What They Never Taught You In School

Story by TAN YI HUI

Paranormal investigator DESMOND WONG, 41, tells us how to keep calm and carry on when things go bump in the night.

1. Find strength in numbers.

DESMOND: I oversee operations at Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI). We are a registered company with about 24 members, and we have an online forum with about 30,000 users. SPI was founded in 2001, and I joined in 2006. I’m a freelance HR and education trainer by day. I was keen to share my experiences, and find out if there is a scientific explanation for the supernatural. SPI members have regular outings to so-called haunted places, where we investigate with scientific equipment. Once in a while, we get calls from people asking us to check out their homes or offices, which they claim are haunted. We don’t charge them per se, but they pay a token sum for our transport or meals.

2. You may not see dead people, but you may hear them.

I’ve not seen an actual ghost. But we’ve had spooky experiences. For example, some photos the SPI has taken show strange orbs of lights which can’t be explained. On many occasions, we’ve recorded voices, whispers and high-pitched laughter. When I was a teenager, I went through a period when I would wake up in bed at home but be unable to move or speak, as though something was holding me down. I would also hear a man’s voice whispering something into my ear which I did not understand.

For the full story, read this week's issue of 8 DAYS (#1143).