PRETTY LANTERNS

I saw these lanterns decorating a shop in Ipoh New Town. Nowadays they have even added flowers to decorate the lanterns. Hmm ... shall I buy some silk flowers and glue them onto my mum's lanterns at home to give them a fresher look?

NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT TAI SUI

The Planet Jupiter or the Grand Duke Jupiter is worshipped by the Taoists as the deity for the year. To the Taoists, there are altogether 60 generals who are regarded as Tai Suis. They take turns over a sixty-year cycle to take charge of a certain year.

Below is a news article that I got from the Sunday Star newspaper on this Taoist Deity.

Festive offerings: Chew showing the paper cuttings and effigies for the Chinese New Year ‘change of luck’ rituals.

Time to seek Grand Duke’s protection
By FOONG THIM LENG

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

BATU GAJAH: The dawning of the lunar new year means that believers will once again seek protection from a deity known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter to ensure a good year ahead.

Caretaker of the century-old Kuan Tai Temple here, Chew Lam Sen, said it was common for people to request protection from the Grand Duke and to minimise bad luck.

Those who had previously sought protection would also have to show gratitude by making offerings to thank the Grand Duke, he said.

Another common ritual, he said, was the offerings of prayers to acquire good luck in the new year.

“Those who wish to go through the ritual has to be in the temple on certain days deemed good days according to the Chinese almanac,” said Chew, 70.

“However, we can use a paper effigy to represent them if they are unable to turn up in person.
“All that needs to be done is to write the person’s name at the back of a paper cutting and we will perform the change of luck ritual for them,” he said.

He said those born in the year of the Tiger, Monkey, Boar and Snake were deemed to have offended Tai Sui and should make offerings to him in the new year.

Those born in the year of the Horse and Dog would have to appease the “five ghosts”, he said, adding that those born in the year of the Tiger and Monkey would have to make offerings to the “sky dog”.

Chew said it was advisable for those whose age ended in the digits of three, six or nine this year to undergo the ritual to prevent negative incidents.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/31/nation/5585712&sec=nation

WAYS TO SUBDUE THE NASTY WU WANG

My mum and I have been thinking of what cures to use to counter the 5 Yellow Star which will be flying into the Southwest sector come February 4, 2010. Our front door is directly facing Southwest 2 and it is rather difficult for us not to use this door. Besides this is the place where my mum spends the most time since the telly is located here. Another problem is the sounds from the shows she watches. Since her hearingis not so good, she has a tendency to raise the volume a bit. It is difficult to move to the West and South sectors of the house as West sector is the garage and the South sector is also affected by the Quarrelsome Star 3.
Before I tell you what cures that I have come up with, let me provide some information about Wu Wang Xing.

ABOUT THE WU WANG (FIVE YELLOW STAR)
The Five Yellow affliction will occupy 45 degrees of the compass which means its influence covers a large area of space in ones home or workplace. This star is associated with the colour yellow and with the earth element.
The affliction of the Five Yellow is worst when it is located at important areas, especially the front door or the bedroom. The affliction is worsened if the front door or bedroom is located in an earth location, such as northeast, southwest, or center.
WHY IS THE FIVE YELLOW SO FEAREDThe Five Yellow can bring ruinous financial and health problems. If the problem is not seen to then one will face a lot of problems, sometimes fatal. By just working in a sector where the Five Yellow is located, opening and closing the front door, being active in a room where the five yellow is located will “activate” it.

The remedy for the Five Yellow is based on the Five Element Theory.

An excellent Feng Shui cure for the deadly five yellow star which brings all kinds of bad luck is the 5 Element Feng Shui Pagoda. My mum has this at home. At present it is placed in the kitchen which is located in the North sector.
To exhaust the intrinsic earth energyof the 5 Yellow, you can add metal. An all-metal, six-rod windchime is one effective tool to exhaust the five yellow. If the Five Yellow is at your front door, you add a six-rod metal windchime on either side of the door OR hang 3 sets of 6 rod metal wind chimes in this sector (which happens to be the Southwest in 2010).
The 6 rod wind chime in my house has rusted and we will be buying new ones to hang up.

