Feng shui masters make house buyers see the light

KUALA LUMPUR: When choosing a property, have a mountain at the back and water features in front, said Joey Yap.

All ears: Feng shui master Joey Yap speaking to an attentive audience during his talk at the Kenny Heights’ VIP Lounge at The Star Property Fair 2009 yesterday.

“Mountains govern matters related to human relationships and longevity while water affects one’s financial health and growth,” said the fengshui master.

He advised homebuyers to look for properties with these features to enjoy their benefits. Joey said importance should be placed on the environment, building and personal aspects when buying a property.

He said many mistook Chinese superstitions to be feng shui. “Good feng shui is understated, zen-like and clean,” he said at a talk during The Star Property Fair 2009 yesterday.

At a separate talk, jointly organised by The Star and Samsung, feng shui master David Koh urged housebuyers to avoid certain locations which were “unfriendly.”

Master at work: Koh presenting “How to choose a good property from a Feng Shui Perspective” at the property fair.

He said high tension wires were not just bad for feng shui, but bad for health, too.

“One should also avoid places at top of hills, that faces mountains and at lower parts of valleys,” he added.

Koh said the presence of water elements, such as rivers, provide a good pool of energy or chi. He pointed out as example Masjid Jamek, a thriving business area that attributed its vibrant development to its location — sitting above two symmetrical rivers.

By The Star

Columnist to share tips on Indian feng shui

PEACE with the environment is a criteria for healthy homes and every resident should create a balanced surrounding so that his or her mind, body and soul are in harmony.

“This is important because we all experience physical and mental stress every day at work and returning to a home that is not in tune with the environment can add to the stress,” said Sunday Star Vasthu Sastra columnist T. Selva, who will be presenting a talk at The Star Property Fair tomorrow at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) Hall 4, at 2pm.

Full attention: Selva delivering a talk on Vasthu recently.

He said Vasthu, better known as Indian feng shui, essentially helps balance the man-made environment with the natural world.

Selva said Vasthu was a science of architecture and it could be applied in any space, enclosed or open, and it is highly recommended when buying, renting, building or designing a property.

“When renting or buying a new or second-hand house or apartment, Vasthu recommends that one should check certain things before making a decision.

“The first thing one should do is to enter the property and stand in the centre with eyes closed to feel the ‘vibrations’.

“If the vibrations make you feel happy, then check the directions by using a compass in which various elements of the house face,” he said.

He said a potential house buyer should check which side the plot faced, the location of the roads, topography, plot extension and the surrounding area before making a commitment.

“A house facing north is favourable as it is on the magnetic axis and welcomes positive energy. Land sloping towards the north is also considered auspicious.

“A house facing south is average for residential purposes but auspicious for people in the food and beverage business. Land sloping towards the south is considered inauspicious,” he said.

Selva, who has written two books on Vasthu, said a house facing east was auspicious because it received solar energy and if the land was sloping towards the east, it was considered auspicious.

Selva said out of the eight compass directions, the only direction that should be avoided for a main door was the south-west.

On buying a plot of land, he said do not buy a plot of land that has a graveyard either in front or at the back of it.

“Such surroundings will only bring fear and give no peace of mind to the owner.

“Buying land near a place of worship should also be avoided, especially if the shadow of a temple falls on the property.” he said.

At the talk, Selva will be showing participants on how to choose an auspicious property and how to create the perfect home by rearranging a house. Admission to the talk is free. To register call 012-329 9713

By The Star

Tips on Indian feng shui draw in the crowd at property fair

The second day of talks at the Star Property Fair 2009 proved a hit with the crowds, with author and Sunday Star columnist T. Selva’s talk on ‘Indian Feng Shui – Vasthu Sastra’ filling the function room to the brim.

Vasthu Sastra, Selva explained, was the ancient Indian art of placement and science of construction, architecture and dwellings to create a harmonious flow of energy within a particular space to promote the well-being of occupants.

During the talk, he briefed attendees on vital aspects to consider when buying or renting a property, such as the direction the house is facing, internal arrangements, locations and plot shapes.

“One should try to choose a house which incorporates the various principles of Vasthu Sastra as much as possible. The science is based on the elements of ether, fire, water, earth and air —all of which must be present in the house in harmony,” Selva said.

