DESTINY: WRITTEN ON YOUR FACE? FACE READING, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS PHYSIOGNOMY, HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT BY CHANGING CERTAIN FEATURES ON YOUR FACE, YOU CAN ALSO CHANGE YOUR FORTUNES FOR THE BETTER. O.P. JADE SPEAKS TO THE ‘EXPERTS’.

person who specialises in can reveal a lot about a person. breeding animals knows how Back then, they used birth records – “Ato distinguish a good horse the time and date specifically – and birth from a bad one. If animals can be read, chart readings garnered from them to de - why can’t humans? We certainly can eval - termine the candidate’s ability and des - uate a person’s character, personality and tiny. But this was not always possible destiny from his or her face,” explains without accurate birth records. Birth data well-known fengshui master, Professor could be forged to exaggerate the candi - Master David Koh (Master Koh). date’s ability and destiny – but you According to Master Koh, the founder couldn’t change the face. Hence, instead and Principal Consultant of the Malaysian of assessing a resumé (which they didn’t Professor Master David Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS), have in those days), one would refer to Koh (Master Koh) says: the ancient art of face reading is a well- face reading to further determine the can - “The face cannot lie.” documented mine of historical data that didate’s credibility or skills. explains how human facial characteristics “How certain can we be that a person can determine personality and predict the standing in front of us is trustworthy or future. In the olden days of China, the honest, when we don’t know the person basic principles of face reading were ob - well enough? Face reading basically served to select suitable candidates for serves as a guideline or indicator to assess Imperial positions, or to choose potential a person’s character. Remember, the face husbands or wives. It is believed that the cannot lie,” emphasises Master Koh. shape, structure and features of the face While explaining how face reading is

106 put to good use, Master Koh further elab - orates, “We meet a lot of people every day. But I wanted Master Koh to If you understand how they behave or op - erate, it can be an advantage. You don’t answer a million-dollar question: need to be an expert in face reading. The basic knowledge will come in handy when you’re dealing with your superior Can altering your face change or colleagues at work, with your spouse at home or with your friends.” your fortunes? But I wanted Master Koh to answer a million-dollar question: Can altering your ous lifestyle, work harder to earn a better normally ask for facial contouring to face change your fortunes? income. That’s why we have a Chinese make the face more oval-shaped. They A friend of mine had been convinced saying that goes ‘Xiang You Xin Sheng’, claim that a square-looking face affects by a ‘doctor’ in a beauty salon, one who meaning appearances come from within,” their fate somehow, and makes their life had been flown in for a few days from elaborates Jenny. bumpier, as advised by a fortune teller,” abroad to do surgical work, to augment Medical direc - explains Dr. Koh, with a smile. her eyes and chin as well – on top of the tor of Health Path - Singer and professional dancer, Kahi, nose bridge that she had asked for. The way, Dr. Jasvinder of popular Korean idol group After reason, the ‘doctor’ said, was that it Singh (Dr. Jas), says School, once came close to having her chin would make her face more symmetrical. that he has had ‘refined’. The idea came right after she This would change her fortunes and bring several patients visited a fortune teller – who told her that her more luck. asking