My Very First Blog

My Lunch At Sri Suria Curry House

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 17:34:00 +0000

Right after my visit to KL Bird Park with my Filipino friend, I decided to bring him to Sri Suria Curry House for a late lunch.

Located along the same street with Sri Shakti Eswary Temple in Kelana Jaya, this Indian restaurant offers banana leaf rice which I thought would be something that my friend had never eaten before.

Personally, I really love banana leaf rice! We had white rice with the assortment of vegetable dishes all placed on the banana leaf.

I also ordered their nasi briyani which was really delicious!

I had lassi (an Indian yogurt drink) and my friend had rose syrup.

I also asked for rasam, a kind of sourish Indian soup that really opened up our appetite.

We also had some fried chicken.

And so this is how our spread looks like. Yummy! I am feeling hungry now just looking at this!

I have forgotten how much the total bill came to, but I remember it was not expensive.

Will I come here again? You bet!

Sri Suria Curry House
No. 3A, PJ21 (SS3/39),
Kelana Jaya,
Selangor 47300
Tel : +603 7865 7771

Always

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 18:08:00 +0000

Do you watch Korean dramas? Well, if you do, you would probably know this series called Descendants Of The Sun. It's very popular when it was first aired in 2016. But what I really like about this show is actually the songs. One of my favourite song from this show is Always sung by Yoon Mi-rae.

Below is a Youtube video of the song as originally sung by Yoon Mi-rae with some scenes from the show.

I thought this song would sound pretty nice on the piano, so I decided to try playing it. After a few attempts, I went ahead to record the full song and below is the result!

My playing is not perfect, and I don't think I can make it perfect anyway. But I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed playing it! :)

If you like, follow me on Soundcloud to listen to more songs! Thank you!

My Visit To KL Bird Park (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 23 May 2017 17:34:00 +0000

Continued from Part 1

Having enjoyed the man-made waterfall in Zone 4 of KL Bird Park, my friend and I continued to walk towards the middle of the lake. Here, we saw many milky storks.

I have never seen these birds so up close before, so it was a great experience for me.

It appears that these milky storks are highly protected bird species in Malaysia.

We also saw many peacocks walking around freely. Took a shot of this man taking a photo of the woman, but of course all I actually wanted was to take a photo of the peacock. Lol.

Another beautiful peacock!

A tourist attempting to take pictures of the peacocks with his camera.

I was waiting for the peacocks to display their beautiful feathers but no such luck.

Look at these birds! What were they doing?

The view of the waterfall from the middle part of the lake.

Another photo of the colorful peacock! Did you know that the word peacock refers to the male bird? The female peacock is actually known as a peahen!

More photos of the milky storks.

I wonder if they eat the fishes in the lake as I have never seen them do that.

Maybe I will go for the feeding session next time I visit KL Bird Park. Should be interesting.

Another view of the waterfall from the side.

We continued to walk and soon reached the Amphitheatre.

Bird shows are held here at the semi-open air Amphitheatre at 12.30pm and 3.30pm daily. Unfortunately, during my visit, the timing was all wrong and we did not get to see any bird performances.

Next, we reached the Flightless Birds area. Here, you can get to feed the some of the largest bird species on earth - the ostrich and the emu!

OK, I really do not know the difference between an ostrich and an emu. Are these ostriches or emus?

I think this is an ostrich. Ostrich has longer necks compared to an emu, right? Please correct me if I am wrong, lol.

Feeding the ostrich.

An ostrich poking its head inside. I wonder if it had ever knocked its head against the grill. Lol.

A kid attempting to feed the ostrich behind the safe protection of the wall. Did you know that although the ostriches looks tame, they can actually kill you if you provoke them? Besides running faster than any humans, they can kill you with a forceful kick of their leg that is also armed with sharp talons at the toes!

Leaving the Flightless Bird area, we were back in Zone 3 at the Hornbill Park.

Not sure where we were at this point, but we saw a lot of milky storks here.

They were all over the place! So I guess we were back at Zone 1 where the free-flight birds are. Zone 1 and Zone 2 are the two areas in KL Bird Park where birds fly around and mingle freely with each other. No cages here!

Close shot of one of the storks.

All freely walking around near the pond.

More photos.

A woman squatting down to take pictures of these birds.

Not sure what bird this is. Hmm, is it an egret? Wait, did I ask the same question in Part 1? Lol.

I spotted a crowned pigeon again. If you recall, I mentioned about this blue bird with red eyes in Part 1.

A trio of birds - the crowned pigeon, the peacock and .... I think I shall call it the egret. Are they close friends perhaps? :)

I spotted an ibis up close!

More photos of the ibis.

Notice that it has jumped over to the outer pole?

Ibises and milky storks. They are wading birds as they like to stay near the pond.

Ooh! Captured a close shot of a crowned pigeon!

The crowned pigeon walked past a mini cafe.

It appeared that all these wading birds - storks, egrets and ibises - are actually at the same pond with the flamingos! So this pond is actually known as the Flamingo Pond.

Look at the flamingos with their long legs! And yes, flamingos are wading birds too.

OK, let's do a quick quiz. What is this bird called?

And this?

How about this?

Answers : The first one is an ibis. The second one is an egret. And the third is of course, an ibis :)

Not sure why the pond looks so green!

Oh, this egret managed to reach the small island in the middle of the pond.

We left the Flamingo Pond and walked towards a bridge.

The sign board pointed us to the direction of Zone 2.

There's a river here at Zone 2.

More ibises could be spotted here.

Along the wooden bridge.

These are Freshwater Birds.

An information board showing the types of birds in the Freshwater category. They include ibises, egrets, storks and herons.

Not sure what building is that!

As we walked along the path, we saw a peacock ahead of us.

I decided to follow the peacock.

Look! It is showing its beautiful long feathers.

It crosses to the other side.

The peacock is posing for my camera. Lol.

It showed its long flowing feathers.

A close shot of its feathers.

Beautiful peacock!

Then I stumbled onto another peacock and it was opening up its feathers! This shot was from the back.

I quickly ran to the front and took a picture.

Hmm, the feathers looked kind of tired and old. I wanted to see a colourful and beautiful plummage like I see in photos. Not this!

Oh well, at least I got to see one peacock showing off his feathers though he did not properly maintained them. Lol.

After about 3 hours in KL Bird Park, we reached the exit. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day at the park. Honestly, I do not mind visiting again.

If you have never been to KL Bird Park, I recommend that you visit and spend at least 3 hours here! You will surely be entertained unless of course, you don't like birds.

My Visit To KL Bird Park (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 20:08:00 +0000

I visited Kuala Lumpur Bird Park one fine Sunday morning with a friend. Located near KL Lake Gardens, it is one of the world's largest covered bird park.

There was no parking space that day so I parked a little further away.

The park is located along Jalan Cenderawasih. I did not know the road was formerly known as Jalan Spooner or Spooner Road! Since this post is more about KL Bird Park, I shall leave you to google about the historical story behind this name, if you are interested.

Anyway, I drove a little further up. Passed this 'monkey crossing' sign. I think it's my first time seeing this sign. Lol.

So here was where I parked my car - at the Tun Abdul Razak Memorial. Plenty of parking spaces here and it was just a short 3-minute walking distance to KL Bird Park.

If you are a tourist planning to visit this park, you can get on the KL Hop-On-Hop-Off Double Decker Tour Bus which disembark at Station No. 15 right in front of KL Bird Park main entrance. The buses are available every 30 to 45 minutes interval so it's pretty convenient!

A small garden outside the bird park.

Many people queuing up to buy admission tickets. If I did not remember wrongly, I think the normal adult ticket price is RM67. For Malaysians with MyKad, it is only RM27 - a huge saving! I used my Aeon card and I was charged only RM22 - even better! Haha. (Make sure you present your Aeon card together with MyKad to get this special price!)

The welcome signboard to KL Bird Park greeted us at the entrance.

My first sight of a bird. But wait..isn't that bird outside the net?

So do you think it's a real bird? Lol.

The Bird Park is divided into 4 zones. Zone 1 and Zone 2 make up the free-flight walk-in aviary where many species of birds fly freely and live together in an almost natural environment. The main entrance leads you into Zone 1.

We passed by what is known as the Love Aviary. This is a Lovebird, which is actually a parrot. And yes, it was upside down.

My first time getting up close with a pelican!

Look at its long beak!

It got into the water and swam.

Beautiful bird....

....until it started to open its beak and drink water! Now that looks ugly!! Lol

Not sure what bird this is. Is it an egret? Anyone knows?

There were a lot of them at this area.

A young girl seemed fascinated watching the birds.

I like this blue bird with red eyes!

They are crowned pigeons - one of the largest pigeon species in the world.

What bird is this?

Oh, look at those babies in the drain!

A bird feeding on papaya.

Some of the daily activities. Unfortunately, we missed out on all of them as we preferred to explore the park casually without worrying about the schedules.

We soon reached Hornbill Park located in Zone 3.

This is the Great Hornbill. At first I mistook this to be the Rhinoceros Hornbill - one of the largest hornbill species in the world. Unfortunately I did not manage to spot the Rhinoceros Hornbill that day. You will notice that Zone 3 is no longer a free-flight area, so the hornbills are in cages.

Next, we were in the fowls section.

This is Helmeted Guinea Fowl. The shape of this bird reminds me of a turkey.

And this is Vulturine Guinea Fowl.

A Great Hornbill perched on the stand.

The stairs leading to the Hornbill Gift Shop. I visited this gift shop only later towards the end of our visit.

The walkway with enclosures on one side.

I also spotted this Purple Swamphen in the Hornbill Park.

We passed by a small pond with fishes swimming inside.

The pond has water-spouting tortoises. No real tortoises here, I'm afraid.

Love the tropical trees surrounding the place!

This is the entrance to Zone 4.

Some rules to abide by when visiting this zone.

The map showing where we were. Zone 1 is in green, with the red arrow showing the entrance to the Bird Park. Zone 2 is yellow (we only visited this right at the end - it looks kinda green in this photo, but it is on the right side of Zone 1). Zone 3 is in orange and Zone 4 - the largest zone - is in grey.

OK these birds are not real. Haha.

This is the photo booth for you to take photos with the fake birds.

That picture of the bird above the words "KL Bird Park" - I believe that's the Rhinoceros Hornbill! I think it's KL Bird Park's logo.

If I did not tell you these birds are fake, would you have thought they were real?

The Parrot Kiosk where you can buy food and drinks, NOT parrots! Lol.

We passed by the African Grey Parrot. Oops! Sorry out of focus! Don't worry, there will be photos of this parrot later.

Check out these Blue-cheeked Amazon parrots! Look closely and you can see they have blue cheeks! Felt a bit sorry that they were in cages.

We were at the World of Parrots section.

I like this Palm Cockatoo! Too bad it did not speak when I was there.

A pigeon in another cage.

These parrots were so colourful and beautiful!

Love them!

This is African Grey Parrot. Not the same one as the out-of-focused parrot in the earlier photo, but it's the same specie. But it looks kind of dull after seeing those colourful parrots!

Another one of those colourful parrots.

I noticed they like to hang upside down. OK, not really hang, but clawing on the fence with head facing downwards.

I don't know why but this African Grey Parrot looks kinda sad. Maybe it wanted to be free, not trapped in the cage. Or maybe it wanted attention and care.

The same parrot in a different pose. Did you know that the African Grey Parrot is the most intelligent of all parrots? Maybe because of its intelligence, it could easily get distressed.

Two parrots on a swing. The park probably kept two birds in a cage to promote breeding.

Little houses for the parrots?

A Yellow Sulfur-crested Cockatoo.

This is probably a Chattering Lory, with its mostly red body and green wings.

A beautiful Blue-fronted Amazon parrot.

Spotted a tortoise in this container. Wonder what it was doing there?

Soon, we reached the Oriental Bird Aviaries.

There are seats here if you want to rest.

Not sure what birds these are, possibly Sun parakeets? They like to live together in a flock.

A closer shot of the parakeets.

