Tuesday 11 December 2007

My very own encounter

After all the stories which came from my friends, I guess the time is right for me to share one of my own. It was not my original intention to share this as the experience has got no morale behind it but I guess we are all in for the thrill isn’t it?

It was the year 1993; the actual date could be around 6 November. I can pin-point the date to this level of accuracy as I am now staring at the photo. I see a lot of faces. It is the group photo for the course I attended in Outward Bound School (“OBS”) in 1993 and it has the date printed in the photo.

OBS is an international non-profit educational organisation which trains participants about social survival in a series of outdoor activities. The OBS in Malaysia is located in Lumut, Perak. All participants are to go through medical check and be certified as fit before they are admitted. Further, participants are to sign on a declaration which says that any unfortunate event is not the responsible of OBS. Basically, if you die, it’s your problem.

And indeed, plenty has died in OBS due to its tough activities. With the OBS in Lumut being a very old institution, it was believed that the place is very haunted. I remember the dormitory that I stayed in; there was no partition between the beds and the bathroom. If you are lying on the bed and you turn to side facing the bathrooms, you can see dark cubicles next to each other. When it’s dark and you are in the dormitory up the hill… trust me… it is quite a horrifying sight.

Anyway, one of the activities we had to do was to canoe from Lumut across to Pangkor. If I remember correctly, we started our journey at 8.30am, we reached Pangkor past 12pm. That is 3.5 hours of non-stop canoeing. It was fun in the first few minutes. But by the time you are in the middle of Lumut and Pangkor, you just feel as though you can die. I remember I got out from my canoe and fell flat on the beach as soon as I reached Pangkor beach, no longer able to feel my arms. Oh yeah… we had to canoe to other side of Pangkor, the side facing the Straits of Mallaca.

Oh, one of the activities I have to complete was this thing called ‘solo camp’ which means you go to the jungle alone and camp there… alone… overnight. It was one of the bravest things I have ever done in my life.

I have digressed… time to go to the juicy stuff…

It was a very long beach and we parked our canoes on one side and strange enough, we were asked to pit our tents about 200m away from the canoe parking area. After a series of activities, night time came and guys are to do night watch. Girls just sleep. Oh yeah, there are girls and there are some really funny stories, perhaps another time.

Me and my friend were in charged of the watch some time past midnight. We were both very tired and 2 guys sitting under the star was certainly not the most romantic thing to do. And so, we decided to take a walk.

We decided to head to the kitchen area which was quite deep into the campsite. Reason? We heard some guys saying that they “saw something” in there and we tried to be adventurous. We saw nothing, only pots and pails of water and tent with can food. Though we saw nothing, the sight of everything in stillness in the middle of the night inside the jungle can be quite… eerie…

Feeling disappointed, we decided to look for ‘more fun’. I suggested that we check out the canoe parking area which was 200m away. My friend agreed. After all, we had nothing to do. And off we went…with out torch-lights in our hands…

It seemed like we reached the area in no time. With our lights shinning all over the place, we could only see canoes stacked on top of each other. There was nothing. And so, we decided to walk back. As soon as we turned to head back, I heard a sound, a very strange one. It’s like someone is scratching something.

“lei thang do mo?” (did you hear that?) I asked.

My friend didn’t reply me and turned around to face the source of the sound, so did I. The sound came again… syiak… at that time; our lights were pointing the group. Our natural instinct led us to shine our torch-lights at the source of the sound.

What we saw was a figure, in white… with it’s back facing us… with long hair. It was scratching one of the canoe but when we pointed our lights to it, the thing stopped and began to turn… slowly. Why I refer the thing as ‘it’? It’s because the thing was not of this world… the way it turned showed that it was not of this world.

Me and my friend did not wait for the thing to turn and face us. I still remember our reaction. We turned and looked at each other at the exact same time… and at the exact same time, we sprinted back to our campsite as fast as we could. We never talked nor told anyone until the next day.

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

Walala..that was scary!

