At the park & Feng Shui

Just down the road, across from Jurong Point is the Central Park. We finally decided to walk through it today...not so exciting, but at least I know now. Juliana had some fun on the zip line and slide, but we lasted all of twenty minutes or so before leaving.
So, another topic on my mind lately is Feng Shui. It's nearly impossible not to experience it in some form or another, since it's a huge part of the culture here in Singapore. Feng Shui is the practice of arranging objects, such as furniture and decorations to help people achieve their goals and avoid bad luck in their lives. In English, the literal translation of feng-shui is wind-water.

We have a couple of things in the apartment right now that we placed according to a compass to follow the beliefs of feng shui. One is the Dragon Tortoise, placed on the desk to bring good luck in your career. The belief is that "With dragon courage and tortoise longevity, a long and successful career await you." I also hung a Five Element Pagoda charm which is believed to fend off any bad luck for the year. The shape of the pagoda also has special meaning...it represents the strengthening cycle of the 5 elements. The bottom, earth shaped, strengthens the metal on top of it. The next shape, water, nourishes wood which feeds the fire on top of the pagoda.

It's amazing how closely people follow the beliefs of feng shui, much like a Catholic follows the ten commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ. It's a way of life for people and they set up the environment in such a way to ward off bad luck and create fortune in their lives. Maybe it will bring us some luck too, who knows!!