This is a Red-billed Toucan.

We rested for a while here before continuing to the Waterfall Aviary.

Nettings covering the Waterfall Aviary.

Entrance to the Waterfall Aviary.

I like this part of the Bird Park.

Maybe because I love waterfall!

We walked towards the man-made waterfall. In fact, we went behind it.

This is like a cave overlooking the lake with water falling from above.

Beautiful and so relaxing! Looking down below.

This is how the waterfall looks like from outside. The height of the man-made waterfall is about 30 feet tall.

A closer shot of the waterfall. Can you see a bird at the top of the waterfall? Do you think it's real or fake? Lol.

A few more shots of the waterfall.

We had a refreshing stroll with lush greeneries around us.

As this post is getting a bit too long, I better stop here.

Don't miss Part 2 where we get to see many other birds like storks, ostriches, peacocks, flamingos and more!

Clever Ways To Save While On Holiday In Japan

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 18:58:00 +0000

With its colourful cultural tapestry and breathtaking natural wonders, Japan is definitely high on my list of must-see places this 2017 but as one of the most expensive countries in the world, the land of the rising sun can sometimes seem like a distant dream.

However with some clever tricks and a little bit of insider know-how, there are multiple ways to cut down on costs whilst still being able to experience the country and its many offerings to its fullest.

So today, let me share four ways to experience Japan on a shoestring budget!

1. Choose your mode of transportation wisely
Highway buses are a pretty affordable means of travelling within Japan. A trip from Osaka to Tokyo might set you back at about 3,500 Yen (RM139) and there are also buses that travel through the night, allowing you to have ample rest before you arrive at your destination. For those with limited time however, train travel is perhaps the best way to get around Japan and while a Japan Rail Pass can be pricey - 29,110 Yen (RM1,157) for a 7-day regular pass - you get the benefit of using it for an unlimited number of times and it'll cost you less than the accumulated cost of getting one-time use tickets. The good news is that there are websites such as Saleduck that suss out ongoing discounts and promotions on travel tickets, passes and more so make sure you do your research in advance. That being said, you can choose to bypass all of this and consider bike rentals as a much more affordable (and scenic) alternative to trains and buses. Not only will you save more on travelling expenses but you're more likely to get up close and personal with Japan's sights and sounds.

2. Look for accommodation in unexpected places
Accommodation can sometimes be the main reason expenses are high. The price of hostels in Tokyo averages in at about 2,500 Yen (RM99) per night so I suggest expanding your options into more peculiar territories that will be kinder to your wallet but will also make your travels much more memorable. If you're crashing in Tokyo, why not give one of its many Internet cafes a shot. Some of them come fully equipped with hot showers, vending machines dispensing drinks and steaming hot bowls of instant noodles, fully reclining seats and in some cases, capsule rooms that you can catch some ZZs in for the night. Alternatively, Couchsurfing is a great way to find free lodging whilst meeting new people.

3. Eat at fast food joints and convenience stores
Super satisfying and kind to the wallet, Japanese fast food joints are a cultural phenomenon in their own right and here is where you'll get access to mouth-watering bowls of soba donburi loaded with glistening egg and crispy pork cutlets and the list goes on. For sushi lovers, conveyor belt sushi such as Genki Sushi lets you indulge in fresh and authentic sushi for about 108 Yen (RM4) per plate. Also, don't overlook the convenience stores of Japan. Family Mart and 7-Eleven are beloved institutions that carry plenty of pre-packed hot meals, sandwiches and snacks that make for affordable pick-me-ups.

4. Take advantage of Japan's abundance of free attractions
From the sparkling buildings that tower over the streets of stylish Shibuya to the serene vibes of Ueno park, Japan is a walker's paradise with plenty of things to see and discover. In Tokyo specifically, Yoyogi park is beautiful during the Autumn and weekends are perfect for picnics spent lazing around and watching buskers jam. If fashion and pop culture is your calling, remember to make a pitstop at Harajuku to ogle at the wild and whimsical fashionistas.

Remember To Forget Me (Theme Song From Wu Xin : The Monster Killer)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 08:56:00 +0000

Remember To Forget Me.

That's a rather strange title for a song, right?

It's the theme song for the popular Chinese horror fantasy drama "Wu Xin : The Monster Killer" (or Wu Xin Fa Shi 无心法师). Composed by Alfred Hui for HK TVB, this song had played in my mind so many times that I have lost count!

If you had watched the series, you would understand the title of this song. If you have not, it would be quite difficult to explain it. Well, it's not too late - you can still catch it online but make it fast, as I heard that the sequel to this 20-episode drama will be coming soon later this year.

This song is the Cantonese version specifically for HK TVB, not the original Chinese theme song. Watch the video below to listen to the song.

I am so looking forward to watch the sequel! I hope that it will be as good and enjoyable as the first one. So, before Wu Xin : The Monster Killer 2 makes its appearance, I guess I had better record my own piano version to this beautiful song.

My playing was not perfect - there were a few errors and notes slips here and there - but I was too lazy to do another recording. So, here it is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed playing it. And feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you think! Oh, and if you like, do follow me on Soundcloud :)

My Visit To Putrajaya Botanical Garden

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 06:54:00 +0000

It was not my first time visiting the Putrajaya Botanical Garden. I recalled visiting it many, many years ago (probably more than 10 years ago) but could not remember much about it.

After the enjoyable Putrajaya Lake Cruise with my Filipino friend, it was already late afternoon. I decided to bring my friend to the Botanical Garden.

There were many tiles with different scientific name of plants near the car park outside the Botanical Garden.

We walked into the entrance building (Visitor Centre) and down a flight of steps. It was free entrance by the way.

An information board showing the landmarks around the Botanical Garden. Basically, the garden is divided into five areas - Explorer's Trail, Palm Hill, Sun Garden, Floral Gardens and Lakeside.

The canopy bridge was the starting point from the Visitor Centre. You can admire the rainforest trees on both sides as you walk along the bridge.

What plant is this? It's known as Terap Nasi in Malay. The scientific name is Artocarpus elasticus.

The bridge overlooked the Fern Garden below.

After we descended from the canopy bridge, we spotted some Heliconia plants.

Soon we reached the Palm Hill section. I could not find any photos of palm trees. Oh well, maybe I forgot to take photos of them. I guess this one below will do. Lol.

Near the palm trees is the Sun Garden. See that tall white structure? That's a sundial.

Nice scenery from here, no?

Then we came across these mounds. Not sure what they were or how they were formed. Anyone knows?

It was already close to dinner time, so we decided not to cover too much of the Botanical Garden. I think we skipped many of the floral gardens here.

Saw these hanging from the tree. Anyone knows what these are? The lack of information on the plants and trees were definitely not helping.

Took this photo simply because I like the zig zag pattern of the walkway.

We reached the Lakeside Boardwalk.

Walked along the boardwalk and enjoying the lakeside scenery.

The place was not crowded at all, which I like of course. I guess it's a weekday evening.

Ahead we could see waterfall. Or should I call it weir or weir dam?

The sun was getting lower and lower in the horizon. We need to make our way to the exit.

But first, we enjoyed a little bit of the lakeside.

A nice spot to just sit down and meditate, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

As we made out way to the exit, we passed by the Fern Garden.

The canopy bridge which we walked earlier above us.

We spotted trams near the exit. I guess this tram service already closed for the day since it's already 6pm. There are other facilities here as well like bicycle rental and paddle boat rental.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the Putrajaya Botanical Garden. It's a nice garden but not great. I would say if you are in Putrajaya, do go for a visit. But if you are not, do not travel all the way to Putrajaya just to visit this botanical garden.

Tao Tai (Elimination)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 16:15:00 +0000

Sometimes, you hear a song and you like it but you don't know who sing it. With apps like Shazam, this is no longer a problem. You can identify a song and its singer with a click of a button.

However, in my case, my phone ran out of battery and I could not use Shazam to identify this particular song. Although I have heard the Chinese song many times in the past, I could not remember where I heard it before. If you are wondering why I did not use Shazam when I heard the song in the past, that's simply because the app did not exist yet.

So what did I do? I played by ear a short extract of the song on piano, recorded it and put it on Instagram then asked if anyone knows what song and who the singer is. And that's how I came to know the name of this song. It's called Tao Tai (which means Elimination in English), originally sung by Eason Chan, a popular Hong Kong singer and composed by Jay Chou, a famous singer and songwriter from Taiwan.

A follower on Instagram then told me he had the score to this song and offered it to me. That helped a lot! But as usual, I never follow note-for-note from a score. I always prefer to improvise and make the song a little bit different.

So here's the complete recording of the song. Have a listen and let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks :)

If you like, follow me on Soundcloud so that you can listen to my future uploads.

Feng Shui 2017 According To Joey Yap (Part 4)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 07:00:00 +0000

This is the final part of my Feng Shui 2017 According to Joey Yap series.

If you have missed my earlier posts, you can click the links below to read them.

Part 1 : The Outlook for 2017

Part 2 : Animal Signs In Your Bazi Chart

Part 3 : 2017 Afflictions And Activation Dates

Some people say that if you believe in yourself and you are positive minded, you don't need feng shui. Well, is this true?

According to Joey Yap, it is true only IF you have the discipline and the burning desire to succeed. Most of us do not have both discipline and burning desire, so we need feng shui to help us out.

In this final instalment, I will share about Flying Stars Feng Shui. This is the Flying Star Chart for 2017, Year of the Fire Rooster.

Image taken from seminar booklet

How do you use this chart? First, stand in the middle of your house and using a compass, determine all the nine sectors in your house. You can also superimpose this chart onto your house floor plan.

The good sectors are the sectors with numbers 9, 8, 4 and 6. This means for the year 2017, the good sectors are South East, East, North East and North respectively. Note that the numbers "fly" to a different location or sector every year and for this reason, a good sector does not remain good forever. Similarly, a bad sector does not stay bad forever. As such, you need to update your feng shui every year.

So how do you benefit from the good sectors? According to Joey Yap, feng shui is akin to free wifi in the environment. To benefit, you have to be in the area where you have greater wifi signal. In other words, to tap the qi from the good sectors, you have to use those sectors more often. You can do your work or sleep in those areas or simply spend more time there.

Let's go into a bit more detail on each of the good sectors.

The number 9 in the South East represents investments and promotion. This is good for those who wish to leverage and compound their wealth.

But if you do not have wealth yet, it is more important to focus on academic (number 4, North East). You need to learn new skills and convert that to wealth. If you want to rise in rankings in your job, the only way is to learn new skills and therefore activating your academic luck is very important.

However, if you think it's office politics that is preventing you from climbing the corporate ladder, then activate North (number 6). This will give you more power and authority to fight petty people and to get things done. Spending more time in this sector also helps for people who are starting a business.

If you have cash-flow problem and money is tight, spend more time in the East (number 8).

According to Joey Yap, you do not need to place any objects or feng shui items to activate any of good sectors. All you need to do is spend time in the good sectors. However, if for some reason or other you are unable to do so, you can also activate using water placement.

The worst sector in 2017 is the South as the Five Yellow is here. The Five Yellow is the most dreaded affliction in feng shui. Joey Yap described it like this...

If you have a great personal Bazi chart, and you have all the good elements or stars in 2017, but you sleep or work in the South, then most of the good things you are supposed to enjoy in 2017 will be neutralized.

If you have a bad personal Bazi chart, and you have mostly bad elements (eg Monkey in all your four pillars) and you sleep in the South, then you are sure to have a very bad year.

How does the Five Yellow affects you? It depends on your Bazi chart. For example, if you are born in the month of Snake, and you sleep in the South, then your career will be affected. This is because the month pillar in the Bazi chart represents career.

Know that just because you have a Snake in your month pillar does not necessarily mean you will suffer a career problem in 2017. But if it is coupled with a bad environment, for example, you sleep in the South where the Five Yellow is, then you will suffer a setback in your career.

