Haunted Schools In Singapore

Stories from an overactive imagination or based on fact? Here are some legendary tales from schools here that have sent chills down the spines of many students.

Anglo Chinese School

The junior college was rumored to be haunted by a boy who jumped into the gears, in the gear room of the clock tower. Reports of students being possessed were also common.

Boon Lay Secondary School

The school had a pond in the middle of the science block with classes. It was said that if one looked into the pond at night, you will not see your reflection, but an unfamiliar face peering back at you.

CHIJ St Joseph's Convent

There is a toilet cubicle there which is always locked. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of a girl who was raped while waiting for her parents in school, and then hung herself in the toilet.

Clementi Town Secondary School

A headless ghost allegedly haunts the Home Economics and Science Lab, some have even seen its detached head rolling on the floor.

Gan Eng Seng Secondary

Even teachers allegedly are afraid of entering the Art Class on the 4th storey alone. From the classroom, one can allegedly hear a lady's voice singing, coming from the rooftop of the building.

Haig Girls' School

According to some, the school used to be a place to hold prisoners-of-war during World War II. There is an area within the school compound which has more than the usual rate of accidents occurring. Many people would trip and fall when walking along the area. It was also rumoured that if you walk across the school field diagonally at night, you will be greeted by an old woman asking you to buy matchsticks from her.

Hai Sing Catholic School

A statue of the mother mary there was said to be seen with blood dripping from it. In 2001, a rumour circulated that female students camping on the school premises woke up in the middle of the night scratching themselves, seemingly possessed, but returned to normal a few minutes later.

Loyang Secondary School

The girl's toilet on the fourth floor of the old block is said to be haunted, which is why the lights there are on 24 hours. AVA student helpers also claim to have seen a figure of a woman walking backstage in the school hall.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Rumour has it a female student died in one of the engineering workshop because her hair got stuck in a machine. Screams can be heard from the workshop at night.

Pei Dao Secondary (now known as Punggol Secondary)

The story is that smacking and hitting noises could be heard at night, coming from the basketball court. The music room was also rumoured to be haunted with the piano playing by itself every night at 12am sharp. The school has since been relocated and renamed to Punggol Secondary School.

Queenstown Secondary School

The famous story from this school is about how a tombstone was found in the field by students.

Tampines Secondary School

The school is said to be haunted by the spirit of a girl who was raped and killed by construction workers at the site when the school was still being built in the 1980s.

Temasek Polytechnic

The corriders from block 18 within the Engineering faculty were allegedly so haunted that guards would not patrol that area.

Rumour has it an Indian worker was accidentally buried alive in one of the pillars, when cement was poured into the construction while he was binding wires within it.

According to another story told by a guard, he saw a student at the lockers as he was patrolling one day. He turned back to the same spot a few minutes later, to find a piece of newspaper on the floor with the student's face he just saw. Turns, out the student was killed by a car at the bus stop a few months back.

Tanjong Katong Secondary

Band members who stayed the night reported being disturbed while they were sleeping.

Yuying Secondary

Teachers and principals have reportedly seen silhouettes of children running around the school compound located in Hougang when they work. It was said that when the school was doing its upgrading work, construction workers witnessed strange occurrences and started to quit one by one.

Singapore Polytechnic
Unlucky #13 or just a coincidence? The institute has blocks named T1, T2, T3…..but no T13.

Unverified rumours say a student committed suicide at one of the toilets in the teaching block, after stabbing a lecturer (the lecturer died too). Screams can be heard at night when part-time students are having classes.

Bedok View Secondary School

The toilet next to the biology lab on the ground floor is allegedly haunted by a long-haired ghost, obsessed with combing her hair in front of the mirror. Rumour has it a few girls have gone into the toilet, only to run out screaming and crying after seeing the apparition.

Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School

A construction worker committed suicide in the school's toilet when it was still being constructed. It was rumoured that the toilet was locked ever since after students complained about seeing a man stabbing himself repeatedly in the stomach.

The strangest divorce reasons you'll ever hear

Fri, 22 Oct 2010
Diva

The strangest divorce reasons you'll ever hear

We all heard of the divorce that happened because the husband fell in love with the domestic helper. Here are some other reasons that partners have come up with to leave their other halves, which we aren't so sure about.

1. A woman wanted to leave her husband because he was eating too much. She claimed that he was committing a crime by satisfying his ravenous hunger, and she did not want to be his accomplice.

2. A man wanted to ditch his wife as he claimed he was allergic to her sweat. Subsequent tests showed his claims to be unfounded.

3. A man in Saudi Arabia wanted to leave his wife immediately after their wedding ceremony, because his newly-minted brother-in-law had taken a photograph of the couple together. The reason for his objection was not clear.

4. A couple in Taiwan were granted a divorce because the wife refused to consummate their marriage even one year after marraige. She slept fully dressed on their wedding night, and brushed her husband away when he tried to sleep with her.

5. A German woman left her husband because she could not tolerate his cleaning habits. The couple who were married for 15 years broke up, as the wife had enough of her husband's penchant for tidying.

Sunday December 13, 2009

Extreme tactics used on beggars

MALACCA: The presence of three horribly disfigured beggars at night markets in Taman Malim Jaya and Kampung Lapan here has shocked residents into calling for the authorities to step in.

The faces and foreheads of the three seem to have been scalded with acid and two of them had no hands and one had no toes.

Their faces were so disfigured that it is difficult to guess their gender and age.

The three, believed to be foreigners, appeared at several night markets here about three weeks ago, startling residents with their deformities.

Preying on emotions: This old man who is badly disfigured is seen begging near the entrance of Bukit Beruang in Malacca last week.

Readers tipped off Starprobe when the similarities among the three and their appearances together at the same night market at the same time arouse suspicions that they might belong to a syndicate preying on the emotions of the people to get money.

One of the disfigured beggars at a night market in Malacca recently. The day's taking is handed over to a syndicate which pays them a 'salary'.

Their modus operandi has apparently worked well, judging from the money they have been able to collect.

