Have to get up so early in the morning to begin filming the CNY special for Astro. This is the second day of shooting. One of the interesting questions that came up yesterday during the shoot was whether one needs to “believe” in Feng Shui in order for it to work.

To which I explained the difference between “NEW AGE” a…nd CLASSICAL Feng Shui. In New Age or POP Feng Shui, where the system is based on so-called made-in-china good luck objects, ornaments or trinkets … well the answer is YES. I think you probably need to ‘believe’ in them for them to work as these man-made objects do not generate Qi on their own. They are just decorative items.

In Classical Feng Shui - where we focus on alignment of Qi from the natural environment (direction, location, time, land formation, water formation) - the answer would be NO. You do not need to ‘believe’ in nature in order for nature to work. The energy (Qi) is there and you are already affected by it knowingly or unknowingly. Classical Feng Shui is about understanding how Qi works in our natural environment and learning how to harness them.

There were many interesting questions that were raised and answered on the show. But the main focus would be on the Feng Shui, Astrology, Face Reading and Date Selection for the Metal Tiger Year.

The show will be aired on Feb 12 to 17 daily at 7.30pm on Wah Lai Toi. (BTW, you guys will see me in a new hairdo since hair is sponsored by A Cut Above. ).

As we reach the close of this year, I wish you and your family all the best for the holiday season and trust you are enjoying well-earned leisure time with your loved ones.

Although 2009 has been a particularly challenging year for the global community, I am pleased to say that, thanks to your continued support and friendship, we at The Mastery Academy have continued to grow, as we met new challenges head on and set new goals. We made many new friends, whilst also consolidating our existing relationships. So as we reach the end of this year, my team and I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for your loyalty. In life, we are dependent on other people for our blessings, and without you, we, at The Mastery Academy, would not be where we are today.

Before we embark on a new and more rewarding year ahead, I would like to share some of our 2009 milestones with you, as you have all been such an integral part of our journey and successes.

Milestones and memories of 2009

A firm believer in the maxim that good work makes a person good, I have enjoyed a very productive year. For the very first time, I appeared in a Chinese television programme on classical feng shui on the popular Wah Lah Toi channel, and the enthusiastic response from the viewers to my programme on landform feng shui entitled Walking The Dragons was overwhelming indeed. I certainly look forward to doing many more and sharing them with you!

The year seems to have been dominated by Chinese-related projects for me. I held my first Walking The Dragons seminar in KLCC in Chinese, and again, the experience of a totally new audience and a new language was challenging but entirely satisfying.

The workshops have gone from strength to strength and the updated versions of BaZi 1 and 2 and Feng Shui 1 and 2 have been extremely well-received. The attendance of more than 200 students in each class really energised and inspired me. More than anything else, it gratifies me to see all of you enjoying the new syllabus.

As an author, I have been especially prolific this year, although I don’t know if my ‘little books’ really qualify as full-fledged tomes! I hope you enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed producing them for you. My 2009 publications include The Art of Face Reading, Face Reading Essential Series, BaZi Structures, XKDG, amongst others (find the titles online at www.masteryacademy.com if you’re haven’t read them yet, but want to).

And finally, I am very pleased that I started my Facebook page and joined the world of social networking. If you’re a Facebooker, join my page — www.facebook.com/JoeyYapFB — and tell me your viewpoints. It has been awesome communicating directly with all of you.

Welcoming a more optimistic new year

As we usher out the difficult year of the Ox with much relief, we can concurrently anticipate a much more positive year of the metal tiger. To ensure that my students are well prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead, I have prepared a Feng Shui and astrology 2010 seminar entitled Succeeding in Turbulent Times which will equip you with the tools and strategies you will need to thrive and to conquer the metal tiger. And for the first time ever, I will be conducting the seminar over two days, in English and Chinese respectively.

If you listen to the radio, you must tune in to MyFm – I will be co-presenting from January through to the last day of Chinese new year with my good friend Wong Chui Ling and we will be sharing helpful tips for the upcoming year with you.

The highlight for the New Year has to be the Design Your Destiny BaZi personality-profiling programme. This user-friendly programme will help you understand what makes people tick, what motivates them and, most importantly, how to influence them based on their personality profiles. I am confident you will thoroughly enjoy this riveting programme, not least because it is super easy to understand (no charts and complex theories to memorise!) and it will equip you with invaluable tools on improving the quality of your life and your interaction with the people around you.

As for travels, after a hiatus from my usual China excursion, I’ll be planning a new excursion to China this year, with an itinerary that will see you visiting China through the eyes of an insider. Forget the cheesy tourist traps, we’ll be experiencing the real China, and real landform feng shui. I’ll let you in on a little secret: we’ll also be visiting Tibet, so make a date in your calendar to join me on my China jaunt on 22-28 October.

