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Comforting, fluffy sponge with an irresistible puddle of sweet syrup at the bottom - this easy- to- make childhood classic is perfect for October 31 Photos Courtesy of Adobe Stock TREACLE SPONGE Serves 4 2tbsp golden syrup 110g wholewheat flour 2½ tsp baking powder 2 large eggs 110g soft brown sugar 110g soft butter Butter an 850-millilitre pudding basin and pour in the golden syrup. Place all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and beat well for 2 or 3 minutes until thoroughly mixed. Spoon this mixture on top of the golden syrup and use the back of the spoon to spread it out evenly. Cover with a double piece of buttered foil, pleated in the middle to allow for expansion and pressed down over the rim of the basin. Secure the foil with string. Place in a steamer over boiling water and steam for 1½ hours. Make sure the saucepan does not boil dry or the water go off the boil – top up with boiling water as needed. When cooked, turn the sponge out onto a warmed plate and serve hot with custard or extra golden syrup. SCARY SAUSAGE MUMMIES 2 sheets savoury puff pastry 8 pre-cooked sausages 16 candy eyes Preheat the oven to 220˚C℃. Thaw the puff pastry and slice it into thin strips to make the ‘bandages’ for the mummies. Gently wrap each sausage in the ‘bandages’ and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Make sure that you leave a big enough gap at the top for the eyes. Bake for about 5 minutes or until golden. Once baked, add the candy eyes or make them yourself using a dollop of mayonnaise and a circle of olive.

In the lead up to DB Dragon Boat Race Day on October 24th (rescheduled due to bad weather), Rachel Sadler checks in at Lantau Boat Club to discuss dragon boating – and the wider sport of outrigger canoeing PHOTOS BY Richard Gordon – www.richardgordonphotography.com OUTRIGGER CANOEING TRAINING runs year-round at the Lantau Boat Club (LBC) Paddling Section, whereas dragon boat training is more seasonal with training starting early in the year, and races held in May and June. This year, with most of the dragon boat races postponed until the autumn, DB Dragon Boat Race Day and Carnival is being held on October 24. LBC PADDLERS TRAIN MULTIPLE TIMES PER WEEK. They focus on short distance races in the first half of the year and the signature long distance races in September, October and November. THE LBC PIRATES COMMUNITY DRAGON BOAT TEAM formed in March. The merger – between the LBC and DB Pirates dragon boat teams – has proved hugely successful, with LBC Pirates already enjoying gold and bronze success in this season’s races. OUTRIGGER CANOEING AND DRAGON BOATING are both great team sports. The team needs to be in sync, regardless if there are six or 20 paddlers in a boat. For outrigger canoeing, you paddle on both sides, but for dragon boating you paddle on one side only. The main secret is that the team works as one – one team, one stroke, one heart, one spirit. OUTRIGGER RACES VARY IN LENGTH and endurance is paramount particularly with the long-distance races (up to 45-kilometres). Towards the end of a race, when paddlers are feeling fatigued, they need to dig deep to keep the team spirit alive. A typical six-person outrigger canoe (with a buoyancy support attached to the left side) weighs around 180 kilogrammes, so it takes strength and teamwork even to get it in and out of the water. PADDLING IS A VERY GOOD FULL-BODY WORKOUT with the strength for a powerful stroke coming from your core and legs. The amount of training paddlers put in before a race really counts, winning comes down to a mix of technique, fitness level, endurance and perfect teamwork. DRAGON BOAT RACES ARE A SPRINT – they can be as short as 200 metres – so everyone goes full power for two minutes, give or take. Crews who compete internationally can paddle their boats at 20 kilometres per hour; a 12-metre,fiberglass men’s boat, with a paddling team of 20, can weigh almost 2,000 kilogrammes. OUTRIGGER CANOES WERE A MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD for the ancient Polynesians long before Captain Cook landed on Hawaii’s shores. Huge outriggers, built to hold dozens of people, enabled long journeys across the Pacific in search of new land. Today, in addition to the international races, you can still find fisherman using six-man outrigger canoes in Polynesia. DRAGON BOATS WERE FIRST USED in southern China 2,500 years ago to transport warriors into battle. Ancient traditions are upheld in races to this day – the boat is blessed and awakened before 20 paddlers plus the drummer and steerer take to the water for a sprint finish. Lantau Boat Club (LBC) offers sailing, rowing and diverse paddling opportunities to its members.The LBC Paddling Section is always looking for new recruits to train year-round with its outrigger canoe teams and the newly formed LBC Pirates dragon boat team. The club aims to provide paddling for youth in the near future. To find out more, email paddling-chair@lantauboatclub.com or paddling-secretary@lantauboatclub.com .

