things i used to hear growing up

A mixture of lores, sayings, teachings and beliefs (probably of good intent)

1. If you point at the moon,
a) your ears will be cut off, or
b) your tongue will be cut off, or
c) your finger will be cut off.

2. If you have nightmares, sleep on the underside of your pillow.
*a Malay taxi driver's advice in 2011

3. If the soles of your shoes face upwards when you take them off at someone's doorstep, spirits will follow you home.

4. Don't bring Muslim and Hindu friends home because
a)  they will bring kutu ('headlice') into our house
b) they are not Christian

5. If you trim your nails at night, you will see spirits.
*The irony: a Malaysian relative was amazed at my courage to go ahead nonetheless. He/she also said because I didn't believe in this lore, I wouldn't see the spirits.

6. My primary school used to be a cemetery, so was my secondary school.
*But it turns out that everyone's primary schools and secondary schools were also cemeteries. All those years of feeling special...

7. If you choked on a fishbone, keep stabbing a pair of chopsticks against the bottom of an empty rice bowl.

8. If you sleep in front of a mirror, your soul will be captured into the mirror.

9. Peel an apple in front of the mirror at midnight and you will see
a) your crush, or
b) your future boyfriend, or
c) your future husband, or
d) a ghost, or
c) a witch

10. Don't play with Indians because
a) they are smelly, or
b) they have kutu, or
c) you will become BLACK

In the name of cute folklore, I developed two of my own and have been propagating them to anyone who would hear them. 

11. Your breakfast tomorrow is what your fart smells like today.
If your fart smells like hotdog, it means you're having hotdogs for breakfast tomorrow.

12. If you find a piece of hair in your food, congratulations - you're in luck!
Better still if it's a bug!!!

Speaking of which, I just found one in my soup.