I will be getting 6 Chinese coins to place above the doorway of my house to subdue the unlucky 5 Yellow Star.
The 5 Element Plaque is another remedy for the 5 Yellow. You need to hang it on the doorway facing outwards. Make sure to hang it before February 4 as afterwards you can only use double-sided tape to stick it on as it would not be advisable to knock nails into the door. By doing so would mean activating the 5 Yellow Star.
I have ordered the plaque and will be getting it after February 4. So, I can only use double sided tape to hang it up.

Placing round metallic things in the Southwest sector of the home would help to negate the ill effects of the 5 Yellow. If you have metallic tables or large decorative art pieces, this would be even better.

My mum has placed metal chains here and a lot other metallic stuff.

Other remedies:

• Another remedy is to put some earth from the sector where the five yellow is located into a metal jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• Metallic things and colours (white, silver, gold) of any kind are also beneficial.
• Yet another remedy is the pendulum or chiming clock.
• Avoid turning on lights in this sector as lights represent fire and this activates the Five Yellow.
• Keep the area quiet and DO NOT DIG here as this will stimulate the five yellow.
• If possible, avoid the room in this sector.
• If the five yellow is in the bedroom, a brass wu luo is the best.
  

Sources of pictures:

1. http://imagessearch.yahoo.com/
2. http://www.wof.com
3. http://natures-energies.com

USES OF WIND CHIMES IN FENG SHUI

Here are some tips on how you can utilize the powerful Wind chimes to Feng Shui your way to a better life.

• Place a Windchime inside the toilet to press down the bad luck of the toilet.
• In Flying Star Feng Shui, the Six rod metal Windchime made from metal (brass, bronze etc.) is an excellent cure to ward-off the evil influences of the malignant #5 yellow star and #2 black star. The #2 black star is also known as the ‘Sickness Star’ which brings illnesses and ailments to occupants while the #5 yellow star is the ‘Disaster Star’ that instigates fights, accidents and death. Hanging the six rod all metal Windchime on the ceiling in the affected sectors will dissolve these adverse energies.
• Place a six rod metal Windchime in the West sector to activate children luck based on the Pakua's Life Aspiration Theory. This sector is also said to represent happiness.
• Display a six-rod metal Windchime in the North sector to activate career luck. This sector’s element is water and the use of metal produces water.
• Hang a six rod metal Windchime in the Northwest sector to boost your mentor luck or the luck of attracting helpful people, advisers and friends into your life, people who can assist and bring you with abundant opportunities whether it be at work, at school or in your business. The Northwest is a big metal sector and coupled with 6 being the number representative of the element in this sector, the effect is doubled!

CAUTION

Make sure Windchimes are not hung in a way where someone sits, eats, works, sleeps or stand underneath it regularly. It can result in head injuries and other illnesses and accidents.

Do not hang Windchimes in sectors containing the #3 star. It will erupt in quarrels among family members and cause tempers to flare.

SOURCE: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S020xjW2RLDwoAKWejzbkF/SIG=123mdaib5/EXP=1264954595/**http%3a//www.natures-energies.com/wind_chimes.htm

ANNUAL RITUAL

Heh! Heh! Here I am again having my pictures taken outside the WOFs branch in Ipoh. If you look at the first post I did for the Xing Fu blog way back on 14 January 2007, the picture posted was of me standing in front the WOFs branch.

Why do I always make an appearance in January? It is because I would come and buy the ticket for Jason's Feng Shui talk during this time. Actually the talk is over but I came to collect my copy of the World of Feng Shui magazine and also to book an appointment for a BaZi reading which comes complimentary with the purchase of a ticket to the talk.

