My Visit To Ngoc Son Temple @ Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

October 13, 2014, 9:00 am

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On our second day in Hanoi, my friend and I visited the Ngoc Son Temple also known as Temple Of The Jade Mountain.

Located at a small island (called Jade Islet) in the middle of the northern part of Hoan Kiem Lake, Den Ngoc Son (Ngoc Son Temple) is dedicated to 13th century military national hero Tran Hung Dao, Taoist scholar Van Xuong and Confucian master Nguyen Van Sieu.



After spending the early part of the morning strolling around the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake, we finally reached the red lacquered wooden arched bridge known as The Huc or The Rising Sun.

I am not sure why they called it the Rising Sun Bridge. Perhaps you can watch the sunrise from this bridge? Anyway, this landmark bridge leads to the Ngoc Son Temple.



Ok this is funny, but I am going to blog about this temple in reverse order. What I mean to say is that we were so eager to get onto that bridge that we missed the actual entrance which comprises three gates. We only realised about the gates when we exit the temple.

So I will blog about the gates towards the end of this post. Which is just as well because I found the gates more interesting than the temple itself. LOL!

This is my entrance ticket to the temple. Entrance fee was 20,000 Dong (US$0.95 / RM3.10)



The ticket counter was situated right before the bridge, after passing the three main gates. Somehow, we went straight to the ticket counter without passing by the three gates. LOL!

I waited for the right moment when there were fewer people on the bridge before quickly taking a snapshot!



Took this picture of the buildings across the lake while standing on the bridge. Do you recognise that building that looks like a ship? That building which housed Hanoi Soul Cafe where I had a drink with Son, my tour guide from Hanoikids a day earlier? Read about it HERE.



At the end of the bridge is an entrance gate with a circular window at the top. This is the Moon Gazing Pavilion. There's a dragon-horse on the right and a tortoise carrying a book and a sword on the left. These are all Taoist symbols although I don't really know their meanings.



This is the main temple building. We did not enter the temple as I thought it would just be like any other temples in Hanoi. But I had since regretted my decision because I learnt later that there's a room inside the temple that contains the preserved body of a giant tortoise which was said to be at least 500 years old!



Could that be the same divine tortoise which was reported to have snatched back the magic sword from Emperor Le Thai To in the 15th century? You can read up a little bit of this legendary story from my previous post HERE.

Oh well, if I were to re-visit Hanoi, I will definitely visit this temple again just to have a look at that preserved giant tortoise!



The above photo shows the scenery of Hoan Kiem Lake from this temple. Isn't it beautiful?

Flags fluttering in the wind.



We did not linger very long in the temple compounds.



If not mistaken, I think this is the reverse side of the Moon Gazing Pavilion as we exited the temple compound.



OK, now let me show you the three main gates that precede the red bridge. As mentioned earlier, we missed these gates, so after we left the temple and crossed the red bridge, we came upon the third gate.



A statue perching above the gate.



More carved statues.



There's a white scroll at the centre of the gate. Not sure what was written there though. Below the scroll is an image of a bat. I do know that bat symbolises happiness in Chinese.



I think there is a large stone on top of the gate that represents an ink pot, but I did not take a picture of it as I did not know the significance of it at that time. What is the ink pot for? I will explain that in a minute after we pass the second gate.

Here's the view of the second gate as we walked away from the temple.



On the right is a carp gazing at the moon's reflection.



On the left side is a couple of storks on a pine tree.



On the opposite side of the second gate (which is actually the front part since we were exiting), is 3D images of a Tiger and a Dragon.



A close shot of the Tiger that appears to be jumping out of the wall.



And the beautiful carving of the Dragon in the clouds.



I particularly like this 3D image of the Tiger!



Before reaching the first gate,  we saw a tall structure with an altar beside it.



The tall structure appeared to be on top of a mountain of rocks.



This tall stone structure is the Thap But or Pen Tower. It's about ten metres high with a tip that resembles a writing brush.  I am not very sure what it signifies, but it probably indicates that the temple is dedicated to literature and poetry.



Now remember the ink pot on top of the third gate I mentioned earlier? It seems that on a certain date in the lunar calendar, the shadow of this Pen Tower will fall on that ink pot! How fascinating!

This is the first gate as seen from the front. We should have entered using this gate as the starting point. But we didn't and so I'm showing you the three gates in reverse order. Haha!



If you scroll back up to the photo of my entrance ticket, you will notice that this first gate is featured on the ticket.

The big red-colored Chinese character on the right means Happiness and the left means Prosperity. And I guess that's what the Vietnamese people and all of us want, don't we? Lots of happiness and prosperity!

For first time visitors to Hanoi, I highly recommend a visit to Ngoc Son Temple not only to learn about the history and culture of Hanoi city but to be blessed by the good vibes as you pass the three gates!

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My Lunch @ New Day Restaurant In Hanoi

October 16, 2014, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: My Dinner @ Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant In Tropicana City Mall

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My very first taste of Vietnamese food in Hanoi was at New Day Restaurant. It was Son, my guide from Hanoikids who brought me here.

Read More >My First Day In Hanoi With Hanoikids


My guide Son

Located at 72 Ma May Street in Old Quarter, New Day Restaurant appears to be very popular with locals and tourists alike. Even though it was already past lunch time, there were still many customers around.

Under recommendation from Son, I ordered 4 rolls of Nem Ha Noi (Deep Fried Spring Rolls Hanoi Style). Dipped into the spicy sweet and sour sauce, they were delicious!


Nem Ha Noi - 30,000 Dong (US$1.40 / RM4.65)

Son himself ordered Pho Xao Bo (Fried Instant Noodles With Beef). You can't really see the noodles as they were buried under the all those vegetables and beef!


Pho Xao Bo - 55,000 Dong (US$2.60 / RM8.50)

I did not try the Pho Xao Bo as I was too preoccupied with the main dish that Son ordered for me. It was Bun Cha Ha Noi (Rice Noodle With Grilled Minced Pork Hanoi Style).


Bun Cha Ha Noi - 65,000 Dong (US$3 / RM10)

I really love this dish! I think what made it really yummy was the spicy sweet and sour sauce that accompanied it.



Dip the noodles and the minced pork into the bowl of sauce and they instantly become heavenly!



If you think that the main dish was enough to make me full, think again! Haha! I must be really hungry because in addition to the Bun Cha, I actually ordered a bowl of Pho Bo (Beef in Rice Noodle Soup) as well!


Pho Bo - 45,000 Dong (US$2.10 / RM6.95)

What can I say? The bowl of Pho Bo was delicious to say the least! And yes, I managed to finish all the noodles and beef to the last bit!

For drinks, I had Sour Sop Smoothie while Son had Mango Smoothie.

By the way, did you notice the prices? Not only were the food delicious, the prices were so very reasonable! On top of that, the service was pretty good too. The waitresses spoke English and were friendly.

You can choose to sit inside or outside the restaurant. Balcony sitting is also available upstairs.



This is New Day Restaurant's name card. I like their slogan "The Best Foods - The Cheapest Price".



Our total bill came to 255,000 Dong (US$12 / RM39.50).



If I ever make another visit to Hanoi, I will definitely eat here again!

My Dinner @ Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant In Tropicana City Mall

October 20, 2014, 9:30 am

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A few weeks ago, my family and I went to Rakuzen at Tropicana City Mall for a family dinner.



Knowing that this famous restaurant is always full especially during dinner time, we booked a private room in advance.



First, we ordered the Pari Pari Kani Salada. It's actually Crab Meat and Flying Fish Roe Salad with Chef's Special Dressing priced at RM28.00 / US$8.60



The salad was yummy! The sauce made it especially delicious. I could not get enough of it! This dish was shared amongst us, but next time I think I will order the whole plate for myself. LOL!



I could not decide what to order (too many choices in the menu!) but in the end I settled for Yakiniku Zen, a Grilled Beef Set priced at RM36.00 / US$11.00.



I was glad that I did not regret choosing this dish. The beef slices were tender and juicy. Love it!



And the Chawanmushi was delicious.



The following were what my family members ordered for themselves.

Nabeyaki Udon RM23.00 / US$7.00



Yakizakana Zen (Grilled Fish Set)  RM28.00 / US$8.60



I tried a little bit of this grilled saba (mackerel) and I had to say it was yummy! Don't mind ordering this for myself next time.



Gindara Zen (Grilled Silver Cod Set) RM38.00 / US$11.60



Did not try this cod fish but I was pretty sure it was delicious.



We also ordered some garlic rice but I had forgotten to take a picture of it.

Lastly, Chicken Katsujyu Zen priced at RM28.00 / US$8.60



Looks yummy right? But surprisingly my brother who ordered this said it was just OK only.



