Peace Centre, situated in the Bugis Bras Basar district and at the arse end of Middle Road, is one of Singapore's  oldest surviving mall that has not been upgraded since it was first built.

​The floor tiles, wooden hand rails, and faded pastel green coloured walls are all reminiscent of the 70s decor. Back in its heydays, Peace Centre was home to an eclectic mix of shops selling anything from bespoke tailored outfits to Kachang Puteh* . Over the years it housed dodgy businesses that catered for all manner of vices - sex trades, alcohol, gambling, drugs; and these are the ones that I personally know about. I'm sure there might be other more nefarious and darker deeds going about that place that are only privy to those in the industry. 

*Kachang Puteh literally translates to White Nuts. These are roasted nuts covered in white sugar. It was a popular snack that one would buy to eat in the cinema. Peace Centre might be the only place left in Singapore with a Kachang Puteh seller. 

I was a tenant of that building from 2007 to 2012, and had forged very close friendship with the neighbours. Even the lady boss who was in-charge of property management would sit with the tenants at the third floor cafe to chat during the slow weekday afternoons. Ghost stories, especially in Asia, is the one conversational topic that creates an immediate bond between the different races and cultures, and for an old building like Peace Centre, the stories were endless. Many of these tales, though as scary as they are when narrated, often times were urban legends - someone who had heard it from someone who had heard it from someone else.

This story is slightly more believable because it came directly from someone who worked in the management office herself. T is not known to be someone who joked a lot. Besides my mother, T is the only other person I know who can smile with a frown. I have a love hate relationship with T. She's my landlady  and each month when I see her, it's usually to pay rent, but there are also times where she and I would just sit down and gossip about the events that took place next building at Peace Mansion. 

I remember in one conversation where I was due to renew my rental agreement and I asked for a cheaper rate, she offered her 7th floor office as an alternative. It had bigger floor space, and she was practically giving it away for free. So I asked her what's the catch. 

"It's haunted," she said. Just like that. No set up, no preamble. "Things can move around. Cupboards can open and close by themselves."

"But you were in that office for many years, aren't you afraid?"

"This place quite common. You can see spirits walking around the corridors at night. It's not harmful. They are like our tenants. We are used to them. That's why you see some offices will leave packet drinks and sweets outside their doors."

"Then why move out?"

"Last month the haunting in the office started getting violent. Got one new staff said he don't believe in all these nonsense. Around 5pm, before we knock off, he heard the office chair rolled around. He went to check but most of us had already left for the day and there's no one in the adjoining room. He decided to scold the spirit. 

That's when the glass partitioned shattered and a large piece of glass cut his neck. He didn't die of course but since then, many of us in the office don't feel safe anymore. The energy got a bit darker. So we moved to third floor."

"Any ghost there?"

"Yeah have, That one quite interesting. The room used to be rented by a church for their congregation, but then they moved out already and we used it as a store. There's a timid child spirit there, and I think over time, the place attracted other children spirits to that place. The shifu [a holistic movement practitioner] on the fourth floor said that these are aborted child spirits. They got no where to go. But the mood is a lot better than on the seventh floor. They like music. Anytime of the day, our office radio can turn on and play on its own. Sometimes they even change the channel on their own. If you walk past and you hear music, that's not for us; it's for them." ​

This one was shared with me by the security guard who swore that he got the story from the father of the kachang puteh seller. This urban legend started in the 80s when Singapore still had beggars that sleep at street corners. As the story goes, there's a old indian man that would only appear during dusk to ask for food and money. There was one young man who would often take pity on this beggar and bought him food and offered him money. Though this young man wasn't wealthy himself, he had a kind and generous heart.

One evening, when the young man had delivered food to the old beggar, the beggar reached out for his hand and asked him to stay. The young man did.

"Young man," the old beggar said. "You have a kind heart. It is my turn to return you a gift."

"It's okay, uncle, you don't have to give me anything," said the young man.