On Tuesday evening, the Starprobe team followed these beggars and saw them being picked up by a taxi.

The team tailed them but the taxi driver managed to lose them after realising they were being followed.

The team also tried to follow them on Monday evening.

Residents said they were concerned about the beggars as it was possible that they were victims of syndicates who could have abducted them.

“Without their hands, it is most likely they cannot even feed themselves.

“Their faces are so disfigured, so even if their family members did stumble upon them, they would not recognise them at all. It’s pretty shocking.

“Without their fingers, thumb prints are gone. I hope the authorities can trace them and establish their identities,’’ a resident said.

Another caller expressed suspicion over the whole thing, saying that she believed such beggars, especially if they were “purposely disfigured”, were there more for greed.

“They are nothing more than employed beggars,” the caller said.

My mum is right: Men are pigs

My mum is right: Men are pigs

by Joanne Soh

Tue, Dec 08, 2009

The New Paper

MY mother once offered sage advice: We must always be aware of our husbands’ activities, regardless of how devoted and loving they are.

Her rationale? Men are born with roving eyes, even the good and well brought-up ones.

Recently, my dear mother noted that my husband had been working late for the past few weeks.

Do you know what he’s doing? Does he have a new female colleague, she asked.

Of course, I brushed her motherly concern aside, having full faith in my doting husband. But she is right. Men do have roving eyes.

I know my husband has. We always joke about it.

However, it’s no laughing matter when men, whether married or in a relationship, cross the line.

To me, if you’re committed to someone, stay committed. If you can’t, pack your bags and get out.

So Elin Nordegren, I feel for you.

It’s hard enough to acknowledge that your husband is an adulterer. It’s worse when his affairs make front-page news around the world.

And what did Mr Nice Guy Tiger Woods do?

Offer a public apology. Is that enough? Say sorry and the slate is wiped clean?

David Letterman, Kobe Bryant and even Bill Clinton may get away with it, but in my book, these men should burn forever in eternity.

I guess my mother is right, as always. Men are pigs. What else would you say to a not-so-good-looking guy who cheated on his still-hot-after-two-kids wife?

Seriously, what were you thinking, Tiger?

That Elin’s lost her appeal and charm after childbirth? That she has no time for you now because you have to share her with your 2-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son?

If that’s the case, it’s your fault too.

Do you know the sacrifices women make so that your bloodline can continue? Body, looks, sleep, freedom... to name a few.

It’s not our fault if we may not look our best 24/7. Try waking up in the middle of each night to check on the little ones for starters and tell us you don’t get cranky in the mornings.

Yes, we know you have needs. But are they so pressing you must find joy from (inferior) substitutes?

Come on. What happened to the wedding vows?

What do you men want? Your wives are not tissue paper. Use once and throw away. They are to be treasured, nurtured and pampered. They are not called your better halves for nothing.

So kudos to you, Elin, for pocketing the seven-figure amount to remain Mrs Tiger Woods.

After all, your pre-nuptial agreement requires you to stay married for 10 years if you want to collect your US$20 million ($27m) divorce settlement.

But it’s a smart move to insist on a revision of the agreement that includes more money and a shortened marriage time-frame.

If he can cheat once, what’s stopping him from doing it again?

Nothing. Because men are pigs.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

If men are pigs, what are women?

Wed, Dec 09, 2009

The New Paper

FROM READER AL CHINE

Tsk tsk. If that statement is correct, I guess it is fair to say all women are bitches. Your remark that men who cheat should burn in eternity.... I have two questions.

1) Are you saying women don’t cheat?

2) Did God vacate His judgement seat for you?

Come off your high horse and touch ground for a while. It will be good for your soul and your sole. Life can be tough. Misery is optional.

FROM READER LAWRENCE LOH

Your comments are interesting but, unfortunately, a tad sweeping.

Infidelity is not gender-specific. The New Paper quoted investigators and lawyers as saying that the number of women cheating here is rising.

I have friends who were dumped when their wives found more lucrative relationships.

Women generally worship wealth, status, good life and power, and if they cannot attain these on their own steam, they search for these through relationships, legitimate or otherwise. We see this everywhere.

Unfortunately, the Women’s Charter does not give men this advantage. Divorce is a very expensive affair for men.

A friend’s grandmother used to say that women are the source of problems. And coming from a woman, it must mean something.

The fault cannot solely lie with men, notwithstanding the claim that they are born with roving eyes. It will be infantile to correlate roving eyes with infidelity. Women are basically suspicious, accusing and probing, and it is precisely this errant behaviour that has driven some good and well brought-up men to stray.

And there are wives who insist on checking the husbands’ SMSes, incoming phone call numbers, entertainment receipts, and so on. Are they control freaks or just being insecure?

My advice, even to my wife, is that if either party is suspicious, engage the services of a private investigator, so as to confirm the suspicion or have peace of mind. There must be trust and mutual respect in a marriage. I do not believe in pampering or being pampered. We are grown-ups, not babies.

Indeed, women should be wary when their husbands begin to shower them with gifts, flowers and overwhelming attention. Not all men are pigs. And if they are, then all women are bitches.

Having said this, there are enough men out there who treat women as a commodity, to be savaged. These men are not human, they are animals. But if women can control their greed and urge, these men cannot do anything.

FROM READER JIMMY HO CHEE MENG

If men are pigs.... then who are the asses that married us? The comment is at best a sexist piece. It is extremely judgmental and myopic to say the least.

If a man had cheated once, he is deemed to be an incorrigible individual who will cheat again.... can the reverse also be true?

That a man was good once so he can be good again? Marriage breaks apart for various reasons, the roving eye of a man is obviously one of them, but does that exclude the problems that may have been caused by the woman?

From the article Ms Soh seems to imply that woman can do no wrong, and the woman is the ultimate martyr in a marriage, the only one who suffers and gives the ultimate sacrifice of losing her good looks and appeal.

My wife and I took turns to feed our children when they were infants, and I too, needed to wake up in the middle of the night.

