How does the position of your furniture affect your life? Does putting a magical necklace on your table enhance the Feng Shui of your house? With a chuckle, Dato' Joey Yap, the founder of Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics exclaims, "It's definitely not about putting a three-legged frog under your bed!"
Dato' Joey Yap has always been interested with every aspect of life. Some of the things that made him ponder when he was a young 15-year old boy were the questions of who we really are, what we are meant to do and whether we can be better people, which were also the reasons why he started reading on metaphysics, which he deems as "one of the few things that seem to have most of the answers."
"I wasn't very serious at first. I was just reading on these issues, regardless of the language, and then eventually picked it up as a habit," he says. His experience in Feng Shui consultancy began when he offered a group of interested Australians some advice on Feng Shui, who later appointed him as a consultant. "It was a training ground for me as I was young and eager to learn. I was at the right place at the right time. I avoid providing theoretical aspects alone. I was and still am driven by the need to create the results. Had I started in Malaysia, or any Asian countries, I probably wouldn't be here today because the expectation is higher here. Since they have the background knowledge, they might expect immediate results, unlike Australians, who gave me that space to relax, learn and follow-up," he recalls.
Brief Historical Fact!
During the Cultural Revolution in China under the leadership idealist, Mao Zedong, the prominence of traditional Chinese culture, such as paper art, calendar, and classical literature was eradicated. Metaphysics, such as fortune telling and Feng Shui too, were suppressed-which is the reason why you may find the masters of such fields dispersed across the world.
Along the line, Joey also realised that education is an important thing. "Some people had been asking me how to control people using Feng Shui. I can't control other people, but I can help you learn how to control yourself. That's why this study is about how you can become a better person, utilising your potential and the environment. That's what metaphysics is about, roughly. There's nothing magical about it. It's also the reason why the motivation to educate kicked in," he says.
He then started his foray into teaching and empowering in Los Angeles in the year 1999. Then he went to Germany. Referring to the experience in these foreign countries, Joey comments, "It's practical there, because you couldn't advise these people to put odd things around your house, or you'll get scolded. They do not discriminate your age either."
"During the period of early consultation, I saved a lot of money. With my savings, I bought more books and attended courses with different practitioners in a few countries. That's why I went to Hong Kong or Taiwan: To meet metaphysics masters. To learn," recounts Joey.
Travelling was not an issue to this curious man. The only problem he had was money, because these masters required expensive fees! Joey shares that if you want to learn metaphysics with these experts, you have to be their indoor student, or at least, you have to prove your worth. "To do that, I spent thousands of ringgit, amounting to at least a few millions," Joey recounts. "From some of them, you may learn a LESSON. That's why I can write so many books, because with these experiences and access to information, I know what is workable and what is not!"
MODERNISED CLASSICAL CHINESE FENG SHUI
"In this industry, anyone can call themselves a master whether you are skilled or not. I don't' call myself a master. I am a consultant," opines Joey.
Joey has established two main companies, namely Joey Yap Research International and Joey Yap Consulting Group. The former arm is in charge of education, and offers programmes where people can save their time by getting the right information. The latter assumes the role of an advisor, which offers coaching services to help people make the transformation in life, either through their self or properties.
For a clearer picture, Joey explains that Feng Shui acts like a tool to help you discover your inner strength. "If you don't know who you are, you don't know what you possess in terms of strengths of character etc. If you don't know what you have, you wouldn't, therefore, know what to give. That's why a lot of people are takers. Once you've discovered what you have, you can then give. When you want to make more of the same thing, you can multiply.
You want to add value to your life and others', so when people see you, they'll be happy. That's self transformation," Joey describes.
He also explains that for those who want to invest, the toughest part for them is the decision making process. "We don't tell them whether to invest or not, we only advise them on the consequences of doing them, according to research and empirical data (pattern on investment activities) done on them. In the end, they will decide whether they would or wouldn't."
Joey's approach in Feng Shui is quite distinctive in the sense that it is more practical and real. "One day, I was told that if I want to make my children obey me, I have to put an elephant statue under my bed. That's ridiculous," he laughs. Joey explains that real Feng Shui, will enable you to understand your children better, and you'll be a better parent. Putting things around the house, according to him, is also not Feng Shui. Feng Shui is all about the flow of energy (Yin & Yang), which comes from nature. "You have to understand the principles of energy and utilise them to support you," explains Joey.
FENG SHUI TIPS
An example of Feng Shui is the positioning of your door, which involves the question of which door should be the door of your ROOM. It is a more important decision to make rather than deciding on the placement of your furniture at home, because you can basically put your furniture according to your preference. The most essential aspect of Feng Shui is to capture the Qi through systematic ways.
Joey discloses that if you're looking for properties, you could adopt a simple Feng Shui step of finding a location near water. There are two types of water: one being the real water that flows; and the other being virtual water, an example of which is roads. Both of these types of water carry energy. "If you look at Mid Valley, which is located near a flowing river, the prices keep going up. If you can't find properties around a body of water, such as lake or a river, find ones near the junctions of main roads. KLCC and Sungei Wang are two examples of places where major roads interconnect," he reveals. It shows that unobstructed, easy access to main areas is one of the most crucial elements when deciding where to buy your properties. Joey further explains: "So if you have a place where the flow is excellent, the properties there will be sold fast, the business will do well, and the prices will simply go up."