He explained that the northeastern quadrant was suitable for water elements, thus if one wishes to place a fountain or pool, this would be the ideal location.

“The southeast is in tandem with the fire element, making it the preferred location for kitchens.

“The earth element is prominent in the southwest, and bedrooms or storerooms should be placed here.

“When choosing a house, one should identify the direction of the main door, kitchen, master bedroom, children’s bedroom and bathroom.

“For the main door, the auspicious directions in order of preference are northeast, east, north, northwest, southeast, west and south.

“One should avoid southwest facing houses at all costs, as it is very inauspicious,” Selva said.

In interiors, he advised people to avoid dark colours on walls, and instead opt for soft, cooling colours as the home is supposed to be a place for comfort and relaxation.

In another talk, EON Bank branch managers Chiang Yuan Tyng (Bayan Baru) and Khor Chong Eya (Bukit Mertajam) spoke on ‘Creating Wealth for Generations to Come’.

They highlighted the bank’s financing packages which could potentially save one thousands of ringgit on interest fees. Their affordable repayment schemes offer longer periods of up to 30 years with financing available up to 90% or 95% for selected projects.

By The Star

A year to think big - FENG SHUI FOR INDUSTRIES IN THE YEAR OF RAT

For those who believe in "Feng Shui", the Year of Earth Rat may bring a bumper harvest for industries that include the stock market, entertainment, mining, jewellery, real estate and construction.

However, it will be difficult for the shipping, banking and transport sectors, while stiff competition in agriculture, plantation and publishing industries will allow only the best to survive, according to well-known Feng Shui guru, Lillian Too.

"This is a year of unbalanced elements with 'metal' and 'fire' sorely lacking. But it is also a year blessed with wealth and victory luck, and the key to getting the most out of the year is simply to get the timing right," Too told a packed audience at a full-day Feng Shui talk in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The year has plenty of wealth potential, and is a year to think big. All animal signs, except for horse, could benefit from taking risks and being brave, she said.

"It is a year when being big-hearted reaps dividends. Your attention should be focused on spotting opportunities that bring long-term benefits."

Too said the missing fire element is making the financial market look very unstable this year, suggesting that the uncertainties resulting from the US subprime problem may not be ending yet.

Nevertheless, she said the second half of the year will be better and that investors may accumulate shares when prices fall and take the pickings later in the year.

Too also told investors to bet on real estate this year.

"Earth is wealth, so buy property. But make sure they are landed property. You must be able to feel the earth and feel the wealth."

She added that 2008 will be a great year for those born under the Chinese sign of rabbit.

Generally, people should wear more red and yellow gold to attract positive energy that will bring wealth and prosperity.

Overall, the missing 'fire' and 'metal' means the lack of creativity, intelligence and power.

"There will be not-so-smart people being thrown into the spotlight, making stupid mistakes," Too said.

She said the clash of "water" and "earth" indicates political and international conflicts in the global arena. However, the Rat Year will bring new beginnings, new international relations and new government.


By New Straits Times (by Chong Pooi Koon)

Students check out building site

By The Star

With dark skies looming in the horizon, rain seemed imminent yet the feng shui practitioners were determined to go on with their site audit.

Armed with their notes and luopan, the 30 practitioners - all students of Feng Shui Mastery programme conducted by feng shui consultant and best-selling author Joey Yap - pressed on with the final part of their programme.

The students came form all over the world, including Poland, South Africa and Singapore, and were given about an hour to survey the landscape before returning to present their findings to Yap.

The site audit was conducted at the construction site of the semi-detached Villa Green 3A fairway villas in Damansara Indah.

The 86 units are being built on 4.05 hectares (10 acres) of land by Damansara Impian Sdn Bhd, a joint venture company between the Dijaya Group and PKNS.

Each fairway villa consists of eight rooms and bathrooms housed within three storeys and a built-up area of 540 sq m (6,000 sq ft).

According to Yap, the case study was a vital part of the programme, as external feng shui is more important than internal feng shui.

"Knowing the land contour and formation is very important in feng shui, because the feng shui within the home should be tapped to the external," said Yap.