The service here was not bad, and the environment pretty good too. I would say the food were a little pricey, but other than that, I am giving two thumbs up to Rakuzen. Can't wait to dine at this Japanese Restaurant again. Who wants to join me? : )

Untitled

October 23, 2014, 8:30 am

≫ Next: My Visit To Heritage House @ Ma May Street

≪ Previous: My Dinner @ Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant In Tropicana City Mall

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I did not have the time to come out with a new post today so I decided to share my latest piano composition with my readers.

And the title of the song? It's called Untitled.

Why Untitled? Well, that's because I could not think of a title for my song! Haha! Maybe you can help me name this song after listening to it. Do tell me what this song reminds you of.

Go ahead. Click the Play button and enjoy!


Note: This work and recording is copyrighted. All Rights Reserved. 

My Hanoi trip posts will resume next week. Meantime, Happy Friday and have a good weekend, everyone! :)

My Visit To Heritage House @ Ma May Street

November 2, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: My Visit To Kim Ngan Temple In Hanoi

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After our late lunch at New Day Restaurant, Son, my tour guide from Hanoikids brought me to Heritage House located at 87, Ma May Street.



It is actually just a short walk from the New Day Restaurant - in fact, almost directly opposite the restaurant!



The Heritage House is some sort like a museum showcasing the architecture of a typical traditional house in the Old Quarter in Hanoi. These type of houses are known as "tube houses" as they have narrow facades (width) and long length.

Entrance fee to this Heritage House was 20,000 VND (US$0.95 / RM3.10).



The above photo shows the front part of the house which usually acts as a shop in the olden days. It was dimly lit.

Then we came upon a small courtyard, which let in some light and allows good ventilation in the house.



Not sure what were those green plants in the middle of the courtyard.



Walking past the courtyard, we entered a second section or building and here, there were many things on display, and also on sale. This part of the house was like a living area for the family in the olden days.












Then, we reached a second courtyard that separates the living area from the kitchen. The bathrooms were located at the far end of the house.



I think this is the kitchen area.



Taking a photo of the door entrance into the living area from the second courtyard.



I noticed several birdcages hanging. This one had a bird in it. Was the bird for sale? I did not ask.



Walked back into the living area and snapped a photo of the lanterns hanging from the wooden ceiling.



Then, we walked up the stairs to the floor above. The building by the way is a two storey building.



We entered the living room which was located in front facing the road and directly above the shop below.  Took some photos here.






This is the first floor looking down at the courtyard below.



Opposite is the bedrooms which is directly above the living area below.



Saw a Chinese chess board game. Perhaps that's what the Vietnamese do in their free time in those days.



This is the first floor area overlooking the second courtyard near the kitchen below.



Took some pictures inside one of the bedrooms.






Built in the end of the 19th century, this traditional house had since been restored and promoted as a Vietnam National Heritage.



If you are a first timer to Hanoi, a visit to this Heritage House would be quite interesting as this type of house could only be found in Hanoi and in northern parts of Vietnam.

My Visit To Kim Ngan Temple In Hanoi

November 20, 2014, 8:30 am

≫ Next: A Rainy Afternoon At Hanoi Soul Cafe

≪ Previous: My Visit To Heritage House @ Ma May Street

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After visiting the Heritage House at Ma May Street, Son, my tour guide from Hanoikids brought me to visit Kim Ngan Temple located at Hang Bac Street.

On the way, I took a photo of this building. Notice the influence of French-style architecture? This type of building is prevalent in many parts of the Old Quarter, making the place a rather interesting sight.



Each of the 36 guild streets in the Old Quarter is associated with a traditional craft and was originally named according to the merchandise on offer. Hang Bac, for example, is also known as Silver Street, as it is where gold and silver jewellery were made and traded.



It so happened that during my trip, the Old Quarter was celebrating a Jewellery Craft Festival, so when I stepped into Kim Ngan Temple, I saw gold plated lotus flowers and gold plated deities.



The gold plated lotus flowers.



A close shot at a lotus flower.



Gold plated deities.



Built during the Le Dynasty at the end of the 15th century, the Kim Ngan Temple is now recognised as a national relic site in Hanoi.



Below is a pictorial tour of the temple so I would just let the photos do the talking.









I am not sure what does this horse signify. Anyone reading this knows?



And there was what looked like a hen on top of the horse. What does it mean?



Some pretty impressive carvings and decorations in the temple.











The images of cranes standing on tortoises are common sight in Vietnamese temples. They symbolise longevity and happiness. It was a pity I could not take a front shot of the two cranes with the altar in the middle as something was blocking the view, so this would have to do.











In conjunction with the Jewellery Craft Festival, there was also a collection of ancient coins on display at the temple.







When we stepped out of the temple, the sky had darkened considerably. Son and I quickly searched for a cafe to escape the rain and we ended up at Hanoi Soul Cafe, which I shall blog about next!

A Rainy Afternoon At Hanoi Soul Cafe

November 25, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: My Very First Halong Bay Cruise (Part 1)

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There are many cafes in Hanoi, and one of the cafes I've been to is the Hanoi Soul Cafe.

Right after leaving Kim Ngan Temple in the Old Quarter, the sky had darkened considerably. Son, my tour guide from Hanoikids, quickly went in search for a cafe to escape from the impending rain.

He finally brought me to Hanoi Soul Cafe located at a ship-like building opposite the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake.




Crossing the road from Hang Gai Street to the building was quite a nightmare as there were far too many cars and motorbikes which would not stop for you to cross the road! Luckily Son was there to guide me. The trick is to just walk across the road in a steady manner and allow the cars and motorbikes to swerve around you as you walk.

I actually got the hang of it after some practice and could cross any road in Hanoi confidently during the rest of my trip. LOL!



The signboard of Hanoi Soul Cafe was displayed at the ground floor entrance of the building. By the way, I don't think the website exists. I wonder if they have a new website.



I followed Son up to the third floor and saw this signboard which leads us to the cafe.



I did not take any photo of the cafe inside. We decided to sit outside at the balcony to get a nice view of the busy streets below and also to enjoy the beautiful view of Hoan Kiem Lake.



I had a good time chit chatting with Son here and I particularly enjoyed the view while it rained outside.



I had earlier thought of ordering Vietnamese coffee but since my stomach was not feeling so good, I decided to go for coconut water instead. Son had a glass of smoothies.



We did not order any food. I guess we were still quite full after that delicious late lunch we had at New Day Restaurant at Ma May Street.



If I were to return to this cafe in the future, I would definitely order some food and Vietnamese coffee. And I would certainly go cafe hopping on my future trip to Hanoi!



By the time we left Hanoi Soul Cafe, the rain had already stopped. Son took me for some leisurely walk around Hoan Kiem Lake before showing me around the French Quarter. You can read all about it HERE.

Coming Up Next : My Kayaking Adventure At Halong Bay

My Very First Halong Bay Cruise (Part 1)

December 10, 2014, 10:00 am

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On my third day in Hanoi, my friend and I decided to go for an excursion outside of Hanoi city. We booked for a day-trip to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that we just knew we must not miss!

I actually booked the trip at Sinh Cafe Travel on the first day I arrived in Hanoi. The price for the one-day trip was US$25 per person.



After an early breakfast at our hotel, we waited for the tour guide who came at around 8am. We were among the early ones so the tour bus was quite empty when we boarded it. However, it filled up pretty fast as the bus went round to other hotels to pick up more passengers.

Halong Bay is about 3 hours from Hanoi, but due to the picking up of passengers and a stop midway at a souvenir shop, we only reached our destination after 4 hours.



I did not buy anything at the souvenir shop. Instead I spent my time taking pictures of these statues outside the shop. LOL!



My friend bought something (I could not remember what) which I expected as he always buys something at souvenir shops. LOL!



The place was filled with statues and stone carvings.



I like this Buddha statue.



So after some half an hour or so wasting my time walking around, it was time to board the bus again.



Oh look! One of the passengers wore a Mickey Mouse hat! Haha.



Our bus reached the Bai Chay Tourist Wharf at about 12.30pm. If we had not stopped at the souvenir shop, we would have reached here much earlier. I guess you could never skip a souvenir shop when you follow tours right?



Here, we waited to board our junk boat. But first, our tour guide gave us our tickets. She said to keep them as souvenirs. I was fine with that until I saw the price on the ticket - only 80,000 VND (US$3.75) and we paid the tour agent US$25!



Of course, I did not factor in the cost of the bus transportation from Hanoi and back, but it would definitely be much cheaper if my friend and I were to go on our own. However, following the tour group was really not a bad idea at all as it would be less of a hassle to book the boat on our own.

There were a lot of people at this tourist wharf. In fact it was quite crowded with tourists from all over the world, and of course the local Vietnamese people too. During the waiting period, I did some people watching and was able to categorize the tourists into backpackers, family travellers and the wealthy tourists.



Look at the row of junk boats lining up at the wharf!



We did not sit in those type of boat. I guess they were much cheaper.



Instead, our boat looked something like these in the picture below.