I actually saw a figure, in black, tall, thin and i know it's a guy at my grandfather's house before.

Actually not only me who saw it, when my grandma was still alive, she once saw a black figure went into the toilet, she waited and waited but 'he' still didn't come out..She went and opened the door and nobody was inside..

Observer said...

scary stuff man

~CHARLEMAGNE~ said...

MY GOODNESS! i was too imaginative,as if i was in the story. i was almost out from my body...pheww!

mr jp said...

Something about the way you write, gave me goosebumps when I read it.

This is coming from a guy who's never scared of ghost movies or stories!

It's been my lifelong dream of seeing one before I die. I'm so jealous!

Anonymous said...

Wah, if you wait for the thing to turn, then really syok

Sam said...

Okay...maybe I shouldn't have come here this late!!!

You were...a very adventurous youth lol!

Helen said...

Yicks, this is scary...

Off hand would you say it's a lady?

Look, 2 person seeing the same thing can't be wrong..

kyh said...

U guys shud just wait for her (or 'it', if u prefer :P) to turn around and say 'hello, sweety!' to her. MUAHAHAHAHAHAA...

Nice story. I demand more! :P

Anonymous said...

Phew.. luckily it's only 6.10 pm here. Won't have problem sleeping then, not like before. Haha. That was scary. I came across similar situations before - but havent seen one with my own eyes. Just some friends got possessed and whatnots.

I don't know what I would have done if I saw one. Faint probably? Not the most brilliant thing to do.

Anyway, keep the stories coming!

- lenny

WY said...

zewt, you went for OBS in 1993?

Means you re not very much older than i am! lol. i always imagine you to be some late 30s - 40 ish balding guy.

hahaha

Post a picture of yourself!

Anonymous said...

it's 02.16 am now and i'm alone in the living room reading ur blog..a bit spooky i must say..oh well have to stop sidetracking and go back to my studies..finals..:(

will concentrate really really hard on my books so as to not think about ur post..i want my mummy..erk~

really noce post btw..luv it!

cheers~

lovie said...

Luckily only 7pm here. Not like the last few times, I read during midnight. So scary. *goosebumps*

rainbow angeles said...

Wah liao... I'm sleeping with the lights on tonight!!! Thank god today is holiday... :P

ps: Actually hor... why is "it" always white with long hair, huh?

iwan c.m.n. said...

my own encounter was with a long haired all-white ghost too. I was with a bunch of my friends (about 8-10). Luckily the ghost was quite far from us, 200-300 yards maybe, and it was facing us, spreading its hands to the side and sometimes their moving up and down slowly.

Anonymous said...

wah .. never experienced those stuffs. But I'm not saying that I'd love too .. touchwood

H.C. Tan said...

wahlao zewt...why la lately so banyak ur cerita hantu...

now since i dont have broadband, i drop by ur blog once every few days, sekali save ur whole page, then read at home..hahaha

myop101 said...

waah... you actually saw a cik pon. good thing you ran, probably cik pon was polishing her nails or attempting to punch a hole in the canoe when both of you shine your lights on her.

may said...

*hairs standing on back of arm*

I'm glad I haven't encountered anything like that yet... hope I won't have to! *touch wood*

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

this week turn into horror writer ar?..very talented wor..

that was indeed very scary..gives me that gollum feel haha

Sharon said...

omg, this is seriously creepy. i have goosebumps even though i'm reading this in the broad daylight :S

i used to be able to see some of these things too when i was little, happily i grew out of it :D
amen.. haha

missironic said...

Shit...i read till the end! shud stop halfway! lolz...ok, lets hope by nite time i forgot abt it dy...hmm, i tink i will la...*cross my fingers* =P

Purple~MushRooM said...

Could it be a hantu kum-kum, or pontianak? Why is it scratching at the canoe... nails itchy?

Hmmm... wah lau. If I am in your situation, I guess I would run too. You're lucky that thing did not chase after you guys. Haha.