"I always say, don't sweat the small stuff. If you get the big things right, then you don't have to worry so much about the small things; if the feng shui within is tapped to the external, then you can do anything you want inside the house."

In spite of the blazing sun which came out immediately after the rain, the students went on doggedly with their task, and were seen discussing their findings in groups.

"It's not easy, but I am very interested in feng shui and have been doing it on a part-time basis," said Sonice Chau from Singapore.

"This is our graduating class, and I am determined to succeed."

Properties from a feng shui perspective: Jalan Sultan Ismail

By The Star (by David Goh)

Jalan Sultan Ismail, between the Klang River and Jalan Imbi, is well known and recognised for its row of five-star hotels. By day, it is a busy thoroughfare with several prominent office towers. By night, it is a popular entertainment area.

The road curves slightly and is generally perpendicular to the Klang/Ampang River. This river curves in an embracing fashion and joins the Gombak River at Masjid Jamek to create the main Klang/Gombak River. That means, buildings along Jalan Sultan Ismail that face west or southwest are generally conducive for business and homes.

However, we must also consider the undulating landform in the vicinity. Properties should ideally sit with its back to high land and face lower land. Here, we’re not talking about building on hill slopes.

Any slope exceeding 45 degrees is considered too steep to build and the energy moves too quickly to be beneficial. It can even be harmful.

Yet, developers and the rich continue to insist on erecting buildings in such precarious places, believing that such a unique location and design are prestigious and valuable. They may solve the problem of soil stability with expensive and sophisticated foundations, but this does not mitigate the energy flow.

Concorde Hotel's location has some good points feng shui-wise

WHICH SIDE TO CHOOSE

As we survey Jalan Sultan Ismail, we will find that it passes through Bukit Nanas on its west and the land gradually becomes lower towards the KLCC. Therein lays the dilemma. Buildings on the opposite side of the road may face or be parallel to the river but they face uphill. Businesses then may experience ups and downs.

At the junction of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang, we find the uncompleted Hyatt Hotel, which remained so for a number of years. It actually could enjoy fantastically good feng shui if its entrance is redesigned to face the river or the mini-confluence just behind Menara Safuan. This way, Bukit Nanas would be at its back, and it would face lowland and a concaving or embracing river.

Most architects will not do that. They prefer the frontage to face the intersection where it is more prominent. Since the project has been suspended, we will not know. At this same intersection, we also find the Renaissance hotel. The Renaissance parallels the downstream river which is a good sign. It also skirts the highland-lowland issue by not facing Bukit Nanas directly. This is conducive for business.

However, we must also mention our concern with regards to the monorail system that runs along Jalan Sultan Ismail: in fact, it is difficult to discuss Jalan Sultan Ismail without interlinking it with the monorail system.


The Renaissance parallels the downstream river which is a good sign

TRAIN TROUBLES

In a previous article, we discussed the possible ramifications of a train system on the fortunes of buildings nearby. Trains moving quickly and periodically create a vacuum and drag in their wake. As energy is dispersed by winds, this artificially created wind has the tendency to suck away and disperse the gentle pool of homogenous energy that collects in the embracing concave arm of a river.

Therefore, buildings that are near a train system may find their good fortune somewhat dampened or subject to fluctuation. Those that are not doing too well may find conditions deteriorating further. Naysayers could pooh-pooh this comment. They may cite economic cycles, market forces, mismanagement and what-have-you as the real reasons for these phenomena. Aren’t these the same reasons they would use for why the wealth of some families would last only a single generation, or why businesses keep changing hands?

We must state clearly here: we are not bashing the monorail. We have nothing against it and believe it serves an important purpose for the general public. We are merely observing the environment and offering an analysis from a feng shui perspective as described by sages.

IT’S JUST A TOUR

Mind you, this is not a feng shui audit either: it is a feng shui tour. No doubt, some of these buildings could have been audited by a feng shui practitioner and remedies were implemented to mitigate any negatives or accentuate the positives. It is difficult to implement “cures” or mitigation for a completed building.

Ideally, geomancy should be included in the planning stage so that everything is optimised by good energy. Once a building is completed, mitigation work is limited: sometimes, it only helps in minimising the bad but does not optimise the good.

