Second Hand Tales

Beware of an old couple on the train

2005-01-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

There have been a spate of robberies in our subway system. An old man will sit next to you, while the old woman sits directly opposite you across the aisle. The old man is empty handed whilst the old woman carries a lot of plastic bags in both hands. They will both talk to each other across the aisle as if they don't know each other. They usually talk about where to get off, if they are on the correct train and that they don't understand the English signs.

Suddenly, the old woman will get up from her seat, cross over to you with the plastic bags in both hands, stand very close in front of you and start to ask for directions. While this is going on, the old man will tap on your knee to ask for directions too.

Before you know it, you can't get out of the subway station because your wallet with your ATM card, money, train ticket card, credit cards and other important stuff are all gone. You've just been robbed!

These two old people are in their sixties and very, very innocent looking -- just like your sweet grandparents. But they are really Smiling Innocent devils!

Be wary of them as the above incident happened to me yesterday on the train to city. Now, I am not only poor, but also had to spend a stressful afternoon filing a police report, canceling my various cards, etc.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Man-eating dogs

2005-01-07T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

Remember that old grandmother's tale that if anything eats human flesh, an evil spirit will be imparted into it, turning it into an aggressive, attacking machine? Well, it's not a grandmother's tale any more.

After the recent tsunami disaster, there have been reports from Nagapattinam, India, that dogs that ate human bodies have started attacking people as well. Apparently, these stray dogs fed on corpses that had been washed ashore after the tsunami. After eating the corpses, the dogs then turned on the survivors savagely.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of deaths of survivors due to this unspeakable act. But what would make the dogs attack them? Without a doubt, it's because the dogs are possessed by evil spirits.

The human body is the epitome of evolution and possesses a powerful spirit. Upon death, the spirit in the body should be given a proper farewell in the form of a burial for the physical body. If anything devours the human flesh, it also eats this spirit. The benevolent spirit then becomes evil, and takes over its new body, which begins to commit heinous acts.

The simplest way to defeat this evil spirit is to destroy the body that it possesses. That is exactly what the holy men of India have instructed the survivors: all stray dogs must be killed. This will not only end the savagery of these beasts, but also release the once-human spirits contained in them.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Letter from Anthony Robbins

2004-12-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

There's some mighty fine advice in these words, even if you're not superstitious. This Lotus Totus has been sent to you for good luck from the Anthony Robbins organization. It has been sent around the world ten times so far. You will receive good luck within four days of relaying this Lotus Totus.

Do not keep this message.

The Lotus Totus must leave your hands in 6 MINUTES. Otherwise you will get a very unpleasant surprise. This is true, even if you are not superstitious, agnostic, or otherwise faith impaired.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives

TWELVE.. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

A glass of milk

2004-12-07T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

One day, a poor boy, who was selling goods from door to door to pay for his hungry stomach, decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. On the way through school, he found he had only one thin dime left and he was very hungry. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. The woman thought he looked hungry, so she brought him a large glass of milk.

He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us, never to accept pay for an act of kindness."

He said, "Then I thank you from my heart."

Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. The woman feared opening it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.

She read these words...
"Paid in full with one glass of milk.
Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly."

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Na Liang is missing, have you seen her?

2004-11-30T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

A 10-year old mainland Chinese girl, Na Liang, has been missing for almost two years!!!

Her mother, Na Hua, came from China to stay with her as a "study mama" while Na Liang studied in school. She first discovered her absence when the little girl did not return home one evening after going out to buy some sweets from the neighbourhood convenience store.

She is about 1.4m with a small frame. She has short-cropped black hair and small eyes. She also has a red birthmark on the back of her neck. She is on medication for mild schizophrenia and does not have it with her.

She was last seen on 8 March, 2003 in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore.

It is still early enough to make a difference!!!

IF SEEN, PLEASE DIAL 999 OR ANY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

PLEASE, SEND THIS TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK!!!

Ask them to make copies and post them wherever possible, bring them to local stores, offices, etc.

