Of Life and Death - and the courage to open the Door of Change

Happy Sunday everyone!

First off, thank you again to all readers and clients out there for reading my posts and supporting me! Without your support and encouragement, I would have given up my foray in the realm of metaphysics and my other love, facilitation and teaching....Oh! and not forgetting reading all my dusty books collected from various book fairs :)

A lot has happened since my last post, hence my 'blog silence' for a few weeks. I had a wonderful tarot reading consultation with new clients (I hope they thought so too!) and made new friends who were not only my teachers in facilitation techniques but had an interest in metaphysics as well! I was busy reading their palms during our coffee break sessions, to the point the class began rather late, but it was fun and they had a great laugh :) On the other hand, I also received sad news from three close friends, all of whom were going through major life challenges, 2 of whom involved death of a beloved family member and 1 who had a separation. This year has been a tough year as well for all Malaysians, in the wake of the MH 17 and MH 370 tragedies.

At the same time I've seen friends and families venturing more confidently into their career or having a positive paradigm shift in their mindset. I enjoy spending time with the younger generation who are just entering their mid-twenties (their energy and enthusiasm are contagious!) and the older generation passing on their wisdom and being a great role model on what it takes to be patient. I also enjoyed the experience of being in a highly-charged positive Qi area, thanks to the formation of good Feng Shui land forms - one in Kuala Lumpur and one in Penang - which sealed my belief in the existence of Qi.

As we are nearing the end of they year (as my mum used to say that when the -ber months come, time passes by very fast!), I reflected on all that has past this year and ask myself what I can learn from it and what I can pass on to others. During my Tarot 2014 reading which I did with my friends back in December 2013, the theme card which I pulled was 'The Hangman'.

My friend who read my cards, shared 2 things will happen to me: I will have a paradigm shift in my life perspective and I will have problems with my ankle. Both came true for me (he was naturally anxious when I told him, a few months later, that I fell and tore my tendon at my ankle joint) and I became less anxious about 'chasing' after material gains in life. Both I am thankful for as I am now practicing 'walking meditation' by carefully placing one foot forward, mindfully observing where each step lands (less I fall again!) and gaining a deeper respect for the journey that all of us will faced in the end- death. Yeap, serious stuff for a blog reading on Sunday, of all days, but as Brad Pitt once said in the film 'Meet Joe Black' - Nothing is certain except death and taxes.

One of my religious teachers shared that nothing exist on its own; everything is interconnected or assembled and therefore can be disassembled. Hence, for example, a person who is jealous of someone's success, often filter the perception into one statement 'Oh, he/she became so wealthy because he/she was lucky, etc'. However, the variable complexities that led to the said person's success could have been luck, but also a hundred other factors throughout his/her life (or past lives) which led to his/her success. I would sum it up as your very own Book of Life - which leads me back to my original point: To truly understand how to enjoy a meaningful life we must first acknowledged our relationship with death. 

Most, if not all, fear death...but birth and death comes naturally in our daily life - birth of a new career, loss of a cherished job, birth a family member, loss of a good friend - the list goes on and on. An accumulation of these fears would naturally prevent someone from moving on to a new 'life'. I've seen it over and over again, including myself, and it pains me even more for those who see the 'door of change'  but afraid to turn the doorknob, despite showing so much resentment of their current life and a huge potential to 'blossom'. However, on the other hand, I've celebrated with those who not only turn the doorknob, but leap forward with such speed that they attained whatever they've always wanted within 2-3 years. So my question to you is - what is your relationship with death?

This is the tarot death card, which often invokes a negative reaction among my clients. However, I will quickly reassure them that it is a card which celebrates the 'death of the old you' and 'birth of a new you'. Noticed the priest and child who respects the presence of Death with the knowledge that the birth of a new dawn is coming, and the fallen man who loss his crown which is often equate to loss of ego. How often do we cling on to our personal beliefs that define our ego, preventing us from embracing a new path in life?

To let go of ego, it can start with a simple gratitude and thanks of what life has offered you.

I end this post by accepting the 'gratitude challenge' from a friend (not ALS bucket challenge :)) and hope that you, the reader, will also follow suit. 

1) I'm grateful for my love of learning - which has led to me learn from all avenues; learning from my young nephew that it's ok to dance whenever you want to or from the various teachers and mentors I met this year who taught me the power of 'opening your mouth to ask'.

2) I'm grateful to have met wonderful people - those who share the same passion of learning and those who, by making life difficult for me, taught me lessons I won't forget and made me a better person

3) I'm grateful for simple things in life; breathing, enjoying a simple hawker meal, assembling lego toys, catching up with old friends...I need to add more to this list! Haha!