To developers, the main objective is to sell off their units, therefore, "Feng Shui would be able to identify the most fitting type of properties that they should build in that area, types which appeal to most of the people there." From this perspective, Feng Shui is used to assist them to sell. The data provided by his consultation group is completely different from market research as they will only conduct research on what kind of Feng Shui would work for different projects, which suits the current market. Among other decisions that can be assisted by utilising Feng Shui is the decision of which direction the proposed properties should be facing, as well as the connectivity of the roads (landscape) to and from the projects.
FENG SHUI IN INVESTMENT
"I remember one day, the owner of the college I studied in advised me to pursue my dreams (even though he knew my father wouldn't be so pleased back in the day). Today, this friend is a very wealthy man, who has given me business advice and was the one who helped me be involved into property investment," recalls Joey.
Joey's first attempt in dealing with property was in Australia, when he was 22 years old. However, it was, according to him, a bad deal. Nonetheless he kept trying and is still actively looking for properties these days. Leaning towards commercial units for good rentals, his current portfolio covers properties in Malaysia and Australia.
Apparently, Joey doesn't have a cash-flow strategy, where one looks for properties by looking at rental yields alone. For him, if the location and Feng Shui are good, then it'll have long-term potential, which is the criteria he would weigh the most when purchasing. "People thought that St. Regis KL was too expensive back then (RM 1,900 per sqft). I took a different stance; I knew that the location and Feng Shui were good, apart from it being cheaper from the other international St. Regises. So I encouraged my friends to buy. Today, one square foot costs more than RM 3,000," shares Joey.
Joey advises that people in general should apply some logic into their work. "If you think before you act, you can be reasonably successful. I usually hold my properties, but if there's a need to sell it, I will sell. I will also have a targeted price. If it reaches the targeted price, I'll let it go. If you keep trying to go to the peak, you won't leave much room for other people to make money. So once you get what you want, you exit."
"I think if you're serious, it's a good time for anyone to start investing! If you do some homework and know the basics of Feng Shui, it will help you identify which area will boom in the next three to four years. So what's stopping you now? Unless of course, you want to flip, which I won't advise you to, because you obviously won't get that much profit because of the RPGT. But if you really need to do that, be mindful that you will still have to pay tax, so it's not a big deal," he offers further.
Joey also shares his personal view on the cooling measures that the government has put in place, saying that "it is good because it takes away all the speculators and ultimately protects the country by avoiding property bubbles. Now you can keep the real players in the field."
OUTLOOK ON THE YEAR OF HORSE
Are you an investor or a speculator? If you're a speculator, obviously, this is not the year for you to play. For investors, this is a great year to invest! If we look at the Feng Shui energy map, there are certain areas that you should look out for, such as Johor, Penang, and Bangi, as most people's attention is there. These areas have that energy. This year, the stars are in these directions, so you'll see a lot of news about these areas. You may use this additional information (booming news) to catch the wave. Some developers are also moving towards these locations. There's no use of only talking about it. You have to go there and explore; see it for yourself!
Fun Facts About Dato' Joey Yap
1) Tell us one thing that people don't know about you.
I like to eat Marie biscuits every night before I sleep!
2) Describe yourself in one word.
Interesting.
3) What's the craziest thing that you've ever done?
I did a parachute jump in Australia! That was crazy.
4) What are your hobbies?
Snowboarding (that includes shopping for the equipment).
5) What's the latest book that you've read?
Name some of your favourite books.
The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. I have so many favourite books! But I can tell you that Seth Godin is a good author, and I like him.
6) What's your favourite food and drink (local and non-local)?
Aside from local food, I really enjoy eating Japanese food. I like green tea, but I also like teh tarik!
7) Best movie ever?
The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). Not The Hobbit! It's not bad, but it's so long (laughs). There are adults in LOTR, unlike the people in The Hobbit movies, who look very small.
8) What's your favourite place in the whole wide world?
I like to go to Japan to relax.
9) Name 1 famous person (dead or alive) whom you'd love to meet and have a chat with.
Nelson Mandela, whom I had met and chatted with in 1999. I was introduced to him by a student, but I didn't really know him at that time. I saw him many times on TV, though! After I met him, I did some research and thought, "Wow, this guy is good." If given the chance, I would've talked to him in a much different way. At the age of 22, we don't know the value of sacrifice.
10) Do you have any regrets in life?
I would've spent less of my money on fancy things. It's not good to flaunt because you'll lose your friends along the way.
11) What was your ambition as a child? Has that changed?
I didn't have any ambition, to be frank. I just wanted to be happy! There was too much stress when I was a kid-have to study for exams lah... Especially SPM.
12) Growing up, who influenced you the most?
My dad and my friend whom I mentioned before.
13) What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?
There are too many silly things to talk about!
14) If you had RM 10,000 and you had to spend it by midnight, what would you do, apart from giving it away to charity?
If I had RM 10,000, I wouldn't give it to charity. My way of doing it is to educate people. I remember the amount of time my friend had spent teaching me the things I know today; it was priceless, definitely more than RM 30,000. That made me promise to myself, "If I ever made it, I will also light more candles."
15) If you could have a dream house anywhere in the world, where would it be and what would it look like?
I will stick to Malaysia. I love this country! It has a lot of opportunities for everyone, and I've seen them. A lot of people who haven't gone out there haven't seen these opportunities, so they stay in Malaysia and complain. But if you go out there and look at other countries, we have many opportunities that many others don't have.
|