Cecil Lee

Dear Oliv, Firstly, Good Luck in selling of your home! Most of the time, the practical advise is/are: 1. Where possible, if the home needs a fresh coat of paint, this is a very good investment. 2. If the home is tenanted or occupied, it is always best to keep the home neat, tidy and remove as much clutter as possible. Generally, from a Feng Shui point of view, unless the home has some good sailent Feng Shui advantages e.g. it has a good view, or the home is e.g. a NE facing etc... Here, the buyer should be appreciative of what is good Feng Shui in particular for the home. Otherwise, most of the time, price is one of the major considerations as well as how well the house has been kept. Sometimes, if the estate is an old estate, there can be a one-off chance that some people who may be interested are those who have children and have relatives e.g. parents / parents-in-law staying close-by. In Singapore, nowadays, if one owns a Five room HDB apartment and it is no where near to good amendities or MRT / LRT, these homes (no matter what) may be harder to sell! If your home has North-South facing direction, often, it is good to add to the description of the sale of the home Wishing you the best of luck in your sale of your new home. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Ricky, Thanks for the sketch. In my opinion, there is no issue with the new layout plan so long as the edge of the fridge does not "cut" or slice into the stove position. Please see attached illustration: " OK vs INAUSPICIOUS". Warmest Regards, Cecil

Home Improvement Need to fix your house without breaking the bank? Here are some Feng Shui home solutions to help bring positive change. Nothing beats moving into a new home. There is the excitement of shopping for furniture as well as the anticipation of spending the next phase of your life in a spanking environment. To make your abode a sanctuary where yon can be happy and fulfilled requires more than just a good decorator. By using feng shui, you can bring out the positive effects of your abode through organization of space, positioning of furniture, display of art and use of flowing lines. Cecil Lee, Principal Consultant and Founder of GEOMANCY.NET: Center for Applied Feng Shui Research offers simple solutions to these scenarios: What should I do about the beams above my bed? Add two bamboo flutes on either end of the ceiling or consfruct a quarter shaped ‘flower’ cornice to hold up the ceiling. Are false ceilings and double-decker beds considered variations of beams over people sleeping below them? A false ceiling is not the same as a beam because firstly, the material is not made of concrete and secondly, it is usually of a wider area. As for double-decker beds, if you look carefully; the entire surface of the upper bed is flat and not concentrated like a beam. For years, many people have slept in double-decker beds and have not suffered any ill effects! My child’s bedroom doubles up as his study. Does the presence of open shelves mean there is too much “sha chi”? Weigh the balance between the convenience of easily accessible books against the “difficulty” in finding one’s (books) resources. It is advisable for the child to have a proper study tabic with stationery and other materials at hand. What is important for a child’s bedroom is to have a proper balance of yin (rest/sleep) and yang (study). Since many children do not have the luxury of separate bedrooms and studies, it is good to have their own study area in a corner of the bedroom. There is a great deal of cross ventilation in my flat making it very windy, is it true that too much wind can blow good chi out of the window? Contrary to popular belief, in addition to the placement of furniture, it is advantageous to have wind coming into die home from as many directions as possible. This helps to circulate stale chi and improve the airflow in the home. At times, when there is too much cross ventilation, ideally, one can close certain windows to reduce this effect. How do I brighten up my dull bathroom without having to do a major renovation? By all means, go ahead and brighten it up with sticker tiles or other decorative items for bathrooms such as themed artwork or floral designs. There is also no harm if one chose to place fresh flowers in the toilet! My windows open out to a power station, what should I do to counter this? In Singapore, a power station is often in the form of a rectangular building. For condominiums, it is usually separated by a service road. If one stands at the window looking out, and the view of the power station does not “slice” or “cut-into” one’s home, then there is really no issue here. However for those who want to play safe, you can look into placing a set of blinds at the window which can let in light and ah. Alternatively; a reflective sun-x film can also be used. The previous occupants had an indoor water feature. Should I have it removed? The basis of feng shui revolves around the Five Elements, namely water, wood, lire, earth and metal, which arc considered the building blocks of life. They interact, shape and stimulate our daily life. Thus if one wants to keep the water feature, it should ideally' have all the five elements in it. Generally speaking, it is riot advisable for a person, who’s Ba Zi (Pillars of destiny') is a weak fire element, to own a water feature since llie water element can destroy or diminish his weak fire. On the oilier hand, a weak water person can benefit from a water position. There is no magic involved in feng shui and no quick-fix feng shui solutions. Tn order to reap the most benefits, one should consult a professional master to do a proper reading. Source & Credit: See Next Thread (Below)

