Cecil Lee

Dear Anon, For the Hulu or bottle gourd, often, this is used in place of a set of six-coins or wind chime. The purpose of the hulu is in Feng Shui, suppose to "suck in bad qi". For example, many Chinese Feng Shui practitioners hang it above the bed in response of bad flying star numbers like #5 or #2 sickness stars. The purpose is to "suck" in bad sickness qi. Sometimes it is also used or hung in place of the alternative partition i.e. especially if the main entrance door face the balcony window (directly). Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Guest, From a "Commonsense approach to Feng Shui" ideally, bedrooms should not be located at the centrepoint of the home: 1. Firstly, if none of the walls share an external wall, this often suggest that the middle room is "at the mercy" of open windows or it is quite difficult or harder for air flow to circulate to the centre or middle of the room. And most likely, there are "dead qi" around this area - if no proper ventilation. 2. Fire safety This is not so much of Feng Shui but as many of us are aware, if or should a real fire occur, most likely, the middle room could be engulfed with smoke. And not only this, rescue attempts or even planned escape is much harder. 3. Privacy Literally, there can be less privacy at this middle room if more than 1 window or door needs to be opened for ventilation.

Dear Lionel, I have to delete your message containing the two graphics. This is because, you did not add Source and Credit to the attached copyright images belonging to streetdirectory.com Or another test is that does the buidling block your e.g. entire view or over-cast such that it blocks the wind-flow to your home. If any of these affect the proposed home, than it has a strong bearing on the home. Otherwise, they are considered too far away.

Dear LH, Based on Shapes and Forms Feng Shui, it is considered inauspicious to have the stove face the main door.

Dear Fran, Yes, usually it is not advisable to have a mirror facing a main door. For an L-shaped home, it depends. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Wanama, If you are doing a major renovation under this period 2004, usually your home would be "flying" into the new Period 8. While it may seem that chart is very auspicious under Flying star but if the main door faces a hill etc.. then this is very inauspicious. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear A J, Thank you for your sketched illustration. Please see below, for my comments: Unlike a micro-wave oven which "radiates" heat inwards into food - meat or fish etc...

Dear Ashwini, For the use of plants, it depends on situation. If for example, the stairs if directly facing your main door, there is one situation where it is near impossible to use the plants. Here, one cannot simply place the plant(s) blocking the stairs or blocking your main entrance. But if the staircase is such that it is at the side or if there is a sufficient large corridor or you to place it, then this is fine. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Lionel, Seems like it is ok. As the toilet is not in the middle but rather close to it. At the ground floor, it is best that the toilet is not located at the frontage of a home. On the second storey, it is preferred that the toilet is not above the main entrance door. Generally, what you had described is pretty common for quite alot of homes and still acceptable. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Marie, Frankly, for a small apartment and especially if we have lots of belongings, it is always best to keep our posessions, neat and tidy. And, I know this must be hard, but if we do have boxes or unwanted items, it is best either to neatly pack them or give them away. For a small apartment - space clearing : does help Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, In my opinion, and in reality, there is not much under Feng Shui that can be used to speed up a sale. Usually, based on most frequent advise: 1. Where possible, clear out all rubbish in the home. For example, if the furniture or any cabinets are in bad condition or "rotten", make an investment to throw them away. 2. Always try to spent a little to repaint the entire home e.g. in a white coat of paint. 3. If the house is dirty, give it a major wash. Nowadays, because of the saturated market and if one's apartment is not near the mrt or good amenities, then, it is much harder to be sold. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Foo Leong, Often, if we are applying the Eight House (4 good/bad), we could use the other partner as a "shield". For example, if this room is very suitable to you i.e. Excellent and for your wife; her irritation sector. You should sleep closer to the sector of influence and your wife sleeps further away -- using you as a shield. This is only the best that can be done, here. Of-course, sometimes, it may not be possible at all. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Emily, In my opinion, we still need to use visual - sight and smell Athough smell may vary during the day and when a dumpster pass-by. But, often, one way of looking at is is a walk-thru of the neighbourhood. Such as climbing up the stairs to the unit. In many instances, both the exterior an interior should often "match". For example, if the exteriorof the home, after the upgrading looks prestine or new, but if one's interior is pretty old (worn-out) etc.. Clues can come from the toilet(s), the kitchen and the living area. If the interior has not been upgraded, it is an important clue that only the exterior has "changed". It is much like proverb of an apple: "an apple may look beautiful outside -- but it could be rotten inside". Generally, both the inside of a home and outside should "feel new". If not, or one of them does not feel so, then, it is most likely, the apartment remains under the old period. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Oliv, Traditionally or in the past, there were no such thing as either the electric oven or the refrigerator. (Although there is the clay kiln -- which for the Chinese is often used to make pottery). Otherwise, unlike in the middle east, the Chinese do not often bake bread or pita etc... (As the main Chinese stable food is rice). The most important consideration therefore has to do with the position of the stove. Please note that in my opinion, the micro-wave oven should be considered as belonging to the metal element. This is because, unlike conventional ovens that use heat, the micro-wave ovens excite molecules "inwards" using the wave-length e.g in the 800 megahertz range etc.. In many modern Chinese homes, nowadays, it is quite common to have separate ovens from the stove. This has much to do with the western influence. Many years back, stoves such as boreal, tecno-gas etc... are standalone which has an all in-one oven cum stove. Nowadays, these are usually separate. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Sandra, Usually this is not an issue especially if there is a gap or distance between the stove and the sink. Usually, the further the distance the better. But sometimes as low as 6 inch gap is -- if space constraints, is still acceptable. For more information about the stove, I have added the article that appeared in the magazine "Home Concepts" on the stove. I believe, it will make interesting reading. (This article was posted, just yesterday). Warmest Regards, Cecil