Founders often refer to their start-up as their baby, so they should treat their legal advisers as paediatricians, involving them from the early stages, advises Tim Drew – Partner, Head of Corporate and Commercial at Tanner De Witt Legal advice can fall down the priority chain in the early stages of a start-up, when budgets are tight, and the business is pre-revenue. However, seeking help in the early stages will ensure the business has the best foundation for growth and success. For instance, it is better to know early on that a law or regulation makes your business model impossible. Know too that a lawyer, who is experienced with start-ups, will prioritise legal work using lean business principles, and postpone legal issues that can be addressed later. Prior to a meeting, once the law firm has completed its internal conflict check, you should send them all relevant documents. If in doubt, send it. The lawyers may not review the documents at this stage but it is better for them to have information to hand from the get-go. MEETING PLANNER Meeting lawyers can be intimidating. They seem to speak a different language. Sometimes, you’re none the wiser after the meeting. Then, the bill arrives. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Forewarned is forearmed, and planning is everything. Law firms may agree to an initial meeting to understand the background information of the business and the legal issue at hand. The meeting is to determine what work needs to be done, not to give legal advice, and it allows founders to raise issues or concerns. To maximise the value of the meeting, you should come prepared to present a brief background of the business, including the business model and corporate structure (place of incorporation, the shareholders, directors, share classes, shares issued), plus details about existing agreements and stage of growth. You need to be clear about both the legal advice and best-case outcome sought, and ready to discuss the most important issue you want addressed. Conduct during the meeting is all-important; remain candid, truthful and direct. It is very difficult for a lawyer to help, if he does not receive clear answers to his questions, or have a complete picture of the situation. Don’t hold back points that are embarrassing or unfavourable. Don’t present a version of facts to manipulate the advice you hope to get. Be mindful to arrive at the meeting with the necessary materials to take notes. Usually, lawyers will decline to have the meeting recorded, so notes are important. Also, if there are points you fail to understand, ask for further clarification or ask your lawyer to explain it in a different manner until you understand. TIME SAVED IS MONEY SAVED Start-ups have limited budgets for legal advice. So, you should be assertive and ask for a fee proposal with detailed work scopes, timelines and fixed fees. Then, you can assess the actual costs and budget accordingly. Review the fixed fee proposal carefully and examine the work scope properly – is it for one draft of the document or two? Inspect the assumptions, comments and particularly the exclusions. Work outside the agreed work scope is usually charged according to time spent. You should ask your lawyer to inform you before he starts work outside the agreed work scope. However, this is something that is ultimately your responsibility, so you need to be aware when the agreed work scope is concluded. Start-ups should be mindful of their own limited budgets and treat time as an expensive resource. Your goal is to minimise the time your lawyer must spend advising the business. Each communication or meeting with legal counsel should be according to an agenda – concise and structured. Don’t send 10 emails each with one question; consolidate your questions into one email that can be answered once. Remember, time saved is money saved. Tanner De Witt was established in 1999 and now has a team of over 100, including more than 50 Hong Kong lawyers. The firm’s Corporate and Commercial team can provide legal advice for businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to large corporations. For more information, visit www.tannerdewitt.com .

Invest in the stock market, without buying stocks! Boon Tiong Tan explains why ETFs are the better bet PHOTO COURTESY OF Pexels The US stock market is hot. The China stock market is not. Whether you are a growth or value investor, there are plenty of stocks for you to choose from. Most people who are looking to invest in the stock market, think they must buy stocks – specifically Amazon or Alibaba. Well, we used to only make phone calls, but now we use FaceTime and Zoom. Communication has evolved, and so has the stock market. Nowadays, you can invest in the stock market without buying stocks! While many people are familiar with exchange traded funds (ETFs), very few realise that they are a much better way to invest in the stock market. When you buy an ETF, the fund manager uses your money to buy a basket of companies. An ETF is a collection of tens, hundreds and sometimes thousands of stocks or bonds in a single fund. During trading hours, ETF prices change all the time just like stocks. You buy and sell an ETF exactly the same way you buy and sell a stock. You can buy an ETF immediately at the market price or leave an order to buy at a lower price. All you need is a broker account. Just like stocks, many ETFs pay dividends too. There are more than 2,000 ETFs in the US alone, giving you lots of options. You can pick an index – Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 or Nasdaq. You can pick a single country – Malaysia, Japan or Nigeria. You can pick a group of countries – emerging market, frontier market or Asia Pacific. You can pick an industry – financials, utilities or even marijuana. There are more and more choices as the ETF industry’s global assets race past US$9 trillion this year. In Hong Kong, there are ETFs that follow major indexes like FTSE China A50 and Hang Seng, and industries like semiconductor and electric vehicles. While ETF prices do not shoot to the moon like Tesla, Inc and GameStop, some can move really fast. Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX) went up more than four times in slightly over a year, and Invesco Solar ETF (TAN) went from US$20 to US$120 in less than a year. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB), which has Tencent and Alibaba as its biggest holdings, fell 60% in six months in 2020. Most conventional and big ETFs charge an annual management fee of less than 0.5%. The Tracker Fund of Hong Kong (tracks Hang Seng Index) charges 0.1% a year and Vanguard S&P 500 charges only 0.03%. Though most ETFs are sound, you should avoid leveraged ETFs, which promise to double or triple returns in a day. Not only can you double or triple your loss on a bad day, the hidden high cost will slowly and surely chip away your principal. Also be mindful that some US commodity and currency ETFs may require additional tax reporting. BETTER THAN STOCKS An ETF’s diversification means you aren’t putting all your eggs in one basket. If you were to create your own portfolio of stocks, you would need at least 20 stocks to reduce the companies’ risks. And here is the problem. It is hard to find more than 20 worthwhile companies that all do well. It is time consuming to manage the portfolio. You need to study each company. You need to know the earnings dates and monitor the dividends. You need to decide when and at what price to buy and sell each stock. The more decisions you make, the more mistakes you’ll make. An ETF solves all these problems. ETFs put you on auto-pilot. You just pick one and the manager does all the work, while you enjoy your leisure time. If you bought a broad-based ETF that tracks the S&P 500 Index, you would’ve earned an average return of 9% over any 10-year period within the past 100 years. The last 10-year average return is much better at 14%. A dollar invested 10 years ago turns into US$3.7. The best investors like Warren Buffett and Ray Dalio’s long-term average annual return on ETFs is 20% to 30%. If you do not like to cut your losses, buying stocks can be dangerous and costly. No matter how big and successful a company is, the share prices can go down and down. General Electric and ExxonMobil were the biggest companies in the world and now they are a shadow of themselves. Buying a broad-based ETF like Vanguard S&P 500 is different – you are not relying on a single stock to do well. It is a good idea to hang on to a broad-based ETF during a bear market. Indeed, you are probably wise to buy more in a bear market. The US stock market has always bounced back given enough time. The S&P 500 Index has gone up almost seven times since the low of 2009. BETTER THAN MUTUAL FUNDS If a bank or an insurance company is selling you a fund, it is almost certainly a mutual fund, not an ETF. Most mutual funds are active funds. The fund managers actively try to pick good stocks to outperform indexes. Most ETFs are passive funds where the fund managers simply buy the stocks in an index. Media darling Cathie Wood, an American investor and founder, CEO and CIO of investment management firm Ark Invest, runs a few active ETFs. Her funds greatly outperformed the S&P 500 Index last year but have underperformed so far this year. This is typical of active funds; they can outperform for a period of time but underperform subsequently. Many academic studies have shown that, overall, active funds do not perform better than passive funds in the long term. A mutual fund charges an expensive upfront fee of 3% to 5%, while ETFs do not charge an upfront fee at all. Mutual funds also charge higher management fees, usually in the range of 1% to 1.5% yearly. Buying mutual funds is like using a landline phone to make an overseas call – it is very expensive and the result is no better. This year, the asset under management (AUM) of ETFs has surpassed mutual funds. There is a global shift over the past decade from mutual funds to ETFs. Many investors are starting to realise that ETFs are a better deal. Benjamin Graham, the so-called father of value investing, once said: “To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realise; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks.” His protégé, Warren Buffett, advised his wife to put most of her wealth in a passive fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index. Next time you want to invest in the stock market, buy ETFs not stocks. DB resident Boon Tiong Tan (CFA) has worked as a trader with banks like HSBC and Morgan Stanley for over 20 years, and he is the author of A Stock Investment Book For The 99%. For information about the one-on-one courses (money management, stock investment, options trading and chess) that he provides for both adults and kids, email tbt444@gmail.com .

