Fengshui consultant Joey Yap says 2019 will be “an interesting year”, as it marks a year of transition. “We are approaching a new cycle, which in metaphysics is known as ‘period 9’,” he says. “There is transformation, and whenever there’s a big change, chaos is to be expected.”
In consulting the bazi chart (based on the concept of the “Four Pillars of Destiny” in Chinese astrology), Yap says the Singapore economy will see a rise in private consumption. He says sports and recreation as well as education will be at the forefront this year.
Yap was speaking at his Feng Shui and Astrology Seminar on Jan 13, which saw 4,500 people packed into a convention hall at the Resorts World Sentosa Convention Centre. The event in Singapore bookended his world tour to London, New York, Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
This year, the seminar series was sponsored by Malaysian developer Gamuda Land, and the official media partner in Singapore was EdgeProp Singapore. Yap predicts that “technology-related industries will have major breakthroughs in 2019, and this will occur on a global scale”.
The number of local business start-ups will increase at a faster pace this year, particularly in the F&B sector, as more people choose to be self-employed. “This increase is more significant in Singapore than in other countries in Southeast Asia,” says Yap, cautioning, however, that “just because you start something new does not mean it will always turn out to be a successful venture”.
Those involved in the local real estate market should be cautious this year, which is the Year of the Earth Boar, says Yap. He sees the property sector being weighed down by infrastructure and transportation-related issues “because all the [zodiac] signs this year are related to mobility”.
He adds that there could be a slowdown in new developments in the real estate sector. “Economic growth is not going to be as good as the year before,” he observes.
Yap, a fengshui practitioner of 23 years, says 2019 will be marked by “more global uncertainty” that will lead to “big changes”. He advises his audience not to let these forecasts dictate their year, though.
“The choices each individual makes are unique,” he says. “Many people think life is fated and, in some ways, it is. But our destiny is a choice we make to transform our lives. We may not be fated to have so-called ‘good fortune’ every year, but each year we can decide to make it better than the last.”