With so many projects ongoing, I admit I did let Destiny Code Book Three slip through the cracks a bit, but I do believe that good things come to those who wait and this is a book that’s definitely been worth waiting for. When a journalist asked me what I felt my best book to date is, I named this book. It’s not only wholly unique, but it also gives readers new insights into the Ten Gods in BaZi. Watch out for it!

And because I believe it is always important to stay current and relevant, I’ve been working hard on updating Feng Shui Mastery 3, Feng Shui Mastery 4 and BaZi Four. The all-new syllabus includes more than 80% of new content, and will ensure that your knowledge of the topics will be enhanced immeasurably. Contact us to find out more about this exciting new course syllabus.

I’m looking forward to the New Year with much anticipation and I hope you are too. Whatever your goals, I hope the year of the metal tiger will bring you success, happiness and good health. During the course of the year, I hope we will re-connect in the pursuit of our shared passion for feng shui and classical Chinese metaphysics. In the meantime, have a peaceful, joyous and bountiful Christmas and New Year.

With my warmest regards,

Joey Yap
December 23, 2009

This morning I went for a medical check up. I haven’t done one in years. I hate medical check ups. There are two things I hate most about medical check ups:

1. I hate the blood test. I dunno why. Everytime I do a blood test – I feel extremely giddy. Almost to the point of blacking out for about 5 minutes. I hate that feeling.

2. I hate the nurses. No, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure they are very nice people. Unfortunately, they are also very nosy. And unfortunately, they’ve watched my TV program. And they keep asking me for freebies while I’m busy fainting after my blood test.

I can’t understand their fascination with me going to get a medical check up. They seem to be under the impression that Joey Yap doesn’t need to see doctors. What’s wrong with these people?? - they actually think Feng Shui masters are supposed to live forever. She actually said to me in her broken English - ‘I thought you good Feng Shui? - Won’t get sick right?’

I’m wanted to tell her … hey I’m mortal too! In case you don’t know – I also fall sick and may actually die just like the rest of you nosy people. But of course, I was too scared to say anything … just in case the needle is more painful. Yeah, I have a major weakness for blood tests. I see blood – I faint. I’m pathetic.

I think the average person seem to have a very unusual impression of Feng Shui practitioners. They seem to think that we are from a different planet. (Sometimes I think if I told them my shit is green they’d probably believe me). They perceive us as being mysterious. And they are always curious to see us at clinics.

Hmm - just because I’m a Feng Shui practitioner doesn’t mean I can’t get a medical check up right? While Feng Shui can certainly help with our health and improve our healing abilities - it does not mean that we are totally immune to all illnesses and it certainly does not mean that we can live forever. Can doctors live forever? Can doctors get sick too?

I think the problem is the major public don’t have a good understanding of what Feng Shui is and isn’t. Guess I just have to work harder in bringing Feng Shui literacy to the masses.

3 years ago a student of mine, Sri Mulyadi, gave me a book - The Alchemist. She told me to read it as it would shed some light on my personal journey in Metaphysics. Somehow, over the last 3 years I’ve never touched that book. Not because I didn’t value her gift, but somehow I just didn’t have the time and …you know … I never really saw the need to read a ’spiritual’ book. Not that I don’t believe in Spirituality, it’s just that I’ve always felt that I wasn’t that spiritual and hence, never saw the need to read such a book. To be fair …I did have it as an item on my ‘to-do list’ …but at the very bottom. Haha … perhaps the time wasn’t right for me then.

I moved to my new home last year and that book was packed into one of my 30 odd boxes of old books and is, I think, permanently lost. Until my recent lightning trip to Hong Kong (you know, one of those fly in, stay 2 nights and fly off type) I saw that book at the KLIA bookstore. Somehow this time I said to myself, I owe it to my student as I promised her I’d read this book. So I bought the book. (yah the free one - I’ve lost. Now I have to fork out $$ to buy a new one …must be karma). Ok …maybe this new cover was nicer. I have a weakness for beautiful book covers. I dunno why.

I must say - The Alchemist - is truly an enlightening story. I know now why I had to wait 3 years before I could read this book. I wasn’t ready then. Because had I read this earlier it would not have been relevant to my journey. There were many parts of the story that I could relate to. In my own journey in life, my never-ending quest for knowledge, my tribulations, falls, pain and successes. It’s a simple book with a simple idea but I find it very fascinating. And I could see it’s relevance from the Chinese Metaphysics perspective.

