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01. Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 6 this year: traditionally, it was a time to give thanks for what? A. A good harvest B. Rain C. The coming of winter 02. Which singer scored a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 19, 2023? A. Gwen Stefani B. Blake Shelton C. Reba McEntire 03. Which of the following Anime characters was not born in October? A. Anna Nishikinomiya B. Reina Kurashiki C. Mafuyu Orifushi 04. Chung Yeung Festival falls on October 29: what is it also known as? A. Double Ninth Festival B. Double Fifth Festival C. Mooncake Festival 05. What is the name of October’s full Moon? A. Pink Moon B. Hunter’s Moon C. Wolf Moon 06. What is Oktoberfest all about? A. Wearing lederhosen B. Nudism C. Beer drinking 07. Halloween falls on October 31: it has its origins in which Wiccan festival? A. Beltane B. Mabon C. Samhain 08. What does October’s birth flower, the marigold, represent? A. Everlasting love B. Grace C. Fascination 09. Diwali falls on October 21 this year: what does it celebrate? A. The victory of light over darkness B. The end of British rule in India C. The bir th of Lord Ganesha 10. What is October’s birthstone? A. Opal B. Ruby C. Topaz 11. Which movie stars were both born on October 28? A. Henry Cavill and Alicia Vikander B. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling C. Julia Roberts and Joaquin Phoenix 12. What are October’s zodiac signs? A. Libra and Scorpio B. Virgo and Libra C. Scorpio and Sagittarius 13. National Day falls on October 1: what do we celebrate it with? A. Rugby sevens matches B. Dragon boat races C. Fireworks on Victoria Harbour 14. When was the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, unveiled? A. October 28, 1886 B. October 29, 1887 C. October 30, 1900 15. Which famous rapper was born on October 17, 1972? A. Lil’ Wayne B. Emimen C. Jay-Z 16. When were Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and Jurassic Park released? A. October 1984 B. October 1992 C. October 1994 17. Aleister Crowley was born on October 12, 1875: who was he? A. Astronomer B. Mathematician C. Occultist 18. Which fashion designer was born on October 14, 1939? A. Ralph Lauren B. Coco Chanel C. Vivienne Westwood 19. What do we celebrate on October 16? A. World Cat Day B. World Food Day C. World Fossil Day 20. English writer Zadie Smith was born on October 27, 1975: which novel didn’t she write? A. White Teeth B. The Corrections C. Swing Time

Ghost Hunting! Scary places to haunt on October 31 MEET THE PENITENT GHOST of Lord Richard Nugent at 16th-century Ross Castle in County Meath, now a five-bedroom B&B. As the story goes, Richard separated his daughter Sabrina from her husband, and she starved herself to death. In addition to the sightings, raised voices are heard and doors slam shut on their own. Sabrina’s livid! GET FREAKED OUT AT THE TOWER OF LONDON : one of the spookiest places in Britain. Edward V and his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York play outside the Bloody Tower, and Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII, wanders the grounds – you might also spot the ghosts of Thomas Becket, Sir Walter Raleigh and Lady Jane Grey. TOUR GRUESOME BOGGO ROAD GAOL to spot the ghost of Ernest Austin, the last man to be executed in Brisbane. The prison, which closed in 1989 and reopened as a museum in 1992, was notorious for its inhumane living conditions and was the scene of roughly 100 deaths, including 42 hangings. Austin’s ghost is said to have menaced both prisoners and guards. STAY IN ROOM 2022 at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg and you might wake to see blood dripping down the walls – and an apparition of a cloaked woman, who is said to have committed suicide in the room on hearing of her husband’s death. The horror movie 1408, starring John Cusack, is loosely based on the unnatural occurrences reported at the Fort Garry. ENTER THE DIABOLIC WORLD of sadist and socialite Madame Delphine LaLaurie, who committed her atrocities at her New Orleans home in the 1830s – the slaves she tortured and killed haunt the property to this day. In a city known for paranormal activity, voodoo and vampires, the LaLaurie Mansion Ghost Tour is rated the most terrifying. WALK WITH LOST SOULS at Aokigahara on the northwestern flank of Mount Fuji, where 100+ people commit suicide each year. The ghost-filled woodland, now known as ‘Suicide Forest’, is one of the world’s most-used suicide sites. Signs are in place urging suicidal visitors to think of their families and seek help. AT ISLAND OF THE DOLLS just south of Mexico City, you’ll see thousands of dolls moving their heads and arms, opening and closing their eyes, and whispering to each other. The dolls reportedly began to wash ashore after a local girl drowned off the island. Visitors bring dolls to add to the collection, hanging them in the trees to appease restless spirits.