This is our boat - the one on the right with the name 'Hai Thanh 18' (word partly blocked in the picture).



We entered the boat. The young lady in blue jacket (second person from left) is our tour guide.



Once everyone got on board the boat (I think there were altogether about 20 of us), the cruise officially began!



Halong Bay looks like the stuff of legends! Ha Long actually means 'Descending Dragon'. According to a legend, a celestial dragon once flung itself into the sea, creating deep valleys and crevices in the earth, and Halong Bay was born.

Somehow, this Halong Bay cruise reminded me of a very similar cruise I had in Guilin, China 5 years ago. Read about my Li River cruise HERE.



Both were amazing in terms of the scenery but the difference was that it was much colder in Halong Bay. But that's because I went for the Li River Cruise in Guilin during summer! And I was in Halong Bay during the colder month of March.



Even the mountain karsts in Halong Bay were partly shrouded in mists, which made them look somewhat ethereal.



I believe that if I were to go on this cruise a month or two earlier, it would be quite difficult to see the mountains properly. The mists would probably be too thick.



I guess I must have chosen the perfect time to visit this amazing national treasure of Vietnam! Although some people would prefer it to be all sunny and clear skies. Well, not me haha!



I think if I had not visited Li River in Guilin before, I would be very impressed with Halong Bay.

There were many other boats plying the same route.



Everyone was admiring the beautiful scenery all around and busy taking pictures.



I was busy snapping pictures too. You won't believe how many photos I took!



Meals were provided on the cruise. I did not take any photos of the food as they were nothing really special. Since my friend and I sat at the same table with a Japanese couple and their two children, we had some fun talking to them.



I also made friends with tourists from Turkmenistan, Laos, Canada and Hong Kong. So many different nationalities on our boat!



Soon, we arrived at a fishing village.



Yes, a fishing village in the middle of nowhere. Or so it seemed to me.



According to our tour guide, we would be stopping here for about 2 hours.



Our boat docked at a floating platform.



What were we going to do here for 2 hours? Well, it was time to do some kayaking! We were given life jackets to put on.



You can choose to go kayaking, or sit on a small sampan while someone does the rowing. Or you can simply choose to stay on the floating platform and just enjoy the scenery and do absolutely nothing!



I thought it would be such a waste if I just stayed back on the floating platform while watching the others enjoy themselves on the water, so I chose kayaking. That, despite not knowing how to swim or even how to use that double-bladed paddle. LOL!



My friend was not as adventurous as me and he chose to relax on the sampan with another tourist. Actually I did not mind going for that too. It would be nice just to relax, so why the hell did I choose kayaking?! I almost regretted my decision.



The Japanese couple with their two children on the sampan. How nice relaxing on a sampan!



Empty sampan waiting for someone to get on it. That won't be me of course, as you need to pay tips to the rower and I did not want to bear the entire cost with no one to share with me. Haha!



OK, I just got to take this picture.



Simply because the person was wearing a conical hat on a sampan on the waters of Halong Bay. Conical hats are so synonymous with Vietnam that you just cannot NOT snap this picture! LOL.

Before I jumped into a kayak, I took some time to observe how the others fare.



There can only be 2 people on a kayak. And I was alone. Worse, I do not know how to kayak. So how would I be able to go kayaking? It would be an almost impossible feat!



Luckily, my tour guide noticed my problem and got a fisherman to go kayaking with me. For free. Wow! How nice of her! Thank you so much!

So I sat in front, and the fisherman (sorry did not know his name even after he introduced himself. I was extremely nervous!! Haha!) sat at the back. He did most of the paddling. I just held the paddle and did some random rowing.

From this point onwards, please excuse me if the photos are not as sharp as they should be. It's not that my hands were shaking (although I must say that is partly true LOL!) but because I did not dare bring my camera along. What if I dropped the camera into the sea? That would spoil my whole trip!



So I just took my iPhone along. And it's just an iPhone 3GS, so the photos were not especially good. And I had to hold the paddle at the same time while taking photos so it was pretty tough. I was really lucky that my iPhone did not slip from my hands and drop into the water!

I did not talk much with the fisherman behind me. He did not know much English and I did not know a single word of Vietnamese. So it was just sign language between us.

At one point, we were approaching a cave tunnel.



I was a little apprehensive going under the cave but when we passed through, it was like a different world on the other side. I had no pictures to show but it was so calm and beautiful on the other side. I looked up the mountain karst and saw birds flying in the mists. It was almost like a dream.



I think I spent about one hour or so kayaking. It was such an amazing experience. And quite scary too. There were times when I though the kayak would flip over, and there were times when we were so near the rocks I thought we would hit them.



So do I know how to kayak after this experience? No, I don't think so. But it was fun and I do not mind going kayaking again in future!

Soon, it was time to get back onto our boat. Where would be going next? Stay tuned to find out in Part 2.

To be continued ....

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My Very First Halong Bay Cruise (Part 2)

December 14, 2014, 9:30 am

≫ Next: 2014 Christmas Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 1)

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Continued from Part 1

After my kayaking adventure was over, it was time to get back on the boat. Our tour guide told us that we would be heading towards Thien Cung Grotto.



At one point during our journey on the cruise, the weather became very misty.



I thought it would stay like that, but the mist soon cleared up.



Apart from enjoying the beautiful scenery, this relaxing boat ride offered countless photo-taking opportunities.



Soon, our boat reached Dao Go Island where Dong Thien Cung or Thien Cung Grotto is located. 



There were many boats at the dock area.



From the dock area, we needed to walk some distance to reach the cave.



We reached an area with a number of informative signboards.



A huge signboard with the words "Dong Thien Cung" welcomed us.



Also known as Heavenly Cave, Dong Thien Cung is a famous tourist destination in Halong Bay. To reach the cave entrance, we needed to climb up the stairs. Yes, the entrance of the cave is located somewhere in the middle of a hill.



It was not difficult to walk up these stairs, but if you have a problem with climbing stairs, you may find it quite troublesome.



Once inside the cave, we could see many colored artificial lights shining on the various shapes and structures of the stalactites and stalagmites.



Our tour guide was helpful in pointing out some of the shapes that resemble dragons, animals and even human's private parts!



I was not actually interested in what our tour guide had to say, so I did not really bother to identify the shapes and take pictures of them.



The cave was beautiful, but that's because of the effect of the coloured lightings. I was not particularly impressed as I have seen nicer and more beautiful caves.



The floor of the cave was a little slippery so just be careful when you visit this cave and remember to wear a good pair of shoes.



Coming out of the cave was quite a relief for me. To be honest, the panoramic view of Halong Bay that greeted us on our way out was way more exciting than the cave itself! LOL!



Love the scenery from up here!



That's our boat below - with the blue signboard - waiting for us!



We had spent about an hour visiting Thien Cung Grotto. It was time to leave.



Back on the boat, it was another hour of leisure ride before we reached the wharf, which marked the end of our Halong Bay trip. After that we got back on our tour bus and began the 4 hour journey back (with the customary stop at a souvenir shop as expected) to Hanoi.



I had enjoyed my one-day Halong Bay cruise. I did not think it is necessary to stay in Halong Bay overnight or even for a few nights, but some people may disagree with me on this.



It all depends on what you like to do. If you like to go kayaking, swimming and visiting lots of caves, then staying in Halong Bay for two or three days may be worth your while.

Otherwise, stick to the one-day tour of Halong Bay and you won't regret it.

2014 Christmas Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 1)

December 18, 2014, 6:00 am

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It's the time of the year again! Yes, I am talking about Christmas!

Every year, without fail, shopping malls and hotels in the Klang Valley would put up Christmas decorations a few weeks before Christmas day. This year, I spotted a few really good ones so I guess I will start with the cream of the crop - Pavilion KL.



There is a huge Santa Claus at Pavilion this year. But strangely, this is not the usual fat Santa we are accustomed to. No, this Santa is slim and looks more like Merlin the magician! LOL!



There are still some recycled items from past years but that's to be expected.



Look at the tall Santa in the middle!



View from the back of Santa.



OK, this one looks more like the Santa we are used to. Haha!



There are many elves at Pavilion this year. And the interesting thing is, they move! Yes, they are not just standing there all static and unmoving.



Like this elf in the box - he (or is it she?) keeps lifting up the lid and then closing it again.



The theme for Pavilion this year is Christmas Magnificence. Lovely!



The view of the tall Santa from below.



Would you like to sit on that beautiful majestic chair? LOL!



Cute snowmen playing musical instruments.



I can't remember if they move and dance though.



Beautiful white glistening reindeer.



Nice reindeer - I wanna take it home!



More elves!



Is that a polar bear?



A huge red ribbon at the top of the stairs leading down to the main concourse.



View of the tall Santa and the surrounding decorations from the stairs.



At the front entrance of Pavilion, there are more elves!



Like this one, but someone told me she is a little scary, like Annabelle. Hahaha! OK, I can imagine her moving around inside the mall when it's closed for the night. Creepy.