How about the amount of work I put in to nurture my children when they need help in their school work, or in the mornings when I fix their breakfast while my wife is still fast asleep?

Get off the self-righteous high horse and stop blaming only the men in a failed marriage. No, I am not defending men who cheat, I am stating that there is more to the story when infidelity happens, and it’s not always the fault of the men.

FROM READER YEH SIANG HUI

What was most offensive, of course, was her declaration – “Men are pigs”. This is unfair, unreasonable, unprofessional, and uncalled- for.

The writer has conveniently forgotten that if men cheat, so do women. Just as there are wives with cheating husbands, there are husbands with cheating wives. Just as there are men with roving eyes, so too, women with roving eyes.

Many a man single-mindedly and single- heartedly works day and night to provide for his wife and children.

There are men who, though they have the financial means to cheat, genuinely stay true to their marriage vows and actively reject opportunities to cheat.

There are unmarried men who constantly have to endure being spurned and scorned by women whom they court.

I have not yet mentioned women who, by reason of their unreasonable behaviour at home actively goad and taunt their husbands into cheating.

FROM READER AMBROSE SIM

Your article is highly offensive and unreasonable. It seriously lacks objectivity and is unprofessional from a journalistic point of view. Please remember that children and teenagers read the article too and are easily led astray by your unfair, across-the-board accusations.

FROM READER MADISON CHUA

Of course men are pigs, my dear. They are programmed to sow as many wild oats as possible.

Don’t blame them just because it’s in their DNA.

I should know since I am male too.

Men and women are not supposed to be life long partners, in my opinion. In my observation during my 37 years, I have come to this enlightening conclusion.

They come together, breed and then should stay apart.

They really are from two different planets.

FROM READER KARINA WONG

Ha ha, so funny about men being pigs. I was laughing and shared it with my mum too, and she read your article and agreed.

Just wanted to compliment you on a well written article. Simply love it!

Even if these men deny they are being pigs just like how they deny their affairs, it is a fact that they are born with roving eyes and when it comes to women,they are never rational.

FROM READER ANAND A VATHIYAR

Ms Soh’s piece is just so grating. I can’t believe her comment is both a veiled threat to her husband – poor chap – and a kowtow to her mum.

With a totally unnecessary dig at Tiger Woods’ looks (there is a reason why he is a billion dollar face, Ms Soh) and rounded off with a feminist afterthought that celebrates a woman’s ‘love’ for a man defined in dollar terms.

And really, if mum is always right, then why marry?

FROM READER VERONICA SHARON

I agree that a philandering and lustful man who wanders off to women of inferior qualities is the type of character who does not know how to appreciate the time and energy a doting wife gives to her spouse in good times and in bad.

The pathetic man who discards his family to fulfil his lustful and self-centred deeds is considered to be despicable.

FROM READER JAVERT ONG

Not all men are pigs, and it is extremely rude and unpleasant to call men names. Can we call women bitches, sluts, crows if they commit adultery?

I understand the pain and misery that some women's husbands have caused, betraying their trust. Marriage is for life. Divorce should never be the case. Why? Because it will hurt children.

As for Tiger Woods committing adultery, why be so suprised? Nobody is perfect.

We just have to have some self-control, reflect on our actions daily. Couples should talk to each other, spend sufficient time no matter how stressful or tired they are.

FROM READER VIJAY KANNAN

It seems the writer might have some serious issues in her very own relationship. Her mother’s advice seems incomplete rather than sage standard as she put it.

Be aware of husband’s activities, she had advised the writer. So what happens when the husband does stray or is about to?

Don’t you think that watching your spouse’s every move proves that there is no trust in the marriage. This advice is more detrimental than beneficial to a marriage.

I seriously think the writer should seek immediate advice from marriage counselling centres. The article not only insulted men, including my dad, it insulted all women, including my wife and my mother.

The writer fails to see that in most of these affairs the women know that the men are married.. What does this say about these women? Why isn’t the writer quick to classify women under some animal, fruit or vegetable?

FROM READER CHRISTINA TEO

I am separated from my husband. My marriage lasted only one year and six months. We courted for about three years before deciding to tie the the knot in 2007.

He knew about betrayal in a marriage as his previous wife betrayed him twice.

What I did not expect was his betrayal to me as he was a good guy who doesn’t smoke, drink and gamble. He was always angry when guys he knew had roving eyes and he said guys who had affairs are pigs. (Well, he is one of them right now...)

Till this day, he will never admit to me that he was having an affair as no man will ever admit his mistakes. Men are pigs. Thanks to your columnist Joanne Soh for writing it.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