Dear Anon, Frankly, this is an over-kill. (not advisable) Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, Perhaps, this could be a coincidence. Note: this is not Feng Shui, but is quite common activity for some Chinese that are truly down on their luck:- However, for the Chinese, some would prior to taking a bath:- 1. purchase a few limes. Cut the limes into 4 quarters. 2. purchased assorted flowers. get ready the above and place them in a small basin of luke warm water After bathing, just pour this water with lime/flowers over our head . Next, dry ourselves with bath rope. And collect the items and throw them away. Often, avoid going into the toilet for the next 2 hours or so. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear David, The idea behind the 7th month is that when we TAKE POSESSION of a home, some fear that during the seven months, spirits may wonder into our new home. Just last year, I believe, there was an article in the Straits Times, Singapore that says that some developers were even launching new developments during the seven month. It would be rather silly to say that when we sign an option to purchase a home, the ghost would follow us to sign the agreement? Does this make sense or it is a silly notion? Why are we so afraid of doings things in the 7th month? If the whole world is afraid of the 7th month then: 1. No one wants to travel e.g. fly. 2. No one wants to "play" go on vacation etc... 3. No one wants to work? There is a difference between signing an agreement e.g. booking an apartment vs at least the notion that when we just moved-in, into e.g. an empty home, some people may perhaps fear that some wondering ghosts could be staying in the home. And thus want to avoid disturbing it etc... Anyway, these are simply man or (Chinese person's fears). Imagine what would it be like since the world does not always follow the Chinese perception of the hungry ghosts. Certainly Muslims, Christians and Catholics and other religions do not even think about this period. Actually, for the Chinese 7th month, the most important day is the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. While some pray during the 1st of the 7th month (tonite -- 16 August) and the 15th lunar month. As mentioned in my earlier message, there is no harm in booking say a vehicle during the 7th month. In fact, factually, I am going to collect my new vehicle during the 1st week of September or earlier than 13 September 2004 - the last day of the 7th month. If everyone is so scared of the 7th month, better to stay at home. Or take the opportunity to create nuisance in our world and get jailed during this period -- erh to feel safe? Do we want to do so? Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Peck Wun, For this (Monkey) year, Grand Duke sits at 240 degrees and South is also the direction of conflict. Both these sectors are inauspicious for renovations. Warmest Regards, Cecil Lee 2004 Monkey Grand Duke (Avoid touching or disturbing him at this direction) West-South-West, 240 Degree Conflict South 2005 Rooster West, 270 Degree East Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, Frankly, for a car, I personally find that it is not a major issue. However, for a home, it is more important consideration i.e. to avoid moving in during the Chinese 7th month. (For those who are not aware, the start of the Chinese 7th month is 16 August 2004 to 13 September 2004). Traditionally, the most important day of the 7th month is the 7th lunar month of the 7th month. In my opinion, there is no issue in booking a new car before or on the 7th month. Frankly, I have booked a vehicle two months ago. But, due to delay i.e. shipment delay, my new car will arrive during the Chinese 7th month. And I would most likely according to the car company Sales facilitator -- collect my new car around the first week of September. Which is the Chinese 7th month. To be honest, I don't take it as a taboo or worry that much. Thus, if this is so, one's future scrap value of a vehicle can lower our book value during over-trade or resale -- when buying a new vehicle. For a matter of interests, many Singaporeans love to bid for new car numbers: http://app.lta.gov.sg/motoring_vo_bid.asp?Prod=&Series=SFM Warmest Regards, Cecil Lee

