A Few Precautions

MIRRORS
Mirrors are among the most useful remedies, but they must be used in the proper
location for mirrors. Never use square mirror tiles that adhere to walls – they break
up images and are considered unhealthy. Never hang a PaKua mirror inside your
home. It must be on the outside of a window or door to deflect poison arrows.
Keep them away from your bed and out of your bedroom altogether, if possible.
Keep them in good repair – if they are old, they may need to be re-silvered so that
the reflected image doesn’t show the mirror’s flaws. Never have mirrors hung to
where they are too low and cut your head off or you cannot see your head.

DRIED FLOWERS
Dried flowers and arrangements are very unhealthy to have in your environment.
They are dead, and consequently have that meaning wherever they are placed. Use
fresh flowers (but keep the water fresh and dispose of when they start to wilt) or
silk flowers instead. Scented potpourri is dried flowers and should not be used in
the home.

WATER
Water can be very beneficial, but it can also be detrimental if it is placed in the
wrong area. Be sure to follow the tips in this book.
Any dripping water from faucets, drains, roofs, etc., will drain your resources.
Water problems should be fixed immediately, as they are very detrimental to your
financial health.

LIGHT
Burned-out light bulbs should always be replaced immediately, as they are very
detrimental to healthy ch’i. It is a good idea to keep replacement bulbs on hand so
that you are never “without light”!
Our ancestors had a natural feeling for the principles of feng shui,
when you consider the following sayings:
“Cleanliness is next to godliness”
“A stitch in time saves nine”
“Waste not, want not”

Zeta-Jones to be Douglas' Leading Lady in Real Life?

Michael Douglas, after a divorce from his wife of 22 years and a string of affairs, has planned to settle down (again) this year with Catherine Zeta Jones, who is exactly 25 years his junior and pregnant with his child. The exquisitely beautiful Catherine, who shot to stardom after starring as in The Mask of Zorro opposite Antonio Banderas as the spirited Elena Montero (a most apt role!), admits to having a "thing" for older men. "I've never dated anybody the same age as me," quoth she, "I think it's because I love the knowledge older men have." Hmm, but Cathy, even so, isn't Michael a little too old for you?


The Entrapment star gushes that she is "ecstatic, thrilled and very, very happy" with the prospect of marrying ol' Mike. The couple met at the Deauville Film Festival in August 1998 in France and have been dating since March 1999. Now, could this union possibly last? Read on to find out!

Catherine Zeta-Jones (25th September 1969)

Sultry raven-haired beauty, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is the epitome of elegance and intelligence, traits true to the Earth Rooster, her Chinese astrological sign. Quick-witted, clever and sharp as a fencing blade, this lady is a force to be reckoned with! Catherine is forthright and frank like most Rooster ladies, and when challenged, takes the bull by the horns, rarely mincing her words. As a result, she comes across as quite a tough cookie. Beneath that hard facade however, Catherine is kind as can be, seldom holding grudges or scheming to get even.

As with all resourceful, extremely practical Rooster ladies, Catherine appreciates things that are tangible. She will not be wooed with empty declarations of love and romantic poetry, preferring cars and yachts and real estate (that explains her delight at the enormous diamond ring Michael gave to her!). This powerful lady tends to attract weaker men, but it is the strong who will make her melt!

Michael Douglas (25th September 1944)

Michael Douglas was born in the year of the Wood Monkey. Oozing charm and good intentions from every pore, Michael is more like the charismatic, adorable rogue he played in Romancing the Stone rather than the ruthless, arrogant and aloof Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. In fact, like his other Monkey brothers, Michael is generous, outrageous and loud, immensely likeable with rather good sense of humour, never taking himself too seriously.

In love, the Monkey gentleman is the most extravagant suitor of the Chinese Zodiac. He woos his ladylove with jewels and furs, the best champagnes at luxurious restaurants and expensive nights out at the opera. But will all that be enough for Catherine?

Celluloid Chameleon : Nicolas Cage

He has been identified as one of the most versatile actors of our time. He is an award-winning actor, an action star, a serious character player and a sardonic comedian, all rolled into one. He's the nephew of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. He's also the guy who's famous (or should that be infamous?) for eating a live cockroach in the bizarre film, Vampire's Kiss. This extraordinary man is none other than Nicolas Cage.

Nick made his first few TV and movie appearances under his real name Nicholas Coppola, but when some suggested snidely that he was only getting roles because of his name, he quickly changed it. He chose the name Nicolas Cage, after his favorite comic book character, Luke Cage. Armed with his new name, Nick was determined to make it in Hollywood as an accomplished actor in his own right. "I had to convince myself I had some value of my own apart from my family lineage. It would have been easier in Hollywood if I had kept the Coppola name."

After making more than 30 movies during a turbulent career of many triumphs ( Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off, Con Air, The Rock ) and occasional disappointments ( Fire Birds, a Top Gun rip-off), Nick is the proud owner of an Oscar, a Golden Globe award plus a host of other awards for Best Actor for his role in the low-budget, independent movie, Leaving Las Vegas.

Profile
Name
Nicholas Kim Coppola @ Nicolas Cage

Birthdate
7th January 1964

Birthplace
Long Beach California


Seductive Mr. Snake Eyes was born in the year of the Water Rabbit. Always suave and charming, Nick is probably often described by the people who know him as a very nice guy. However, he has an innate ambition for social success and is very skilled at networking. He knows what to do to fit in with the right level of society, and having a good image is very important to him.

Nick is also known as a very quirky and eccentric person, which is uncharacteristic of most Rabbit men. On the other hand, he is an actor, and all this weirdness could be just a part of the persona he carefully cultivates to be a success in his métier.

