feng shui salsa - lazy man's feng shui

Curtains For Feng Shui

2011-02-15T23:12:00.000+08:00

If you're looking into adding some fresh decorative touches to your home, a good place to start is with your window treatments. But it can be a bit daunting to your budget to purchase window treatments for an entire room. However, there are many window treatment options available that you can do yourself, and you never even have to pick up a needle or thread a sewing machine. With a little imagination and some simple connectors, any piece of fabric can easily and quickly be transformed into a window treatment. So find a fabric that suits your home décor and personal style, and choose something that already has finished edges, such as a vintage linen or printed sheet. Then choose a grommet, clip, hook, or cord to hang it with, and you'll have a beautifully simple and inexpensive window treatment that reflects your personal style and creativity.

Grommets, slipped over wall hooks, produce a simple, crisp window treatment. Generally, a hammer and a grommet tool works at least as well for setting just a few grommets. The grommet prevents the hook from tearing through the hole. You can thread rayon cording through grommets and tie behind the grommets to create loops to hang from a wooden dowel or hooks above the window.

There are also stylish clips that can be found at flea markets and antique stores that simply latch onto the fabric. Home decorating and import stores also carry clip-on rings to hang curtains from.

You can even use buttons on curtains. Simply thread fine wire through the holes and sections of ribbon and simply twist the wire on the back side to create simple ribbon loops to hang the curtain with.

Let your creativity be your guide, and you can craft window treatments that reflect your personality and style. You're only limited by your own imagination.

Little Tips 1

2009-11-08T16:30:00.003+08:00

It is good feng shui to design a row of commerical buildings with unifying architecture or constructional features.

For example, if 1 building is made of bricks, those that are built next to it shoud be the same bricks either. It would be even better to build them of the same height. This architectual layout enhances the unity and compatibility of the feng shui of the buildings.

Organization Of A Small Bathroom

2007-12-28T01:29:00.000+08:00

Small, cramped bathrooms with little space and lots of stuff can present big problems for a busy family. With items strewn across the bathroom countertop with no designated space make it difficult to find that favorite pot of lip gloss, box of dental floss or can of hair mousse when morning routine time is at a minimum. You can conquer this problem with an honest assessment of your bathroom's contents and some creativity.

First of all, look around your bathroom. If you have products in your bathroom that you didn't like after the first use, or that someone who previously visited left there and your family doesn't use, get rid of them. This can be a tough pill to swallow if you focus on the money that you spent on buying it, but if it's taking up valuable space in your cramped bathroom quarters, it's costing you more in headaches and stress than it's worth. You'll probably be amazed at how much space you can free up by clearing out these unused, unwanted items.

After you've cleared these items out, assess what's left. If there's a drawer for makeup, but nothing in it is sorted, consider some small boxes or baskets to place them in. Place lipsticks and glosses in one bin, another for makeup compacts, and another for makeup applicators such as brushes and sponges. If there are a lot of hair products, consider using a larger basket to place them in and stored under the sink which can be easily removed and put away each morning.

If you're in the habit of stocking up on those products you seem to go through quickly such as toilet paper, lotion, or toothpaste, consider storing those in a pantry or linen closet instead of in the bathroom itself. Make sure all family members know where to look for a replacement or refill should they run out.

Most importantly, get your family to agree on using and maintaining the organization system that's been developed. It'll do no good to organize only to find things disheveled and unorganized the following week. Ask for input when devising a system, and make sure it's one that everyone involved can live with.

Little Tips To Liven Up Your Living Room

2007-11-25T00:39:00.000+08:00

Your living room is the room in your house where most of the living takes place. It's where your family gathers to watch television, read, and generally unwind and relax after a busy day. It's also the room where company gathers during parties and holidays. But you're struggling to come up with decorating ideas and strategies for it, and you worry that your budget isn't big enough to do the job justice. But with a little planning, creativity, and ingenuity, your living room can be a relaxing environment where you can unwind or entertain with comfort and ease.
Consider pulling pieces you have in other rooms into your living room to use. A short, double-sided dresser can easily become a buffet when a table runner and an arrangement of candles or a colorful flower centerpiece is placed on top.

Use your furniture arrangement to define functional areas. Strategically placed floor rugs, lamps and furniture can create zones in your home. You can arrange your seating to take advantage of a focal point, such as a television, picture window or a fireplace. You can also find affordable component pieces that combine functional storage with fashionable decorating lines. Tables with drawers and shelves add valuable, and a simple desk doubles for homework, household management, bill paying and filing.

When accessorizing your room, remember that less is more. Choose neutral colors and accent with colorful textured throws, rugs, and other decorative and artistic elements. Keep the balance of your room in perspective. You don't want to overwhelm a small room with large, bold pieces, nor do you want to place smaller, neutral pieces in a large room where they'll get lost.
If you're working with used furniture, try distracting from worn upholstery or a faded finish by using colorful toss pillows or table runners. Bright curtains can distract from a faded carpet and breathe new life into an old room.

Creating A Scrapbook Of Your Life

2007-10-24T00:34:00.000+08:00

Scrapbooking has become a popular pastime through the past few years. If you've looked into it, you know that it can easily become an expensive one as well. But with some creativity, you can use the everyday items in your house to create a scrapbook that reflects your individual personality and style.

After you've selected your favorite photos and mementos for your scrapbook, take a look around you. You've probably looked at items around your house hundreds of times without considering their scrapbook potential.

If you've got photos from a favorite vacation, look around to see what you have around your home that reminds you of that trip. Postcards, souvenirs and even travel brochures that can be cut apart are great ways of building a great vacation page or section.

If you're building a school days page, report cards, awards, certificates, ribbons, graded assignments, and even notebook doodles are clever enhancements. Paper clips or crayon wrappers work nicely.

Pressed flowers, handwritten poetry, and clippings from magazines can also nicely enhance a wedding or engagement page. Be sure to jot down details of the day you want to be sure you remember. Use the fronts of some of your favorite cards and remnants from saved gift wrap as backgrounds for your photos.

Ribbons and gift wrap remnants also work well for baby's page. Be sure to include an announcement card and a copy of baby's footprints. You might also want to tuck in a corner of a baby blanket or a page from a favorite storybook.

Even remembrance pages can reflect your own personal memories of your lost loved one. Enhance your favorite photos with a label from a favorite perfume or cologne, food, beverage. Movie ticket stubs, buttons, newspaper articles, handwriting samples and favorite quotes or funny moments jotted down on paper can make your page special.

With a fresh look at some ordinary, every day items, your scrapbook can take on a personal and individual flair.

Coordinating Quality Family Time

2007-09-22T01:45:00.000+08:00

If you have a busy family that seems to be traveling in different directions constantly, you know how challenging it can be to coordinate everyone's schedules. Between projects and deadlines at the office, meetings with your children's teachers, after school activities like soccer practice and troop meetings, not to mention the household chores, it can be a dizzying and confusing task. But if each family member is committed and communicates effectively, the task of creating a combined family schedule is a manageable one for you.

The first step is to commit to weekly family meetings. Make it mandatory that each family member is there so that the schedule can be discussed and organized. This should also double as a great opportunity to schedule quality family time together, so make sure it's held at a time when everyone is able to attend.

Next, design a schedule that can be easily accessed by all family members, so that everyone knows where everyone else should be at any given time. This can be done by designing one yourself using materials such as poster board, markers, pushpins and index cards that can be pinned to the schedule, allowing for changes that can occur from week to week. It could also be designed on your family computer and saved onto the desktop, so each family member can readily access it and make changes if necessary. Have family members get into the habit of indicating on the schedule specific addresses or contact telephone numbers if the activity is new or changes from week to week. Be sure that care providers for your children such as grandparents and babysitters are familiar with your scheduling system and know how to use it.

Again, with a commitment from each family member and open lines of communication, the family schedule can be a useful tool for everyone.

Managing Mail And Paper Clutter

2007-08-21T01:34:00.000+08:00

Households are bombarded with paper on a daily basis. Bills, statements, pay stubs, calendars, schedules, menus and permission slips seem innocent enough individually, but when joined with the other piles of unattended paperwork, they can form an army that overwhelms even the best defenses. But you shouldn't feel defenseless against this persistent warrior. With an organized plan of attack and some disciplined strategy, the paperwork enemy can be conquered and tamed.

First of all, take a look at the type of paperwork that's overwhelming you the most. Is it those bills that go unpaid when you can't locate them? Is it the mounds of artwork your children have lovingly created and decorated your refrigerator with? Maybe it's the constantly changing soccer schedule or troop meetings.

Once you determined the most invasive paper culprit or culprits, it's time to line them up and sort them out. A successful filling system has three main components. A file for those things that need to be acted on immediately, one for those that are part of a household's ongoing management, and one for those that are more infrequent but nevertheless crucial, such as tax records, insurance policies, wills, and home maintenance documents.

When conquering the paperwork monster, make a promise to yourself to deal with each item the first time you handle it. Get out of the habit of rifling through your mail and tossing it aside. Set aside time each day to open mail, go through paperwork in your inbox and sort and file appropriately. Decide if each item is something to be paid, something to be done, or something to be filed. At the end of each week, take out each file and respond appropriately by paying the bill, responding to the request, or moving items that need to be filed into their permanent locations. Of course, if you know something is urgent and can't wait until week's end, clip it to the front of your file box or place it in front in a folder labeled Urgent and act accordingly.

Save telephone time by keeping calendars, schedules, take-out menus and phone lists into clear page protectors in a 3-ring binder. Flip through the household notebook to quickly check meeting dates or find phone numbers. Create your own forms, or use our free printable Household Notebook forms. This is also a great place to put correspondence addressed to the entire family. Organize magazines and newspapers into baskets kept near couches and living room chairs for people to look at during their free time. Be sure to keep in the habit of sorting through this on a regular basis and filing those magazines you decide to keep and tossing old newspapers and magazines you wish you toss.

Managing Bathroom Clutter

2007-07-20T03:12:00.000+08:00

Bathrooms seem to be notorious for becoming cluttered and unkempt. Between small makeup compacts, medicine bottles, hair accessories, razors and the like, it can be quite easy to lose things in the shuffle. Assess your bathroom and its contents and utilize a few simple ideas and you'll find more space and tranquility as a result.

First, take a good look at your medicine cabinets. Ironically, it's probably not a good idea to store medicine in your medicine cabinet, as most bathrooms become hot and humid during showers and baths, and can be detrimental to medication that requires being stored at room temperature. Don't keep medicines past their expiration date, even if you've never opened them or have used them very little. Try storing your medications on a high shelf in your linen closet with a lock-tight lid. This will help lengthen their shelf life as well as keep them out of reach of curious little hands.

The same should be done with old makeup. Generally speaking, most makeup will last about 18-24 months, with the exception of mascara, which lasts about three months, and liquid eyeliner, which lasts about three to six months. Nail polish generally only holds up for about a year, so if you have any older than that, get rid of them. And since many makeup products have animal-based ingredients, it's also important to pay attention to how they smell. If they smell like they've gone bad, they probably have, so toss them. Try using a permanent marker to mark the purchase date on the back of the item, so that way you won't have to try to remember just how long it's been since you purchased something.

If you take a look in your favorite discount store's home organization aisle, you'll find lots of inexpensive storage containers that can easily be utilized in bathroom drawers, under the sink, and for shower and bathtub areas as well. Since bathrooms are full of small things, they can easily be organized in small bins, baskets or boxes.

Preserving Your Memories

2007-06-19T13:24:00.000+08:00

Photos can be a wonderful way to preserve memories and relive favorite past moments. However, they can also become a cluttered mess without an organized storage plan.
Probably the most important tool to have when you begin your photo organization project is a trash can. Statistics show the average person develops one roll of 24 pictures a month but only seven are worth keeping. That being said, you'll probably find many photos in your collection that simply aren't worth keeping.

Another tool you'll need during your organization process is several manila envelopes. Do your best to sort the photos by year, and place each group in the envelope with the year clearly marked on it. Place these envelopes in a strong cardboard box or storage bin. You'll probably be able to store a decade's worth of photos in a single container.

Collages and shadow boxes are great ways to display several photos from a selected year. Include mementos and keepsakes in the shadowbox to add a unique personality. Special photos should be enlarged and framed to be displayed around your home.

Take special care to purchase photo albums that are made with acid-free paper. The acid used in processing everyday paper can be very damaging to photographs over the long haul.
Scrapbooking is a growing trend and a clever and creative way to display your photos. Craft stores have an abundance of scrapbook supplies, including stencils, decorative scissors, background papers, rubber stamps and permanent markers. You can also utilize everyday items around your house such as ribbons, magazine clippings, and fabrics. Again, take care to ensure that the paper you use is acid-free or is displayed separately from your favorite photos.
Lastly, just in case something should happen to your photos, make sure you have a backup plan to replace them. Store the negatives of your most important and cherished photographs in your safe deposit box to also protect against theft or destruction from elements such as fires or floods.

Recycling For Feng Shui

2007-05-17T18:22:00.000+08:00

Every year, tons of material that could be recycled aren't, and end up clogging our already overwhelmed dumps, waterways and roadsides. Most people think it's a difficult undertaking to organize a recycling center at home. However, with some creativity and commitment, it can be easy to do. You'll feel better about yourself doing your part to care for the environment as a result, too.

Find a convenient place in your home or apartment for the center. It doesn't take much
room for your recyclables. The garages, a storage closet, corner of the kitchen, or under your kitchen sink all make great locations. Find and clearly label containers in which to store your recycled materials. Plastic buckets, storage containers or even trash cans work great depending on the amount of room you have available.

Get your family actively involved in the recycling process. Make sure they all are aware of what products can be recycled. Teach them the difference between the aluminum can bin and the tin can bin. While doing their weekly chores, teach them to be on the lookout for recyclable material lying around the house, and encourage them to place it in the proper storage bins.

Encourage them to come up with ideas for reducing the amount of recycled material that's consumed by your household. Take them along with you to the recycling center in your neighborhood so they can witness the process firsthand. Show them how they can reuse recyclable materials in their own organizational efforts at home. Perhaps a large cardboard box can double as a bin for all their shoes, or a coffee can be repurposed as a penny bank.

And when they learn the money that can be both saved and earned from recycling and reusing products, they'll have developed an environmentally healthy and thrifty habit for life.

Do Not Forget About Safety When Remodelling Your Home

2007-04-26T21:41:00.000+08:00

Home improvement projects can be dangerous. Many tasks call for sharp tools or power tools that can cause injuries. You can't successfully repair or tackle home improvement projects your home if you're not careful. With a little careful organization and forethought, even the most difficult home improvement tasks can be conquered safely and successfully.