This article shares light into the value of investing in a HDB apartment that is especially close to both MRT and amenities. Due to the government's relaxation of rules for renting out an entire HDB apartments, some have asked their parents to move-in with them. And have rented out their parent's HDB apartment especially in areas like Holland Village, Queenstown etc... HDB apartments does not costs that much as compared to a condo, yet, some can sometimes yield higher or equavalent rentals to such condos.... Source & Credit of the article: The Sunday Times, 1 August 2004. Please click on the link below for the entire article...

[Published on July 2004] Seven (7) Commandments of Stove Placement 1. Shield from vibrant wind. Avoid having a big window behind the stove. 2. Do not place next to sink. If you have to, try to leave a gap or distance between the two. 3. The stove should not face the main door; a toilet door; a bedroom door and the kitchen door. 4. The stove should not be under a beam or below sewerag or drainage pipes. 5. Do not place it in a corner. 6. It should not share the same wall as a bed-head. 7. It should not share the same wall as the toilet bowl or toilet sink. A Cook's Harmony The kitchen is a central part of the home. Where many of our basic needs are met. With good Feng Shui, you can enhance your kitchen's healthy flow of abundance. Wake up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee or the tantalizing whiff of bacon and eggs and chances are, you will be looking forward to the day bright eyed and bushy tailed. Kitchens are the nucleus of every household. It represents both wealth and health. This may explain why Chinese families boil plenty of water at the start of the day - to ensure a never-ending abundance of the Earth's life force. "In Feng Shui, each compass direction is associated with an element, "says Cecil Lee, Principal Consultant and founder of GEOMANCY.NET: Center for Applied Feng Shui Research. "In any kitchen, there will always be the interplay of water and fire elements. Ensuring a good balance between yin (water) and yang (fire) will result in favourable fortune. Upsetting the balance could result in poor health, loss of weath or both." A key factor to harmony in the kitchen is the location of the stove in relation to the door, sink and window. The metal element, which is common in this area of the home and represented by cooking utensils for example, is often used as a bridge between the water and fire counterparts. So what happens if there are imbalances? According to Lee, it depends on the severity of the situation, "The solutions can range from the re-orientation of the fridge, moving the stove, using a mirror to renovatng the kitchen." Comfortable surroundings breed content so it is vital that the person who spends the most time cooking in the kitchen has a conducive environment. Any disturbances could affect the cook's energy and the overall ambience of the home. Having enough working space is a good start to encourage a steady flow of chi. Practise basic Feng Shui hygience such as keeping the area neat, orderly and clutter free. This can be achieved by having plenty of storage space to put things away. Take note that a refrigerator stocked with fresh foods symbolizes prosperity in the household. "Make sure you have a well-lit, properly ventilated kitchend and preferably one where the person who is cooking can see the door way," suggests Lee. Airflow ensure that heat and vapours do not permeate the rest of the house. The cook needs to be aware of the presence of visitors or other family members to avoid unwanted surprises. Dangerous situations can present itself in the activity zone of the kitchen when an suspecting cook could accidentally spill extremely hot contents and hurt someone. More advice On the location of the kitchen and stove 1. Avoid placement in the North which is associated with the water element: water drowns fire 2. Avoid placement in the Northwest or Heaven's gate as it also represents the head of the household, that is, the father. On the location of the fridge and sink 1. Avoid placing them next to the stove as this can cause a conflict of water versus fire.

