Properties from a feng shui perspective: Part 134
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Apr 2, 2010
Taman Danau Desa
In Taman Desa, Jalan Desa used to end at the beginning of Jalan Desa Utama which branches off to provide access into the earliest developments in the township. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)
Previously, our tour took us to the small commercial centre surrounded by Jalan Desa Utama, Jalan Desa Jaya, Jalan Desa Bakti and Jalan Desa Bahagia.
We observed that this pocket tapered down towards a valley formed by four ridges of varying heights. The lowest of these was at the Jalan Desa Bahagia side. The early phases of Taman Desa’s development focused on the areas to the north and south of the commercial district. Very little was done on the eastern side, except for the Faber Indah condo of Jalan Desa Cantik.
Nothing much could be done on the west side because that area falls under Taman Shanghai and Petaling Lama. At the most, the developers could only construct several blocks of condos, namely Faber Ria and later, Faber Heights.
Eventually the eastern side was developed as Taman Danau Desa. One can tell by the change in the roads’ naming convention – they are numerical, as opposed to Taman Desa’s “desa” theme. This development is a decidedly more densely populated place as the residential area comprises condominiums, such as Danau Impian, Danau Idaman and Danau Murni.
These blocks surround a new commercial enclave, comprising shop-offices. Many of the retail units are related to food and beverage, making it quite a popular night-spot for the residents. A school was also established adjacent to Danau Murni
JALAN DESA EXTENDED
To the south of the original commercial district, there are many houses leading all the way to Jalan Desa, which was further extended to provide an alternative access to Taman Danau Desa’s Jalan 2/109e and several apartments. The Taman Desa Medical Centre is a relatively new addition, located on a slip of road between Jalan Desa and the Kerayong River.
Jalan Desa was later extended further to join the Desa Water Park. Despite its strategic location as an access road to the theme park, this is a surprisingly quiet road.
From a landform perspective, the terrain here is undulating. There are several hills with ridges and valleys but the ground generally tapers downhill to the west (where the Klang River is found) and to the east where there is a large lake, rehabilitated from a former mining pool. This is the lake that the township refers to, offering residents a lakeside view in homes near the city.
Further south, just beyond Jalan Desa, there is the Kerayong River which we were previously acquainted with in our tour of Pandan and Shamelin Perkasa. This river flows from east to west and joins the Klang River. It forms the southern boundary of Taman Desa and Taman Danau Desa.
Environologically, the ideal direction to face should be the confluence of two rivers. This is where gentle, homogenous earth energy is collected.
Earth energy originates from the highest peak – Mount Everest – and travels over thousands of kilometres over land until it reaches the ocean. In our case, the energy flows across the Himalaya range and down to the Main Range or Titiwangsa. It then flows down the mountains and ridges here until it reaches the sea.
MOVING ENERGY
Moving earth energy is considered too strong to be useful. In fact, it may even be detrimental to one’s wellbeing if he was exposed to it for a long period of time. The energy’s movement pattern and strength are influenced by the landform and its composition. It slows down as it climbs a hill or mountain (which exerts its own energy) and accelerates as it goes down the other side of the hill.
This energy may be transferred through direct contact with solid ground. Even vibrations travel better over solid objects, not air or water. When the energy reaches a water barrier, it cannot pass through due to the difference in rigidity. Thus, it can only be reflected and deflected.
In a confluence of two or more rivers, such a rebounding energy is deflected in such a way that it collects in a pool within that confluence. This energy is more gentle and homogenous due to the “remixing” effect from the rebound. It is considered very conducive for success in environology.
Life is simply attracted to such a place. Often in the wild, we can observe this through the lushness and abundance of flora and fauna in that area. Within areas inhabited by man, we can see this by its relative prosperity and development compared with other surrounding areas.
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A popular nightspot in Taman Danau Desa. - Filepic
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HARMONIOUS LIVING
The study of environology is to align our living and working spaces to be in harmony with natural energy and forces. That is why it is more important to find a good location or orientate our buildings in such a way that taps into conducive energies and minimises the impact of negative factors.