Throwing a party for kids need not be a headache-inducing trauma or a junk-food bonanza. It can be a blast! Kate Farr reveals how it’s done PHOTOS COURTESY OF Pexels If there’s one thing guaranteed to turn the most Zen of parents into a frazzled mess, it’s the annual stress-fest that is a children’s party. From invites to cake, there’s a whole host of elements that need to come together to make a birthday bash run smoothly. Happily, for those of us who weren’t blessed with superior organisational skills, just about every element of a children’s party is ripe for hacking. So here are a few tips, tricks and downright sneaky cheats to help hack the hassle and swerve the stress during your next birthday bash. THE INVITES Ever found a party invitation crumpled at the bottom of your child’s school bag many weeks after the event? We’ve all been there, and so for the sake of your time and sanity – not to mention the environment – seasoned party hackers should avoid paper invites at all costs. Choosing an electronic invitation service, such as Paperless Post, keeps the process straightforward and makes your guest list easy to manage digitally. Take it a step further with Hong Kong-based Twopresents, who not only sends virtual invites to all your guests, but also gives them the option to send money in lieu of a gift. The funds are then split into two portions, with one for the birthday boy or girl to spend as they choose, and the other donated to a charity of their choice. This simple site cuts down on the amount of plastic junk you have to home, saves your guests shopping time, and is the ideal solution for the time poor parent with a party to hack. Consider too that the number of guests at your child’s party doesn’t matter. Children will be happy with a small gathering as long as it feels special to them. And by limiting the invites to just best friends and family, you’ll find the whole experience a lot easier. THE ENTERTAINMENT Throwing a kid’s party isn’t the jelly and ice-cream affair of times past. Even a clown doesn’t cut it unless he can pull a few seriously cool stunts out of the bag. So as party planning gets more competitive, it’s worth thinking seriously about what you really want to achieve, and all the exciting alternatives on offer. Firstly, pick a theme that works with you, not against you. Your child may beg for an outlandishly complicated theme but that can be hard to carry off convincingly. Remember timeless classics, like jungles and wild things, or pirates and princesses, never go out of fashion. And whatever style of party you go with, be sure to make it magical. Parties can be so much more than just pass the parcel. Try holding a treasure hunt for wannabe pirates, playing wave music at a mermaid party, or setting off magical firework ‘spells’ at a Potterbased bash. While there’s no shortage of professional party entertainers available to delight your little guests, those balloon animals come at a pretty steep price and have to be booked weeks in advance, making a dent in your party budget and upping your planning time. Happily, there are plenty of alternatives for parents wanting to keep a gang of kids amused, and Discovery Bay is the ideal spot for them. Unless the weather is truly dreadful, hold the party outdoors. This allows kids room to let off steam… without destroying your home. If you have a garden then a water party is great fun, as well as being incredibly easy to organise. Ask invitees to bring spare clothes and a towel, fill a few large storage bins with water and then allocate your guests into teams. Timed wetsponge relay races, water balloon fights and squirt battles are all sure-fire crowd-pleasers that can easily be refereed by a parent. Don’t have a garden? Check in with your village management office to see if your local playground is available for hire, or head to EpicLand in DB North Plaza – it’s a great one stop-shop party option, catering for groups of 10 to 20 plus. Kids can take their pick from various party themes, including glow disco, slime, epic-nerf and laser-tag. All party packages at the 14,000-square-foot indoor entertainment centre include two hours’ use of the party room with balloon and table setup. THE MAIN EVENT What’s a party without yummy treats? Unfortunately, while the additive packed, sugary snacks that the majority of us picture when it comes to birthday celebrations may go down well with small people, the majority of parents would probably prefer to jettison the junk, keeping things healthy (and avoiding the dreaded sugar-crash tantrum on the way home). Fortunately, festive food is extremely easy to hack while keeping all the fun and flavour. While Mum and Dad enjoy their celebratory glass of bubbly, children can get in on the act with some sparkles of their own. Add citrus slices to sparkling mineral water for a refreshing tipple, or try infusing whole jugs with mint, cucumber, apple chunks and strawberries for a carbonated cocktail. Meanwhile, swap salty crisps and pretzels in favour of crudités and veggie-based dips and, assuming no age and allergy restrictions, switch salted peanuts for almonds, walnuts and cashews gently toasted without oil in the oven. And let’s not forget the main event – birthday cake is everyone’s favourite part of a party, but if inch-thick icing transforms your little angel into something you’d prefer to see caged then there’s a hack for that too. If you’re paying a professional, then ‘naked’ cakes – where the sides remain un-iced – are currently all the rage in the world of baking and look just as good as they taste. Complete Deelite in Central is a top go-to for children’s birthday cakes, and it also hosts baking parties, where kids decorate prebaked cookies or cupcakes and then bring them home for their guests to enjoy. If you’re brave enough to DIY then it’s easy to find instructions for a low-sugar cake online. Simply search for diabetic friendly recipes; you can add natural sweetness later with fruit toppings. Alternatively, for a fun sugar-and-fat-free option, make a watermelon ‘cake.’ Slice off both ends of a melon then pat dry, leaving a bright and beautiful base for the sweet-treat toppings of your choice. Whipped cream, berries and, if you’re feeling just a little indulgent, rainbow sprinkles all look and taste fantastic! So there we have it; perfecting a party is easy with just a few sneaky shortcuts. Now pour yourself a drink – you’ve earned it!