Just before I go to bed tonight … I wish to highlight a small segment from the book where there’s this seer who is a specialist in casting twigs to forecast the future. (Just like how we practitioners use the coins to cast the Yi Jing (I-Ching) hexagrams for the same purpose). The conversation between the camel driver and this seer relates a lot on how Metaphysics - especially sciences like Yi Jing (i-Ching) or BaZi Astrology works.

Here’s the except:

“I want to know about the future because I’m a man.” the camel driver had said to the seer, “And men always live their lives based on the future.” The seer was a specialist in the casting of twigs; he threw on the ground, and made interpretations based on how they fell. That day, he didn’t make a cast. He wrapped the twigs in a piece of cloth and put them back in his bag.

The camel driver had asked what the circumstances were under which God would allow him to see the future. “Only when he, himself reveals it … it is for only one reason: it’s a future that was written so as to be altered.”.

Here’s how I reflected on this short story…. This segment reflects that we are all govern by a Higher Power (God) or some would say the Universe, The Heavens or the Source and that there are techniques to access what is planned ahead (like the twigs - in Chinese Metaphysics we use Yi Jing Divination or in Astrology, we use BaZi or Zi Wei)… we can study the patterns and ‘penetrate the place where all is written’.

Though we may ‘guesstimate’ the most probable future from our readings…but the real future hasn’t really happened yet. We have the element of ‘free will’. We can still make conscious choices. Hence, if we truly want to ALTER the future, the secret is in what we do (or don’t do) in the present. And the future can be altered (despite whatever is written in your BaZi or in your YiJing Hexagram), because it’s meant to be altered as permitted by the Universe.

How do we know that it’s meant for us to know and for us to alter the future? Simple - when there is a need or urge inside us to know or discover ourselves, and when we seek answers and where answers are given. We know that we can change the future when we make an effort to learn what we are capable of achieving, improve ourselves and decide to live life to the full.

Is the future fated? Perhaps only some bits. But if you are successful in discovering your future (through careful study of Metaphysics), this means, it’s meant for YOU to alter the outcome. Otherwise, where it is not permitted by the Universe (or God), you will NOT be able to see your future anyway. The fact that we’ve got an affinity (or good karma) with this science of BaZi or Yi Jing means we are meant to learn the ways to change things for the better. The role WE play in our own future is huge.

So let’s study our own BaZi charts once again!. Perhaps we’d find more clues to access our future and make it brighter!! Remember - to make tomorrow a better day, the secret is in the present .

ps: Get a copy of The Alchemist.

It’s funny that so many beginning students of BaZi seem to be obsessed with finding out “when will someone die” or “why someone died” from a BaZi chart. Since my posting on MJ’s chart yesterday– already some are asking why can’t I predict MJ’s death and warn him in advance.

Firstly, my points in my previous post were made in reference to his dance talent. At no point did I attempt to analyse WHY he died at 50 or HOW he died, NOR did I claim I could have seen it in his chart earlier. Secondly, even if I could calculate and predict his premature death date, how the heck will I be able to warn him?! (Are u nuts?) I don’t have his private cellphone number you know. And thirdly, in the extreme remote event that I could get in touch with him, what makes you think he would he have listened to me?

I get rather annoyed sometimes with silly comments / questions like these. And I get these all the time in my emails or seminars. (Sorry guys, this is my personal fb page, so I guess I could speak my mind and do away with the niceties, hope you don’t mind me being open about how I feel).

Frankly speaking - it’s quite hard to pinpoint the exact date of death from the BaZi chart. Most of the time, we could only “guestimate” the possible period, never exactly down to the moment. I actually thought this ‘may’ only happen to him in his next luck pillar, which he crosses in 2010. I did not expect it would happen earlier then.

In fact, just a week before his death, I was jokingly telling my friend (who is a member of this fanpage as well) that the reason I’ve bought tickets to his This Is It tour for July 14 is because I believe he won’t last very long based on his chart. (BTW I bought VIP tickets, 3rd row from the stage …haha …yeah I’m big fan, what can I say). So, honestly, nope, I did not see it in his chart that he would die suddenly on June 25. (If I did I would have sold off my tickets before and made 3x the money hahah … just kidding) Of course, now looking at it in retrospect I can come up with so many ‘explanations’ on why this happened, but what’s the use?

Exact death date is extremely hard to predict. Not that it can never be done. It’s just very, very hard and tedious to do. That’s why most practitioners don’t bother doing it. I think somehow, if the Heavens forbid such information to be seen or told, no matter how meticulous you are in your reading, you’d still somehow miss out on the obvious information.

