Hungry Ghosts

This week I have mostly been dodging little fires and oranges and lollies and fruit and cakes and stuff. This is because it is hungry ghosts month, where people honour their dead relatives with offerings of food and burning of hell money so that they are comfortable in the afterlife. There are some elements in danger with this, I walked around a blind corner the other day and had to leap over a little man burning things. I think he thought he had seen a ghost, he looked quite scared, I was also hungry (I was heading off for dumplings) so maybe he thought he had aroused a hungry sleeping spirit.

Working out in Tampines is in the burbs and consequently I become more involved in these kind of things like it or not and have trampled through many an offering on the way to work. I have also noticed that the people who have shuffled off their mortal coil have quite a sweet tooth, Mentos are a particular favourite amongst the offerings.
I had forgotten I had opted in for the work Hungry Ghost thing and was surprised to come into the office to find a large bucket of food on my desk. I am not entirely sure what I was meant to do with this bucket; if it is meant to be an offering for my deceased relatives, I couldn't see either of my grandmothers being very pleased with their grandson presenting them with 2 litres of Fanta, some sardines, noodles and a variety of cooking oils. One of my team members at work told me I am supposed to give it to the poor, but I think he was angling to take the stuff home himself.
I went to the loo the other day a the Pungol Park cafe and this sign was plastered across the auto flush of the urinal. Flush your pee or poo manually was the sound advice but it begs the question is urinal pooing a problem in the Pungol Park cafe. Is it a Singapore thing, I don't know. I do know people like to talk loudly on their mobile phones while they are on the toilet at work, so important tip if you are talking to a Singaporian and it sounds like they are on the toilet, chances are they are on the toilet. Kudos goes to the chap who carried on a long an loud conversation on the squat in cubicle 3 the other day.
Speaking of oddball Singaporean signs, this sign suggests that Fiona Xio's best angle is right up her skirt. Possibly it is, the add is part of a Singaporean obsession with vibrating things, chairs, feet thingies, slimming belts and my favourite the mechanical horse thing. This is basically a gyrating stool that is supposed to exercise your abs and stuff, but it is quite amusing watching 80 year olds doing what basically amounts to a pelvic thrust on a bright green seat.
Tis a funny old place here.