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Tracey Taylor Wilcock & Unsplash As COVID-19 wanes and the pilot shortage in the US comes roaring back, there is now an unprecedented opportunity for experienced foreign pilots to apply for permanent residence in the US without obtaining a job offer or labour certification. “Numerous reports indicate that there will be a severe deficit of pilots in the US by 2023. As the demand for professional pilots continues to rise, foreign pilots holding the appropriate background may now apply for a green card for themselves and their families through the EB-2 National Interest Waiver programme,” according to JeanFrancois Harvey, Global Managing Partner of leading business immigration law firm Harvey Law Group. To qualify for the programme, applicants must meet the following criteria: i) they will undertake an endeavour that has both substantial merit and national importance; ii) they are well positioned to advance the proposed endeavour; iii) it would be beneficial to the US to waive the requirement of a job offer, and thus the labour certification. “The growing demand for pilots in the US has made it potentially easier for foreign pilots to meet criteria i) and iii). In other words, so long as an applicant can demonstrate that he/ she has the skills, experience and education that the US needs to address its pilot shortage problem, the applicant likely qualifies for a green card without securing a job offer,” says Harvey. To paint a picture of the pilot shortage situation in the US, reports predict that there will be a shortage of over 12,000 pilots by 2023 and the country will need a total of 65,000 new pilots in the next 10 years to meet the demand for air travel. Furthermore, the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that the US will need to recruit 87 new airline pilots every day for the next 20 years to meet the growing demand. Whilst several reports highlight the forecasts and its ensuing impact on the US over the next few years, the lack of pilot availability can be felt today. In the last five months alone, Delta Airlines cancelled nearly 100 flights and American Airlines cancelled over 300 flights due to a shortage of pilots. The news of the pilot shortage in the US may come as a surprise to some people, as the US is arguably the world’s largest aviation market and major US airlines pay competitive salaries to keep their pilots. To entice new pilots, commercial airlines are not only offering newly hired pilots up to US$150,000 in signing bonuses, but some airlines are also providing a 30% to 40% raise in salary to their commercial pilots this year. A number of factors are contributing to the pilot shortage situation in the US. Initially, it started with restrictive hiring practices, but the situation snowballed as the industry found it difficult to replace their ageing pilot workforce in view of the profession’s increasingly strict experience requirement. In this particular climate, foreign pilots may find it easier to qualify for permanent residence in the US via the EB-2 National Interest Waiver programme. “Over the past two months, we have received a sharp increase in queries from foreign pilots looking to move to the US. We encourage those interested in the EB2 National Interest Waiver programme to speak to one of our lawyers as soon as possible as this prime opportunity hinges on the prevailing shortage,” Harvey states. A petition under the EB-2 National Interest Waiver programme typically takes about 8 to 10 months to process. Upon being approved for the petition, the applicant and his family will be able to obtain an Immigrant Visa to enter the US and receive a green card to reside permanently in the country upon arrival. If you are an experienced pilot and would like further advice on the EB-2 National Interest Waiver programme, contact Jean-Francois Harvey at www.harveylawcorporation.com/contact for more information.

DB resident Amanda Yik pulls double duty to prove wellness and environmentalism can be one and the same as Hong Kong’s first Shinrin-Yoku guide. Elizabeth Kerr reports PHOTOS BY Baljit Gidwani - www.evoqueportraits.com It’s mid-September and still blistering in Hong Kong, and even in allegedly breezy Discovery Bay Amanda Yik is fanning herself with her shirt as she takes a seat with a matcha latte. She marvels at the atmospheric misery nearby typhoons have brought with them but she looks remarkably cool. There might be a bead of sweat at her hairline. Whether that’s a sign of emotional and mental health manifesting in her pores is debatable, but many would argue Amanda’s regular forest baths may indeed be the reason. Amanda is Hong Kong’s first (possibly only) forest therapy guide, a therapeutic practice she took up four years ago after coming off a serious illness at just 36 years old. Her route was a circuitous one. A lawyer by training and a diversity and inclusion pro with Community Business by trade, Amanda eventually heeded her interest in environmental activism and completed a master’s degree in corporate environmental governance and went to work for an NGO in corporate responsibility. ROAD TO WELLNESS Amanda and her husband of eight years relocated to DB just around the time Amanda started a battery of cancer treatments. The resulting low energy forced her to slow down. Prior to that Amanda admits she didn’t deal well with downtime and was uncomfortable with the idea of doing nothing. But as she wandered her neighbourhood and the surrounding environment – the forest – she found a level of acceptance she needed at a time when no one around her really ‘got it.’ “There’s nothing in the forest that asks you questions,” she says. Amanda and her husband settled in a flat halfway up the hill overlooking the beach; it was the view that got them. But they’re pretty unique to DB, having neither children nor dogs. “That was one of the reasons we moved to DB. I really wanted a dog. But once we moved in we were kind of…” she tails off with a shrug. “It does mean giving up quite a bit of freedom. It’s like having a toddler that never grows up. My husband and I really enjoy our freedom, it’s part of the reason we’re here. We have space and distance from the brouhaha of Hong Kong. That’s rarely talked about.” They’re happily child-free – not childless, an important distinction for Amanda. She points out how an explanation for not having kids is asked of too many. “No one asks you why you have kids,” she argues. “It’s really just thinking about the many different ways life unfolds. It’s so easy to make assumptions.” Amanda is easy to talk to, possessed of a gentle, lowkey sense of humour and comfortable talking about what she’s feeling and thinking. She’s the perfect forest therapy guide. Ultimately, Amanda discovered the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (which operates in 60 countries) and earned guide and trainer certification before launching Shinrin-Yoku Hong Kong ( www.shinrinyokuhk.com ). Now she runs her own public or customised walks, running up to three hours, in English or Cantonese. But the million-dollar question remains. What is forest therapy? FOREST THERAPY 101 Amanda admits the concept is hard to grasp intellectually. “The most common question I get is ‘So what exactly do we do?’ There is a rundown,” she explains with a laugh. “When I take people into a country park for three hours, I’m not winging it. I have a plan but if I tell you what it is, you’ll be turned off or think you can do it yourself. It defeats the purpose.” The purpose, very simply, is to immerse in nature and enhance wellbeing. It’s a way to connect with nature, wake the senses, and heal the mind, body and spirit. Forest bathing’s purported benefits include reduced blood pressure and stress, and enhanced immune system strength and mood. Amanda’s been fortunate in that she hasn’t had to deal with accusations of peddling new-agey ‘woo-woo’ nonsense, and most who sign up do so because they’re open to receiving whatever the forest may provide. Though ‘forest’ evokes specific ideas – think the Black Forest in Germany – the proper definition of forest as more than half a hectare of land with trees higher than 5 metres and a canopy cover of more than 10% (according to the UN) makes 25% of Hong Kong a forest. As Amanda explains it, forest therapy is a chance for anyone to meet what she calls their edge (satoyama in Japanese): “The space somewhere in between, where we explore our edges in our encounters with nature. “I know people who have never touched a tree,” she adds. “It’s common to grow up in Hong Kong and spend all your time indoors.” By the same token, Amanda has encountered many so-called nature lovers who have never spent time in nature doing nothing. That’s forest therapy “It’s not traditional therapy, and we don’t call ourselves therapists. We’re just guides. Some guides prefer the word healing. I had an older gentleman last week who teared up on our walk, and he had no idea why. That’s a sign of healing. Often we receive exactly what we need.” For anyone wondering, guides are necessary to worry about what most bathers would be fixating on were they alone, and most importantly to facilitate sharing experiences “Plenty of people can let go and immerse themselves, and they wouldn’t need a guide. Personally, I couldn’t do it,” Amanda admits. “If I were alone, at some point I’d pull out my phone.” FROM CONNECTION TO ACTION Another key aspect of forest therapy for Amanda is its ability to make an environmental impact. By immersing ourselves in nature the chances of appreciating just how harmful our actions are will inspire positive change. “Forest therapy can change people from the inside out. It can make them feel nature,” theorises Amanda. The idea is that our instinct to protect that which we care about will be stoked by receiving something positive from the forest, which is more empowering than just reducing, reusing and recycling. "We are selfish and we do prioritise ourselves at the expense of other species and the earth, but that kind of problem isn’t solved by naming and shaming, or by science and technology. It will be solved by love, compassion and empathy,” Amanda says. While forest therapy is still at the ‘excursion’ stage, forest therapy as wellness practice, environmental activism and social repair has seen its profile rise in the wake of COVID. Amanda agrees the past 18 months have made emotional and mental health a priority for many, and that the demand for balance in work and life, between city and nature, is gaining traction. But Amanda's a realist. “That’s not to say we need to go back and live in caves,” she finishes. “It’s just that our extremely digital and indoor lifestyle is terrible for our health. We’re built for mobility and being out in nature.” Just make sure you have a fan

Relax, submerge, explore, repeat! It’s no secret that DBers love a junk trip and the good news is we don’t have to look far for the best boats in town REPORTING BY Rachel Sadler PHOTOS COURTESY OF Floatudio Yacht Rental & Pexel A day out on the water, filled with friendship, food and floaties… life really doesn’t get much better, and junk trips are definitely here to stay. In fact, with overseas trips off most of our radars this year, sailings have been more popular than ever. Hong Kong is renowned for its junk trips and rightly so. A day on a junk is a unique opportunity to kickback and take it easy, but it can just as easily be full of activity. While working on your tan, you can get your water-sports adrenalin fix, play beer pong, swim out to a remote island and/ or stop off at a favourite beachside restaurant for lunch. The best junk companies are all about flexibility when it comes to event planning. Some occasions call for a comprehensive package where everything is taken care of – food, drink, wakeboarding... you name it. Other times, boat-only charters are the way to go – the crew leaves you to it and you are free to really unwind… and commandeer the kitchenette to prepare your own meals. Peak season is June to November but thanks to the climate, junk hire is available year-round. There are countless junk companies