Pirated Blu-ray Movies Available ?

The NST has an article on Blu-ray technology. For non techies, this article will be very enlightening.

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Blu-ray is the latest buzzword in high-definition home entertainment. With the promise of delivering a more immersive home entertainment experience, the new optical media storage format is gaining attention from manufacturers, industry players and consumers.

Tan sees prices of Blu-ray players and discs coming down to a more affordable level in the next two years.

From top: The BDP-S300, The BDP-LX70A, The BH200-01 and The BD-P1500.

Blu-ray struggles with mass appeal

By Chandra Devi and Siti Syameen Md Khalili



FIRST, there was VCD technology. Then came DVD technology. Now, the world is stuck fast on Blu-ray.



The victor in the much-publicised high-definition optical disc format war with HD DVD, Blu-ray promises more to take home entertainment to the next level. There is now the option of having more content on a single disc, higher-resolution audio and video, drastically improved interactivity and networking features.



Blu-ray is capable of storing more data – 25 gigabytes on a single disc and 50GB on a single dual-layer disc, which is six times the capacity of a dual-layer DVD [commonly called DVD9, which produces clearer pictures then the normal DVD]. This capability alone makes the format exciting, especially for content makers.



For example, today’s film-makers can produce movies and accompanying material such as trailers, comments and voice-overs in HD video. With the interactivity layer inside Blu-ray, special features, menus and graphics also can be added and accessed by users throughout a movie without having to stop the movie. All this means more entertainment byte for movie lovers to consume in a single package.



Others who stand to benefit from Blu-ray’s high-capacity storage are professional photographers, animation designers and those who deal with high volumes of data.



Another engaging experience with Blu-ray is its support for Ethernet connections, which allow content developers to support features such as downloading and updating content through the Web.



Crunch time

Despite all the benefits of Blu-ray, consumers are still slow to embrace this technology. Industry observer Dick Tan says the higher price compared to standard-definition DVD technology could be a factor.



Many people expected Blu-ray disc and player prices to fall after the format war ended, but this did not happen, he explains.



“Blu-ray players are still in the high-end price range, between RM2,999 and RM6,999, while Blu-ray disc movies are priced at about RM140 each. Compare this to a standard DVD player with upscaling features which you can easily purchase for RM400 and an original DVD movie for about RM50.”



Tan sees prices of Blu-ray players and discs coming down to a more affordable level in the next two years.

[Next 2 years ? I think factories in China are already manufacturing cheaper models of Blu-ray players to be available in Jalan Pasar in Kuala Lumpur, Carrefore and Tesco hypermarkets in Malaysia soon]

Besides the price factor, consumers are generally satisfied with the performance of standard-definition DVD players and their ability to upscale to HD, Tan says, so they do not see it necessary to invest in Blu-ray.



But he points out that to achieve the best picture and audio, a Blu-ray player must be paired with a 1,080p HDTV.



“This will be the perfect match, providing pixel to pixel matching. Playing an HD movie on an HDTV, you will see sharper images and more vivid colours and details never possible before. The problem with DVD is that it only supports standard definition.”



Tan believes that the push to create awareness among consumers on the potential of Blu-ray must come from industry players. More efforts must be taken to provide proper demonstrations on quality enabled by this format and to educate consumers, he says.



Tan also believes that HDTV will drive the adoption of Blu-ray in homes and that Blu-ray and DVD will most likely co-exist for another four or five years until HDTVs become more widespread.



Also a concern among consumers about Blu-ray is backward-compatibility with older disc technology. But Tan points out that although earlier generations of Blu-ray players were not able to support older disc formats, now almost all manufacturers of Blu-ray players have made their products backward-compatible to play CDs, VCDs and standard DVDs. Nonetheless, he advises consumers to take note of region coding, as Blu-ray players sold in a certain region may only play discs encoded for that region.

In terms of content on Blu-ray media, Tan says this is no longer an issue because all Hollywood movie studios and others around the world support Blu-ray. There are now hundreds of classic and contemporary movies available on this format.



Asked about Blu-ray becoming a victim of piracy, Tan says it is already happening. “Hackers have cracked the code for Blu-ray twice faster than they took to crack DVD.”