This is very cute! Elves dancing in a merry go round platform.



I made a short recording of the elves moving in a merry go round and placed it on Instagram.



You can watch the recording HERE.

The outside entrance of Pavilion facing the Bukit Bintang road.



The view of the entrance from the inside.



Do you like the Christmas decorations at Pavilion KL this year?



For me, the decorations evoked a very Christmassy feeling, so I love it very, very much!

Guess what? I happened to stumble upon KL's most beautiful and creative Christmas tree this year! It's at Shangri-la Hotel KL!



One look and you will notice that this is no ordinary Christmas tree.



It is filled with toys and Christmas stuffs and that's not all. It also rotates!



A close shot of the tree.



The tree looks beautiful from a distance too.



I went up one floor above to take another shot of the Christmas tree.



Tin soldiers on top of the tree.



I recorded the platforms on the tree rotating and put it up on Instagram. Watch it HERE. By the way, do join me on Instagram too, if you like.



I really love this creative and beautiful rotating Christmas tree at Shangri-la KL! How I wish I can have it in my house!

If you travel to KL often, you will notice a very huge Christmas tree at the corner junction of Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Sultan Ismail near Menara Hap Seng.



This has got to be my favourite Christmas tree of the year.



It's too bad that the sky was quite dark and it was about to rain when I took this photo. Otherwise, the tree would certainly looked nicer.



Oddly, this tree looked much better in the daytime than during the night. So I decided to take a picture of it during the day.



Love the shimmering reflective ornaments on the tree!



The best part of this tall Christmas tree is the view of KL Tower in the background. Beautiful!



I will be sharing more Christmas decorations in the other parts of Klang Valley in Part 2, so stay tuned.

To be continued ...

2014 Christmas Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 2)

December 23, 2014, 10:00 am

≫ Next: A Christmas Evening In KL

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Continued from Part 1

Christmas mood is in the air right here in Klang Valley and you can feel it with all the Christmas decorations being put up in the malls.

It's White Christmas at The Curve in Petaling Jaya!



Look! There's a Santa Claus sitting on the roof!



A closer shot of Santa from below.



Lovely snowman and reindeers! And I like the Christmas trees with the beautiful ornaments.



These life-size reindeers are cute!



Santa's empty sleigh.



Smiling snowman.



The decorations made me smile.



Glass reindeers opposite Starbucks.



A tall Christmas tree in front of e-Curve. This will probably look better at night.




The Christmas decoration at Paradigm Mall is somewhat different as it has a medieval touch to it.



Actually I like the candles!



But unfortunately, the decoration does not give me a Chrismassy feeling.




I did not have a camera with me at Tropicana City Mall so I had to make do with my Xiaomi phone.



Everything is inflatable here. There are inflatable flying reindeers and inflatable Santa Claus on his inflatable sleigh.



Inflatable snowmen and inflatable Christmas trees. Pretty cute!




It's all fashion at The Gardens Mall in KL!



Fashion and flowers to be exact!



I am not exactly sure what the theme is for this year's Christmas decoration at The Gardens, but it seems that if you Instagram a photo of yourself with these mannequins, you will stand a chance to win prizes!



But do not rush over to the Gardens now - it's too late. The contest ended a few days ago! LOL!



OK, I like this one the most.



Looks classy and nice.




Next door, the Mid Valley Megamall has been turned into a Christmas fairyland of sorts complete with giant mushrooms, flowers and furry animals.



Look at those giant mushrooms!





Furry animals that look like they have just walked out of a storybook.







I think children will love this decoration. Me? Not really my type of Christmas!




Did you know that there's a very tall Christmas tree at Suria KLCC?



In fact, it is the tallest Christmas tree in Malaysia estimated to be 32 metres (or 105 feet) in height! Located at the Esplanade, it is quite a sight to behold. And it is made even grander with the majestic Petronas Twin Towers in the background!



It was a cloudy day when I took this picture. In fact, it started raining right after I took the picture!



Inside Suria KLCC, at the main concourse, stands another tall Christmas tree, albeit a smaller one.



The decorations are actually pretty good. Closer shots evoke a Chrismassy feeling.



Complete with toy soldiers, elfs, Santa Claus and a rocking horse.



Very colorful!




Giant toys, and hot air balloons galore at Fahrenheit 88 mall in KL this year.



Their version of a Christmas tree.



I like this smiling snowman! So cheerful!



A bespectacled Santa Claus.



I thought this Joker looks pretty cool.




If you were to walk along Jalan Bukit Bintang opposite Pavilion KL near to Starhill and JW Marriott, you will see a row of angels playing some form of musical instruments.



The angels will lead you to a Christmas tree at the end.



The angels will probably look nicer when lighted up at night, but they still look pretty good in the daytime.



I did not visit Berjaya Times Square (for the largest Christmas tree in Malaysia), Sunway Pyramid and Empire Shopping Gallery this year. I did however visit 1Utama and Avenue K but I am afraid the photos are not worth sharing. Oh well, maybe I will share the photos in another post but the Christmas decorations at 1Utama is really, really horrible.

What do you think of the Christmas decorations in Klang Valley this year? Which are your favourites? Oh by the way, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

A Christmas Evening In KL

December 24, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Ba Dinh Square And Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum In Hanoi

≪ Previous: 2014 Christmas Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 2)

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Merry Christmas everyone!!

I thought I would like to share my new piano composition about my Christmas memories in KL. This is not your typical joyful Christmas song - it's kind of a little sad, though not really sad as it's Christmas time! Just some memories and sometimes memories can be a bit sad, that's all.

Enjoy! Hope you like it! :)


Note : This recording is copyrighted. All Rights Reserved.

Ba Dinh Square And Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum In Hanoi

January 6, 2015, 10:00 am

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On my second day in Hanoi, my friend and I decided to visit Ba Dinh Square where the famous Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located. Earlier, we had taken a morning stroll around the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake and visited the famous Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake.

After buying tickets for the night's performance of the water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, we dropped by the Tourist Information Center nearby.



I did not find the Tourist Information Center very helpful. The map they provide was not good as there were far too many ads and lacked details. In fact, the staff at the hotel where I stayed were more helpful in providing me advice and tips on traveling in Hanoi.

Oh, and that's Trung Nguyen Coffee - the No.1 coffee company in Vietnam. Surprisingly, I was not interested in trying the coffee! LOL. Maybe because I thought they were too commercialised and rather pricey.

We found a bookstore nearby - it's called Bo Ho Bookshop.



At this bookshop, I found and bought this Hanoi Old Town Tourist map selling at 45,000 VND (US$2.10).



This is a very good map as it provides colourful drawings of buildings and streets of the Old Quarter in Hanoi. With this map, I'm pretty sure you will never get lost in the maze of the Old Quarter.

My friend and I decided to walk all the way from Hoan Kiem Lake to Ba Dinh Square. We estimated that it would probably take us 45 minutes to an hour to reach there. Maybe we should have taken the taxi or cyclo (three wheel rickshaw) or even xe om (motorbike taxis) but I did not regret walking all the way there.

Along the way, we stopped by a bakery shop at Phung Hung Street. It's a French bakery shop by the name of Anh Hoa.



We bought ourselves some French pastries and enjoyed eating them while we walked towards our destination.

Soon, we reached Dien Bien Phu road. If this name sounds familiar, that's because you may have read about the Battle of Dien Bien Phu - the historical confrontation of the first Indochina War between the French and Viet Minh. More info HERE.



We passed by Cot Co Ha Noi or The Flag Tower of Hanoi, which is part of the Hanoi Citadel, a World Heritage Site.



My friend and I did not visit the Hanoi Citadel and the Flag Tower during this trip, so maybe I will visit it on my next trip!

The Dien Bien Phu road leads to a roundabout and from there we could already see the huge Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum building. In front of the building is the Ba Dinh Square, a huge open space area of historical significance where President Ho Chi Minh read out the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945.



Ba Dinh Square, with its grand Soviet-style architecture seems to contrast sharply with the chaotic Old Quarter where we came from just about 45 minutes ago.



Inside this Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum lies the embalmed body of the President who died in 1969. I had no intention whatsoever to see the body but my friend was interested. Unfortunately for him, we were late and the Mausoleum was closed for the day.

I am not quite sure of the opening hours for visitors as it depends on the time of the year, but I am pretty sure it closes on Mondays and Fridays. On other days, it only opens until 11am. But to be sure, it is better you check the latest opening hours before going there.



I was told that you are not allowed to bring in your cameras and mobile phones, and you have to keep absolutely quiet inside. Also you are not allowed to cross your arms or put your hands in your pocket. That is pretty strict to me and frankly, I was a bit worried for my camera and mobile phone, so maybe that's why I was not really keen on entering the mausoleum.

There were two guards dressed in white uniforms guarding the entrance to the mausoleum.



