Properties from a Feng Shui perspective: Part 164
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Oct 29 , 2010
Feng Shui: Hills and 'knuckles' at Gasing
Gasing Hill – it is actually a range rather than a solitary hill – runs along the length of Section 5 in Petaling Jaya. It forms a boundary between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. There are also many little “fingers” emanating from this range, forming little pocket valleys.
This is very obvious in the residential properties in Section 5 and its neighbouring sections. These fingers also cut across Jalan Gasing, which can be seen as undulations in the landform. A major knuckle can be found in Section 9, along Jalan 9/5.
This hill tapers down toward Jalan Changgai (south), Taman Jaya (north), Jalan Timur (west) and Jalan Gasing (east). Jalan Gasing even winds around this hill in the vicinity of the La Salle school. The landform in Section 9 is very good, provided the properties have the correct orientation; to face downhill and the embrace of the road. Jalan 9/3 is a circular road and properties on the inside of this ring are very conducive for the success of their occupants.
The hill on their backs generates strong earth energy but this does not impact the occupants because the house faces the opposite direction. Furthermore, the inner curve is shaped like a parabolic dish and deflects earth energy into a pool that can be tapped by these houses.
Properties on the outer side of the ring, though, have a double-“bad” – they face a convex-shaped road that disperses energy in a wide direction and they face oncoming earth energy from the hill. Thus, we fear the occupants are likely to have a difficult struggle in life, be it in family relationships, health, wealth or even advancement.
Cul-de-sacs
A number of cul-de-sacs or dead-end lanes emanate from Jalan 9/5 – Lorong 9/5A to E. These are not very conducive either. Energy – or qi – comes in three forms – cosmic, earth and human. The circulation of human energy through movement of traffic is important to keep it fresh and vibrant. Cul-de-sacs, especially the dead end, have minimal movement (unless the occupants go in and out a lot or entertain guests often). Over time, the energy gets stagnant and the properties are likely to go into a decline.
Jalan Changgai is notable for its landmark, the Assunta Secondary Girls School. This school has a very good orientation, as it faces south where the land tapers downhill.
The school was named after Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta (1878-1905) from the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM). She was an Italian nun who went to China in 1904 to care for lepers. In 1905, a typhus epidemic struck the mission and she died from it. Days before she died, a scent of flowers filled her room and the entire house. When her body was exhumed in 1913, her body was virtually intact and miracles followed thereafter. Pope Pius XII beatified Mary Assunta in 1954.
The Assunta Secondary School was established in 1957 when Malaya achieved Independence. The Communist insurgency was still strong and most girls did not go to school. The Assunta was set up to provide education for them. Its founder and headmistress, Sister Enda Ryan served the school from its inception until 1998 when she retired after 30 years of service.
Thai temple
The Thai Buddhist Chetawan temple sits at the intersection of Jalan Pantai and Jalan Gasing. The road cuts across the northern side of the Section 9 hill and therefore is high in the middle and slopes down on both sides.
As with other places of worship along Jalan Gasing, the land was granted way back in the early days of Petaling Jaya’s inception and it was virtually a jungle out there. The Selangor government allocated two acres for the temple’s construction in 1956, but the temple itself bought the adjacent two and a half acres of land via donations and funds from the founder, Phra Kru Palad Vieng.
Phra Kru Palad Vieng belonged to the Sangha community of monks and a long-time Kuala Lumpur resident. He had a vision to construct a sizeable Buddhist temple near Kuala Lumpur. The idea was to build an authentic Buddhist temple, different from the Taoist-Buddhist amalgam largely practised by the Chinese.
The result was a stunning and ornate Thai Buddhist temple architecture, designed by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand and constructed by local builders and Thai craftsmen. Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej also made a personal contribution to the building fund.
The temple sits on the high part of the hill slope and faces east, which is downhill. Its northern boundary is actually a river or large monsoon drain that flows into the Taman Jaya lake. The direction the temple faces is counter to the river’s flow. Ordinarily, this would be bad, but places of worship are exempt from the laws of Environology, proving that divine powers are supreme and all-powerful.