The old beggar just chuckled and palmed a dirty old coin in the young man's hand. "Keep this in your pocket at all times, you will never be lack of money," the old beggar said. 

In that instant, the young man saw a shift in the old beggar's face, for a split second, but in that time the young man thought he saw the form of Bhikshatana. Bhikshatana is an aspect of the goddess Shiva in Hindu mythology.

That was the last time that the young man saw the old beggar but he did remember to keep the coin in his pocket at all times. In fact, the young man prospered during the decade and owned a few business that operated out of Peace Centre. The rumour about his unnatural success was cemented when his businesses outlived his competitors. In the later part of 2000s, most of his businesses folded and he moved out of the building. No one has heard of him since. 

This led many of the neighbours to believe that he must have lost his magic coin.

To this day, the older tenants would advice their staff who are working late to never deny the beggar asking for food if they met one at Peace Centre.

Now the next bit might be entirely a coincidence but I cannot help but think back on this urban legend and wondering many times later in my life if I had indeed came face to face with the aspect of Shiva.

I knocked off around 10.00pm one night and I was taking the side stairs down towards middle road, The only light illuminating this stairwell was the light from the street lamp nearby. As I walked down towards the second floor landing, I met an old Indian man making his way up. At this time of the night, there is no reason for anyone to be going into the building, and for us tenants, we pretty much knew most people by face. This man however, was unkempt, clearly hadn't showered in a while, and I think he might have been drinking. He curled his fingers and brought it to his mouth in an action that most people would interpret as "eat". He rubbed his stomach with the other hand and repeated his actions. 

I fished out for my wallet and as luck would have it, for him, I only have a ten dollar bill in my wallet and no smaller change. Remembering the urban legend shared by the security guard, I did not hesitate to part with my money even though that would mean I would have to skip dinner. The man took my money and happily made his way upwards. I walked away feeling conflicted. Half of me feeling stupid, and the other half consoling myself that I've done a good deed.

Later that night, I found a folded fifty dollar bill in bus number 65. How would you explain that?

Come evening time, that place is a sight to behold. Many fine ladies in the tightest and tiniest of dresses, tottering around on the highest of heels would make their way down to have their meals before starting work at their respective nightclubs and karaoke bars in the vicinity. Danny and Anthony were two well known characters who would hang out everyday at the foodcourt area of Peace Mansion. ​They consider themselves entrepreneurs who truly understands what customers want, namely vices. The drinking and smoking tables at the food court are limited so we always end up sharing tables. As regulars, it is inevitable that bonds are forged and especially over common interest like booze and girls.

That was how I got invitation into house parties and saw the human side of Peace Mansion. It is easy to look at these working girls, pimps, and colourful characters and pass our high society judgment upon them, but when you had the opportunity to speak with them as a person as I have, I found that they are no different from my conversations with investment bankers, the traders, and the get-rich-quick "coaches". They all just want to make as much money as they can. Greed is the name of the game; It is a cut throat industry and respect is measured in dollar bills.

And with greed, especially in Asia, spirituality comes into play. I have heard stories of magic needles/beads that were surgically inserted under the skin in necks, cheeks, foreheads, and genitals, all in the name of business improvement. The ticket out for some of these girls were to snare a rich man who would keep them as a mistress. When that failed, magic is also used to take down a rival; and this was what, in my opinion, led to Peace Mansion having the haunted reputation it did.

Initially the bulk of the working girls were from China, but Thais, Vietnamese and even Mongolian girls started flooding the scene. Each bringing with them their own spiritual beliefs. Some of these fights can lead to bitter ends and if these tales were to be believed, magic was responsible for some of the suicides and sudden death cases. While the law could not catch them, it is said that blood debt requires blood sacrifices. These girls would use the lives of their unborn fetus as payment.

Any place with a high concentration of negative energy will attract spirits and entities from around the place, and over time, I was told, portals will form. For those dabbling in vices, they welcome such portals in their place of operation.

"The more spirits, the better. Then we can bind them to our will and ask them for favours," said Danny.