So if your bedroom is in the South, then just by looking at your Bazi, you will be able to predict what problems you will suffer from this year. Is it a career, health or relationship problem? Let's say you have Monkey in your chart, then you can be quite sure that your health will be affected this year.

How to mitigate this problem? Moving out of the bedroom is the best option. If not able to, then Joey Yap suggested that first, very importantly, do not renovate the South as this will aggravate the Five Yellow. Secondly, activate all the good sectors so that overall, you will have positives overcoming the negatives. Thirdly, place a heavy metal object to lessen the effects of the Five Yellow.

North West is where the Illness star (number 2) resides in 2017. If you sleep in the North West and you have the top 3 illness signs in your Bazi Chart (ie. Monkey, Ox and Rooster), then you really have to be prepared for major health problems this year.

West is where the Argument star (number 3) flies into this year. If you hate arguments, don't stay in this sector. But if you like new ideas and don't mind being challenged, then the West is probably a good place for you.

If your relationship with your spouse is already bad, and you both sleep in the West, then expect the relationship to get worse. If however your relationship with your other half is good, then you may experience some arguments this year.

The South West sector (number 7) is good for sales, branding, and addiction. If you want customers to be addicted to you or your brand, then this is a good sector to create that addiction. The downside is, you might also get addicted to drinking and smoking using this sector. So whether good or bad really depends on you.

Next, I would like to share about the 12 Animal Signs Assistants and Helpers in 2017.

Sorry if this chart is not clear. Please magnify it to see clearer.

What is this chart all about? This is about getting people to help you solve your problems. In Joey Yap's own words - "this chart will save your ass but involve sacrificing your friends".

How does it work? Let's say you have Snake in your month pillar. This means your career is having problem. Imagine this scenario. One day, your boss calls you into his office. You know you are in deep shit and may probably get fired. Before you see your boss, you check out the chart and you notice that the Snake has helpers in Ox, Dragon and Monkey. As you go in, you ask a friend who is an Ox or Dragon or Monkey to follow you. For some reason during the meeting with your boss, your friend gets all the blame. He is fired, but you are safe!

Another example. Let's say you have Monkey in your chart (this indicates relationship problem with your spouse). Checking the chart, you notice Monkey has helpers in Dog, Ox and Horse. You get a friend who is an Ox to help you talk to your spouse. Somehow your friend gets blamed. He no longer wants to be friends with you, but your relationship with your spouse is safe!

As you can see, this chart is very useful to save yourself but it also means sacrificing your friends. Would you do it? That is entirely up to you. I am just simply sharing what Joey Yap taught in his seminar. LOL.

I hope you have enjoyed reading what I shared from Joey Yap's seminar. If you find all these a little too confusing and overwhelming, but want to improve your feng shui, I may be able to help you. I now offer online consultation for Bazi reading, date selection, and feng shui audit at reasonable prices. Just drop me an email at mvfblog@gmail.com for more details!

Feng Shui 2017 According To Joey Yap (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 18:00:00 +0000

Read Part 1 : The Outlook For 2017

Read Part 2 : Animal Signs In Your Bazi Chart

These are the Feng Shui Afflictions for 2017, the year of the Fire Rooster.

Image from seminar booklet

1. Five Yellow - South

2. Three Killlings - East

3. Grand Duke (Tai Sui) - West 2

For all these three areas, strictly no renovation, digging, ground breaking or drilling. Keep these areas quiet. If you have a bedroom in one of these areas, try to relocate to another room if possible.

In case you accidentally triggered any of these afflictions, you can take preventive measures to lessen the negative effects by activating the following sectors at the dates given below.

Image from seminar booklet

Activate the following stars at the date and time given. Two dates are given each, so you may choose either one.

Sun - North West 1
12 February 2017, 11.30am
1 May 2017, 8.30am (Clash : Horse)

Dragon Virtue - South East 1
18 February 2017, 6.30am (Clash : Horse)
13 March 2017, 8.30am (Clash : Snake)

Moon - North 2
25 March 2017, 11.30am (Clash : Snake)
7 April 2017, 3.30pm (Clash : Horse)

Note: Clash means if you have that animal sign in your Bazi Chart, then that particular date is not beneficial for you. For example, if you have Snake in your Bazi Chart, then do not activate the Moon on the 25 March. Choose 7 April instead.

How To Activate?
You can do minor renovation and refurbishment. Or you can nail a picture on the wall, move the furniture around or plant a tree.

Alternatively, you can use water to activate. The water container should be large enough (2 feet deep), not covered, and should be removed after 2-3 weeks. The water must be still, non moving water.

And here are the dates to activate for wealth, health, relationships and more. The way to activate is the same as above.

WEALTH ACTIVATION

3 dates to choose from ...

1. 12 January 2017, 1.30pm - South West (Clash : Snake)

2. 22 March 2017, 6.30am - South East (Clash : Tiger)

3. 28 April 2017, 3.30pm - North East (Clash : Rabbit)

Note: Clash means if you have that animal sign in your Bazi Chart, then that particular date is not beneficial to you. For example, if you have Snake in your Bazi Chart, then the first date (12 January 2017) is not suitable for you. Choose another date instead. You can choose just one date to activate or you can activate on all 3 dates as long as none of the animal sign clashes with you.

HEALTH ACTIVATION

3 dates to choose from ...

1. 12 February 2017, 1.30pm - North (Clash : Rat)
After activating, travel North from your home to look for a doctor.

2. 24 February 2017, 11.30am - South (Clash : Rat)
This one needs no activation, just travel South direction for a doctor.

3. 18 April 2017, 1.30pm - North (Clash : Snake)

Activate North and then travel North direction for a doctor.

ACADEMIC ACTIVATION

3 dates to choose from ...

1. 22 January 2017, 5.30pm - South East (Clash : Rabbit)

2. 21 April 2017, 9.30pm - South East (Clash : Monkey)

3. 26 June 2017, 7.30pm - South East (Clash : Tiger)

Note : Academic activation is not just for students. For working adults, after activating, learn something preferably related to your work.

WIN ARGUMENT

2 dates to choose from ...

1. 1 June 2017, 9.30am - North East ( Clash : Ox)
Sit with back to North East and facing South West. The other person whom you want to win the argument with should sit in the South West.

2. 17 July 2017, 11.30am - South East (Clash : Pig)

Sit with back to South East and facing North West. The other person should be sitting opposite in the North West. (Joey Yap said the location of that person is at Death Door according to the Qi Men Dun Jia chart, so he is very likely to lose the argument).

SOLVE PROBLEMS

31 January 2017, 9.30am - South East (Clash : Rat)
Either activate South East.
Or sit with back towards South East and the other person sit opposite you so that you are both facing each other. Note that this cannot be done via Skype as you are not sure what is the position of the other person.

RELATIONSHIPS

2 dates to choose from ...

1. 18 February 2017, 5.30pm - South (Clash : Horse)
Sit with back towards South and the other person sitting opposite so that you are both facing each other.

2. 8 June 2017, 1.30pm - North (Clash : Monkey)

Sit with back towards North and the other person sitting opposite so that you are both facing each other.

MAKING DEALS

2 dates to choose from ...

1. 12 April 2017, 3.30pm - South East (Clash : Pig)
Sit with back towards South East (Open Door) and the other person sit on your left (Life Door)

2. 27 April 2017, 5.30pm - North East (Clash : Tiger)

Sit with back towards North East and the other person sit on your right.

WISH FULFILLING

2 dates to choose from ...

1. 23 January 2017, 9.30pm - South East (Clash : Dragon)
Sit with back towards South East, facing North West. Simply make a wish but ask for something realistic.

2. 7 May 2017, 9.30pm - North East (Clash : Rat)

Sit with back towards North East and make a wish or say a prayer.

TOTAL REBOOT
Only activate this if you are at rock bottom and you want to change your luck and reboot. You will be using the Death Door but with positive stars in the QMDJ chart.

26 June 2017, 7.30pm - South West (Clash : Tiger)

RECEIVING GOD OF WEALTH
Since Chinese New Year will be arriving in less than 24 hours from now, you might want to know when is the best time to receive the God Of Wealth. According to Joey Yap, the God of Wealth is simply a star that you can activate for wealth and for making your wishes come true.

You can activate or welcome God of Wealth in these three directions...

Wealth Star - South East
God of Nobility - South West
Happiness Star - North West

Time to activate : Between 11pm on 27 January 2017 and 1am on 28 January 2017 (best is at midnight)

How to activate : Just face the direction and make a wish.

You can choose to activate any one of the three or all three.

BEST DAYS TO COMMENCE WORK
And lastly, for those who would like to know when is the best day to commence work after the Chinese New Year holidays, here are the list of good dates. However, Joey Yap mentioned these dates for commencement of work are not really that important, and would probably just contribute about 10 percent good luck.

31 January 2017, 8.30am (Clash : Rat) - second best day
4 February 2017, 9.30am (Clash : Dragon) - this is the best day
8 February 2017, 9.30am (Clash : Monkey)
10 February 2017, 9.30am (Clash : Dog)

In Part 4, I will share about the Flying Stars Chart for 2017 and a little bit of the Assistants and Helpers for each of the 12 Animal signs in 2017. Stay tuned!

Feng Shui 2017 According To Joey Yap (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 19:30:00 +0000

Continued from Part 1

If you have read Part 1, you would have most likely downloaded your Personal Bazi Chart (PBC). If not, please download your PBC HERE before continue reading.

Now if you look at your PBC, you can see that there are four animal signs - one on each of the four pillars.

You will also notice that there is a fifth animal sign in the 10-Year Luck Pillar. (This 10-Year Luck Pillar is located right below the 4 Pillars of Destiny). The current 10-year pillar is also shaded for easy reference.

Refer to the diagram below. This is an example of a Bazi Chart downloaded from Joey Yap's site. I have circled all 5 animal signs in red.

In the above example, this person is born in the year of Ox, month of Rooster, day of Dog and hour of Goat. He is born in 1985, which means he is currently 32 years old and therefore he is residing in the Year Pillar between age 24 and 34. As you can see, the animal sign in that pillar is Horse.

Now look at your own PBC. Can you locate all your five animal signs?

As you already know, the Bazi Chart is divided into 4 pillars - the Year, the Month, the Day and the Hour.

The Year pillar represents your job, career, friends and social network.
The Month pillar represents your work performance and business opportunities.
The Day pillar represents relationships and your spouse. (If not married, the Day pillar represents you).
The Hour pillar represents your children, your ambitions, goals, dreams and also investment opportunities.

If the animal sign in your Year Pillar is favourable in 2017, this means you can move forward in your career. Or you can probably build lots of followers in Facebook for example, since the Year Pillar is also related to social network.

If the animal sign in your Month Pillar is favourable in 2017, this means you can go to next level in your job. It also means that it is a good year to start a business.

The same goes with the Day and Hour pillars - in short, you have to see which animal is in your chart and where they are located so that you can then relate to the different aspects of your life.

As for the animal sign in the 10-Year Luck Pillar, this represents whatever good or bad luck will come to you. Just be aware and accept them when they come.

Every year, different stars reside in each of the 12 animal signs. Some of the stars are good stars (auspicious) and others not so good (inauspicious).

Below is a shot I took during the seminar (Sorry not very clear). It features the 2017 Animal Sign Forecast.

All Chinese astrologers worldwide use this chart, which is also found in the Chinese Tong Shu.

All the good stars are in red, while the not so good stars are in black. From the chart, you can see that the Rooster has the most red, so we can generally conclude that the Rooster is the best animal sign for 2017.

If you have a Rooster in your PBC, rejoice! However, to know which aspect of your life it is related to, you need to see whether the Rooster is in your Year, Month, Day or Hour pillar.

The Monkey and the Snake have zero good stars unfortunately, but Joey Yap said this does not mean people with these two animal signs are guaranteed a bad year. No good stars means no external help, so you simply have to depend on yourself.

According to Joey Yap, the Top 5 Animal Signs for 2017 are the Dragon, the Horse, the Rooster, the Rat and the Tiger. Do you have any of these animals in your PBC? If you have all five, this is an excellent year for you!