The intersection between Jalan Pantai and Jalan Gasing is also a valley (Jalan Gasing slopes uphill thereafter). It was often prone to flooding in the old days.
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View of Gasing Hill and PJ’s Section 5 housing area
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Curved road
Jalan Gasing between Jalan Changgai and Jalan Pantai is curved and the land is higher on the west (Section 9). La Salle School sits on the east, and some bungalow houses are located on the west. Many of these houses have been converted into commercial lots.
The La Salle School also established its reputation as a premier school for boys. It was formerly a Christian missionary school set up in 1958 by the La Salle missionary brothers, Fratres Scholarum Christianarum. Today it is a government school. Its founder, Brother Lawrence Spitzig was very committed to the cause of education. Even after his retirement, he continued to work with rural schools in Sabah. Brother Spitzig passed away on August 18, 2009 at age 91.
The school sits in a valley – which is conducive – and its north-facing direction parallels a river stream running beside it. This is a very conducive orientation as well, although a west-orientation would have been better.
The bungalows on the opposite side of Jalan Gasing here have a high back and low front. That is good in terms of landform. The southern part is embraced by Jalan Gasing while the northern section is at the elbow. The former is good while the latter is not so good. It is interesting to see how that is reflected in reality. The businesses near Jalan Changgai seem to be doing well while just further up, the properties are more rundown.
From Jalan Pantai, the rest of Jalan Gasing up to the Federal Highway is a gigantic curve, embracing the west side. Logically, the west side would do well. Unfortunately, the land tapers downhill westward. So properties here have a low back and face high ground. This is not conducive as the properties are bombarded by oncoming earth energy coming from Gasing Hills. Not surprisingly, they do not seem to fare well.
Properties on the opposite side have landform on their side – high back, low front – but they face the outer elbow or convex of Jalan Gasing. That is not conducive. Therefore, the occupants are likely to struggle through ups and downs like a rollercoaster. It also does not help that parking is limited and traffic is very fast moving, which discourages people from patronising the businesses operating here.
Next, we will cover the last segment of Jalan Gasing and Section 10, before looking at the landform impact on Petaling Jaya’s Section 5.
Outlook talk
We are very excited about November 21. It is a chance for us to meet you in person as we will be conducting our annual Outlook 2011 talk at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Some five years ago, the Malaysian Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS) began publishing an Outlook book outlining its predictions for the following year.
This predictions are not divination through the invocation of gods or spirits. Environology and true Feng Shui are not occult practices. It is a science based on astronomy, geography, geology, mathematics, physics and other disciplines, which were developed thousands of years ago. The ancient sages observed and meticulously recorded the world around them – the movement of the sun, moon and planets; the landform; forces of nature; weather patterns and so on – using the technology available to them. Obviously, their tools and equipment were not as advanced as what we have today and we must understand their writings and works from that perspective.
These sages tried to make sense of their observations and formed many hypotheses which were tested over time. Their knowledge was used by emperors to predict weather patterns so that the right crops could be planted and harvested at the right time. They tried to anticipate outbreaks of disease so that enough herbs can be collected for making medicine. They tried to forecast the outcome of battles, given the time and weather conditions. The practitioners held ministerial posts in the imperial court. Obviously, their knowledge had a degree of accuracy and usefulness. Otherwise, the practice would have no place in the emperor’s palace.
Many of these writings were lost to time but some still exist. Their formulae continue to prove true today, despite how dramatically the world has changed today. That is because time may change but principles never do.
Outlook 2011
This year, we are holding our 2011 Outlook talk on Nov 21 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. We will present a report card of our 2010 predictions and our forecast for the coming year. What will the weather be like next year and how will it affect the global economy? We will also provide some useful information for 2011, such as selecting the right dates and times for resuming business after the Chinese New Year; how to mitigate the effect of the governing planet and the “three killers”.
Finally, we are often asked if the world would truly end in 2012 as depicted in the movie. Should we just live life with abandon and not look further than 2012? The early bird registration fee expires at the end of October. Visit www.mingsweb.org for details. Participants get a complimentary copy of the Outlook 2011 Handbook.
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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