Did you know that the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was inspired by Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow? Despite that, it was actually ranked the sixth most ugly building in the world by CNN International!



So did we walk all the way (about 3-4 km I think!) to see the sixth ugliest building in the world? Hahaha!



OK, I should not make a joke out of this because I do understand that the local Vietnamese people have the highest respect for their President to the extent that they keep his body in a huge memorial instead of having him buried or cremated. Sometimes I wonder if that's what the President himself really wanted....

Nearby the Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Square is the Presidential Palace. Visitors were not allowed in so my friend and I could only see the yellow-colored French-inspired building from outside its gate.



Did you know that Ho Chi Minh refused to stay inside this grand palace and instead, built a traditional Vietnamese stilt house near it?

The name of the Presidential Palace in Vietnamese language on a huge signboard.



Opposite the Presidential Palace is this building - I am not sure what building it is. Anyone reading this knows?



At the other end of the Ba Dinh Square is the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the famous One Pillar Pagoda which I shall blog about in the next post.

I had to take a picture of this beautiful garden behind the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.



The Mausoleum as seen from the side.



Perhaps during my next trip to Hanoi, I will enter the cold room inside this grand mausoleum where the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh lies.



Who knows?

Coming Up Next : Ho Chi Minh Museum & The One Pillar Pagoda

Ho Chi Minh Museum And The One Pillar Pagoda In Hanoi

January 12, 2015, 9:30 am

≫ Next: Feng Shui 2015 According To Joey Yap (Part 1)

≪ Previous: Ba Dinh Square And Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum In Hanoi

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After visiting Ba Dinh Square and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, my friend and I walked over to the Ho Chi Minh Museum (Bao Tang Ho Chi Minh) nearby.

Just like the Mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum has influences of Soviet architecture.



I was not particularly interested in spending my time inside a museum that day but my friend was, so I went in anyway. If my memory is correct, I think the entrance fee was 10,000 VND (US$0.45).



I did not take any photos inside the museum as cameras were not allowed inside. So I am just going to show you the outside.



 That's a nice desert rose plant! Now if only the desert rose in my garden has that many flowers!



A lonely corridor outside the museum.



We spent about one hour inside the museum. We could probably spent longer time but I had to hurry my friend as we have lots of other places to go after this. Besides, I did not find the museum that interesting. It's basically all about the life of Ho Chi Minh, the great revolutionary who became the President of North Vietnam.

However, I have to say that the exhibition inside was surprisingly very modern and symbolic. I did not quite get the meaning of some of the displays. Perhaps getting a English-speaking guide would be helpful but we decided not to spend our money on that!



After we left the Museum, we walked over to the One Pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Chot) nearby. By now you would have noticed that the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda are all within walking distance to each other, so it makes sense to visit all of them at one go.



The One Pillar Pagoda is one of the most famous and iconic Buddhist temples in Hanoi. Originally built in the 11th century by Emperor Ly Thai Tong, it was however damaged by French troops in 1954.



This newer version was built in the late 1950's. It was built of wood on a single stone pillar rising out of a lotus pond.



From afar, it resembles a lotus blossom, a Buddhist symbol of purity.



If you noticed, there is not a single human being in my photos here. That does mean that the places were deserted, it just means that I tried to take photos without anyone inside them. LOL!



By the time we ended our visit at the One Pillar Pagoda, I could already hear my stomach rumbling. It was time for lunch!

Coming Up Next : My Vietnamese Lunch At Koto Restaurant

Feng Shui 2015 According To Joey Yap (Part 1)

January 20, 2015, 10:00 am

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For the past few years I have been attending rather religiously Dato Joey Yap's Feng Shui and Astrology Seminar. This year is no different. So last Sunday I found myself at KL Convention Center where Joey Yap's 2015 Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar was held.

The full-day seminar was to start at 10am, and I thought arriving there by 9am should be fine, but I was wrong. I was given the yellow wrist tag which means I ended up sitting right at the back of the Plenary Hall. It appeared that the turnout for this year's event was the largest ever with tickets fully sold out one week before the event!

Last year, Joey Yap introduced Qi Men Dun Jia, another branch of Chinese metaphysics which is gaining lots of popularity and attention here in Malaysia. This year, he continued with more stuffs about Qi Men Dun Jia which I shall be sharing in Part 2.



First, let me start with what Joey Yap had to say about 2015, the year of the Wood Goat. Of course, he did not just do a prediction out of thin air. Like all feng shui masters, he came out with the predictions by analyzing the Bazi Chart for 2015.

Don't know what a Bazi Chart (also known as Four Pillars) is? Read HERE for a short introduction to Bazi.

Knowing what's in store for 2015 is all well and good, but how is that relevant to you? For that, you need to match the information you gained from the 2015 Bazi Chart with your own Personal Bazi Chart.

If you do not have a copy of your Personal Bazi Chart, you can download and print it for FREE at Joey Yap's website HERE. Just register first if it's your first time, and then enter your date of birth and time of birth.

Take note that Joey Yap had upgraded the Bazi Chart Plotter with a facelift and also included personalised Annual QiMen and Bazi Stars which change yearly. So even if you have printed out your Bazi Chart last year, do take the effort to print it out again for the additional new features and information. The Annual QiMen and Bazi Stars will change after your birthday, so do print out another copy after your birthday!

This is how your new Personal Bazi Chart looks like.



This image is taken from the seminar booklet so please excuse me if it's not very clear. Take note that the Annual QiMen Mobility Directions and Annual Bazi Stars will change every year.

Now let's take a look at the Bazi Chart for the year 2015.


Image taken from seminar booklet 

If you recall, the Bazi Chart for 2014 was not balanced with Water missing. That could probably explain why we had to deal with water issues. Transportation is under Water element, so maybe that could be why Malaysia suffered from 2 plane crashes and one missing plane?

The 2015 Bazi Chart is more balanced with all the 5 elements present. However, Water element is still weak and the Metal element is weak too. Yin Metal (small metal) cannot chop Wood, so economy will be sluggish.

Earth covers Metal, which may signify collapse of Earth - perhaps a tunnel related catastrophe?

The Wood Horse from 2014 carries over to the 2015 Bazi Chart (hour pillar) - this signifies that some problems from 2014 will continue in 2015. Not exactly sure what problems will carry over but please, no more air disasters!!

Woodrepresents wealth in 2015. If you have Wood in your Personal Bazi Chart, then you will be quite prosperous this year. However, if you do not have Wood, then look for Fire in your Chart. If you have no Wood and Fire, then at least have Water. If you have both Wood and Fire, that's pretty good. Water represents wisdom, so if you have all three - Wood, Fire and Water in your Chart, then you will be doing quite well in 2015!

From the 2015 Bazi Chart, you can see that Wood is the strongest element, followed by Fire, Earth, Water and Metal in that order. As such, Wood industries (plantation, education, clothing, furniture) will be most successful this year.

Palm oil industry and retail and services industries will also be doing quite well since they are under the combination of Wood and Fire elements.

Finance industry will be weak as Metal is weak but there will be growth in financial advisory services as that is under the combination of Metal and Water.

Health care industry will also be doing well as it is a Wood and Fire industry.


Image courtesy of PierceSchoolBrookline

Now take a look at your own Personal Bazi Chart. Can you find Wood on the upper row (Heavenly Stems)? Wood represents cash. If yes, then you will have lots of cash this year and everyone knows it, but you also end up spending a lot of your cash!

If instead you see Wood on the lower row (Earthly Branches), then you will be having cash too but you will be saving them. And no one knows about it!

Which one do you prefer - Wood on the upper row or the lower row? LOL! Joey Yap said that the upper row is better because you can invest your money instead of spending recklessly. He thought that saving money is rather silly since the current inflation is higher than bank interests!

Next, look if you have Water in your Bazi Chart. Water represents profit. If the Water appears on the upper row, then your profit will only be a little. However, if Water appears on the lower row, then you will be enjoying huge profit!

Is it possible to have Wood (cash) but no Water (profit)? Yes, because you may have received a large sum of cash from someone which is not considered a profit from business.

Metal represents self element in 2015. So if you have strong Metal in your Personal Bazi Chart, then you have strong influence over others. In other words, you can easily influence others, which means you will be good in sales and in getting a job! As such, if you do not have Metal in your Chart, do not look for a new job this year. You will not be able to impress much in your job interviews.

Metal also represents discipline. If you have no Metal, then you will most likely have no discipline.

Having one or two Earth elements in your Bazi Chart is good. However, if you have more than 2 Earth elements, then you are probably having too much free time, and likely to be fat too! LOL! I am not sure if Joey Yap is joking or serious when he said this.

If there is Fire in your Bazi Chart, you can count on having your own strategy. But if you have no Fire, do not bother to come out with your own strategy. Copy other people's ideas instead.