On retrospect, yeah, of course it’s easy to see this in a chart. Anyone can say this. But had I seen this earlier in MJ’s chart? Nope. Not with absolutely certainty at least. I wasn’t even paying attention to this aspect of the reading at all. What was obvious to me was the health problems. But no, I wasn’t expecting it to be that serious - leading to a homicide on June 25. I mean, c’mon, we don’t even have to look at his chart to know this, he was 50 and he was going through his ‘Nose Luck’ from a Face Reading point of view -what could this blatantly tell us? (Nose governs age 41 to 50).

Of course, I was only reading his chart for fun and not seriously. Like most people studying BaZi would be especially if you are a MJ fan. But the reading was done so long ago. I couldn’t even remember the details. But had he been a client of mine on the other hand, then yeah, of course I would have paid much more attention to details. Perhaps it could be avoided. But who knows? I can’t tell you for sure I would be able to pick this homicide incident up. (I’d probably be too star struck if I saw him in person to do any reading:-) )

There are many variables in a death date calculation. For instance – one needs to be in the wrong place, wrong time, doing the wrong thing – to have caused death.

And plus – people don’t always die in ‘bad luck’ pillars. That’s the problem. Some people do die during ‘good luck’ pillars and MJ is, arguably, one of them. It really depends on what you define as good luck and bad luck of course.

Technically – he got what he set out to achieve with this comeback tour. He’s now the No.1 selling artist in the world and loved by all once again. Not to mention he’s managed to clear up all his financial issues. And before this, there were zillions of journalists out there ridiculing and belittling him. Now, it’s cool to be a MJ fan once again! Yeah he came back alright. He succeeded alas. Only one small problem - he didn’t come back alive.

Well, think about it this way … did MJ really die? I think he’s immortal now. People will remember MJ forever. People will love him forever. How many people can achieve this? So is Bing Yin 丙寅 a good or bad LP? You think about it.

If death could be clearly pinpointed, this means BaZi (and other forms of Astrology) is a ‘fatalistic’ study. It would mean that everything is destined from the start. If so, then why bother to study this science in the first place?

Some may say ‘if I know when I would die, I could prepare for it.’ Well, I have news for you – you’d surely die someday. It doesn’t matter when, but we all will eventually. So why not be prepared ALWAYS and live life to the full? Then you’d have no regrets when it happens. ☺
I believe your BaZi (your destiny) is not fated.

Nothing about destiny is truly carved in stone. There is always room for change and improvement. Hence, it is up to you to decide on your own outcome in life based on what you’ve been given (based on your chart) from the start. Ah yes …of course no one said it’s going to be easy.

Had MJ not practiced his dance moves and fulfill the minimum 10,000-hour rule to perfect his craft, do you think he could be the King of Pop? A chart merely tells you what talents or capabilities you were born with. It does not guarantee your absolute success. Your level of success is much determined by your actions and the choices you make.

So my advice is – don’t focus on how to read ‘death’ in the BaZi chart. Focus on how to be the best you can be instead! Focus on ways to maximize your capabilities and talents in your chart (which is God given) and live life to the full! Ultimately it’s not how long you live, it’s how well you live your life.

MJ’s talent in dancing can be attributed to the 3 growth stars he has in his chart. Of course, this is not the only reason obviously, but one of the main reasons. The clash between Tiger and Monkey gives him the break-dance-like robotic moves and especially that anti-gravity footwork! Growth Stars are known as “Sky Horses” – they represent quick reflexes, speed, agility and grace. Elvis Presley, has similar configuration in his chart. These ‘Growth Stars’ seem to appear in many artist who can do fancy dance moves like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, James Brown and Usher. Of course, none can compare to the configuration of Michael Jackson’s.

We shouldn’t focus on the clash right now. No doubt, a clash to the marriage palace, as we all know, is not the most ideal situation when we read marriages/relationships. But this is the not the focus of my post today.

Some quick thoughts on Growth Stars and the Hour Pillar:

• Growth Stars are also Sky Horse stars. They denote movement and wealth as a result of traveling. Did you know that MJ’s concert world tours were mainly held OUTSIDE USA? Even the last one that was not to be, was promised in London - again outside his home country. He was already achieving what they call ‘Stadium Status’ back in the 80s outside of the USA, way before Jay-Z, Kanye West and Beyonce can do in their home country today!

• His albums sell all over the world! More than 750 million copies in total I heard. Do you think just 2 Growth Stars (without the “Wealth Star”– Pig) would have made him the biggest selling artist of all time?