Be sure to completely read the instruction manual for your power tools and follow the manufacturer's safety cautions. Tighten any adjustments and check that the guard is working before you operate a tool. Keep power tools dry, and plug them into grounded electrical outlets. Take care not to cut the power cord. Never store your power tools while they are still connected to the power supply.

Keep fingers well away from a power blade. Clamp small pieces of wood before cutting them, rather than holding them. It's imperative to wear work gloves when you're handling rough materials such as wood, glass, or metal, but take them off when using a power tool so you have complete control over it.

Never use any kind of power tool without proper protective eyewear. Unplug a power saw before changing the blade or doing any other kind of maintenance or cleaning to it.
Learn how to properly support a board when you cut it with a power tool so it doesn't kick back towards you during use.

Always completely shut off power or water when working with the electrical wiring or the plumbing. One of the first questions you should ask as a new homeowner is where your shutoffs are located.

When working on a ladder, don't lean out to either side. Keep your body weight between the sides of the ladder. It may take longer to get off the ladder and move it to reach farther, but it is well worth your time. Falls are one of the most common causes of injuries in the home.

If you're not used to the physical element of doing construction, remodeling, or renovation work, you might easily injure yourself or strain your muscles. You may not even notice the aches and pains until you wake up the next day. Don't take chances and overexert yourself when lifting heavy objects, or when repeatedly lifting lighter loads. Get a helper to do some of the work, and take plenty of breaks. Listen to your body's signals and realize when enough is enough. Learn to bend and lift with the knees and not your back.

You're going to find a great satisfaction and pride knowing that you're able to safely and successfully accomplish repair, remodeling and renovation projects around your house as long as you're smart, safe, and keep yourself organized, focused and on task.

Procratination And How To Manage It

2007-03-10T03:13:00.000+08:00

Procrastination can creep in and easily become a habit. Once it does, it erodes your capacity to function effectively. But it can be a hard habit to break. However, with some honest self-assessment and an organized and attainable plan of attack, it can be overcome successfully.
Be gentle with yourself when you decide to try and kick the procrastination habit. It may be so ingrained that you don't fully recognize all the ways you actually procrastinate. Start out by taking a large or complicated task and breaking it down into smaller parts that you can accomplish easier. It's important to bear in mind that the most difficult or complex tasks are simply just a series of smaller jobs.

Make a verbal commitment to someone else about improving your time management skills and your desire to avoid procrastinating. Allow others to become involved in your efforts by reviewing your progress, helping you set deadlines or evaluating your results can be very helpful. This will most likely create a commitment on your part to fulfill the expectations they've set for you.

Sit down and map out a plan to manage your time more effectively. When a deadline is looming, make sure you allot time each day to work on the project so it doesn't sneak up on you in the final hours or days. Learn to ask for help when you're feeling overwhelmed or overworked.
Reward yourself for good behavior and accomplished goals. Don't wait until you've accomplished the ultimate goal, but reward yourself for your successes along the way. Make sure the reward is something you like to do. Treat yourself to the newest book by your favorite author and take the time to read it. Indulge in bubble baths or relaxing music. If you've gotten into the habit of working late, make sure you develop a new habit of going home on time each night.
By making a commitment to avoid the avoiding habit, you'll soon be well on your way to finding more time and find yourself more relaxed and productive and less stressed in the process.

Enhancing Room With Furniture Placement

2007-02-15T22:44:00.000+08:00

Arranging the furniture in the right manner ensures that the room area is efficiently used. A clever furniture arrangement can also highlight a favorite piece of furniture. However, figuring out the best way to utilize space and create a comfortable atmosphere can be a difficult chore. But with some planning and creativity, it can be accomplished easier than you think.
Before you move anything, you have to decide what the focal point of the room is going to be. Focus your efforts around that location or item. Before arranging furniture in the room, decide on what will be the focus of the room. Center your furniture arrangement around that focal point. It can be anything; a fireplace, a picture window, a home entertainment center or a wall painting.

Chairs should be placed within about eight feet of each other to encourage conversation. Position a table in such a way that it is easily accessible from every chair. Keep a light source near the seating area. Coffee tables should have a clearance of about 14 to 18 inches from the sofa. Side tables should be at least as tall as the arm of the chairs or sofa to make serving easy and discourage accidental spills. When arranging furniture, make sure you provide enough space to move around the room.

In a multipurpose room, arrange furniture in a way that you divide the room into separate living and dining spaces. A strategically placed screen or curtains hung from the ceiling are simple and inexpensive ways to accomplish this. Make sure the room stays balanced and that the sections or divisions don't fight one another. Area rugs are a great way to define areas and groupings. Small pieces can easily get lost in a large room, so be sure to group them with larger elements.

Bedroom Feng Shui

2007-01-10T21:44:00.000+08:00

Thought I’d share a simple case study of a bedroom. This apartment faces South 190 degrees. There will be a full renovation of the ceiling and interior. Moving in expected in late February.

Period – 8

Flying Stars Combinations (Mountain-Base-Water)

S - 8-3-8

SW - 1-5-6

W - 6-1-1

NW - 5-9-2

N - 9-4-7

NE - 7-2-9

E - 2-6-5

SE - 3-7-4

C - 4-8-3

A good combination at the facing (Bedroom 2). It’s a shame that the room is the smallest of the bedrooms. The favourable aspects of this combination of stars will converge on the occupant of this room.

It was made known to the owner that he can consider “opening” this room by knocking off the walls that borders the room and corridor or replace it with clear “walls” to allow the energy to seep into the house. Sometimes owners are open to these ideas or are already thinking of it but would not say for being afraid to sound stupid. Nevertheless, the wall will remain. The door should therefore be kept open whenever it is convenient to do so. This enables energy in the room to flow into the corridor highway to other parts of the apartment.

To harness the wealth and health energy that concentrates in this room, a tinge of red at the window will be adequate. Open and “minimalist” concept should be used.

The interior designer proposed a shelf at the center of the room. It sounds weird but the designer showed how it can be a design masterclass with his visual mock up. A central shelf will cut up the energy and even manifest hostile energy. Not only will the favourable forces be wasted, but visually, space will appear to be constrained. The owner went with common sense and decided against that shelf. What a relief.

The designer also proposed another shelf at the left of the window. This effectively creates resistance to the energy that will enter from the window. It will also block off the view from the window.

Personally, I feel that it’s a waste of a good view. On a positive note, the shelf will act as a barrier from harmful energy entering from the East. To fully allow the essence of wealth and health energy at this area to thrive, it is best to allow it to enter the room as a whole. I don’t like the window shelf. The owner is undecided.

The orientation of the bed troubled me. A simple look and it will seem very obvious that the bed should be parallel to the wardrobe with the bed head against the wall pointing to the East. To me, I can only see this orientation.

The designer however wants the bed to run parallel to the wall. This to integrate the “art” of design. An orientation like that will leave the bed head with no “support” whether it points to the window or wardrobe. And with a storage bed, the sleeping height will be elevated above the window bay. Such a condition is akin to floating the occupant in the air. Man are not made to fly. If the orientation of the bed is not what I suggests, at least make a smaller storage bed to allow the occupant to sleep at a level lower than the window bay.

Bay window lights preferably should be centralized. This can be done by casting the lights towards the center of the bay. Or if for example 3 lights are used, they should not be spread out at extreme left and right. But all 3 at the center so that it looks like one as a whole at the center.

I have not applied personal 8 Mansions Feng Shui as there are certain limitations to the room. The macro feng shui also takes precedence over micro feng shui. The crucial significance of this room is that of the star combinations.

An LCD TV will mount on the wall at the West. Activating this area of the room can bring wealth and romance luck for the occupant. (Previously, the star combination I mentioned referred to the apartment as a whole) Metal energy will enhance this micro energy present. A metallic colour LCD TV will do the trick nicely.

The wardrobe that takes up the North and Northeast imprisons negative energy present in the room. I have no qualms about that.

There are beams present in the room. Since the ceilings of the whole place will be done up, the beams will disappear when the renovation is completed. The play of lights of the false ceiling can entice Yang energy to strengthen the good sectors of the room. Lights with more presence (if any) is preferably placed on the South and Southwest. If not, night lights can be used in those areas.

There is no study table.

There are many more considerations to look at just in this room alone. We haven’t even covered the Trigrams, 8 Mansions sectors, 8 characters to harmonize the occupant with feng shui, flying stars, etc.

Aren’t you glad that you can leave all that to a practitioner…

tension & outlet

2006-12-20T00:19:00.000+08:00

A lack of breeze felt like a huge plaster on my face as I made my way down Orchard Road. Sweat oozing from my pores as I focused my eyes as if to show the audience (if any) the sweat wasn’t affecting me as I was in deep thought, briskly walking purposefully to my destination. I brushed my fringe aside just to satisfy my physiological urge to do something with my hands. The “audience” is watching. Its interesting how we put up our social personas even when we are not engaged with others.

I passed the dogs at the entrance of Ngee Ann City. I remember having an amazing conversation with Mabe that started with the dogs. I wonder how she is doing. Hope the elements are with her and she’s doing well.

A pretty face stood beside the male celestial creature. I suspect she has depth in character. (wonder how I came up with that). Her fizzy hair atop her good posture tells me that she has confidence but lack the self esteem to project that inner energy outward. The Tiger eye hanging from her Nokia phone contrast her personality with circumstances. It felt like she is unconsciously looking for protection. In body hugging blue, I wonder how even the celestial creature can resist her.

I stopped just for a moment to feel the connection I felt with Mabe before. I caught her eyes. .. and continued walking. The creatures guard the entrance, the curve at the entrance of Ngee Ann is meant to capture energy and direct it to the entrance, the plots of vegetation are there for a reason, while the ashtrays are meant for smokers hahaahha

I wonder what Veron has for me. She wanted to catch up.

V: “This is Pearl. I would really like you to speak to her.”

(OMG Thought I would just have a normal catchup conversation with Veron)

P: ”I slept with someone I shouldn’t have.”

(What!!! IM not a Therapist!!)

S: “Are you …”

P: “It just happened. We talked, he came over… and left in the morning..”

S: “Watcha feeling at that time?” (Im trying very hard to be congruent with concern. Hey its late, Im not prepared for this, my sweat is just beginning to dry, I didn’t bring my cheat sheet while the lights at the café was buzzing like a bee on fire. Give me a break.)

P: “It actually felt good… .”

S: “Im talking about your feelings.:S”

P: “I felt like he knew me and appreciate my qualities as a person.”

S: “What qualities are you talking about?”

P: “blahblahblah… I think I got it. Thanks.”

CASE CLOSED

I truly believe that many times people are fighting over airtime. What they want are just someone who they can comfortably communicate with without having to compete on time. For Pearl, it’s a release of tension that had built up from the lack of an outlet to release them.

In 8 character analysis, the practitioner will seek out a balance of energies to be more neutral. There are times when there is too much of a particular element without an outlet to release energy. Adverse circumstances can befall an individual. If for example, there is too much water composition in an individual, the feng shui practitioner will advise some wood element based accessories to provide an outlet for water energy.

Its an over simplified example, and it is to explain this concept. There are many more concept to bear in mind in 8 character analysis.

Wholeness

2006-12-02T21:29:00.000+08:00

James called today. I did up his house up for him. The house was designed with a cyber feel to it. One of those interiors that look like the inside of a UFO. (if ever we know what the inside looks like) He paid the designer $2,000 for that design. That excludes the markup that the design house put on the carpentry and furnishings. The final price made the design house look like a vampire. Hey I know the costs of these things. But if it seem like good value to James, its his money.

J: “The designer drew up the layout incorporating your advice and proposed the colour theme which I really liked.”

S: “That’s great! You must be really anticipating the completion of the project. Remember what I told you about the Northwest. Hope you didn’t compromise it.”

J: “I put the wardrobe there as you suggested. Just one thing.”

S: ”What’s on your mind?”

J: ”Im removing the study to expand the living room.”

S: “Whats that again?” :S

Its good that people like James would discuss changes to the layout of the apartment rather than take matters into their own hands.

Feng shui is designed to fit into a living area as a whole. Wholeness is crucial to good feng shui. Can you imagine if the apartment is designed with feng shui and leaving the living room open to negative energy? Its an exaggerated example. But that can compromise the energy base that resides.

In James case, a maroon rug will solve the problem as the study is wood based and is an unfavourable area.

If you have decided to practice fengshui, go with it and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on changes. Thinking you know when you don’t is as good as no feng shui.

#1 feng shui rule

2006-11-19T21:38:00.000+08:00

I want to emphasize again that feng shui has to be practical. While accompanying a friend to see an Interior Designer, I cannot believe my ears when I heard the ID say that a feng shui master insisted that a client sleep with his head pointing towards his favourable direction – which is diagonal to the orientation of the bedroom!

The ID’s mind must have gone blank when she heard that from the client. I would have stared right into the client with mouth open, thinking “What the crap have I got myself into?!?!”

How can an apartment be in harmony with the environment when it is not in harmony with itself. Its like the saying

“How would you be able to take care of others when you cannot even take care of yourself”

Yes. According to the text, a house can be considered feng shui. But it really grabs me like a level of resignation that these “masters” are so text book.

Yes. 11 individuals on a pitch obeying the rules can be considered a soccer team. But a great team gels and knows when and where to foul, where to attack, when to pass to feet, who should take free kicks, who to play keeper, and all that.

I shook my head in disbelief when I heard the ID’s encounter.

It’s a good thing my friend believes feng shui … . … is full of crap. It allowed me to keep an open mind to the ID’s proposals without interrupting with my feng shui principles. She particularly wants her whole place to have light effects blended with warm colours to bring out a natural feeling of warmth. This requires a false ceiling for the whole apartment as proposed by the ID. I have to say, the portfolio was impressive.

A lot of IDs play with false ceilings and down lights. From a feng shui point of view, whole ceilings without any significant depressions or L-shapes are fine. A ceiling with depressions as sometimes designed by IDs creates a downward force on the apartment. Beams take shape focusing these energies in specific areas of the place. if these designs are really desirable, it is best not to carve out walkways where the beams hang overhead. You can also designate cabinets below the beams to even out the walls.

In the event that your Mother-in-law insists on depressed ceilings, and you can’t kick her out of the house, you can segment up areas as an alternative. I don’t recommend ceiling fans, but if you must, give it a colour that is exhausted by your wall colour.

