Scarves Scarf of the Day 2021 - Which Hermès scarf are you wearing today?

[Marie-the-Mary]

Hi all! Was up late last night preparing for an all day deposition (just ended) and got inspired by my 4-year-old’s candy-induced nightmares! Freaked myself out but it was also a nice distraction. I never considered my Au Bout Du Monde to be particularly ominous before but there is a first time for everything!

A Halloween Tale:

There is a small town in the middle of nowhere. And in the middle of that town is a forest. And in the middle of that forest there is a lake with crystal blue waters and a well-maintained dock and a small wooden hut with a tightly-locked door.

The lake sits alone most days. But once in a while the lake gets a visitor, always by happenstance. And if you are that visitor, you may remark on the beauty of the lake, that perfect stillness, that crystal blue water. And you may even walk past the hut and step out onto the dock, marveling over the excellent condition of the wooden boards, the smooth pale wood and the lack of any creaks and groans. And you may sit on the edge of the dock, with your legs dangling in the air, and relax, letting the stresses that pile up over the course of a day bleed out of you slowly, infinitesimally, lulled by the gently lapping sound of the water.

Eventually, if you are like all others before you, a new awareness will dawn in your mind. An awareness that shines a light on details previously ignored by you, understandably, given the unexpected beauty of your surroundings.

With this awareness comes the realization that there are no people in the vicinity, no signs, garbage cans, or chairs. The knowledge that the quality of the silence permeating the air is not peaceful at all, but rather an oppressive absence of any sounds of life. A stark absence of birds or bugs or other animals. This awareness is a precursor to the awakening of other baser senses, the ones that if you’re lucky, you’ve never used before. The ones that cause the hair on your arm to rise, and the skin on back of your neck to prickle. An ominous feeling of foreboding fills you, and you’ll turn around only to find that the dock is long, much longer than you remember.

It is always at this moment that a person like you will get up and run, feet pounding down the dock as fast as possible to the shore and solid ground. And most people never stop running, leaving the clearing where the lake resides without ever looking back. Many simply return to their cars and drive off, distressed that some instinct imposed upon them to stop in a no name town, and to find such an eerie lake. To compensate, they’ll drive too fast and listen to music too loud or call a loved and force laughter one until that animal awareness recedes back into the depths of their subconscious once more. And when that happens, as it inevitably does, they won’t ever think of the strange lake again.

There are others who are intrigued enough to detour into the small town and enter into a store on the Main Street. Inevitably, these people will inquire about the lake in a vague way. And those that are lucky will happen upon a local resident willing to tell a story or tale. There are residents who hypothesize that the veil in between this world and others is a bit thinner around the lake. Others will mention ley lines. Still others will warn about monsters that lurk in those deep crystal waters, stories created to rationalize the disappearance of children who went missing long ago and whose faces are barely remembered beyond the sweet blond curls of babyhood. And from those conversations comes the comfortable realization of why the lake was devoid of people or any sign of human life, and with that assurance those folks will go on their merry way.

But one day there will be a person who happens upon the lake and who sits at the edge of the dock but will not get up. One day there will be a person who through ignorance or bravado or ego or pride ignores the subtle warnings that nature gives, who is blinded to the instinct that has driven away all others before them. And that person will not walk away, but will stay, spellbound by the beauty of the water.

I just hope that person isn’t you. Because what will become of that person, no one can say. But the lake is waiting for them.

Oh yes, the lake is waiting for them.

View attachment 5239025

What a talented storyteller ! I’m spellbound!

 

[Cookiefiend]

Hi all! Was up late last night preparing for an all day deposition (just ended) and got inspired by my 4-year-old’s candy-induced nightmares! Freaked myself out but it was also a nice distraction. I never considered my Au Bout Du Monde to be particularly ominous before but there is a first time for everything!

A Halloween Tale:

There is a small town in the middle of nowhere. And in the middle of that town is a forest. And in the middle of that forest there is a lake with crystal blue waters and a well-maintained dock and a small wooden hut with a tightly-locked door.

The lake sits alone most days. But once in a while the lake gets a visitor, always by happenstance. And if you are that visitor, you may remark on the beauty of the lake, that perfect stillness, that crystal blue water. And you may even walk past the hut and step out onto the dock, marveling over the excellent condition of the wooden boards, the smooth pale wood and the lack of any creaks and groans. And you may sit on the edge of the dock, with your legs dangling in the air, and relax, letting the stresses that pile up over the course of a day bleed out of you slowly, infinitesimally, lulled by the gently lapping sound of the water.