SOUTHWEST 2 FACING HOUSE

Mrs Cheah and Mrs Ooi were looking at some Feng Shui items at the WOFs branch in Ipoh when the above photographs were taken. We had all gone there to look for a 5 Element Plaque to hang on the door of our Southwest 2 facing house which will be badly afflicted by the 5 Yellow Star. This star of misfortune creates loss of money, accidents and sickness. The plaque we wanted to buy is used as a cure for the dreaded 5 Yellow Star as it is designed with the 5 element Pagoda and has two powerful Buddhist mantras to help subdue obstacles and purify bad karma. Unfortunately it was out of stock and so we had to place an order for one.

I know that the best way is to not use the sector that is afflicted by the 5 Yellow Star but the main door is located here. Furthermore, my mum also watches TV in this area. The other area of the hall is in the South sector which is affected by the Quarrelsome 3 star. This is a very difficult situation and as an alternative we decided on using the cures. As it is my mum has placed a lot of metallic stuff in the Southwest and will also moving her 5 Element Pagoda here from the kitchen (which is located in the North) a few days before Lup Chun or the 4th of February when the stars change positions.

PHOTOS WITH FORMER STUDENTS

The photographs below were uploaded to my Facebook account by a few of my former students whom I taught from 1996 to 1999. This year the boys and girls from my 5T6 class are 30 years old and more than two-thirds of them are married with children. Those from 5T5 are 28 years old. My, my, how time flies. With my former student, Hamizi, at Teluk Batik in 1997 during a class picnic.

With another student at Teluk Batik at another class picnic.

5T5 (1999)

4T6 (1996)
In this photo: Hamizi Abdul Hamid, Amran Erwani, Ezri Fazrin, Shuhaidi Ibrahim, Khairul Niza, Suzaiha A'are, Kamal Saari, Syahidatul Zarina, Miss Cheah Li Na, Ammar Hj Fauzi, Meor Hafiz, Zaliazuar Abd Rahman, Salasiah Hasan, Saiful Baharin, Joe Jawa, Fatimah Hamzah, Khairi Anuar, Nurul Azmi Kasan

5T6 (1997)
In this photo: Amran Erwani, Khairi Anuar, Joe Jawa, Nurul Azmi Kasan, Meor Hafiz, Zaliazuar Abd Rahman, Ammar Hj Fauzi, Suzaiha A'are, Syahidatul Zarina, Miss Cheah Li Na, Shuhaidi Ibrahim, Ezri Fazrin, Khairul Niza, mamat tangan patah, Saiful Baharin, Emy Rul, Salasiah Hasan, Kamal Saari

KAVADIS

When I drove into town with my mum and aunt this morning, I saw a number of devotees carrying kavadis near the Hindu temple area. It was indeed a colourful sight. The kavadis were beautifully decorated and many were adorned with peacock feathers. The photographs were taken by my mum as I was driving the car very slowly behind the kavadi bearers and their entourage.

The act of carrying the kavadi is often performed during the festival of Thaipusam and emphasizes debt bondage. The Kavadi itself is a physical burden through which the devotees implore for help from the God Murugan.
Generally, Hindus take a vow to offer a kavadi to idol for the purpose of tiding over or averting a great calamity.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaipusam

NEW LIFE

Click on the pictures to get a better view of the little kittens.

Yesterday afternoon, I got the privilege to watch Latipah the cat giving birth. This is the first time for this feline. Actually it was a coincidence that I got to be witness to this wonder of nature. I had gone to Kamariah's house to pick her up to go to the shop of the mother of one of our students. The boy had some discipline problems and we wanted to go and talk with his mother about this issue.

It was Kamariah's son who noticed that their cat was acting funny as it was sitting on a pile of clothes in the store room. When we had a look, we realised that it was about to give birth as we could see the head of the kitten. I quickly asked them to get a box and some cloth so that the she-cat could be placed in it. After that we watched the birthing process - from when the cat was going into labour until the two little kittens arrived into this world. It was indeed something very wonderful.