I’ve seen false ceilings built around air-conditioners. The air-conditioner will half protrude out from the ceiling. Very ugly sight. Don’t do that. Get your ID to design wholeness. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these small issues are insignificant. Feng shui is after all, making small big.

If many light points are used, it is best to keep them within your control. Do not have a switch that would turn on ALL lights. That sounds stupid, but there are people who do that for whatever reason. And for environment’s sake use more energy saving lights.

As I left the condusive ID selling environment, I cannot help but take a dig at the ID

“So how did you handle the challenge of designing diagonally oriented beds?”

“Oh I told them to fuck off!”

What a passionate designer

9d23r

2006-10-10T21:36:00.000+08:00

There is a place and time for everything. A relentless persuit of glory has to step aside for responsibilities that society has tied to everyone. A great man has the ability to go against social conditioning at the risk of his name. Absolute chaos or absolute grace occurs when an irresistable cogent meets an immovable conviction. Forbiddance is frowned upon without agreed congruence.

Sarah used to say "Every choice I've made is different since I've met you." But are the choices correct choices. I don't believe that a choice can be determined correct at the point of decision. Choices are made whatsoever, and its up to us to make them correct.

If there is one thing that Im unable to grasp in our inner world, it is that our outer world plays a huge influence on our inner world. And notwithstanding the progress of the society that we live in, our inner worlds do not keep up with outer world progress.

Mar always hype me up for positive reasons. What he means is that instead of letting the outer world influence our inner world, let the inner world take over the outer world. such transitions carry huge social risks. And many people are not ready to take on such risk... unless there is security in the outer world. We are both very lucky to be able to see the paradox of success. It doesn't mean that we are better than anyone else. It just means that we can see a cube instead of a square.

"To go to space, you need to have a medium" - Salsa

The dilemma of taking on the social world is made easier when there is linearity in thinking. It cannot happen without linearity... unless there is a medium. Mediums cannot take the place of linearity, but it sure makes up for absence.

The great man used mediums in place of linearity for success as linearity is as scarce as the giant squid. What if both linearity and mediums are present? I would have to say abundance.

The easy way out for commonality is to use mediums as an excuse. How rational is that? Well, the outer world sees it as rational. And it filters down to everyone's inner world. Does it sound simpler to look for a medium?

"I don't believe in forever" - Jess
"Its not up to you to believe" - Salsa

The lazy man takes the easy way out. What is the easy way anyway? How come a definition of the easy way is another's definition of the hard way? Why is it that many accept sub-standard? If only the pandora's box can enlighten me on this paradigm. Its all in the frame.

"Knowledge is power" - Whoever
"Knowledge is useless without application" - Salsa

The concept is not that abundance is achieved with mediums. But rather, mediums are essential for abundance. TO be able to see this cannot be trained. It takes an awareness within oneself to unlock the the chest of thought. The way to awareness is to be "here".

"Im attracted to punk" - Mabe
"No you don't. You think you are." - Salsa

There is a place and time for everything? I don't think so. Rather, there is something for every place and time. Belief is crucially diverse from trust... but how often we fail to realise the line that seperates them. Both have very different implications that influences thought and faih. Does thought and faith go together, and belief & trust don't?

"Im a visionary" - Jose
"You are in deep shit" - Salsa

The great visualizes the way to freedom through adversity. Going through adversity for freedom is the way of the courages. Taking the smart way to avoid adversity will always be the sticky point of the weak. With it goes the chance of freedom. Appalling as it seem that many choose the path to ultimate restraint.

The visionary sees the future. The courages takes on adversity to get to the future. The deligent succomb to adversity to stay relevant. The intellect avoids adversity. The buffalo works to have time to feed.

"I've earned respect" - Camara
"You are given authority" - Salsa

Awareness breeds the aptitude of calibration. It takes a man of high awareness to realise a lack of self-awareness. Conditioning often blur one's awareness. Are you aware of that?

Its been a long session of self-reflection...

Zodiac compatibility

2006-09-09T03:18:00.000+08:00

I drew this up for a small company which wanted to put it into their brochures so that people may want to keep the brochures. The original has much more packaging than this. But the information is the same.

This is a table that shows compatibility between people of different zodiacs.

Because of space limitation, I've changed the top row to the 1st letters of the particular zodiacs.

The sequence of the top row from left to right is the same as the 1st column from top to bottom.

Have fun checking out your compatibility with your partner and potential partners!

1 - Great
2 - Good
3 - Neutral
4 - Difficult

...

Steve Irwin

2006-09-07T00:43:00.000+08:00

I loved his shows.

I used to catch Crocodile Hunter Diaries thinking that I wanted to know whats happening in Australia Zoo. But then I realised that I'm addicted to his personality. Everyday at that particular hour, I will be craving for a fix. My fix was Steve.

He just do his stuff with so much contagious enthusiasm that it injects a virus into you. And bridging the TV and our interest with his enthusiasm, he educated the world about wildlife. He educated us about how misunderstood animals are.

There was an episode where Steve cried uncontrollably when Mary died. (and those weren't crocodile tears) You could just feel how much this life and dedication he has chosen means to him. This guy is for real.

If ever there was a show that was made great because of the host's enthusiasm, its Steve Irwin's. I'm sure Jeff Corwin (another good host) is at least as enthusiatic about animals as Steve, but the difference between them is that Steve can channel the enthusiasm right through the TV. Making you feel his enthusiasm. Thats why Steve is great. You don't feel that with Jeff.

A CEO may have the most innovative ideas in the world, but if he is unable to communicate ideas to management, his ideas are almost worthless. If he is unable to channel his enthusiasm to management, you get below-par standard.

And to be killed by a frightened ray......... its such a sad irony.....

I wanted to catch him when he visited Singapore in March. I skipped it thinking he would be here again since Australia Zoo has a good relationship with Singapore Zoo.

"I will catch him another time"

Now I catch him in the news.... ..

RIP Steve.

Spider!!!

2006-09-02T23:35:00.000+08:00

I don't know how.... but a teranchilla the size of my palm crawled its way into my room just now...... I guess the romance star in my room confused its vision. It crawled with a bounce in its step just like on TV!!! My jaw dropped..... Had I not recovered in time, it would have crawled right into my mouth. It looked like a crab at 1st! I was in a state of disbelief for a moment.

I recovered myself and threw it out of my house for trespassing into my property without a warrant.

"GET BACK TO WORK AND EAT SOME COCROACHES!!!"

"AND STAY AWAY FROM THE HORNET!!" (is it suppose to be the hornet that kills the teranchilla? nvm)

DAMN!!! I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture of it!

I should have also tested its reflexes so that it recieves proper training to survive in the wild. DAMN!!!

I swear!! It looked something like this.

.
.
.
.
.
Alright not exactly.

It actually looked something like this. But much darker. This is for real.

In feng shui, some people see spiders as good luck while others see it as bad luck. I don't know how significant are those spiders under your bed (not very much), but this teranchilla is DEFINITELY a significant find.

OH MAN!!!! A huge spider means a sign of HUGE LUCK!!!!

If it represents bad luck, i have thrown it out of the house. Bye bye!

In dreams, where the spider is or what its doing is an indication of where the unlikely wealth will come from. If you find one in your mail box, its a sign that you will recieve the good news in the mail.

This baby came in from my door.

That means wealth oppurtunities are going to walk right into my path!!!!

WOOOHOOOOOOooO!!!!!!!!!!

...

Friend or foe

2006-08-31T00:36:00.000+08:00

I've been having plumbing problems for almost the whole year. It can be interpreted from the annual stars for the year. But I will not go into that.

This is about something else. The phrase "your best friend is your worst enemy" has its origins from society which had already gone through every social circumstances. I actually believe more of the phrase "you are your own worst enemy". Both are enemies nevertheless.

My basin have been slanting like a half broken chopstick for some time and I'm finally going to replace it. I thought "hey since somebody is going to make money out of me, why not let it be someone in my network or extended network of friends.

I made some calls and found a friend's friend who does plumbing. I went through some trouble to get him to do the job for me. (wheres the customer service? nevermind) Lets build on our invisible implied bond.

He came, we talked and laughed. We chit chat about how we met my referral friend and some casual stuff. Then he quoted me an audacious fee! I have never heard of a basin so expensive! Its not gold plated, its not even bronze plated! OMG it became clear what his take on this was - a one time win-lose transaction. But because he was referred by a friend, and rejecting his services is not a good friendly gesture, I actually asked him to go ahead! Is that crazy or what?! I was caught in the moment!

Now I feel very stupid to have paid him. I should asked him to go fuck himself.

How did a situation like this arise? Can't anybody see the long-term potential of this? I could have referred even more business to him.

I'm not asking for a cut-throat price, I just expect to pay a reasonable fee. I checked the papers to look at basin prices and found that what I've paid is almost double those that are quoted in the papers!

What the hell is going on in this guy's head? I think that he realised the social game in play and went for the kill. If the plumber was someone I found from ads, I don't think they would dare quote me a price like that. They would be mindful of the competition. But since I'm a referral customer, he must have thought that I have no choice but to get his services. I'm an idiot not to call the plumbers in the papers. The deal is as good as closed. Because if I had wanted to find a plumber from ads, I wouldn't even have bothered to get in touch with him.

He will never get any business from me again. And I hope his business goes down the drain like his plumbing.

Now I even suspect that my referral friend is in cahoots with him and they will split the dough from the easy meat (me). Maybe he knew my weaknesses and instructed the plumber how to work on them. He may have guessed that I would not turn away someone I asked him to refer.

What has happened to good faith? I have another friend who keeps asking me questions about business and I have always provided him with well thought-out timely information and ideas. When I asked him recently for the same in return, he totally ignored my questions! What is going on here? Its not that I offered him my feedback conditionally... . well.... yes maybe there is a condition. A condition of good faith... ..

What has freaking happened to good faith? This guy I just met was chasing me down to meet me alone to discuss some business plans. I kept telling him we can talk over the phone, but he insisted on meeting. When I finally made time to meet up with him, he did not turn up! His excuse? "my friend refused to drive me down to the our meeting place" And he told me that after making me wait for half an hour! What kind of fucking excuse is that?!?! Since then I have filtered out his every attempt to contact me again.

What the bouncing jelly beans has happened to good faith? One of my favourite friends from school told me that he had a seminar to attend but didn't want to go alone. He didn't need to beg me to go. I agreed without raising an eyebrow. When I arrived, he tried to hard sell me mlm in a 3-pronged attacked with 2 of his "mentors"! Even while clearly knowing my stand on mlm! Thats the beginning of the end of our relationship. I can never trust him again.

What the bloody ass has happened to good faith? I always go to my favourite noodle stall to have dumpling noodles. Naturally I got to know the lady well. The more I go to have my noodles, the smaller my portions got! She must have thought that since I'm a regular, I will keep going back whatever portions she gave me! OMG .... dream on baby... ..

What the sesame seed buns have happened to good faith? I bought a notebook from a big name company and got one that does not meet the specifications stated in the brochure. I asked to exchange for the notebook with the specifications in the brochure. They refused! And have the audacity to ask me to upgrade to a higher performance notebook and top up the difference! I gave them a piece of my mind and reminded them of the Fair Tradings Act! Only then, they offered to give me a top up dicount of $50 if I upgraded my notebook selection! OMG..... I just want what I paid for..... is that too much to ask... ..

And what the wicked willy has happened to good faith? I have supported my favourite soccer club for almost 20yrs. And they won't even win the 1st 3 games of the season for me! Please get a quality midfielder and right back...

Its a crazy world out there. And I'm only living on a dot.

Feng shui sex test

2006-08-30T01:37:00.000+08:00

The most innovative ideas come from crazy bullshit conversations

I happen to be having one with the guys (as usual). We were talking about how interesting relationships feng shui were. How they can see the compatability of a couple by feng shui is rather fascinating. Being able to predict the dynamics between partners by feng shui fascinates me till today.

Then....

"Is there a feng shui sex test?"

I've never thought of feng shui in that way. But what applications and implications would a feng shui sex test have? A "feng shui sex test" would be a marketer's dream come true. But a product with a catchy heading needs to live up to it.

So this has got me thinking...

The only part about feng shui that I can relate to sex is all-conquering romance energy. So powerful that even a nuclear bomb will cause no penetration! (pun? anybody?) That is thinking in a box.

Lets try to explore outside the box.

Maybe partners of particular zodiacs matches will have great sex! I'll think about that

Maybe certain combinations of elements at the right time will induce an atmosphere for exploding testosterones! I'll look into that

What if you are exposing red g-strings to your partner alone in your bedroom dancing to a "lamppost"? At the fire passion sector of the house! And facing your most favourable direction!!! Wait.. .. in that situation, you're probably going to get down on it whatever the elements are....

What if you were to clump all your dragon tortises, gem trees, crystals, etc together and place them at the corner of your romance sector? I'll write that down.. .

What if you were to sit in front of the computer all day thinking about some crazy bullshit conversations you had with the guys? Definitely worth a try.... damn i live in a box....

Elemental partnership

2006-08-28T00:37:00.000+08:00

I could feel the speaker getting wet from the tears down Faith's cheeks over the phone.

Faith: I thought he was the one
Me: Faith baby, what did I tell you your personal element is?
F: Water
M: Whats your "one's" element?
F: Water
M Faith baby, your "one" should be someone really compatible in a more democratic relationship. Not the one you were in with that jerk. He is probably of the earth element. Your destroyer! ahahahh (that was maybe an inappropriate joke)
F: So how can I find him?
M: Faith baby, I'm not a matchmaker
F: Why you never told me this about democracy before?!
M: Faith baboon, I did. You never pay attention, you monkey!

Everyone has a personal element. It can be found by refering to the day you were born in 8 character analysis. In your 8 characters, you can find the element of your marriage partner. I assume that the marraige partner is the "one" unless you like to stock up on divorces and awe at your own accomplishments.

In the case of Faith, her "one's" element is similar to her self element. That means that he will be one who is very similar to her personality and will provide emotional support. Their relationship will have many "friend" qualities. (this is not redundant bullshit. many of us do not have "friend" relationship qualities with our partners) Because of this, there is a high chance that she will run into him as or through a friend or competitor.

In this case, her "one" would probably have water self element as well so that it tallies with her's. 2 complex formulas make a beautiful equation.

However the "one" may or may not be benificial to anyone. This is dependant of the strength of the self element. This is why sometimes, a great lover is describe as a "jinx". Its because the "one" is not favourable to the 8 characters.

So instead of marrying a "jinx", you marry a jerk.

