A chance invitation from a friend during a health scare provided Michael an entry into Hinduism, and a new lease of life. Since then he straddles both faiths devotedly.
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00:00The doctor told me, your liver has a white dot.
00:05I was stunned, actually.
00:06So someone from our temple
00:09they introduced me to their temple.
00:16Everything started for a reason, I think.
00:20My dad had to have this incident.
00:22We weren't even tapped into this Hindu culture.
00:30I'm a Taoist.
00:38So we also help out for Hindu temples, for road marshals.
00:42And we also participate in our Tai Poo Sam.
00:46This is actually due to my medical.
00:49I went to hospital for check-up.
00:51Because most of the time, I fainted.
00:53So the doctor told me, your liver has a white dot.
00:57So someone from our temple
00:59he's a Hindu god devotee.
01:02They introduced me to their temple.
01:05To go in there and pay a visit.
01:07But I did not say anything about my sickness.
01:09I go there, I was standing outside.
01:11One of the gods, he actually trans-Ganesha.
01:16So this god actually told their devotee
01:19that there's someone outside wearing a red shirt.
01:21So I went in, this god told me, you got problem.
01:25So I was also a very tiki person, you know.
01:27I said, what problem I have, you tell me.
01:29So he told me, I'm sick.
01:31So I said, you can help me?
01:33So he said, can, I can help you.
01:35But you must bring me, you must promise me.
01:37Bring me, go around, go walk, walk.
01:39I thought just carry the statue only.
01:42But end up, he said, no, it's actually a kawari.
01:46So from there, I take part, participate in 2006.
01:58You got scars from the...
02:00Yes.
02:01My hand, all is spikes.
02:04Kawari, they have three types of piercing.
02:07One is spike, one is ring, and one is hook.
02:13Shit ah, behind ah.
02:17Yosai, face is about 72 pieces.
02:21Front, left, right, back, left, right.
02:25Front, left, right, back.
02:28I have a spike.
02:30This four pieces, over here.
02:44Face about...
02:48Four.
02:51For Hindu people, their piercing is for you to see.
02:55For you to listen.
02:57They have to suit their mouth.
02:59Tongue and left to right.
03:03It's also teaching us to clear our mind.
03:06To make sure, what are you going to do to clear our obstacle.
03:12And now you will see the kawari.
03:15And this is the first set of kawari that I bought.
03:19And we have a small token for whole family.
03:23We will paste their name.
03:25And every year, when kawari, we will bring out.
03:28When they've done everything on my body, on the spike.
03:31Then we will fix the garnish on top.
03:34Then the last one, we will paste mouth and the tongue.
03:38Then we will go about five, five click?
03:405.2 click.
03:42After kawari, a week later.
03:46I bring them go dinner.
03:48Then we passing through one of the primary school.
03:51I fainted again.
03:54It's a miracle thing also.
03:56Ambulance come out when I fainted less than three seconds.
04:01So from there, I went to hospital again.
04:04Then the doctor declared my sickness.
04:07He said, Mr Lim, your liver, the white dot, gone.
04:12From there, we really fully participate in this event.
04:18It's a promise.
04:21That period of time, we were not sure that our dad having this health issue also.
04:26When he come back that time, he saw his body like what?
04:30A lot of blood, those spikes.
04:32Piercing scar out there.
04:34Then we start to know more and more.
04:36He's going this tapu zom and everything.
04:38Joining Hindu religions.
04:40Slowly, slowly, there's just found a link that Hindu and Taoism, Buddhism.
04:45Actually, there's a link.
04:51For us Chinese, when children are reaching 16,
04:55we need to do something for them, for small players.
04:58But to me, I call them to go for firework.
05:01It's just that you grow up, be a man.
05:04Do more responsibility.
05:06Previously, just mainly to support.
05:09Support my dad.
05:10Then my dad was like, hey, why not just join like Carry Me Pork with piercing.
05:14Then for the first year, it's no shame.
05:17I pierced already.
05:18I was like half fainted.
05:20Then following year, my brother is with me.
05:23So we do do the same thing also, piercing.
05:26So we both like support each other and my dad.
05:28To walk through this whole journey again.
05:30It's like a team.
05:32Everyone is supporting each other.
05:37Yes.
05:44Today is the eve of the Hummingbird Festival.
05:47So now we are preparing everything.
05:55And then we'll invite the hell god of pepper to open hell gate.
06:37To us trans, we also don't know what we do.
06:40But most of the time, I see from outside, devotee, devotee will tell me.
06:44Or your god telling me this, this, this.
06:47This is good.
07:06Wow.
07:12We will always advise where I will sit.
07:14If people's parents are sick, we will definitely teach you.
07:18We will go and see doctor and get more advice from there.
07:37It's teaching people to clear some people's mindset.
07:43This is mostly what the god teach.
07:45But god will not teach you in a bad way.
07:48You know.
08:06Oh.
08:13Yeah.
08:14Yeah.
08:15Yeah.
08:16Yeah.
08:17Yeah.
08:22Yeah.
08:23Yeah.
08:24Yeah.
08:31Everything start from a reason I think.
08:33I don't have this incident, people don't even know them or step into this new culture.
08:41If let's say gain anything, it's definitely we gain this experience, we learn more knowledge
08:49through this process, we gain something.
09:02To me, all races are the same.
09:05I also went to mosque and I also went to church.
09:10My temple all type of races people also have.
09:27For Ganesha is 2006.
09:30I also have Dato' Kong.
09:31We went to cemetery, all of a sudden we saw a Dato' down there, you know.
09:37Temple of the main deity said, I'm going to go there and ask the Dato' to come back.
09:42Then he come back.
09:43He come back, he let people have what they want.
09:46And then this Dato' only when Hari Raya time, we will invite the God to come.
09:54When I was young, I don't believe God.
09:58So sometimes I will tell people, you believe, keep your mind clear.
10:07Don't believe, just see.
10:20To me, I always say, G-O-D, all done by humans.
10:27Your mindset.
10:38How you trust these races, but to me, one united, all the same.