Makes 18 140g butter, softened 500g caster sugar 6 eggs 1tsp vanilla extract 150g plain flour 75g self-raising flour 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 50g cocoa powder 200ml buttermilk 120g golden syrup Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases. Beat together the butter and 250g caster sugar, add 2 beaten eggs a little at a time, then the vanilla extract. Combine the flours, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa. Gently fold the flour mix into the butter mixture along with the buttermilk. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. For the icing, place the golden syrup, remaining sugar and 4 tablespoons of water in a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. While the syrup is boiling, whisk the remaining eggs (whites only) to form soft peaks. Then, with the mixer on a low speed, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream. Increase the speed of the mixer and mix for 10 minutes more until the icing is thick and completely cool. Use the icing to pipe a ghost onto each cupcake. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the icing to harden, then add chocolate shavings to give each ghost a face.

6 sizzling novels to take on holiday A ROOM WITH A VIEW: E.M. FORSTER (1908)  Lucy has her horizons broadened on a trip to Florence where she meets George, a radical freethinker. The pair share a passionate kiss in Fiesole. Whisked back to England by her chaperone, Lucy gets engaged to a ‘suitable’ – and suitably wealthy – suitor, Cecil. At the end of the novel, Lucy returns to Florence on her honeymoon. But who is she married to? BRIDESHEAD REVISITED: EVELYN WAUGH (1945) The first time Charles stays at Brideshead, he and Sebastian have the Flyte family’s opulent stately home to themselves. They spend a hedonistic summer exploring the estate and raiding the wine cellar, before taking the train to Venice where Charles is introduced to Sebastian’s enigmatic father. In the autumn, the young men return to Oxford to face some harsh realities. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME: ANDRÉ ACIMAN (2007) A sudden and powerful attraction develops between 17-year-old Elio and Oliver, a 24-year-old archaeology student, who are holidaying with Elio’s parents on the Italian Riviera. At first each feigns indifference but during the restless summer weeks that follow, undercurrents of obsession and fear, fascination and desire intensify their passion. TIGERS IN RED WEATHER: LIZA KLAUSSMANN (2012) Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up together, sharing long hot summers at Tiger House, the family’s estate on Martha’s Vineyard. With husbands and children of their own, they keep returning. But beneath the familiar buzz of parties, cocktails, moonlight and jazz, all is not what it seems. This year the glamourous façade finally begins to crack. THE BEACH: ALEX GARLAND (1996) Richard, a backpacker in Thailand, is given a map to a hidden island beach that is said to be a heaven on earth, inhabited by a select few. He sets out to find the beach and discovers a small community of travellers who have left the outside world to live a largely self-sufficient life of leisure. Richard finds the lifestyle idyllic. Then things start to unravel. THE MAGUS: JOHN FOWLES (1965) Nicholas breaks up with his girlfriend and accepts a teaching position on a remote Greek island, where he meets Maurice, a wealthy Greek recluse with interests in art, psychiatry, theatre and perhaps the supernatural. As the school term unfolds, Nicholas is drawn into an elaborate psychological game, which gradually unravels his sense of reality.