朦朧夜

2006-08-27T00:25:00.000+08:00

The funny and ingenious thing about Chinese dialects is that 2 different persons who speak different dialects will not understand each other. For example, a Cantonese and Teow Chew may not understand each other's language. But if they were to write down what they are saying on paper, they would understand what the other is saying.

I'm Hokkian.

無你的要求我無去
心情吗不知在佗位
孤单走车满的路边
佗也無要想要去

先是不知要去佗位
想来想去我强看着
看这马西里要离开
是在做梦才是希望

無我的孤单这车不离
不甘看你有珠泪
不甘看你無安慰
無气也勉强跑上去

外扣来一阵大雷声
魂走九霄三千里
無人需要这勉强
無人给人将利用

Morning papers

2006-08-26T01:16:00.000+08:00

I recieved a call early in the morning while reading the papers.

Caller: I have a problem
Me: What is it?
C: My 3 legged frog is not going to be effective.
M: Where are you placing it? (have to know if its a common hostile area)
C: Coffee table.
M: How high is the table?
C: About 40cm off the ground.
M: What color is the table? (im checking out the elemental energy of the table)
C: Black.
M: What else is on the table? (check for hostile objects)
C: Most of the time my feet.

(dogs like the smell of our feet. maybe a frog would like it too)

M: Do you know which directional sector you are placing the frog? (maybe its at the fire sector)
C: North
M: Well it sounds alright to me. Why do you think theres a problem?
C: Its made of paper.
M: WHAT!?!?!?

I've never heard of this one before and it totally caught me by surprise. Its not the material that surprised me. Its the audacious and somewhat desperate attempt to make one out of paper that did it for me.

ahahahahahahahha I laughed till my eyes got wet

If you ask me, paper is a definite no-no. (hahahahh) Its too fragile and lightweight, unable to hold its own. The 3 legged frog is suppose to be a celestial creature. How is it suppose to make good use of its influence if it already has a problem holding its own?

Who is selling these paper frogs?! I resisted myself from asking caller if it was self-made.

I've seen 3 legged frogs made of wood, brass, jade, plastic. Most of the time they are coloured in gold. In the case of jade, green. Hanging onto a coin, you can guess what its suppose to bring you. In the case of paper, it must be off to pay for its insurance plan. You need insurance, fire insurance especially if you are made of paper.

Sometimes I still wonder why the frog is not demonstrating one of the values that was taught to most of us. And thats the value of humility. Showing off its fortune for all to see. I don't go around holding my bank account in my hands, not to say the least, my mouth. Why can't it at least hold the dough in its hands. It has heavenly powers anyway. Holding something with its hands (i mean front legs) makes more sense. How is it going to feed with a coin the size of its head in its mouth? Don't give the excuse of not being able to stand upright with only 1 hind leg. Its not celestial for nothing. And whats with the colour? Why is it always gold?

Froggy friend, why not take a shot at superstardom by modelling your famous friend Kurmit. Host a show, go green (theres a lot about global warming nowadays), keep your money in a bank instead of between your lips. I'll still need you at home whatever decision you make by the way.

Other post with frog

FS

Why can't I get through?!

2006-08-25T00:09:00.000+08:00

I was suppose to meet Edwin at 1pm today at Khatib to survey some sites. He smsed to change the time to 2pm when i was already on my way to meet him at 1pm. (why?! why!? why?! why must today be a day of conflict between wood & metal?!)

*Feng shui guide: Wood and metal are conflicting elements in nature. Metal chops wood.

That means I have at least 1hr to burn if I'm on time. And more if I'm early!! (why!? why didn't i polish my mystic knot this week!?). As fate would have it, im a couple of minutes early. (why!? why!? why?!)

*Feng shui guide: The mystic knot is affectionally referred to as the endless knot. There is no start or end reflecting a continuous cycle of birth and rebirth. Its a symbol of longevity and good health.

Well there is no point rotting at Khatib, I wanted to check out the neighbourhood. But 1st I have to get a drink. Its a very warm day. I'm sweating even though I tried moving like a sloth to use minimum effort. I need some green tea!

I got my drink and have a sit beside the walkway of the MRT station. I'm enjoying my drink. Its so cold that its dripping from the sides like my sweat down my back. I'm gonna be sick man. (i'll rest for another 5mins & then i'll check out the neighbourhood)

This girl, maybe around 12 walked towards my direction on the walkway from the left. She was wearing green sandals (wood), Im in metal white. (i just knew it was going to happen) When she was about 45degrees from my front left, her direction changed in a way Shumi would be proud of and came right at me!

She stopped in front of me, cluching a left fist full of coins, palm up (the thought that she wants me to have them zipped through my mind) The left hand is a gesture of giving. The right is a gesture of taking.

Girl: Why can't I call Malaysia?

Me: (eyes wide open) Then call for a pizza. (i saw her as a kid & made a stupid comment)

(she totally ignored my comment. no. to her there wasn't even a comment to ignore)

G: I called the number and I hear ". .. ...service unavailable..." What number should I call?

M: The number that you want to call. (what else! another stupid comment)

G: No. Before my number what should I dial?

(If i had my way i would have told her "8888" as we are in flying stars period 8. but 2 stupid comments have already lower my value considerably to a kid)

M: Try "0203" (i remembered dialing something like this when i called across the causeway)

G: 0203? I called the number and I hear ". .. ...service unavailable..." Why can't I get through?

M: Thats probably because the service is unavailable. (are we on the same page here?)

G: Then why you say 0203?

(i started to think that im getting into a cotton candy type of conversation)

M: I think I dialed that number before. On my mobile and at home.

G: Why can you get through at home?

(this is getting more and more like an interrogation. and im already sweating like a pig)

M: Maybe because the house is subscribed to that service? (im getting defensive)

G: Which house?!?!? Whose house?!?!

(THATS ENOUGH!!! my house!!! no more!!! please!!!! no more!!!)

M: May be those house. (i pointed to the houses in front of us)

G: WHICH HOUSE!!!

(at this point ive had enough. why must it be a day of conflicting elements!?)

M: Ok kid. I don't know why you can't get through on the public phone. You see those houses? (i circled them with arm) Anyone of them may be able to get through. Which one? I don't know. Why don't you go house to house and knock on their doors to ask the same questions you are asking me.

(i can see that she sensed me grabbing the dialogue control by the throat and became a cute 12yr old again)

G: You said about 0203. Can I try on the public phone?

M: By all means go ahead.

G: Can I try it on the public phone?

M: Yes. Please. Go and try.

G: Can I?

M: Yes. Please. Go and try.

G: Can I really?

M: Yes. Please. Go and try.

The moment she picked up the phone. I decided to start my previously abandoned plan to check out the neigbourhood. Somehow I had the feeling that she will ask me the same questions again if i stayed in her sight.

Man.. .. . I always run into the weirdest situations

FS

Format M:

2006-08-23T02:12:00.000+08:00

SMS in: Wan to meet up for lunch?
Reply: No lunch 2day
SMS: Want to meet at Bishan for cofi?
Reply: Ok wat time?
SMS: 5
Reply: Ok

Its been a long time since I saw Tabo.

The last time I asked him out, he was so tired from work that he suffered a concussion in bed. So it was great to see him again and an even better gesture from him to ask me out. We have a long but compressed history. A lot happened in a very short time.

I cannot help smiling the moment I saw him emerge from the train station. You know the feeling you got when you saw your parents after 2 weeks of confinement in Tekong? Its a realisation that after suffering so much from all the disciplined circuit training, gym training, obstacles course trainings, clicks after clicks of running, the mental stress don't matter anymore. If going through all that means a chance to talk to someone who "gets it", its more than worth every braincell burst.

Its great to have people without hidden agendas around. No beating around the bush, no hidden meanings, no need to be tactful, frank and straight forward answers. There isn't a need to be on your guard. And Tabo is more than that.

Lately I've been working on a lot of assignments. I'm not one to stress out but its tiring. (maybe i need to settle down) A good catch-up will format my mental harddisk (at least temporarity). I'll burn my work folder into a thumbdrive. Reinstall my OS later. And copy the folder back after that.

Tabo: I'm going to Japan.
Me: !!! What?! When?! Who?! Why?!
T: Early next month. With a colleague. I'll be there on training for 3 weeks.
M: *relief* I thought I've lost you as well.
T: Don't be crazy.
M: Do you think the Japs will describe feng shui as "KAWAII" or "OEISHI"? No maybe it will be "SODESHNAE" (i have hardly any idea what these terms mean)

So we were catching up at the coffeeshop and I noticed the new library. Its transparent. I didn't go to inspect the general architecture, but my guess is that its see-through from the other side as well.

I have never liked transparent buildings. I'm sure many you have heard about the expression "like a knife right through" when the main door of a house aligns with an opening at the back. Energy entering will run right through the main door and out by the back which such force that it is deemed harmful.

If a knife is use to describe that, a fork will be used to describe see through buildings. It may be pleasing to the eyes and look unique in a way, but its bad feng shui even if the building has a good facing with favourable energy entering. Would you want a Ferrari to slow down when it passes right beside you or zips right pass at 250km/h?

I don't know the layout of fittings in the library, but I hope they are laid out somewhat curved so as to slow down the energy that will enter from the see through sides. You don't want energy that surges right though a building. However, there are no residents there.

And spare some thought for the ladies in minis. If they were to pick up a book near the sides, coffee shop chit-chat will come to a stanstill. The only chit chat in the moment of time freeze will be "white or pink?".

feng shui

2 grandfather stories

2006-08-20T14:28:00.000+08:00

I've always had people ask me why must they fall out of love, expecting me to give an answer about the unfavourable elements. These are times when it seems that they are vulnerable and seeking direction. Is that so? I don't like to see friends without soul, even temporarily. Its just not right.

Most of the time they already have the answers they seem to be seeking. They just want validation.

I've given answers ranging from subscribing to M1 instead of Starhub (take that starhub! for not rewarding my loyalty) to listening to White Zombie instead of Britney Spears. These make more sense than feeling bad about yourself for failing to gain someone's acceptance.

Sometimes I even give them a good ticking off.

Everyone of us are playing games. One of them is the game of competing with yourself. There is the you that knows that success takes hardwork. (unless of course, you are not fed by a silver spoon but a golden ladel) And there is the you that just wants to get in bed and just cuddle. Getting a leg up on the lazy monster is tough. When you allow the lazy monster to hold the remote control, you are exposed to the whatever-happens-happens menatlity. When you want to watch the news on FOX, lazy monster will not give you the remote.

You feel down because you allow yourself to. Not because of the elements. Don't find excuses for yourself. The weird thing is most people want to be taken away by an irresistable force. Or use a reasonable excuse acceptable to the audience. They see themselves as the audience! When they are in fact, the lead actor! They are just too lazy to go against the game of life. Read more about social game here.

Every day you are moving towards an outcome. No matter what you do, you cannot stop or reverse time. If your day starts at 6am, you can be sure that you will hit 6pm. To have the same things and in the same state you are at 6am, its very simple. Just do nothing or follow your routine.

"Just give lazy monster the remote... I'll watch what it wants to watch."

To end up with something instead of nothing, you got to get moving. You got to drift, you got to parallel park, you got to drive with a stick, you got to step on it and watch out for the speed camera at the CTE!

Many people like predictability, thats why they are contented to stay where they are. They can predict what they would have at 6pm. And they dare to say that their lives are unhappy! Who is allowing that to happen?!

If doing something that can hamper the predictability of the outcome at 6pm, the thought is thrown out. Because one cannot handle the prospect of getting into a situation that can possibily be out of his control. One even gets rid of lazy monster and spring into action when it is thought that predictability is compromised - to resurrect lazy monster...

"What if things turn out worst rather than better off at 6pm?"

"What if I am unable to catch the show thats scheduled to air at 6pm?"

"What if my day ended at 7pm rather than 6pm?"

what.. . .what. . . .. what ur cb

In the end, many choose to do nothing.
Just go with the flow of what life throws at you.
Absorb the impact.
Wait for the next onslaught.

Me: "Why does this happen to you again and again?" I whipped the Tequila in
Heartbroken: "Because you cannot go against the elements. Thats what you said before. Its my fate. This is what I am. I have to accept it."
"FUCK YOU! You are a FUCKING loser! Finding excuses as it is easier to live with yourself this way. Blame the elements!? OMG If you carry on this way... .. we all know whats going to happen. The next bottle's on you by the way." (i could have never said to accept IT as feng shui is all about change. if we are to accept everything that life throws at our direction, there is no need for feng shui. and this is not all about feng shui. its about your inner self)"
"Talk to me!!!!"

I like to tell stories and use simple examples to illustrate my point.

An old feng shui story goes like this.

One day the best life reader in the world gave a young genius a reading. This kid had the potential to achieve great things. The world around him knows his success will be inevitable rather that "very possible". The reader read his life like a book.

"You will achieve great success. You will be a millionaire by age 23. You have potential the world have never witnessed. You will blah.. . blah . . .blah..."

Hearing this, the kid sat on his genius ass waiting for his fortune to come.

Do you think he will fulfil his potential?

Another story goes like this

A religious man lives in a poor village. A Flood came and he had to climb up the roof. All the while the water was rising. It rose to his ankles.

A row boat came to rescue him. He said "Its alright. Save the others. God will save me."

Then the water rose to his chest. A motor boat came to rescue him. He shouted "Just go. God will save me."

The water kept rising. This time he had to tilt his nose up to breath. A helicopter came and lowered a ladder to save him. He waved the helicopter away. In his mind "Leave me. I have faith that God will save me."

He drowned and ran into God. He was furious and complained. "I have dedicated my life to you and just when I needed you most, you did not even turn up!"

God: "I tried to save you. I've sent the row boat, motor boat and the helicopter to save you. But you turned them away!"

So get off your fat ass and do something.

I've had this question thrown at me again and again

"Can anyone survive on faith alone?"

Honestly, i don't have the answers.

Why don't you ask yourself "What is faith?"

...

Somerset site feng shui

2006-08-18T00:58:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to write about this since I saw the Straits Times front page this morning.

Australian property powerhouse Lend Lease put in an AUDACIOUS $1,455 psf bid for the site at Somerset.

Its the area beside Specialist Shooping Centre. You know.. .. the carpark that rains bird shit all day. (somebody is feeding those birds too much)

So is it worth that much in terms of feng shui?

That what I'm going to explore.(i would have put in a bid myself if the price is around 2 ½ cents psf...)

In the picture, rite at the center where you see the cute green bushy stuff is the main identifiable area of site in question. It actually stretches beyond the trees to Somerset Road. It also stretches left to the area behind Orchard Shopping Centre. You can see that 3 buildings surround the site. The one on the left is Orchard Shooping Centre, on the right is Specialists Shopping Centre. The one on the left below Orchard Shooping Centre is UOL Building.

