Properties from a Feng Shui perspective: Part 156
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Sep 3, 2010
Feng Shui: Plain Petaling Jaya (PJ) Old Town
Compared to Section 1, Sections 2 through 4 of Petaling Jaya Old Town are quite plain and dull. They comprise mostly rows upon rows of houses and hardly saw any signs of redevelopment except along Jalan Selangor. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)
Section 2 is more like an extension of Section 1, given their common north and south boundaries, Jalan Othman and Jalan Railway respectively. They used to be separated by the Old Town wet market, which has been replaced by newer shoplots.
The roads in Section 2 are laid out in a grid, going either north-south or east-west. The only Chinese school in the area, SRJK Chen Moh, can be found at Jalan 2/32. The western boundary of Section 2 is Jalan Penchala, which separated it from the industrial zone.
In terms of landform, Section 2’s terrain is relatively flat. The high land is Jalan Gasing to the north-east. Generally speaking, the ideal orientations are west, south-west and south because they follow the subtle slope of the land. Properties facing the opposite directions are likely to fare more poorly.
This can be observed especially in the very old shops that line Jalan Pasar. Those on the west side face east towards Gasing Hill. They have a very run-down appearance and do not appear to have benefited from the facelift given to Old Town. The opposite shops seem to do better business but to be fair, these are newer and more attractive!
Old houses
The stretch of Jalan Othman between Sections 2 and 4 is lined with many old houses, some of which look like they have not be spruced up since Petaling Jaya’s inception 58 years ago! This section appears to have been rezoned to allow for commercial use. Several houses have been replaced by larger structures, some of which are now shops, too. With the exception of the wet market, business appears to be slow. Could this be the limited parking spaces available, or that the road is constantly congested as visitors park illegally along the road and obstruct traffic? Perhaps the orientation has something to do with it?
Section 4 is comparatively worse because it has a large number of cul-de-sacs. This is due to a large monsoon drain that bisects the area. The lower bank comprises Jalan 4/33, 35, 3, 39 and 41 (which are dead-end roads) and 4/42, 44, and 46, which are through-roads. The trend continues on the north side with many more “lorongs”. Each of these lanes is invariably a dead-end road.
Cul-de-sacs are considered not conducive in environology because they do not allow free movement of human traffic, which keeps energy in the area fresh. Thus, houses located at or near the end of such roads tend to experience energy stagnation and their occupants tend to fare poorly. There is one small consolation though.
Houses, which are beside the monsoon drain at the end of cul-de-sacs, can benefit from the energy that collects here. However, they must either directly face the drain or be parallel to the downstream flow. That means, the last house on one side of the cul-de-sac will be relatively better than their opposite neighbours. The “unlucky” neighbour can still mitigate matters by relocating their entrance to face this man-made river. However, care must be taken to ensure that the entrance is located in a sector that suits the occupant’s Gua number.
 |
|
With the exception of the wet market, business appears to be slow in this area. - Filepic
|
Slope from Templer Road
The north side of Section 4 (from the monsoon drain) has a gradual slope from north to south. This is created by a mountain ridge further north of Jalan Templer.
Thus, properties facing south are likely to do best. This is most obvious along Jalan Templer, where houses on the south side are lower than the road. Some even appear to be “submerged”. Almost all of them appear to be run-down compared to their neighbours across the road. Earth energy travels down from high land to low and in its original form, can be too powerful and overwhelm occupants of properties that face high land. It is ideal to face downhill, where the back of the building can act as a shield and buffer the energy.
Buildings that face downhill also typically face some form of river, which could even be a monsoon drain or a valley where rainwater collects. Bodies of water are naturally barriers to earth energy. When the energy reaches the banks, it is reflected and deflected. This creates a pool of gentle, homogenous energy, especially in sections where the bank forms an embracing arm. Properties that face this pool are considered very conducive for the occupants’ success.
The Assunta Hospital is located nearby. It was started by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) in 1957 when Malaya first gained independence. It was built through public donations and funds from the Social Welfare Department and other government aid. It also started the country’s first private nursing school. The Assunta College of Nursing is well known for its standard of nursing education and its graduates are held in high regard.
The hospital is recognised as a charitable organisation and administered by a board of directors which comprise FMM Sisters, professionals and businessmen who serve on an honorary basis. The hospital underwent several upgrades and today is a specialist hospital with 350 beds and 700 staff. As we understand it, medical care at Assunta is still not cheap. This is more a reflection of the rising cost of healthcare rather than a change in policy – we can think of many more other private hospitals that charge more!
Next, we will look at further contributions of the FMM Sisters and other places of interest around Old Town.
---
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:
|