My business is the DB martial-arts club, MGK Fight Club. Our private classes and high-level open training sessions cater to members of all ages, backgrounds and levels (from beginner to professional fighter). More than a school or academy, MGK is a family; a real club where each of us helps others to grow. We focus on mixed martial arts, which I’ve been studying since I was 15 years old. Myself and many of the other MGK coaches are professional MMA fighters, and our programmes cover all aspects of martial arts from combat sports to self-defence, while also focusing on health and lifestyle. By booking private sessions, club members get a personalised training plan adapted to their schedule and objectives, and an instructor fully focused on their specific needs. MGK is a success because it has been continuously growing and positively changing people’s lives for over six years. As a former white-collar worker, I understand that people want to perform at their peak in everything they do. I’m on a mission to prove that everyone can be a high-level athlete, even the busy office worker. The thing that interests me the most about my business is helping people win… in training, in competition and in life. Aside from the martial-arts training, my areas of expertise include life coaching and team building. I like to help people develop their mental strength, self-confidence, and ability to work hard and under pressure. Providing classes for kids also interests me, seeing them grow as martial artists becomes a passion. Children develop key skills such as coordination, balance, concentration, discipline, how to respect others, and how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. My advice for anyone looking to start up a business is to know what you’re doing, formulate a solid plan, and take that first step forward. Don’t be afraid to take risks. In setting up MGK, I listened to my intuition and gave up financial stability and security to look for fulfilment. As a breadwinner, I found the initial uncertainty of outcome a challenge. But the risk paid off. To succeed in business, you need to be hard working, pragmatic and visionary. My greatest achievement is deciding to dedicate myself full time to my passion for martial arts. When hiring staff, I always ask why they believe they can make their passion their full-time job. My plan for the future is to grow MGK. I want to continue to train my staff to the highest skill-level possible, and develop the quality and quantity of our services. We are also about to make the leap to a bigger and better space in DB Plaza. Residents who are interested in helping us achieve this can contribute to the project, and become founding members. The entrepreneur I most admire is Walt Disney. Like he said, “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do! All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” My personal motto is work hard, stay dedicated and remain loyal   Photo by Baljit Gidwani

While it’s no secret that DBers love their wine, you may be surprised to know that there’s a world-class palate amongst us. Alexander Grasic sits down with Tim Clark, who has just received one of the most prestigious wine-tasting awards in the world So Tim, what exactly have you won? Well, over the past six years I have sat several exams with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). They teach you how wine (and spirits) are made, about different varieties across the globe, and how to taste them consistently and effectively. I sat my Level 4 Diploma (the highest level WSET offers) in September of last year and, in November, I was told I had won the Vintners’ Cup, meaning that I received the highest aggregate score in my exams out of anyone in 2019. You must be following in some pretty big footsteps? Many of the most respected names in the business have won this award over the years. Jancis Robinson, a doyenne of the industry, who wrote the Oxford Companion to Wine, a reference book I used in my studies, won in 1978. Sarah Heller, a fellow HongKonger, won in 2013. You can take WSET courses in over 70 countries and there are over 50,000 qualifiers (Level 1 and up) a year. The Vintners’ Cup is sponsored by London’s Worshipful Company of Vintners, one of the oldest guilds in the city. So, you had your work cut out for you? Absolutely. It was harder than university – a two-year slog. The Level 4 Diploma course consists of six units, so that’s six written exams and four assessed tastings, plus one research paper (citations and all). I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the support of my wife Bethan and our daughter Stanley. T ell us more about the wine tasting, the best bit surely? I had hundreds of bottles of wine and spirits to taste, many of which are still sitting on my kitchen counter and floor. That in itself was a challenge. Many of the more recherché bottles had to be ordered in the UK and individually brought back. I bought tiny 3-millilitre commercial samples of the fine spirits so as to avoid financial ruin, and I invested in this contraption called a Coravin that allows you to siphon the wine out of the bottle through the cork via a needle. Bottles closed with natural cork reseal after accessing. Of course, the Coravin only works on still wine, not  on sparkling. There’s nothing you can do to keep an opened bottle of sparkling wine fizzy beyond a day or so. How did you refine your palate? Well, practice, as they say, makes perfect… and I got some unexpected help from Dr Jackie Ng at Herbal Healthcares in DB Plaza. I found that his Chinese medicine detox, which I was on purely for health reasons, really helped heighten my sense of taste and smell. What’s next? The classic job after getting this diploma is a wine buyer but that’s not for me. I’m looking into wine education. I plan to hold formal classes as well as one-to-one sessions. But, for now, I’m hosting people at my house for informal tastings; I have to get through all those bottles somehow! Writing is another passion of mine and I plan to start a website to demystify wine. I want to write about the industry and wines in Hong Kong, and I’d like to share my experience of WSET to help others on their courses. I’m also talking to your editor about writing a series of articles for Around DB. So, wine lovers stay tuned!