If the facing of the new building is built parallel to Orchard Road, it would have a facing of around north, making the sitting at south. Thats my estimate from the map from Google earth.

If I were to put 8 house feng shui into practice, this makes the building a Kua 9 east group building.

The Extermination 六煞 and Demise 绝命 locations will be taken up by UOL Building and Orchard Shooping Centre respectively. There goes 2 problems.. .. . just like that. Its a masterpiece.

The Loss 五鬼 location will be the sector behind Orchard Shooping Centre. I recall that there is a dirty canal there. So its not surprising that its a bad area. Its best to keep this area away from the public eye. Make it something like the kitchen of a fancy restaurant. People eat at the dining area without ever seeing the kitchen.

A loss is incurred as the Health location 天医 is taken up by Specialists Shopping Centre/Pheonix Hotel at the southeast. This is a favourable location for health. Just too bad its taken up.

Another problematic sector is at the northeast. This is the area of Adversity 祸害. Although this seems to be an area of very high traffic, there are bound to be problems like accidents, internal conflicts, most prone to public complants, etc.

The best sector inevitably falls at the east. This is the area of Flourish 生气. If you are highflyer aiming to flying to the moon, this is the best area to rent a unit.

If the main entrance is at the north facing, expect to have more mature patrons.It would be most favourable for the main door to be at the east sector. But thats not practical. Have a secondary entrance at the east.

Finally, the south is also a favourable area of the site. I don't see any big feng shui concerns for the south. Thats so easy for me to say. (im in the comfort of a sofa chair fingering a dual-core processing machinery)

Alright! There you have it. Simple 8 House feng shui. 4 favourable and 4 unfavourable sectors.

Its a good site if you look at the basic 8 House feng shui analysis. Bad sectors are put into missing sectors. Only 1 real unfavourable area to note of.

Definitely worth more than my 2 ½ cents psf potential bid.

And I thought this is going to be my year... .

.....

Brochure layout design feng shui

2006-08-17T00:52:00.000+08:00

I was consulted by a friend for feng shui design about the layout of a brochure.

Seeing that this is a year of earth, the logical 1st thought that came into my mind is that the brochure has to have an earth or metal presence. You cannot go wrong with that.

*Feng shui guide: It is actually a year of fire and earth. As fire nutures earth, and currently being in a period of earth, the focus should inevitably be on earth.

Me: "Earth. Yellow."
Friend: "What!? It will look like a BANANA!" he shot back instantaneously
I recollected my thoughts....... ...
M: "Think more of the fibre in a banana. Those who have problems clearing their bowels would love to have a banana. Some people will crave for a banana without even the hope of getting one. The banana is 1 of the most famous fruits around ranked below apple and orange. I personally feel that its about time more recognition is given to banana. Orange should be relegated 1 spot below banana. Surely banana have enjoyed as much publicity as the other 2 rivals. There are Apple computers, Orange Julius, but don't forget Banana Republic." (im not sure how those words got out of my mouth. maybe its the after effects of last nights party)
F: "Hey I remember the last time when you checked my characters, you said earth is not favoruable to me!"
M: "Did I say that?" (oh! i did)
M: "Try watermelon." (im pulling his leg)
F: "What the fuck does watermelon mean?!"
M: "Green and black stripes." (alright. enough bullshit!)
"Whats your data. I'll check it out for you."

He has weak wood self element. Thats why earth is actually not favourable to him. It can also mean that having abundant wealth is not beneficial to him. That is unless he is a follower of feng shui.

So elements that are favourable to him are water and wood. Elements that are unfavourable are metal, earth, and fire.

The question now is how to to apply his favourable elements in an unfavourable year.

We cannot ignore the annual elements. These definitely have more precedence than any personal elements. Since we are talking about precedence, lets simplify this.

Annual element--->Brochure--->Friend

Lets say the annual element has a structure of "a"
Friend has a structue of "c"
To harmonize them, Brochure has to have at least a structure of "a-b-c" to blend into both and play the role of matchmaker.
So Brochure must at least have "earth-fire-wood".

The brochure is the bridge that harmonizes the two conflicting parties. Annual element and friend cannot resolve their problems. So a conciliator or arbitrator in the form of the brochure has to be used.

As the anual element has precedence, brochure has to be more earth (annual element) based rather that wood (favourable self element) based. The colour has to be earth based. Orange, yellow, brown. Even better if brochure is square.

Now the layout is actually quite simple. Friend's trigram is at the east from the Later Heaven arrangement. (i've tried very hard to use limited jargon here). From the Early Heaven arrangement, (yes there is an early arrangement in case you were wondering why the former was named Later), the east is fire based Li trigram. East is also a sector of wood.

Fire is the link between earth and wood.

*Feng shui guide: Wood feeds fire, fire nourishes earth.

I adviced him to put something that represents him at the east of the layout. Preferably wood in colour. Justify the text in small paragraphs so that rectangle blocks will be created within the brochure, strengthening wood element. Justified text in large paragraphs may create squares. Align left or right would create irregular text which are attributes of water. You definitely don't want water to put out fire.

Finally, as fire is the harmonizing element it must also have a presence in the brochure. South is where fire resides. The company identity or the marketing theme should therefore be on the center top. Not top left or right, not bottom left right or center. Its best to leave these areas empty so that no other elements are activated by mistake.

*Feng shui guide: In common feng shui practice, south is seen at the top and north at the bottom. Not the other way around that we are used to.

As a final note, this is not a response enhancing brochure layout. You cannot go against the elements. Friend is already in conflict with the elements. This layout design is meant to cushion the negative impact he will recieve from the elements.

There is another way to approach this.

That is to have all the elements in the brochure. To have all elements in present in the brochure will eliminate any elemental bottlenecks as every element will now have an outlet to release its energy. Doing this will even out the strength of each element. Simple pie logic. If a pie is to be shared among 5 instead of 3, everyone will have a smaller share. However the size of portions can be influenced by proper feng shui. There isn't a need for that here.

This method also plays the role of a cushion under current feng shui conditions. But its a weaker cushion than the 1st method.

The 2nd method is commonly used by those that are new to feng shui as they have yet to grasp feng shui dynamics.

.-_%=

Life Insurance process evolution

2006-08-11T01:21:00.000+08:00

Nowadays, everywhere you go, you will find insurance agents. The insuruance company will set up tentage most commonly at bus-interchanges, shopping centres, simple insurance roads show, etc.

Sometimes insurance agents will seem as if aloof to the crowd. This is so that prospects will put down their programmed defences and actually go along a proper route. The insurance camp will of course be along these routes. When you do get near those insurance central controls, an agent suddenly jumps to life and go "Hi. Do you have any savings? Do you know that the bank only gives you 0.125% interest?"

If you were to think about you answer we would get hooked. No. Actually it doesn't matter whats your response. They are throwing a routine at you. Almost every response have a calculated reaction.

Coupled with knowing that insurance is almost a necessity, thats a scary combination. (you really don't know what can happen tomorrow) If you were to allow an insurance agent to put forth his routine presentation, you just know that he will make sense and you will be tempted to buy even of you already have a few insurance plans. But not wanting to spent time for their insurance pitches, we have programmed ourselves to

"I''m in a hurry" (suddenly walking with a purposeful destination in mind)
"Not interested" (shake of the head and waving of the palm)
Pretend to not notice the insurance agent if he makes the mistake of speaking too soft
or simply see through them like a glass wall (you have to fight poison with poison)
I've also seen the "dummy" executed to perfection by prospects. You know... the kind that fakes left, and when the opposition goes to your faked direction, you go right. Ronaldinho would be proud of these sidesteps.

This is evolution in process...

The need to feed made the cheetah evolve into a Spider.
The need to get away from the cheetah evolved the gazelle into a Carrera.

(those who are not familiar with cars will be confused in the last and next paragraph)
(Don't be mislead by the documentaries that you see where cheetahs always get the gazelle. You only see the exciting part. For every success of the cheetah, it probably made 9 failed attempts)

Just when I thought the insurance-prospect relationship cannot evolved anymore, (what a naive thought) I was hit by a stylish tail-gating Aston Martin. Giving me a joyride to somewhere I'm not interested in.

I was on the way to the sports complex.
Its a 1 stop train transit.
I was dreaming about making my debut in the new Premiership season...
when I notice this looker smiling at me and walking towards me (i just knew this new haircut is the 1 for me)
Hugging her like a sweet wrapper, if metal element is favourable, her white dress is a reflection of her confidence and humility. If unfavourable, it means that she may be too clever for her own good.
She stopped. (wearing red jasper, shes looking for love. her time is NOW!)
2 feet in front of me. (i can feel the elements igniting my aura)
Face to face. (come on! say the words i wanna hear!)
Our eyes were masterlocked for a few seconds (which felt like forever)

*Red jasper is commonly used as a love enhancer. However it may bring along other qualities depending of the users elemental compositions.

"Hi" I said
"Hi" She smiled (she must have got her teeth done. those are beautiful pearly whites!)
(smirk)
Her: Where are you going?
Me: I'm going home, and I want you to come with me.
No. I acually said "Just the next stop"
She laughed "I saw you and thought you would be approachable." (yes baby! with a smile like that you can coax a lion to lick between your toes)
"Oh is it?! My mother taught me not to talk to strangers"
"Oh Im Shirley. Now we are not strangers!"
Me: "Shirley, do you know what you are wearing?" I asked pointing to the stone
"Yah! Its a red jasper." she flashed it at me with a contagious chuckle.
"Do you know what it can bring you?" as I raised my chin
"Its suppose to bring me wealth!"
I shook my head as if indicating my disappointment.

That must have triggered something within her.

"Do you save your income? Do you know the interest rate that banks are giving you?"

!!!!

That line kicked me into automatic. I had to follow the evolutionary protocol and stare through her.

In a deeper tone "Do you have a savings account?" (of course i do! are you crazy!)

Alright I turned off as my testosterone left with the opposite train.... probably towards city hall. Shirley then offered to accompany me to the sports complex. (man.... she definitely knows what she wants) And I let her. We ended up having coffee at a seafood restaurant.

All through our conversation, she was saying insurance this, insurance that, concerns about my life term insurance, and auto insurance.... basically its health insurance, accidents insurance, and you've guessed it.... .. more life term insurance. CPF insurance, endowment insurance, unit trust.... OMG!!! Thats enough. (it must be the beam hanging over her head. her presentation sucks) If she's going to suck, I'd rather it be on something else. It may have been different if she got me the lobster. Sitting in a position semi-obstructing the walkway probably did her no favours either. Never underestimate the power of the elements.

Before we parted she wanted my number. ahahahha just you wait Shirley... you need a jasper the size of your fist to pull that off ahhahaha

This is something new to me. This is hyperactive lead generating. No longer are the days where insurance agents wait for passer-bys at their turf. If there was ever any doubt that those were active or passive sales behaviour, it doesn't really matter now. What I've encountered is definitely hyperactive, sniping me from a dimension I never knew existed. And if that was evolution, colleagues at the Toa Payoh bus-interchange roads shows will probably follow the evolution shift soon.

Now with this new breed of insurance agents, I start to wonder what is the next evolutionary phase. Since this new breed is a result of the responses and reactions, they are like the new superbug! New antibiotics are needed. Time will tell.

Actually insurance is something that everyone should have. I have insurance. (where are my agents?) But there must be more sophisticated ways to generate sales leads.

Now... . is being approached by a sophisticated lady insurance agent considered as a sophisticated way...?..

.......

Fireworks

2006-08-09T01:31:00.000+08:00

.......

Was invited to witness the spectacular fireworks display today.
I didn't know this was taking place at the Esplanade.

Being a member of the Elite Business Club, I have have access to the member's lounge at the top of Penninsula Plaza. There is probably no better place to witness fireworks held at the Esplanade.

But no. I've had enough of this.

I've had a fireworks display hangover since 2002 when I was involved in the management of the holding area for participants.

Many of you may have never heard about this. Let alone think over it. There are thousands of participants in the NDP. Not all of them perform at the same time. So when they are not performing, where are they? Surely they don't arrive 30 minutes before their performance, do their thing, and go home. Where are they?

They are at the Indoor Stadium. Every cue is coordinated to near-perfection.

During the preparations for NDP 2002, I'd seen fireworks after fireworks. I overdosed myself. Its not as spectacular to me as before my NDP assignment.

To make it worst, I live in the penthouse. Every fireworks display can be seen from my house. I'm not interested in fireworks anymore. You won't hear any oooooohhhhh.. ... ahhhhh.... from me. My adrenaline stays in hibernation.

And being witness to so many displays of aerial celebration, I really wonder when will more innovation be put into the displays. To me, the sequences, the variety, dare i say ferosity have never changed since 2002. (I don't take note of these before 2002)

Although the one in-charge may argue that there have been many changes to these since 2002, the point is that they are not noticeable. (at least not to me) Fireworks are visual displays. There has to be visual impact changes. Nothing new have caught my attention. (maybe there hasn't been any technological advances in this area)

NDP 2006 is also the last NDP to be held at this stadium. The National Stadium is going to be rebuilt after this.

Now that I've mentioned rebuilding, there is a sense of inevitability where I'm going with this.... .

Yes! Its the feng shui of the new stadium! I haven't seen a prototype of it. I just hope that its going to be breathtakingly awesome and extravagantly feng shui-ed.

Since we are in a period of earth. It is preferable for the stadium to face an earth element direction. Northeast would be best. The site does not necessarily have to be built parallel to the northeast. Just the facing would do. With the Kallang river nearby, it would also be good for the active water star to be located at the direction of river.

*Feng shui guide: The active water star is an expression of a dymanic energy form that has the attributes of wealth, prosperity, activities, etc.

My estimation is that a facing of between northeast 38 to 67 degrees would put the active water star (from the flying star charts) where the river is. And ... . lo and behold... this is also probably the best chart I've come across. Its a chart where every sector of the site has the presence of parent-string combinations. There is a drawback to this orientation though. It would be best for the facing northeast area to be less active with the sitting southwest to be more active. However, currently the northeast area is where most of the public enter the complex from. This makes it an active area. If this facing is used for the new stadium, the traffic flow should be configured to divert mass entry area to the east or southeast, if not the southwest.

*Flying star feng shui: The parent-string combination refers to star combinations of 1-4-7, 2-5-8, 3-6-9. This harnessess the luck of 9 periods.

