Saturday, May 24, 2008

Why bother to Create?

Check out these video clips on Planet Earth in relation to the Universe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-14bBhHCMU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL4cFjmnQT8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDNEV9EW06g

After watching these clips, to think that a great Creator made us would seem absurd. We almost do not exist in this universe and to think that we are alone in it also is illogical and a complete waste of space.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Hyotan

I was watching Japan Hour this morning and the show was introducing a rural part of Japan. The small town specializes in making Hyotan handicrafts. What? What the hell is hyotan?

Hyotan is the Japanese name for the calabash, or what is commonly known as the hulu or wu lou. It is used in Feng Shui to cure the Black 2 Flying star in Xuan Kong Fei Xing and in Japan, it also happens to be a good luck symbol and thus the big array of handicrafts the people make from it.

The show then went on to show the process of growing the hyotans and emptying them when ripe and finally drying them. It was quite eye-opening as normally we only get to see the end product and not when they are still on the trees. Also, I now know the Japanese's name for calabash.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Dream of an Feng Shui Master

I think my obsession with feng shui is getting to my head. I actually dreamt that I was looking for some books on feng shui in an old bookstore. I asked the owner whether he has got any books in Xuan Kong Flying Stars and behind him a hand holding a book sticked out from behind one of the shelfs. I walked closely to take the book and realized the man was a Malaysian Feng Shui master (I shall not mention his name). He told me the book was written by him but it is now out of print. The one I am holding is an old copy but the only one available. I then went on to express my wish to master the study of Feng Shui and hope he is able to give me guidance. He needed more time to think about it and I bid him farewell, leaving the store with his book.

It was a very vivid dream...

Regards
Alvin Chua

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Ill-obsessed with Predestined fortune

While browsing through a forum on wedding, I stumbled upon a member who shared her story of a friend who got too obsessed with his good astrological birth chart and screwed up his life thereafter. I think this story can serve as a cautionary tale about relying excessively on our predestined fortune and forgetting about our hard work and effort in life. The member’s name is “dIver (decembermi)” and her post was dated Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:59 am:

“Hub and I had a guy friend who likes to gambles, then he went to a fortune teller on day who told him he will have a sum of "heng cai" in 2 years time, very big amount of money. Not long after that, his heart is not in his job liao, believed the fortune teller's word and thought in this case no need to work hard, he gambles even more, buy big amount in 4D. Now, he's missing in action. He borrowed $ from multiple loan sharks, dun dare to go home. Steals his sister's money and go around asking for more money. Then, he asked me to take my IC go borrow 20K for him, say he need to pay interest and pay back the boss the money he steal. When I refused, he turned up at my mother in law's house knowing my MIL (mother in law) will be alone at home, wanting to borrow money. My MIL was so scared as he refused to leave or let her call me. Then he started to sob, and walk around the kitchen, looking the knife! I was fuming when my MIL managed to call me, at the same time worried, agreed to give him a few hundred. He took the money, and hours later my SIL (sister in law) called to say he's still waiting downstairs, to stalk her and borrow more money. The very night, i called and scolded him upside down. Then decided although friends for so many years, he's history liao. Heard from a common friend not long ago, he has got 7 loan sharks chasing for money and interest every day of the week. The whole groups of close friends all wish that he hadn’t visit and believed in the fortuneteller.”

Remember this:

"Life is a card game. God dealt you the cards (predetermined destiny and luck) but it’s up to you to play the game (education, karma and diligence)."

Regards
Alvin Chua

Monday, May 05, 2008

The Power of Numbers

I saw in the Straits Times today an advert of a seminar by Mr Oliver Tan. It claims to teach a unique method of calculation using the Pythagoras methodology of your date of birth and from it one can discover one’s character, personality and life's destiny. Said to be a new discovery in metaphysics made by Malaysian Master, Mr Oliver Tan who spent 6 years on it and the method is supposed to be amazingly accurate. The following link explains more about in Chinese:

http://www.chinapress.com.my/topic/newyear08/default.asp?sec=Text&art=0206n10.txt

Regards
Alvin Chua Kim Leng

CHINESE METAPHYSICS BOOKS I HAVE READ SO FAR

Below are titles of books on Feng Shui that I have read, and I have listed them here just in case I forget. Those with a "* " are good and recommended for beginners while those with "**" are good for more advanced practitioners. I have literally gone through all the feng shui books in the whole National Library collection, Kinokuniya, Borders and Popular bookstores. Estimated that I have looked through around 80% of the feng shui books available nationwide, the remaining 20% comprises mainly of Chinese books as there are too many of them and mostly written in traditional arcane jargon. But generally, only the best made it to this list as I have already sifted out the rubbish and the Black Sect stuffs. Those I highlighted are highly recommended and can be considered must-have.