Jane said...

man this is scary

sharlydia said...

wow shucks! that was freakig scary!!! so u've actually "seen" a ghost before lar...wow!!!

haha, but if u'r adventurous enuff, u shud have waited till the "thing" turned & faced u guys mar, then can see whether it's just one of those participants trying to scare the hell out of u guys...hahaha

Sunshine said...

choi... im having fever and i dropped by to get myself frightened pula!!

babyfirecat said...

Yer, I read this before going to bed yesterday and I ended up imagining scratching sounds all over the room :(

Doreen said...

Scary scary....chill down my spine, goose bumps all up, and almost wet my pant. I would have fainted right there!

Azlan Zed said...

hehehe. cabut...!

lynn-w said...

hehehe....was that a dream? ahha..kidding!, so, what was 'it'? a lady in white? floating in the air?

Anonymous said...

Is it that night you did your fastest ever sprint in your life?

haha...sounds creepy man..You guys should have wait to see the face.

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! Ada terkencing or not???

SuLee said...

does that white figure with long hair look blurry? or just like another person with long hair sitting there....

gosh you guys waited long enough for this moment, why did you run! jorrr i wonder how would the face look like!!

actually i think i would run too...scary shit!

Medie007 said...

aiyooo... tak habis habis all the ghost story... :P

zewt said...

seok thong - well, guess we can form a club.

freethinker - yeah man.

~CHARLEMAGNE~ - hey there... welcome to AZAIG. the story is good right? haha

Jason Phoon - your time will come :P

Klaw - never came across my mind.

Sam - hahaha... been very eerie here lately.

zewt said...

Helen - lady or otherwise... i would still call it.. it.

kyh - yeah, i should have done an interview with her and put it up here right?

anon aka lenny - i reckon you're in aust? :) dont faint... you might never wake up.

rational thinker - soon my friend... soon, photos soon. and hey, i am not even in my 30s yet la. hahah...

sugarplumpz - hahaha... imagine me having to type it out alone trying to picture what actually happened.

lovie - more kick if you do that... :P

zewt said...

angel - dunno... next time u see one... u can ask it.

iwan c.m.n. - welcome to AZAIG!looks like they all bear the same resemblance... hehe...

cibol - maybe you will get your chance :)

H.C. Tan - dont worry... cerita hantu will stop soon.

myop101 - glad it didnt follow us back...

may - hehe... who knows?

constant craver joe - for a while, i wonder what is gollum hehe...

zewt said...

Sharon - wow... u should share your experience.

missironic - you cant be that small heart right?

purple mushroom - maybe it was doing medicure.

JenniJane - hehe... indeed... more to come perhaps?

sharlydia - i dont think i wanted to find that out.

Sunshine - did it make u feel better? :P

Sleeping Princess - hehe... the power of imagination.

zewt said...

Doreen - dont faint... u might never wake...

alan zed - tunggu apa lagi?

l y n n w e i - some lady doing medicure perhaps... with the canoe.

pookyma - yeah, my friend was a 100m silver medalist. i was on par with him.

gina - tahi pun keluar la!

Sulee - damn right... i dont think i wanna stay to find out anything more.

Ah-Bong - will be finishing soon la... hehe...

Horny Ang Moh said...

Hi Zewt! Next time to be 'safe' from this 'thing' Please sleep with ur 'bro' expose or when u feel this 'thing' going to disturb u just took out ur 'gun'! I did all this so far so good!
Oh btw since u r going to be a hubby soon & then a daddy I have just post up the entry u might find useful! Try it out & tell me the result a few months later! Have a nice day!

Lee Su-Lyn said...

Zewt !!!

Yes yes, im 19 and im working !
haha..im actually just doing my internship or you may also say gaining experience in a small accounting firm for now. Doing auditting, and the seniors really teaches me from the basics !
I can't really join all the big firms yet since..im actually only in my first year first sem. But soon soon, then i'll join u! haha..