Nick is very shrewd about people, and is an excellent judge of character. Although he may seem accommodating on the surface, he is actually an expert at manipulating others to his advantage. In fact, he can rather materialistic and self-centered if you can look beyond the undeniable charisma he exudes so effortlessly.

There is no room for impulsiveness in his life, as Nick likes to plan every move and decision in very carefully. He does not blindly take on all those diverse roles that have earned him the reputation of being something of an acting chameleon: "I've made it my purpose to embrace every style of expression in my acting, and to change not only characters but genres."
Catch the talented Nicolas Cage next in The Family Man and Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Would You Pay US$ 95 Million For This?

More to the point, would you hang something like this as a decorative piece in your home? Will something like this – an acknowledged masterpiece – bring good or bad feng shui into your home? Wouldn’t this lopsided perspective of a woman purported to have meant a lot to the artist create the energy of a grotesque caricature? Surely art in the home should bring joy, pleasure, inspire and soothe the senses rather than cause disturbing thoughts. And so, can something like the pictures here possibly be good feng shui? You be the judge!

It was reported in early May that this portrait painting by Pablo Picasso, one of several painted of Dora Maar, arguably the favourite of his four mistresses - the woman who infl uenced him the most during the late 1930s and early 1940s - was successfully auctioned for $95.2 million by famed auction house, Sotheby’s.

This recent revival of interest in Picasso prompts us to delve a little deeper into one aspect of his life – his relationship with Dora Maar and the series of paintings the relationship inspired. It seems that this relationship caused Picasso to unleash all the deepest passions he generated onto the canvas.


This latest successful sale of a Dora Maar painting will surely cause many other paintings of Dora Maar to surface... and there are many of them around.

Several years ago, the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia presented an Exhibition of Picasso and Maar as partners in a remarkable “creative dialogue” that spanned 10 tumultuous years. The show was entitled Picasso: Love & War 1935-1945 – and it featured Maar as a talented photographer who inspired a whole series of harrowing Weeping Woman portraits. The early pictures show a smiling happy Maar and that is when they make her look beautiful, but towards the end of the relationship when Picasso left her for someone else, he succeeds equally in capturing the depths of her misery – resulting in the horrifying series of paintings of Weeping Woman, one of which we showcase here. Surely this is exactly the kind of image you must never hang inside your home? Surely it will create a situation of great unhappiness in the home as it has such powerful energy of sadness?

We present several more portraits of this enigmatic woman who was herself a creative genuis.

Dora Maar died in 1997 but the image of her weeping and of her happy will forever mesmerize Picasso’s zillions of fans in the art world.

It is not surpirsing that the 95 million dollar price tag (one of the highest ever recorded in the auction world) ranks second to another Picasso piece, “Garcon a la Pipe,” which was also sold by Sotheby’s for over $104 million in May of 2004.

Feng Shui World Latest Issue

Foremost on everyone’s minds this last month has been the Beijing Olympics. Everyone’s talking about the spectacular show China put on for the world especially the fabulous opening ceremony which has certainly set new standards for future Games. China has successfully showcased its very rich and symbolic traditions of old and new to the millions of viewers that tuned in from around the world. The Olympic Games remind us that if teamwork, sportsmanship and honour prevail, it can lift us out of the doldrums, even if only for a brief but brilliant two weeks. But let it not stop there; let us instead allow ourselves to be inspired!

Our lead story this issue features the rich symbolism on display at the Beijing Show where symbols, which have always been at the heart of Chinese culture, were created to showcase the diverse heritage of China. We feature also the golden stars of China – the highly talented crop of Olympic heroes and heroines have collectively and at time of printing harvested an astonishing 43 gold medals. While there were history-making moments of true glory, there was also heartbreak at the Games – when China’s athletics star Liu Xiang succumbed to injury and dashed the hopes of an expectant nation along with it – but that’s the reality of sports, and of life – you have yin and yang, ups and downs, but you can pick yourself up again, to battle on another day.

Turning to practical feng shui side, this month we have some great articles and ideas for you to use should you be decorating or building your own house. We feature a gorgeous house in Bangsar where architect and owner worked hand in hand to create the kind of home you’d be proud to show off to anyone – and with such attention to detail, the feng shui has not been left to chance either. Lillian Too meanwhile brings some good advice to those living on a slope. Many homes, especially those with breathtaking views, sit on undulating land. While such locations can be auspicious, they are also tricky to build. She gives some valuable pointers.

One of the aims of feng shui is living the good life, so we rarely forget the glitz and glamour. Check out our feature on celebrity babies whose exclusive pictures sell for astronomical sums. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt lead the pack here, successfully selling pictures of their latest twins for millions of pounds. We also bring you Anna Wintour, arguably the world’s most powerful lady in fashion. Books have been written and movies made inspired by her story and personality, and she continues to dictate how the world should look and dress. Nothing wrong with following a trend if the trendsetter has good taste!

Around the world, interest in feng shui continues to grow; we constantly find yet more examples of feng shui being cleverly applied and creatively adapted to modern living. Commercial photographer Martin Vrabko of Slovakia for instance uses his skill to create giant sized photographic prints to bring auspicious scenery into the home and office, while Victoria Evangelina tells how she flees Georgia amidst hostile bombing by Russia, with talismans and mantra protection keeping her safe!
As we near the end of the year and 2009 looms ahead, don’t forget to get tickets to Lillian Too’s Feng Shui Extravaganza 2009 where she will give you all the updates and important info you will need to make the most of the Earth Ox year. She will be in Singapore on Sunday 4th Jan 2009, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 11th Jan 2009, Hawaii on 17th & 18th Jan 2009 and Amsterdam on 7th & 8th Feb 2009. Lillian will also be giving the keynote address at the International Feng Shui Convention, happening in Singapore on the 22nd & 23rd November 2008.