Have a great Sunday!

_____________________________________________________________________

Regina Ong has always considered herself a normal 9 to 5 working gal until she 'stumbled' upon the exciting yet quirky world of metaphysics. She is currently learning and providing consultations in areas of Classical Feng Shui, Tarot reading, BaZi life chart reading, palmistry and occasional face reading. She will soon be learning the art of Qi Men Dun Jia, an art which was rumored to be  practiced by one of her favourite and respected China militant strategist from the famed Three Kingdom period; Zhuge Liang.

Besides being a practitioner of metaphysics, she has great interest in facilitation (an art of weaving organic thoughts or discussions) and other weird stuff (e.g figuring out what people search on Google).

The last time she was this 'weird' was when she recently enjoyed doodling during a creative recording jam. 

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin

Good day folks! First, a big THANK YOU to my readers out there :) Secondly, a big kudos for reading my last blog entry till the end, as I was told by some it was pretty long…hehe (mischievous laughter). I tend to write based on what I feel inspired at that moment, and I feel that by 'cutting' my stories to a few parts and publishing in several sequences may result in the reader not connecting with the flow. But that's just me, and I will be mindful to keep it to a reasonable length, which according to other blog writers, is about 550 to 1000 words. Whew! Ok, challenge accepted :) By the end of this paragraph, I’ve used up 120 words!

It’s been interesting for me to observe reactions from family and friends who knew me before I started this conquest on learning everything about metaphysics! On a whim, I forwarded my blog link to those who are not heavy FB users (bless them!) and the next time they bump into me, they would give me the queer eye and asked me when did I get myself into this? I wonder if their reaction was due to the mere thought of how strange that someone like me would be doing something like this. I have to admit that if someone told me just 3 years back, that I’ll be doing what I’m doing now, I’ll also be giving that person the ‘queer eye’.

However, as I started to learn about tarot, palmistry, BaZi, face reading and Feng Shui, I was surprised to see the connection and timing which led to my current path. All had signs that I would dabble in the strange yet humbling world of metaphysics. But all are just signs, and the mastery of each of these studies requires perseverance, discipline, openness, confidence and even timing.

For all this traits, I admit that I have problems in all areas, especially on discipline, openness and confidence. On openness, I claim to be ‘open’ but yet retreat to a ‘that’s not true!’ shell when someone gives me a constructive feedback. Yup, still a loooong journey for me on that one! But no excuses!! On the other part of openness, I recently started to explore learning from Western and Hindu teachers in the art of metaphysics. It ‘tickled’ my brain just by interpreting the lessons and teachings from these teachers. I would say that their thought-processes provided a different yet similar filter or interpretation on the various arts of metaphysics.

It’s an interesting revelation for me, although it should have been duh! obvious to me from the start to consider exploring various teachings of the same subject and from there, find out which one I connect to the most. One of the great teachers in my religious beliefs often preached to us that we should be curiously hungry to explore all kinds of religious belief before settling down on a chosen religion. We would nod our head with agreement, and yet most, if any would follow his advice. In my current day job, where I am responsible for building a leadership program, the senior leaders would also preach the same advice to future leaders – be hungry for information, don’t worry about winning the game, learn and enjoy the process along the way and build new perspectives for a stronger mindset.

As I ponder about this, I consider The Fool card (pic below) from the Tarot deck.

Although I LOL when I saw this version of The Fool card:

An interpretation of the card is as follows (excerpt from Biddy Tarot):

“The Fool is a card of potential, new beginnings and innocence. It represents the beginning of all creativity and a desire to accomplish new goals. The Fool represents the need to set forth on a new journey, one that is completely unknown and will take you to uncharted territories. This is all about new experiences, personal growth, development and adventure. The Fool asks you to take a ‘leap of faith’ and to trust in the Universe in that if you begin a new journey, you will find success.”

The Fool is numbered 0, and does not have a specific place in the sequence of Tarot cards. 0 also means unlimited potential, signifying new beginnings, innocence, spontaneity and a free spirit. What this means to me is that in any point of your life (even if you’re 79 years old!), it is ok to start from 0 and know that you are discovering a new YOU that you have not discovered before.

As I end this blog, I would like to invite you to reflect on where you are now in life (hmm, I seem to be doing this for a couple of blogs) – have you accepted that this is all life has to offer you (job, home, etc), or are you hungry for more? As the late Steve Jobs used to say – Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. To my well meaning family and friends who are worried about my sanity in dabbling with the world of metaphyscis, just know that I’m like The Fool, hungry for new adventures and feeling a little foolish (in a good way) of what may come.

Have a great weekend!