Eventually, if you are like all others before you, a new awareness will dawn in your mind. An awareness that shines a light on details previously ignored by you, understandably, given the unexpected beauty of your surroundings.

With this awareness comes the realization that there are no people in the vicinity, no signs, garbage cans, or chairs. The knowledge that the quality of the silence permeating the air is not peaceful at all, but rather an oppressive absence of any sounds of life. A stark absence of birds or bugs or other animals. This awareness is a precursor to the awakening of other baser senses, the ones that if you’re lucky, you’ve never used before. The ones that cause the hair on your arm to rise, and the skin on back of your neck to prickle. An ominous feeling of foreboding fills you, and you’ll turn around only to find that the dock is long, much longer than you remember.

It is always at this moment that a person like you will get up and run, feet pounding down the dock as fast as possible to the shore and solid ground. And most people never stop running, leaving the clearing where the lake resides without ever looking back. Many simply return to their cars and drive off, distressed that some instinct imposed upon them to stop in a no name town, and to find such an eerie lake. To compensate, they’ll drive too fast and listen to music too loud or call a loved and force laughter one until that animal awareness recedes back into the depths of their subconscious once more. And when that happens, as it inevitably does, they won’t ever think of the strange lake again.

There are others who are intrigued enough to detour into the small town and enter into a store on the Main Street. Inevitably, these people will inquire about the lake in a vague way. And those that are lucky will happen upon a local resident willing to tell a story or tale. There are residents who hypothesize that the veil in between this world and others is a bit thinner around the lake. Others will mention ley lines. Still others will warn about monsters that lurk in those deep crystal waters, stories created to rationalize the disappearance of children who went missing long ago and whose faces are barely remembered beyond the sweet blond curls of babyhood. And from those conversations comes the comfortable realization of why the lake was devoid of people or any sign of human life, and with that assurance those folks will go on their merry way.

But one day there will be a person who happens upon the lake and who sits at the edge of the dock but will not get up. One day there will be a person who through ignorance or bravado or ego or pride ignores the subtle warnings that nature gives, who is blinded to the instinct that has driven away all others before them. And that person will not walk away, but will stay, spellbound by the beauty of the water.

I just hope that person isn’t you. Because what will become of that person, no one can say. But the lake is waiting for them.

Oh yes, the lake is waiting for them.

View attachment 5239025

FANTASTIC!

 

[Cookiefiend]

You are so clever
Beautifully graphic silk, expertly styled (in what I think of as your signature tie)

Thank you!

This sounds like a dream I would have....



Thank you!



Wonderfully brooding!!!



Perfectly scary story time! (Au Boud du Mond, yes? In that deep petrol color way??)

It’s a dream I have often… I always wake up though!

 

[Iflola]

So creative @Redbirdhermes -- I love this ballad and the Johnny Cash version. Can't wait to see where you go with this...

I love these 70s of yours @Snausages -- and your tie with the ring and the top with the mini polka dots is "mwah"!

This is a very elegant cw-- congratulations on your find @labelo and good luck finding the harvest green one. Somany beautiful colors of this design...

Thank you so much! And @Cookiefiend and @turfnsurf -- I will tell the sad tale of our ghost but I have my thinking cap on to figure out a scarf to illustrate the tale...

What a fabulous look-- I love the black JLR and you have styled it perfectly. your top is even kind of beautifully spooky! Love the poem, too @Cookiefiend!

Can't "unsee" the candy corn on this really fun carre @Karenska!

I love this with the orange sweater and lipstick @lanit-- perfect look!

Yikes! [insert tomato emoji]

You are so creative and witty @Iflola! Always smile when your name pops up...

Wow-- it is beautiful seeing them all together @Croisette7! Love your two new cws!

Awwwww

 

[Iflola]

Wow!
I love these photos (and the IG Reel), it gives me a chance to really look at them! The 3rd and 4th photos are stunning!

Fascinating - I love learning things from your posts! This bright and fun pink is gorgeous against your black top - it really pops!

Thank you!
A compliment on my off the cuff, flying by the seat of my pants (or pen as the case may be) 'poems', is high praise from you!

I had no idea some of these were based on real domes in cathedrals, temples, and synagogues! How interesting!
It's a beautiful scarf, made even more lovely by this knowledge!