They see dead people

		Sat, Oct 31, 2009 The Star/Asia News Network
They see dead people
Najah Hadisah, 36, teacher Najah has been seeing ghosts ever since she was in secondary school. Her first encounter was with a huge creature with red eyes which caused her to scream like a mad person. Her father recited some prayers over her and after that incident, she could see and hear ghosts. Growing up in the government quarters near the Tang Lin Hospital in Kuala Lumpur didn't help. The hospital was used during the Japanese Occupation and said to be haunted. Najah used to see nuns walking around and hear the sounds of people screaming in the night. 'I am used to seeing ghosts around me, there are many types. Some look like normal people, some are tall and black while some are like corpses wrapped in white shrouds. I always ignore them and pretend not to see them, sometimes praying under my breath for them not to disturb me. 'I believe that we are just sharing the same space and if you don't disturb them, they won't disturb you,' says Najah. She remembers one incident in a university art studio in Shah Alam very vividly. 'My first encounter there was of a huge black figure roughly 3m tall looking at us as we went down the stairs. The rest of my friends didn't see it so I just kept quiet and ignored it. 'We went into the art studio which is known to be haunted. One of my friends decided to challenge the ghost to appear. The ghost is called Puteri Hijau, so my friend called out, 'Keluar Puteri, kalau berani (Come out princess if you dare).' Five minutes later, we all saw a lady in a green gown walking towards us. All of us screamed and ran back to the hostel. 'While I was washing my legs at the hostel toilet, I saw a girl two feet away who looked exactly like me with the same hair and clothes. She rolled her eyes and pointed her finger at me. I was so scared that I screamed and immediately ran out of the toilet. 'I couldn't finish saying my prayers because I was still shivering in shock. That were three incidents in one night. I fell ill the next morning and my father came to take me home. My father helped to cure me by reading passages from the Quran,' she recalls. Najah has been seeking traditional help using Muslim methods such as reading from the Quran to reduce the encounters. She says it has helped and the incidences have lessened. 'My father has been helping me. Now after the birth of my first child, I no longer see these beings, but I can still feel their presence as my hair would stand up and I'd get very uneasy. This third eye is not something you would want in your life.' Choong Wai Leong, 46, painter Floating heads, dead people walking around, weird spirit creatures - these were the apparitions that haunted Choong since he was a little boy. 'I believe I could see ghosts since very young. I say 'I believe' because I might have thought the ghosts were real people then. You never question these things when you are a child. I remember seeing my grandfather sitting beside his coffin during his funeral but I didn't say anything because I thought it was normal. I was five years old then,' recalls Choong. Choong has been lucky so far as he has never had any problems with these ghosts. 'I can sense them and sometimes see them but they never bother me because I don't bother them. I believe they are lost souls or trapped spirits who can't cross to the other side and that is why they are wandering around in our world. 'But it can get unnerving sometimes, especially when the ghosts look sinister or died because they met with an accident. I remember once that I was stuck in a traffic jam and was wondering what had happened. Not long after, I saw a pregnant lady covered in blood with her head smashed in walking past my car. 'I knew then that that was the victim. Sure enough, I passed the accident scene and saw the body of a lady covered with a cloth lying on the road. I said a little prayer for her spirit to cross to the other side.' Choong's parents used to take him to several sinseh and temple priests but nothing seemed to help. 'I can still see them. I've given up trying to get rid of my third eye. It gets worse during the Hungry Ghost month when the Gates of Hell are open for the spirits to cross into our world. I'd see all sorts of things then. I'm so used to having them around now that I take it as part of everyday life. I live by the philosophy of 'I don't disturb you, you don't disturb me',' says Choong matter-of-factly.

A Singapore Ghost Story

S'pore girls find body in cemetery

Mon, May 11, 2009 AsiaOne

Five girls got more than they bargained for during a night jaunt to the cemetery when they discovered a decomposed body in a van, Lianhe Wanbao reports.

Seeking a thrill, the girls in their early twenties planned to visit a cemetery and drive along one of the small, unlit roads.

They were driving in Choa Chu Kang cemetery in the middle of the night when their tyre burst. After they got off the car, they spotted a dark blue van parked on a side road with a man in the driver seat.

They wanted to seek help from him at first, but thought better of it. Eventually, they changed the tyre themselves and drove away.

But that night, one of the girls had nightmare after nightmare about the van they saw, prompting them to return to the cemetery the next day.

That was when they discovered that the "driver" they saw the night before was the decomposed body of a man.

There was masking tape sealing the windows, and charcoal found in the van - which could point to suicide.

The girls told Wanbao that his face and body was so highly decayed that his features could not be distinguished. He could have been dead for as many as five days.

The body in the van has been identified as a 29-year-old Chinese male who lived in Seng Kang. He was married and had a son who is less than a year old. Police has classified the case as "unnatural death" and are investigating.

Things that go bump in the night at Singapore varsity

Things that go bump in the night at Singapore varsity

Mon, Apr 20, 2009 The Star/Asia News Network

THE National University of Singapore has put up a notice 'warning' students of a headless woman ghost in the campus, reported Sin Chew Daily.

The signboard was spotted at the front of the university's Federal Building of its Bukit Timah campus.

According to the notice, many people had 'bumped' into the ghost in white wandering around the upper quadrant of the building.

It also gives information on other spirits.

The notice also talks about the sounds of Japanese soldiers marching up and down the corridors and lights being randomly switched on and off.

"There is also an elevator at the Zoology Department that operates on its own, which is operated by the 'resident spirit'.

"Chairs and tables would be thrown about in classrooms according to students who study late into the night," it reads.

A university spokesman said the signboard was one of nine along its Campus Heritage Trail that tell the history and major events reported in the campus in the past to help visitors know more about the university.

Asia Paranormal Investigators founder Charles Goh said the Zoology Department building had been taken over by the Faculty of Law and the haunted elevator no longer exists.

-The Star/ANN

Hardware use can kill tissue and call for amputation

Hardware use can kill tissue and call for amputation
Mar 29, 2009
The New Paper

SOME men will go to extremes for the sake of sexual stimulation. And they are not necessarily weirdos.

The typical penile strangulation patient could be someone standing next to you on the bus or a colleague in the next cubicle, say urologists.

Dr Chin Chong Min, senior consultant urologist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said men who put foreign objects on their private parts do so 'to enhance their erection, thinking that the simple way is to create a blockage'.

Professor Peter Lim, senior consultant urologist at Gleneagles Hospital, has seen many cases of penile strangulation in his 29 years of in urology. He estimates that Singapore hospitals see at least two cases a year.

And, he added, there are probably four or five cases that go unreported each year.

The patients could be Mr Average.

Said Prof Lim: 'They're not weirdos. They could be anyone, young and old.'

Most patients in such embarrassing situations are naturally sheepish about their condition. They are 'usually quite silent' when they first visit him, said Prof Lim. One patient entered his clinic one day in 1998 and declared, 'I did something stupid'.

Prof Lim said: 'That was the most honest thing I had heard (coming from a patient).'

The patient had placed a nut (as in nut and bolt) on his penis. 'He could have taken it off easily if he had tried to remove it earlier, but he had an erection and the penis ballooned,' said Prof Lim.

Doctors had to use an orthopaedic saw - usually used as a last resort - to remove the nut.

Prof Lim said: 'It's a crazy, stupid thing to do.'

So why do they do it?

