Living With Ghosts Interview (Halloween 2013)

They say that some people are blessed with the ability to see spirits. Such ability has been well documented and researched in recent times. This spirit seeing ability has been found being practiced throughout the whole world since ancient times. This ability differs for each individual and different names are given to them, such as Shaman, Seer and many more. Which is why much research has been done to determine what causes some people to see and communicate with spirits.

Malaysia is one of the many countries in the Asian region which individuals with such abilities exist. Not to mention with its multicultural and multiracial inhabitants, it is a gold mine of information for paranormal researchers and psychics alike.

In conjunction with the upcoming Halloween this 31st October 2013, local journalist Zuhaila Sedek - De Booij of New Straits Times got in touch with me to talk about my first paranormal encounter, ghost hunting and myths in Malaysia.

Newspaper Clippings

 Picture taken from NST Online

Snapping some shots for the article

At home

It was a great interview session that evening. Good questions were asked as well. Below are excerpts of the interview which i took from the NST Online website for your reading pleasure.

"GHOST HUNTER IN KL

When I set the interview with blogger and ghost hunter Ahmad Adam Aliff Ahmad Aznan, he suggested having it at 8pm. Feeling a little scared, I requested for the interview to be changed to daytime. Somehow, talking about spiritual beings at night would just be too eerie.

“I see them in daylight too,” says Ahmad, proving wrong my belief that spirits appear only after the sun goes down. Popularly known as Adam Vai in his blogs, the 26-year-old Kuantan-born Ahmad  reminisces about the day he first discovered he had the ability to see spirits. He was only eight years old and the incident happened when he was walking home from school in Selayang.

“I arrived at a junction and was waiting to cross the road. Suddenly, I saw a Chinese uncle in a white Pagoda sleeveless shirt paired with a pair of three quarter pants staring at me from across the road. He stood still. Then he started waving at me, asking me to come to him. I remembered my mum telling me not to talk to strangers. So, I stayed put and ignored him.

“Maybe he was bored that I didn’t entertain him. Suddenly, he put his hands on his head and pulled it from his body. He then put his head under his arm. Can you imagine?” asks Ahmad while re-enacting the incident.
Shocked and frightened, he ran back home screaming and crying. Once home, his late grandfather, who was a spiritual healer, consoled him. Ahmad told him about the incident.

“My grandpa walked to our balcony and saw the Chinese uncle on the road. He understood the situation immediately. He then took me on his motorcycle to a nearby Chinese cemetery. He said he wanted to resolve the matter,” says Ahmad.

At the cemetery, Ahmad became more aware of his special ability. He saw spirits in many forms there. Some were headless, others limbless, skinny or hunched. Some were sitting on the head stones while others were on the trees. He hugged his grandfather hard, out of fear.

“Then my grandpa told the Chinese uncle to stay in his own cemetery. He pointed to a tombstone and away the uncle went,” Ahmad says.

All of a sudden, the door behind Ahmad shuts by itself. Bang! This startles us. I look at the photographer and he looks back at me. Our faces had turned white.

“No... no... don’t worry. That’s just the wind,” Ahmad reassures us, before we burst out laughing.

He says that ever since his first encounter, he has slowly adapted to his ability and learnt not to be scared of spirits. He ghost hunts to learn more about these beings.

When Ahmad goes ghost hunting with his team, he does it professionally. He makes sure that he does not break any laws. To him, safety and security are of utmost importance. He also brings with him a parabolic recorder, a night vision camera, DSLR camera, walkie talkie and other gadgets to help him gather evidence.

He has been to many local haunted hot spots. Among these are Genting Highlands, the Highland Towers in Ulu Klang, Taman Tasik SUK, section 5 in Shah Alam, Klang, Bukit Tunku and many others. The most haunted, he claims, is Bukit Raja in Klang.

Supernatural beings, says Ahmad, are God’s creations too. They co-exist with us, just like animals and plants, and deserve to be respected.

“But it is normal to be fearful of things we can’t see or understand. Try to learn to not be scared of them,” he says, adding that ghost hunting is his greatest passion now.

He reveals that these beings are not there to harm us. “From my experience, I know for a fact that they cannot hurt us physically. They can scare us which can result in us hurting ourselves. But that’s about it,” says Ahmad.

His mother also has a similar ability. They compare notes once in a while. But they do it discreetly, away from Ahmad’s younger siblings.

Ahmad also uses his ability to help people with paranormal issues. “I believe that this is a gift from God. And I must use it to help people. Often, people come to me when they are experiencing a haunting. Sometimes, they call me to determine whether the property they are buying is haunted,” he says.

Ahmad’s talent has made him popular among his friends. They think his sixth sense is cool. When hanging out together, they often ask Ahmad whether there is “anything” around them.

“Sometimes, this can be slightly irritating. But I am not angry. It is normal for them to be curious,” he says.

He explains that at times the spirits he sees can appear just like a human. This sometimes makes it difficult for him to differentiate between real people and spirits.

“They can come in other forms too. Some appear as cats, some have long hands with short legs, some are hunched and ugly looking and so on,” says Ahmad.

To him, spiritual beings have their own free will. They decide to whom, where and when they wish to be visible.

“But don’t be scared of them. You should know that they are actually more scared of us than we are of them,” he says.

Mrs Zuhaila also interviewed another psychic named Daphne Foo for her article. It is also interesting to read about her own personal experience. You can read the full article at the New Straits Times website by clicking HERE. 

Previous interviews regarding Haunted Properties and Real Estate can be viewed by clicking HERE and another interview by BFM Radio about psychics and ghost hunts are also available in podcast format by clicking HERE. Not to mention the article written by two students from the University of Amsterdam who came down recently to have chat with me about paranormal occurences and myths in Malaysia. Click HERE to view the article.

Thank you for reading and til next time!