across Hong Kong, all offering a variety of packages for both day and night trips. Old timers like Saffron Cruises, Island Junks and Viking Charters are tried-and-tested favourites, or you can splash out on a luxury cruise with companies like Breakaway and Lazydays, where add-ons include shisha, massage and mani-pedi. Spoilt for choice, we’ve decided to keep it local this month, providing you with a bit of an introduction to Floatudio in Cheung Chau and Discovery Bay’s own Charter Junks HK. DB PARTY JUNK A long-standing favourite in the community, DB-based Charter Junks HK offers a wide variety of packages and tours to take advantage of Hong Kong’s fantastic waters and coastline. You can opt for collection and drop-off in DB, and choose between any number of packages – a full-day, boat-only package starts at HK$12,000 in high season. Charter Junks HK’s two teakwood motor junks – Kitty and Polly – are licensed to carry up to 30 passengers and staffed by a qualified and friendly crew. Regular haunts include Clearwater Bay, Deepwater Bay, Joss House Bay, Repulse Bay, Shek O, Stanley, Turtle Cove Beach, Tai Tam Bay, Cheung Chau and Lamma. Night cruises are also on offer – the Big Harbour Tour, which gives you the opportunity to spend an evening soaking up Hong Kong’s spectacular skyline; and the unique Container Port Tour, which takes you off the tourist track to discover one of the largest and busiest container ports in the world. Whether you’re looking for an all-inclusive, fully catered experience, complete with speedboat and wakeboard rides, or a boat-only charter where you bring your own provisions, Charter Junks HK has you covered. During the day, you can choose between Western, Asian and Indian menus; in the evening, there’s tapas, canapes or BBQ – all with vegetarian options. Kitty and Poppy both feature a high-quality sound system with Bluetooth and loudspeakers throughout, so you can party the day or night away. Tired of your playlists? There’s also the option to hire a private DJ for your trip. Something you also need to know: Charter Junks HK donates a percentage of every booking fee that is arranged by an ex-serviceman or woman from any nation to the Royal British Legion of Hong Kong and China. FLOATUDIO CHEUNG CHAU JUNK Now well and truly on DBers’ maps, Cheung Chaubased Floatudio is the brainchild of Sarah Yip and Rex Law, who first bought a junk in 2016, and lived on it while they started their business. Floatudio offers pick up and drop off in DB for up to 38 passengers, with a full-day, boat-only junk trip starting from HK$5,800 on weekdays and HK$6,800 on weekends. Rex is a third-generation Cheung Chau fisherman and the couple’s junk trips are focused on local waters around Cheung Chau, Lantau and Lamma. Different kinds of boat rental services are on offer, such as round-the-island tours, fishing, squid fishing and private boat parties. The Floatudio also heads out to Tai A Chau, the largest of the Soko Islands in the far southwest of Hong Kong’s waters. On this trip, you have a good chance of spotting pink dolphins, and you can enjoy a real desert-island experience on disembarking. Once home to a thriving farming community, Tai A Chau became a refugee camp for Vietnamese boatpeople in the 1990s, and is now uninhabited. It’s nuggets of information like this that you gain from a trip on the Floatudio – Sarah and Rex both have extensive knowledge of the outlying islands, local waters and marine life, which they are more than willing to share. Sarah moonlights as an eco-tour guide at The Jockey Club HSBC WWF-Hong Kong Hoi Ha Marine Life Centre. The couple have been actively involved in marine conservation since 2019, when they upgraded to a 60-foot fibreglass motor junk, and formed Eco Cheung Chau, an NGO dedicated to protecting local waters and raising awareness particularly among outlying islanders and local fishermen. Since then, Sarah and Rex have regularly paired up with Gary Stokes at OceansAsia, Hillian Siu at Kitesurf for a Cleaner Ocean and Dana Winograd at Plastic Free Seas. They also loan their boat – and their time – to help HKU’s University of St Andrews’ dolphin and finless porpoise research team with acoustic monitoring. Not surprisingly, Sarah and Rex have extended their passion for marine conservation to their business. They provide guided, tailor-made eco-tours, as well as specialist sea workshops in which you get to handcraft fishing nets and upcycle your creations into art pieces, while learning a little bit of Tanka (water dialect). All that being said, a trip on the Floatudio can be anything you want it to be. It’s fully equipped with everything you need for a fun day on the water – sound system, karaoke, BBQ grill, floaties; and you can opt for the usual add-ons like kayaking and standup paddleboarding. The food and drink comes in biodegradable packaging. Sarah and Rex aim to keep the Floatudio plastic-free, naturally. WHO TO SAIL WITH Breakaway, www.breakawayhk.com Charter Junks HK, www.charterjunkshk.com Floatudio, www.floatudio.com Island Junks, www.islandjunks.com.hk Lazydays, www.lazydays.com.hk Saffron Cruises, www.saffron-cruises.com Viking Charters, www.vikingscharters.com.hk

One of the most popular Italian Desserts, Zabaglione is a light and frothy custard that’s best spiked with bubbles Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock Serves 8 8 free-range egg yolks 100g caster sugar 175ml Prosecco Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and place the egg yolks and sugar into it. Make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the simmering water. Using an electric whisk, start whisking the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl over the simmering water. The mixture will become pale and thick like whipped double cream, and it should triple in volume and become very frothy. This could take up to 15 minutes. Continue whisking and slowly pour in the Prosecco. Pour the still warm zabaglione into eight dessert glasses and serve immediately with crushed amaretti biscuits, Flaked Almonds and a little seasonal fruit.