'They want to get a sexual 'high'. It's a form of sexual deviation,' he said. 'They're not aware that it will strangulate the penile area. Congestion occurs and the penis becomes more and more swollen.

Deep trouble

'When they can't take it (the object) out, they realise that they're in deep trouble.'

Besides penile strangulation cases, Prof Lim has encountered unusual cases in which an object had made its way into unexpected places.

One rare case involved a patient who had put a closed safety pin into his urethra - a tube in the penis that discharges urine from the bladder - so that he could 'get sexually aroused', said Prof Lim.

But the safety pin slipped into his bladder.

Prof Lim used an instrument called a cystoscope to remove it.

Another patient had a bottle stuck in his rectum. The man did it 'to stimulate his prostate'.

That's because 'the G-spot for men is located at the back of the prostate', said Prof Lim.

In many cases, Prof Lim uses liquid paraffin as a first option to try to slip the object off the penis.

'But when it's very swollen, sometimes we have to use a saw,' he said.

Prof Lim added: 'In extreme cases, the penis can turn gangrenous and the whole thing can drop off because of tissue death. If so, it may have to be amputated to prevent serious infection which attract bacteria that can enter the blood stream - causing death from septicaemia (blood poisoning).

'Also secondary haemorrhage from open blood vessels at the grangrenous tissues can cause the patient to bleed to death'

Prof Lim, however, has not come across cases with such serious complications. 'It's not likely that anyone here will die from it. If the patient has a swollen penis and a raging fever, it's likely that he will seek treatment before it gets to that stage,' he said.

This story was first published in The New Paper.

The things some men do...

The things some men do...

Sun, Mar 29, 2009 The New Paper

[TNP photo illustration: A patient bottled up the fact that his penis was stuck in the neck of a 1.5-litre bottle for more than a week.]

By Amanda Yong

FOR more than a week, his penis was stuck in the neck of a 1.5-litre soft drink bottle.

But the 77-year-old man chose to suffer in silence.

Even when he finally sought help at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), he did not tell doctors about it straight away.

Instead, he complained that there was blood in his urine and that he had difficulties urinating.

He finally told the truth after much probing.

Doctors managed to cut away the constricting plastic. But the man developed a 'rare complication' and died two days later.

The case was mentioned in a recent medical journal article on penile strangulation.

This is when blood supply to the penis is cut off due to a foreign body being placed on it.

The doctors said that he was not forthcoming with information at first, but he finally revealed that he had pushed the bottle over his penis.

It was not stated how the plastic bottle ended up being stuck. But the article noted that 'in most cases, the act is performed to heighten erotic stimulation'.

'The constricting effect of the foreign body increases the engorgement of the penis,' the doctors wrote.

They added that while cases of penile strangulation are uncommon, it is treated as an emergency because the object must be removed quickly to prevent long-term complications.

In this case, three days after the bottle got stuck, the man had managed to cut away most of it.

But its neck remained at the base of his penis, in spite of the 'copious use of soap' to try to remove it.

By the time he went to TTSH's emergency department, his penis was badly swollen and the skin was worn, torn and brittle.

The doctors sedated him and cut the neck of the plastic bottle with surgical scissors. They then drained 1 litre of urine using a catheter.

The man 'was well immediately after the removal of the constricting bottle'.

Well at first, then...

But he developed post obstructive diuresis - a condition in which one has a high urine output that often occurs after a urinary obstruction has been relieved.

Over a 42-hour period, the man passed 5.8 litres of urine.

This, in turn, caused him to have an abnormally low concentration of potassium in the blood. He was 'adequately hydrated orally' and given 'intravenous potassium replacement'.

The man had existing heart conditions. He suffered from rapid and irregular heartbeat and also had heart disease.

Three days after he was admitted to hospital, he had heart failure and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

His cause of death was stated as coronary heart disease.

During his stay in hospital, the man also underwent a psychiatric review, and was diagnosed with psychotic depression, abnormal grief, dementia and sexual disinhibition. An Internet source defines sexual disinhibition as the 'inability to manage sexual impulses manifested by touching others inappropriately'.

The article on the subject was written by Dr Ooi Chee Kheong, Dr Goh Hsin Kai and Dr Lim Ghee Hian from TTSH's Department of Emergency Medicine, and Dr Chong Kian Tai from TTSH's Department of Urology. It was published in the Singapore Medical Journal last month.

Another patient who was treated at TTSH for penile strangulation recovered.

The man, 60, went to the emergency department and told doctors that he had inserted a metallic ring over his penis. He found that he could not remove it later due to swelling.

He was sedated and doctors tried to cut the ring using a ring cutter, but were 'unsuccessful as the ring cutter could not cut through the ring'.

They then called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for help and asked to borrow a suitable tool that would be able to remove the ring.

But the SCDF also did not have the appropriate equipment.

End man's agony

The emergency department doctors then consulted the urologist who was on call and sent the man to the operating theatre.

There, they removed 50ml of blood from his penis using a butterfly needle. Despite this, the metallic ring still could not be dislodged.

The doctors then consulted an orthopaedic surgeon and decided to use an orthopaedic cutter.

The metallic ring was finally 'cut on two sides' and removed, bringing an end to the man's agony.

The doctors wrote that there were many other cases of penile strangulation in medical literature that also required the use of special equipment.

These include tools such as an iron saw, pliers, a high-speed diamond-tipped dental drill and orthopaedic equipment.

Complications can arise

In a few cases, fluid had to be removed from the penis using a suction device to reduce the swelling. This made it easier to remove the foreign body.

'As the constricting devices involved are very variable, the clinician needs to be creative in his attempts to extricate the foreign bodies, and industrial-strength devices should be deployed if necessary,' said the doctors.

'The engagement of non-medical staff in the management of this condition, such as the local fire department and hospital carpenter, should be explored.'

They also said that penile strangulation can result in various complications.

Apart from postobstructive diuresis, patients can develop complications as serious as kidney impairment and gangrene on the penis, which may require amputation as a life-saving measure.