There is another facing direction that should be considered for the new stadium. And that is to face southwest since there is a river located there, bringing prosperity to the stadium. However, this orientation also requires the northeast entrance to remain inactive with a facing direction of 203 to 217 degrees. Using this orientation, the north area should have the presence of a significant inactive water feature. A huge blue structure of irregularity can do the trick. The role of this inactive water feature is essential as there is a potential of fire hazards breaking out at the north area with this flying stars chart.

*Feng shui revision: Water traps energy to a more conducive condition for absorbtion by the site in question. That is why you should take full advantage of water that is present on a site. It is generally best for water to be located near the front or main door. This is so that fresh conducive energy will enter the site through the front or main door as they are used most often.

Since we are currently in a period of earth, the architecture should not clash with earth energy. So rectangles and irregular shapes are definitely best avoided. Triangles and pointed roof structures should also be avoided as earth energy would "exhaust" the stadium's energy.

Squares and spherical shapes will be best.

You can read on more about the new stadium's feng shui here.

*Feng shui guide: Different shapes have different attributes to elements. Rectangles are attributes of wood element. Irregular shapes are of water element based. Triangles and pointed roofs are fire element attributed. Squares represent earth. While shperes represent metal.

My best memory of the stadium was in 1994. (or was it 1993) When Stevan Tan put the ball through the legs (lobang!) of a certain Alan Davidson, and crashed in the winner deep into stoppage time. I have no doubt the elements were in Steven's favour that day.

Those were the days....
......

National Stadium feng shui

2006-08-09T01:29:00.000+08:00

The orientation of the new stadium should be 1 of two facings.
The first one being northeast 38 to 67.5 degrees.
The second to consider is southwest 203 to 217 degrees.

Lets look at them more carefully.

From the picture below, it can generally be seen where the north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest areas of the stadium are. I will assume that the new complex will be built on the same site of the current stadium. I will label this picture 1. The compass at the bottom left corner indicates the directions. North at the top, south at the bottom.

With an orientation of facing northeast 38 to 67 degrees, period 8, the mountain star 8 and water star 5 are present at the northeast sector. The base star is 5. Therefore the parent-string combination exist at this sector. In fact, for this facing in period 8, every sector of the site will have parent-string combinations of either 1-4-7, 2-5-8, or 3-6-9. The 8-5 combination at the northeast is not favourable for active engagement as the water star 5 is present. Danger looms for young men if no remidies are introduced. to exhaust the star 5 at this area, the presence of yang metal is needed. To enhance the mountain star 8, huge boulders can be used as decorative purposes in the northeast. A site with a sitting of southwest will be a Kun 坤 house and have the "flourish" 生气 location at the northeast. Keep this area open and inactive.
.
The flying star combination for the east is 3-6. This is a self neutralizing sector. The disharmony 3 is neutralized by 9. This area also makes for good entry points for people of stature.

A star combination of 4-1 exist at the southeast. This is a sector where couples may gather for privacy. Huge amounts of water will bring about too much romance activity . It will also be the best sector for those using the stadium for academic or project purposes to gather data with an overview of the stadium. For example, coaches will find this the best sector to analyse tactical switches. Apply wood element energy and insignificant water feaures.

The south has a combination of 9-6. Conflicting elements of fire and metal. Fire at heaven's gate when you take the early heaven trigram arrangement into consderation. Chien 乾 at south. Which can be interpreted at northwest at south. This is a prime area for crowd trouble between men. feature. The "extermination" 六煞 sector is here. Do not have any fire elements here. No pointed structures, triangles, red, purple. Use inactive water

The 2-8 star interaction and "growth" 伏位 location resides at the southwest. A properous area of dominant earth energy. Make this area active. However, misfortune may befall on women at this area. Best to erect a water feature here. It both energizes water star and exhaust the misfortune mountain star.

7-4 combination at the west. Possible accidents regarding metal structures. Women are very vulnerable. Increase yang energy at this sector. Also introduce symbolic water to harmonzie metal and wood energy. Using which, this may turn out to be a romantic area of the site. Not surprising as this is an open area near the river.

Northwest will have a 6-3 combination. It may turn out that this sector will perform much better than expected. Adult males may be prone to injuries in this area. introduce inactive earth energy.

Hazardous 1-7 combination at the north. "Demise" 绝命 sector. This will turn out to be a costly area to manage. Introduce earth element displays like crstals and stones. Be carefull as many people will pass this area to move from northeast to northwest.

Central combination is 5-2. Orignally bad combination cushioned by the parent-string combination in an age of earth. Controversial area as the field will be full of wood energy. Misfortunes are bound to happen on the field. But open field will benefit parent-string combination. This sector will have to be based on your judgement at the site.

The other facing direction to consider is southwest 203 to 217 degrees. Flying stars chart for this facing in period 8 is a mountain star sum-of-10 chart. The base star adds up to 10 with the mountain stars in all sectors. Further fueled by the timely mountain star 8 at the back, this is a very good orientation for sites built for harmony and togetherness. It will be most favourable to built a huge "mountain-like" structure at the back of the site.

The facing southwest has a 5-8 combination. This area will attract young people playing street games and getting injured. The river will be located here. Bringing prosperity and injury. An inactive water feature shoud be placed here to disarm the misfortune star 5. The "flourish" 生气 location will also be located here. This facing will bring prosperity to the site.

West sector has a 9-3 combination. Wood feeding fire. Looking at the map this can be an area for young entrepreneurs to exploit. However there is a tendency that that they will get into legal problems. No round object here. Do not have any "funny" features here.

The northwest area is good for media areas with 1-4 interaction. It would also be a good area for political leaders to enter from. Strong romance energy present. Maybe even too strong. May want to spill over the energy from west sector over for its fire energy.

"Fire at heaven's gate" at the north with 6-9 combination. Metal melt by fire. Possible crowd trouble area. Blue or spherical features will help control negative energy. The presence of earth will harmonzie the sector by linking up 6 and 9. Possible fire hazard also. Build a missing sector of possible as the "loss" 五鬼 sector is located here.

Northeast sitting with 8-2 combination. Have to activate the mountain star to reap the full benefits of this flying star chart. Even mountain and water star adds up to 10. In addition, the "growth" energy will be located here Can be a very good area. Be cautious a nd use remedies when 2 becomes timely.

4-7 at the east. Conflict area. "Extermination" 六煞 area. Note this sector as remedies have to be in place. Yang water features will cushion the impact.

Southeast sector will have 3-6 combination. Accident prone and "demise" 绝命 area especially adult males. Use yin water to harmonize the elements.

South is a loss area with 7-1 combination. Probably most of the public will not prefer to use this area. Also a hazardous area for injuries with metal structures. Use more blue in this area.

Central combination is 2-5. Orignally bad combination cushioned by the sum-of-10 combination in period 8. Controversial area as the field will be full of wood energy. Misfortunes are bound to happen on the field. Open field will benefit parent-string combination. This sector will have to be based on judgement at the site.

Make good use of the river nearby. Any feng shui layout should exploit the positive energy that the river brings. We are currently in the period of 8. Earth element is dominant. So do not buile building that are in conflict with earth. Let the earth element energy enhance the site rather than deplete its energy

Also note the traffic flow to the stadium. Currently most arrivals are from the north. If the new site does not change the traffic flow, take precautions and exercise remedies as north in both northeast and southwest charts are not favourable. Do not rule out using facings other northeast and southwest.

Also note the locations of the annual grand duke and 3 killings when the site goes under construction. They are at northwest 293-307 degrees and north respectively in 2006.

.....

Integrated Resort originality?

2006-08-05T22:17:00.000+08:00

Have you ever bought a pair of slippers in Bangkok thinking its unique, only to find everybody wearing it on your return home?

If you haven't already heard, there is an uncanny similarity in the architecture of Abu Dhabi Gate District with the Singapore Intergrated Resort casino haven at Marina Bay. Its like getting 2 Aces at the blackjack table in the casino. I am shocked to see this picture. Take a look.

The uniqueness of the designs lies in the linking up of a few buildings by connecting the rooftops.

Now I'm wondering how original our design really is....

Although the 2 majestic sites have differently funtions and assembly, that is the least that is on people's minds. When we go shopping, we look for designs first. The materials, cutting, etc are secondary in our minds. We only talk about the secondary issues if the design catches our attention. (at least thats how i shop)

Since this is about the visual design, the issue is the similarity in architectural visual impact. Not the funtions or assembly. There is definitely a resemblance to our casino resort. So I have to find out more about this design. What I found next is both a relief and shock. I'm relieved that the design is not THAT simlar.

This is a spetacular view of the site.

OMG!!! Feng shui masters who were critical of our casino architecture in its visual impact must be having a field day!! Owners of this site must be relieved that its not a casino. I don't think we would find slot machines, roulettes, blackjack tables, or poker kings there.

There were many feng shui views of the Singapore Integrated Resort (i just call it casino for short), feng shui masters talked of how it looked like a blade, broken flyover, tomb, etc.

I came across a feng shui master's view of this Abu Dhabi project saying that the Intergrated Resort design is not original, and that it is not good in feng shui principles. The 4 blocks of the AbuDhabi arranged in an arc is better than the 3 joss sticks of the IR.

What has an arc got to do with 3 joss sticks!? I really cannot see the link. An arc is very vague, while 3 joss sticks is very specific. If feng shui is based according to architectural resemblance to objects, is that not only 1, but a few "arc" sickles I see in this picture?

If any feng shui principles are being refered to.... man... it must be the principle of .... i don't know.. .... first impressions???

For me, the only feng shui priciples that I can see from these pictures are the principles of energy flow. I can see a restriction energy flow and movement with the site. In fact, energy may be directed by the bigger 4 building arc towards the taller tower causing a potential energy bottleneck area. That is hostile. Another concern is that the 2 curved buildings at the center will trap and restrict energy flow within itself.

However there may already be feng shui remedies planned. Just that I have no access to those information. The only thing on my mind is having access to our casino as soon as possible.

A compelling point is made about the resemblance though .....

......

Feng shui reverse engineering

2006-08-05T04:29:00.000+08:00

Its amazing how daily elements can mean to you if you are able to interprete them correctly. The Hsia calendar is a calendar that shows dominant elements of each day.

For those who have their 8 characters tabulated and understand the interaction dynamics of the elements with you, you can have a good idea what is in store for you.

Thurday was a day that the calendar said I would meet an aquintance. As 3rd August is in the variance of very late summer in a month of Wood and Earth. It is more likely that this aquintance will be an ally rather than an adversary. (only applicable to me)

Who was I suppose to meet? Is it the lady whom I buy noodles with fishcake, luncheon meat and fish paste from almost every morning? (that one i know will meet already) Or will it be the general manager of Starhub telling me that I'm finally rewarded for my loyalty? Never did I know that it is someone I would meet in cyberspace.

I ran into a Blogger template I liked on Thursday and mailed the creator about certain problems expecting her ignore me and say "Go and fuck yourself! Don't blog if you don't know html!".

"Its a 50/50 chance if I were to initiate. While its a 0/100 chance if I do nothing." (This phase is so outdated)

Well, I got a positive response and recieved more assistance than exepected.
I presume that the designer is the one mentioned in the calendar. (just a guess) So now I'm going to tally up the readings and guess the range of her birthdate if it is indeed her that he Hsia calendar is refering to. (this will be fun)

The person that who I would meet is of the Rat zodiac as described in the Hsia calendar. (only applicable to me. take a look at the hsia calendar if you have one. you will see the rat on 3rd aug) Those with Rat zodiacs are generally hardworking, determined, industrious and intelligent. I don't know how old she is. So she should be born either in the Rat years of 1996, 1984, 1972, 196... no, I don't think she's that old. I dont' think she's 10 year old either. So its either 1984 or 1972. Now lets look at those 2 years.

1972 is the year of the Water Rat. The ruling elements are water and water. (She must be a very wet rat!) Since it is through web designing that we met, metal element will probably be quite influencial to her. So she will probably be born in the months which metal is available. I'm looking for months which metal is the 2nd element. This means months 7 and 8 are relevant. Now lets look at those months more clearly.

*I classify web designing as of a metal element industry
*I use month 7 instead of July as month 7 is not July. (what else do you think!?)

Month 7 is a month of earth and metal.

Month 8 is a month of earth and metal

1984 is the year of the Wood Rat. The ruling elements are wood and water.The months with metal as 2nd elements are month 7 and month 8.

Month 7 is a month of water and metal

Month 8 is a month of water and metal.

Alright thats basic data tabulation. (very basic)

Those with Rat zodiacs are generally hardworking, determined, industrious and intelligent. As a key aspect of Water Rats are being good negotiators, I will write off 1972. (She never even attempted to negotiate any crap)

Whereas, Wood Rat zodiacs are artistic and have strong work attitudes. (Bingo!) Her designs are wonderful and also gave me an impression of a good work attitude.

Now I'm left with month 7 and month 8 of 1984. Lets take a look at these 2 months again.

The earth flying star is present in month 7.

While the water flying star is present in month 8.

Earth will exhaust the Wood Rat. Making those personal characteristics mentioned earlier insignificant.Water will nourish the Wood Rat. Enhancing those personal traits.

My guess is that she must be born in the 8th month of the 1984 Rat year in the Hsia calendar. September 7th - October 8th 1984 of the Gregorian calendar.

Well if I had a copy of her birth data I can be sure that she will have a surplus of wood or fire elements. I guess I will never know the correct answer. (whooo.... good thing i cannot find out the answer)

*Feng shui guide: The Rat are allies with the Dragon and Monkey. It is very close to the Ox. So look out for these friends when you go out!

*Feng shui reminder: The prediction of the Hsia calendar of meeting an ally is only applicable to me. It would tell another story with someone else with other elemental compositions as the same elements will mean different things to different people.

......

Face readings & what your eyes (don't) tell

2006-08-02T01:53:00.000+08:00

So I was waiting for Darren at Lido McCafe today. (why am I early?). This middle age Chinaman came up to me. I cannot put my finger on the physical difference between a Chinese from China and a local Chinese. We are all Chinese. But Somehow, you can distinguish between a local and a Chinaman.

My first impression was that he will be asking for a light.

"You are going to have a good future in the stock market. I can see from your facial features that you will have a good financial career. I can read your future. $10 for a reading.”

Before I could answer.

“Before you answer, imagine I can tell you those just like that. There is so much more a can tell you. For a nominal fee, you will know how to make those desires happen!”