The legend of Nenek Kebayan has been passed down from ancient times to the present in the Malay community, with the most recent sightings reported in Perak in 2019. She is described as a hunchbacked old woman walking with a stick. She is believed to be a human woman who had acquired her powers through occult practices or making bargains with spiritual entities such as Jinns or Orang Bunians.

A video of what looks like a hunchbacked creature walking with a stick fits the description of a Nenek Kebayan.

About 3km away from Matilda House, through a long and dark stretch of road, is a jetty that connects to the site where the Sook Ching Massacre took place on February 28, 1942. Records state that 400 victims were killed and abandoned on the shoreline of Punggol Beach but some historians believe that the unrecorded numbers could be much higher. Even as recent as 1997, people could find skeletal remains from the mass killing on the beach or in the nearby forests. 

The area of Punggol is one of the oldest known settlements in Singapore. It existed even before the founding of modern Singapore in 1819. That’s more than 200 years ago. Who knows what secrets are buried beneath the land especially since it’s common for people of that era to dabble in animism and shamanic practices. In the book, Malay Magic, author Walter William Skeat details the beliefs and folklore that was popular in Malay Peninsula during that time. ​

No one seems to move. Everyone was confused. And that’s when we all heard it. A ear piercing scream. We all heard it same time and we ran. That voice was human sounding but at the same time it was nothing like I have ever heard from a human throat. We just left everything behind and made a dash for the main road. I took a glance backwards and I saw - I know this is going to sound crazy but I know what I saw - I saw a floating head. Just the head. No body. Flying around our fishing spot. Screeching.

We ended up at the small bus terminal area and quickly prayed to the altar there. Our hands were shivering and the fear was very real, but at least here there were more people and we felt safer. I have had strange occurrences during my army days and other fishing sites before but so far, those were just sounds and weird feelings. This was too real. It’s one thing to not be able to see them, but the sight of a flying head is not something I can try to rationalise and lie to myself that it’s an animal. I know what I saw. I can tell the difference between a head and a bird.

Because there was really no way to walk back out and our barang barang (equipment and belongings) were still there, we waited till day break before going back. We spoke to some of the regular anglers there and they told us that there’s a reason why no one goes away from the jetty even though there’s a possibility for a better catch there. Flying head sightings were common at that spot. 

When we eventually went back to our fishing site in the morning, we found our items ransacked and the fishes that we caught all had their heads bitten off. 

Punggol Point Park looks nothing like what it did before and the forested spot has been cleared out. I actually still go there to fish sometimes, mostly for old times sake. Many people don’t remember what Punggol Point was before but this memory will live with me forever.”​

Due to decades of disuse, The Matilda House looked like a dilapidated haunted house right out of a horror movie which inspired rumours of haunting to spread amongst the local community. 
​
It was known by a few names such as Ghost House, Istana Menanti (The Waiting Palace), but most notable, it is referred to as The White House and is one of the three infamous coloured haunted houses in Singapore’s paranormal folklore. The other two are the Red House and the Blue House, in Pasir Ris and Hill View respectively.

One of the popular urban legends is that the place had a very powerful spirit that prevented the place from being torn down. During the redevelopment phase, the land around the area was cleared but the ruins of the Matilda House clearly stood out against a backdrop of brown desolate land.

However, many of those who are familiar with feng shui or have the third eye, they believe beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Farrer Court is sitting on bad land. By bad land, we mean land that has a high Yin energy. The Chinese believe that there is both Yin and Yang energy in this universe and they must be balanced to achieve harmony. Too much Yang energy and you will have high tension, flaring temper and restless unbound energy. Too much Yin energy and you will attract the negative entities, which in turn will bring about depression and suicidal thoughts. Balance is the key. 

But when a place is unbalanced, like in the case of Farrer Court and even some specific blocks in Admiralty, Eunos, Ang Mo Kio and Yishun, just to name a few, you will find a higher level of suicide cases in these areas. ​

In one home at Bukit Timah situated behind National Junior College, we found that the series of death and illnesses that plagued the family in recent years were due to three flag poles that were erected on the school grounds. In the evening when the sun sets, the shadow of the three poles will be directed at the house. The erection of the 3 flagpoles serves to invite death as in feng shui, such a set up resembles 3 jossticks at the altar for the dead. That was the negative energy that then plagued the family ,unfortunately.