MAKING FENG SHUI PERSONAL --- KEEPING YOURSELF FRESH AND ENERGIZED

Article by Kathryn Weber

Feng shui is often called the Chinese Art of Placement. But you can use feng shui in so many ways beyond how you arrange your home. Feng shui can also be very personal -- you can apply it to the way you dress, look, and act.
Let's talk about a few of the ways you apply feng shui to yourself to stay fresh and energized.... Your signature says it all.
My mentor and feng shui master, Lillian Too, often recommended people make changes to their signatures to give them more influence. Some signatures have letters that curl backwards -- this means lackluster growth and success.
Some tilt left -- this causes the same problem. Even the graphic above shows writing that tilts to the right and looks like it's going forward. Look at your signature and make sure yours says "affluence" and that it tilts right and up -- not left and backwards. A client of mine had a tough time being promoted even though his income kept going up; he simply never got the nod. I told him his signature tilted backwards -- as though he turned his back on others or looked backwards. In fact, all his writing has a tendency to lean left. He changed his signature and the money flowed into his life -- and he leap-frogged at his job being promoted up two levels! Is your signature squeezed and tight? Money will be tight too. Get your signature flowing and watch the money flow with it!What does your email really say?
This may sound strange but your email address conveys ideas about you to the people who read it. What we call ourselves can influence the way we are treated by others. If you have a negative email address or something very difficult, it could have an effect. What does your email address say about you? Also, use proper punctuation even in an email. Some emails are written using the lowercase "i" instead of "I." This diminishes you. Don't do it.Like hair color commercial says, "You're worth it."
Do you do little things for yourself that make you feel pampered? I set up a tea tray by my office with a hot water kettle on a pretty tray with apothecary jars full of elegant teas and some of my favorite ginger cookies (Biscoff and Anna's Ginger Thins are my fave!). Now when I want a break from the computer, I only step to the next room instead of trekking downstairs and I feel luxurious with my herbal tea. It's also some self care that makes me feel good.
Do your best to beautify yourself.
Everyone feels better when they look better. Get to a new stylist, or a make-up counter at a department store. Freshen up your image and your look. I got Invisalign braces last month and I'm almost 50, but who cares? I wanted a straighter smile so that when I ring in the New Year in 11 short months, I'll do it with a straight, white smile. We all get into ruts, just have the good sense to get out of it and make some improvements to keep your energy flowing and active and help you feel great!
What makes you feel inspired?
We all need something that lifts our sights. I like to find my inspiration at my desk because I spend a lot of time on the computer. Last year, I posted a picture of Hong Kong on my computer and guess where I went? That's right, Hong Kong. This year, I put a new photo on my computer's wallpaper. It's a gorgeous waterfall because I want a lot of water this year -- and remember water is wealth in feng shui! Find a picture for your wallpaper on your computer or a scene to hang on a wall where it can inspire you!Open your eyes to your habits of speech, your writing, your email name, even your resistance to change and openness to receive. This is part of applying feng shui to yourself and to your life, to keeping energy positive and moving and flowing for yourself. Sometimes the change to your environment isn't as important as the changes your make to yourself.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in classical Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE Ebook "Easy Money - 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui" visit http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=Kx9qC&m=1ZVlPcuxFIH6wf&b=FPr19da86y3lR_8RNBsRew and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!

KOREAN LUNAR NEW YEAR

In Malaysia, the lunar new year is referred to as Chinese New Year because the Chinese are the ones who celebrate it. But do you know that the Japanese and Koreans also celebrate the lunar new year too?

Here is some information about the Korean Lunar New Year:

In Korea, Seollal (also Seolnal) refers to Lunar New Year’s Day, Korea’s biggest holiday of the year. Seollal(설날) is also known as sullal, seolnal, gujung, gujeong. This day by is the most important Korean holiday. Families and relatives get together to celebrate the first day of the year and to wish the best luck. The adults honour the deceased with jesa, semi-religious practice, the children do sebae, traditional saluting practice to show respects to parents, grandparents and elderly relatives, they all eat tteokguk, rice-cake soup, play folk games such as yutnori, gegichagi and visit more relatives and close neighbors

This is for families to renew ties and prepare for the new year.