However, according to Joey Yap, even if you have only one of two of these animal signs, you cannot complain that 2017 is a bad year for you as there are opportunities as long as you make the right choices, have a good strategy, or able to change your environment. He said that many people have good luck, it's just that they do not make use of it.

Now let's look at some of the stars in various categories and the animal signs they reside in for the year 2017.

Wealth Stars
Found in Tiger, Rat, Horse and Rooster.

1. National Treasure (Tiger) - This star represents an increase in status and salary. If you have this in your chart especially in the Month or Year, your opportunity to increase in ranking, in position and power is there. But you need to take action to make it happen.

2. Moon (Rat) - The moon represents the power or ability or business acumen to think about new business strategy. It also represents mastermind of money and money management. Good for budding entrepreneurs and start ups. Unfortunately, the Moon is not a very aggressive star - people with this star usually think a lot about making money but seldom take action. So make sure to take action if you have Rat in your chart!

3. Treasure (Horse) - In ancient days, the emperor rewards certain general or officer who did a good job for the year in the form of a 'treasure'. Therefore this Treasure star is suited for people who are working for commission, prize money, or sales based on commission.

4. Jade Hall (Rooster) - This star represents increase in assets, value, income and wealth. Also the ability to save money.

Hint : If you have these animal signs in your chart, make sure you take action. Otherwise, nothing will happen as wealth do not fall onto your lap!

Relationships
Found in Rat and Horse.

1. Sky Happiness (Rat) - This star represents relationships. If you are single, someone will appear. If you are married, your marriage will be happier. If the Rat appears in the Year pillar, you will be attending lots of weddings. If it appears in the Month pillar, and you are a professional homemaker, you will be contributing happiness to your home and marriage. If it appears in your Day pillar, you suddenly appear very attractive to others this year (lol). If it appears in your Hour pillar, you will receive lots of interesting investment opportunities.

Note that having a Rat in your Chart is especially good because you have the Moon and Sky Happiness stars, which means you will have both money and good relationships!

2. Red Matchmaker (Horse) - This star also represents auspicious relationship. If you have this star and you are single, you won't be single for long. Your likeability increase and you attract people in your life. Note that when you are likeable, it also means good for doing business.

3. Salty Pool (Horse) - This is not so auspicious as it attracts unwanted relationships. Short of saying you will become more horny (oops I said it!) you need to be careful and more aware of this star if you are married!

Status, Power and Recognition
Found in Dragon and Rooster

1. Emperor Star (Dragon) - Every year, this star only occupies one of the 12 animal signs. In 2017, it is in the Dragon. An Emperor is always right so with this star, it means you are always right! You will have the ability to raise funds, start a business, and get a license for your product.

If the Dragon is in your Year pillar, you can change the environment by changing job, career or business location. If it is in your Month pillar, you can take the next level up in your work and career. If the Dragon is in the Day pillar, you might have a strained marriage, because now your spouse is always right! (lol). If it is in the Hour pillar, all your ambitions and dreams will come true!

2. General Star (Rooster) - Represents power, status and authority. With this star, you are in charge! If you own a business, make sure you make all the important business decisions! If not in business, make sure you take a higher ranking in your career.

3. The Duke's Arrival (Rooster) - This year, the General star comes with the Duke's Arrival. With this star, you will get lots of attention and become popular. Of course, if you are not one who enjoy the limelight, this star will do you no good!

Helpful People
Found in Pig, Horse, Dragon and Dog

1. Heavenly Yi (Pig) - This star brings good mentor into your life. With this star, try to network more with people of higher ranking.

2. Fortune Virtue (Horse) - This is a prosperity star. You get to enjoy life, have lots of good food and basically gets fat! If the Horse is in your Day pillar, and you are single, it means you will get fat. If you are married, then your spouse is the one who will get fat. Lol.

3. Dragon Virtue (Dragon) - One of the best nobleman stars. You have the ability to resolve challenges and problems.

4. Sun (Dog) - The most powerful nobleman star. You become the helpful person to others. A lot of people will come to you to help solve their problems. Only good if you enjoy helping others! But remember, whoever you help this year, you might get their help in return in future, so it's worth helping.

If the Dog is in your Year pillar, a lot of friends will come to you for help. If it is in your Month pillar, you will be helping colleagues at work. If it's in your Day pillar, your spouse will be spending a lot of time helping others, so try to understand (lol). If it's in your Hour pillar, you help others become rich in investment opportunities. So if you are a Fund Manager and you have this star, this is definitely a good year for you!

Solving Problems
Found in Dragon and Ox

1. Dragon Virtue (Dragon) - This star is already mentioned above. Note that since this is a problem solving star, it means that you will have lots of problems in 2017 for you to solve. If you don't solve or you feel it's a hassle, you will suffer the consequences. So make sure you solve the problems especially since the Dragon also has the Emperor Star which means you have the ability to solve them!

2. Relief God (Ox) - This star is especially good for solving health problems. Use this opportunity to go for health check up and get the right treatment. This star is also good for getting rid of debt issues, and solving disputes and arguments.

Property Luck
Only found in Pig

Earth Relief (Pig) - Good for moving house, renovation and buying new property. With this star, it will be easier for you to look for a house. Note that if you do not have a Pig in your chart, and you want to buy new property or move house, get help from people who have Pig in their charts!

Fame
Found in Ox and Goat

1. Three Stages (Ox) - This represents increase in ranking one step at a time. Best for step by step career progression or climbing the corporate ladder.

2. Eight Seats (Goat) - This star helps you become famous or popular overnight. If the Goat is in the Year pillar, you might find that you suddenly have lots of friends on Facebook this year. If it is n your Hour pillar, your goals and dreams will receive lots of attention. A great star to have if you are into marketing and business.

Academic
Found in Ox and Rooster

1. Elegant Seed (Ox) - good for artists, and those in artistic and creative fields. The downside is you might be weird or eccentric.

2. Intelligent Star (Rooster) - If you have this star, make sure you study new skills, new subjects or acquire knowledge this year. It will be easier to learn new things which may prove beneficial to you in future.

Social Capital
The new trend of the young and rich is to get rich in their 20's. This method of getting rich depends a lot on networking and connections online, hence the name social capital.
Found in Snake, Pig and Dragon

1. Three Harmony (Snake) - This is a Snake and Rooster combination. Find people with good stars to help you.

2. Sky Horse (Pig) - good for out of country investments, exports and doing overseas business. With this star, you have the ability to market products overseas so you can either travel out of the country to do business or sell products to overseas customers online.

3. Grand Duke Combination (Dragon) - With this Dragon and Rooster combination, you are able to connect with the right people or people with power and authority.

Forgetfulness
Found in Monkey and Dog

1. Death God (Monkey) - This star represents forgetfulness and absent mindedness. This means if you have the Monkey in your chart, you tend to be very forgetful in 2017.

2. Sky Emptiness (Dog) - This star makes you talk a lot, but nothing happens. Or you have big ideas but they suddenly disappear. If you have this star, better not plan for the whole year (because your plans will likely not happen). Instead plan small every month.

Emotional
Found in Goat, Rooster and Ox

1. Lonesome (Goat) - Best described as lonely at the top. You might be rich and popular, but somehow you feel lonely.

2. Sky Cry (Rooster) - feeling very sentimental

3. Instability (Ox) - feeling very emotional

4. Five Ghost (Ox) - feeling suspicious of others, or feeling uncomfortable in an empty hotel room

Conflicts
Found in Rooster, Horse, and Dog

1. Triple Punishment (Rooster) - feeling down and not appreciated

2. Hidden Corpse (Rooster) - offending others by talking about sensitive issues

3. Curled Tongue (Horse) - like to debate or argue with people

4. Six Horns (Dog) - Offending other people. This usually happens when you are trying to help solve people's problems (since you have the Sun star) but ending up offending others.

Petty People
Found in Snake, Dog and Goat

1. Back Poking (Snake) - People talk bad about you behind your back

2. Yin Sha (Dog) - Offending females. If you are a guy, most likely your ex-girlfriend gives you problems, or you have extra marital issues, or your current relationship becomes hostile.
If you are a girl, your female friend backstabs you.

3. Leopard Tail (Goat) - Offending people, by accidentally stepping on their tail. Since you are popular (because of the Eight Seeds star), most likely you attract jealousy.

Spending Money
Found in Tiger and Rabbit

1. Lesser Consumer (Tiger) - Spend a lot on luxury items, vacations etc. Since Tigers have National Treasure star, they make lots of money but end up spending most of the money this way. A good remedy is to buy more assets. So even if you are destined to spend lots of money in 2017, at least you will be spending money on something that can increase in value.

On a side note, if you are a salesperson looking to increase your sales, why not search for potential customers with Tiger in their Bazi chart? :)

2. Greater Consumer (Rabbit) - Every year, the animal sign that clashes with the Tai Sui (Grand Duke) has this star. In 2017, it's the Rabbit who will have this unfortunate star. It indicates big expenditure and changes in financial standing. Those with Rabbit in their chart will find that somehow there will be circumstances that will force them to lose money.

Note that because Rabbit clashes with the Grand Duke this year, it indicates major changes. If the Rabbit is in your Year pillar, you will have a change of friends or work environment. If it's in your Month pillar, you will experience a change in job, structure of the company where you work at, or even a change of boss. If the Rabbit is in your Day pillar, this indicates a change in relationship. It could be a good thing if you are single as you will be tying the knot. If you are married however, it could mean you or your spouse traveling far and apart from each other, or may even indicate a divorce. If the Rabbit is in your Hour pillar, this indicates a change in your investment, usually means losing your investment.

Arguments and Disputes
Found in Monkey and Rabbit

1. Heavenly Officer Charm (Monkey) - indicated arguing with people and challenges in judicial and legal issues.

2. Prison Inmates (Rabbit) - This is related to fines and traffic tickets

Health
Found in Monkey, Ox and Rooster

1. Sickness Charm (Monkey) - Health issues especially intestinal

2. Blood Knife (Ox) - indicates blockages, cysts, or small injuries. May need to be removed via surgery.

3. Sword Edge (Rooster) - minor cuts, small bleeding.

Feeling overwhelmed and confused with all the information about the stars and the animal signs? Perhaps it will be easier if you just focus on the 5 animals signs that you find in your PBC (4 animals in your Bazi four pillars and 1 animal in your 10-Year Luck Pillar). Instead of reading through all the good and bad stars mentioned above, just watch short videos of each of the 5 animal signs you have in your PBC.

These videos are prepared and hosted by Joey Yap himself. There are 12 videos overall, each video focusing on one of the 12 animal signs. In each video, Joey explains about the good and bad stars found in the animal sign for 2017. WATCH THE VIDEOS HERE.

Now, although these videos are helpful and what you have read in this blog post are informative, do understand that what was taught at the seminar are still general information. To have an accurate forecast, you need to have your entire Bazi Chart analysed, and not just by looking at the animal signs. If you are interested in a professional Bazi reading with reasonable fee, do email me at mvfblog@gmail.com for full details.

Coming Up In Part 3 : 2017 Afflictions & Activation Dates. Stay tuned! :)

Read Part 3 Now!

Feng Shui 2017 According To Joey Yap (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 18:00:00 +0000

Last Saturday I attended Joey Yap's 2017 Feng Shui and Astrology Seminar at KL Convention Centre. It was a full house event just like previous years.

For those who did not have the opportunity to attend, I will try to share as much as I can about what I learnt from the seminar. But first, you need to download your Personal Bazi Chart (PBC) HERE. This is absolutely necessary so that you can follow what I am about to share and to make the information relevant to you.

Not exactly sure what is Bazi? Bazi literally means Eight Characters. It's also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny. Read a brief introduction to Bazi HERE.

The seminar booklet

If you do not have your Personal Bazi Chart with you, please download it NOW before continue reading.

In Chinese Metaphysics, the universe is divided into 5 elements, namely Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Understanding the interactions between these 5 elements is important in the study and implementation of feng shui cures. For 5 Elements 101, read HERE.