A similar case we encountered was a home at Siglap. A newly constructed roof top by a neighbour across the road blocked the flow of energy to the home and the owner claimed that he suffered from an uncanny level of bad luck during that time. His thriving business failed spectacularly and he was involved in three automobile accidents that year. 

The old Spottiswood Park condo was apparently built on Yin land and faced a direction that did not help its position. For years, that condo was notorious for suicides and divorce. The spiritual master attending the case said that he could only help to shift the flow of energy but it's only temporary.

Dear Residents and Friends, 

We are writing to you to share with you something critically important to the health and well-being of you and your entire family. 

Have you or your loved ones been experiencing:
1. recurrent ill health or even death?
2. bad luck at work and at home?
3. inability to make or retain wealth?
4. poor family relationships including divorce?
5. have only female children or grandchildren?
6. poor studies in school and exam results?

We have long asked why such problems have plagues us and our neighbours since we moved into our home in Farrer Court.

We have also noticed that our estate has had its fair share of suicides, and have personally witnessed the ones that happened in Blocks A, B, and C since we moved in. We have also heard that there was a bizarre murder case in Block F involving a maid killing her employer. On Tuesday 6 Mar 2007, a maid jumped to her death in Block B in the wee hours of the morning. Why?

At first, we attributed these problems as being part and parcel of life. But when things got worse, we went to consult not just 1 but 4 different Feng Shui Masters from different schools, because we desperately needed to know why so many things are going wrong.

We are going to share with you what we have learnt.

Farrer Court as, through the years, accumulated an excess of Ying energy, which is the female or dark energy. This energy is in the very land that our homes are built on.

So the homes built on this land will experience too much Ying energy and this is very bad. 

These homes that have this type of bad Feng Shui will lead you and your family to suffer from bouts of illnesses with bad luck and multiple troubles. You may either find that you can't make much money, or even if you do, you will be unable to retain the money, because you will have problems that will lead you to spend it all away.

Someone more sensitive to this dark Ying energies will actually fall critically ill or even die. You may notice many funerals occurring, even during the recent Chinese New Year. The Ying energies also attract people who want to kill themselves to die here (proven by the three non-residents who committed suicide in Black A, B & C)

Furthermore, the MRT tunneling has disrupted the energy roots of our land, leading to even more poor luck for our descendants, because the foundation of our homes have been rocked and weakened stirring up more Ying energy.

 Having underground tunnels is like having rivers below ground which will carry away all our wealth so you can expect to lose more money or spend more ("lou chai"). Big canals around the perimeter also carry away the good luck and wealth of the occupants in the blocks. 

Some of you may say that you have lived here for so long and things have been fine. But why are things worse recently? Based on one Master, any family can only live in their Farrer Court house for 10 years. After the first 10 years, things will start going downhill and worsen with each passing year. True enough, our troubles started after we passed the 10 year mark and we have had problems non-stop.

The occupants of the Type A slab blocks also suffer from having their front and back doors in line and this causes double "Sha Chi" or "Killing Energy" entering the home. This leads to increased ill health, disease, disability, bad luck and even death. The main "Chai Wei" or "Wealth Seat" of these Type A flats also occur in the extreme diagonal, which happens to be in the toilets of the master bedroom! That's why your wealth gets flushed and washed away every time you use that toilet or bathroom.

We also asked why we had girl children rather than boys. The Ying energy causes more female children to be born to families in Farrer Court. Ask and look around, and you will find it to be true. This is bad for the family name is Chinese tradition. 

The Feng Shui masters all agree that there is only one solution for our home and this land: "Ta Tong" or "Big Move". This is the only way to get rid of the accumulated Ying energy of the land. 