Singer, yoga teacher and short filmmaker: Yana Fortep talks to Alexander Grasic about the importance of self-love and how performance has the power to heal. Photo by  Baljit Gidwani How did you end up in Hong Kong? That’s a big question; I have to go back in time a bit. Before I moved here, I was an established jazz and electronic dance music singer in Russia. I grew up in Petrozavodsk, which is quite a big artistic city, before moving to St Petersburg when I was 20. I wanted to be a star and I was quite successful: I had releases on major international music labels like Hedkandi, Clubstar and Seamless Recordings; I made a vinyl record and toured across Europe. I was at the peak of my career, but I realised I had no family, no love. Fans don’t replace normal human relationships. So, I moved to Hong Kong because of love. I got married, gave birth to a beautiful son here and now my life has changed completely. How has your music reflected this change? The songs I have created recently ( yanafortep.com/new-blog ) are about spiritual growth. Once I had my son in 2014, I really began to discover my spiritual side through things like Kundalini yoga, Reiki and crystal healing. It’s You, for example, is about connecting with yourself – with the real you, who doesn’t hide behind a mask. It’s about the importance of self-love. I shot the music video in DB with the help of Camilla Warburton. I got my spiritual sisters together on Sam Pak Wan and we had a great time; we really shared the love. One of my aims is to help people achieve happiness through art. So, your music has a message? Now more than ever, I’m trying to spread a message of self-love. I’m not talking about vanity or egotism; I want people to learn to accept and be compassionate towards themselves. Even my fun music is about self-love, as is my documentary and what I teach in yoga. I’ve gone from being a club diva to a ‘shamanic mum,’ and what’s important is self-acceptance. Somewhere along the line, I made up my mind to accept my many interests and simply allow myself to be. Tell me more about your documentary. Love is Inside is about my good friend Syv Bruzeau, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. She reveals that over the years she had lost herself and that the cancer was her body’s way of telling her that. Through meditation and Butoh, an introspective postmodern performance art, she went on a painful but ultimately life-saving journey to find herself again. She healed herself using art therapy and natural methods and by feeling unconditional love. I thought it was an important story to tell because she talks about her pain, but she also speaks of universal pain, and how to overcome it. Safe to say it’s a passion project. Love is Inside is my first complete work where I am director, composer, camera operator and editor. I needed some help with the technical stuff, graphic design and translations but I did all the editing myself on iMovie. I created some new songs, and when I dug up some old tunes, that I hadn’t done much with, I found they fit perfectly. The universe gives us everything we need if we are on the right path. So, what’s next? My current project, Art by Everyone, which I debuted at an art therapy conference in Beijing last November, involves singing interactively with the audience using different voice lines, claps and snaps. Together, we can create a beautiful harmony. People love to sing. I can help them. I teach vocals in a studio and I also lead Kundalini yoga sessions on Tai Pak Wan. We do a lot of meditative mantra singing.  Come join us!