In a split second:
[I don’t know how much longer Darren will take.
This guy is attempting to rip me off.
I know what he is going to say will have no basis.
I’m sitting here with nothing to do.
Maybe I should buy some jade.
I have to pay my bills.
Spurs beat Inter Milan. Ghaly looks good.
Shumi is going to kick Alonso’s ass.
Israel has stopped their strikes on Lebanon(at least for a couple of days)
But hey! For entertainment and a good laugh, why not?
Maybe he will tell me how a I can be President.]

*Fact: The mind has more processing power than all the super computers in the world put together.

Me: “$5! Take it or leave it” (I know he will agree)

Chinaman: “Hey how can you put a $5 price on your future. Lets not take this as a discount but as you only buying half the information that I will give you. Just that I will tell you EVERYTHING!” (he would make a great marketer)

Entertainment before the money! That’s already a good pre-sales strategy!

C: “$5 please” What am I doing? This guy is ripping me off! But lets see what kind of entertainment he will give me.

M: “Here” (with an extreme stare and smirk) I’m making sure that he knows that I think he will be full of crap.

C: “Now that I have a better look at you, no, you are not suitable for the financial sector (there goes my holdings). But you will become a successful businessman in a couple of years. You have a boss’s life.”

M: “What industry?”

C: “You are impatient. I can tell from your features. (damn! my eyebrows probably gave it away. Should have kept my poker face) You will succeed in the engineering industry. (WHAT!?) You must be studying engineering in 1 of the Universities. (i take that as a compliment for someone in his late 20s) Don’t worry you will do well. Just don’t’ stress yourself too much. (is this going anywhere?)

M: “But I don’t do engineering”

C: cutting me off “Yes but you will excel in this kind of business. You should definitely pick it up if you want to be successful. (is that a routine response or what!?) And your love life will be wholesome.” (great. he’s changing the subject)

M: “Wait. So I should go into engineering to succeed in life. Is that what you are saying?” (I raised my eyebrows)

C: he noticed my eyebrow movement! (intriguing) “It is really up to you to decide, I cannot ask you to do what you don’t want to do. But…. If you go into it, you will not face any financial problems.” (I’ve just been down-graded from successful businessman to no financial problems)

M: “So what about my love life?”

C: “I can see that you are waiting for your girlfriend at the moment. (hahahhah) This is the one that you should consider settling down with. She must be an independent career woman.” (so im an engineering student dating a career woman! Life doesn’t get better than this!)

He went on with this crap for around 10 minutes without getting anywhere. (so what new?) And asked me if I wanted him to feng shui my house. (this is going too far!)

M: “Oh, feng shui you are saying. What are the interacting elements for today?”

He was stumped!

C: “Yes. The elements are important for feng shui in any house. I can determine the layouts for your furniture. Where to place the alter. The dragon tortoise…..”

M: “What are the interacting elements today?” I cut him off. (this time I raised only 1 eyebrow. Maybe I can work some NLP on him. wait, I don’t’ know the elements for today!)

This was fast becoming a battle between our eyes. My eyes were throwing everything at him.

And unlike most people, I don’t exclude the kitchen sink.

Credit to him as his eyes did not even attempted to get out of the way!

In fact, he opened them wider! As if trying to deflect my blows back to me. (tai chi, a worthy opponent indeed)

They were taking in all the impact from my intensive onslaught. It was turning out to be a classic battle.

C: “Yes. The elements are important for feng shui in any house. I can determine the layouts for your furniture. Where to place the alter. The dragon tortoise…..” (he was in playback mode. Maybe his dragon tortoise is playing tricks on him)

M: “Yes! The dragon tortoise! And the elements today are earth and metal.” (my turn to crap. Maybe this will get interesting)

C: “You are right!!! Alright. Anyway, you are going to be a successful businessman. Now in feng shui you should repay your benefactor. So when you become successful, remember me and give me a little commission. Here is my card. I have an important feng shui appointment. Take care comrade.”

Where the hell is Darren!? We have “Project: Global Domination” to discuss. And Camara is already waiting for me at Suntec.

I’m actually disappointed that this guy did not give me a more “realistic” analysis. I would feel much better if he managed to convince me that he really knows his stuff (real or unreal). Basically I don’t even feel that he was trying. (talk about service standards being a big issue here)

Ok. Some things to note. I don’t believe in face readings. I don’t believe that facial features can reveal people’s future. There is absolutely no way. And I’ll tell you why.

In my learner years of feng shui quest, (will never stop learning) I’ve came across a great master who talked about facial features telling about a person. One of those points is that a flawless complexion will mean a life of prosperity and success without hardship or adversity. Is it only me that thinks that does not make any sense at all?! I have seen people with flawless complexion go through hardship and adversity. Not much more needs to be said.

If any life-reading buskers are reading this, please pull your act together. Although people know that a clown is actually played by a working man, they pay to see the clown. Not the man.

.......

Figure yourself

2006-07-29T02:19:00.000+08:00

I’ve been trying to figure out what makes my acquaintances tick for a long time. What are their motivations? How do they rank their priorities? What drives them to take action? As much a great mind reader as I know I am (everbody thinks they can read others), the furthest I can go is to predict other's behaviour. I am unable to pin- point the dynamics that result in those behaviour.

Its like knowing your Jack russel will run up to welcome you home. But What is making it do that? If we can pin-point this, we can alter its behaviour to suit the situation.

As an over-simplified example, lets say you can breakdown the dynamics of the causes of your Jack's behaviour. It actually runs up to you because it feels that it is time to ask for a doggy biscuit everytime you come home. If you had an awful day and don't want to see a happy face (Jacks are always happy), what you can do is get your mama to start giving Jack biscuits. If the motivation dynamics of Jack are truely the biscuits (that is blatant selfish and insensitive), it will not bother you today! Alright, this is a gross example.

Have you ever been unable to see the rationale of certain actions of someone you know? If its someone you don't know you can accept that you have no idea of the reasoning to certain behaviour. But when its a close friend, I start scratching my head. (hey im not trying to gain an advantage or anything. just seeking win-win situations) Ultimately what is win-win to me is probably not win-win to everybody else as they in turn cannot see my rationale. *Read John Nash's Game Theory.

It is human nature to be selfish. But if you can see beyond selfishness, you have a lot to gain. Many (if not all) of us proclaim to look for win-win situations while deep down we want to be better off from an exchange. This comes from comparison. While a clerk may see $5 gained from teamwork as a huge bonus, if her colleague also gains $5, the clerk may not see $5 as a huge bonus after all. This causes reactive behaviour or feelings. Why can't everyone work together for that $5?

Astonishingly, all of us knows this question inside-out. We have the answers. But interestingly, implematation is like throwing away your aces in a game of poker. Everybody knows that you have the aces, yet because of the social rules that we live by, everyone else have to "accept" that you, in fact, do not hold the aces until you show them. (poker or no poker face)

Everyday we are playing a social game of who-blinks-first.
Manipulating the rules of the social game.
Utilising the whole parameters of the social playing ground.
Abusing the choice of interpretation.
Toying with the nature of perception.

Have you ever told an outcast that you did not invite her to your party as you thought she would be "busy"? But in fact, she was patiently awaiting your invitation! (you knew that! otherwise you would be the outcast!) She cannot question you as your actions are within accepted social rules ...

THAT is social game.

You've just tactically told the boss that you are late as your wallet was left in the cab and had chase it down 2 kilometres. Your boss cannot question you as you have a legitimate reason. A reason within social rules.

THAT is social game.

You've just cancelled on your friend as you are "not feeling well" but in fact you don't want them to see you on a bad hair day? Your friend have no basis to question you. You are the one in "pain", not her!

THAT is the MOTHER of all social games.

You wake up at 8am and have to cancel your golf session

THAT mean its about time you use an alarm clock.

I believe that many of us think that we can read someone (most probably your best friend) inside-out. But just when you trust and depend on your instincts the most, you fall flat on your face because of the loopholes in the implied rules of social dynamics. SPLAT! Shame on you for thinking that you can read someone. The mind is so complex that there is no way (at least in our day and age) anyone can figure anybody out. So are those behaviours real behaviours or the sophisticated use of implied social rules?

To make it interesting, (it is a game afterall) its times like these that I start to think "haizzz maybe our 8 characters clash!". (these covers only a small part of feng shui & metaphysics). Horoscopes and zodiacs are ways to see the decision making dynamics of others. If a friend is a Dog zodiac, you will know that her decisions will most probably be based on trust and loyalty. If she is also an Aquarius, you cal tell that, those values will almost certainly be applied on friends instead of romantic interests. Put it simply, an Aquarius Dog will agree with you because she puts value on your trust and loyalty as a friend. Maybe even for a hidden agenda. So if you want to convince her of something, work on these characteristics. Back to the 8 characters. . I have tabulated and analyzed quite a few 8 characters. It is by far to a certain degree the most accurate way you can predict characteristics of people by metaphysics. After going through 8 characters of friends, I can see why some stay close friends, some are hello-goodbye friends, some are party friends, etc. Its all in the elements. And by tallying past events with tabulated data, you can judge the accuracy of readings.

8 characters are so dynamic and sophisticated that no text reading alone can help you understand it enough to make your own analysis. I’m fortunate to have learned from a top Master in Singapore and I'm still learning from every analysis I attempt.

8 characters is a balancing act. As in feng shui, one seeks for balance, if your data shows that you are in need of water element, a friend with a surplus of water elements will become close with you. (these are very basic. you haven’t even had a sniff of the fun part) If fire element represents your wealth among other things, someone with a strong fire self element can be the business partner you are waiting for. So check out your elemental composition and find out what the elements mean to you.

Meanwhile, I have to think of a legitimate excuse for a social event... I have a good idea that I will be coughing my lungs out that day.

*Feng shui tip: 8 characters are best used to customize feng shui to an individual since feng shui and 8 characters used the same elemental units.

.....

Warning: Casino numbers involved

2006-07-25T01:48:00.004+08:00

The race to obtain the first casino license in Singapore concluded in late May. (yes. this late news)

I'm pleasantly surprised that Las Vegas Sands beat off the competition. The usual suspects did not win.

When I think about casinos, I think about totally crazy entertainment and attractions! (hey this is Singapore. chewing gum is considered crazy entertainment)

I used to watch Stephen Chow (hong kong movie star) in "Saint of Gamblers". He has ESP and can change his cards to win in poker! Oh how I wish to play poker with him. (i haven't even mentioned the roulettes, jackpots, lingos, wheel of fortune, who wants to be a millionaire, pyramid game, amazing race, survivor..... ok im getting carried away)

Then there is the "Big Small" where we would guess the number range in the shaker. (if thats what you call it) Oh... what about the roulette. OMG..... Its all coming to Singapore! CASINO! CASINO! CASINO! Tigers! Magicians! Superstars!

The significance of the casino in Singapore is not that we are finally going after the $$$. The casino is not about increasing GDP. No. It is not about making more jobs. Nope.

The significance of the casino is that the authorities are tackling change as it sees fit. The signals this sends to the rest of the world is that we mean business. That we don't limit ourselves to the very rules we make. If change is required, we will accept and adjust accordingly. "Change", after all is the only real constant in the world. (no its not sexual harrassment)

Which brings me to feng shui. Feng shui is all about managing change. If the 3 legged frog is not giving you luck, try putting it at another location. Or try using the money tree instead. Get an arowana.

There were a lot of hype about the feng shui of the casino (integrated resort). Take a look at the prototype. Isn't it AWESOME!!!

There was this talk that indicated the architecture looks like a broken flyover. (so it isn't a flyover?! then what is it? why not it look like wings bringing the casino to new heights?)

Another view is that the 3 tall building look like tablets? (but tablets design can give good feng shui for decendants. Come on, there is no backup for that claim. why not it look like roman number 3, indicating 3000 years of prosperity?)

Another practitioner said the roof looked like a blade that can cut across other buildings. (hey if resemblance is anything to go by, then the 3 domes will act as a shield if anything)

These "analysis" are too brief. Only the practitioner who worked with the architect will know the real feng shui dynamics of the casino. If feng shui is based on resemblance alone, anybody can be a master practitioner. Only Master Chong have access to the information required to make his recommendations. We should respect his analysis. (not "analysis")

Since almost everyone is giving their advice, I shall offer my expert "analysis" as well.

If anyone noticed, the casino is located at the very mouth of the Singapore river. It has always been regarded that the river brings wealth to Singapore. (no wonder all the big companies are located beside the "river of wealth")

From the map taken from Google earth (i don't know how reliable this is), the entrance of water is from the direction of around 95 - 105 degree off-east. That makes it wood element base. The line of emptiness is at 112.5 degree east. Now the higher range of 105 degree is only 7.5 degree from the emptiness line. We wouldn't want energy from the river coming at the emptiness direction. (the collins cobuild dictionary define emptiness as "an unhappy or frightening feeling that nothing is worthwhile." i define it as "nothing") We are lucky as you will see.

The casino will also be located at the left of the river mouth looking in. That means it will shift the energy coming with the river flow nearer towards 95 degree. That is as good as it comes to true east 90 degree. (good planning indeed! ahahha)

*Basic feng shui: Energy coming from east is wood element by nature.

Nevertheless, the energy will still be wood element base. The objective is to move away from the emptiness line. Note that we are in the period of 8. Since the Marina Bay area is at the south of Singapore, wood element will be present to greet the energy coming with the river flow.
Coincidentally enough, the ruling star for 2006 is of wood element as well! (don't confuse coincidence with fate) This makes all the main clusters of energy favorable! From the perpective of time dimension feng shui, the casino should start contruction before next spring.

*Feng shui guide: We are currently in the 8th period of flying stars feng shui 9-period 180 year cycle. The current period will last till early 2024. What happens when the whole cycle is exhausted? It starts all over again! Its not called a cycle for nothing!

Ok. From the graphics of the prototype there is no way one can determine the facing of the casino building site. But I can almost be certian that it will face northwest.

Which sector of northwest? Honestly.... I don't know!

But personally i feel that it would be best for it to face between 312 - 334 degree northwest. another emptiness line lies at 337.5 degree. (isn't feng shui facinating!)

This facing would give it a flying stars chart very favourable for water to exist in front. (which is what it will have) The problem is that with this facing, it is actually not favorable for energy to come from east. (as per the direction of water. i sound like a scientist!)

*Feng shui advice: Go and get your own flying star charts for reference!

The beauty of this is that the predicament is self-solved! Yes. Auto-fix!

You see, to neutralize the bad effect of the water direction to the site, you need the presence of metal and wood element energy. Which in fact is already present in the architecture. White objects represents metal energy. Look at the prototype again. What do you see at the front right of the design? Located at the entrance of the rive mouth is the white lotus at the casino's right. Did I say lotus? Lotus has the attributes of wood element energy. So there you have it.

