Properties from a Feng Shui perspective: Part 155
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Aug 27, 2010
Feng Shui: The first section of Petaling Jaya (PJ)
PJ Old Town, the popular name for the original town centre of Petaling Jaya, comprises Sections 1 through 4. The centre itself was represented by a now-defunct roundabout and its bustling bus stations. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)
In our previous article, we discussed the changes that have taken place with the redevelopment of the Old Town. Despite the removal of the roundabout, the relocation of the bus station and the construction of a few rows of shoplots, much of Old Town remain unchanged to this day.
Section 1, for example, is almost the same as it was when Petaling Jaya was founded. There are still many single-storey half-brick-half-wooden houses here, although some of these have been demolished and replaced by two-storey brick houses.
The old houses are almost uniform in design, which probably helped save costs. The bottom half of the houses were made of bricks, which provided strength and durability. They were also more resistant to flood damage. The top half was made of wood, which was cheaper. Near the ceiling, the wood was usually replaced by wire mesh, which offered excellent ventilation, especially on hot and humid nights.
Section 1 is laid out in a grid-like fashion. All roads that run in an east-west direction were given even numbers while the north-south roads were assigned odd numbers. Eventually as the road naming system was standardised, the prefix “1/” was added.
Boundaries
The eastern boundary of Section 1 is Jalan Templer, which was the main access road to Petaling Jaya then. The southern boundary was the Kuala Lumpur-Klang railway line and the Old Klang Road. Road 2 (Jalan Railway or 1/2) runs parallel to the railway line. North of Section 1 is Jalan Othman while Jalan Pasar or 1/21 forms the west border.
The original wet market was situated at Jalan Pasar before it was relocated to Jalan Othman nearby, where it remains today. There is a primary school at Jalan 1/10, known simply as the Road 10 School or SRJK Jalan 10. It has the distinction of being the oldest school in Petaling Jaya. To this day, the name remains unchanged as a homage to its unique history. The school’s foundation stone was laid by the late Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah in 1952.
There is also another “revered” institution nearby in the form of the Madeleine kindergarten. It is almost as old as the Road 10 school and remains a visible landmark at the Jalan Othman roundabout, where Jalan Othman intersects with Jalan Templer.
Government quarters were at one time built in the area around Jalan 1/3, but these have since been demolished to make way for apartment blocks. The Inai Court Apartment courted controversy upon its completion as it turned out that the city council-run project did not comply with the city’s own by-laws of sufficient setback from the main road.
Places of worship
Jalan 1/2 and 1/5 are also notable for the large number of Chinese temples, both Buddhist and Taoist. It is not uncommon for the roads to be jam-packed with parked cars on festival days – the first and 15th of lunar months – as devotees throng the temples and partake in a vegetarian meal.
In terms of landform, Section 1 would appear to be mostly flat but in actuality, it has several gentle tapering slopes formed by ridges emanating from Gasing Hill. One of the ridges here is Jalan Othman. The gradient is particularly apparent at the eastern side of Jalan Othman.
The post office sits much lower than Jalan Othman and the road continues its downward slope to Jalan 1/12 and on to Jalan 1/10 where it finally flattens out. Even Jalan 1/12 slopes downhill toward the east until it reaches a valley at the intersection of Jalan 1/12 and 1/3. There is a little playground here and the Madeleine kindergarten. Elsewhere, the gradient is quite gentle and the land is relatively flat.
According to Environology principles, earth energy originates from high land and flows downhill. This is quite powerful and it is not advisable to construct any building that faces an uphill slope, especially a steep one. The energy coming into the property would be too strong and can overwhelm the occupants.
This could result in discordant living conditions. There would be constant stress and arguments. The occupants would fare poorly in their jobs, businesses and finances, possibly from a combination of challenging economic conditions and their failure to spot and capitalise on opportunities when they arise.
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| The Madeleine kindergarten is worthy of mention because it happens to have excellent environology conditions. |
Blowing in the breeze
Earth energy is carried away by winds – this is where the “Feng” or wind comes from in the term Feng Shui. In hilly areas, winds normally sweep uphill: hotter air at the top rises and creates a low pressure area, causing air from the lower-lying ground to sweep upward. Thus, the breezes carry a gentler and homogenous form of earth energy as it blows uphill.
An uphill-facing property has its back to this wind. Thus, the beneficial and conducive energy is unable to enter and infuse the property. In short, uphill facing properties are considered unconducive for the occupants’ success. The small row of shoplots along Jalan 1/12 where the post office is located would appear to show signs of this phenomenon.
A number of businesses have opened and shuttered. There are only a handful of old shops that continue to survive many years but they are the exception rather than the rule. This could be because the operators have excellent life profiles that enable them to do well in life. If so, it’s such a pity because if they set up shop in a more conducive location, they would probably have done much better.
In any case, the success of these businesses is likely to last for only one generation. There could be a lack of heirs; the heir may just squander away the money; or the heir may lose the business.
Dead zone
There are also several houses along the eastern end of Jalan Othman that face uphill. Some of these even sit at a convex or outer bend near the MARA Institute. Facing uphill is bad enough; sitting at an elbow worsens matters. Is it any surprise that this spot remains a “dead zone” and no development ever seems to do well here?
The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is located at a sliproad that joins Jalan Othman to Jalan 1/12. This church was one of the few that were firebombed earlier this year but fortunately there was no damage except for a darkened portion of the outer wall. The church sits on lower ground than the surrounding roads and faces west.
The ideal direction to face is actually south but places of worship are usually exempt from Environology – God created everything and can certainly override rules! Thus, such sacred places usually attract large numbers of people and they are a magnet for human energy which can draw energy away from its surroundings. So, properties close to places of worship do not usually do well.
The Madeleine kindergarten is worthy of mention because it happens to have excellent Environology conditions. Instead of facing Jalan Othman to capitalise on its visibility, the school wisely chose to open into Jalan 1/12. This is logical as it provided a safe shelter for school buses and parents to drop and collect the children. This also happens to be a valley where earth energy collects.
As long as the school – and its offices – face this direction, it is likely to do well for quite some time. We offer them our congratulations. However, as with all things, the school’s energy will eventually become stale within a period of 36 to 45 years. At this point, it would do well to reignite its energy.
Generally, a south-facing orientation is likely to be downhill, and a west-facing orientation is also likely to be downhill or follow the flow the Klang River. Both of these are considered conducive directions, except in cases where they face uphill, of course.
A few of our friends and associates grew up in Section 1 and have fond memories of the area, including the old fried noodle shops at the bus stations, the famous Bak Kut Teh shop at the west end of Jalan 1/10 and the Majestic cinema, which is no more.
We will explore this and more of the Old Town next issue.
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You can e-mail questions on Feng Shui and properties to Prof David Koh at davidkoh618@yahoo.com. This series on Feng Shui and real estate appears courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a Feng Shui master and teacher for the past 36 years.
Read other Feng Shui articles by Master David Koh and Joe Choo:
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