Other complications include an abnormal connection between the urethra and the skin of the penis, and the excessive accumulation of blood in the veins.

Another possible complication is necrosis (death of living cells or tissue) of the skin on the penis from prolonged pressure. This may require the patient to undergo skin grafting.

When contacted, a TTSH spokesman said the hospital could not comment further on the cases because of patient confidentiality.

m27

This story was first published in The New Paper.

I secretly filmed women in bed

I secretly filmed women in bed

Tue, Mar 24, 2009 The New Paper

By Liew Hanqing

HE HAS an ordinary day job as a surveyor in a bunkering firm, but he also leads a secret life as an amateur pornographer.

TNP PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

And Gary Ng, 29, is fast gaining online notoriety after his self-filmed sex videos - posted on various amateur porn sites and sex forums - caused an uproar among local netizens.

The 33 videos, which have since been removed from those sites, featured him having sex with several women who, he claims, are from all walks of life.

The New Paper on Sunday managed to get in touch with Mr Ng through his e-mail address, which he displays on his videos.

In an online interview, he said he had removed the videos from the porn sites, but had later posted them on another website for his 'fans'.

Most of the videos begin with him in office wear before he undresses.

The video titles are telling - 'Gary Ng vs Beer Promo Auntie', 'Gary Ng vs Friend's Niece' and 'Gary Ng vs Chua Chu Kang girl' - just to name a few.

He even claimed to have had sex with a mother and her daughter on two different occasions. His other conquests range from waitresses and housewives to tertiary students and bank executives, he said.

When asked if Gary Ng is his real name, he said it is.

To attract netizens to view his videos, he also posted links on sex forums, where he has been given the dubious honour of being called Singapore's Edison Chen.

Edison, a Chinese-Canadian actor, was embroiled in a high-profile sex scandal after pictures of him having sex with several Hong Kong starlets were leaked online last year, after he sent a computer for repairs.

The comparison is not very apt, though. Edison did not intend to make the pictures public, but got himself and the women involved in a lot of trouble because they could all be easily identified.

Mr Ng, on the other hand, has put the videos online himself, but he has protected the women involved by keeping out their faces, as well as his own.

Although making or reproducing obscene films is a criminal offence (see box at right), Mr Ng apparently had no qualms about doing this over a period of time.

He started posting his sex videos online last September.

His reason for doing so, it seems, was to get back at women after he was cheated in previous relationships.

He said he was disillusioned after three consecutive failed relationships. Each of his girlfriends had cheated on him, he claimed.

His first girlfriend of three years - whom he met when he was just 15 - slept with somebody else behind his back, he said. His second girlfriend of six years did the same.

The final straw was when he was sent a video of his third girlfriend, a Thai national, having sex with somebody else.

He recalled: 'She was having a fling in Bangkok. They filmed sex videos and the guy posted them online to share with others.

'He sent me the link through the social network hi5.com. When I saw the video of my girlfriend and him, I totally turned numb towards life and relationships.

'We broke off in the end.'

Mr Ng said he sought solace in nights of endless partying and revelry.

He recalled: 'After all this, I was tortured mentally, asking why God had done this to me.

'My life was clubbing and drinking every day till the wee hours of the morning, and sleeping till the late afternoon before beginning another long night with my buddies.'

While partying, Mr Ng said he got to know women at various clubs, including Dragonfly, St James Power Station and Arena.

And he had sex with them on numerous occasions.

In the space of about a year, he claimed to have chalked up more than 50 sex partners - including polytechnic students, undergraduates and high-flying executives.

The women, he said, were attracted to him because he 'grooms himself well' and drives a 'nice car' - a Nissan GTR.

He started filming his sex trysts - taken mostly at home or at hotels - for his own viewing pleasure, and later decided to post them online on a whim.

He said: 'The response to the videos was shocking great. I kept receiving e-mails commenting on my videos and skills.

'Of course, I protect my partners by not showing their faces in the videos.'

He added that somehow filming himself having sex with random women served as an outlet for the frustration he had experienced in his previous relationships.

He added that his partying escalated and caused him to 'lose focus at work'.

But he was thrilled by the online attention his videos were getting, and continued posting them on amateur porn sites, and exchanging them with netizens who had added him to their MSN Messenger contact lists.

He now has more than 1,000 contacts, most of whom had got in touch with him after viewing his sex videos.

'Some are guys who ask me to introduce girls to them, and who exchange their own home-made sex videos for mine.

'Some ask me sex-related questions, like how to please a woman.'

He added that he also gets propositions from women he chats with online.

But he is not without his detractors.

Some netizens have said online that MrNg may be lying about his conquests and had paid prostitutes to be his video subjects.

When asked, Mr Ng said simply: 'I don't bother about these people. Perhaps they are jealous.'

He is also unabashed about approaching women for sex.

He said: 'Once, I was having dinner at a coffee shop near home and a woman tried to sell me a bottle of beer. She said it was her last bottle and that she could go home after selling it.'

He ended up chatting with the woman, who was in her 40s.

'She told me she was a divorcee,' he recalled.

He offered her a ride home but they ended up going to a hotel for sex. He secretly filmed the tryst and later posted it online.

Mr Ng said most of the women in his videos allowed him to film them during sex. But he admitted to secretly filming some women whom he had 'failed to convince'.

His tool of choice: a video camera.

Mr Ng said his family does not know about his online activities, and that he has told only a few 'close buddies' about his secret life.

On whether he fears being recognised, Mr Ng said: 'I always edit away my face and the faces of my girls, so as to protect them and myself.

'Even if I am exchanging videos with others, I still maintain my stand of taking away those face parts.'

He says this is to avoid jeopardising his partners' lives and careers.

'As some of these girls are either from polytechnics or local universities, I do not want to expose them.

'I care about their future too - many are also high-fliers in banking (and are of) executive level. I do not want to spoil their lives.'

Related links:
No way to ensure footage will be secure

This article was first published in The New Paper.