• The Gui Hai 癸亥 (Water Pig) hour pillar – is the final pillar of the 60 Jia Zi. This pillar is the smallest ….or you could say the ‘youngest’ of the lot. He loves children and is, himself, very child-like as we know. (As you can see, his DM combines with the Hour Pillar totally – in a Heaven and Earth combo). If you’ve attended my class before, you’d know that the “Hour Pillar” is also known as the Desire and Aspiration Palace. What does this piece of information tell you? ☺

• The 寅 Tiger inside the “spouse/home” palace is also part of the Gen Gua 艮卦. Which represents young children. With a combo-destruction happening between his spouse (or home) palace with his children palace – we can see the disastrous events that took place in 2003 (a Gui Wei 癸未year) where the 未Wei (Goat) fights to combine away the 亥 Hai (Pig) and contaminating it in the process. (All this has got to do with “children” – hence the children palace). 戊 Wu and 癸 Gui is, after all known as the ‘merciless combination’.

• One must not forget Michael Jackson has a very soft spoken, gentle, quiet personality off stage. A typical weak Wu Earth 戊土Day Master nature. When he steps onto the stage, he literally transforms into another person! The electrifying persona takes over. Almost a totally different personality! This is very strong evidence of a Wu-Gui combination - Transforming Qi dual personality. (In BaZi, the stage represents Fire element. And on it, it helps the transformation become successful! Fire is also his favorable element. Hence on stage – MJ is untouchable! He is the King of Pop!)

• IMHO had he been born at 11.30am like some reports claim then he would already have 午 Horse hour, 寅 Tiger Day and 戌 Dog year – making a Fire Structure. This means - a Resource star element would already be dominant in his chart from birth. A resource structure will not have the same “killing qi”…. that super-confident, electrifying persona on stage. Resource is relaxed, shy and slow. You won’t get those lighting spins and anti-gravity moonwalk from ever present, strong Resource element.

• Wu戊-Gui癸 combination relationship usually have the following attributes:
o Ladies – marries younger husband.
o Man – marries older women.
o Of course this does not always mean real “marriage”. This is just what is stated in the old books. In reality, that could mean that the man is constantly surrounded by or is attracted to, or is helped by older women.
o In this case - think – Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Shields, Diana Ross.

Anyway, there many, many more points we can find to elaborate further. His talent is obviously related to his Geng Shen Eating God 食神 Star structure. But this will be a topic for another time. So much information and we haven’t even gone into the 10 Gods, the structure, or even the strength of the Day Master yet.

There’s just so many, many fascinating aspects we can learn from MJ’s chart alone. For example – we can see why the world is so attracted to him and his life, we can see why he choose to do plastic surgery, why he speaks and behaves the way he does, his skin problems, what inspires him to write the songs he write and what’s he’s like as a person.

Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time right now. (I’m juggling between consults and working on a manuscript for a new book – burning the midnight oil as usual). I will continue to post my input on MJ’s chart whenever I’m free (or when the total members of this fbpage hits 2000 ..hehe ☺ you guys know what to do for me ya ? ☺ ). In the meantime, please enjoy and continue to participate and provide your comments on the above aspects I mentioned. I’ll chip in whenever I can.

Cheers,

JY

It is merely a general concept - that a Strong DM seeing Wealth Stars brings good fortune. There are many ways a DM can be considered ’strong’ and each will have a different reaction/outcome when they meet their Wealth stars.

For instance - a Metal day master that is ‘technically’ strong as a result of Resource - is not really ’strong’. It just looks strong. (Strong Earth, especially dry Earth, buries Metal rather than produces it]. It’s what we call a fake outlook. In real life, the person would merely be ‘looking good but going nowhere’. The person would think very highly of him/herself, but is actually not achieving anything significant. Lives in a world of make-believe. He/She is prone to chasing unrealistic dreams and not listen to good advice (this is a typical strong Resource problem).

Now, when this Day Master meets its Wealth Stars - do you think it can actually control the Wealth Star? Technically, a strong Day Master CAN control the wealth star. BUT is this Day Master ‘really’ strong in the first place? So this becomes a situation where the person ‘thinks’ he/she can, but in actual fact, doesn’t have any substance, strategy, talent or real ability to achieve. He or she is merely positively bluffing him/herself. The Wealth star’s presence merely distorts his or her emotions, presenting many ideas but no real execution plan.

Wealth Stars to guys is also considered the relationship stars. In situation like this, it would be wrong to interpret that the person will enjoy good relationship and should get married.

Getting married in this period could be disastrous! Why? (Think about the relationship between the Wealth Star and the Resource Star )

[to be continued]

The manager of the restaurant told me that this is their Feng Shui ‘Wheel of Fortune’. It’s supposed to be a highly specialized Feng Shui setup designed to usher great wealth to the premises.