L ingostars provides Mandarin and Korean education services to both children (Year 1 to Year 13) and adults. If you want to learn Mandarin and/or Korean, for whatever reason, you can get help from us. Second-generation Korean kids can maintain their ties with their parents’ country by learning more about Korean culture and languages at our centre, too. My business is a success because it encapsulates my entire career. My experiences as a teacher and as a certified simultaneous/ consecutive interpreter and translator in Mandarin-Korean enable me to help anyone interested in learning Mandarin and Korean. To succeed in business, you need to be persistent and flexible at the same time. Carrying out tasks single-handedly is important, but listening to other people is even more important as it opens up new perspectives and opportunities. My advice for someone looking to start up a business is to do it now. Don’t wait for the right moment to come along – there isn’t one. And remember, an idea that seems great now might not be valid later. To start up my business I spent a lot of time brainstorming with my husband. My teaching experience gave me confidence, and I found I knew what to do every step of the way. The greatest challenge I’ve faced was when I had to delay the opening of our centre in DB North Plaza due to COVID-19. I spent four months worrying whether to keep the business or not. But I had a long-term goal and I stuck to my original plan. My plan for the future is to make Lingostars synonymous with Mandarin/ Korean teaching excellence, and I want to entice people from across Hong Kong to our DB centre. In the future, I would like to expand the business first to Hong Kong Island and eventually further afield, ideally to New York and Singapore. While online learning is becoming more popular, I believe people, especially young children, still prefer an interactive learning experience. When hiring staff, I always ask about their long-term vision and willingness to accept new challenges. The entrepreneur I most admire is Peter Thiel. His book, , awakened my entrepreneurial side and made me venture in a direction that I’d never imagined possible. The chapter “If you build it, will they come?” totally changed my approach to marketing. You need to have the right product, but you also need to know how to launch and promote it in the right way. My favourite social-media platforms are Instagram and Facebook. While Facebook is more marketing oriented, Instagram gives me a plethora of ideas about how to make my classes fun and interactive. My personal motto is to stay positive, and keep moving forward.

REPORTING BY Raphael Blet PHOTOS BY Baljit Gidwani - www.evoqueportraits.com & Raphael Blet Founded in 2012 by 18-year DB resident David Garceran Nieuwenburg, Caissa Hong Kong Chess Club is one of the oldest and largest chess clubs in the city. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Caissa provides training, tournaments, events and camps for its members, aged four to 60 years. Caissa launched modestly enough with just five students, providing classes out of DB Community Centre. Now, the club has over 250 members and hosts classes in DB North Plaza, Sheung Wan and schools around Hong Kong. Ask David, who was competing in tournaments in his native Holland at age eight, why he founded Caissa, and he says: “Hong Kong has no real chess scene like you’d find in Europe. I put my children into some local schools but found the teaching too random; the teachers were not rigorously trained.” On joining Caissa, students get to learn from a team of six International Chess Federation licensed coaches, two of whom, Matthew Tan and Marcos Llaneza Vega, have earned the prestigious title of International Master. “The Caissa coaches really are the heroes of the hour,” David says. “They are the professional instructors, many hired from abroad. They are the face Caissa presents to students and their parents.” Over the last 10 years, Caissa coaches have played an essential role in nurturing youngsters’ love for chess, partnering with schools from Malvern College and Harrow International School to Discovery College and Discovery Montessori Academy. Children as young as four can learn the basics of chess through workshops and game playing, and Caissa is currently rolling out a programme for kindergarten-age kids for the first time. “Chess is fun. It’s about connecting with others and exchanging thoughts and ideas,” David says. “It’s not the kind of thing you should enrol kids in because there is a gap to fill between piano lessons and Mandarin. Chess club shouldn’t be somewhere kids go simply to improve their mathematical capabilities either; that’s a side effect.” At Caissa, the coaches encourage players of all ages to experiment with alternative chess forms to keep them thinking and having fun. “We always try to do something new in Hong Kong in regards to chess,” David explains. “For instance, we hold Fischer Random events which help players stay creative as there are 960 different starting positions possible.” Among Caissa’s most widely used teaching methods is the Steps Method, developed by Royal Dutch Chess Federation members Rob Brunia and Cor van Wijgerden. “The Steps Method consists of six steps, each of which corresponds to a rating, step one equalling 800 and step six up to 2,100,” David explains. “Our Senior Trainer Matthew Tan worked very closely with van Wijgerden.” Right now, David and his team are preparing to host a series of winter camps for kids age five and up in DB North Plaza and, with borders open, they are looking forward to competing internationally again next year. For more on Caissa Hong Kong Chess Club, call 6938 7603, email contact@caissahk.com or visit www.caissahk.org .