Below is the Bazi Chart for 2017, the year of the Fire Rooster.

Image taken from Joey Yap's seminar booklet

Note: Images from the booklet are copyrighted. In the event that I am asked to take them down, I will have no choice but to comply.

Metal appears to be the most dominant element in 2017. This is followed by Water, Fire, Wood and lastly, Earth which is the weakest.

Now check your PBC. If you have Metal, then this will most likely be a good year for you. If there is no Metal at all in your PBC, then 2017 will be a challenging year for you.

Five elements and their strengths in 2017

Sorry if the photos in this post are not very clear. You may want to magnify the photo or zoom in to be able to read what is shown on the screen.

According to Joey Yap, in the year 2017, Earth represents Assets, Water represents Sales, Fire represents Profit, Wood represents Cash and Metal represents Self.

The formula to get wealthy

Take a look at your PBC. If you have Water, that means you will do well in sales this year. For people who are not in sales, Water can also mean influence. If you have Water in your PBC, this means you are able to influence others. In other words, when you talk, people listen.

If you are a boss intending to hire salespersons this year, then it is a good idea to check whether they have Water in their PBC. Do not hire people without Water in their charts. Likewise, if you do not have Water in your PBC, don't be in charge of sales this year. Instead, find other people who have water in their charts and partner them!

What if you have Water in your chart and you are not really good in sales? Then it is the perfect time for you to learn how to sell and learn how to influence others.

Fire represents Profit in 2017. It also represents accomplishments that may not have anything to do with wealth. If you have Fire in your PBC, and you are running a business, this means your business is likely to be profitable this year. But if you are not in business, Fire in your chart could mean you will accomplish something this year, like climbing a mountain or running a marathon, for example.

A profitable business does not neccessarily mean you have cash. Many businesses that are in profit actually experience cash flow problems. Wood represents Cash in 2017. So besides having Fire (profit), you must have Wood (cash) too. Now check your PBC. Do you have Wood?

If Wood is on the top of your PBC (Heavenly Stems row), everyone knows you are rich. If Wood is at the bottom (Earthly Branches row), no one knows you are rich.

So what do you do when you have extra cash? Joey Yap recommends that you put them back into your self to acquire more assets. The formula outlined in the photo above is, according to Joey Yap, the ultimate way to get wealthy.

Earth element is the weakest in 2017. This means resources are low. As Fire counters Metal, those in Metal industries (eg. automobiles) will experience regulatory pressures creating strong competition within. On a personal level, if you have Metal in your PBC, you will experience positive changes as a result of external pressures.

Water represents innovation. If you have Water in your PBC, 2017 is a great year to innovate. If you are in business or plan to start a business, know that the key to success is innovation. Without innovation, your business cannot survive for long. This simply means if you have no Water in your chart, do not attempt to start a business in 2017. However, you can get round this by partnering someone who has Water!

Water in the PBC also means you can easily find talent or hire the right people.

A lot of people who invest in the stock market often ask which stocks to buy. Joey Yap said that since companies are run by people, what you can do is to check the Bazi Chart of the person who runs the company. If that person has Water in his chart, that means he can innovate and his business will thrive this year. Therefore, it would be a good company to invest in.

In the 2017 Bazi Chart, Wood is countered by four Metal. This means there will be sudden changes. So if you have a lot of Wood in your PBC, there will be sudden changes in your life this year. An example of sudden change would be moving house.

Wood in the chart also represents new leadership and new concept or direction. If you are a CEO of a company and you have Wood in your PBC, then you should come out with a new concept or direction for your company.

To summarize, if you have the top three elements - Metal, Water and Fire - in your PBC, this year will be a very good year for you. If these three elements are located on the top of your Bazi Chart (Heavenly Stems), you are very likely to earn Dumb Money this year!

What is Dumb money? It is money that you earn without you knowing exactly how you earned it. The opposite is Smart Money - money that you earn by working hard and following a specific way. Most people get rich via Smart Money. But who would resist Dumb Money? Not me! So check your PBC - are you among the few lucky ones to have dumb money this year?

Global Outlook for 2017
Based on the 2017 Bazi Chart, there is a Metal and Fire clash. This means people are generally not optimistic. But they are more united against people in command. I take this to mean that in countries where the citizens are against the policies set by their leaders, they will tend to group together to oppose their leaders.

The clash between Metal and Fire in the chart also means that uncertainties will increase. More people will lose their jobs.

Spending on infrastructure will increase globally. However, there will be much less spending on the environment. Wood and Earth both represent the environment. Since there is Metal chop Wood in the Chart, and Earth is also the weakest element in 2017, these are indications that there will be more environmental disasters in 2017.

The presence of both yin and yang Metal in the Chart indicates tension. Security wise, there will be more incidences of terrorism. However, Joey Yap said if you have the top three elements - Metal, Water and Fire - in your PBC, you have no cause for worry about terrorism. However, if you have lots of Earth (weakest element in 2017) in your PBC, better stay at home to be safe. I am sure he's just joking! Haha.

Water in the Chart represents wisdom. Since Water is the second strongest element in 2017, there will be more people moving into education and academic fields.

Economic Outlook for Malaysia
To predict the economic outlook for Malaysia, Joey Yap compares the Fire Rooster Bazi Chart of 1957 (the year Malaysia achieved independence) with the 2017 Bazi Chart.

The result? Entertainment line will be good. Starting a new business in the entertainment field may be a good idea.

There will be challenges in the financial industry due to regulatory issues.

2017 will be a great year for IT (Information Technology), so those in the IT line will find it rewarding. This also means that doing an online business may prove to be rewarding in 2017.

Calamities in Malaysia
Most likely calamity to befall Malaysia in 2017 is the haze. Looks like this problem will never be solved, will it? Other calamities include flood, typhoon, health epidemics, tsunami, explosions and terrorism. Joey Yap however stressed that tsunami is very unlikely to happen.

Five Ways To Succeed In Life
During the seminar, Joey Yap also shared about 5 ways to succeed in life. The 5 ways are Luck, Choices, Strategy, Environment and Skills.

It is indeed very rare to have good luck in everything. But even if you have good luck, that is not enough. You need to also make the right choices in life. The purpose of studying Chinese Metaphysics or getting a Bazi Reading is so that you know what your choices are. When you know your choices, you then make better decisions. The right decision can make a whole world of difference to whether you succeed or fail in life.

According to Joey Yap, luck is a form of qi (energy). To have good luck, you need to have high energy. High energy simply means you see positiveness, and see the good in everything. When you vibrate in the positive energy, you will also attract people with positive energy.

Luck is however only one of the five ways. Other game changers are making the right choices, having a strategy, changing your environment and learning a skill.

Health Forecast For 2017
According to Joey Yap, the year 2017 is a very unique year for health. Rooster (especially Fire Rooster) when combined with Fire element in the 2017 Bazi Chart represents medicine. There is a good chance of medical breakthrough happening in 2017. Perhaps a cure for a currently uncured illness will be found.

It is also a good year to do a medical check-up especially if you already having health problems.

Metal represents respiratory and breathing, so there will be more cases of respiratory problems in 2017.

Ding Fire represents the heart, so there will be more cases of cardiovascular diseases.

Rooster and Rabbit clash in the chart indicates gynaecology and childbirth issues. An example is cyst in the ovaries.

Wood represents joints and bones, so there may be health problems related to these in 2017.

All these also means that doctors, healers and those in the medical field would probably have a financially rewarding year especially if they are dealing with the health issues related to respiratory, cardiovascular, gynaecology and bones.

What To Focus On In 2017
Take a look at your PBC. Notice the chart is divided into four pillars - the Year, Month, Day and Hour pillars. Now that you know what are the positive elements for 2017 (which are Metal, Water and Fire), see where they are located in your PBC.

If they are located in your Year and Month pillars, focus on your career and social life.
If they are located in your Day and Hour pillars, focus on your home, family and relationships.

In A Nutshell
1. Game changing technology for IT. A good industry to be in. Starting an online business is highly recommended.

2. Medical breakthrough. Good year to do medical check-up.

3. Revolution. Change of leaderships. Citizens unite against leaders or people who set the rules.

4. Bumpy, choppy year. Metal chop wood. Won't be a smooth sailing year.

5. Problematic. Earth element weak, therefore resources are low. People don't see solution. If you see the solution, you win in 2017.

6. Employment will decrease. People losing jobs. But this also means easier to hire people and hire talents - an advantage for those starting a business.

7. Luck is only one of the 5 ways to succeed in 2017 and beyond. There are 4 more things (if you are willing to work at it) - choices, strategy, environment and skills - to make 2017 a great year for you!

Conclusions
If majority of the elements in your PBC are good (ie. Metal, Water and Fire), go forward and do something out of the ordinary this year. If you don't, you are wasting your good luck. Remember if you do exactly the same as what you did last year, nothing will happen.

If majority of the elements in your PBC are not good (ie. having 2 - 4 Earth elements), lay low and consolidate. Do not start a new venture or take risks.

If you have half good and half bad elements in your PBC, try and combine with a partner who have the good elements in his or her PBC.

In Part 2, I will be sharing about the 12 animal signs and the stars that come with each this year so that when you have these animals in your PBC, (note that you have one animal sign in each of your four pillars in the Bazi Chart) you will then know what to expect for 2017 and how to make full use of what you know. Stay tuned!

Read Part 2 Now

The Morning After (Christmas Day)

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 17:30:00 +0000

Merry Christmas everyone!! Even though it's a bit late to wish Merry Christmas, it's better late than never right? Anyway, I'm still in Chrismassy mood and will remain in this state till the end of the year.

Over here in Malaysia, it never snows. But it has been raining quite a lot lately. The rain gave me some inspiration when I sat down to play on my piano. I made a recording of my impromptu playing and here is the result. I'm naming it "The Morning After". After Christmas Day, that is.

Have a listen. Try to listen in a quiet environment as this piano piece is soothing and relaxing and will not work in a noisy place. Alternatively, listen using your ear phone for best sound quality. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed playing it! :)

Putrajaya Lake Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 19:00:00 +0000

Right after leaving the Iron Mosque in Putrajaya, I decided to bring my Filipino friend for a boat cruise on the man-made Putrajaya Lake. I figured it would be the best way to see all the beautiful bridges and landmarks in Putrajaya without having to walk! Besides, I have never been on this cruise before, so it was a splendid idea!

Known as Cruise Tasik Putrajaya or Putrajaya Lake Cruise, you have a choice of going onboard a modern air conditioned cruise boat, or the more traditional boats like the perahu or gondola. We chose the air conditioned cruise boat because it was a really hot day. But as you can see later, it does not really matter because we were up on the rooftop deck most of the time. LOL!

The ticket costs RM30 for MyKad holders. I have forgotten how much it costs for non MyKad holders.

At the scheduled time, we went on board the boat.

Thankfully, there were not many people on the boat cruise that day. In fact, it was so empty we almost had the whole boat to ourselves!

I think there were about 120 seats inside. We could sit anywhere we like as the boat was almost empty!

The cockpit area with the steering wheel. The captain was not on board yet. Lol.

Outside on the deck.

That's another boat in front of us.

As the boat was about to move, my friend and I decided to check out the upper deck.

Looking up, we could see that we were just right below the Putra Bridge.

I was wondering how many bridges we would be passing under! If you are not aware, there are altogether 9 bridges spanning the lake. I have covered 6 of them in my blog. Check them out HERE.

From the distance, we could see the Putra Mosque which we had visited earlier. Read about this beautiful mosque HERE.

We came back down for a while as the boat started on its journey. Look! The whole boat was practically empty! Haha!

I was expecting a tour guide to explain and describe all the landmarks that we would be passing by but there was none. Later, one of the staff told me that the tour guide was sick so this service was not available that day. Really? Or was he lazy because there were only a few of us onboard?

Anyway, we went back up to the upper rooftop deck. It was blazing hot but the wind helped to cool us down. It was much better on the upper deck as we could see everything around us more clearly.