Feng Shui

1. 飞星改运显锋芒 (上下册) - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming (Hong Kong) *

2. 自学改运速成秘籍 (上下册) - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming *

3. 玄机赋飞星赋精解 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming **

4. 风水显灵镜 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming

5. 全天候风水杀着 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming

6. 旺宅化煞22法 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming *

7. 学风水的第一本书 - 李居明 Li Kui Ming (Hong Kong) * and **
Quite a good book but this author cum Buddhist teacher has the tendency to mystify his teachings. Moreover, many of his predictive methods using Flying Stars are abit too exaggerated.

8. 风水之道 - 李居明 Li Kui Ming

9. 玄空飞星风水 - 林国雄 Lum Kwok Hung (Hong Kong) *

10. 居家风水教科书进阶版[外煞篇] - 谢沅瑾 Hsieh Yuan Jin (Taiwan)

11. 居家财运风水教科书[个人篇] - 谢沅瑾 Hsieh Yuan Jin *

12. Basic Science of Feng Shui - Vincent Koh (Singapore) * and **
This book I believed is the textbook used by student attending the Feng Shui course at Singapore Polytechnic. It is very comprehensive but lack the detail instructions. But nevertheless, a handy book.

13. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui - Elizabeth and Biktashev, Master V Moran; Joseph Yu (Canada) *
Teaches the Eight Mansions and Flying Stars methods. Very clearly explained with a few examples thrown in to illustrate the formulas. Excellent for beginners.

14. Flying Star Feng Shui Made Easy - David Twicken (United Kingdom) *
Teaches the Flying Star method in a concise manner. Also covers some higher-level theories like, Zhen Shen, Ling Shen, etc. Not the best book on the subject but great as a complementary text.

15. Stories and Lessons on Feng Shui - Joey Yap (Malaysia) *

16. Feng Shui for Homebuyers - EXTERIOR - Joey Yap (Malaysia) *
One of the few books that talks about the important aspects of Forms analysis, without which the Li Qi formulas are all useless. Excellent as the book is filled with diagrams and photos that give one a clear idea of the forms he’s talking about. There are many good books on Forms but mostly in written in Chinese. This book thus helps those who can’t read Chinese. The only bad thing is that a majority of poison arrows are not covered and most of the time, no remedies have been given for the bad Feng Shui forms.

17. Feng Shui for Homebuyers - INTERIOR - Joey Yap (Malaysia) *
Similar and just as good as the one above on exterior forms.

18. Dragon Magic – Lilian Too (Malaysia) *

19. Applied Pa Kua and Lo Shu Feng Shui – Lilian Too

20. Lillian Too's Flying Star Feng Shui – Lilian Too *

21. Lillian Too's Flying Star Feng Shui for the Master Practitioner – Lilian Too **

22. Flying Star Feng Shui for Period 8 - Fengshui - Lilian Too

23. A Guide for Exterior Fengshui - Tan Khoon Yong (Singapore)

24. Hottest Fengshui Tips for Your Home – Tan Khoon Yong *
A good one that answers many of the common questions people asked about Yang Zhai (Feng Shui for the living).

25. The Secrets of the Five Dragons: Feng Shui and Singapore’s Success – Tan Khoon Yong
Boring book as most of the sites mentioned are not accompanied with detailed diagrams.

26. The Science of Feng Shui – 林质彬 CP Lim (Singapore)
Basic stuffs with a bit of Eight Mansions. Mostly about interior forms. This author charges a bomb for his workshops.

27. 民俗择日与风水 - 林质彬 CP Lim (Singapore)
A very brief book with almost nothing instructional in it. I am not sure why the author bothers to write it.

28. Fung Shui: A Guide To Daily Applications - Peter So Man Fung (Hong Kong)
A self-styled Master that is very famous in Hong Kong but I find his methods are strange and some of them are created by himself. He uses the door facing to determine the house unit and he advocates having the kitchen in a inauspicious sector is considered bad, contrary to normal Bazhai method. To him, changing the stove is equivalent to changing the period of the house. He teaches alot of incorrect knowledge but is still very popular. He is trained in Bazi but his Feng Shui is self-taught I think while his Flying Stars knowledge came from Lee Kwok Hung after attending some of his classes. However, he seems to possess excellent knowledge in landforms feng shui.

29. Flying Star Feng Shui - Stephen Skinner (United Kingdom) * and **
The best book written by him, in comparison with his rest. Highly recommended for those starting on Flying Stars.