Please keep her in your prayers. We pray for her safe eventual return.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Chernobyl's effects in the 21st century

2004-11-26T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

On April 26th, 1986, the world's worst nuclear power disaster occurred at Chernobyl in what is now the Ukraine. According to Chernobyl Disaster, more than 30 people died immediately, and the radiation spread over a 20-mile radius, forcing 135,000 people to be evacuated over a 10-year period. Also, the victims and their families were affected by ravaging cancers, which either killed them outright or mutated them beyond description. Today, no one can mention Chernobyl without being reminded of its grim past.

But what very few people know is that the the effects of the Chernobyl accident are not limited to the Ukraine, or to the Black Sea region, or even just to eastern Europe. In fact, the dangerous radioactive effects of Chernobyl can be felt worldwide -- today!

The massive amounts of radiation that were produced from the accident did spread over the vicinity of the destroyed nuclear reactor. But the radiation was also affected by the weather, in particular, clouds and winds. High in the sky, radiation mixed with water vapour and water droplets, which then formed clouds. When the rain from these clouds fell, it carried the dangerous radiation down, contaminating the ground wherever it rained.

If rain is a big problem, then wind is even worse. Wind carried the radiation-laced clouds over a large area, especially the entire continental Europe. Wind also dispersed the radiation all around the world, such as the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, etc. due to global trade winds and other atmospheric effects.

Wherever the radiation was carried, it would undoubtedly affect the environment of that region. As a result, no one and nothing was safe. When radiation mixed with soil that was used to produce crops, then the crops would be contaminated with radiation. When animals and humans breathed radiation-laced air, they too would be contaminated with radiation.

But more worrying is the longevity of radiation. Nuclear radiation has a half-life of many hundreds of years. That means, it takes hundreds of years for half of that radiation to be changed into something else, which may or may not be radioactive. But the world continues to turn and winds continue to blow around the world. That means the radioactive effects of Chernobyl will continue to be felt worldwide for many decades, even centuries, to come.

What can you do to avoid contamination? In truth, there is little that you can do, other than sealing yourself in a nuclear bunker and living as a hermit for the rest of your life. Because of Chernobyl, you, me, our children and their children, and everyone else will have to live with debilitating radiation for the rest of our lives. That is the grim truth.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Exam aneurysm

2004-11-24T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

A few years ago, during the annual exam period, little Tommy Lee studied extremely hard, like all of his friends, so that he could pass his exams and be promoted to the next grade. Now Tommy wasn't exactly what you would call a straight-A student. Instead, he was the kind who would rather play with his toys or watch cartoons or read his comic books.

His parents were concerned for him, of course. He was only seven years old, still young in the eyes of the world, but to them, he had a very bright future ahead of him if he could obtain a good education. And that education had to start now.

So day and night, they would pester him to study. In the day, while his dad was working, his mum would watch over him like a vulture watches over a dead carcass. At night, his dad would loom over him like an ominous shadow. When they thought he was lazing off, they would scold him. When they thought that he had not studied enough for the day, they would not give him his meals until they were satisfied. All of their actions may seem cruel, but they did this out of the good intentions of their hearts.

Tommy knew this too, and he studied very, very, very hard. But try as he might, he just could not remember all of the facts and figures that he needed to know for his exams. He became more and more withdrawn as he tried to cram all of the knowledge in his textbooks into his little head. Sometimes, before sleeping, he would cry in bed because he was ashamed of his perceived stupidity.

Days turned to weeks as the exams drew closer. And Tommy continued studying and studying under the ever-present watchful eyes of his parents. He desperately wanted to make his parents proud of him. He knew that all of their hopes rested on him.

But suddenly, while studying one day, Tommy suddenly collapsed on the table. His mum thought he had fallen asleep and started scolding him. When he didn't awaken, she shook him. It was only when he was absolutely motionless and barely breathing that she became frightened for her son. Immediately, she called for an ambulance.

Within minutes, Tommy and his mum had been whisked to a nearby hospital. Tommy was rushed into the emergency room, where doctors were fortunately able to revive him. But Tommy complained of constant throbbing headaches and this made the doctors concerned.

They arranged for an MRI scan of his head... and it is just as well that they did. The scan revealed that Tommy had a very large blood clot in his brain. It startled the doctors but they were also relieved that they had found out about it at this stage, because they could remove the clot before it caused any permanent harm to the little boy.