Ps: On a side note, I completed this blog in less than 900 words. Yay!

Pss: On another side note, a big THANK YOU to my husband for offering free proof-reading services for my blogs 

_____________________________________________________________________

Regina Ong has always considered herself a normal 9 to 5 working gal until she 'stumbled' upon the exciting yet quirky world of metaphysics. She is currently learning and providing consultations in areas of Classical Feng Shui, Tarot reading, BaZi life chart reading, palmistry and occasional face reading. She is still debating if she has enough 'brain room' to learn coffee & tea leaf reading (Note: Not related to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cafes :P). 

Besides being a practitioner of metaphysics, she has great interest in facilitation (an art of weaving organic thoughts or discussions) and other weird stuff (e.g figuring out what people search on Google).

The last time she was this 'weird' was when she started collecting minion figurines, even the ones from McDonalds. 

In awe of ancient teachings and gratitude for passing on this teachings to help others

Hello everyone! I know, I know...the title sounds utterly boring and long. :) However, I was compelled to write this after meeting a friend whom I did a BaZi life chart consultation a few months back. Back then, one of the key areas I brought up for her was that she would be entering a period of change soon which would be beneficial for her and require some form of travel. She was doubtful at first, given she had not thought to change her career path. Recently, she invited me out for lunch to share with me that yes, she had just recently taken on an interesting career opportunity which would require her to travel almost every quarter and its aligned to her career path. I'm very happy for her, as I can see more conviction and confidence in her voice on where she wants to progress in her career, compared to before. I'm also humbled she is one of a few, not many, but a number of folks who had personal breakthrough stories of how the BaZi life chart or tarot reading had came true for them and 'open' their eyes to possibilities they were never aware of. I am humbled because I'm a mere messenger of this great teachings, regardless of its origins or the skepticism that naturally occurs for some people . However, the more opportunity I have to learn this knowledge, the more aware I am of its power; as Peter Parker's uncle once said "With great power, comes great responsibilities". 

Uncle Ben having a heart-to-heart talk with Peter Parker
(Source: Spider Man movies)

Still, it is really wonderful to hear these stories from my friends, and as our sifu Dato Joey Yap once said, "I am not in a metaphysics business but in a 'Life Transformation' business!"

Some friends have asked me if it made sense for me to be learning so many forms of metaphysics studies. It can be overwhelming, but the knowledge I have on several of the field, which includes BaZi, Feng Shui, Tarot, Qi Men, Face Reading and Palmistry (Whew!), does help me to provide a more holistic consultation to my friends or clients. I just found out there is a terminology for this (No, it's not 'Jack of all Trades'). I'm a multi-modality practitioner, consultant and coach. However, I'm at different levels for each of these fields and it requires a lot of confidence, faith and support from a community of friends who are as eager to learn as you are! A shout of thanks to these friends of mine, you know who you are!!

Metaphysics enthusiast, enjoying coffee and each others company

In fact, all this knowledge had helped me to understand myself better and not take life too seriously (a trait I can claim to have PHD certification :)). Besides all of this, it is also my religious beliefs which has helped me to challenge my 'superficial' core values or filters and helped me answer the all important question 'Why am I here?'. But I digress....I'm not here to preach about religion, but rather to encourage you (the reader) to allow yourself to trust in whatever the 'universe' has in store for you, be it good or bad. It's easy to get caught up in our daily hectic lives and assume that we're here to earn a living, pay bills, build a family, support the community, etc....and forget to take a breather and just ask a simple question 'Do I really know why am I here?' Our time here on earth is just a 'blip', and the recent tragedy of MH17 and MH370 proves that life is precious. So don't spend most of your energy complaining about this, bitching about that (yours truly still does it. sigh), in fact take time to reflect on what value you bring to others and let the 'self' (your ego) take a backseat once in a while. 

Ok, I'm getting all philosophical and I can just imagine some of you scratching your heads and having a blank stare. Or worse, rolling your eyes. Yup, caught you doing it with my 'hidden camera'! (Kidding!)

Bart isn't impressed

Where I'm getting at is that I was a bundle of 'nervous energy' (a term I learnt from palmistry readings) and it was due to me expecting a perfect life, perfect job, etc. I have a super high expectation on myself, that (you guess it right) I often fall short of it and punish myself needlessly.

In my previous post, I kinda sound like a desperate person offering free or cheap readings (and only 1 taker! Aiks!), but that's not what I wanted to do. My invitation to you, dear readers ;), is for you to reflect and ask yourself, are you in that point of your life right now where you need some guidance, and you're open to let the 'universe' reveal its answer to you (sorry, subtle marketing here), send me a note and I'll help you find out. If not, check out this incredible speech by Steve Jobs and prepare for your 2015 new years resolution.

