With only 5 days til my last exam, and 4 exams to go, the ‘holiday’ mood of Adam Tambakau is starting to kick in. Currently, my head is in Cloud 9. No, my head is not in a chocolate candy bar.

Today is a good day indeed.

Superstitious belief is common amongst Asian cultures, especially when referring to the Chinese. Ever since I could remember, my mum used to always tell me that I should wash my feet before I go to bed so that the hantu (ghosts) won’t get you. It would always scare the crap out of me, and when I see specks of dirt on my feet before bedtime, I would run to the bathroom and wash my feet.


Look ghost!

This is common amongst most Chinese families, I must say. Parents using what’s said to be ‘superstitious’ beliefs in order to make their children do what they want them to do.

These can range from ‘whistling at night will attract spirits’ to ‘if you eat sweets before bed, ants and other bugs will crawl into your mouth when you are sleeping’. They do sound funny now, but it works on little children all the time. I have experienced it.

Then there’s Feng Shui (Chinese superstitious beliefs) that most Chinese adults are suckers for. These people would consult Feng Shui masters and pay grandly to have a ‘look’ at their houses or work places in order to receive the best of lucks. I remember as a child when my Dad hired one of these Feng Shui masters for our home, and by the end of the night, my Dad decided to destroy our house’s front door then replacing it at the side of the house. You see, before as we walked into the house, the staircase would be straight across from the door, and cause of this, “…all your fortunes will flow out your door and you will not have prosperity,” said the master.

I remember sitting there watching curiously how my Dad could fall for a money-minded trap and waste all that money to shift the doorway from one side to another.

Feng Shui may also be known to some people as Karma. What goes around comes around, as they always say it.

One superstition that I would always remember is this thing about black-winged moths. Dad use to tell me, that these moths resembled a spirit, usually a relative or someone close who has passed, watching over us in times of need. He always said to leave it alone, and never shoo it out of a place but instead bring it out if it’s bothering you. The larger it is, the more things it needs to ‘do’.

Unlike a butterfly, these moths were never a pretty sight. They always used to scare me with those black large span wings, and eerie looking body/face.


This is an example. Not the real thing, but its close enough. I forgot to take out my camera during these times :(

Even up to now, for some reason, I choose to believe in this superstition and am always careful whenever I see a moth as such. I’d still feel scared whenever looking at them, but I’d also feel a wave of relief off my shoulders.

Over the exam period, I have come across three of these moths within my area. Once I saw two next to each other outside my room, and last night there was one just behind my room door. I have never seen them around in the three years I’ve been here, and they pop up in the most crucial moments of my schooling life. Coincidence? That’s for you to decide…

To make matters more bizarre, I decided to start WoW a little early, before my exams even ended. Bad idea (kids, don’t try this at home). And today, after my exams, I checked my email and guess what I found…

***Notice of Account Closure***

Hello,

This is a notification regarding the World of Warcraft account, ADAMTAM. Access to this account has been disabled for behavior contrary to the “essence” of World of Warcraft. While we try to be as lenient as possible in our assessment of all account investigations, multiple trends in prohibited behavior on the account in question have ultimately led to its closure.

As a result, this account will no longer be able to access any aspect of World of Warcraft. This action has been taken in accordance with Section 3, Paragraph C [Rules Related to Game Play] of the Terms of Use (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html) and our game policies (http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01712p).

Thank you for your time and understanding of our position in this matter. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Regards,

Account Administration
Blizzard Entertainment
www.WorldOfWarcraft.com

Access to this account has been disabled for behavior contrary to the “essence” of World of Warcraft.

Its like, “Wtf mate?”

They didn’t even tell me why I got banned. All I was told is I was behaving ‘contrary of the “essense”‘! They even quoted the word “essence” for me, like it was some type of practical joke or something.

Ah well… I still have exams anyway.

…now you tell me, is this karma or what?