The Concorde Hotel and the Hard Rock Café used to be the Merlin Hotel, one of Kuala Lumpur’s earliest hotels. This location has some good points feng shui-wise. It sits at the concave side of Jalan Sultan Ismail. On the other hand, it faces high land and is smack in front of the monorail, factors which could be a concern.

Menara IMC and Menara Prudential are modern office buildings that face the Klang/Gombak River and are parallel to the downstream Ampang River. That is a plus point. This could help mitigate the fact that they are just off the convex side of the road, face high ground and the monorail.

HILLS AND RIVERS

Menara Haw Par on the opposite side has its back to Bukit Nanas, which is a more conducive location. However, it sits just off the convex side of the road, and again, there is the monorail. Next door, the Shangri-La Hotel and UBN Tower have their backs to high ground and face lower ground, which is good, but the buildings do not face the river.

A view of Jalan Sultan Ismail from Wisma Genting

There are a few entertainment outlets here facing Jalan P. Ramlee. Those with their back to the river are not in the most ideal of locations. Their opposite number should do better, if they can mitigate the effects of the monorail. Wisma Tong Ah, located at the junction of Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Perak, could do better if its entrance faces Jalan P. Ramlee – and the river.

Its neighbouring buildings, on the other hand, could require more consideration and mitigation. These buildings all sit with the front facing high land and the back on low land (Jalan Perak). They face the convex side of Jalan Sultan Ismail and the monorail to boot. I wonder how businesses fare in such a situation, and whether feng shui mitigation, if taken, has helped.

On the opposite end, there is the impressive Si Khiong Star Mercedes Benz showroom. The story goes that the original construction did not quite meet with feng shui standards. The owners tore down the structure and rebuilt it! Today, the prestigious showroom has two entrances, from Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan P. Ramlee.

This way, the back is now on higher ground and the front is lower (Jalan Sultan Ismail). Nonetheless, the second entrance on Jalan P. Ramlee faces the Klang/Ampang River and minimises the monorail’s effect by not facing the tracks.

Jalan Sultan Ismail snakes a bit after this and buildings on the convex side are usually not very conducive compared to the concave side. As mentioned in a previous article, Bangunan MAS has a lot of good feng shui going for it. The rear is higher than the land in front and it sits at the concave side of the road. However, we are concerned about the monorail’s effect, plus the fact that its back is to the Klang/Gombak River and it faces upstream to Klang/Ampang River.

GOOD LOCATION

The Lodge restaurant is actually situated in a very good location. Its back is towards higher ground and it overlooks lower ground. It also faces the embrace of the road where Jalan Raja Chulan joins Jalan Sultan Ismail. As with all other sites we’ve visited, there are plus and minus points in each. For example, in this case, the river is at its back and the monorail’s proximity may negate some of the positives.

The nearby Wisma Genting was covered in a previous article, so we will dispense with it. But isn’t it too close to the monorail as well, you ask? Look closer and you will see a monorail station right in front. What do trains do when they approach a station? They slow down, of course, and this reduces the vacuum and drag impact of the trains. That means buildings very close to stations are spared the powerful effects of the trains.

We can see a similar mitigating effect with Sungei Wang Plaza down the road. Although it is beside the monorail line, there is a station right at the entrance. The location of this station is a boon for commuters and shoppers alike. Thus, it serves a dual purpose: it brings more traffic to the area and reduces the impact of fast-moving trains in its vicinity.

There are several office towers along Jalan Sultan Ismail, between Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Bukit Bintang. As you can tell, on one side where Hotel Istana sits, the landform slopes downhill. Alas, most buildings face the other direction.

This can be considered a multiple whammy: buildings facing east have a low rear; their backs are to the Klang/Gombak River; they face upstream of the Klang/Ampang River; they are on a slight convex of the road; and of course, the monorail. Buildings on the opposite are conversely more conducive, except for the monorail.

As to how true this is, I leave to your own observation and conclusion. This is not the power of auto-suggestion: it’s an observation and one can see if reality matches the hypothesis.

You can see for yourself. Have you noticed that along any given road, one side usually prospers while the opposite does not? Do you see this in your part of the neighbourhood?

*This series on feng shui and real estate properties appear courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a feng shui master and teacher for the past 35 years.