30. Fengshui: The Pillars of Destiny - Raymond Lo (Hong Kong)

31. Feng Shui & Destiny for Managers - Raymond Lo *

32. Feng Shui & Destiny for Families – Raymond Lo *

33. Practical Feng Shui for the Home - Albert Low (Malaysia)

34. Personalise Your Feng Shui: A Step-by-step Guide to the Pillars of Destiny - Evelyn Lip (Singapore)

35. 中国风水罗盘 - 程建军 Cheng Jian Jun (China)
Not really a Feng Shui but an academic work that talks extensively about the evolution of the Luopan. Great knowledge that will help in the study of Feng Shui.

36. Feng-shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious Living for Modern Times - Eva Wong (United States) * and **

37. A Master Course in Feng-shui - Eva Wong * and **

38. 极品玄空大厦论(第一与三册) - 杨椗光 (Hong Kong)

39. 玄空阳宅学 - 陈柏瑜 (Taiwan) * and **
One of the best Chinese books around talking about Xuan Kong. It covers almost all the theories, from the basic to the advanced.

40. Feng Shui for Skeptics: Real Solutions without Superstition - Kartar Diamond (United States) * and **

41. Feng Shui : How to Create Harmony and Balance in Your Living and Working Environment - Belinda Henwood and Howard Choy

42. Feng Shui Demystified: A Comparative Compendium on Flying Star Feng Shui and The Eight Mansion Formula - Ulrich Wilhelm Lippelt (Thailand)
An average book. For people equipped with some basics. The author seems to be greatly influenced by Eva Wong's book since her school of Xuan Kong is discussed extensively.

43. Feng Shui Demystified II: A Comprehensive Course on Flying Star Feng Shui and Famous Water Formulae - Ulrich Wilhelm Lippelt (Thailand)

44. 玄空飞星: [学理篇] 卷一与二 – 陈癸龙 Johnny Chan (Hong Kong)
A relatively new series but many of the chapters are too short. Volume 3 – 5 have yet to be released.

45. The Feng Shui Matrix: Another Way to Inherit the Earth - Kartar Diamond (United States) * and **
The author requested me to write a review for her book, so here it is:
This book is unconventional in the sense that it is not structured in a step-by-step boring way typical of other books. Instead, it is filled with many stand-alone chapters that can be referred to and applied independently. Her writing style is highly engaging and her years of experience provided her many stories, which she shares in many parts of the book. These real life accounts normally talk about vivid characters that make it an enjoyable read. Fun aside, the book is backup with authentic Feng Shui theories that have been simplified for the non-professional audience. It covers the Eight Mansions method in particularly the use of the personal trigram as well as Xuan Kong theories illustrated with easy to read diagrams. It also teaches the auspicious directions derived from one’s zodiac sign (the Heavenly Stems and Branches of the Year pillar to be exact, if you know what I mean), which is never taught in any English books (except in works of fellow graduates of AFSI). It is not the first book any beginners should be reading but definitely the next essential text on the list for further venture into the study of classical Feng Shui. A must-have in your Feng Shui library to complement the other basic books.

46. Ancient Feng Shui's Ultimate Secrets For Home and Office - Gisi Stupp (United States) *

47. 致富的宝库 – 财位 - 宋英成 Song Yin Cheng (Taiwan)

48. 智慧的泉源 - 文昌位 - 宋英成 Song Yin Cheng (Taiwan)

49. The Luo Pan - Feng Shui's Most Fundamental Tool - Francis Leyau with Eugene Ng (Malaysia) * and **
The best English book around on the use of the Luo Pan. It teaches traditional opening / closing of the Luo Pan and also the correct method of holding it which many Masters nowadays totally do not know (and dare to call themselves masters!). The author is the direct lineage carrier of Master Tan Yang Wu's Xuan Kong Flying Stars Method so the content are all genuine stuffs. Definitely a must-buy if you are serious about Feng Shui. Visit his website at: http://www.fengshuimastery.com/. His assistant, Eric Teoh is doing a good job promoting their courses. I intend to get their other book, the Xuan kong Da Gua Date Selection Method, which I believe is another excellent book. In fact, it is now my dream and long-term goal to learn from Master Francis Leyau.

50. Feng Shui In The City: A Practical Handbook For Modern Urban Living - Jason Fong K.L.
A basic book on Forms especially external ones. The author is a student of a renowned Malaysian Feng Shui Master, Liew Yoke Chai and also Yap Cheng Hai, I think. Plenty of photos to give you a pictorial guide but the remedies are rather steeped towards folklore instead of genuine feng shui, such as the hanging of the Chinese wok (used for cooking) to defect negative Shas outside the house.

51. 旺宅设计实例集 - 梁超 Liang Chao (China)
Said to be one of the most experienced Xuan Kong Flying Stars master in mainland China. Good author as he has thousands of actual case studies to share over his years of consultation. He is trained as an architect and his work provided him opportunities to test the Flying Stars theories. His proven methods provide a different perspective to the ones commonly taught in the English-speaking world.

