home. I was unhappy there, and eventually a friend persuaded me to transfer to the operating theatre at one of Singapore’s oldest hospitals.

My True Ghost Story – Operating Theatre

My True Ghost Story – Taxi

If you work late nights or permanent night shifts, you will probably hear your fair share of strange stories. Taxi drivers, especially, seem to encounter things that cannot always be explained.

Since last year, I have been listening to my favourite Singapore radio station, Love 97.2FM and Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcasts. Many of the stories involve taxi drivers picking up unusual “passengers” late at night. Some drivers even claimed their business suddenly became poor because there was an unseen “extra passenger” sitting in the front seat — something only certain people could apparently see, causing potential customers to avoid the taxi altogether.

My True Ghost Story – Taxi

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Hello!

Welcome to ET Speaks From Home!

Hi, I’m Eileen — a mum of two teenagers, aged 18 and 17, and a passionate lifestyle blogger sharing snippets of family life, creativity, and culture since May 2012. My daughter lives with visual impairment, and our journey together has shaped much of the heart behind this blog.

What started as a small space to document family memories has grown into a vibrant corner of the internet where I share my love for cooking, crafting, DIY projects, Chinese culture, parenting, and honest product and YouTube reviews. Whether I’m creating festive crafts, exploring Chinese traditions, or trying out new recipes, I hope to inspire others through everyday moments from home.

Over the years, ET Speaks From Home has been recognised by several parenting and blogging communities, including:

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

Thank you for stopping by and being part of our journey. I hope you’ll find inspiration, useful tips, cultural insights, and a little joy here at ET Speaks From Home. Read More…

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