‘The Wheel of Fortune’

The spinning wheel is suppose to ’spin’ the wealth into the restaurant. Turning all bad luck to good.

This so-called secret technique of Feng Shui is supposed to be a safely guarded secret known only to a privileged few. (haha here we go again) Or so I was told. Special ‘ingredients’ where even strategically positioned (facing a specific direction) in the fountain to ‘attract’ prosperity.

As you can see … there is the Dragon Tortoise and the Money Frog strategically located.

And it’s effects? - Just see for yourself!

Empty restaurant

The real problem?

Wheel of Fortune is a just a fancy name for an oversized tabletop Wealth Fountains. Their so called auspicious symbolism has absolutely no bearing in Classical Feng Shui. It has got nothing to do with the spinning wheel, the plastic looking dragon tortoise and the frog. What really matters in internal application of Classical Feng Shui, is the position of the water. And in this case, it’s positioned VERY badly.

Qi leaking out the corridor. (Noticed the ground is sloping down outwards)

This water is flowing OUT the main door! All the Qi is leaked. This ‘wheel of fortune’ is more of a disaster than real help. We don’t even need to plot the Eight Mansions, Flying Stars or DaGua charts to know this is a bad water setup.

Solution? - Easy. Remove ‘Wheel of Fortune. ‘

I hope you’ve all been doing well thus far. On my end, I’ve just been a little full-up clearing things off of my plate!

I haven’t really had the time to write anything new for you, so I’m leaving you with a little video clip to whet your Feng Shui appetite somewhat.

Hope you enjoy it, and happy watching!

During my talks or consultations, there is one question that stands out the most. And it is, “WHAT should I invest in now that times are challenging and so unpredictable? Is it properties, bonds, or equities? What will still give me the best returns?”

My knee-jerk reaction is to ask in return, “How much of a return would you be happy with? 10%? Or 20%? Or more?” But let’s be honest… I think most of us should be gladly thanking our lucky stars if we’re getting even a 10% return in this economy!

When we think ‘investment,’ especially in an economic climate like the current one, we need to think different. And if you really think about it, there is ONE singular investment you can make that could bring you not 10% or 20%, 100% or hey, even way past 1000% in returns if you invest it well. In fact, investing in this could give you returns that could reap dividends for a lifetime. What’s that, you ask?

The answer is simple: INVEST IN YOURSELF.

Think about it. What is truly your most valuable asset? What’s truly recession-proof?

If you think it’s your car, or your home, or your stocks and bonds, you’re wrong. Your most valuable asset is YOURSELF. Your knowledge and your skills are your intellectual assets – and it literally knows no price. Its value cannot be measured through dollars and cents – but it can be measured by the success of your life. Your knowledge makes YOU an asset (or a liability to others when there’s lack of it.)

When you’re mired in turbulent times, and the external economic situation is so uncertain, what’s left to rely on but yourself? Consider your other options:

• Property prices are unstable
• The share market presents itself as one long gloomy tunnel with no light at the end of it
• Doing the tried-and-tested thing of ‘saving’ your money can yield losses when interest rates are lower than the inflation rate!

From what I’ve observed, one of the main reasons why many people get trapped when a recession takes place and end up stalling in place or worse, regressing backward instead of moving forward and succeeding, is because they’ve got their priorities wrong. In other words, they’ve failed to focus on the ESSENTIAL.

They focus instead on the trivial things in life. They tend to concentrate on unimportant things that bring short-term benefits or short-lived happiness without paying attention to the more significant matters that will actually make a substantial difference in their lives.

What do I mean by this? Well, when I say ‘things’ I literally mean ‘things!’ We all know people who wouldn’t blink an eye spending hard-earned money (even in critical economic times like this) on the latest gadget like a smart phone or the iPod Touch, a game console, a new LV or Gucci bag and designer silk curtains and drapes for their apartment, luxury dress watches, the new car, and… the list goes on.

But these same people would very well think twice… or ten times, before deciding to invest in themselves through education, training, and personal development! Funny isn’t it? Maybe because the latest LV bag is a tangible thing that they can hold, and feel, and show off to everyone else… while the results of self-investment are intangible, and take time to bear fruit.

You know, we would never forget to feed our bodies several times a day (or more) but sometimes…. we literally fail to feed our minds just as often! We are all aware that failing to feed our bodies will cause our physical selves to suffer as our bodies starve or suffer from malnutrition. But truly successful individuals also know that feeding the mind works in much the same way as they feed their bodies! We all have to keep our minds healthy by giving it sustenance – be it through books, classes, seminars, and self-development courses. If not… we might very well have a healthy body… but only with a mind that is weak and fast-becoming obsolete. And how can an underfed mind keep up with the challenges of our present economy?