Punters root for luck under 'Democracy Tree'

Punters root for luck under 'Democracy Tree'
Mar 20, 2009
The Star/Asia News Network

THE "Democracy Tree" in Medan Istana, Ipoh, is gaining a different kind of popularity - people are praying under it in the hopes of striking a fortune, reported China Press.

It is believed gamblers are "praying to the tree" to get four-digit numbers as Chinese fortune-casting devices, lots marked with numbers, have been found under the tree.

Candles, joss sticks, biscuits and tea leaves used as prayer items were also left behind.

A resident who lives nearby said the tree has been there for almost 40 years but it was only after the emergency Perak state assembly meeting on March 3 that people started worshipping there. -The Star/ANN

What happens to hotel rooms with gory past?

What happens to hotel rooms with gory past?

[top photo: A police vehicle, used for transporting dead bodies, at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia last Monday. Religious cleansing rituals will be conducted in the room where a Japanese man was found dead. PHOTO:ST, Desmond Lim]

Mar 18, 2009
The Straits Times
By Debbie Yong

What happens to a hotel room after someone has died in it?

This issue surfaced after 64-year-old Japanese retiree Takamasa Koto was discovered dead in the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore last Monday morning.

Hotel staff found the Singapore permanent resident's body, with a single stab wound to his chest, in the bathtub of his room on the 31st floor.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that foul play was unlikely. They have classified the case as unnatural death.

In previous reports, a Japanese Embassy official said that Mr Koto had also left behind a letter. His family members have declined media interviews. Little else is known about the man other than that he is said to have been an avid golfer and is believed to have been living in a Club Street condominium unit with his daughter.

His cremation last Friday morning was attended by six people, some of whom were family members who flew in from Japan.

Although his death caused little commotion in the hotel when it happened, Mr Peter Mainguy, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton, said the hotel is taking all steps to assuage any apprehensions that future guests may have.

These include getting heads of various religious groups, including Catholic priests, Buddhist monks and Muslim clerics, to conduct cleansing rituals in the room before sealing it off for a period of time starting this week.

'We won't put a big sign on the door. It will just be locked and seem like any other room from the outside,' said Mr Mainguy. He declined to say how long the room will be kept out of service.

'It's the right thing to do for the moment. Some may feel these measures are unnecessary, but we will take all cultures and all feelings into consideration and make sure we do the best we can for those who feel these steps are important,' he said.

Though most hotels contacted were unwilling to say if they had such practices, industry insiders said these procedures are common when a death, either natural or unnatural, occurs.

According to Mr Kellvin Ong, general manager of Rendezvous Hotel, the period that the room will be kept unused will depend on how much cleaning is required and also the demand for rooms.

Religious cleansing rites are carried out 'to give our staff peace of mind', he said. The rites, coupled with room cleaning, could last from a few days to a week.

There are currently no sealed rooms in the hotel and there have been no cases of suicide or murder in the hotel's history, he added.

In Geylang's budget Diamond Hotel, where the naked, bloodied body of a murdered Indian woman was found under the queen-size bed of a fourth-floor room last September, it is also business as usual.

'We will try to assign other rooms before that one, unless the hotel is fully booked,' said an employee who declined to give her name. She recalled that a Taoist priest was called in immediately after the murder and all the room's furniture was replaced.

She added: 'Some customers who remember the news specifically ask not to have that room, and we will accommodate such requests. But we've had no complaints from those who have stayed there so far.'

Diamond Hotel is not the only hotel that has a room with a history.

In 1995, Briton John Martin, a former convict trained in butchery, bludgeoned South African tourist Gerard George Lowe to death with a hammer in a River View Hotel room and dissected the body in the bathtub.

Martin then scattered the body parts, sealed in black plastic bags, into the Singapore River. Mr Lowe's head and arms were never found.

In 1994, Japanese tourist Fujii Isae died in her ninth-floor room at the Oriental Hotel, now known as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, in Marina Bay.

Two Singaporean men had tailed her and her companion to their room with the intention of robbing them, but Madam Isae choked to death during the attack.

Both hotels did not respond to queries from The Sunday Times.

At the Hilton Singapore hotel in 1974, Mrs Linda Culley was famously killed and chopped up into 13 parts by her husband, Michael Charles Culley, who then sealed her severed body up in a trunk and transferred it to a Cairnhill flat.

The hotel's rooms have undergone revamps twice since the incident, said its spokesman.

A staff member in a five-star hotel chain here revealed that most hotels have a Chinese altar in their basement carparks or in a discreet room in the hotel.

During the seventh lunar month every year, when spirits are free to roam the earth according to traditional Chinese belief, it is common practice for hotels to conduct prayers to 'cleanse' their rooms.

Prayers and cleansing rituals are also held in new hotels before their rooms are opened for occupancy.

Mr Robin Goh, assistant vice-president of communications of Resorts World at Sentosa, said: 'All reputable hotel chains should have such plans in place for all sorts of accidents, from drownings to murders, robberies, assaults and fires.'

He declined to comment on what the integrated resort - which will open early next year - plans to do in the case of such events, as plans are still being firmed up.

As most hotels claim to adopt the 'honesty is the best policy' mantra when it comes to hotel rooms with a history, you can ask before checking yourself into any.

'I believe in being upfront with our guests and letting them be the judge. No point in hiding facts from them as that will only fuel unnecessary speculation,' said Rendezvous Hotel's Mr Ong.

SBS bus 'ghost' caught on camera

SBS bus 'ghost' caught on camera

Mar 16, 2009
AsiaOne

A Shin Min Daily reader captured a 'ghost' on his camera phone late on Sunday and sent the images to the paper.

According to the Chinese daily, the reader, Mr Chen Lai Fu, 40, said that he has had the ability to see spirits since he was 6 years old.

Mr Chen, who works in advertising, said that when he boarded the bus on Sunday night, he was surprised to find a small boy "playing a fool in the bus".

The boy, whom Mr Chen said looked to be about 9 years old, was playing and talking to himself, but no one on the bus seemed to notice.