Up till now, you already know that the three most important elements in 2015 are Wood, Fire and Water. Now if you have these three elements only in the Month and Year pillars of your Bazi Chart, then your career and friends are good. If they only appear in the Day and Hour pillars, then it is your family life and health that will be good. Of course, if you have them in all 4 pillars, then you have the best of everything.

The Day Pillar for 2015 is Xin Hai which represents revolution or change. There might be many changes coming. Joey Yap jokingly said that already one change coming into the life of every Malaysians is expected in 2015 and that is, the GST! LOL.


Image courtesy of cardetailingblog.com

Joey Yap had preached about the concept of smart money and dumb money over the years. Briefly, smart money is money you make when you work for it and you know exactly how you earn it. Dumb money on the other hand, is money that falls onto your lap without you having a clue as to how you earn it.

If you look at your Personal Bazi Chart and find all the three Wood, Fire and Water on the upper row (Heavenly Stems) except the Day Pillar, then you are one lucky fellow as you will have dumb money in 2015! Please give me a nice treat when you get your money! Haha.

However, if the Wood, Fire and Water are found in the lower row (Earthly Branches), then you will have smart money, which is really not bad at all.

Can't find all three elements in your Bazi Chart? Then maybe it's time to use feng shui to create better options and opportunities for yourself.

Every year the afflictions and bad sectors change direction. In 2015, be aware of the afflictions at these sectors.


Image taken from seminar booklet

The West sector suffers from a double whammy this year. Both the dreaded Five Yellow star and also the deadly Three Killings are here. If your bedroom is in this sector, try and move to another room. If not possible, then make sure that you do not disturb or accidentally activate the bad stars. Strictly no renovation inside or outside the house in the West direction or you may be hit by a host of serious problems like loss of wealth, illness, legal issues or worse, serious life threatening calamities.

South West 1 sector is where the Grand Duke (Tai Sui) resides this year.  No renovation or ground breaking activities here or you will suffer from mishaps, obstacles and calamities. Keep this place quiet as much as possible to avoid triggering it. Also, when it comes to important meetings and negotiations, do not face South West 1 or it will attract a negative outcome for you.

North East 1 plays host to the Year Breaker (Sui Po) this year. Again, renovation and ground breaking activities are out of the question here. Activating this sector will bring about loss of money, illness, and other bad luck.

Now the question is, what IF you accidentally trigger or activate these sectors? What if your neighbour decides to renovate a part of their house which so happens is your West sector which contains the Five Yellow and Three Killings? You can't ask them to stop renovating, can you?

Do take note that these afflictions only take effect starting from 4th February 2015. Joey Yap provided a solution and that is, to activate all the good sectors first! Well, if you can activate the bad sectors, you can definitely activate the good sectors in the exact same way! By activating the good sectors, the bad effects that you receive will at least be reduced partially. So instead of a major catastrophe, perhaps you will only suffer a minor problem.

Joey Yap suggested that we first activate these four major auspicious stars before 4th February 2015 as a preventive measure. These four stars are Dragon Virtue (North East 3), Fortune Virtue (South East 1), Sun (South West 3) and Moon (North West 1).

Refer to diagram below.


Image taken from seminar booklet

Sorry if the image is not very clear. The directions of the four auspicious sectors are marked with stars.

NOTE : All images from the seminar booklet are not allowed to be reproduced. I am not sure how long they will appear here on this blog. If I am asked to take them down, I will have to comply and maybe do my own drawings! 

How do you activate these good sectors? If you do not wish to do renovation at these sectors, you can just simply move the furnitures around. Or you can nail the wall and hang a picture. Alternatively, you can place water element like an aquarium or just a big tank of water at these areas for about 2 weeks. (yes, 2 weeks to a month is sufficient, not for the whole year!)

In Part 2, we will be looking at the Flying Star Chart for 2015. With this chart (Joey Yap provided a more detailed Flying Star Chart this year) we will be able to know which sectors of your house or office are good and which are not so good, and what you can do about them. Also in Part 2 will be new stuffs about Qi Men Dun Jia, particularly the Five Charm method, and some explanation on the use of the Qi Men Mobility Directions and the Bazi Stars in your Personal Bazi Chart printout. And not forgetting of course what all of you are probably waiting for - the dates and times of activation for wealth, health, relationship etc. in 2015! Stay tuned!

To be continued ....

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Feng Shui 2015 According To Joey Yap (Part 2)

January 26, 2015, 9:00 am

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Continued from Part 1

This is the Flying Star Chart for 2015.



Taken from Joey Yap's seminar booklet, it is more detailed unlike the more simplified flying star chart  you normally see which only show one number in each grid. Anyway those same numbers are also in this Flying Star Chart on the bottom left of each grid.

From the chart you can see that the Star of Wealth #8 is at the North. If your main door or window is at this location, then you will enjoy wealth luck in 2015. Just using this door daily is enough to activate the wealth luck. If your front door is not at this location, all is not lost - simply use the North sector of your house more often will activate the wealth luck too.

What happens if your North sector is your toilet or bathroom? Joey Yap said in such a case, use your toilet or bathroom more often. He said it's a myth that flushing the toilet is equivalent to flushing all your wealth down the drain.

The Simplified Flying Star Chart (box in the middle) with only one number in each grid. Notice the numbers are the same as the numbers on the bottom left of each grid in the more detailed chart above?


Image taken from seminar booklet

If you are unable to use North sector for whatever reason, the next best sector for wealth is the South West. (Star #9). With the Fellowship hexagram, this sector is good for investment especially when done in a team. Joey Yap suggested to do your investment in the South West sector of your home.

The East sector (Star #1) is the Nobleman sector. The Trap hexagram creates an environment to hold on to customers so this sector is very good for business owners. Those with rabbit, goat or pig in their Personal Bazi Chart will be most beneficial in using this sector.

North West (Star #4) is a good sector for education. The Well hexagram which only appears in 2015, is excellent for education. The 4-6 combination makes this a good memory sector. Not only is the North West excellent for children studying for exams, it is also good for adults who are learning new things. Want to learn feng shui? Then make sure you study it at the North West!

North East (Star #6) with the Great Strength hexagram is good for executing ideas. If you want brilliant ideas to come forth and to make things happen, use North East in 2015! In fact, anything creative (like writing a book) will be best done in a room at the North East. Hmm, maybe I should put my piano in this sector so that I can compose more beautiful music in 2015. LOL!

The South East (Star #2) is where the Illness star flies in this year. Sleeping here will make you more prone to getting sick. If you remember the 2015 Bazi Chart discussed in Part 1, the Water element is weak. As such, health problem this year will most likely be related to water element, which may mean kidney problems.

Concerning health, Joey Yap touched on 3 ways to check on illness. First, check the ear - if the colour of the ear is darker complexion compared to the face, then kidney problem is a possibility. Second, check the nose - If the nose has blemishes, this might be related to digestive problem. Thirdly, check the lips - if the lips turn darker than normal, this shows circulation problem. If you have none of these 3 symptoms, then it's OK to use South East.

South East sector is also a sector used for reboot. The Peel hexagram also means starting over or reboot. If your career or life reach a plateau, then it is advisable to use South East sector to sleep or work.

South (Star #7) is the robbery sector this year. It also has the Sincerity hexagram which is indication of Peach Blossom. If you have Rat in your Personal Bazi Chart, then you already have Peach Blossom and there is no need to sleep in the South. However, Peach Blossom is not just for romantic love, it is also for relationship in your social circle. By utilising South more, you can increase your likeability factor which is crucial when dealing with others.

As mentioned in Part 1, the West sector has the Five Yellow (this is shown by the Star #5) and also the Three Killings. If you cannot move out of the West room, then you can use the solution mentioned in  Part 1 which is to activate the four auspicious stars at North East 3, South East 1,  South West 3 and North West 1.

Alternatively, you can also activate the three auspicious sectors based on the Flying Star Chart which is North (Star #8), South West (Star #9) and East (Star #1). But make sure you do this before February 4, 2015 when the energy officially changes.

The centre has Star #3 and the Biting hexagram this year. This is the argument star so expect lots of arguments to happen in 2015. This being in the centre means it will affect the whole household. However, Joey Yap said the centre is also a good sector for reproduction. Those of you looking to have a baby this year may want to consider using the centre but if you do not have a private room in the centre of your house then consider a room in the South West instead. Do not use South East (Star #2) for this purpose as it has the Peel hexagram which also means 'elimination'.

The Flying Star Chart can also be used to study the luck of different countries in the world. Joey Yap mentioned that since the West sector has the Five Yellow and Three Killings this year, Western countries will suffer from many conflicts this year.

Using the same logic, I decided to make my own analysis from the Flying Star Chart. Since the #3 Argument Star is in the centre, does it mean that Central Asia and Middle East will suffer from more argument and battles? I really hope not! And since my country Malaysia is in South East, will the countries in this region suffer from the #2 Illness Star - possible more diseases and epidemics like the bird flu? Oh no!!