Well… don’t you think that you owe it to yourself to invest in your most valuable asset?

You are your own best ally in times of adversity.

It makes sense then that this is the year that you go all out to cultivate yourself. And you can do this by increasing your KNOWLEDGE. Think about it: knowledge gained is converted to abilities and skills that when put to proper use is converted to wealth. For yourself! And the best part of self-investment? No one can take your knowledge away from you! It is always yours, to be further improved and polished for perpetual returns.

Your ability and strengths in your job, career, and business have a lot to do with what you have learned in the past. Most people these days don’t think twice about sending their kids to university or pursuing a tertiary education because it’s an investment for their future.

All the skills that you picked up during your years at school and university have become indispensable for the life you have right now. But hey … what got you this far may not get you further due to this present economy! In the current economy, it won’t be just about what you already know, but how much MORE you can offer! A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle urged people to battle the recession by “considering investigating or training for a new career.” But the advice should be considered in a broader context – whether you’re looking for a new career or staying in your present one, building on your skillset and diversifying it is the way forward.

Your time is your capital.

Or maybe you say, hey I don’t have the capital to start my own business, or the money to quit my current job and find my ultimate dream job. To which I’d say …. But you do have 24 hours a day – the same 24 hours a day that any other super-successful person, like Bill Gates, or Richard Branson, or Oprah Winfrey has. What do you do with YOUR 24 hours a day? Work, eat, watch TV and sleep? Time is the fertile soil for wealth and success, and it must be cultivated! Invest in your time to gain new skills and knowledge TODAY. This is not the year to spend your time complaining about how bad things are. The time has come to ACT and do something.

Stephen R. Covey, one my favourite authors, and author of the worldwide bestselling The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and other leadership and personal management books describes it thus: “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” When you think of it that way, two of the biggest investments you can make are in yourself, and in your time. You don’t need a single cent for that!

Act wisely. Gather new knowledge to weather the storm.

Let’s not mince words about getting ahead in uncertain times – you’ll have to work harder, and you’ll definitely have to work smarter. Professional experts and pundits all agree that diversifying your skills and learning new things puts you on the fast track towards career advancement, and solidly cushions your job from being outsourced – and protects you from being made redundant. The Financial Post puts it best in this article when it says, “Inoculate yourself against having your work outsourced by hybridizing, combining skills that make you both a generalist and a specialist at once, such as management and technology, or law and bioethics.”

In other words, go all out. As CNN Money puts it here, “get your skills up to date.” This could be anything from learning how to develop and design websites, to learning a new language, or taking up part-time courses that train you in a secondary job field that is unrelated to your day job – be it real estate, internet businesses, or even stock trading. The opportunity to gain wealth presents itself in numerous opportunities; and likewise, the chances to gain knowledge and skills in whatever interests you are endless if you’re interested enough to go for it. Even if you’re unable to diversify your skillset, you can choose to deepen and solidify your existing range of abilities and knowledge so that you become, as suggested by the Financial Post earlier, both a “generalist and specialist at once.”

And of course, there are also other options.

The one option that I firmly believe in is knowledge and skill in Feng Shui and BaZi (Astrology). Because BaZi Astrology helps you understand and master your destiny and Feng Shui – the tools to help you change your life for the better.

In Feng Shui and BaZi the only ‘start-up capital’ is yourself, and your living environment. That’s all it takes to USE these two sets of knowledge. Also, there’s no time limit on the applicability of Feng Shui and BaZi principles. People have used Feng Shui and BaZi since the ancient times of Imperial China up until today. You can use it for as long as you live to improve the quality of your life as well as the lives of people around you.

As an additional set of skills, you can offer you services and time for immediate financial returns. AND you can offer this service for as long as you wish, whenever and wherever you are in the world. With the advent growth of the internet, your can offer BaZi consultations even over Skype or MSN. (There’s no limit to its applicability and the room for financial returns.)

It’s for this reason that I would like to invite you to take that first step towards valuable self-investment by attending two of my new events this year:

• The Feng Shui Master Practitioner Program (April 25 – 28)
• The BaZi Master Practitioner Program (May 1 – May 4)

Skills in Feng Shui and BaZi are recession-resilient and have the added benefit of offering perpetual returns… for years to come. Think about this: Feng Shui and BaZi are two time-honoured practices that have survived ALL periods of recession and will continue to do so. In good times, the rich consult Feng Shui and BaZi to preserve their wealth. In bad times, they turn to these arts for alternative solutions. As far as “industries” go, Feng Shui and BaZi have been around for thousands of years. The practice of Astrology itself has been around since ancient times.