for proce - her luck leaves through her chin. But she But Master Koh’s simple answer was: dures believing decided against it. Dubbed ‘the beauty “No.” According to him, many people that they could with the best abs’, Kahi’s career has never - have misinterpreted the whole idea be - change their des - theless been on the rise – especially with hind this ancient practice. With cosmetic tiny. He has been After School’s recent entry into Japan’s surgery procedures offering so much, asked to remove Medical director Dr. Jasvinder Singh has had music arena. some people are actually making a beeline moles, to augment patients who wanted to According to Master Koh, although for their plastic surgeons in the hope of al - a nose and reshape change their appearances there are several facial features that reflect for better fengshui. tering their destiny. eyebrows “to im - on one’s fortune, there’s no such thing as Master Koh says that changing your prove their external a perfect face because beauty lies in the face will not change your destiny. “Cos - appearance, as well as to secure better eyes of the beholder. “You may think that metic surgery will enhance a person’s ex - fengshui ,” says Dr. Jas. Angelina Jolie’s luscious pout is very at - ternal appearance and perhaps But sometimes the fengshui is cast tractive, while another person may think confidence, to a certain extent. But, chang - aside in the bigger picture. “For instance, otherwise,” he adds. ing your looks, on its own, won’t change a 40 to 50- year-old lady discovered a When all is said and done, while the your fate,” adds Master Koh. rather abnormal looking mole on her face. two things are inextricably entangled, our Singaporean fengshui practitioner, It could have been benign or malignant,” attitude probably has more of a bearing Jenny Ng, who is the Principal Consultant says Dr. Jas. “At that point, it wasn’t so on our future than our looks as such. As of Fengshui Connection Consultancy much about the relevance the mole had on Master Koh was keen to emphasise dur - Services, agrees. The inherent character of her face reading anymore. To be safe, it ing our chat: “If a person doesn’t make an a person cannot be changed by plastic sur - was advisable to have the mole removed.” effort to improve their inner selves to gery. “Cosmetic or aesthetic fixes are ex - In Korea, the match what they have changed on the ternal. They may boost your confidence. popularity of plas - outside, it will always be a false image.” But they don’t change your attitude or tic surgery, which character. That has to come from you,” is growing at a she adds. staggering rate, is “For example, if you’re a stubborn also fuelling this person, changing a certain part of your phenomenon. Ko - face will not rean plastic sur - change that charac - geon, Dr. Koh Ik teristic. Unless Soo, says more and you’re willing to more people are make a change opting for plastic Plastic surgeon Dr. Koh Ik Soo says his patients want from the heart, surgery to improve oval-shaped faces because your life won’t take their wealth and they believe square faces a different turn. fortune. “It is very make their lives bumpier. Having said that, common to un - your destiny actu - dergo double eyelid surgery to have a ally lies in your more subtle and soft look. Fresh graduates own hands. You Singaporean fengshui also have features fixed in preparation for can take control of practitioner Jenny Ng job interviews,” remarks Dr. Koh. says a person’s inherent it. If you want to character cannot be Dr. Koh has received requests to Leader of popular K-pop idol group After School, have a more luxuri - changed by plastic surgery. change the face for better fortune. “They Kahi, nearly had her chin fixed for better luck.