Oh just social media filters, I take no credit for them except that I grabbed a still that highlights some software developer’s creativity

 

[MissIn]

This scarf wasn’t on my radar until many of you showed how lovely this one is so naturally I had to add it to my collection Grand Theatre Nouveau CW08

 

[Snausages]

Mine is a horror story of a day wasted on Instagram, I had the idea for a reel with C’est la Fete but my ideas are too advanced for an amateur videographer like me and certainly IG’s current capabilities, and after many hours of shooting and reshooting and loosing work on IG…I managed to get out a reel with a few hours left in the day. Here are some stills from the reel set to Billie Eilish’s ‘ all the good girls go to hell’ (many filters were used)
View attachment 5238459View attachment 5238460View attachment 5238461View attachment 5238462

I love this! Do I know your Insta handle? I can’t recall if you’ve told us how you got your tPF screen name @Iflola and I’m sure I’m reading it incorrectly but it always makes me smile

I just LOVE it with dots!


Excellent pin & great Halloweenie colors (as well as optimized candy corn placement)... nice!

Thank you so kindly, Snausages. Your C’est la Fetr is stunning. I love it with the polka dots.

TY @turfnsurf and @Karenska ! Polka dots are always happy-making!

as promised:

View attachment 5238603

My scarves this week serve to illustrate the song Ghost Riders in the Sky, written by Stan Jones. Jones stated that he had been told the story when he was 12 years old by an old Native American who lived in Arizona. The Native Americans believed that when souls vacate their physical bodies, they reside as spirits in the sky, resembling ghost riders.

I'm picturing the people who lived in the Grand Canyon looking at the stars for the souls in the skies.

View attachment 5238373

The bandana Les Canyons Etoiles features views of the Grand Canyon along its four edges and the stars in the center. From the canyons to the stars, wherein reside our ghost riders.

View attachment 5238374
View attachment 5238636

I’ve never seen this up close and have a new appreciation for it and of course pink

So creative @Redbirdhermes -- I love this ballad and the Johnny Cash version. Can't wait to see where you go with this...

I love these 70s of yours @Snausages -- and your tie with the ring and the top with the mini polka dots is "mwah"!

This is a very elegant cw-- congratulations on your find @labelo and good luck finding the harvest green one. Somany beautiful colors of this design...

Thank you so much! And @Cookiefiend and @turfnsurf -- I will tell the sad tale of our ghost but I have my thinking cap on to figure out a scarf to illustrate the tale...

What a fabulous look-- I love the black JLR and you have styled it perfectly. your top is even kind of beautifully spooky! Love the poem, too @Cookiefiend!

Can't "unsee" the candy corn on this really fun carre @Karenska!

I love this with the orange sweater and lipstick @lanit-- perfect look!

Yikes! [insert tomato emoji]

You are so creative and witty @Iflola! Always smile when your name pops up...

Wow-- it is beautiful seeing them all together @Croisette7! Love your two new cws!

TY @LKBNOLA - happy polka dots counterbalance scary skeleton!

Today is All Saints Day and, while not exactly ghostly, the architectural ornamented ceilings of cathedrals, temples, synagogues and other magnificent houses of worship were specifically designed to uplift the spirit and transport the faithful beyond the quotidian into a vast celestial infinitude. When I was an art history student in Europe, we loved to lie flat on our backs staring up and let ourselves experience that cosmic vertigo. So here to honor the saints and the ceilings is Les Domes Celestes. I was very intrigued to learn that many of the domes Faivre rendered are actual places-- including several I have been to in France and Italy and most recently, the Great Synagogue in Budapest.
View attachment 5238637

TY for infusing this scarf with more meaning! I’ve also been to the Budapest Synagogue (hahaha and have the refrigerator magnet to prove it) but never stopped to think what starry domes inspired the artist

I'm afraid I'm all storied out, and back to straight forward... But I will share some pics from last night from Haunted House of Bunnycat...

Usually MrBC is lecturing or grading tests or something equally saintly, but since the 31st fell on a Sunday, I wrangled myself a helper for the evening.

Both of us donned spiders on our necks to up the "scary" factor. He sported a witchy hat and suffered a big furry tarantula tied around the neck, while I opted for the silk version with Flamboyant Web and a Sugar Skulll mask. This one now has Bunny's name on the forehead, since she left us last Halloween.

View attachment 5238694
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I was ready and raring to get rid go the candy (before I could eat it....)

View attachment 5238695

My tiny pumpkin patch....