[Original movies on Blu-ray now cost about RM150 a piece (sold online for RM100). But pirated DVD sellers have already repackaged the existing pirated DVD9 as Blu-ray discs - the pirated DVD9 discs normally sold at about RM15 a piece are now repackaged as Blu-ray discs and sold at RM35 a piece. The pirates wanting to clear their stock of DVD9 movies have just changed the outer packages of the DVD9s to pass them off as Blu-rays to be sold to unwitting Malaysians - they know that most Malaysians who are not tech savvy won't be able to tell the difference because the Blu-ray players supports DVD versions as well. It will take some time for the pirates to clear their stock of DVD9s before pirated Blu-ray discs are made available.]

Exciting options



Blu-ray product manufacturers since last year have been introducing such players into the local market. Here are some offerings.



• Sony



As one of the companies that started the Blu-ray Disc Association, Sony has been the busiest in terms of Blu-ray product development. In the local market, you will find two of its players: the first-generation BDP-S1 at RM4,999, and BDP-S300 at RM3,999.



The company has announced that it will include a Blu-ray player into the PlayStation 3 gaming console.



• LG Electronics



LG was the first to develop the dual-format playback player when the HD format war raged on. Now that



Blu-ray has won the war, the company is continuing with its combo option, the BH200-01 Blu-ray/HD DVD player.



This model offers full backward-compatibility and supports Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Digital Plus/DTS-HD with 7.1 channel.



• Pioneer



Pioneer’s latest Blu-ray offering is the BDP-LX70A. At RM6,999, the model is an upgrade to the BDP-LX70 introduced last year. Features on both models are similar, except the newer model supports bitstream output for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.



• Samsung



Last year, Samsung brought into local shores its third-generation option, the RM3,999 BD-P1400. Currently into its fourth-generation of Blu-ray players, the latest model is the BD-P1500, which will be available in September.



This player is able to upconvert standard DVDs to 720p, 1,080i and 1,080p resolutions, offers full HD video playback, and supports Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master Audio audio playback plus bitstream audio output through high-definition multimedia interface.

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Men: 50 Ways To Get More Energy

This was the advice by Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D. in Men's Fitness Magazine:

Nix the nightcap. Alcohol prevents your body from entering REM sleep (the most restful sleep phase). So, even if you're getting plenty of sleep each night, you may not feel fully rested.

Take a 'roid test. If you're tired all the time, you may have a thyroid problem. Other warning signs to look for include weight changes, a hoarse voice, lethargy, and hair loss.

Drink more. Breathing, talking, peeing, even sitting—they all use up the body's water supply. Let your body dry out, and your energy level will dry up as well.

Light up. Turn on your desk lamp or open the blinds and let in some sun. Your body needs vitamin D (from sunlight) in order to help keep energy levels at their peak.

Have your BP checked. Up to 60% of men between 18 and 39 may have high blood pressure, a prime source of chronic fatigue.

Get your snack on. Your body needs fuel to run at its peak. Skip even one meal because you "don't have time to eat" (sound familiar?) and your pep will plummet.

Munch on berries. Doesn't matter what kind, they're all high in energy-boosters called anthocyanins.

Bulk up your diet. Cardiff University researchers found that men with high-fiber diets have less fatigue than men with lower-fiber diets.

Try L-carnitine. The vitamin-like amino acid may help your muscles recuperate more quickly after a hard day at the gym. To feel the jolt, try taking 500 mg a day for at least three weeks.

Get steamed. According to one U.K. study, up to 68% of men feel more energetic after a hot bath or shower.

Eat more fish. Studies show the omega-3s in foods like tuna and salmon can help fight depression, leaving you happier and more energized. Don't like fish? Try eating more walnuts and flaxseed, or pop a 1,000 mg fish-oil supplement instead.

Turn it up. A report in Online Journal of Sport Psychology says that loud music may be one of the most effective tools for relieving stress and fighting fatigue.

Join the B-team. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that many athletes and exercise buffs don't get enough B vitamins. That's bad, since thiamin, B6, B12, and riboflavin are all necessary for the body's production of energy.