52. The Feng Shui Continuum: A Blueprint for Balanced Living - Kartar Diamond (United States) **
I bought my autographed copy straight from Kartar Diamond before it hits the stores in summer 2008. Thus, I think this is probably the first online review written on this book. Although the early parts of the book talks about Feng Shui basics which seem to be a replication of the author’s first two books, the second half of the book is what makes the book worthwhile and another excellent book on the subject of Flying Stars. The best part is the chapter on interpretation of the flying stars combinations, in which Kartar gives exclusive insight to the effects of the combinations through her years of experience. A must-have for graduates of the American Feng Shui Institute.

53. Form School Feng Shui – Master Peter Leung (Canada) *
This is a simple book on Forms but mainly talking about the internal forms. External forms are briefly covered in terms of the Four Guardian Animals, streets outside the house and simple external Shas. The internal forms mentioned can also be commonly found in other books. The topic on the central axis of the home and the toilet sha are feng shui principles discovered by Peter Leung himself through his years of practice, therefore these concepts help make the book more interesting. There is also a checklist at the last few pages on what to look out for fengshui-wise in relation to the problems one encounter. A short book that is barely 100 pages but a good introduction to the author for those who have not heard of him before.
Rating: 3/5


Bazi

1. BaZi - The Destiny Code - Joey Yap*
One of the best English book on the subject. The pace is a bit slow as the knowledge is written as a series of books in mind but excellent for the beginners.

2. BaZi The Destiny Code Revealed – Joey Yap*
This is the sequel to the Destiny Code. An excellent piece of work and delves deeper into the study of Bazi. A third book in the series is in the midst of making.

3. Classical Five Element Chinese Astrology Made Easy - David Twicken
An average book but it seems that it was written some time ago and would be considered a gem back then when most of the other English books only write about the Chinese zodiac. Nothing much on interpretation techniques especially like the chapter on Romance (which is too brief to have any significance), but since it is a fundamental book you can still buy it if you are totally new to Bazi.
Rating: 3/5

Date Selection

1. The Art of Date Selection: Personal Date Selection - Joey Yap*
Probably the only book you ever need to do personal date selection. The methods here will be good enough for you to apply to everyday events. Simple to understand and in highly readable writing style. A must-have.

2. Date Selection in Feng Shui: the Xuan Kong Da Gua method – Master Francis Leyau with Eugene Ng (Malaysia) **
This is the second book I got from the Central Academy of Feng Shui. An excellent book on date selection for Feng Shui purposes, but before you rushes out to buy the book, be warned that this book is not for amateurs. The authors have stated clearly in the book that it is not meant for beginners and I couldn’t agree more. You can’t get far through the book if you are not well versed in the basic concepts like San Hui Fang (Seasonal Combinations), San He Ju (3 Combinations), the determination of the house’s sitting, the Luoshu and Hetu numbers, the detailed methodology of coming up with the Four Pillars. Also, you need to have a San Yuan Luopan handy since you will need to refer to it from time to time. It took me sometime to really start getting used to the terminology as my teachers taught me everything in Chinese in the past. However, once you get the hang of it, the wealth of information present in the book will make it all worthwhile. Could it be that I bought my book on a Sui Po day? (Stuffs bought on a Sui po day are known to get spoilt quickly). As some pages of it are falling out already when I just barely had it for a week. Or maybe I was going through the book so many times that I am wearing it down to shreds. A must-have if you are not able to learn at the Central Academy of Feng Shui in person but yet want to learn Xuan Kong Da Gua date selection. This method is applicable for both Yang and Yin Feng Shui.

DVD

1. Discover Feng Shui With Joey Yap (The TV Series) - Joey Yap*

2. Feng Shui for Homebuyers (7 Discs) – Joey Yap*

3. Xuan Kong Flying Stars Feng Shui Beginners Workshop – Joey Yap*
Nothing much except for beginners. Info easily available from books in the market.

4. Feng Shui For Period 8 Seminar – Joey Yap*
While it is focused more in terms of Period 8, the first half is wasted on the elementary stuffs. An average piece.

5. 峰生水起精读班 (Feng Shui Lecture Of Master So) Vol 1 & 2 – Peter So*
Good presentation of Landforms in Hong Kong. Covers mostly Eight Mansions and some introduction to Flying Stars. Teaches the use of cures for Eight Mansions which other masters seldom teach. However, his Flying Stars method is highly questionable, such as the changing of stove constitutes a change of period for the house. Watch it for the coverage on Forms Feng Shui.



Regards
Alvin Chua

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