Consider the following compelling reasons:

• BaZi can help you to design your life according to YOUR goals and desires. It enables you to understand who you really are, and maximise your hidden talents and abilities. Success is your birthright, but you need to understand yourself truly to know what you’re capable of, and how to work on that path to success. It can provide you with the path of least resistance to financial success based on your own life capacity.

• Feng Shui helps you empower your living environment – to improve your life and achieve your goals. It provides EASY, realistic, practical solutions for your wealth, career, health, relationships, and personal development concerns. If BaZi is the ‘diagnosis,’ Feng Shui is the ‘prescription.’

• Ancient emperors to modern-day business tycoons – they’ve all used it! What do most of the rich and powerful Asian tycoons and businessman have in common? Do you know? It’s careful and sustained application of good Feng Shui! The wealthiest, most successful individuals are also the most discerning – and will not be willing to invest in something unless they know it will bring results. For this reason, they have turned to the tried-and-tested principles of Feng Shui and BaZi, over and over again. It is no secret that top Asian business stars USE Feng Shui. Why not you? A consult is too expensive? Don’t know who to consult? Then learn the skills yourself and use Feng Shui in your life immediately.

In my Feng Shui and BaZi consulting work over the years with my team, I’ve used and applied it for myself, the people I care about, and my clients, and have SEEN the results. Each and every time. Whenever it’s applied correctly – the results are always amazing.

I’ve started my career with absolutely NO prior business knowledge or experience. This is my first and only ‘job.’ To start from zero and to build it to a multi-million dollar business in 12 years was not an easy task. I strive to be a living example of my own work and I have used BaZi and Feng Shui every step of the way. I can share with you the tried and tested methods, such as, when a formula WILL work, and how to avoid the pitfalls (meaning – when those formulas will NOT work and how not to get screwed over).

I am sure by now most of you already know about some of my top clientele of whom are reported in international magazines or Bloomberg TV. You can take a look at my website for the details. I’ve come a long way in the practice of Feng Shui and BaZi Astrology. So I do know a little bit when it comes to what works and what doesn’t. I have dealt with clients from all walks of life from all over the world. And I’m going to share with you some of these important experiences I’ve obtained over the last 12 years. I truly believe that the knowledge you would gain can help you pull through if not excel even in a critical economy.

It’s for this reason that I invite you to participate in my Feng Shui and BaZi Master Practitioner Program.

Some of you may have attended my previous programs (or by my instructors) – the Feng Shui and BaZi Mastery Modules 1 and 2. I’ve haven’t been personally conducting those classes since 4 years ago. It has been a while. And for this NEW PROGRAM… I’ve thoroughly updated my modules 1 and 2!! This new program is a culmination of updates from the last four years, and I’ve redesigned the syllabus to focus more on a more practical application and results-oriented approach. I’ve also have included a BONUS segment on Wealth Building Feng Shui Strategies and Wealth Building BaZi Profiles to thrive in times of change.
You won’t just get a whole bunch of classical formulas… you’ll get practical, usable solutions. Let me show you the WAY to use the formulas SUCCESSFULLY. For real results in real lives – like yours.

In 2009… your commitment is to yourself.

When the situation around you is changing, you need to adapt yourself to the changes. Don’t you owe it to yourself to continue to evolve regardless of your external circumstances? Lots of people around you are probably succumbing to depression, anger, frustration, and helplessness because they feel they lack the control to steer their lives in the right direction. Don’t let this happen to you. Take the necessary actions to keep your life moving forward, and find meaning in the work that you do.

As the recession starts to fully take hold in many countries this year, people and businesses will start to get defensive and self-protective. But bear in mind the words of John F. Kennedy, who once said, “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters – one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.” So take notice of the opportunities that will crop up – because there are vast opportunities to tap into even in challenging times. In the current economic climate, learning a new skill and upgrading your knowledge are the opportunities to move forward, and ensures that YOU HAVE THE COMPETITIVE EDGE.

I’ve built my life on the principles of Feng Shui and BaZi, and it is with this firm commitment that I tell you – give it a try. The results will surprise you.

“Courage faces fear and thereby masters it.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Have the courage to conquer today’s challenges. And take control right NOW! So if you’re ready to invest in yourself and learn the strategies that will help you achieve your goals in 2009, take a step forward and join me for:

• The Feng Shui Master Practitioner Program (April 25 – 28)
• The BaZi Master Practitioner Program (May 1 – 4)

Both events will be conducted in Kuala Lumpur. You can get details on the Feng Shui course here and the BaZi course at this website, and register online for both courses here!

So gear up and get ready to master your destiny and change your life in 2009!