107 DECODING FAMOUS FACES Professor Master David Koh and Jenny Ng tell us about these celebrities’ “face luck.” s r e s t r u e e t r u

/ e

r i

/ n

o y u e z l i n r a

y o l i l r o a m m

Jennifer Aniston – Brad Pitt – Angelina Jolie Okay, so Jennifer actually has a boyfriend now – Justin Theroux. But the saga between these three big Hollywood names once made the headlines. “Jennifer’s marriage palace, which is at one’s temples (behind the eye and hairline), was sunken,” remarks Jenny. If we compare Jennifer’s eyes with those of Angelina’s, we notice her eyes lack spirit – the whites of the eyes appear a little yellow. When the eyes lack lustre, one is confused and has no specific di - s

r rection in life. In that sense, perhaps Jennifer e t u e doesn’t know what she really wants. Let’s s r r

/ e

t k u

o compare the eyebrows. Both Jennifer’s eye - e h r

s /

o r

l brow heads have tiny hairs sticking out – e o t m e

p

y which shows she is confused about her emo - s n a n a m d tions. Angelina, on the hand, has tiny hairs o h sticking out only on the left side. This means t that emotionally she is more stable and, after Lindsay Lohan hitting 30, knows what she wants. This ex - “Her eyes lack lustre, no eye spirit at all,” says plains why she had a few failed relationships in Jenny about Lindsay Lohan. According to Jenny, her younger days. But she has a steady rela - Barack Obama Lindsay’s eyes show that she’s confused about tionship at present. “Those thick, smooth, largely straight eyebrows what she wants in life. There’s a line on her “Brad Pitt’s eyes droop downwards, indi - show he is passionate about things, but he has forehead, cutting across the position of age 22. cating some failures or changes in his life in the mental clarity and control,” says Master Koh. “This indicates the obstacles one will go through middle pavilion. He also has some tiny red These eyebrows show that Obama likes to be at that age,” explains Jenny. Perhaps that explains veins running across the white portion of his directly involved with people, sharing his expert - why she’s been in the headlines lately. “Lindsay’s eyes – again, indicating some failure in his life. ise and helping them. They indicate a strong middle pavilion appears to be the worst on her These are signs of failure in marriage. The in - ego, but not that of a tyrant like Saddam Hussein face if we divide the face into three equal parts. teresting thing to note about him is that he has or Stalin. “Again, take a look at Obama’s fore - If she doesn’t pick herself up again, I’m afraid she a line piercing into his life palace. This usually head, nose and cheeks. They all reflect signs of may not do well when she reaches her middle means that a person feels lonely in his or her prosperity,” adds Master Koh. age. She can still change her destiny. She has to marriage. From Angelina’s features, I think she The US President has a good-sized chin change her domineering character and not be has a more dominant role in the relationship. with a rounded squareness, which indicates a as wilful in her actions. Otherwise, she’s going She seems to be the one who takes the lead, fighting spirit, lots of physical energy, a natural in - to continue making headlines – for all the wrong unlike Jennifer who is more soft and giving,” clination to be affectionate and willingness to reasons,” adds Jenny. explains Jenny. fight for causes.

108 s s r r e e t t u u e e r r

/ /

a n t n r a a m h i g e w i a w e

b d

n a r t a r a h i w a e b s r e t

u SO, WHAT ARE THE WEALTH SPOTS e r

Lee Chong Wei, / AND FEATURES? e l l Roger Federer, and i v • A good forehead , which is round, high, curved and l e m

Rafael Nadal

y protruding, indicates power, wealth and great authority. A clear b o Master Koh shares some in - t and smooth forehead which is free from any blemishes, spots sights into three famous rac - and unsightly pimples reflects one’s luck potential. Black moles quet sport champs. “If you here are deemed to be most inauspicious. take a closer look at their fea - tures, you can spot very signif - • The middle space above the nose and between the eyes icant similarities,” says Master indicates the ‘life palace’. The space should be clear, bright Koh. and luminous as it represents a life of good fortune. Any signs Dubbed the King of Lawn of hair, colourings, spots or moles in this area signify obstacles and King of Clay, respectively, to one’s luck. both Federer and Nadal have very meaty cheeks, fleshy • The nose represents a person’s wealth palace as it signifies noses and thick eyebrows. one of the rivers of the face. It is believed to be the repository The same goes for Lee, who won the silver medal in the 2008 of money fortune and indicates wealth from many different Olympic Games and became the first Malaysian to reach the final sources. The rounder and fleshier the nose looks, the better is of the men's singles event since 1996. the wealth luck. The nose must look balanced and smooth, “All these features indicate the level of ambition, courage and and the nostrils should not be too small or too large. strength to withstand life’s pressure. Nevertheless, if you com - pare Nadal and Lee – there is a distinctive distance between the • A protruding and prominent chin or jaw line is another feature eye and the brow. This tells a person’s behaviour and temper. of prosperity. A receding jaw line is one sign of misfortune in Lee appears to be less hot-tempered than Nadal, whose eye - old age, or it can even be a sign of premature death. A brows are very close to his eyes,” explains Master Koh. prominent chin indicates a strong base mountain, and this also suggests longevity.

• The eyes are said to indicate good fortune when they shine s r e t

u and are slightly moist. It does not matter what shape, size or e r

/ colour the eyes are – vitality is the key. When eyes are bright w e n

l and are well protected by arched eyebrows, life is healthy and o o p prosperous. Eyebrows should never be overly plucked or shaved. When a face lacks eyebrows, the person simply cannot climb up the ladder of success.

• When the cheekbones stand out prominently and appear bright and shiny, it is one of the sure signs that wealth luck is about to manifest. Cheekbones should be fleshy and never look bony since this would indicate excessive yang. For cheek bones to appear balanced they must look good enough to pinch!

• When your ears are well formed and proportionate, they indicate great fortune and wisdom.

109