Soon we were approaching the Seri Wawasan Bridge.

The Putra Mosque was already far behind us.

That's my Filipino friend wearing a blue T shirt.

Do you like the structure and design of this bridge? Read more about it HERE.

We passed underneath the bridge and it was soon behind us.

Ahead, we could see the Millennium Monument (the tall pole) and the Iron Mosque.

I did not take any more pictures of the Millennium Monument. We were approaching the Iron Mosque. By the way, the Iron Mosque is so called because it is made of 70 percent iron and 30 percent concrete. Very unique, no?

You may have read about my visit to the Iron Mosque but if not, read all about it HERE.

A close shot of the Iron Mosque with its beautiful architectural design.

The third bridge we would be passing is this one - the uncompleted Monorail Suspension Bridge.

A beautiful bridge for the train to pass by but unfortunately the train project never got off the ground due to financial constraints. What a pity! Read all about this bridge HERE.

My friend taking a picture of the bridge as we passed under it.

Soon it was behind us. Can you see that the bridge is not complete?

A couple more shots of the bridge as we left it far behind.

The fourth bridge we would be passing under is the Seri Saujana Bridge.

This is an impressive looking bridge and one of my favourite bridges in Putrajaya!

You can read all about it in my blog post HERE.

As we passed under the bridge, we could see how majestic the structure is. Almost like a giant spaceship hovering above us.

And before we realised it, we had already passed it by.

I was so glad there were not many people up on the deck as this gave me the freedom to take as many photos as I like without any obstruction.

In the distance, we could see the PICC (Putrajaya International Convention Centre) building that looks like a UFO to me.

A closer shot of the PICC building.

Next to the PICC is the yellow-colored Seri Gemilang Bridge.

Some high rise buildings.

Beautiful buildings with nice architectural design.

This Seri Gemilang Bridge is another one of my favourite bridges in Putrajaya with its unique design.

The scenery next to the bridge.

This bridge connects motorists coming from the core island to the PICC building. You can see more pictures and read more details about the bridge HERE.

This is how the bridge looks like as we passed underneath.

Soon, it was behind us.

The boat was now moving at a slower pace.

I sat down and relaxed, enjoying the beautiful buildings and their unique architectural designs.

How many bridges have we passed? I have lost count! OK, let me see... the Seri Gemilang Bridge that we just passed is the fifth bridge so the next one would be the sixth!

This bridge is called the Seri Setia Bridge. Can you see the unique pattern on the wall that shaped like those you can find in mosques?

I did not visit this bridge on foot so I could not provide detailed information or more pictures of it.

The pillars below the bridge have the same shape too.

After this bridge, my friend and I decided to leave the rooftop deck and went back down.

We rested for a while in the air conditioned cabin before making our way out onto the front deck.

Took some pictures from the front deck.

In the distance, we could see the seventh bridge - the Seri Bestari Bridge.

I also did not visit this bridge on foot before so I do not have a write up about it. But it looks like a pretty normal bridge and I was not really interested.

We went to the cockpit and spoke to the captain for a while and took his picture.

And then this 'car' caught my attention.

It's a boat that shaped like a car on wheels. Cute! Maybe I should sit that next time. LOL.

Oh we had left it far, far behind as we surged forward.

Our cruise was coming to an end. We were almost back where we started having made one big round the core island. If you go to Google Map and type in 'Putra Mosque Putrajaya', you will see what I mean. From the map, you can see the core island and the lake that surrounds it.

There are 7 bridges connecting the core island in the middle to the main land surrounding it. The cruise boat had passed underneath all 7 bridges. (Notice that earlier I mentioned there are a total of 9 bridges in Putrajaya? In case you are wondering, the remaining 2 bridges do not connect to the core island and as such, the boat does not pass underneath them).

Look at this photo I took of the Putra Mosque. From this angle, it looks like a stupa, doesn't it?

But of course, it's just as illusion. The combination of the tall minaret and the dome make it looks like a stupa at this particular angle. Lol.

We were back at the Putra Bridge where we started.

By the way, the Putra Bridge is the link that connects the core island to the Perdana Putra building that houses the Prime Minister's office.

Our Putrajaya Lake Cruise ended here. It was an enjoyable cruise which would be more fun had it not been so hot! My advice if you plan to go on this cruise in the daytime (and especially in the afternoon) is to take along a sunblock with you. Unless, of course if you plan to sit inside the air-conditioned cabin throughout, which would be quite a shame.

As we left the boat, we saw these 'car' boats all parked nicely here.

Hmm, maybe I will try 'driving' on Putrajaya Lake next round! :)

Coming Up Next : Putrajaya Botanical Gardens

The Iron Mosque In Putrajaya

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 18:00:00 +0000

I visited 2 mosques on the same day. Now is that a record breaking feat? I think so. For me at least. Lol.

And to all non-Muslims who think they are not allowed to step into a mosque in Malaysia, well, it's simply not true. You can certainly visit a mosque as long as you dress decently and it's not during prayer times.

Anyway to recap, my day in Putrajaya started with a visit to the Putra Mosque with my friend. Then I brought him to see the PICC building and the incomplete Putrajaya Monorail Suspension Bridge. Right after that, we went to our second mosque of the day - the Iron Mosque.

That's a photo of the Iron Mosque which I took from the Putrajaya Lake. Yes, we were on a boat cruise (which I will blog about next) and the view of the mosque looked better from the lake.

Located at Precinct 3 next to Millennium Monument and opposite the Palace of Justice, the Iron Mosque is the second principal mosque in Putrajaya, after Putra Mosque. Despite that, the Iron Mosque's area is twice that of Putra Mosque.

Officially, the mosque is known as Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque, named after the 13th Yang DiPertuan Agong (King of Malaysia). However, it's popularly known as Iron Mosque (or Masjid Besi in Malay language) because it's made up of mostly steel (70% iron, 30% concrete) and it looks like a stainless steel structure from afar.

This mosque is very unique. Firstly, there is no minaret, which is used for a call to prayer and which can be found in most, if not all mosques in Malaysia.

Secondly, the mosque does not have fans or air conditioning system. Instead, it uses gas district cooling system to cool the interior. I am not going to explain what a gas district cooling system is. Just google it :)

The mosque employs 'architectural wire mesh' imported from Germany and China. The main entrance is strengthened with glass reinforced concrete to increase the integrity of the structure and the crystal glass creates an illusion of a white mosque from the distance.

A couple of shots of the main entrance.

A tour guide greeted us when we stepped into the mosque. Inside, we were stunned to see that the mosque is actually surrounded by an infinity pool! Amazing.

I could see three bridges from here! If you have read my posts on the Bridges Of Putrajaya, can you identify these three bridges?

The guide brought us to the prayer hall which is under a large dome.

He asked us if we recognise the word at the highest point of the dome.

So we looked up. The word was written in Arabic. We do not know how to read Arabic but we could guess.

The word "Allah" was inscribed there. Allah is what Muslims regard as God or the Almighty.

Actually, I was feeling a little uncomfortable with this guide as he was too forceful in pushing the Islam religion down our throats. Hey, we were just there to see the mosque like a tourist and maybe learn a thing or two about Islam, but we were certainly not there to be converted!

The guide made me wanted to leave, which was unfortunate (he should have followed the example of the friendly guide at Putra Mosque). I could have spent more time and learnt more things. I actually did not take a photo of the glass Mihrab wall that has verses on it. This special glass does not reflect light, thus making the verses appear as if they are floating in the air!

Oh well, maybe next time if I get the chance to visit this mosque again I will take a picture of that!

More photos of the infinity pool surrounding the mosque.

That tall pillar in front of the bridge is the Millennium Monument, a national monument in Putrajaya. And that pink dome shaped building on the right is the Putra Mosque, which we visited earlier.

We also went downstairs to visit the area where Muslims perform their washing ritual before prayer.

A wide corridor with shoe shelves on both sides.

We then went back up and I took another shot of the infinity pool. Ah, this picture is clearer. Now can you see the bridge (Seri Wawasan bridge), the Millennium Monument and the Putra Mosque with its minaret?

Nice covered walkway outside the main entrance.

I thought this makes a pretty cool image.

Despite not very happy with the guide, I enjoyed my visit to this Iron Mosque and certainly recommend anyone to visit it.

NEXT : A Cruise On Putrajaya Lake

The PICC And The Uncompleted Bridge In Putrajaya

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 18:00:00 +0000

After visiting Putra Mosque, my friend and I went for lunch.

From here, we could see the Seri Wawasan Bridge in the distance.

We went down a tall escalator to a food court below to have our lunch. I did not take photos of our lunch as it was nothing remarkable.

After lunch, I brought my friend to see a flying saucer.

OK, it's a building that resembles a flying saucer to me. LOL. The building is known as Putrajaya International Convention Centre or PICC for short. It's located at the top of a hill in Precinct 5.

The design of this unique building is actually based on the shape of the eye of a silver Malay royal belt buckle. Definitely not based on a UFO. Haha.

Entrance and exit to the car park.

We did not go into the building. Just admired it from outside.

From the top of the hill, we could also see the beautiful view of Putrajaya below.

Not a bad place to hold conferences, meetings and gatherings. There's even a helipad here, though I did not take photo of it.

After that, we decided to visit the Iron Mosque located in Precinct 3. On the way, we stopped by the uncompleted bridge in Precinct 4. This bridge is known as the Putrajaya Monorail Suspension Bridge.

The construction of this bridge was halted halfway due to financial constraints. You can read more about this bridge from my blogpost HERE.

Stay tuned for my next post on the Iron Mosque!

The Five-Note Melody

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 17:11:00 +0000

Someone played a short five-note melody on the piano and asked me to develop that short melody into a full-fledged song that lasts about 3 minutes. I decided to take up the challenge. Luckily, the five-note melody which is made up of the notes F, A, C, D and B flat was pretty melodious to begin with. Lol.

So here is the result. The song starts with the first five notes that were suggested to me and I continued from there. As it is a spontaneous playing without any preparation or correction, expect some errors and not so smooth execution. Hope you enjoy my song which I shall just call "The Five-Note Melody" :)

Do let me know what you think of this song by leaving a comment here. And if you like, follow me on SoundCloud for my future performances.

My Visit To The Putra Mosque In Putrajaya

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 18:00:00 +0000

It was back in June 2014 when I first stepped into a mosque. It was the Putra Mosque (also known as Masjid Putra) in Putrajaya.

I am not a Muslim. Was I allowed to enter a mosque here in Malaysia? The answer is yes and non Muslims are more than welcomed to visit a mosque as long as it is not during prayer times and you are decently dressed.

I was bringing a visiting Filipino friend on a tour of Putrajaya that day. We stopped by the Seri Wawasan Bridge to take photos.

There are altogether 9 landmark bridges in Putrajaya. I have covered 6 of them on my blog and you can read about them (including the above bridge) and a brief introduction to the city of Putrajaya HERE.

Standing on the bridge, we could see the Putra Mosque in the distance. Can you see the dome shaped building and the tall minaret beside it in the photo below? That's the Putra Mosque!

It was just a 5 minutes drive from the Seri Wawasan Bridge to the mosque. In front of the mosque is a large public square known as Dataran Putra with many flagpoles flying the Malaysian states' flags.

Located next to the mosque is Perdana Putra which houses the Malaysian Prime Minister's office.

Construction of this pink-domed mosque began in 1997 and was completed in 1999.

As we walked towards the mosque, I took some pictures of the tall lamp post at the square.

At the main entrance of Putra Mosque. There were some tourists there that day.

Look at the beautiful intricate design at the top of the arch-shaped entrance!

As we walked past the main entrance into the courtyard, the beautiful image of the Putra mosque came into view. The mosque has an interesting mixture of Malaysian, Persian and Arab-Islamic architectural designs.

The minaret is equally impressive. Influenced by the design of the Sheikh Omar Mosque in Baghdad, this 116 metre tall minaret has five tiers, representing the five pillars of Islam.

We spent some time taking pictures before entering the mosque.