Dear Anon, Frankly, this has not much to do with the need to place a symbolic object to "neutralise it". But rather, this issue has more to do with the "Commonsense approach" to Feng Shui. This is because, most of the time, it was felt that chances of a fire occuring in a home -- the most likely occurence could be from the kitchen. And since fire and heat travel upwards, this is our main concern. But in modern times, I would rather "invest" in having smoke detector(s) -- if you have not one already fitted than the bottle gourd. Here, there is a good chance that (touch-wood) in the event of a fire -- the smoke detector would go off and warn us. But the bottle gourd would be like an empty vessel -- which unfortunately does not make any noise at all! Bottle gourd = dead man tell no tales Smoke detector = may perhaps make some of us "temporary deaf" but hey! It does save lives! For those who live in Singapore, there is a recent government or some fire safety bureau campaign -- ie. one can purchase a smoke detector from any of the petrol stations e.g. Shell / Caltex and Mobil-Exxon for a reasonable price of around S$30.00 Why not take the opportunity to install one at your home! (Usually once installed, should the battery run low, many of the smoke detectors would give some "warning". Or do remember to change the battery say every 6 or 9, 12 months) Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear LH, Thanks for the clarification. Yes, using the adage: "If one cannot see it, it no longer becomes a threat". In your example, since the stove does not face the main door (directly) in full view, it is not a "threat" to it. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, Please see below:- In your case, actually, there is no harm to try and work on both Period6 and Period 7 Flying star Feng Shui. Since you have stayed in your home for quite sometime, you can take the opportunity to see which chart (P7 or P6) that is a better match to your home. The above method of doing two charts is in my opinion, a practical and sound practise amongst good Feng Shui practitioners and equally applies to everyone keen to understand their home birth chart. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, As the Pinnacle will be one of the tallest housing board apartments, usually at the higher floors, in my opinion, there is not a major issue in either looking out to the bay or city , harbour view. What is more important considerations are: 1. Commonsense approach to Feng Shui Where possible, avoid having the unit balcony, bedrooms directly facing the afternoon WEST sun. What would be worst is an apartment that is facing exactly West to East (Or East -- west) apartment. Here, the apartment will not be spared the mercy of both morning and afternoon sun! 2. Under Flying Star Feng Shui Facing directions like NE is particuarly auspicious under Period 8 (which the pinnacle will be built within this time frame). Other facing directions are double 8's at the frontage such as the balcony area. 3. Under Eight House theory Also try to see if the home can match our ba zi or eight house. Generally, the above are the things to note if we are applying Feng Shui to any homes or apartment. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, As mentioned earlier, it is illegal or it infringes copyright to simply "cut-paste" things like location maps without manually adding words like source and credit to the respective copyright owners. The easiest alternative is to create a hyper link to the source. For example:- http://www.streetdirectory.com.sg/map.jsp?x=19672.4172&y=36180.1755&postal=659879&building_name=CALTEX+SERVICE+STATION&house_blk_no=50&road_name=BUKIT+BATOK+EAST+AVENUE+3&heading=CALTEX+SERVICE+STATION%3CBR%3E50+BUKIT+BATOK+EAST+AVENUE+3%2C+SINGAPORE+659879 The above is an acceptable convention, as it will bring us to the exact site to view the layout plan. Warmest Regards, Cecil P.S. We do not want to get into trouble with regards to copyright infringements.

Dear Anon, Please note that it is "illegal" to simply "cut-paste" copyright maps. (For other layout plans, usually also try to add a Source and credit". Even if we want to, we have to manually add in a Source and credit. For example the two layout plans should have a source and credit to e.g. " Streedirectory.com " etc... If you have read, in particular, this site streetdirectory.com is very particular and exact a high compensation for "stealing" their maps. Thus, please note that immediately after posting this reply, I have to delete the entire attachments that you have posted. Frankly, it is much easier to "cut-paste" their url link into a message. Here, so long as the link goes to the relevant site, it is a hyper link to the source. Appreciate for anyone else posting attachments, please do not cut-paste such materials again. As I will immedately remove the message totally. Until you do so, I am going to view the attachments. Cecil Lee

Dear Louis, Under Geomancy, it works on the premise of the "Holy Trinity of Luck" i.e. Heaven factors Earth factors Human factors Under Heaven factors ---------------------- Under geomancy: Ba Zi is used to look at relationships - favourable or clashes. It is much like the Chinese astrology where we have different animal signs: such as one partner could be a "Rat person" while the other partner could be a "Horse person". Under Chinese horoscope, for example a rat's worst compatibility is a horse person etc... Under Earth factors -------------------- Flying star Feng Shui can be used to identify "quarrelsome stars" especially #4 or #3. Other Earth factors includes the general luck of the home. As many of us know, sometimes many partners quarrel because of financial problems, also. And much of our earth luck also comes from the home Under Human factors ---------------------- Sometimes, we often hear that for some couples, "healthy" quarrels -- spur them together. And for some of such couples, they simply cannot live without having a quarrel with each other! But of course, many of us quarrel for many other external factors not associated with the above. Thus, if we apply Geomancy, these are generally the three factors, applied. Warmest Regards, Cecil

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