View attachment 5238691

Beautiful mask @bunnycat and love the spider!

how about some triple monster action!
took me quite some fussing to show them all
View attachment 5238707

@blydia i die

She got into her car and began to drive, she was late for work again and was feeling a little stressed. The terrain began to change and the road disappeared. She started having to drive in hair pin turns, occasionally on just two wheels, and up staircases.
View attachment 5238716
She was worried but thought “Well it is an SUV, I should be okay.” She kept driving, because she needed to get to the office. She headed up a steep incline, the engine chugging along, but starting to stall, when she realized the car was upside down...
View attachment 5238717
She thought “Is this real, or am I dreaming?”, as the car started to fall.

Promenade Au Faubourg
View attachment 5238718

Disappointed with the absence of a pun @Cookiefiend but the scarf is fabulous!

SOTD today C'est la fête à Paris. Suitably dark...

View attachment 5238839

Another lovely skeleton @Agrume

Hi all! Was up late last night preparing for an all day deposition (just ended) and got inspired by my 4-year-old’s candy-induced nightmares! Freaked myself out but it was also a nice distraction. I never considered my Au Bout Du Monde to be particularly ominous before but there is a first time for everything!

A Halloween Tale:

There is a small town in the middle of nowhere. And in the middle of that town is a forest. And in the middle of that forest there is a lake with crystal blue waters and a well-maintained dock and a small wooden hut with a tightly-locked door.

The lake sits alone most days. But once in a while the lake gets a visitor, always by happenstance. And if you are that visitor, you may remark on the beauty of the lake, that perfect stillness, that crystal blue water. And you may even walk past the hut and step out onto the dock, marveling over the excellent condition of the wooden boards, the smooth pale wood and the lack of any creaks and groans. And you may sit on the edge of the dock, with your legs dangling in the air, and relax, letting the stresses that pile up over the course of a day bleed out of you slowly, infinitesimally, lulled by the gently lapping sound of the water.

Eventually, if you are like all others before you, a new awareness will dawn in your mind. An awareness that shines a light on details previously ignored by you, understandably, given the unexpected beauty of your surroundings.

With this awareness comes the realization that there are no people in the vicinity, no signs, garbage cans, or chairs. The knowledge that the quality of the silence permeating the air is not peaceful at all, but rather an oppressive absence of any sounds of life. A stark absence of birds or bugs or other animals. This awareness is a precursor to the awakening of other baser senses, the ones that if you’re lucky, you’ve never used before. The ones that cause the hair on your arm to rise, and the skin on back of your neck to prickle. An ominous feeling of foreboding fills you, and you’ll turn around only to find that the dock is long, much longer than you remember.

It is always at this moment that a person like you will get up and run, feet pounding down the dock as fast as possible to the shore and solid ground. And most people never stop running, leaving the clearing where the lake resides without ever looking back. Many simply return to their cars and drive off, distressed that some instinct imposed upon them to stop in a no name town, and to find such an eerie lake. To compensate, they’ll drive too fast and listen to music too loud or call a loved and force laughter one until that animal awareness recedes back into the depths of their subconscious once more. And when that happens, as it inevitably does, they won’t ever think of the strange lake again.

There are others who are intrigued enough to detour into the small town and enter into a store on the Main Street. Inevitably, these people will inquire about the lake in a vague way. And those that are lucky will happen upon a local resident willing to tell a story or tale. There are residents who hypothesize that the veil in between this world and others is a bit thinner around the lake. Others will mention ley lines. Still others will warn about monsters that lurk in those deep crystal waters, stories created to rationalize the disappearance of children who went missing long ago and whose faces are barely remembered beyond the sweet blond curls of babyhood. And from those conversations comes the comfortable realization of why the lake was devoid of people or any sign of human life, and with that assurance those folks will go on their merry way.

But one day there will be a person who happens upon the lake and who sits at the edge of the dock but will not get up. One day there will be a person who through ignorance or bravado or ego or pride ignores the subtle warnings that nature gives, who is blinded to the instinct that has driven away all others before them. And that person will not walk away, but will stay, spellbound by the beauty of the water.

I just hope that person isn’t you. Because what will become of that person, no one can say. But the lake is waiting for them.

Oh yes, the lake is waiting for them.

View attachment 5239025

Very atmospheric tale @laurenad and the scarf is delightful!

This scarf wasn’t on my radar until many of you showed how lovely this one is so naturally I had to add it to my collection Grand Theatre Nouveau CW08
View attachment 5239193

@MissIn beautifully tied and the colorway is so soft and pretty

 

[Snausages]

Ok not so much a ghost story because The Invisible Man wasn’t dead (just invisible and malicious) but he was wrapped in bandages which reminds me of The Mummy who most definitely was dead and both are spooky… Monsieur et Madame, original issue, where we see the insides of this couple. And yes I knotted it to the tails of my cardigan because why not (why knot?)