Before I end, let me share a little bit about palmistry readings. If you take a look at your hand right now, you should clearly see three distinct lines featured on your palm. They are what we know as head, heart and life line (refer pic below). These 3 major lines are formed since you were 8 weeks old in your mother's womb. This is not a myth and has been proven by science. The lines on your palm tells a story of who you are and your 'hidden' potential; are you full of energy, creativity? Or are you an emotional person, or a person who resents living? Do you have a gift of telling stories, enjoys a 'materialistic' life, have great ambition or have a stubborn mind? Why is it important to know this? You may argue that it's something you're already aware of, but what you may not be aware is that the lines may have subtle changes (e.g signs of upcoming fortune or ill health) due to present actions. The future is not certain, as the lines tell you of a potential story line; the story of your life. You have a chance to make use of what is good, take knowledge of what you can improve vs leaving it to 'fate'. 

Source: Cheiro, Palmistry for All

Besides reading the lines, we can tell the personalities and character of a person just by observing their palm, the ruggedness or softness of its feel, the shape of the fingers and most important, the feature of the thumb. Great leaders that we know of will have a strong, big or long and firm thumb. Check out the shape of Nelson Mandela's thumb (See pic below), notice that it seems a little bit bigger in ratio with his palm? . A large well-made thumb is an outward and visible sign of a strong-willed, determined person, be he man or woman (excerpt from Cheiro: Palmistry for All)

The late Nelson Mandela

Ok, I better end my blog soon or you'll start yawning! I guess I'm trying to make up for the super short blog I wrote last week!

Upcoming blogs will include Tarot, Indian Feng Shui (Vasthu Sastra), Classical Feng Shui, something called Qi Men (super powerful ancient art) and more personal breakthrough stories from myself, friends and clients.

Btw, remember this friend I mentioned at the beginning of this blog? Well, she said I should consider a side career as a journalist or writer for metaphysics studies. Sounds intriguing. Er, any editors out there willing to hire me part-time? Although, I really need to polish up my grammar by reading all the English literature I was 'forced' to read back in school. 

Have a great weekend, folks!

____________________________________________________
Regina Ong has always considered herself a normal 9 to 5 working gal until she 'stumbled' upon the exciting yet quirky world of metaphysics. She is currently learning and providing consultations in areas of Classical Feng Shui, Tarot reading, BaZi life chart reading, palmistry and occasional face reading. She is still debating if she has enough 'brain room' to learn coffee & tea leaf reading (Note: Not related to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cafes :P). 

Besides being a practitioner of metaphysics, she has great interest in facilitation (an art of weaving organic thoughts or discussions) and other weird stuff (e.g figuring out what people search on Google).

The last time she was this 'weird' was when she was a Star Wars fan at age 13 and had a weird habit of watching the Star Wars movies every week. Still, she's glad there will be a new Star Wars movie (Go JJ Abrams!), and 'secretly' wishes to own a lightsaber one day.

Did you know that mountains have 'character' and 'personality traits'? This character defines what kind of Qi Energy they hold

Great Sunday everyone! To my muslim friends, hope you had a great time with your family and friends during the Raya celebrations!!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to muslim friends!

I also want to thank my readers out there for helping me achieve my highest 'blog view' for my last post! (Clap!Clap!Clap!) - ~60+ views!...either that or I've increased the number of FB friends...can't recall :P

Thank you for the support and feedback from my friends! Your support keeps me going and I hope to add a little fun + value to my readers via my blogs. 

Today I'll talk a little about Qi and land forms. I kept mentioning it here and there in my past blogs, without realizing my 'metaphysics' vocab may not be clearly understood by all (Regina slaps her forehead!)

Qi, according to Mr Wiki, is what we believe to be the life force or flow of energy that governs every living being and the surrounding environment or universe. Interestingly, when I 'googled' Qi energy,most of the links are related to Chinese health or Yoga articles.

 Many skeptics may not agree that Qi exists, but then ask yourself, do you agree the mind exist? If yes, point to it. Ah, nope, it's not your brain or your skull. So yeah, you can't see it, but we do agree that the mind exists. Same for Qi...although it may take a little bit of faith and experience to believe its existence.

According to Feng Shui studies, we believe that Qi is 'stored' at mountains or hills and it's energy can be felt by residence who live within the vicinity. For those who may recall, I mentioned that there are five elements in the studies of Chinese metaphysics; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal & Water. The mountains, also reflect the shape and 'characteristics' of these five elements.