The following developments are handed over for those who can take over the units before the Chinese 7th month, this year:- 1. Changi Rise Condo (Just TOP a few weeks ago) 2. Goldenhill Park Condo (TOP a few months ago) 3. Goldenhill Villas (Just TOP, this week) 4. Amaranda Gardens (TOP a few months ago) 5. Springside Walk Villas Others: Looks like Nuovo EC is ready but, TOP is just a stone-throw away! In my opinion, this EC took quite sometime. But in my opinion, in long term, because of it's proximity to the MRT and Yio Chu Kang market plus schools, a very good buy for first time home owners. Congratulations on new home owners! who are collecting their keys. BTW, 1, 2, 3 belongs a major developer CDL Properties. P.S. Chinese 7th month is between 16 August 2004 to 13 September 2004

Dear Oliv, Please see below:- 2. It is equally nice-to-have the stove not at the NW sector of the kitchen -- if possible. 3. The first point is like "must-try-not-to". While the second point (para 2) above is like "nice-not-to-have it" at that position. While a sink (with a tap) and dish washer etc... contain or have water. Thus = water element. Thus it is best not to have opposing forces facing it directly - clashing with the stove. The washing machine and sink can be on the opposite wall -- is ok so long as they are not in direct-line "facing each other". This is OK. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Crisa, In very general terms, often, some Feng Shui practitioner will look at the direction or location the home is. But this is very general. For example, some FS practitioners could suggest that e.g. since Singapore is in the Southern part of earth, a main door that is white is ok. Since, metal controls fire element. Generally, it is quite common to find doors that are real wood (varnished in different types of wood tone colors) or simply light pastel shades of e.g. neutral colors like white or cream. For the proposed red colored main door, in general, it is best not to be painted if the door is located at the north (water) direction. If possible, it is not favourable, if the main door is located at the North-Western part of the home. This is because many Traditional Feng Shui practitioners feel that NW = the trigram that represents the head of the home e.g. the father and also it represents "Heaven" emblem. And red represents fire element. Thus, again the idea of " Fire at Heaven's gate" may make some FS practitioners shriek! This may sound a little more complicated -- since one has to have a good grounding in Flying Star Feng Shui. Thus, if one is knows numbers like #5 and #2, and if the sector has such stars, then, red which represents -- fire is not exactly good idea. Equally bad is if there isa water star #8 (current prosperity) at that sector. I know, you may perhaps, then ask this question: In such a case, what should I do? Well, red is in-fact one of the most yang colors. Thus, on the safe side, usually, wood tone colors or pastel shades such as white or cream or beige is often a safer color. Than either red = fire or blue = water. Since these two colors often have it's associated "enemies". Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Joan, In my opinion, this is although not the best position, but it is (based on your earlier description) may seem to be a better position. The only thing is that one may perhaps have to get used to it. However, some of us get used to it, but should you feel uncomfortable, then, may have to revert back to the old. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Holly, Welcome to the forum! In the last message, posted, I have mentioned that it is good to have a good grasp of all under-ling Feng Shui concepts by using a three-step approach: 1. What is the purpose of the concept 2. What are it's strengths 3. What are it's weakness. The idea of using Geomancy or meta-physics is based on a Holistic approach involving: Heaven luck, earth luck (Feng Shui) and human luck. In addition, Shapes and Forms as well as Flying Star Feng Shui is equally important. Thus, if the both of you are opposites and given that you are now at a disadvantage, you could explore the application of Shapes and Forms and Flying Star Feng Shui. For ba zi Feng Shui, it has to do with the use of colors and for ba chai or Eight House Feng Shui, you can still apply it e.g. facing direction e.g. for the work area etc... Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Remy, In fact, this is a very common situation. Since each of us belong to either the East or West group. Thus 50-50 percent. Frankly, there are so many messages posted on this subject alone in the forum -- in the past. The key to understanding this concept and other concepts is to use the three-step-approach:- 1. What is the PURPOSE of the concept? 2. What are it's strengths? 3. What are it's weakness? If one is able to understand this concept based on the above three-steps, then, one can fully grasp how to apply it. And when not to apply it. Perhaps, one can use the SEARCH feature in this forum -- and let the fingers do the walking..... Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Bea, 1. Under this current Flying Star period, in general, the best colour is light shades or beige or cream color. 3. In such a situation, one should be realistic: 3.1 One way of doing is to find the binding colours of two parties first. And then look at all four. If colors does not match or some colors are inauspicious for some, then: 3.2 For the breadwinner and partner, colors can be seleted on the basis of their binding element. For example: If husband is considered a weak wood person and wife is considered a weak water person; then the binding element or color is the water element i.e. blue, black or grey. Since water (blue, black or grey) helps weak water and at the same time also helps weak wood person. 3.3 Thus for the breadwinner and wife, these colors may be considered for the living /dining and their bedrooms -- subject to looking at the colors and elements under the Flying star Feng Shui. 4. For other family members: we can look at color(s) to harmonise their personal bedroom. Thus, given that you have four persons in the home, it is nearly impossible in most situations to find a right color that matches all four of them. However, as a last resort, if one really , really does not know what colors, then play safe by using neutral colors such as white or very light pastel shades of other colors. The morale of the story here is that we live in a realistic world. And to find a perfect color that matches each of us (combined together) is often wishful thinking. This is like the case of one call of received last year. This person (newly wedded couple), wants to hire a Feng Shui practitioner to find a goodapartment for him in theentire Western part of theSingapore.(Little does he know that hiring a FS practitioner just for this could cost abomb!Yet, he does not want to or couldpaythe fee). Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Oliv, Actually quite alot of concepts on the stove position comes from the interpretation of the 8 tigrams. For example, the two major concerns of many Traditional Feng Shui practitioners are:- 1. The North-West. The North-West is suppose to be the represented by THE FATHER or HEAVEN. Thus one may come across this often used term " Fire at Heaven's gate". Although you selected NW = H1, many FS practitioners consider it inauspicious to have a stove at NW. Since this is like having a fire at the Heaven's gate. Or letting the father or this is suppose to be the head of the house under fire! Hello. I've read that the front of a stove where the oven door is located should face a favorable direction based on the trigram of a house and should sit in an unfavorable direction. For a Xun house (315 degrees facing NW), there doesn't seem to be any really good directions. F1 = N, F2 = E, F3 = S, F4 = SE, H1 = NW, H2 = W, H3 = SW, H4 = NE. The only ways the stove can be placed (based on the particular floor plan for this Xun house) is sitting NE (H4) facing SW (H3); sitting SW(H3)facing NE (H4); siting NW (H1) facing SE(F4). Which is the most favorable choice? Also, is there any objection to placing a stove in acenter island in a kitchen? Thank you for any help. Oliv