 

[bunnycat]

I love this! Do I know your Insta handle? I can’t recall if you’ve told us how you got your tPF screen name @Iflola and I’m sure I’m reading it incorrectly but it always makes me smile


TY @turfnsurf and @Karenska ! Polka dots are always happy-making!



I’ve never seen this up close and have a new appreciation for it and of course pink

TY @LKBNOLA - happy polka dots counterbalance scary skeleton!

TY for infusing this scarf with more meaning! I’ve also been to the Budapest Synagogue (hahaha and have the refrigerator magnet to prove it) but never stopped to think what starry domes inspired the artist

Beautiful mask @bunnycat and love the spider!

@blydia i die

Disappointed with the absence of a pun @Cookiefiend but the scarf is fabulous!

Another lovely skeleton @Agrume

Very atmospheric tale @laurenad and the scarf is delightful!

@MissIn beautifully tied and the colorway is so soft and pretty

thank you Snausages!

Ok not so much a ghost story because The Invisible Man wasn’t dead (just invisible and malicious) but he was wrapped in bandages which reminds me of The Mummy who most definitely was dead and both are spooky… Monsieur et Madame, original issue, where we see the insides of this couple. And yes I knotted it to the tails of my cardigan because why not (why knot?)
View attachment 5239262

both are definitely spooky and I had not thought of seeing the insides on M et M.

 

[Agrume]

Brooding elegance !

Merci bien, Marie-the-Mary !

Hi all! Was up late last night preparing for an all day deposition (just ended) and got inspired by my 4-year-old’s candy-induced nightmares! Freaked myself out but it was also a nice distraction. I never considered my Au Bout Du Monde to be particularly ominous before but there is a first time for everything!

A Halloween Tale:

There is a small town in the middle of nowhere. And in the middle of that town is a forest. And in the middle of that forest there is a lake with crystal blue waters and a well-maintained dock and a small wooden hut with a tightly-locked door.

The lake sits alone most days. But once in a while the lake gets a visitor, always by happenstance. And if you are that visitor, you may remark on the beauty of the lake, that perfect stillness, that crystal blue water. And you may even walk past the hut and step out onto the dock, marveling over the excellent condition of the wooden boards, the smooth pale wood and the lack of any creaks and groans. And you may sit on the edge of the dock, with your legs dangling in the air, and relax, letting the stresses that pile up over the course of a day bleed out of you slowly, infinitesimally, lulled by the gently lapping sound of the water.

Eventually, if you are like all others before you, a new awareness will dawn in your mind. An awareness that shines a light on details previously ignored by you, understandably, given the unexpected beauty of your surroundings.

With this awareness comes the realization that there are no people in the vicinity, no signs, garbage cans, or chairs. The knowledge that the quality of the silence permeating the air is not peaceful at all, but rather an oppressive absence of any sounds of life. A stark absence of birds or bugs or other animals. This awareness is a precursor to the awakening of other baser senses, the ones that if you’re lucky, you’ve never used before. The ones that cause the hair on your arm to rise, and the skin on back of your neck to prickle. An ominous feeling of foreboding fills you, and you’ll turn around only to find that the dock is long, much longer than you remember.

It is always at this moment that a person like you will get up and run, feet pounding down the dock as fast as possible to the shore and solid ground. And most people never stop running, leaving the clearing where the lake resides without ever looking back. Many simply return to their cars and drive off, distressed that some instinct imposed upon them to stop in a no name town, and to find such an eerie lake. To compensate, they’ll drive too fast and listen to music too loud or call a loved and force laughter one until that animal awareness recedes back into the depths of their subconscious once more. And when that happens, as it inevitably does, they won’t ever think of the strange lake again.

There are others who are intrigued enough to detour into the small town and enter into a store on the Main Street. Inevitably, these people will inquire about the lake in a vague way. And those that are lucky will happen upon a local resident willing to tell a story or tale. There are residents who hypothesize that the veil in between this world and others is a bit thinner around the lake. Others will mention ley lines. Still others will warn about monsters that lurk in those deep crystal waters, stories created to rationalize the disappearance of children who went missing long ago and whose faces are barely remembered beyond the sweet blond curls of babyhood. And from those conversations comes the comfortable realization of why the lake was devoid of people or any sign of human life, and with that assurance those folks will go on their merry way.