For example, check out the mountain formation below. You will notice two 'points' in the mountain ranges.It has a slight curve formation as if replicating the tip of a strong fire. In between the two 'points' the formation of other mountains or hills are not clear, hence they are of the water element. What you're looking at is a combination of both Fire and Water element formation.

Same mountain range, different view - Fire element

Fire mountain is the most powerful of the five elements. Also, it usually represents spirituality and it is common to find temples or religious places within the area. 

Bujang Valley

Interestingly, at the foothills of this mountain range is the Bujang Valley which contains ruins of ancient tomb temples from the Hindu-Buddhist religion, dating back to 2000 years ago. 

Here is another place of great spiritual practice....recognize the mountain formation?

Tibet Potala Palace

That's all for today's post! You've just learn how to spot a Fire Mountain. Yay!!! Haha :) That was how I felt when I started to see mountains equipped with knowledge of the five elements; it gives them a character and personality, and a sense of awe that these mountains have been here million of years ago.  

On a side note, you may asked why I decided to feature Bujang Valley. It was part of our impromptu holiday during the raya break when we decided to sight see around Sungai Petani and Alor Setar area. I spotted the mountain formation along the highway and was curious as to what was nearby. I think my new profession will be 'mountain stalker', which also means I will soon become a 'water formation' inspector :P

Oh yes, and not forgetting (although this is not a food blog - but I can't help it!), as part of our spontaneous trip, we found this yummy-licious bowl of lemon keow teow soup at Sungai Petani. 

However, for my fellow Penang/Malaysian folks, fret not as a friend recommended a place at Raja Uda which is famous for selling this delicacy, which sells out by 9am (Hmmm, I must go and study the 'Feng Shui' of the hawker stall)

Here are the exact coordinates for the Raja Uda Lemon Keow Teow Soup (Slurp!Slurp!)

Ok, back to Feng Shui (Keow Teow, anyone?) Hehe.... I have many stories to share, not only on Feng Shui but on Tarot, BaZi and my new found love, Palmistry! (More on that, i promise :))

I invite curious and eager friends, families, relatives, yet-to-be friends, FB friends to send me a note if you would like me to do a Feng Shui, Tarot or Palmistry reading for you. All I ask in return - please give me feedback (not too strong- I'm still a delicate Yin Metal person ;)) to help me become a better consultant and a better blogger. 

Till the next blog posts!...

What has flying stars, graveyards and Sha Qi got to do with the World Cup? Absolutely nothing! Regina just couldn't think of a better title :P

Regina's Note: My prayer and condolences for the families of MH17 #prayforMY17. This blog was written before the incident but was scheduled to be published this weekend. I hope it can provide some lighthearted moments amid this tragedy.

Glückwunsch an Deutschland! (Hope I said this correctly :P If not, blame Google Translate!)

YAY!! GERMANY WON!! I only started to enjoy football late into the game thanks to my husband, who displayed more interest than usual on the rectangular looking object in our living room - an apparatus (yes, the TV) which he only checks out less than 10 times per year.

Here is a picture of us 'showing off' our allegiance the day after Germany won the World Cup. And no, we were not 'lalang sampai menang' (which means not siding with any group until they won :P)....hehe, we supported Netherlands (Go Robben!) as well, and German (Go Muller,Schweinsteiger, Klose!) had shown consistent teamwork from group stage all the way to the finals.

It had been a good weekend, basking in the euphoria of world cup fever and doing Feng Shui consults for two of my friends.

Yes! I've just completed a wonderful 4-day course on Feng Shui in June. Enjoyed the class immensely (despite the throbbing in my head due to 'info overload') and the company of my fellow Feng Shui practitioners - still going strong in Whatssap chat group!!

Me (in pink shirt) standing next to our trainer and
fellow students for the recent Feng Shui class

It's been a while since my last blog, as I went into a 'valley-like' mild depression status post my wonderful trip to Europe. I had to sort things out, emotionally and mentally, over these past two months on a couple of issues, including whether I should continue pursuing my interest in metaphysics, hence the 'blog silence'. Incidentally, I used the 'law of attraction' or those familiar with 'Qi Men', my 'Chief star' to check my life direction, and the 'Universe' answered back :) It came in forms of unexpected conversations, thank you messages from past clients and strong friend's support - it does help to have friends who are also passionately pursuing the same interest. Thank you if you happen to read this blog, and hope you know who you are :)

Snap shots from our euro trip :)

Ok, back to Feng Shui :) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed learning about Feng Shui. Initially, I was intensely curious to study life charts (or BaZi reading - go Google up BaZi :)) but Feng Shui appealed to me in many ways. For instance, many Feng Shui taboos which have been shared by well-meaning family, friends and relatives turned out to be false! I felt I was in a 'Ripley, Believe it or Not - myth debunked!' class. 