That's my Filipino friend in blue shirt admiring the mosque from near.

I love the pink domes of the mosque! They were built with rose-tinted granite which gave them the beautiful pinkish hue.

This is the view from behind the main entrance.

The mosque provides robes for those who are not suitably dressed. My friend and I did not have to put on the robes as our simple collared T-shirts and jeans were deemed acceptable.

My first time stepping into a mosque. We left our shoes outside.

Beautiful lights!

There was a friendly guide who walked around showing us the interior of the mosque.

This is my favourite part of the mosque - the main dome. So beautiful!

The 36-metre diameter dome is just right on top of the prayer hall with 12 huge columns supporting it.

The highest point below the dome is 250 feet above ground level.

Don't you agree it looks so beautiful?

The Prayer Hall itself is elegant with intricate designs on the walls. The Mehrab (niche or indentation in the wall indicating direction of qiblat in Mecca) are adorned with Islamic calligraphy.

Love this shot!

The view from inside the mosque looking out.

On display were The Holy book Quran in different languages.

So many Quran books lining on the table! Do you recognise the languages? It is said that the Quran is the only book in the world with no revised editions - meaning not a word in the Quran had been added, removed or altered.

A poster depicting the different postures while doing the sholat or prayer.

This wooden structure is the Minbar or Pulpit. It has a short staircase leading to the top platform.

The Minbar is used by the Imam, who leads the worshippers in prayers. He usually gives sermon before the Friday prayers at this Minbar.

Our friendly guide explained to us about Islam and showed us the genealogy of the 25 prophets mentioned in the Quran. From the chart, you can see how Islam and Christianity are closely related.

The above is just a screenshot of the genealogy chart. For the full image, click HERE.

I took a few more shots of the interior before stepping out of the mosque.

Although our guide explained and enlightened us about Islam, he did not make us feel uncomfortable or tried to convert us. I am sure my Filipino friend who is a Christian felt good talking to him.

The Putra Mosque is large enough to accommodate a maximum of 10,000 worshippers. Outside the prayer hall is a spacious area next to the fountains. This area could probably hold another few thousands worshippers.

It was a good experience visiting Putra Mosque. I was glad I did it! But there was another mosque in Putrajaya that we wanted to visit. It's located nearby and curiously called The Iron Mosque. That will be in another post, so stay tuned.

Waiting For My Flight At Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 18:00:00 +0000

Finally, I have reached the last post of my 2014 Bangkok travel series! Yes, what a relief! Haha! Now we can move on to the next destination.

My friend and I did not have breakfast at the hotel that morning. We checked out at around 9.30am and took a metered taxi to Don Mueang Airport. We reached the airport at about 10.45am, slightly less than 3 hours before our scheduled flight back to Kuala Lumpur.

However, after checking in our luggage, we heard an announcement that our AirAsia flight would be delayed by about 30 minutes. So we had even more time to kill.

There was nothing much to see and do at Don Mueang Airport, so we just lazed around at Starbucks. We sat next to the glass window and watched airplanes land and take off. Actually, it was kind of enjoyable. Lol.

I had cafe latte and tuna sandwich. My friend had something else - I could not remember what as I did not take any photo of his food.

Took some photos of an AirAsia plane that just landed.

My notebook and pen that I took with me during my travels. I always note down things on this little notebook. Now you know why I could recall most of the events of my trip (down to the minute details) even though this Bangkok trip was made 2 years ago! Haha, I definitely did not have a good memory! :)

Of course I also took the opportunity to use the free time waiting for my flight to write down whatever experiences I had during this Bangkok trip.

Some of you may wonder how come my friend never appear in any of my Bangkok trip photos. Well, like me, he did not want his face to appear on the photos I post on my blog. So I had to make sure I did not upload any photos with him in it. Lol.

Soon, it was time for us to board our flight. While inside AirAsia plane ready for take off, I saw this plane behind us. It looked like a bird with the nose area painted to resemble a bird's beak. It's actually Nok Air, the budget airline of Thai Airways! Isn't it cute?

If you happen to miss any of my 2014 Bangkok trip posts, check out the links below. I have tried to arrange them in chronological order. Meantime, good bye Bangkok!

1. Red Pork Rice, Starbucks And Bicycles For Rent In Bangkok
2. My Stay @ Marvin Suites
3. Mango Tango @ Siam Square
4. My Dinner @ Inter Restaurant
5. Pork Satay Rice @ Cafe Boran Hat Yai
6. Mont Nom Sod @ MBK Centre
7. After You Dessert Cafe @ Silom Complex
8. Window Shopping @ Siam Paragon, Siam Center And Central World
9. My Late Night Snacks And Desserts In Bangkok
10. Wat Ratchabophit : One Of The Most Beautiful Temples In Bangkok!
11. Searching For Nuttaporn Ice Cream In Bangkok
12. Is Bangkok Still A Safe Destination?
13. A Visit To Hualamphong Station
14. The Terrace Restaurant And Buddhi Belly @ Central World

The Terrace Restaurant And Buddhi Belly @ Central World, Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 17:00:00 +0000

After leaving HuaLamphong Station, my friend and I went to Pratunam where we did some shopping. I wanted to buy a cap there but did not find one that I like.

We then ended back at Central World shopping mall which we went the day before. I managed to find a cap that I like at this more upscale Zen Department Store. Sorry, no photo of my new cap.

I think all the shopping made us hungry so we had an early dinner at The Terrace Restaurant in Central World. I had this Pork Loin Steak with green curry sauce served with fried Sang yod rice and butter. Sang yod rice is a type of healthy rice grown in Phatthalung province.

My friend ate Pad Thai (I did not take any picture of it).

After that, we just walked around the shopping mall. I thought the decoration at this part of the mall was interesting.

Gigantic floating book!

This is the SF World Cinema on the 7th floor of the mall, if I am not mistaken.

No, we did not go and watch any movies there. I don't fancy watching movies when I travel.

This is an interesting art piece.

We spotted the popular premium frozen yogurt store Buddhi Belly and decided to get ourselves some dessert.

Art decoration on our table.

Colorful decorations on the counter tops.

We chose original with toppings of mango, strawberry and pineapple.

That's medium size cup and costs us about 100 baht.

It was yummy! I should have ordered a whole cup for myself. Lol.

Words written on the cup explain most of it so I do not have to describe anything.

After finishing the yogurt, we walked around some more. It would be my last night in Bangkok. We would be leaving the next day, so I wanted to explore the mall a bit more.

Took some more pictures.

I like the decoration here.

I think we only left when the mall was about to close. Lol. It was a good third day in Bangkok.

A Visit To Hualamphong Station In Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 15:30:00 +0000

I did not plan to visit the Hualamphong Station also known as Bangkok Railway Station but you will soon learn why I ended up there.

OK, we are back at Day 3 of my Bangkok trip back in 2014. Sorry for the outdated post but I am doing my best to complete blogging about this trip.

To refresh your memory, my friend and I started out Day 3 with a visit to Wat Ratchabophit before going on a search for the famous Nuttaporn Ice Cream.

Right after that, we took a tuk tuk to Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall.

This tuk tuk driver drove so fast that my cap flew off halfway and landed on the road behind us. I did not manage to retrieve it so I had to say goodbye to my cap! It was a bit nostalgic for me as that cap had been with me for my past trips. Oh well, there was no point getting upset over it and I did buy a new cap later at the shopping mall. Haha!

Unfortunately for us, the Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall was closed that day, most likely due to the ongoing political rally in Bangkok at that time. However, I did manage to capture a few photos of the aftermath of the protest rally which happened a few days before. Check out the photos HERE.

After walking around for some time, we flagged down a taxi to take us to the Hualamphong MRT Station. But since we were there, I decided to visit the Hualamphong Railway Station nearby.

Also known as Krungthep Station, this railway station is the main railway station in Bangkok and serves over 130 trains (according to Wikipedia).

There were shops and eateries on both floors of the station.

Satisfied that I had visited this famous train station, we made our move.

Where did we go next? We were getting quite hungry, so it's definitely a place to eat!

Window Shopping At Siam Paragon, Siam Center And Central World In Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:00:00 +0000

My apologies for the long break from blogging but now I am back! My blog posts are so outdated I am actually blogging about my Bangkok trip back in 2014! I really hope you don't mind. Haha!

Anyway, it's Day 2 of my Bangkok trip in February 2014 and just to refresh you, here are some of the highlights of that day.

Pork Satay Rice @ Cafe Boran Hat Yai
Mont Nom Sod @ MBK Centre
After You Dessert Cafe @ Silom Complex

After going our separate ways in the afternoon, my friend and I decided to meet up again in the evening at Siam Paragon, a famous shopping mall in Bangkok.

I love the view of the shopping mall at night with all the lights and waterfall. My friend did some real shopping while I only did window shopping. Lol.

I saw some red horses near the entrance of the mall.

2014 was the Year of the Horse, according to the Chinese zodiac. It was just two weeks after Chinese New Year, so I guess the horses were part of the Chinese New Year decoration.

It's good that the mall had not taken down the horses otherwise I wouldn't have the opportunity to see them.

Aren't they beautiful?

Love these horses! And the water reflection. So artistic.

We then walked over to Siam Center next door. Yes, not many people around. I guess it was a weekday, maybe?

Inside Siam Center, we passed by Mr Jones' Orphanage, a famous dessert cafe that has lots of teddy bears and soft toys as decoration. Unfortunately, we did not try the cakes and dessert there. The timing just wasn't right. Maybe I will visit it next time I go Bangkok.

At the time of my visit, Line toys were the rage in Bangkok. These toys and merchandise were not yet available in Malaysia so I was really tempted to buy them!

That's Cony, with two different expressions.

And Brown. I like Brown. But at 1,300 baht? I think I better spend my money on food instead. Hahaha!

Plush doll heads.

These are cute. Should I just grab one? ...... Don't think so.

Maybe socks are more useful? ...... Nah. Lol!

So after leisurely browsing around Siam Center, we decided to walk back to Siam Paragon to search for something to eat. You might be wondering - how come we did not eat at Mr Jones' Orphanage earlier? Well, we needed real food, not cakes and dessert. Lol.

As it turned out, we did not eat at Siam Paragon. Instead, we walked all the way over to Central World nearby and dined at Black Canyon Coffee.

You see, Siam Paragon, Siam Centre and Central World are all in close proximity to each other, so it's really no problem walking from one mall to the other. I was so glad they had the malls all lined up in such a way. Thank you Bangkok, for being so brilliant!

I had a cup of hot tea latte with biscuits. Not bad!

And a plate of tom yum noodles. It was delicious, but very spicy!

I think I forgot to take photos of what my friend ate because I just could not find those photos. Well, it had been 2 years. Things disappear sometimes, don't they? Haha! I really should try and be more updated in my blogging from now on! :)

My Late Night Snacks and Desserts In Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 17:00:00 +0000

During my Bangkok trip, the highlight was food, food and more food. Since I am not much of a shopping person, it was inevitable that food took centre stage.

However, not only did I enjoy eating food at restaurants and shops, I also enjoy eating late night snacks and takeaway food in my hotel room!

One of my favourite snacks was Barbecued Crispy Pork bought from 7-Eleven stores at 20 baht per pack.

The pork chips were delicious and addictive! I love snacking on them while watching TV in my hotel room. Lol.

So unhealthy right? But let's be even more unhealthy by adding Mama Cup Instant Noodles to my late night snacks!

My two favourite flavours from Mama Cup - Shrimp Tom Yum and Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum. Yes, you can easily get them from any 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok at 13 baht per cup.

Just pour boiling water into the cup and you are good to go! Look! There really are shrimps inside the cup!

The tom yum soup was really delicious! Spicy and sour - a lethal combination.

OK, how about combining the Barbecued Crispy Pork with the Mama Cup Instant Noodles? Try it at your own risk, though. Lol!

You can't have snacks without drinks right? So do not forget the Betagen drink, also available at all 7-Eleven outlets in Bangkok.