Any other Feng Shui remedy is temporary and not able to counteract this Feng Shui disaster. All the Feng Shui Masters strongly advised us to move out as soon as possible. 

So we will be moving out soon. We can't stand our kids falling sick, us working hard and getting nowhere, our cars getting into accidents, our kids doing badly in school. We have had enough.

We really like the facilities around here and are sad to go. We enjoy the convenience of this location but we really have to go so that we can have better health., peace and harmony in the family, and maybe a boy child. We are really hoping the en bloc can go through because the en bloc occurs and they dig and move the land around, maybe we'll buy back the new flats they build. Hope they build it according to good Feng Shui this time round. 

We are sharing with you before we go. 

If you are not bothered by this, then ignore our crazy ranting. 

But if you have been plagued like we have, if you had just about up to here with bad luck, money problems and ill health, now you know why. 

Your fellow residents of Farrer Court. 

Sixth place: Grey Ghosts
These are the ghosts who line up to reincarnate, and they are the most commonly seen.
Chance of meeting: The Grey ghosts don't want to see you. If you meet one, it's purely coincidence and these spirits are actually quite harmless. They are wandering around waiting for their time.

Fifth place: White
These are the new souls, formed by people who have just died. They are generally not harmful and are more confused about their new state of being.
Chance of meeting: If you are down on your luck or happen to be in an area where a death had just taken place. This spirit is not likely to disturb you. 

Fourth place: Yellow
The cause of death of the deceased is related financial issues. For example, people who commit suicide due to bankruptcy or money woes are likely to come back as yellow spirits upon death. 
Chance of meeting: People who are troubled by money or material life problems would likely see these ghosts. They are mostly restless and can affect your mood.

Third place: Black
Black ghosts are usually made by people who have died due to sickness or depression. The exude a depressive aura and are blamed for causing accidents. Some believe that these spirits cannot reincarnate and are trying to find unfortunate victims to take over their place.
Chance of meeting: People with illnesses or feeling depressed have a higher chance of seeing black spirits.

Second place: Red
It is said that people who died tragically without justice or by taking their own lives due to emotional problems will become vengeful spirits. In Asia, there's a common misconception that committing suicide while dressed in red or burying the deceased in red will definitely bring the spirit of the soul of the dead back as a vengeful spirit. The colour of the burial outfit is less relevant than the intensity of the grievance.
Chance of meeting: People who are facing relationship problems, feeling emotionally unstable, or just experiencing a spate of bad luck.

First place: Green
The green ghost is an occasional feature in Asian ghost stories. They are usually depicted by a spirit that can absorb the living's energy, take over their body, and are not anchored to a single place. These spirits can haunt you even in the day and have the ability to move objects. 
Chance of meeting: People who have done many bad things, those that have harmed others, will be particularly susceptible to meeting such ghosts. It's easier to take over someone who has already very low self control.

Confessed by Velu

My friend and I went for fishing at the changi costal area near Changi Village.

There were some other anglers nearby a few meters away from us. Luck was on our side that night and we managed to have very good catch. Every time we cast, within few minutes we would feel the pull. The other anglers looked at us and gave us a thumbs up sign. 

Later in the night, a macik (an elderly malay lady) in a black tudung came up to us asking for a fish. She looked really old and terribly hunched. 

​I started the engine and sped off. I didn't care at that point to double check if the macik was real or ghost. I just drove off and kept checking the rear view mirror; a part of me imagining that she will appear beside me again. Thankfully I didn't see her and after I drove off a few kilometres I began to feel somewhat calmer. 

I remember, my friend and I even joked about how we thought we just saw a ghost. That's when my friend who was laughing suddenly turned serious and screamed. I turned to my right and saw that a few meters away there was a head, with no body, flying along side the lorry. 

I floored the accelerator out of Changi and headed towards the more modern neighbourhood where its brighter and crowded with people. That 10 minutes drive along the dark road was probably the most scared I had ever been in life. That was the closest encounter I ever had to the supernatural.

I haven't fished again since then.