Coming back to what happened last weekend, I decided to follow up on two friends offer's to read their house. I also scheduled a Feng Shui excursion with a few good friends - whereupon the only excursion was to e-gate (a nearby popular eating place) as we talked, learned and shared for many hours in my house! Hence, we will save our real 'excursion' trip for another day :) Great fun!!

During my conversation with friends, I shared briefly about the 'Death and Emptiness' line. You can read the article here by Henry Fong which sums up pretty well what it means. Death and Emptiness or DE is a calculation of the cardinal lines & degree of the earth axis. Houses facing the directions of 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° will be subjected to 'merciless' Qi (Energy), and occupants will face difficulties or challenges in fortunes, health, relationships, etc. This became one of two favorite 'taboo-like' topics during class (the other is known as 8 killings, but more on that later). 

Trivia: There is a shopping mall (fairly new) in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor area which is situated directly in the 'Death and Emptiness' sector. When business got really bad, they called in our sifu, Dato Joey for help and currently the place is doing really well. You may ask, how did he do it? Ah, more on that later - future blogs :)

I truly did not expect that I would have a 'live' encounter with a property which may fall into the the 'Death and Emptiness' (DE) category. A friend of mine was interested to purchase a house in an area near Bayan Lepas, Penang (actual location will not be disclosed to protect my life and my friend's life from the seller :P). He asked if I could do a quick Feng Shui survey of the area. As I arrived at the area, the first thing that struck me was the number of 'For sale/rent' signs at the housing area. There were some new developments within the vicinity, but these houses have been on the market for 3 years. Although I was not able to do the proper and exact reading, I was able to get a general reading and observed that the houses were facing W2, which in the luo pan read at 270 degrees reading - aka Death and Emptiness line. One may argue that to get the exact reading would produce a slightly different result, however a difference of a few degrees while technically is ok, I would not recommend as it's too close for comfort.

Talking about readings, let me introduce my fellow assistant - I call it my 'baby' luo pan (no, it's not a fruit), measuring 4" x 4"

Luo Pan (Feng Shui Compass)

I shared my findings with my friend, including other observation which needs to be considered in Feng Shui; land forms like mountains, 'Sha' or Killing Qi (Energy) and presence of surrounding buildings. I also found out from him that the property price has not increased that much, when compared with other properties around the area. Hence, I hope that my findings would help him make a better decision on whether to proceed with the house purchase.

This friend also ask me if there is any concern to stay near places of worship (e.g temples), graves or hospitals. My response to him was not to worry :)  Places of worship have 'yin' nature and environment, which means it's a place where people go to seek tranquility and blessing. Thus, the qi or energy level may not be balanced but it should not be an issue for occupants living nearby. As for graves, which falls under another powerful study of Feng Shui whereby descendants will receive both good or bad Qi- the qi would have been absorbed by the bones (yeah, creepy right). So you can stay near but receive no Qi. Hospitals is also of no concern, except for the ever prevailing siren noise....hmm, which can also be a Sha or Killing Qi given the constant noise.

Land forms: Mountain formations

For my other friend, I had a very good 'feeling' (cue the 'Feelings' song by Morris Albert) the moment I step into the vicinity of his condominium and his unit specifically. The area was nicely surrounded by land forms of small hills and mountains, providing a sense of peace and quiet environment. As I referred to my trusty luo pan and checked the facing direction, I was pleased to see the formation of good flying stars (Feng Shui formula) in the center of his house. Incidentally, my friend has the tarot soul card 'High Priestess' (no, don't think funny thoughts ya) and is highly intuitive as well. He himself felt a good vibe and would often spend time in the areas which had good stars. I advised him to place a nice water feature in the center of his house to be ready to 'collect' the qi as it 'enters' his unit. Interestingly, my advice contradicts with his other friend's advice (also a Feng Shui practitioner from a different Master). I told him the only way to find out is to 'activate' the area on a good day, and see if any good or bad things happen to him. Worse case, he gets a bad flu or a sprain, if I'm wrong (I hope not!). 

So ends a chapter of flying stars, graveyards and Sha Qi.

Stay tuned for upcoming stories on tarot soul cards and Feng Shui land forms.

What is the 'mind'? Who is the 'self'? How big is the 'ego'? Regina is on a quest to find out....

Hello everyone! Happy weekend! 