The Betagen drinks, similar to the famous Yakult probiotic drinks, were so yummy I could drink them all day. I bought the small sized Betagen at 7 baht per bottle. But then it's better and more value for money to buy the bigger sized bottle at 20 baht.

OK, I think that the Betagen is at least slightly healthier than the Crispy Pork chips and the Mama instant noodles so it's not all unhealthy stuffs here. LOL.

Craving for desserts for your late night snacks? Try takeaways from the famous Boonsap Desserts! Read about my experience at Boonsap Desserts HERE.

During this trip, I bought three desserts as takeaways and ate them all in my hotel room! Haha.

Mungbean cake

The mungbean cake was pretty yummy!

Banana cakes

I did not really like these banana cakes, though they were pretty cute!

Sago Custard

The sago custard was not too sweet and was quite delicious!

Could not remember the price for each of the desserts, but total price was 70 baht.

If you have a thing for Chinese buns (known as bao), then it's a good idea to head over to Waraporn Salapao to buy some for takeaway. Read my post on Waraporn Salapao at Robinson Bangrak HERE.

During this trip, I bought 3 different buns to consume during my late night supper in my hotel room. I must admit however that these buns taste better when eaten warm, so it actually may not be a good idea to buy them to be eaten later.

Cream Bun (22 baht)

I like this cream bun, although I was quite disappointed with the fillings which was a bit dry. Looked like the quality had dropped somewhat compared to my previous visit.

Coconut with Taro Bun (22 baht)

This was good, but it would probably taste better when eaten warm.

Red Bean Bun (22 baht)

The red bean bun was yummy! Again, best when eaten warm! Now if only my hotel room had a microwave oven....

How do you like the idea of dipping steamed bread into coconut custard (kaya)? You can buy them both at Mont Nom Sod located at MBK mall in Bangkok. That's exactly what I did.

Read my blog post about Mont Nom Sod HERE.

The steamed bread was cut into cubes so that makes it easier to dip them into the coconut custard.

They were so delicious!!

Now I wish I am in a nice Bangkok hotel room feasting away on all these delicious snacks and desserts!

My Take On The Conjuring 2

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 17:30:00 +0000

The Conjuring first came out in 2013 and created cinematic history for a horror movie. Directed by Malaysian-born James Wan (who also directed Saw, Insidious and Fast & Furious 7) and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the famous ghostbusting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren, the movie was a hit in many countries and was catapulted into the same league as The Exorcist and The Sixth Sense.

Read my review of The Conjuring HERE.

There were talks about a sequel back then, and true enough, three years later in the present 2016, it is back with The Conjuring 2. As the movie was again directed by James Wan and with both Wilson and Farmiga reprising their roles, I knew I just had to watch it!

Director James Wan

The problem with sequels is you kind of have a higher expectation, so I tried my best to lower mine when entering the cinema hall. Also, as a fan of horror movies and having watched so many of them, I don't get easily frightened anymore. I gave the first Conjuring movie a scariness level of 6 out of 10 points (I'm sure many will disagree with me on this but it's really up to the individual) so let's see how I am going to rate the sequel at the end of this post :)

In any case, I knew that even if the movie isn't scary, at least it would be somewhat entertaining simply because James Wan is the director and my favourite actress is in it - yes, she's none other than Vera Farmiga - and guess what? She did not disappoint!

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson

Oh, by the way, I love how they dressed up to resemble the 1970's era. If you are not too busy getting scared, do check out their nice 70's wardrobe!

And yes, this sequel also reveals the answer we all wanted to know from the first Conjuring movie - what did Lorraine Warren see during an exorcism rite that made her locked herself up in her room for eight days. It will actually provide the basis for the second movie although they do not seem related at first.

But if you are one of those people who have not watched the first movie, there is no problem watching The Conjuring 2 as the story is different. Although both centred around the Warrens, they are dealing with two different hauntings. The first movie involved the Perrons in Rhode Island, while the second one is about the Hodgsons thousand of miles away in Enfield, north London.

Both movies claimed to be "based on a true story", and probably that's what makes them scarier. Of course, you do need to take these claims with a pinch of salt as we all know factual documentaries don't sell that well, but well-made fiction do!

If you have not heard about the famous real-life Enfield poltergeist hauntings, then The Conjuring 2 may just be the movie to introduce you to it.

Watch the trailer below.

SPOILER ALERT beyond this point!!!

The Conjuring 2 begins with Ed and Lorraine investigating the infamous "Amityville House" murders where Ronald deFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family years earlier. Although the Amityville hauntings were debunked as a hoax in real life (critics said the killings were merely a homicidal act and not demonic in nature as claimed), the Warrens had insisted that it is not a hoax.

In the movie, Lorraine had an out-of-body experience during a seance at the Amityville house. She witnessed the shotgun murders and even saw something that led her to say "This is as close to hell as I ever want to get."

Then the scene switches over to Enfield, England (complete with the cool song "London Calling" by The Clash playing in the background - gosh! I love the choice of songs in this movie!) where we are introduced to single mother Peggy Hodgson (played by Frances O'Connor) and her four children living in a dark and damp council townhouse.

The trouble begins when Peggy's 11 year old daughter Janet Hodgson (played exceptionally well by Madison Wolfe) started messing with the Ouija board and ended up being possessed by the spirit of an old man named Bill Wilkins. The poltergeist activities in their house soon got out of hand and the church had to call the Warrens to step in to investigate.

I have to admit that a lot of the scenes in the movie are familiar and could be found in scores of other horror movies - things like loud banging on the door, TV switching on and off, toy train moving on its own, bedsheet gets yanked, even a little girl talking in an old man's voice - all cliched, yet for some reason, they don't seem boring to me. Perhaps this is James Wan's magic at work?

There is an amusing scene where two policemen visited the Hodgsons' house and after witnessing a chair moving on its own accord, they told Peggy that "this is a bit beyond us". Lol.

Interestingly, the Enfield hauntings is also widely regarded in real life as a hoax by some critics. This seems to draw some parallel to the controversial Amityville incident. Add in the Warrens' not-so-good reputation in real life (some people regarded them as frauds) and it must be quite a challenge to make a movie that is well balanced between authenticity and entertainment!

However, the movie cleverly took advantage of all the controversies and brilliantly played along, even to the extent of suggesting that what happened at Enfield was a hoax all along with the proof of a video recording... until that last minute twist near the ending.

There is also a scene where the Warrens' reputation was put on the line. They were interviewed on live TV and being criticised by Stephen Kaplan for promoting hogwash with their Amityville investigation. Not familiar with this man Stephen Kaplan, I googled his name and was surprised that he's actually a paranormal investigator himself and not only that, he's also a vampirologist!

Hmm, I really wonder if this live TV interview really happened in real life or just a fictional adaptation by the film makers.

Conjuring 2 was not particularly scary to me, but I do have some favourite scary scenes. One of them is this scene where Lorraine's daughter saw the demonic nun Valak in the hallway of their home.

This shot is very creepy and the haunting music by Joseph Bishara seems to heighten the creepiness.

And the scene where the painted Valak picture flew across the room towards Lorraine was intense!

I also liked how Enfield was always raining. It added a gloomy atmosphere that is so perfect for a horror movie.

This scene where Janet and Lorraine met for the first time was truly memorable for me. It showcases excellent and strong acting skills (Oscar-worthy performances even) from both Madison Wolfe and Vera Farmiga.

In fact, I can still remember part of their dialogues.

Janet : It said it wants to hurt you.
Lorraine : When did it say that?
Janet : Right now.

Gosh, when Janet said the words "Right now" it was so chilling that I felt an enormous dread falling upon Lorraine.

The rest of the cast gave quite commendable performances too. I also like the idea of throwing in a second paranormal investigator, Maurice Grosse (played by Simon McBurney) and a skeptic, Anita Gregory (played by Franka Potente).

At first, I thought these characters are fictional and thrown in to spice up the story but the end credits where they show the real photos of the original persons proved me wrong.

I have to mention that the camera work in this movie was brilliantly done. I particularly like the scene where Janet, presumably possessed by Bill Wilkins, was sitting in the rocking chair behind Ed Warren but her image is blurred while the camera solely focused on Ed's face, leaving our imagination to work overtime on what is happening behind him! Excellent stuff.

Although this movie has its fair share of jump scares, it's really the atmosphere, the music and the 70's ambience that really got to me. Perhaps some of the scariest movies like The Exorcist and The Omen belong to the 70's.

And how could I forget those posters of David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser plastered on the girls' bedroom wall? So 70's!

There is only one thing I didn't like about this movie. It is the tall and long-limbed Crooked Man. It looks more like a monster to me and seems out of place for a ghost movie. Personally, I feel it would be better if they leave him out.

But I do like the Crooked Man rhyme. It goes something like this...

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse
And they all lived together in a little crooked house....

Is there any more to it?

The scene showing the crosses all turning upside down was fairly intense and dramatic, although not that scary to me, until I got a jolt from the cheap scare of the ghost jumping out from the corner of the screen.

The basement scene where Ed tried to fix the leaking pipes was rather suspenseful, but nothing that really made me sat in my seat in fear.

Compared to the first movie, I feel Conjuring 2 is less scary but more interesting. Some say it is more like a love story than a horror movie, and perhaps they are right. It's more about the loving relationship between the Warrens and how Lorraine ultimately saved her husband.

Perhaps the movie felt a bit too long at 2 hours and 14 minutes. It could definitely be tighter, and shorten to just 2 hours, maybe?

I thought the scene where Ed Warren sings Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling In Love in front of the children was a nice touch. It's actually one of my favourite non-scary scenes in the movie.

And that song by the Bee Gees - I Started A Joke - that almost made me cry. It was just so fitting.

The twist towards the end was inevitable. I would be very disappointed if the whole Enfield case was completely fake. Then where would the demonic nun Valak fit in? So yes, I expected the twist.

The ending sequence is pretty exciting, although I think it could be even more exciting. The battle with Valak was just too short and easy for me!

There's however one thing I do not quite understand - if knowing the name of the demon is key to casting him back to hell, why would the demon tell Lorraine his name in the first place?

Make sure you remain seated after the movie ends to watch the end credits!

The real recordings of Janet Hodgson speaking in the demonic voice is revealed. Also the real photos of the Hodgsons and other people involved in the case are shown too. I guess this is a good idea to make the story more believable and to strengthen their "based on a true story" claim.

But if you watch carefully, you will also notice that the film makers have sneakily inserted shots of the hideous Valak in between, though they are very brief but just enough to ingrain the images into your subconscious.

Will there be a Conjuring 3 next? I certainly hope so!

Storyline : 7/10
Scariness : 5/10
Sound Effects/Music : 9/10
Suspense : 8/10
Acting : 10/10

*Warning Note : Scariness is subjective. I have watched too many ghost stories and horror movies to get scared anymore. My 5/10 may turn out to be 8/10 for you.

Cafe Hopping

noreply@blogger.com (foongpc) — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 18:30:00 +0000

Cafe hopping is a trend in Malaysia nowadays especially amongst hipsters and young people. It simply means going from one cafe to another - practically trying out every cafe in town!

Is it any wonder that cafes are mushrooming everywhere to cater to these weird habits of young Malaysians? Even the not so young people are catching the cafe hopping fever. I would be lying if I were to tell you that I do not cafe hop. I do, but I don't do the extreme, that is, visiting several cafes in a day. I did that once though with a group of friends and it was fun! We visited 7 different cafes in a single day! Crazy! Not to be repeated any time soon!

I guess if you were to visit one cafe a day, you could still be considered cafe hopping. It's just that you hop from one cafe to another but on different days! Usually, I prefer to spend a few hours in one cafe to make my money worth it LOL! What about you?

Anyway, whether you cafe hop or not, I have decided to compose a song about cafe hopping! Am I the first person in the world to write a song on cafe hopping? I think so and I hope so too. Haha! I am not sure that when you listen to this song, you will be able to imagine yourself hopping from one cafe to another.

If you do, great. If not, then just enjoy the music! :)

Note : This work and recording is copyrighted. All Rights Reserved.