The crisp, albeit chilly, Sydney winter morning promised the start of a great day. And as the sun’s rays gradually stretched across the horizon of this harbor city that hosted the 2000 Olympics, an excited congregation of people - some who had flown to Sydney from as far as New Zealand, and from across Australia – eagerly boarded the specially-chartered 9:15 a.m. coach, with their `Feng Shui guide’ for the day, Joey Yap.

Audit Site #1 (Strathfield, New South Wales)
15 minutes later, they were at their 1st destination of the day – the smart, modern suburb of Strathfield. Their mission: To visit and audit prominent landmarks across Sydney, under the guidance of Joey.

The students were promptly ushered into the property chosen for their first audit, introduced to their `client’, and to add to the surrealism of the situation, given 20 minutes to complete their assessment of the house. Without further ado, Luo Pans were whipped out, as everyone busied him/herself…bustling here and there, as each proceeded to take directions of the place.

Every possible position and location assessed, and every possible formula was applied, before everyone gathered around Joey 20 minutes later. They were confounded by the first query directed at them.

“Have any of you asked what our clients want? If you haven’t, then how could you audit their home to meet their requirements?” asked Joey.

Nevertheless, they got what they came for from Audit Site #1, as details pertaining to the house’s Feng Shui were shared with them subsequently. Joey also took the opportunity to demonstrate the powerful versatility of Xuan Kong as `predictive’ Feng Shui, as he aired his observations about the various facets pertaining to the family occupying that house.

Audit Site #2 (Epping,New South Wales)
After expending more than an hour on the first site, the entourage proceeded to the 2nd property they were to audit, in Epping. And it so happened that that particular property belonged to one of the Excursion’s students.

Credit goes to the participants for learning their lesson quickly. Amidst amused chuckles and looks that filled the coach, this owner was bombarded by questions from his fellow participants: What was his profession? His year of birth…and etc. etc. etc.!

Once again, Joey gave his protégés 20 minutes to complete their audit of Site #2. Coincidentally enough, the house right across the street from this property was up for sale, and with so many people hurrying about the place, there were strangers strolling into Site #2 and inquiring if IT was the house for sale! And when the students noticed the presence of these `uninvited’ guests, someone quipped: “Darn…we could have sold this place for a good price, mate!” to peals of laughter.

“Time’s up!” announced Joey, and he immediately set his students to task by asking: “Justify your conclusions by telling me WHY, not what you merely think.” And while most were a little apprehensive at first, all came through this baptism of fire, at least better than they did at Site #1.

Pointing at the main door, Joey told his students to note how the main road slopes from the property’s right side to its left, and how its main door remains tucked away towards its far-left corner. They then learnt that under such circumstances, it would be difficult for that house to tap into the area’s main Qi source. But the remedy was just as simple: All the owner had to do, was to literally pave a walkway to allow Qi to meander towards the property’s main door – and the relieved smile on his face was a sight to behold! As a bonus, Joey also demonstrated how the use of Location (Sectors) vis-à-vis external features may be used together, as a Flying Stars combination. Another tenet of Practical Feng Shui 101: On a consultation assignment, don’t just enjoy the view – more importantly, observe it as well.

Lunch at the scenic Sydney Fish Market - dubbed ‘The Theater of the Wharf’ - followed suit, after which digestion was facilitated by a breezy walk-cum-study of the New South Wales waterways.

Audit Site #3 (Queen Victoria Building)
One of Sydney’s most prominent and historical landmarks, the Queen Victoria Building was the highlight of this year’s maiden Sydney Excursion. Indeed, how has this Building, located right in the heart of the city’s bustling business district, elegantly weathered the tide of time for more than 100 years?

After the students have had their opportunity to flex their Feng Shui muscles, Joey shared with them the key to the place’s good Feng Shui. Due to the Queen Victoria Building’s spacious interior, the answer invariably lies in its Main Entrance; in which an equally big `Bright Hall’ (Ming Tang) elegantly did the trick of allowing Qi to collect from the big cross-junction situated right opposite the Main Entrance. In addition, the special road formation circumnavigating the Building – called a Four-Sourced Water Converging Point - assumed the role of a virtual waterway, with its Feng Shui effects further enhanced by the rounded dome of the opposite building.

Many of the students discussed this amongst themselves on the bus, sharing their notes with one another, as the bus proceeded to the final destination.

Audit Site #4 (The High Office Building)
For the last site of the 2007 Sydney Excursion, the students proceeded to the office of an IT Training Center – a stone’s throw from the Queen Victoria Building. The Center occupies the entire 4th floor within that building, covering an area of approximately 500 m2.

And once again, the students did well, by immediately starting their audit by assessing the location and direction of the CEO’s desk – after all, if the CEO was a capable one, then surely his/her company would also be faring well enough!

Gathering in one of the Center’s training rooms, audit findings were discussed and clarified, before Joey served his protégés a final dessert…in the form of certain Xuan Kong and Yi Jing techniques that may be specifically applied to anticipate the problems a company might be facing. And as Joey revealed certain details about the company’s operations, even the company representative was taken aback; quickly taking down some notes as Joey pointed out how they could resolve some of the issues they were facing.

As the coach eased into the vast confines of the Sydney Entertainment Center, the clock ticked 5:30 p.m. Tired but happy from having been able to share in this rare Feng Shui experience with Joey, some students were seen exchanging notes and contact details with fellow participants. It was definitely a day that they would not soon forget and many were looking forward to Joey’s next visit Down Under.

Reported by K.W. Tan