Like the Malaysian Chinese, the Koreans also have some superstitions and practices during the new year. One example is on New Year's Eve people place straw scoopers, rakes or sieves on their doors and walls to protect their families from evil spirit in the new year.

Everyone dresses in new clothes, the following morning, symbolizing a fresh beginning, and gathers at the home of the eldest male family member. Ancestral memorial rites are held, then the younger generation bows to elders in the family. They wish them good health and prosperity in the coming year. The elders often then give newly minted money or gifts afterwards. This is something like our ang pows. I am not sure if the money is put into packets.

New Year's Day food for the Koreans includes a bowl of rice cake soup ttokkuk. Koreans believe eating this soup will add and extra year of age to your life. Like the Chinese, Korean age is actually calculated at the New Year. Everyone becomes a year older on New Year's Day!

Favorite games: yut nori, a stick game, and see-sawing on large see-saws setup in the courtyard or in parks.

References:

http://www.korea4expats.com/article-lunar-new-year-activities-seollal.html
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=39301

http://www.hyonjooparklee.com/korea-beauty/culture/korean-new-year-day-lunar-new-year-day-seolnal-yutnori.html
http://www.fathertimes.net/koreannewyear.htm

LUNAR NEW YEAR DECORATIONS IN THE LIBRARY

Here is the display I have put up for Chinese New Year in the school library. I have been working on it for a few days with help from my colleagues and students. There is still a bit more decorations to add to the display. We are also working on the information about the festival that will also be exhibited. Well, what do you think of the display so far?

CUTE LITTLE 'TIGERS'

Children in "tiger" costumes pose for pictures with tiger dolls made by themselves during a parent-child commonwealth activity held at the Youth and Children's Center in Tianjin, North China, Jan. 2, 2010, to celebrate the coming of the new year. (Xinhua/Liu Dongyue)
Source: http://english.sina.com/life/p/2010/0102/297083.html

MELLOWER WITH AGE

I find that as I grow older I have become more even-tempered. You can say that I have become mellower and a bit calmer. However, I do get worked up and excited sometimes. Anyway, I try to be calmer, more patient and more relaxed when doing things or when faced with trying situations. Like everyone else, I have seen and heard of cases where people get heart attacks or strokes whenever they become too upset or too worked up.

One therapeutic way that works wonders for me is by playing with animals. At my house in Ipoh, I get to play with my dog, Angel but when I am at school, I will play with Bu.

BEST DAYS TO TRAVEL FOR LUNAR NEW YEAR 2010

18 February, 2010 (THURSDAY) - 5th day of the first lunar month

Conflict with Snakes

19th February, 2010 (FRIDAY) - 6th day of the first lunar month

Conflict with Horse

21st February, 2010 (SUNDAY) - 8th day of the first lunar month

Conflict with Monkey

22nd February, 2010 (MONDAY) - 9th day of the first lunar month

Conflict with Rooster

23 February, 2010 (TUESDAY) - 10th day of the first lunar month

Conflict with Dog

**It is not advisable to travel if your Zodiac sign conflicts with that particular day.

GOOD AND BAD DIRECTIONS FOR CNY

Here is a list of auspicious door directions for the first day of the Chinese New Year:

Try to either open a door or window in one of these directions the moment you wake up on New Year's Day.
Wealth God (Cai Xin): Southeast
Happiness God (Xi Xin): Northwest

Try not to open a door or window in one of the directions below (if possible)
5 Ghosts: Northeast
Death Door: Southwest

If your house has only one door and it is facing a bad direction, then one remedy taught by Jason Eng during his Feng Shui Talk is to hold a knife or cleaver in one hand before opening the door and then do the action of cutting into the air three times. This would help negate the negative energy and bad luck.