The white lotus emits both metal and wood energy! The water threat is therefore neutralized!

This lotus increases the energy presence on the right of the site. Note that there is nothing significant on it's left. So the casino resort will actually be prone to "attacks". This can be by internal forces or external forces. Internal wise, it can mean that Sands will find it difficult to balance the interest of their many businesses. External wise, my guess is that stiff competion will come from Suntec City, Marina Square and Marina Mandarin, all on the right of the site. When this is taken into consideration, it may also mean that a lady will be more likely to excel in the casino's top post.

*Feng shui guide: Basic feng shui regarding the 4 celestial creatures of phoenix, dragon, tiger and tortoise states that if the right of a site is considerably lower than the left, the site will be prone from "attacks". The tiger resides on the right of a site. Its purpose is supposedly to protect the site from attacks. But when it outgrows the stature of the dragon on the left, the tiger becomes hostile.

I don't know about the criticism of feng shui regarding the casino. The feng shui doesn't seem that bad from my basic analysis. However, I strongly feel that I should be the feng shui consultant for Sands.

Oh yes! 1 last thing, small players beside the river will be sucked dry!

Geeezz... I think Genting may bring a Universal studios theme park into sentosa...

After that maybe someone should bring Neverland in Bukit Panjang.....

Intergrated Resort Casino feng shui

2006-07-25T01:23:00.000+08:00

The integrated resort (casino) will have a more favourable facing direction of northwest 312 - 334 degrees period 8. This puts the water star 8 with a 6-8 star combination at the front where the river is. The casino will definitely enjoy a lot of wealth oppurtunities. Star 8 is both timely and a wealth star. The 3 structures in front have water elements for its irregular roofs and metal elements for its white dome shapes. This will benefit both the metal 6 and earth 8.

At the north is a 2-4 combination. With the presence of the lotus, this is going to be a very romantic area. The metal element energy given out by the white will also exhaust the star 2. Metal presence is important in this sector.

At the northeast will be a 4-6 combination. There is a conflict of elements. This is an area that has to be looked at more carefully with more information.

Take note that the southeast has a 8-1 combination. The mountain star should be exploited. However there is an overwhelming wood element energy a the back. The 3 towers and the sky garden is the cause of this presence. The towers will steady the mountain star. To really tap on its energy there has to be a strong presence of earth behind the site.

There will be conflicts of glamour with establishments at the site's southwest. It has a combination of 1-3. Yin water will help diffuse the conflict star.

The west will have a 5-7 combination. injuries and accidents will most likely occur here. 7 is already untimely. Earth 5 further strengthens it. May want to keep this area less active with the presence of water.

I see the east and south as missing sectors from the photographs available.

With a northwest 312 - 334 facing, it is favourable to have yin water flow according to the 3 combinations water theory 三合水法. The site has yin water flowing from right to left. Entering from between 95 - 105 degrees more towards 95, water will enter from the birth 长生 or nurture 养 direction and exit from either sickness 病 or death 死 direction. These are based on an estimation from Google map. Although there isn't much benefit from these water entrances, at least water exits from very bad directions. This site is unable to tap on the prosperity 帝旺 incoming water direction unless it faces east, which is not feasible.

The highway behind the casino is also a cause for concern. This is probably why the architecture of the site has 3 such tall towers. They are to block off the energy from behind. The highway will have a north-south orientation. Refering to the 3 combinations water theory again, it is actually favourable for traffic from to move from north to south. But gravely unfavourable to move from south to north. And since the highway is 2-way. The feng shui master must have not left this to chance and decided to block it off altogether.

fengshui metaphysics singapore ir casino

Catch up

2006-07-23T01:38:00.001+08:00

I was hanging out with Karen today at starbucks nearby. Its been so long. We should really catch up. The thing about Karen and me is that we can talk for hours and at the end of it, I can only recall a couple of things we talked about. Hours seem like minutes. 2 criterias that says that our conversations are never dull.

As usual she asked me about her horoscope and feng shui. (I wonder if she is friends with me because of my interest in these areas). She is a Gemini.

*Quick horoscope review: Geminis are exceptional communicators (definitely karen), they are tactful and always find the right words to express themselves. (clear-cut karen) Geminis are also independent emotionally. If there is an emotional gap, geminis will look to mend it instead of waiting for a hero to come along. (explicitly karen) They also have a short attention span compared with most of the others. (fullhouse! karen!) I do not have to mention that symbol for geminis are twins do I?

Karen: “So what is my outlook for today?”
Me: “Oh man, are we gonna go over this again!?”
K: “Come on! Give me a reading!”
M: (now shes gonna make it seem like im asking her to talk again. She actually wants to talk about herself. Just want to make an excuse to do it)
K: “I’m actually thinking of cleaning my bedroom today. I feel that the feng shui is quite stale”
M: (she answered her own question. As usual) “Make sure you clean the areas behind your wardrobe. And scrub all the corners of your room. Wipe all your windows, inside and outside. Open your windows to air for a couple of hours. Throw away all your crap. When you are done, come over and do my bedroom!” (the caffeine is taking effect)

Actually it is best for geminis to get organized today. Which is what Karen is thinking of doing. The urge to get organized just crept up on her.
If Karen lights up whenever we talk about horoscopes, she explodes whenever we talk about feng shui! The subject of feng shui is just so fascinating to us. We just love to see the lighter side of metaphysics.

We were just talking …….then it happened!

This guy carrying this object like an Olympic torch walked by. Everyone is looking at him. (If he is on his way to Beijing Olympics 2008, he better go faster. At this pace he will never get there in time for the opening ceremony)

The attention is not actually on him. Its on the object. Nobody have seen this ugly object before. Even with all the feng shui aura that this object has, it is still ugly. It is the 8 auspicious objects. “Survivor” fans may mistake it as the immunity idol with a creepy fashion consultant.

Feng shui has to be practical. Whatever you decide to use to enhance feng shui at home should blend with the design concept and theme. I think that this design of this 8 auspicious objects will be out of place at almost any home. Its like placing a clown at the museum. Totally out of place! I don’t know the design of this guy’s home. But whoever recommended him to get one of these without consideration for his home design is not taking practicality in to account. It in fact gives feng shui a bad name.

Imagine your neighbor comes for a visit and sees it. He would go “This is feng shui?! Are you kidding me?!”

I’ve heard stories about feng shui practitioners recommending others to tear down a wall as the only solution to a feng shui predicament! Bullshit! There is never only one way to solve feng shui predicaments. If a practitioner is one-dimensional in his approach, he don’t deserve to practice feng shui.

I’ve also heard stories about feng shui practitioners demanding that the tenant throw away the aquarium as it is not suitable for the home! Bullshit! Almost every feng shui practitioner who knows his stuff will tell you of the benefits of having an aquarium in the house. You just have to locate it at the right area. A friend of mine actually gave away his $500 aquarium as a result of advice from a “feng shui master”. The reason this “master” gave? “Its no good!”. Triple bullshit!

Are you kidding me? The least your client deserved is to get his feng shui questions answered. (maybe “its no good” is the correct answer from the textbook ahahah)

There is one thing that makes a lot of sense to me in the pursuit of feng shui. It is that all feng shui applications have to be practical. You can give a dog a makeover, teach it new tricks, even get it to makes friends with the house cat. But you don’t ask it to meow! Its just not practical. All feng shui recommendations and applications have to blend into the house layout and design theme unless you already have reconstruction in mind.

Yes. An object may enhance feng shui. If it can’t blend into the house theme, you can also consider other objects that serve the same feng shui purpose. Like I said previously, imagine seeing a clown at the museum. Yes. It may entertain patrons, but is it practical? No.

*Feng shui guide: The 8 auspicious consist of the conch, canopy, vase, 2 carps, wheel, mystic knot, lotus, and pot. Displaying all 8 together will bring about good fortune and tranquility of mind and soul. It is better to display them separately but in a group. Don’t clump them together. They can also be used to overcome hostile energy like those present at a straight doorway. Just place them along the door way without blocking any doors. Do not place them at ground level.

What's the story?

2006-07-21T17:56:00.001+08:00

So I was reading the news as usual. Just catching up with interesting happenings around the world. I always start with the business section as it can have the most immediate impact on everyone. (at least I think so) “China’s biggest bank to IPO” “IBM profits up 11%” “Intel unveils yet another chip” Now on to the Sports section. I pinched the bottom left corner of the page. My eyes scanned the page before turning. Ahh….. the sports section…. Wait a minute, I turned back to the previous page.
Right smack at the center, I see a familiar name. I’ve seen this name before when I was in the army. Naturally, I looked at the picture. Is that him?! The age was printed too. Hey that’s the same age as the army friend I know. I looked for more information to tally with what limited information I know of my friend. His location….. match
I felt a tingling down my back… That was the Obituaries section.
Reaching for my phone as if an instinct, I called Darren.

“Hey can you take a look at the Straits Times Obituaries. Home section page 14. Seah. Is that Seah from our camp?” Darren without skipping a beat: “Yes. We are going to the funeral tonight.”

Sitting there, staring at empty space, I took a sip from my coffee mug as flashes of my past interactions with Seah filled my arc of sight. I really don't know the appropriate things to think and feelings to feel. (if there are any appropriate ones)
Four weeks ago, I just saw Seah at reservist. He greeted me with a cheeky smirk on his face. Now he’s gone.
[In Singapore, every guy has to spend 2 – 2 ½ years full time in the army. Having completed the service, if you are lucky, you have to return for training once every year. If you are very lucky, once every few years. If you placed your wish-fulfilling cow at the right place in your home, you won’t even get a recall (if any) in years!]

*Feng shui tip: The cow is regarded as a holy animal. It helps us lighten the work load. (try ploughing the land yourself!) Not to mention the dairy products that they provide us. (unless you are lactose intolerant, you will probably agree with me on this) The wish-fulfilling cow is said to bring good luck and usually sits on a bed of coins or ingots. Display it on your coffee table.

Isn’t life unpredictable?! The only certainty for tomorrow is that the sun will rise. Seah is my first 1st degree friend to go. I cannot claim to know him well. Nevertheless he has reminded me with 2 of the oldest and overused phrases of wisdom – “live life to the fullest”, “live each day as if it is your last”.

Take time out from your job. Do some things that you’ve always wanted to do. Go for a vacation. Make small talk with people you don't know but crossed path. It could be fate that brought 2 together. If feng shui is a hobby, start to feng shui your home now. You never know…. feng shui changes made today may just help you avert misfortune tomorrow.

The irony is that right here, we are fortunate enough to apply feng shui to better our lives and seek life’s mysteries through metaphysics, while others in the middle east are only concerned if they would make it through the night. Feng shui is probably the last thing on their minds. (Israel is planning for more air-strikes at Lebanon as I write this)

*Feng shui guide: The ruling star for the year 2006 is the conflict star. Surprisingly,the ruling elements for 2006 are fire and earth. These are also in conflict with the self element of 2006, wood. Now we are seeing what all these feng shui energy dynamics means. ..

Chill

2006-07-18T17:19:00.001+08:00

Was at Bernard's house today for a visit.

Since I met him, I realised, I've hit a playloop button.

"You guys have to drop by my home one day and.... you know.... .chill out"

I always find understanding what he say like breaking down a whacky riddle. There is a lack of clarity in this voice. As if he always have a muffler on. Maybe it has to do with the lack of confidence of rat zodiacs...

It turned out that his house has a tropical theme and very cosy ambience to match.

Its obvoiusly clear that the house emits earth energy from the undeniable square it seems to mould from. *Quick feng shui fact. According to feng shui, a square shaped house is earth energy based.

He lives in a cube! Clearly earth element base! It cannot be more obvious...

His swimming pool is just on the front left of his maindoor. (I hope theres a wealth star there).

"The pool is never in use." He got tired of it. (Now the presence of an inactive star is more likely)

I got a grand tour of his house. As I entered the living room, this gold shiny thing immediately caught my attention at the coffee table. It was as if telling me to submit to its presence. Curious as I am, i walked towards this object almsot in a trance. (accidentally kicked Bernard's puggy. Ouch!)

Ok. Its wasn't the pandora's box as I thought. Its actually a gold 3 legged frog used as a paper weight for the utility bills. (talk about the structural unemplyment situation here!) I realise that this frog is not asking for attention to let everyone present appreciate the good luck its suppose to emit. (of course not! you don't ask HR to do marketing!) Instead, this little creature is demanding attention warning others to stay away.

*Quick feng shui fact on the 3 legged frog. It has the ability to attract wealth. The coin in it's mouth is not a representation of it bringing money to you. What brings wealth is the frog. The coin is a bait to lure the frog. Thats why most of them are made holding a coin in its mouth. The frog should be tactically (yes im talking strategem here) placed in a public area. That means a position where it can observe everything from a "hidden" location. Never place it too high or on the ground.

Smiling at the predicament of the creature (lets tell bernard).....

Bernard: "Hey take a look at this new stereo I just bought" The chill out session resumes

His maid seems grumpy today.... Since today's feng shui elements consist of earth and metal according to the Hsia Calendar, she must have a lot of wood in her 4 pillars. Judging from her apearance..... problaly early to mid 30's. With an obvious tendency to get too carried away by emotions, my guess is that she was born in '74 year of the wood tiger!

Bernard doesn't seem to be his usual self lately, maybe his business is losing money. He is not saying. Since there is an earth theme to the house and seeing that this is a year of the conflict star. My guess is as good as yours.

Had a great time just chilling out at his place and just do some catch up. Before I left, I have to save the frog...

"Well Bernard, if you want to place a 3 legged frog in the living room, put it somewhere where it can see everybody and not everybody can see it. Its a frog you know.... its natural instinct is to hide from us. You are putting it on the spot man. On the one hand you want it to bring you wealth, on the other, well..... you are leaving it in a vulnerable spot. Have some consideration for heaven's sake! It will be spending more time being intimidated by onlookers rather than giving you the luck that you want."

"Give me some personal space!"

*3 legged frog origin: The wife of a deity stole the exilar of immortality and fled to the moon. She consumed it. Then from afar, the outline of someone approaching caught her eye. This was way before Neil Armstrong. So no, it wasn't him. It was a god sent to punish her by turning her into a frog. She was remorseful and had attained immortality. Being merciful like so many gods, she was spared while in the midst of tranforming into a frog. Thus only the upper half of her body was that of a frog. There are no hind legs! How is she going to walk! So the god let her retain the tail of a tadpole.