He was at the front of the bus and even turned to talk to the bus driver, but the driver showed no response, said Mr Chen.

At one point, the boy even came to the back of the bus where he was sitting to "count the number people on the bus".

Mr Chen said the boy had asked the driver: "Was there an accident?" but the driver did not respond and did not seem to notice his presence.

He then moved to the back of the bus, where he sat beside Mr Chen, and began counting the number of passengers slowly before stopping to exclaim, "wow, so many people!"

Apparently, the boy took an interest in Mr Chen once he realised he could see him.

"He was wearing a grey jacket and yellow shorts. After he realised I was looking at him, he seemed afraid. However later on, he came back and wanted to play with me. He passed his jacket to me, but I ignored him."

Mr Chen said he was on the bus for seven minutes. Throughout the ride, the boy did not stop playing and according to Mr Chen, "creating a scene".

During the journey, Mr Chen noticed two male passengers, one Chinese the other, Indian, looking over in the boy's general direction, but they did not do anything.

"Till I got down the bus, no one reacted or did anything to stop the boy. I cannot confirm if anyone saw him."

'Third eye' developed after high fever

According to Mr Chen, he developed the ability to see spirits after he fell ill with a high fever when he was a child.

However, he only saw them as white shadows, until about 2006, when the figures began to take on human shapes and likeness.

"Some of these spirits walk on the tips of their toes, while others walk normally. I once saw 9 'slashes' or scars on the face of one spirit, that was the closest and clearest image I ever got," said Mr Chen.

What convinced Mr Chen that he was able to 'see' spirits around him, was because his friends around him were never able to see what he saw.

Capturing ghosts on film "not impossible"

According to a Chinese medium and "ghost-catcher", Mr Zhou De Fa, 33, spirits usually cannot be captured on camera clearly. However, Mr Zhou does not rule out the possibility.

Speaking to reporters from Shin Min, he said children of about four to six years of age are more likely to see spirits. Hence, one may find kids speaking to no one in particular, or they may be scared to go to a certain place.

In addition to children, the aged, as well as those who have had a bout of high fever, may be able to see spirits, said Mr Zhou.

Man kneels in public to seek wife's forgiveness

Man kneels in public to seek wife's forgiveness Thu, Feb 26, 2009 MySinchew/Asia News Network

PETALING JAYA: "As a man, I can give up my honour, dignity, and even the route for retreat. I'm kneeling down here, so that all the women of this country will recognise me and they will not accept me in the future. Only by doing this, my wife will have greater confidence in me!" Kelvin Ng, 30, a car battery salesman and housing broker from Ampang, claimed that he had six extramarital relations in the past five years. Ng, brought along a banner with him, kneeled down at the bustling SS2 junction under the hot sun Tuesday (24 Feb) to seek for forgiveness from his wife, and to repent of his violence against his wife. Many passers were curious and some even stopped by to find out what was happening. Some people thought he should not be forgiven for seeking for forgiveness only after he has done wrong. Meanwhile, some women were deeply touched by his act and some guys shared their wife taming methods with him, causing a sudden disturbance here. Some enthusiastic passers immediately helped Ng to call and persuade wife, hoping that she could forgive Wu. As the afternoon was very hot, the public advised Ng to dispel the idea 20 minutes later. People held different views on Wu's act: The sympathy group: * If he was my husband, I would certainly run to him and hug him! * The man is really great as he is willing to kneel in front for the public. I believe his wife will forgive him. * Regardless what he has done, it is really not easy to kneel down like this. * I can introduce him my god sister. * It is really not easy to be a man! The antipathy group: * Why did it in the first place? * He must dare to bear the consequences as he dared to do have extramarital relations. * Why should him be easily forgiven after he has hurt his wife? Wu's wife words "I used to love this man very much, but the hurt he has done to me is irreparable. Its is unable to restore our love..." said Crystal, Wu's wife. Crystal was not touched by Wu. Instead, she felt helpless and resolutely, she said she would not forgive him no matter how long Ng would kneel. She pointed out that Ng is very dissolute and he had too much extramarital relations. Even if she has grudgingly accepted him, it would not be a happy marriage. So, she would rather have a sensible ending. She said: "I hope to have a proper talk with him, hopefully we can have a peaceful divorce. We can still be friends in the future at the children's sake. Occasionally, our children can still enjoy family happiness. But how could I take it as he has repeatedly worsen the situation?" She told Sin Chew Daily in a phone interview that she got pregnant when she was 21 years old and Ng wanted her to have an abortion before he could marry her. Ng was indifferent when she gave birth to their baby and he even moved out and lived with his mistress. She had forgiven him for many times but he has hurt him again and again, causing a permanent harm. "I have given him my precious youthhood but he gave me repeated harm in return. Under his training, I have turned from a weak, timid and husband-oriented woman into an independent one," she added. She disclosed that after she has brought up the divorce request, Ng kept trailing after her and slandered her and a male male friend of her. He even caused troubles at her house at night, causing physical and psychological harm to her. She continued that Ng agreed to have a peaceful divorce with her with the only condition that he wanted the custody of their son while she could have their daughter's. "He has never been a good father before. Even he did contribute in terms of money, he never took good care of the children. How could I leave my child with him?" She said. Ng: I will change He has hurt his wife too deeply and now he is in great regret, but her heart is dead. Ng admitted that he got married with Crystal under an reluctant circumstances five years ago. Today, they have a three-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. Since they were not having great affections for each other, and as he thought her wife was not beautiful enough, he treated his wife badly in the past five years. "I ridiculed her appearance in front of her friends once and now, I really regret it. She is now the most beautiful woman for me," he said. In order to run away from responsibilities, he moved out to live with other women and every time when her wife found out about it, he hurt unintentionly her in disputes. And he was never around when she was giving birth to their children. "I never paid her a visit when she gave birth to our second child. Instead, I moved out to live with another woman for one whole month," he said. Ng continued: "I'm not afraid to tell you my mistakes as I hope you can be my witnesses here. I want to change and I promise to love her and make her the happiest woman in the world."