Been a while since my last blog as I've been busy with my day job...which lately also became my night and weekend job. :P You get the point! In fact, last night, I was dreaming about what emails I needed to send that when I woke up this Sat morning my fingers were itching for my 'work' laptop!! I'm now in my parent's home in Kuala Lumpur, approximately 350km away from my 'work' laptop. Yeah!! You know you're thinking about work too much when your husband reminds you about your wedding@couple anniversary. I can't believe I almost missed it! Oh, and my husband still owes me a 'very expensive gift' which he had pledged (during our wedding) to give every year....but he was kinda forced to say it by my cheeky lady friends, haha :)

Ok, now back to the title at hand....I'm pretty sure when you click to read my blog, you're not here to listen to my ramblings....but just in case you say 'ohmygosh, that sounds like me, and is it April already? Gasp!' - time for a break ya. 

I was glad when one of my Tarot group friends, Jay, rang up a few days ago and asked for a practice session. We recently learned 2 new spreads and haven't had the chance to practice. In fact, Jay is wayyyy busier than I am; both of us looked tired and stressed out (if he's reading this, Jay, remember to take a break :)), but we had great fun with the Tarot spreads :) In fact, we had people who crowded around our table, drawn by curiosity and one was game enough to have his cards read by yours 'fumbling' truly. After all, my fingers spent more time writing emails lately vs reading tarot spreads.

Here is a sneak preview of how a tarot spread looks like. 

This is a 'relationship' reading spread. And no, it's not just about boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, it can also be about your relationship with your client, your boss, your co-worker, your parent, etc. This is my spread and you can see that the left side spread looks bright and yellow, while the right side spread looks a little dark with 'fighting' pictures. Left is how I view the other person (quite positive), right is, er...ho hum, how the other person view me. You can say I felt a stab in my 'ego' after seeing this....I thought I did the right thing with this person by being open about some awkward issues I've seen. Jay, who was reading my spread, advised me not to be too strong-headed which could be due to me wanting to make things right the way I (capital I) want it...yup, that's my ego talking.

As I reflect on this, I link it back to a talk I recently attended by a well known Rinpoche; His Eminence Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. He had directed the movie 'The Cup'

He spoke about the 'first' education that we must educate our children; the first word, the first page in their text book, is about educating them about their 'self' and their 'mind'. Our modern education, or any form of education, according to rinpoche, is in a way, a form of brainwashing. It is important to have a teacher or parents with high values and good integrity, because he/she will be doing the 'brainwashing'. If the 'mind' is not strong, there is no filter, so whatever comes in is accepted. Reflect a bit about this.......but then, you may ask me, how is this related to 'ego'?

For those who may have heard of Tony Robbins, he spoke about a 'Belief table'.

What he meant to say, is that whatever beliefs you currently have, it's been conditioned in you since young - depending on where you grew up, who your parents are, who were your friends, what you read/saw/learn when you're a child..and the list goes on. If you had a belief, for example, that rich people are mean and greedy? This could be due to all the factors that shape your beliefs (see the table legs in pic above). For me, that is a belief that still holds true for me, believe it a not. I try to keep rationalizing it to myself, as my logical brain would tell me 'That's ridiculous!', but my heart & mind will still have this nagging sensation whenever I meet a person who is wealthy. Despite attending so many seminars on personal mastery, I still have this in me. Why? Because of the environment I grew up in (parents were struggling financially), events (some of our rich relatives were not very friendly, but as a kid, I was easily 'brainwashed' to equate 'not friendly' = 'meany'), and I think watching HK drama series as a kid wasn't helping either. So does this help me to aspire to be financially secure? Most likely not.....Why? Because how can I aspire to be someone that I dislike? Get it? (wink!)

So why is this important? Because, part of our ego is shaped by our belief systems. If you do not question yourself (with a child-like curiosity) on what is a 'mind' and 'self', you may think that you don't have an ego. Isn't it true that no one likes criticism? But ask yourself, are all your opinions, all your thoughts, all your ideas, a fact or just a story? 

My husband, who is a very nice guy and has high ambitions, often doubts himself. And he may not agree with me, but he holds his father as a strong role model - in fact, his father is doing quite successfully in both career and finance. His role models have a strong influence on his belief systems.Whenever we have an argument about an opinion, he would often refer to his father or someone he looks up to as a reference point which often frustrates me. If I want to go shopping, for example, he would advice me to be as frugal as Warren Buffet. He does this sub-consciously that we even have an argument about it! I keep trying to tell him that it's HIS perception of what THEY think...but is he right? Are they always right? But then again, me wanting to be right is also, alas, my ego talking again.

Ok....that's all for today. Hope this topic helps to provide you with some insights. Also, my fingers are giving me strong hints that I need to give them a break....and I think I deserve that RM128++ spa package this weekend!!