And yes, for the comment you left about friendships..
thank you so much.
Somehow, someway..i felt better after seeing it. =]

Anonymous said...

it could be just a mischievous guy trying to scare u all in the midst of a jungle plus your own imaginations - remember you were then teenagers ;-))

sengkor said...

i always feel regret for not participating in the OBS..

maybe now i should feel relieved..

haha.. (but can get alot of badges hor..?) :P

Anonymous said...

I rather not have that chance .. I'll pass it to someone else. Anyone?

Huei said...

woahhhhh scary!

how come u didn't wait for 'more fun' and wait for it to turn completely around? =P

missironic said...

lolz...u noe wat? by afternoon i forgot abt it dy...hahahahaa..so i guess my heart is not small after all! hahahahaa...

Supergirlfriend said...

*nearly faints after reading zewt's ghost story* Spooky as it is, but I'm just curious really. What was the thing (I won't say it's a she or a he) scratching at one of the canoes for? Doing a late night manicure?? Hehe. Strange... :p

baggie said...

........ tat is scarieee somemore coming from you... a serious man... (=_=)" damn...

I am lucky enuff to not get to see WEIRD things... *pray* Im curious but yet I hope not to see one!!

zewt said...

Hor ny - yup... will do :)

Lee Su-Lyn - ahhh... big 4 soon eh. that time, u shall feel the real modern slave effect.

mike - i dont think that is the case.

sengkor - ahh... you're a BB eh?

cibol - no one wants woh.

Huei - errr... never came across my mind then.

missironic - so forgetful la u.

Supergirlfriend - i didnt ask.... if i ever see it again, i shall give your blog to it...

Calvin's wife - i am sure you will get your chance... kakakakakakakaka...

frostee said...

You guys could use torch lights for thr solo camping? Man... when I was there in 1991, we were not allowed to bring our torch lights. We were just given a candle and no night watchs. I just lay down at my makeshift tent and slept the night away. The instrutors are known to do scary things during solo campings.

Anyways... it was a fun and tiring time at OBS Lumut

zewt said...

F.O.N @ frostee - it was not solo camp la. just a regular one in pangkor.

Shi Wei said...

i went to obs too, probably 10 years later than you did.
i can't believe OBS is a non-profit organisation cause my parents paid heaps just for that 10day camp. and i don't think we had a night watch system during my time and i don't think the dormitories were that scary. or maybe they gave the boys the shittier dorms cause us girls had a proper one with a wall separating the beds and the bathroom.
that said, i did feel this eerie prescence of something beside me on my first night there. plus i was sleeping on the first bed next to the door (if that makes any difference ie. if ghosts entered through proper doors) i was so spooked and did not move at all. and the thing is, i actually did feel the prescence diminish after i prayed to the goddess of mercy(kuanyin) as i had not accepted Christ at that time. the solo camp wasn't that intimidating cause my tent was pretty not secluded as some of the guys' but i did feel some foot steps right outside my tent at some point of time.
anyways, my ex used to share this verse, Psalm 91 with me after knowing how paranoid i am when it came to these "issues".
anyway, zewt, i am really interested to hear your take on other religions. Since our God is the creator of the universe, why then are there other religions? and i'm not talking bout satanism even, just simple do-good-and-get-good-karma types. i feel like there's this constant dilemma with bringing them(my family) to Christ or just respecting them for who they are. I didn't dare to bring this up during cell meetings as most of my cell members come and grew up in a Christian environment.
it's perfectly alright with me if u can't answer my question for any reasons at all.

zewt said...

shi wei - well, there are many explanation why there are many other religions. and the bible is very clear about the path to heaven, it's not just doing good. the reason why i dont talk about other religion is because it is a sensitive thing and i dont want to be critical of other religions. i am sure you and i dont want others to be critical of ours. as for your desire to convert your parents, it is certainly a good thing. it will not be easy and i know what you mean about expecting them. but if you truly believe that Jesus is the only way, there is nothing to fear.