Limit lunch to 500 calories. High-calorie meals take longer to digest and end up pulling energy away from other cells in your body.

Take a hike. Instead of slamming some candy when the 4 p.m. blahs strike, take a quick walk around the block. Physical activity oxygenates blood cells, helping to refill your body's fuel tank.

Say "yes" to yogurt. The good bacteria in yogurt helps keep your intestines healthy, allowing them to absorb more nutrients from the foods you eat. And the more nutrients your cells have at their disposal, the greater your energy reserves.

Avoid trans fats. Foods like doughnuts, crackers, and chips raise levels of bad LDL cholesterol in the body. This narrows blood vessels, blocking the flow of oxygenated, energy-rich blood cells throughout the body.

Opt for whole grains. White bread and pasta spike blood sugar and burn away quickly, sapping energy as they go. Stick with whole-grain foods, which provide longer-lasting fuel.

Don't skip breakfast. Two major studies published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition show that breakfast eaters not only feel better mentally and physically compared to people who skip breakfast, but they also tend to have a healthier lifestyle and are better at dealing with depression and emotional stress.

Have a cup of joe. In small doses, caffeine is a great energy booster, increasing mental alertness and even spiking sexual potency.

Just lose it. Whether you're packing an extra five pounds or 50, the further over your ideal weight you are, the less energy you ultimately have.

Go nuts. Almonds and peanuts are so nutrient dense that a single nut packs enough calories to heat up half a cup of water. Nuts are also high in magnesium and fiber, two proven energy boosters.

Get wet. According to a study in the journal Clinical Neurophysiology, splashing cool water on your face may restore energy even faster than other popular options, like drinking coffee.

Shake it up. The Journal of Applied Physiology reports that men who drink a high-protein shake after working out have more pep than men who refuel on carbs alone.

Clear your sinuses. Men with chronic fatigue are up to nine times more likely to suffer sinus problems than guys who have no problems breathing. An over-the-counter allergy medication may relieve the condition.

Call a buddy. There's more than a decade's worth of research showing that men who open up and talk about their lives with other people have more energy than men who keep their stress inside.

Get it on. In a 10-year-study of 900 men, U.K. scientists found that men who had sex the most often also had the best physical health and most overall energy.

Catch 40 winks. Been sneaking a nap under your desk? Good. The NIH found that power naps boost brain power, preventing burnout and significantly improving mental performance.

Scramble some eggs. Of all foods, eggs are the best provider of energy-boosting protein, according to the American Heart Association

Swallow some calcium. Calcium deficiencies sap muscle strength and lower physical endurance. The average guy needs at least 1,000 mg of calcium a day.

D up. You need vitamin D to maintain the proper balance of other energy-bolstering vitamins in the body. The best D sources? Fish and D-fortified skim milk.

Get a massage. Studies show that massage helps you conquer three serious energy drainers—anxiety, headaches, and muscle soreness.

Inflate your ego. Try this classic therapy trick: Grab a piece of paper and jot down seven things you like about yourself. Self-confidence equals increased energy.

Wear brighter colors. Vibrant greens and blues activate neurons in the brain that keep energy at its peak.

Do a puzzle. Pick something challenging. Problem solving stimulates brain cells, spiking your body's energy levels.

Do some cardio. Biking, running, and swimming all help to increase the number of energy-producing mitochondria in your cells.

Do the downward dog. Indian researchers found that men who perform yoga often experience less fatigue during cardiac stress tests than men who don't.

See a funny flick. A study in the journal Psychological Reports found that laughter pushes the energy-sapping compound neuroendocrine out of your brain.

Have a soundtrack. Play background music at your desk. You'll have less anxiety, a prime energy thief.

Get your stuff together. The more organized things are around you, the more mental and physical energy you can devote elsewhere.

Duck debt. Researches at Ohio State found that men who were stressed over their credit card debt had lower energy levels than guys with less debt or none at all.

Stay positive. Australian researchers found that men who had positive attitudes suffered fewer injuries and recovered from injuries faster than their darker—less energetic—counterparts.

Sleep in. Getting even one extra hour of sleep a week can counteract most energy-robbing sleep deficits.