Happy weekend everyone!

And, I just want to add that my thoughts and prayers are still with the families, passengers and crew of MH370. I do hope that our wish to find the plane will soon be fulfilled. 

Remembering my grandma....esp now during International Women day events

Good evening everyone! I decided to blog today after attending an event which was part of the International Women's day celebration hosted at the company I'm working for. International Women's day was on March 8, but it was really nice that a small group of volunteers in my workplace hosted a few events to celebrate it not once, but throughout the month :)

Happy Women's Day! Woohoo!

Today's session was a book discussion on 'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg. I haven't read the book - it's on my To Do list of 'Books to read or it will collect dust soon' :P - but I've seen the video of Sheryl talking about women lacking the will to lead. Among the audience today, a few ladies and 'thorns' - i mean guys :) - shared about their personal stories related to this topic. 

What is interesting, which Sheryl shared and confirmed by some of the ladies today, is that women sub-consciously slow down their career ambitions the moment they start to have a baby, or even much earlier, when they just got married. Sheryl highlights that it's very important to have a challenging and fulfilling career, because it's very hard to leave the 'little one' behind at home if you feel demotivated at work - think snoopy with his head on the ground. :) Women need to have that balance, but we intentionally sabotage it by thinking 'Oh, I'm the mother, I need to spend more time at home with the kids. It's my job, career takes a back seat'. Sounds familiar?

As the ladies in the room shared about their struggles at work; should they work hard for a promotion while pregnant with a child, should they volunteer for difficult projects etc....a thought flashed in my mind about my grandmother. In fact, it was a visual image, and the image was that of her name card.

Yup, I found this namecard while clearing my house 2 years back. I think I took it as a souvenir when I was just a kid. My uncle said she's the first business woman in KL back in the 1940s-50s. Not bad for a lady who could not read and write, but she did learn how to count and calculate...very important for business :)

In loving memory of my Grandma...
she passed away a few years ago

My grandma was born around the 1920s (I think) and got married early via arranged marriage. Both my grandparents (my mum's parents) were very poor, and my grandfather had to do many odd jobs, which include tin mining (which was dangerous), trishaw puller (I bet he had big abs!), painting the cinema screens (yeah, cool right?) and finally found his niche repairing bicycles. From bicycles he moved on to selling new and used cars, and my grandmother was instrumental to help his business succeed. 

The ladies who shared their stories, talked about how hard it was to have a kid, much more with 2 kids. My grandma had 6 kids...which was not considered a lot back then (my other grandma had 14 kids...yup...btw, she's super healthy now at the age of 92!). I don't have the full story, I probably need to get it from my mum and uncles, but my grandma did help out with business which lasted over 40 years. In fact, their shop was also their home, and my mum and her siblings would sleep in the 'super tight' attic above the shop. 

My grandma was born in China and came over to Malaysia while still a baby, so we do not know her actual birthdate. It would have been useful to know what was her Day Element. I'm assuming she's a Yang Metal - visualize a picture of an axe. Yang Metal people are hard workers who are true to their family. Among all the elements, they are very tough and can handle large amount of stress. They also enjoy challenges; imagine an axe that constantly needs to sharpen itself to be useful to chop trees.

My uncles and mum had a cantonese saying for my grandma, which is loosely translated as 'steel bones'. The reason was because she was a very tough lady, maybe a little bit controlling, super stubborn at times!! but acted her role as the head of family, especially after my grandfather passed away. So I guess the Yang Metal does fit her personality well :)

That is more on the BaZi birth chart. The other visual that came to my mind was via the Tarot card reading....and the first image that flashed in my mind was 'The Emperor' card

The emperor represents a personality of power and authority; he provides and protects his loved ones. His wisdom is borne through years of experience. He is also a representative of structure and stability. Talking about stability, my grandma worked hard to save money and invest in properties, which if you think back in 1970s and 80s, it's quite rare to find a women who would think about property investment. She did so to also ensure that her children and grand children would be taken care for. In fact, two of her properties are under their care, long after she has gone.

Many years ago, I did a short video animation tribute for my grandfather. Although I wasn't very close with my grandma, I do hope that by retelling her story, in some ways, I'm paying a tribute to her as well. :)

Whew! Super long post but I hope you found her story inspiring :). She did all of the above during a time when there were hardly any women in business or held senior positions in companies. It didn't really occur to me, until today, that she had a very strong character, to the point that even thieves were afraid of her! I'll leave that story for another day (yes, she evaded thieves twice- one whom she kept kicking as he tried to enter the house, the other she er...negotiated with him to leave her house).

Nites everyone!