But one day there will be a person who happens upon the lake and who sits at the edge of the dock but will not get up. One day there will be a person who through ignorance or bravado or ego or pride ignores the subtle warnings that nature gives, who is blinded to the instinct that has driven away all others before them. And that person will not walk away, but will stay, spellbound by the beauty of the water.

I just hope that person isn’t you. Because what will become of that person, no one can say. But the lake is waiting for them.

Oh yes, the lake is waiting for them.

View attachment 5239025

very scary - but such a beautiful scarf in those colours, Laurenad!

This sounds like a dream I would have....



Thank you!



Wonderfully brooding!!!



Perfectly scary story time! (Au Boud du Mond, yes? In that deep petrol color way??)

Thank you, Bunnycat !

I love this! Do I know your Insta handle? I can’t recall if you’ve told us how you got your tPF screen name @Iflola and I’m sure I’m reading it incorrectly but it always makes me smile


TY @turfnsurf and @Karenska ! Polka dots are always happy-making!



I’ve never seen this up close and have a new appreciation for it and of course pink

TY @LKBNOLA - happy polka dots counterbalance scary skeleton!

TY for infusing this scarf with more meaning! I’ve also been to the Budapest Synagogue (hahaha and have the refrigerator magnet to prove it) but never stopped to think what starry domes inspired the artist

Beautiful mask @bunnycat and love the spider!

@blydia i die

Disappointed with the absence of a pun @Cookiefiend but the scarf is fabulous!

Another lovely skeleton @Agrume

Very atmospheric tale @laurenad and the scarf is delightful!

@MissIn beautifully tied and the colorway is so soft and pretty

Thank you, Snausages !

Ok not so much a ghost story because The Invisible Man wasn’t dead (just invisible and malicious) but he was wrapped in bandages which reminds me of The Mummy who most definitely was dead and both are spooky… Monsieur et Madame, original issue, where we see the insides of this couple. And yes I knotted it to the tails of my cardigan because why not (why knot?)
View attachment 5239262

what a find for this week! and I like your pink trousers!

 

[Croisette7]

She got into her car and began to drive, she was late for work again and was feeling a little stressed. The terrain began to change and the road disappeared. She started having to drive in hair pin turns, occasionally on just two wheels, and up staircases.
View attachment 5238716
She was worried but thought “Well it is an SUV, I should be okay.” She kept driving, because she needed to get to the office. She headed up a steep incline, the engine chugging along, but starting to stall, when she realized the car was upside down...
View attachment 5238717
She thought “Is this real, or am I dreaming?”, as the car started to fall.

Promenade Au Faubourg
View attachment 5238718

It looks pretty tied, Cookie!

SOTD today C'est la fête à Paris. Suitably dark...

View attachment 5238839

Very elegant, Agrume!

 

[Croisette7]

C‘est la fête gavs from the archive

 

[Croisette7]

SOTD my ntm Duo Cosmique

 

[Agrume]

It looks pretty tied, Cookie!


Very elegant, Agrume!

Thank you, Croisette !

SOTD my ntm Duo Cosmique

View attachment 5239509

your DC looks great, especially with this orange top!

 

[xincinsin]

The concept of yin and yang. The Chinese believe that places with a lot of yin or negative energy attract denizens of the spirit world. I grew up in an apartment with a lot of yin in it. It was smack in the middle of a long block of 3-storey walk-ups. We were in the centre of the block, on the second level. My stairwell was the darkest of them all. When you opened the front door, there was a long dark corridor running from the sunny front balcony to the sunny back kitchen. A study in contrasts indeed.

I always saw shadows in the periphery of my field of vision but paid them no mind. My grandma always told us that if we didn't offend the spirits, they would not trouble us. She had a shrine to the Goddess of Mercy in her room and prayed to the Kitchen god near the hearth.

One night, my sister had a nightmare. She was around 6 years old then. She woke up crying that a man with a sword was looking at her from the corridor. After careful questioning, my mum and grandma deduced that it was perhaps a wandering spirit of a Japanese soldier who perished in WW2. There was a flurry of cleansing activities such as offering prayers and scattering holy floral water.

Many of the Japanese military officers brought samourai swords with them to Singapore. So here's my Samourai scarf in memory of that long ago nightmare. Where my childhood home was is now a subway station. And there are stories of ghosts riding the subway after midnight, so maybe Mr Japanese soldier is now travelling round Singapore