Go out on the town. Sure it's fun, but studies show that a good social life can also help you feel more energetic.

Vary your routine. Switch things around—add intervals to your workout, try new lifts, cross-train. You'll challenge your muscles, furthering their development and giving you more energy.

Relax. Stress is energy's number one enemy. Next time you're swamped, zap the stress by closing your eyes and breathing deeply for 60 seconds.

Schedule a day off. Take a day every month to do something fun—no errands and nothing serious or work-related. The happier you are, the better you feel.

Pump some iron. Anaerobic exercise—like lifting—boosts levels of three compounds your body needs for quick bursts of activity, ranging from sprints to foreplay.

Veg out. Load your plate with veggies like tomatoes, carrots, and spinach. The brighter the vegetables' color, the more energy-revitalizing antioxidants they contain.

Chug a sports drink. The potent mix of water, sugar, and electrolytes may give you the juice you need to make it through that last set.

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Warning: Don't Suck China Girls' Nipples

Warning: For those hot blooded Malaysians who like to frequent karaokes lounges, papaya farms, pubs,massage parlours, spas, health centres etc and "make friends" with female Chinese nationals (commonly called China Girls).



It is rumoured that the authorities will issue a notice of caution to men (and women, where applicable) not, in any circumstances, to suck on China girls' nipples as the milk contained in their breasts may be contaminated with melamine.



Melamine found in 31 Chinese milk brands

Please post your comments.

Lesbian Video Clip And Female Gangsters

The NST reported this:

KUANTAN: Another pornographic video clip featuring a secondary schoolgirl has surfaced here. But this time, the content was more disturbing as it showed a girl forced to strip and being abused by a group of female gangsters.

The victim, believed to be a Form Two student, was forced to perform sexual acts in front of the group, which included several boys.

It is understood that the victim was abused as a payback for exposing the sexual and gangster activities of the other girls.

The culprits were believed to be involved in an earlier video clip that was circulated, featuring a Form Four and Form Five female student in a lesbian sex romp.
The existence of the first video clip was highlighted last week in the New Straits Times after it was found by a company manager in his daughter's mobile phone.

In the second clip, one of the female gangsters forced the victim to perform sexual acts.

Speaking with a thick Pekan accent, the gangster said: "Sit here and do it stupid!

"If not, I will kick you. Do you want me to distribute this (the recording) to the whole school?"

Throughout the two-minute and 39 second video clip, the victim was physically and verbally abused.

Her tormentors also made comments on her looks and body.

It could not be confirmed where and when the incident took place.

But a student, who claimed to be the victim's schoolmate, said that it was recorded in a classroom of a secondary school here.

"The girl was forced to perform the act in front of several female and male students," the schoolmate said.

She also claimed that the gangsters and the victim were from the same school.

She believed that the culprits were also involved in the first video clip.

The students involved in the lesbian video clip have been suspended from school.

Papaya Farm KL - Budget "Tiger Show " Available

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A papaya farm (locally known as bok-kua-huey, in Hokkien) or "butterfly" pub is generally a budget version of an exclusive karaoke lounge, where private Tiger Shows can also be arranged.

When I say karaoke lounge I mean the exclusive karaoke lounges in Kuala Lumpur and anything in this genre offering hostesses / bargirl (commonly called GROs or Guest Relations Officers, in Asia) for erotic entertainment.

In the West, these karaoke lounges are nightclubs known also as strip clubs (in the US) and gentlemen's clubs (in the UK). The term gentlemen's club is misleading as the men who go there are hardly "gentlemen". They are hum-sup (which means "horny", in Cantonese) businessmen and politicians who patronise there establishments for erotic entertainment by hostesses and strippers (erotic dancers). This is normal in any circular country. Like someone said, "which man isn't hum-sup ?"

These karaoke lounges provide individual small rooms and larger VIP rooms which sometimes come with attached washrooms. These attached washrooms are used for a variety of reasons, for the "convenience of the customers" - what goes on in these washrooms is left to your imagination.