The operation took a few hours, but at the end, Tommy came out with a bandage on his head and a wide smile on his face. His parents were relieved to see that he was well. They had been so frightened and worried for him that they had not been able to do anything. All they could do was wait anxiously for the operation to end.

Later, the doctors spoke with the parents about how Tommy could have developed a brain clot at such a young age. After some discussion, they came to the conclusion that it was because Tommy had studied so hard under so much pressure that his brain could not take the stress any more and a blood vessel burst, causing the clot.

The doctors revealed that this was common in adults, who were frequently stressed by their work, family and peers. But this was the first time they had seen it happen in a small boy. They advised the parents to ease off on the pressure and let Tommy study at his own pace. It was better to have him healthy and well.

In the end, Tommy was discharged and managed to take his exams. He did not get perfect scores, but he did well enough to be promoted. And that's all his parents really wanted.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Dragon in the river

2004-11-23T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

There are several rivers in Singapore, although not in the sense that you and I know rivers to be. Rather, these "rivers" are more like creeks originating from the sea around Singapore and moving inland. For years, these rivers served as the commercial and social centres for Singapore.

The main river in Singapore is appropriately named "Singapore River". It winds its way from the southern tip of Singapore, up through the business district, and far into the centre of the island. Along the river, there are more than 10 bridges that join both banks of the river. These bridges are both beautiful and functional. But they serve a supernatural function too.

It is said that a long time ago, just when Singapore was rising as an economic powerhouse in the region, a dragon that was swimming in the South China Sea found its way up the Singapore River. Local settlers saw this as a good omen and started planning to trap the dragon in the river, so that it would bring in good fortune and ensure the island's continued prosperity.

The solution was to build strong metallic or stone bridges along the river. These bridges would serve to trap the dragon from its head at the centre of the island to its tail at the river's mouth. As each new bridge rose, the dragon found it more and more difficult to free itself from the river, until finally it had no choice but to stay there. As long as the dragon lay undisturbed, Singapore continued to enjoy great wealth and fortune.

Now many people will discount this story as mere superstition or folktale. But in the late 1990s, the government started building a new arts and cultural centre at the mouth of the Singapore River. To accomodate this huge project, the river mouth had to be reshaped, which involved massive demolishing and reconstruction works.

Many locals who still believed in the story of the dragon had warned the government against this action, but to no avail. Work proceeded on the river mouth, which is where the dragon's tail was located. As a result of the construction, it is said that its tail was cut off, which enraged the dragon.

As a result, Singapore went into a recession in 1999, its worst since the economic depression of the 1980s. It was not until the new Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay was completed in October 2002 that Singapore returned to its path to prosperity. It is believed that by then, the dragon had recovered from its needless "amputation" and started bringing in good luck and fortune to the island again.

Whether you believe this story or not is up to you. But since then, there has been no major construction works in the Singapore River, and Singapore has continued to prosper ahead of its neighbours. So the next time you cross one of the bridges along the Singapore River, look down into the waters. You may just be able to make out the long, slender and mystical body of a dragon. And whatever you do, don't disturb its peace!

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Eclipsed iPod

2004-11-18T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

If you have heard of the iPod or own one yourself, then you know just what a remarkable device it is. In something as small as a pack of cards, you can play hours and hours of your favourite music. But did you know that the iPod has a mind of its own?

A man, Steven P. Lasseter, picked up an iPod as a gift for his wife on her birthday. Before presenting it to her, he loaded it with some of her favourite songs, including the complete Pink Floyd album, "Dark Side of the Moon". His wife, of course, was extremely pleased to receive it and started listening to it immediately.

A few days later, she noticed something peculiar about her iPod. Whenever the iPod was set to play a song randomly, she found that the Pink Floyd song, "Eclipse", would always be the third song to be played. At first, she thought nothing of it and continued using it as normal. But this happened again and again, so much so that she could no longer enjoy the rest of her music.

She told Steven about it. Like her, he brushed it aside as mere coincidence or even a joke. But when he tried playing songs randomly, he encountered the same phenomenon as well: "Eclipse" would always be the third song in the random playlist.