There is really no such thing as a “bad” location, just bad planning. Some places may be suited for government or administrative buildings. Some areas are suited for commerce, while others are better for industrial use and yet others for residential purposes. Within these spaces, the orientation of the buildings should suit the landform for optimal benefits.
A person seeking to live or work in a certain building then ought to check and ensure that his Gua – derived from his date of birth – matches the orientation of that building. A person’s Gua can also help determine the line of work or business he has an aptitude for. In the modern world, there are aptitude tests to evaluate a person’s compatibility with certain academic subjects and types of work or industry.
These are done via tests, questionnaires and interviews. Psychologists would conjecture that such an aptitude was either an inherent or nurtured trait. Based on this premise, is it that far-fetched to consider that a person’s date of birth and Gua may influence his aptitude?
In environology’s ideal world, it would make sense to demarcate land according to its appropriate use, design roads that would ensure good orientation for buildings and homes, and then match people to the right property. But, we do not live in such a world.
MAXIMUM RETURNS
Instead, parcels of land are cleared and developed in such a way that maximises returns to the developers – why else would they undertake such an endeavour if it is not so? They want to fit as many units as they can into the plot while keeping the costs within permissible lows.
Then, their marketing division would come up with a catchy theme and pitch it to the public – lifestyle, comfort, amenities, security, rustic setting, cosmopolitan flavour, high-tech living, easy financing and what-have-you. The public hungrily laps it up and the job’s done. And they are off to the next project.
We are not being cynical: just pointing out the reality of the situation. As our environology tour of the Klang Valley showed so far, such a scenario often leads to properties deteriorating into slums, or to inhabitants ending up struggling in life. Often, they have no clue why their fate is such, except to blame others or resign themselves to accepting God’s will.
Back to Taman Desa and Taman Danau Desa, the ideal orientation for the sections described above would generally be west or south-west towards the confluence of the Kerayong and Klang rivers. This is particularly true for properties to the west of Jalan Desa Utama, Jalan Desa Murni, Jalan Desa Permai and Lengkungan Desa. The west or south-west orientation would put the hill on their back and the confluence in front of them.
On the other side of the hills, properties that face east towards the lake have a more conducive orientation provided the hill is on the west. Remember, earth energy moves from high land to low, so the key factor here is to determine the direction from which energy comes and where it is likely to rebound.
RIVERS AND LAKES
Though this side faces the lake, it is not nearly as good as properties on the other side of the hill. That is because a lake has a finite size – it does not stretch from end to end like a river. Also, the shape of the lake is not necessarily suited to deflect earth energy in an angle that collects it in a gentle homogenous pool. The Kerayong-Klang confluence has that feature naturally.
Furthermore, east is a direction that goes against the flow of the Kerayong River. As described in previous articles, such an orientation may lead to mental problems such as distress and confusion.
Within this township, we reckon the least suitable orientation would be north-east followed by north. North-east faces completely away from the confluence. If such properties face uphill, then the negative effects are likely to be amplified. Occupants in such properties are likely to struggle for success in life, be it in their family relationships – no peace, constant bickering, divorces, unfaithfulness – or financial affairs.
North is also considered unsuitable because it is contrary to the flow of the Klang River and has its back to the Kerayong River. It is doubly bad if they face uphill, too.
A drive around properties here would verify this hypothesis. The properties encircled by Jalan Desa Utama and Desa Bakti up north do well because they generally have a good location on the slopes of a hill. Those facing downhill fare well.
Properties further south seem to be more diverse in their conditions. Here, those facing the confluence and downhill would fare better than their opposite neighbours. There are several condominiums and apartments here. Those facing away from the river, even if they have a main road frontage would be dilapidated or poorly maintained and this in turn drags down the image of the entire area.
*This series on feng shui and real estate properties appear courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a feng shui master and teacher for the past 36 years.
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