Kampung Kreepy

I love looking at the dragonflies in my garden. The sun really brings out their jewel tones as they zip among the flowers. I looked them up because I was curious about myths and folklore associated with the insects. I was surprised to find that there was great difference in how they were perceived in the old days by people around the world. Many European cultures considered them malevolent entities associated with snakes or the Devil. An old English name for them is the “Devil’s darning needle.” In Italy, they were seen as witches’ familiars and pets. In Sweden, they were omens of tragedy or injury. The views in America were more mixed. There is an old American superstition that the insects can sew up the mouths of lying children, nagging women, and cursing men. Another belief is they predict rain. A dragonfly swooping high means heavy rain, while a low-flying insect means a light shower. According to one Native American folklore, the dragonfly was once a dragon who was tricked int...

Fortune cookies amuse me. They’re served in Chinese restaurants in the U.S., but have very little to do with China. I never even saw one until I came to the U.S. We certainly didn't have them in Singapore where I grew up. The “fortune” is the note inside the cookie that’s usually advice or a prediction. The notes may include lucky numbers. These cookies are very similar to ones made in Kyoto, Japan, going back to the 1800s. The Japanese cookies, which also contained fortunes, are still sold in some parts of Japan today. Fortune cookies most likely were brought by Japanese immigrants to the States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It seems the fortune cookie as we know it was first served at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Sometime during World War II, the fortune cookie went from being a Japanese-American product to one produced by Chinese-Americans. One theory is that Chinese-Americans took over making the cookies while a large number of Japanese...

It’s summer. The days are long and muggy, and the smell of sunblock is everywhere. Millions of American are setting out for the beach or the lake, while you’re stuck at home and/or working. You don’t have to miss out. If you’re a horror fan like I am, there are many movies that will get you in the vacation mood. And after watching some of them, you may be glad you’re staying home instead of venturing out! Here are 10 recommendations, in no particular order, of horror movies that evoke the sights and sounds of summer. 1. The Wretched (2019) A teenage boy comes to live with his father at a resort town while his parents are going through a divorce. One night, he sees a strange figure on his neighbor’s porch. Shortly after, his neighbor’s little boy claims something is wrong with his mother. Before you know it, the teenager is tangling with a 1,000-year-old witch who wears the skins of her victims. 2. Splinter (2008) Gas stations can be frightening places in the middle of the night...

Hey, it’s the summer solstice! In feng shui terms, that means that yang energy has reached a peak. From today onwards, yang will be weakening while yin energy grows. If you look at the Chinese yin-yang symbol, yang energy is the white bit, and yin the black. Yang energy is bright, active, masculine energy, while yin is dark, passive, feminine energy. (That doesn’t mean yin is bad and yang is good. Yin and yang are the opposing energies of qi, the continuous life force in all living and nonliving things.) In Chinese philosophy, the seasons are part of the transformation from yin to yang energy and vice versa. The summer solstice marks the point at which yang starts to ebb, and yin increases. The reverse happens at the winter solstice, when yin reaches a peak, after which it begins to wane. The summer solstice used to be a bigger deal in China. In ancient times, it coincided with the wheat harvest, so the custom was to perform rituals to show gratitude for the harvest and to ask for m...

My father, like Joe Tham—the struggling feng shui consultant in my Geomancer’s Apprentice series—read the newspaper all the time. He was unassuming and reserved. He also was a pragmatist, prone to handing out advice that was, at times, inspired in its clarity and simplicity. A lot like Joe. You may have guessed by now that Joe is largely based on my father. Paps was what you would consider the typical Asian dad. He didn’t say much in general, which made what he said all the more important. He and I argued quite a bit when I was a teenager and a young adult, because we had different views. Despite that, he only questioned my choices in life a few times. One of those times was when I dragged my heels over applying for jobs after I graduated from university. I told him I wanted work that was interesting. His response stays with me till this day. It’s a job, he said. If you liked it so much, you would be paying them, and not the other way around. After I got married and had a baby, ...

The Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month draws to a close today. I thought it might be interesting to discuss how my Geomancer’s Apprentice books reflect the experience of Chinese immigrants in the United States. First off, it’s important to note that the Chinese diaspora encompasses millions of disparate experiences based on the time period in which it took place, as well as family and individual circumstances. I wanted my characters to reflect this diversity. To recap, my protagonists are Junie Soong and Joe Tham, a pair of feng shui consultants from Chinatown, Washington, D.C. The books—especially The Forgotten Guardian , the second book in the series—focus mainly on how Joe’s family came to America. Joe’s grandfather Tham Tiar Lung (placing the family name first, as is the custom for ethnic Chinese people) came to the U.S. in the early 1930s. Like many others before and after him, he used his connections to find a way around the Chinese Exclusion ...

I saw this enormous tree recently in a suburban neighborhood in Maryland. I love seeing old trees, but especially old trees in the suburbs. They beat the odds. They survived, and thrived. Old trees also remind me of the “god trees” in Singapore. These god trees (called “shen shu” in Mandarin) are usually old. One famous god tree grows in the midst of a busy neighborhood of apartment blocks. The tree is said to be more than 100 years old. It existed long before the first apartments were constructed. According to local lore, the tree was so difficult to uproot, even with the use of bulldozers, that the developers gave up and built around it. People have worshiped at it for so long that the shrine at its base is now a registered place of worship, with its own trustees and list of charities. The tree, like many of the god trees in Singapore, is a banyan, a type of fig with aerial roots that hang from its branches. Buddha was said to have gained enlightenment under a banyan tree, so it’...