Image taken from Joey Yap's book

Joey Yap also touched a little on Face Reading. How to know if a person has good fortune? First look at his eyes. They should be sharp and alert. Secondly, you should be able to fit in 2 fingers on his Life Palace (the space between the eyebrows). The life palace should also be fleshy and bright. Lines or dark patches or a mole on the life palace would indicate not so favourable fortune. Thirdly, his CareerPalace (the forehead) should should be bright and be able to fit in 4 fingers (for male) or 3 fingers (for female).

Talking about moles, Joey Yap mentioned that moles only act as indication of your luck. Removing the moles will not change your luck as it is not the mole that is causing your bad luck.

Joey Yap also shared with us Face Reading on the subject of infidelity.  If the person has watery eyes or marble-like eyes,  then he or she is likely to be having a love affair. Also, observe the lines at the side of the eyes. If the lines are long and extended till the Spouse Palace, that means the spouse already knew about the affair.

During the second half of the seminar, Joey Yap talked about Qi Men Dun Jia, another branch of Chinese metaphysics. There are two types of QMDJ methods - one is San Yuan method which is based on sitting position. I have blogged about this method last year so I will not repeat here. You can read about it HERE.

This is the Qi Men Dun Jia Chart for 2015


Image taken from seminar booklet

The other is Five Charm method, which Joey Yap introduced this year. This is for people who can't use the San Yuan Method of sitting and asking simply because they are not good at going to Alpha state. (You need to go down to Alpha state before doing the asking. Not sure what I am talking about? Refer to the blogpost HERE).

This is how you use the Five Charm method. Now I am not sure if I get this part right. If you were there at the seminar, please correct me if I am wrong. In your Personal Bazi Chart, you can see the Qi Men Mobility Directions. It looks something like this.


Image taken from seminar booklet

Each direction has a General star. For example in the image above, West has Green Dragon, South has Moon, South West has Celestial Advisor and so on. Joey Yap said choose only 4 Generals namely Green Dragon (best), Celestial Advisor, Heavenly Noble and Moon.

Green Dragon is supposed to remove all obstacles and possess invincibility. Unfortunately, Joey Yap did not elaborate on the other General stars. I suppose he is reserving them for his upcoming seminar. Partly that, and also partly because of lack of time to explain everything.

Anyway, if you plan to use Green Dragon in the case above, then you need to travel in the West direction. For example, if you are going to an important meeting to close a deal, you need to make sure you are heading Westward to the meeting place. If the meeting place is not in the West direction, you need to go somewhere to the East of the meeting place, stay there overnight, before heading West the next day. In this way you are making use of the Green Dragon direction.

Note : The direction of the General stars change every year. It is calculated based on your date of birth so you will have a new set of chart after your birthday each year.

Now I know you have all been waiting for the Activation Dates and Times, but I am sorry to say that this post is getting a bit too long already! So I will have to defer that to Part 3. Stay tuned!

To be continued .....

Feng Shui 2015 According To Joey Yap (Part 3)

January 29, 2015, 9:00 am

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Continued from Part 2

Towards the end of the 2015 Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar in KL, Joey Yap revealed a list of date and time to activate wealth, health, relationship and more.

I am going to post the entire list here so you may want to bookmark this page.

Have not read Part 1 yet? Read it HERE.

But first, how do you go about doing the activation? Well, you can choose to move the furnitures around, nail the wall to hang a picture, or place a water element. According to Joey Yap, the water must be at least 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep to be effective. It should not be covered and it does not have to be running water. Also, the water need to be displayed for only 2-3 weeks, not longer than that.

Also the time stated here is the local time in whichever country you are living in. There is no need to convert the time if you are not staying in Malaysia.

There is a 2 hour window to activate the sectors. If the time stated is 1.30pm, you can actually do your activation anytime between 1pm and 3pm. Joey Yap has given the time 1.30pm to be safe so that it is not too near to 1pm or 3pm. Similarly, if the time stated is 9.30am, that means you can do the activation between 9am and 11am. If you don't understand what I mean, don't worry - just stick to the given time punctually and you shall do fine.


Image taken from seminar booklet

WEALTH ACTIVATION
3 dates to choose from ...

1. 1st March 2015, 1.30pm - North (Clash : Horse)

2. 21st March 2015, 1.30pm - North (Clash : Tiger)

3. 2nd May 2015, 7.30am - the four auspicious sectors namely North East 3, South East 1, South West 3, North West 1 (Clash : Monkey)

*Note : Clash means if you have that animal sign in your Bazi Chart, then that particular date is not beneficial to you. Choose another date instead. You can choose just one date to activate or you can activate on all the three dates as long as none of the animal signs clashes with you.


HEALTH ACTIVATION
2 dates to choose from ...

1. 11th April 2015, 11.30am - North East 3 and/or North (Clash : Pig)

2. 18th May 2015, 9.30am - South (Clash : Rat)

*Note : The first date 11th April 2015 is especially good for surgery.


RELATIONSHIPS ACTIVATION
2 dates to choose from ...

1. 12th March 2015, 9.30am - South (Clash : Snake)

2. 18th April 2015, 6.30am - South East 1 and/or South West 1 (Clash : Horse)

*Note : The Clash here refers to the animal sign NOT in your Bazi Chart but in the other person's Bazi Chart. To activate, you need to face the direction given and your intended target face the opposite direction. For example, to activate on 12th March 2015, you need to face South while your intended target face you ie. North. And he or she must not have a Snake in his or her Bazi Chart. So make sure you check his or her Bazi Chart beforehand!


ACADEMIC ACTIVATION
2 dates to choose from ...

1. 9th March 2015, 7.30am - South East (Clash : Tiger)

2. 12th March 2015, 7.30am - South East (Clash : Snake)

*Note : This Academic Activation is not only for studying, it can also be used for writing a proposal, coming up with a new idea, or writing a book. Also the first date (9th March 2015) is better than the second date (12th March 2015), so choose the first one unless you have Tiger in your Bazi Chart.


WINNING ARGUMENT DAY

26th April 2015, 5.30pm - sit North West, face South East

*Note : If you are always losing the argument with someone, then maybe you should pick this day and time to win! Make sure you plan it in such a way that the other person is sitting South East and facing North West. Just a note of interest - If you have learnt about Qi Men Dun Jia before, the other person is actually sitting at the Death Door, as such he or she is likely to lose the argument!


SEARCH FOR PROPERTY

30th April 2015, 3.30pm - North West 1 (Clash : Horse)

*Note : Only search for property AFTER you have done the activation.


INTERROGATE PEOPLE 

27th May 2015, 9.30am - sit South, face North (Clash : Rooster)

*Note : I really don't know who will use this but if you do, then just for your information, this is especially potent because you, the Interrogater will be sitting at Harm Door while the other person who is being interrogated will be sitting at Fear Door! Those of you who have learnt Qi Men Dun Jia will know what Harm Door and Fear Door means!


WISH FULFILLING DAY

6th May 2015, 9.30am - sit East, face West (Clash : Rat)

*Note : Before making your wishes at this date and time, it's advisable to write down your wish list first. However, too many wishes are not as effective as just one important wish, so choose what you wish for wisely.


Image taken from seminar booklet

I am quite surprised that Joey Yap did not provide dates of activation for Resolving Problems and Spiritual Development like in previous years. He also did not provide the time and direction to activate God Of Wealth on the first day of Chinese New Year. Oh well, maybe I will have to look at the Qi Men chart and try to find the good direction myself!


BAD DAYS IN 2015
Besides the good dates and times for activation, Joey Yap also warned about the bad dates. Here are 3 bad dates to avoid doing anything important like moving house, starting a business, getting married, going for surgery or going travel ...

1. 20th March 2015, 9.30am (Clash : Ox)
This is the date and time of a solar eclipse, which is deemed very inauspicious in both chinese and western astrology. Even though Malaysia will experience only a partial eclipse, the effect of being exposed to the eclipse will be just as bad. Joey Yap said being exposed to the eclipse for 1 minute is equivalent to 1 year of bad luck, 2 minutes equals to 2 years of bad luck and so on. Better not take chances and stay indoors till the eclipse is over!

2. 24th July 2015, 11.30am - South West (Clash : Goat)

3. 5th August 2015, 1.30pm - South West (Clash : Goat)

*Note : If really no choice and you absolutely must do something important on this day and time, then at least choose the good direction with Life Door. (For those who knows about Qi Men Dun Jia, refer to the Qi Men chart at that particular time for the direction of Life Door).


BEST DAYS TO START WORK
Lastly, this is for those who plan to find the best date to start work after the Chinese New Year holidays. Especially important to business owners, not so important to those who are working for others.