Customers "book" GROs to accompany / entertain them in these rooms through a mama-san (commonly called a mummy), who is usually a "retired" GRO in her late 40s and mid 50s. A GRO earns her fee by an hourly fee. These GROs are paid by the customers by total number of hours spent with them. The nightclub and the mama-san gets a percentage of this fee. Any "additional services" that the GRO provides her client, is hers to keep.

Ok, now back to papaya farms. As mentioned earlier, a papaya farm is a budget version of an exclusive karaoke lounge. The set-up is also similar to an exclusive karaoke lounge but it is comparatively friendlier to the wallet. Because it is generally cheaper, the GROs and ambiance are also lesser in quality.
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The GROs in a papaya farm are generally older, less attractive or elegant then those in the exclusive karaoke lounges. However, unlike GROs in the exclusive karaoke lounges, a GRO working in a papaya farm is compensated with tips by her customers. As they are not booked and compensated by the hour, these GROs will "fly" from customer to customer, spending between 10 to 20 minutes with each customer, depending on the crowd at that particular night in the papaya farm - thus the name "butterfly". At the end of the night, when it is time to settle the bill, the GRO or GROs who attended to you will come over to collect their tips. Tips given by the customers are discretionary.

A career as a GRO pays quite well and it has also attracted students. It was reported in the New Straits Times, few months ago, that a 19 year old girl called Noreen earns up to RM150 per day as a GRO.

Going to a papaya farm is not necessarily cheap. It is just cheaper compared to an exclusive karaoke lounge. There are still "additional costs" like the "rent" of a karaoke room, tit bits and "ladies drink"(overpriced cocktail drinks the GROs usually order for themselves to earn a commission from). It is also customary, whether it is an exclusive karaoke lounge or papaya farm, for customers to tip the mama-san for "introducing" the GRO to them. Although how much tip the customer gives is discretionary, astute mama-sans will bargain with customers for as much as she can hustle.

Depending on the papaya farm and the drinks ordered, 4 men with a random 4 to 8 GROs entertaining them that night can chalk up the total cost from approximately RM800 to RM3000.

Some papaya farms also have, annexed to its premises, a massage center for customers who prefer a private massages or other services from his selected GRO who doubles up as a massage girl - this, of course, will be separately charged.

To be continued.
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Cyber Fraud In Malaysia

For those who are trading, shopping and making friends online, read this article from the NST.

By : Sonia Ramachandran

The modus operandi is simple: befriend a gullible person online, gain his or her trust, then move in for the sting. That's when the victim suffers big-time. In one case, the victim lost RM1.3 million.
KUALA LUMPUR: She met him online and soon became comfortable with him. After several weeks of emails and getting to know each other, the man, who said he owned a spare-parts shop in Britain, informed her that he had received an order for goods from Malaysia.

Then came another email asking for a favour. His goods were stuck with the Customs Department. Would she mind helping him by banking in her money to some people in Malaysia to facilitate the clearing of the goods?

He promised to return her money as soon as the goods were cleared and he had received his payment.

She had never met him, yet, according to his instructions, she banked in money into five personal accounts in Malaysia over a brief period. That was the last she heard of him, and the RM1.3 million she had transferred to the five accounts.
The Commercial Crime Investigation Department's Cyber and Multimedia Investigation Division assistant director ACP Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said: "The woman believed him as she thought they had grown close even though they had never met before."

She is one of the victims of the latest cyber scam to hit the country. Police call it the "advance-fee fraud".

In the last eight months, Kamarudin said, more than 40 people had been taken for a ride, losing RM2.7 million in total.

But this number, he pointed out, was based only on those who reported the scam.

It is believed that there are many more Malaysians who have fallen prey but have not lodged police reports.

The modus operandi is simple. The scam operators go online and make friends with someone they think might be susceptible to their persuasion. After gaining the confidence of the person, the perpetrator asks for help. That's when the victims lose their money.

Another way these perpetrators scam gullible people is by notifying them via email that they have won a lottery. The victim would then be asked to pay "processing fees" to receive the winnings.

That is what happened to a professional who received an email saying she had won an award from Microsoft amounting to STG950,000 (RM6 million).

She was told that a diplomat would be coming to Malaysia to hand over the money.

