The secrets hidden behind Chinese wisdom

Gong Xi Fa Cai! This year’s Lunar New Year was different for the devoted Buddhists. Due to Covid-19, the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple at Waterloo Street was closed early on the eve of Chinese New Year – no more race to be the first to put the incense sticks inside the burner right after midnight to get the best of luck in the coming year.


The answers behind Chinese fortune sticks

When I was relocated to Singapore in 1998, a girlfriend introduced me to this oldest Buddhist temple. She showed me how to use the bamboo fortune sticks to ask Guan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy questions about health, career, family and relationship.

The fortune sticks stored in a holder were numbered 1 to 100. The number could imply an excellent, good, fair, bad or worst fate. According to the number of the fortune stick you picked, the staff in the temple would pass you the right piece of paper with a short Chinese poem written on it. I noticed that the poems were about historical events happened in different Chinese dynasties. They were mostly from the stories in the Three Kingdoms which I knew very well.

Chinese was my best subject in school, including Chinese Literature and Chinese History. So I explained to my friend the meaning of the short poems, the related stories in Chinese history, and the implied answers to her queries. Chinese fortune sticks is not about superstition. The poem itself doesn’t provide any solution. It only works to clarify the facts in your particular situation.

I went back to the temple for the fortune sticks on a few occasions, including once when I encountered a problematic property deal. The answer from the fortune stick was very helpful and I bought the investment property at the end.

I just did a research on some high-profile condominium projects in District 4, 9, 10 and 11 that were launched back in 2007 and 2010. The owners were still under water after over a decade. Some were able to cut loss. Many were still stuck. If only these buyers had run the numbers, and asked the Goddess of Mercy for direction before taking the plunge.

The last time I visited the temple it was so crowded that someone stepped on my shoe and damaged it. I had to limp back home with one good shoe on. It was so traumatic that I haven’t been back since then. Perhaps I should go again. I do have questions about the irrational speculation in some financial markets, and the promise of a speedy economic recovery that is out of this world.

The advice and lessons from ancient Chinese historical events are surprisingly relevant to our times. We see similar incidents happening every day in politics, in companies and in the financial market. Time and technologies may have changed. But human nature and weaknesses, especially greed, fear, laziness and stupidity, never change.


Property secrets hidden behind Chinese idioms

A property investor friend said he had better be careful when talking to me about properties. After we discussed any investment opportunity, I might leak it in my next blog post or youtube video.

Obviously, I was being wrongly accused of doing something I never did. It reminds me the reason why best-selling authors of romance novels do not have many friends. Because we are all afraid of our love secrets being shared in a coming book.

Another investor friend asked me why I keep warning people not to buy the wrong properties at the wrong time. If all homebuyers were rational and cautious, nobody would lose his shirt. Then where can we find fire sales and good bargains next time?

I admit that I like to issue friendly reminders to fellow homebuyers and investors on the tricks and traps in this not-so-transparent property industry. It is in my DNA that I can’t keep mum if I see anyone trying to deceive ignorant people who know less than them. Similarly, the righteous won’t do nothing if they see a disadvantaged victim being bullied by the bad guys.

However, foor good quality and value-for-money homes, I only share in my workshops and online courses. I may have given some “hints” in a few blog posts or youtube videos. But the truth is: Not everyone get it. It is like asking students to do a language comprehension. The paragraphs they read may be the same. But different students have different levels of understanding and their own interpretations.

These days more people are asking me whether they should buy now or not. I guess homebuyers are all looking for a “sign”. To avoid being too explicit (and being blamed by my friends again), from now on I should make use of some Chinese idioms to drop the hints. You can’t read Chinese? I will add the hints in English behind. Let’s skip the original stories and meanings of the Chinese idioms and go straight to the “sign”. Below are some examples off the top of my head:

• 以逸待劳 : Sit back and wait
• 鸣金收兵 : Time to cash out
• 直捣黄龙 : Time to go all the way
• 首当其冲 : The first to decline in value
• 明日黄花 : Obsolete property/strategy
• 集腋成裘 : Crowdfunding
• 奇货可居 : Buy low sell high
• 细水长流 : Buy and hold for the long-term


Answering your property questions

This new year I reviewed my own charts of Zi Wei Dou Shu (Chinese Astrology) and BaZi (Four Pillars of Destiny) to refresh myself on my character and destiny. These ancient Chinese wisdoms based on astrology, calculations and statistics are very good personal SWOT analyses. They serve to remind us our own strengths and weaknesses, so that we know how to avoid the threats in life and when to capture the opportunities in time.

My time of birth determines that I am an honest and selfless person with strong principles. It is also my nature to help others solve their problems. I am suitable to do things that align with this value. Now I understand why my twin sister is a clinical psychologist.

Many have asked me before whether I offer consultation service but I declined their offers. Maybe I should consider it as helping homebuyers to solve their problems and build good karma for myself.

Agents need a CEA licence to advise customers what to buy. On the contrary, I can use my two decades’ of property investment experience and market knowledge to advise homebuyers what they can’t buy.

I am not interested to take any commission, referral fee or benefit in any form from third parties. I don’t have to sell or market any property or property-related services. I can help to clarify the situation, provide the data and my analysis, answer the queries from people who are in doubts, and leave the final decisions to the homebuyers.

Below are what I can help from a fellow homebuyer or property investor’s point of view:

– Suggest housing options based on their budget and affordability;
– Advise whether they should buy now or buy a particular home;
– Compare and comment on two or more projects in the same area;
– Evaluate the investment value of a property;
– Pick the best block, unit or house in a project; or
– Compare layout and floorplans of units or houses.

My consultation service can be done online or face-to-face with an hourly fee. Charging a reasonable fee for my time and professional service can earn the respect from the other party who will also take the advice seriously. Similarly, the requirement to pay a one-time membership fee has managed to maintain the quality of members of Property Club Singapore. Charging the right fee also results in good attendance and punctuality of participants in my workshops and past seminars.

A renowned writer and speaker once said, “Please charge for all your work, publications and services. There are people out there who go around asking you to provide them for free, so that they can take advantage of artists, writers and professionals like us. Don’t fall into that trap. Even if you don’t need the money, charge it first, then donate the amount to charity later.”


A final thought

One day when my children have grown up, I may spend my free time working for the Kwan Im Temple. With my proficiency in Chinese, I can contribute by explaining to others the stories and implications behind the Chinese poems of the fortune stick numbers. My services will be bilingual, in both English and Singlish.

Afterall, it is good karma to lend a listening ear to people who need someone to share their personal problems, or to relieve their anxiety and stress in health, career, family and relationship.

Before that, let me save a few pairs of old shoes first. Just in case.

If you need advice on property matters or residential properties in Singapore, you can check out my personal consultation service.

My new book Behind The Scenes of The Property Market is now available for preview and order online. You can also check out my online courses.