1. 23rd February 2015, 6.30am (Clash : Rat)

2. 24th February 2015, 9.30am (Clash : Ox)

3. 26th February 2015, 9.30am (Clash : Rabbit)

4. 27th February 2015, 9.30am (Clash : Dragon)

5. 1st March 2015, 9.30am (Clash : Horse)

*Note : Joey Yap mentioned that out of the five choices, the best day will be the first one i.e. 23rd February 2015. Second best is the last one i.e. 1st March 2015 which by the way is a Sunday. If you don't work on a Sunday, maybe you should pretend to work on that day! LOL.

**Special Note : To make use of the dates given in this post, it is best to make a donation to the charity of your choice. Joey Yap did not mention this because I think all who received this information at the seminar already paid for the seminar tickets (unless you got free seats). For the rest of you who did not attend the seminar but receive this information from this blog post, please make a donation before you use these dates. Thank you!

This ends my posts on Joey Yap's Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar 2015. I hope you find the information useful. Or at least you had fun reading. Haha! Here's wishing everyone a Happy Year of the Wood Goat!

My Vietnamese Lunch At KOTO Restaurant

February 9, 2015, 9:30 am

≫ Next: 2015 Chinese New Year Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 1)

≪ Previous: Feng Shui 2015 According To Joey Yap (Part 3)

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After Ho Chi Minh Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda, the next item on our itinerary for the day was  the Temple Of Literature. It was quite a long walk from One Pillar Pagoda to Temple Of Literature but my friend and I managed it.

When we reached Temple Of Literature, our stomachs were rumbling non stop. We decided to stop by the famous KOTO Restaurant nearby for lunch first.



Located at 59 Van Mieu Street, KOTO Restaurant is actually a cafe cum restaurant that doubles as a hospitality training school for disadvantaged Hanoi youth. It serves Vietnamese as well as international fare.



My friend and I decided to walk up to the top floor of this four-storey restaurant so that we could sit at the open air balcony overlooking the green gardens of the Temple Of Literature.

As we climbed the stairs, we could see bricks on the wall. Each of the bricks has a name on it. I later found out that you can buy a brick as a sponsor for the KOTO project and put your name on it.



KOTO by the way, stands for "Know One, Teach One". Essentially it means learning should be passed on and knowledge shared. You can learn more about KOTO the restaurant, and the story and idea behind it HERE.



Luckily, there were still many empty tables at the top floor. I thought it was a great place to just sit down, have a drink and enjoy the scenery.



From this open air balcony, you can see the gardens of the Temple Of Literature opposite.



You can also see the view of the green surroundings further away from the Temple Of Literature. I would not say it's a very breathtaking sight, but it's good enough for a relaxing afternoon tea, or lunch in our case.



We started our lunch with a drink. We both ordered the same drink - the KOTO Smoothie.


KOTO Smoothie 50,000 VND (US$2.35)

I love this smoothie so much! It's made from a combination of banana, mint and passion fruit. What an awesome delicious drink! Totally refreshing on a hot day and it was not exactly a hot day in Hanoi. (I think the temperature was around 22 degree Celcius).

Both my friend and I also ordered fresh spring rolls with prawn and mango, served with delicious citrus dipping sauce.


Fresh Spring Rolls 90,000 VND (US$4.20)

The spring rolls were heavenly and the sauce was perfectly suited for them.

I have to say that this is the type of sauce I like to dip my spring rolls into. I wonder why Vietnamese restaurants in Malaysia do not use this type of sauce.



Lastly, I ordered the Bun Bo Nam Bo - fresh rice noodles with beef, mixed herbs, peanuts, lime, chili and garlic with marinated tofu and soy sauce. Look at the abundance of ingredients on my bowl of Bun Bo Nam Bo! The slices of beef were hidden beneath.


Bun Bo Nam Bo 110,000 VND (US$5.15)

This is how my bowl looks like after I mixed all the ingredients and sauce. I really enjoyed this Bun Bo Nam Bo. So yummy and delicious!



My friend ordered Bun Cha but I had forgotten to take a picture of it. Anyway, he said it was delicious!

My friend and I came away totally impressed with this restaurant. Although the price was slightly on the high side, the food was excellent and the staff were friendly and helpful.



I will definitely return to KOTO Restaurant again if I ever go Hanoi in future. It's the perfect restaurant to drop by if you plan to visit Temple Of Literature, which incidentally, is what my next post will be about!

2015 Chinese New Year Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 1)

February 23, 2015, 7:30 am

≫ Next: 2015 Chinese New Year Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 2)

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This year, I am a little late in posting about the Chinese New Year decorations in the Klang Valley. But better late than never, right?

Even though the Chinese New Year holidays are over for most people in Malaysia, the celebration continues till the 15th day. As such, I don't think it's too late to take a look at some of the decorations this year.

However, I did not get to visit many shopping malls unlike last year, so this time I shall cover just five major shopping malls in Klang Valley.

Let's begin with Pavilion KL. The Chinese New Year decorations here were impressively stunning as expected. Lots of red lanterns adorned the main entrance of this high-end shopping mall.



As you step into the mall, you can see burgeoning flowers and red lanterns in front leading towards the Main Concourse.



From the top of the stairs, the sight of a giant Golden Goat took centre stage.



Dubbed the biggest goat replica in the Malaysia Book Of Records, this giant golden goat stands at 9.1 metres tall.



I marvelled at the LED-lighted peonies as I walked down the stairs towards the Main Concourse.



The theme for this year is "Peak Of Prosperity". Standing majestically, the Goat signifies triumph and opulence.



I circled round the Centre Court on higher floors to take different shots of the Goat and the beautiful red lanterns.







Is this God Of Prosperity?  So cheerful!



Lots of dazzling peonies!



There's a big prosperity cat - Maneki Neko - at the main entrance, welcoming visitors to the shopping mall. Hopefully, this big prosperity cat will bring in even more customers and fortune to Pavilion KL!



Overall, I think the decorations at Pavilion KL were pretty impressive! What about you?


Next, I went over to Suria KLCC.



I could not remember exactly the theme for this year but it definitely has something to do with drums.



Maybe it was 'Rhythm Of Prosperity' or something.

A closer shot of one of the drums at the front pillar.



Outside at the Esplanade, there was a tall circular structure with red lanterns hanging.



I love the view of the red lanterns with the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in the background.



Do you like the Chinese New Year decorations at Suria KLCC?



You may want to compare this year with last year's Chinese New Year decorations at Pavilion KL HERE and at Suria KLCC HERE. Which did you prefer?

In Part 2, I shall cover the Chinese New Year decorations at One Utama, The Curve and Sunway Pyramid, so stay tuned!

To be continued ....

2015 Chinese New Year Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 2)

February 25, 2015, 5:30 pm

≫ Next: My 2015 Chinese New Year Of The Goat

≪ Previous: 2015 Chinese New Year Decorations In Klang Valley (Part 1)

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Continued from Part 1

The Curve did something different this year. Instead of the usual Chinese New Year decorations, they set up a fishing village!



Called the Xi Yang Yang Fishing Village, it comes complete with sampan boats, fishes and a seafood restaurant!



Yes, there were live fishes inside the man-made 'sea'.



I thought the fishing village theme was rather unique and interesting.



Wooden platforms and houses with zinc roofs made this looked like a real fishing village!







A seafood restaurant by the name of 'Prosperity'.



What do you think of the Chinese New Year decorations at The Curve this year?



I have to give The Curve top marks for this unique idea of a fishing village in the middle of the shopping mall!




Next, I went to Sunway Pyramid.



In line with the theme "Cheery Wooly Spring" there were lots of fluffy sheep in different sizes and colour!



I saw some recycled items from last year, but I guess that was to be expected. Check out last year's Chinese New Year decorations at Sunway Pyramid HERE.



I was not particularly impressed with the decorations at Sunway Pyramid this year.



The sheep may look cute and all, but I really think only kids and small children will like them. What about you?




Lastly, I checked out the Chinese New Year decorations at One Utama. I was a little apprehensive as I was still reeling from the shock and disappointment of their extremely poor Christmas decoration last year.



But I have to say, this year's Chinese New Year decorations were not too bad! Definitely can't beat the grandeur of Pavilion, or the uniqueness of The Curve, but I do think they are better than the sheep at Sunway Pyramid.



At the centre is the God Of Prosperity and he is surrounded by four other deities which symbolize the four different seasons.



A closer shot of the God Of Prosperity.



The decorations behind the God Of Prosperity.



The other two deities on the left and right of the God of Prosperity.



I thought the decorations this year were rather interesting but nothing too impressive.



It's too bad I did not have the time to visit all the other shopping malls in the Klang Valley. I did however visited Paradigm Mall and Tropicana City Mall but the decorations at these two malls were so bad that I did not bother to take any pictures.



You may want to compare this year's Chinese New Year decoration at One Utama with last year's HERE. Which one do you prefer?



Out of the five major shopping malls covered in Part 1 and Part 2 - Pavilion KL, Suria KLCC, The Curve, Sunway Pyramid and One Utama - which one do you think has the best Chinese New Year decorations this year?