Having expanded their reach with a second branch in DB, the co-founders of EMS Fitness Hong Kong share the secrets of their success. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMS Fitness Hong Kong Ask a bunch of entrepreneurs what drives them and most will say their passion, their belief in whatever it is they are sharing with clients. Beatrice Chan, co-founder of EMS Fitness Hong Kong, is no exception. “I had a leg injury six years ago when I was living in Germany and it was difficult for me to do sports,” she opens. “EMS training gave me good results. I saw the impact of EMS at first hand. So, I decided to get my personal training cer tification and join an EMS studio to learn more about the benefits.” By 2021, Beatrice and her husband Simon Stoll had moved to Hong Kong and launched EMS Fitness in Central, confident that they had spotted a gap in the market. “Before we opened, I looked into the sports and health scene in Hong Kong and I saw that EMS training was not present,” Simon says. “EMS is well-established in Germany and we felt there was a place for it here.” Finding the right target audience is essential to any start-up and Beatrice and Simon were convinced they had found that in busy, of fice-bound Hongkongers. “Time is very important to people here and EMS is an effective way for them to keep fit in a short period of time,” says Simon, referring to the way a 20-minute EMS training session can deliver the same result as a two-and-a-half-hour conventional gym workout. “EMS technology helps to contract over 90% of muscles simultaneously thus providing a shortcut to strengthening, body toning and fat burning,” he adds. “It’s USP, and why it’s proving such a hit in Hong Kong, is that it works but it’s not time consuming.” Nevertheless, launching a new business during a pandemic has to be seen as a… bold move. What advice does the couple have for wannabe entrepreneurs, who are stuck on the fence, waiting for the ‘perfect time’ to start out. “You need to find the determination to go for it – even if the odds seem stacked against you,” says Simon. “We had a couple of entrepreneur friends advising us to be cautious about opening a business. But we were so convinced by our business model that despite the uncertainty, we went ahead. “If you open a new business, the important thing is to be flexible,” Simon adds. “We started on a small scale with just the one branch in Central. This really paid off. Be resilient and test the response before you invest too much, that’s important!” So after a relatively cautious start, what spurred the expansion to DB and how did the couple go about it? “Expansion of a business should align with demand,” says Beatrice. “Many customers in our Central studio wanted to work with us in DB, which is why we decided to open a branch in DB South.” Simon also did his market research, and decided that DB had the right demographic. “DB has the expat and health-conscious crowd,” he says. “It’s different from other suburbs in Hong Kong.” Supported by referrals from both existing clients and local clinics, Beatrice and Simon are happy with the way their business is growing. The question has to be asked, however: what do they say to the sceptics out there, people who find the idea of EMS too good to be true? “What we see is that once people try it, they are much more convinced,” Beatrice says simply. “And once they see the results, they keep coming back. “The 20 minutes are very tough. It’s not like you are standing there doing nothing. People are sweating within five minutes. EMS is tough but ef ficient. It’s a shortcut to fitness.” Clients are also impressed by the state-of-the-art equipment on offer, and Simon advises anyone starting out in business to invest in the best. “Our EMS machines are designed and made in Germany,” he says. “We decided to go with the market leader because of its long-standing reputation. Also, these German machines are medically certified.” Asked to share more secrets of their success, the couple are quick to point out the importance of choosing the right people to work with, in this case their five personal trainers. “Some of them have personal training backgrounds and others, like me, have a service industry background,” says Beatrice, a former flight attendant. “We look for people with good people skills because they need to give customers a pleasant experience and motivate them to stick to a routine.” Looking to the immediate future, the couple believe consistency will keep their business on track and, in terms of expansion, they have a quality over quantity mindset. “Depending on how 2023 picks up, we may set up a third branch or even move to DB South Plaza,” Simon says. Meanwhile, the couple’s endgame is to make EMS Fitness the market leader in Asia. “We’re very confident!” Beatrice concludes. EMS Fitness Hong Kong offers a range of personal training session packages and attractive membership plans. For more on the DB studio and to make a booking, WhatsApp 6200 2463 or visit www.ems-fitness.hk .