Later, the woman received a call from someone claiming to be a "diplomat" who said he needed her to bank in some money to facilitate the transfer of the funds to Malaysia.

The woman banked RM8,000, over two occasions, into the account the "diplomat" provided. She then received another call from the "diplomat" asking her to pay RM200,000 to an African man, who would contact her, because the lottery amount was being held by the authorities and her money was needed to get them to release it. She did as asked.

The lottery money never came and the woman lost RM208,000.

Kamarudin is worried because more Malaysians are falling prey to this scam. "I feel sorry for those who have fallen victim. This is their hard-earned money. In some cases, the victims had even used borrowed money."

He said some of the money involved in this scam could have been banked into accounts of individuals who had no idea the money was from illegal means.

"This is where the account holder (A) befriends the crook (B) through the Internet and who says he is in the process of opening a business in Malaysia.

"B then tells A that he needs an account for that purpose. He asks his new friend A to open an account for that purpose.

"So A opens the account and provides the account details to B. When the money is banked into A's account, B will email A saying he had received payment for his business. He would then ask A to withdraw the money and send it to him."

Kamarudin warned Malaysians to be careful what they did with their accounts. "You should be careful because the police will hold you responsible for the crime perpetrated through your account."

He said the victims were usually women who were sweet-talked over the Net.

The scammers would always ask their victims to bank the money into individual accounts, although they would claim that it was to clear "goods" from a government department or courier company.

"If the money is meant to clear the goods, the payment should be made into a company or the authority's account."

Sniff out the deceit

* When you receive an email or phone call that a package addressed to you is with a company or a government department, check with the company or government department before you pay a "fee" for it.

* Never pay any "fees" into an individual's account or to someone assigned to collect payment from you. The payment should be made into the account of the company or relevant authority.

* Never ever give details of your bank account to a third party or allow a third party to use it. You are responsible for your account and the police will hold you responsible for the crime perpetrated through that account.

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Do You Believe In Reincarnation ?

Do you believe in reincarnation ? Whether you do or you dont. Read this article from the Star published on 7th September 2008.

By Andrew Sia

An alternative therapy maintains that our memories of previous lives can heal some deep seated problems in our present lives.

WHY do you have such a strong attraction or dislike to someone? Do you have irrational phobias? Dreams that seem too real? Why are you so interested in a particular country? Were you a child prodigy? Do you get strange feelings of deja vu when you go somewhere?

Dr Selina Chew – with her many qualifications behind her – believes past life regression therapy can help people deal with the problems in their current lives. – Photos by VICTOR K.K. NG / The Star

Well, maybe these are traits carried over from a previous life, says Selina Chew, a law graduate turned “past life regression therapist”:

“When you regress deeply back into your past lives under hypnosis, you will gain insight into why you have these kinds of strong feelings, such as phobias. Once you understand that, it is easier to heal.”

Past life regression therapy is, of course, associated with reincarnation, which is the idea/belief that our “souls” have “lived before”; this form of therapy is based on the idea that we can clear some of our psychological baggage by revisiting those past lives.

Western evidence

Before dismissing regression and reincarnation as some New Age “hocus-pocus”, it’s worth considering the numerous cases of people remembering past lives reported in the Western mainstream media.

For instance, there is Captain Robert Snow, a no-nonsense, sceptical police homicide captain in Indianapolis in the United States.

Kevin Tan, 20, undergoing hypnosis under Chew’s direction to try to ‘see’ his past lives.

On a Sci-Fi channel show about past lives (youtube.com/watch?v=lB_j-chZvR0), he agreed to try regression “just to show how stupid it was”. While hypnotised, he “saw” himself as an artist painting a hunchbacked woman, how his mother had died of a blood clot, how his wife was barren, and many other details.

As he was disturbed by this, he decided to investigate the matter – like a police officer – and months later, saw the very same painting he had seen during regression in New Orleans, painted by someone called James Beckwith.

He then traced the artist’s personal diary to the National Academy of Design in New York. After reading through it (it took him a year to get through the 17,000 pages), all the details he had “seen” during regression were confirmed, and he became convinced that he was the reincarnation of James Beckwith.