He tried various tricks, such as shutting off the iPod and resetting it, putting in a lot of songs, even adjusting some playlists in the vain hope that something would click. But nothing changed and "Eclipse" remained the third "randomly picked" song. So he did the only logical thing to do: he removed that song from the iPod. Now, his wife could enjoy her music again... but it was not to last.

She complained to him that her iPod would always shut itself off after only a half hour's use. This happened even when the battery was at full. Steven thought that it was a battery problem, so to fix this, he swapped batteries with a brand new iPod that he had just bought for himself. But the problem persisted as if the batteries had never been changed. When he swapped the batteries back to their original iPods, his new iPod played for hours between recharging, while his wife's iPod continued to fail after half an hour.

At his wits' end, he decided to load back Pink Floyd's "Eclipse". Miraculously, the iPod continued playing for hours on its old battery, but "Eclipse" once again became the third song to be selected when the music was chosen randomly.

Steven brought his wife's iPod to Apple to be checked out. The service staff said that they had heard some news about this problem, but had been instructed not to make any fuss over it. Their instructions were simply to give him a free replacement for the old iPod. He gave the new player to his wife, who loaded her favourite songs again, except for the Pink Floyd album, because she was spooked by it. Her replacement iPod worked flawlessly. But one day, when she accidentally loaded "Eclipse", the problems started all over again.

Once again, Apple replaced the iPod for her and everything was blissful. To be on the safe side, Steven erased "Eclipse" and each and every Pink Floyd song from all of his home's computers. Then, he hid the Pink Floyd album in a remote corner of the house, never to listen to it again. None of their iPods have exhibited any problems described above again.

So if you listen to Pink Floyd on your iPod, DO NOT load Pink Floyd's "Eclipse" into it. If you do, your iPod will always select it as its third random song, and if you remove it, your iPod will stop functioning properly. The only solution is to replace your iPod. Apple has not commented officially on this issue. But they cannot do so because admitting to it will only enrage the thousands of Pink Floyd fans, many of whom also are Apple fans.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!

Ghost in the tunnel

2004-11-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

I swear that this is true!

In a major city in Asia, there is a road tunnel that motorists swear is haunted. Anyone who drives through it in the direction away from the city in the middle lane at 12:13am will find themselves followed behind by a pale white male figure. The apparition never actually reaches the vehicle, it just follows a distance behind. It is only when the motorist leaves the tunnel that the apparition disappears.

But where did this ghostly figure come from? The answer will shock and scare you!

Since the tunnel is built near the seashore, the rock that it goes through is very, very soft, almost as soft as mud. The engineers thought that they could stabilise it by pouring ample amounts of concrete into the rock. This worked for the most part.

Until that fateful day, six months into construction. It was just past midnight, but workers were still hard at work. Their supervisor had underestimated the schedule and that part of the tunnel needed to be completed that night. Ignoring his workers' pleas for rest, he made them go into the dark tunnel. After all, he thought, since they were his lowly paid foreigners, he could treat them as he saw fit.

But while they were inside, the earth suddenly moved and a giant wall collapsed. All of the workers scrambled for the ladders and exits, as the earth poured in like a giant brown tsunami behind them. Eventually, everyone got out safely... or so they thought. When the supervisor did a headcount, he found that he was short of one worker! But the worksite was too dangerous to mount a rescue.

Also, the ground needed to be stabilised quickly for future work. The deadline was looming and the construction was already over budget. The engineers had no other choice but to pour concrete into the collapsed section immediately, thereby burying the dead worker before his body could be recovered. The supervisor was fired from his job for poor planning and ill treatment of his workers. Meanwhile, construction continued in the following months and the tunnel was finally completed on time.

Recently, a deep X-ray scan was done of the tunnel to find out if there really is a body in the tunnel. Every inch of the tunnel floor was scanned. And right where the tragic accident had occurred, researchers found a skeletal image lying crumpled under the tunnel, its arms and legs outstretched as if it was reaching for dear life, its mouth open as if screaming for help. This skeleton is believed to be that of the dead worker. The image haunted the researchers so badly that they felt nauseated just by looking at it.

It is said that the dead worker's spirit cannot find rest because its body did not receive a proper burial. That is why, to this day, it wanders the tunnel, hoping each time to follow a vehicle out of it, but always failing.

This is not an urban legend. Let all of your friends and family know about it quickly!