Another amazing case was shown on American TV station ABC’s Primetime Thursday programme on April 15, 2004, about a boy called James Leininger who would play with nothing but toy air planes (youtube.com/watch?v=_EWwzFwUOxA). When he was two, he began having violent nightmares of “air plane crash, fire, little man can’t get out”.

His parents, Andrea and Bruce, said James was only watching shows like Barney and Teletubbies, not war documentaries. Nor did they talk about military history. The highly educated couple thought that the idea of reincarnation was “baloney” and looked for a “logical” explanation.

One day, Andrea bought her son a toy plane and said, “Look there’s a bomb underneath”. To which James correctly responded, “No, that’s a drop tank”. That’s when the parents took James to see past life therapist Carol Bowman, who has written books about children’s past lives.

The nightmares decreased but James started to recall even more details, such as the model of the plane he dreamt about (a Corsair), its technical problems, the name of the “boat” with planes (Natoma) and the name of a fellow pilot (Jack Larson). One day, when the father was looking through a new book about the battle of Iwo Jima (between the Japanese and Americans during World War II), James declared, “Dad, that’s where I was shot down.”

By this time Bruce had begun combing military records and soon discovered there indeed was an aircraft carrier called USS Natoma Bay – whose sole pilot casualty at Iwo Jima was someone called James M. Houston. He managed to track down survivors – including Jack Larson. Another survivor, Ralph Clarbour, was in a plane nearby and corroborated little James’ story of how he crashed: when anti-aircraft fire hit the front propeller.

“It was, like, holy mackerel,” Bruce said on the programme.

Bowman explains that Westerners often reject reincarnation as it’s not part of their Judeo-Christian beliefs. So, asked the programme, do we go with “hard facts” or “religious beliefs”?

For Andrea, she reconciled reincarnation with her Christian faith as evidence of the “eternal life of the human spirit” that God has promised. (The programme’s partial transcript is at http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Technology/Story?id=894217&page=1.)

Malaysian experiences

Well, believe it or not? These and other reports are highlighted by Chew during her workshops on past life regression (see Backwards to birth on SM6).

Then again, do we Malaysians need validation from the Western (Christian) mindset for what are fundamental Eastern tenets found in Buddhism and Hinduism?

While reincarnation is alien to the Western worldview, a Discovery channel programme (on another amazing reincarnation story, found at youtube.com/watch?v=E_T5vNgusEw) shows that stories about people remembering past lives are quite commonly reported in the newspapers of Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country.

Chew, who has been doing past life regressions in Malaysia for the past four years, has a string of (Western) qualifications in various holistic therapies; she is, among others, a Certified Hypnotherapist (International Association of Counselors and Therapists, US) and a Certified Past Life Regression Therapist (American Hypnosis Association). She also holds a Masters of Metaphysical Science (M.MSc from the University of Metaphysics, US) and a PhD in Holistic Life Coaching (University of Sedona, US) on top of her more conventional qualifications of an MBA (Charles Sturt University, Australia) and a law degree (Universiti Malaya).

She has had many successful cases of people who have “gone back” and “healed” their problems.

For instance, one of her clients, S.K. Ong, a music teacher in her mid 30s, explains:

“My tears would just burst out whenever people talked of separation. Even when my sister got married. I didn’t know if regression would work but I was willing to try.”

Under hypnosis, she “saw” that she had lived in a mountainous country resembling Afghanistan: “I was a teenaged goatherd carrying a pail of milk to the market. Then men on horses with swords came and killed everybody,” she recounts. Ong then “floats” out of her body and “sees” her mother crying next to her dying body.

“I also saw another scene somewhere in Europe, where I was the mother and my child suddenly died. After the funeral, I soon died from great grief.

“After seeing these, I understand much better why I have such feelings about separation. I don’t cry so easily nowadays.”

Another one of Chew’s clients, a Ms Lim, was disturbed after a good friend abandoned her “without reason”.

“When I regressed back to another lifetime, I saw that he wanted to be my boyfriend. But I could not really accept him and just left without saying why. So in this life, he has done it to me,” says this former senior finance manager turned lecturer in her late 30s.

For her, the experience was healing. “It was very good. It helped me to release the negative energy. From now on, I want to handle all relationships very carefully and not hurt anyone. Even if people hurt me, I want to refrain from fighting back with the same ‘weapon’. Otherwise the negative energy will come back to me.”

Mere fantasy?

Then again, are these people really seeing “themselves”? Or are they merely imagining things?

Ong relates, “Even before the soldiers came (to the market in Afghanistan), I could already feel the (emotional) pain. If I was imagining things, I should see the picture first, and then only feel the pain. It was not a show. It was very real.”

The lecturer says, “It’s quite impossible that it’s just imagination. It just popped up spontaneously in my mind. Even though my friend had a different face in the past life, I just knew it was him. It’s the feeling.”

Shanthi, a 37-year-old telebanker, has had vivid recollections of various past lives including as a lady carrying a lace fan in Austria, and a Balinese priest who was stabbed by his own disciple. Was she just fantasising?

“I’d rather be fantasising about Denzel Washington than of those things, for heaven’s sake!” she laughs. “My experiences may sound surreal, but it all just seems to make sense to me.

“I just knew, I guess. I’ve never been to Austria or Bali. But I’ve always been instantly attracted to anything about Bali, like pictures of its architecture. Oddly enough, though, I don’t long to visit Bali. From my regression, I understand why.”

Then again, Dr Phang Cheng Kar, a medical doctor specialising in psychiatry at a Government hospital in Kuala Lumpur (see A Malaysian doctor’s view on SM4), says that some research has shown that a patient’s recollections can be “easily” influenced by the hypnotist-therapist’s suggestions.

“Nearly all such hypnotically evoked ‘previous personalities’ are entirely imaginary ... like most of our dreams,” he says, citing Dr Ian Stevenson (see Experts who believe below).

Furthermore, even the historical details “remembered” are usually derived from what the patient has seen on TV or read elsewhere.

Even dramatic improvements in the patient does not prove that a “real” previous life has been remembered, says Dr Phang, since people can also recover with the help of most psychological therapy generally due to factors such as a belief in a kind therapist or a soothing environment.

But regardless of whether one is “really” seeing a past life or not, the benefits – in this life – are often real enough.

The psychiatrist Dr Brian Weiss, after 21 years of experience in regressing thousands of patients and witnessing “many extraordinary and incredible phenomena” (see Experts who believe below), says that believing in reincarnation is not important in obtaining healing from regression therapy.

“Regardless of whether the material evoked is processed as metaphor or symbol, the knowledge and insights gained can lead to significant physical, emotional, and spiritual transformations,” he says in his book Mirrors of Time: Using Regression for Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Healing..

Pull towards a higher calling

Chew herself has had transformative experiences, she says.

“Ever since I was young, I was always interested in the spiritual side of things.

“When I was five, before taking our daily afternoon nap, I told my mother, ‘Lock the door, thieves are coming’. She slapped my face and said I was talking nonsense. That afternoon itself, thieves broke into our house.

“That incident sparked my interest in intuition, parapsychology, healing and human potential.”

When she was 10, she started searching for spiritual guidance, asking herself about the meaning of life.

“Perhaps this was also due to my birthdate, which revealed that I am strongly inclined towards spirituality and intuition,” she says. “In addition, my grandmother was a bomoh who healed many people. However, she passed on when I was just two years old.”

After getting her law degree, Chew did corporate training in several multinationals while pursuing her MBA.

“However, despite a financially sound future, I still felt something was missing. I read materials on spirituality. My life’s purpose began to unfold slowly after attending a past life regression facilitators’ workshop,” she remembers.

“I saw myself in several lifetimes as a healer and a spiritual person. After going through several regression sessions, I became more confident and had a greater understanding of my life.

“I spent many sessions in meditation asking myself whether I should go against the grain and follow my heart towards a higher calling. As (American author and philosopher) Ralph Waldo Emerson says, ‘Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail’.

“I decided to take a leap of faith and left the corporate world. So here I am now, doing my work and helping people in a special way. It is much more fulfilling and satisfying.”

For more information, go to life-inspirations.com.

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