We all know that kids’ daily screen time surged during coronavirus, and we all know that it’s time to help them to unplug – at least a bit. But exactly how can we make this happen? Lorraine Cook reports PHOTOS COURTESY OF Pexels Children’s increased reliance on screens helped maintain a sense of normality during coronavirus. They had digital teachers to educate them in virtual classrooms and digital babysitters to entertain them through device-led playtime; they socialised with friends online. As a result, screen-time limits, in homes across the globe, were effectively out of the picture. But now that life is looking a lot more normal (a lot less like a sci-fi film), isn’t it time to cut back on all the tech? The big question is how do you reduce your child’s reliance at least on personal tech (phones and tablets) and help him regain a balance with other important activities? The most important first step is that you have to really decide this is what you want to do, and you need to put a plan in place to make it happen. Then you have to be determined to weather whatever storms and tantrums ensue. Because you know this is not going to be easy. You know that your kids are not going to like it or agree (otherwise you wouldn’t be trying to figure out what to do). LEADING BY EXAMPLE That was the most important step. Now are you ready for the hardest step? You need to unplug yourself – and get your spouse to do the same. If you have to finish your game of Solitaire before you answer “yes?” to your child’s question, then you’re going to have a tough time getting him to buy in. Parenting would be so much easier if kids responded well to ‘do as I say not what I do’ but it just doesn’t work that way. Yes – I know that ‘it’s different’ for adults, and there are times when we simply can’t be without our phones. But have a think about this. Can you honestly say that every time (or even 50% of the time) you are busy on your phone, you are handling something that couldn’t be put on hold for an hour or two? Even very young kids can tell the difference between a social chat or text, and a call where you’re dealing with a work or family crisis. But if they can’t figure this out, you need to calmly explain why you need to finish your tech communication before you can attend to them. Don’t use the fact that the call will be quick (‘this will only take a minute’) as justification. But do keep them waiting if a call is important (if Grandma has fallen and is on her way to hospital, or you’re still on work hours and there’s an issue to deal with at the office). PROVIDNG ALTERNATIVES Now that we’ve covered your commitment to change and the importance of modelling this change, what else can you do? Some parents take a strong approach to the issue – they install monitoring software on all tech devices, or they simply lock them away. This can work well for some, or for a while, but in the end, most kids learn to outwit software controls. And as for confiscated tech toys, they simply wait until you’re having a weak moment or not looking to get them back. Essentially, these are shortterm solutions and, in the process, not a lot of behaviour is changed, which really is the end goal. So, how to do this? One effective strategy is to focus instead on positive behaviours and activities that have to be done before devices are switched on. These might include homework, walking the dog, or running an errand. Simply getting your child to spend 15 minutes outside, playing with a ball (with phones left inside), will do wonders for interrupting the constant tech connection. Positive reinforcement for effort put in (not results) goes a long way. Kids become motivated by how good they feel about helping out and making healthy choices, which means that they are less likely to need the extrinsic motivation provided by something like a high score on a computer game. RE-ENGAGING AS A FAMILY There are some really good counter-intuitive strategies that you can try as well. One of these is to start playing online games with your kids – appropriate ones, with managed times. This will help them see that not all tech is ‘bad’ and that you’re happy to share some of the good stuff with them. Allowing your child to teach you how to play, help you work through strategies, and then laugh over the joys and defeats will help you find more common ground. It will mean some good (real life as opposed to virtual) conversations can begin. If you’re feeling a bit daring, find a family show that you can all watch together. The best ones are exciting and usually have awesome plot lines that draw everyone in. There will be different series options for every family, but talk to friends as this is becoming a more common strategy. The most important part of this is that all family members have to be present for an episode to play – even if this seriously limits viewing opportunities because someone, for whatever reason, is not around a lot. Everyone has to also pledge that they will not sneak ahead. Look for older shows that have been running for a few seasons rather than new releases (online spoilers add angst if a new episode airs on a day when all of you can’t be at home). If the pledge is honoured, you’ll end up with an incredible ‘us’ time as a family; everyone will enjoy the fact that ‘we’ watch this show together. Doing anything as a unit helps to connect members of a family and if you can discuss the latest plot developments and which characters are evil or silly or make a bad decision, you’ll find yourselves connecting in a whole new way. If you can find a good series that engages your group, you’ve found a way to get them off their personal tech and into a family moment. It goes without saying that all devices need to be out of reach and on silent while a show airs. Remind your kids that not a lot of crises actually happen on a given night, so an hour away from their phones will be survivable. And, this is important. One of the greatest predictors of future success is the ability to wait to get something you want. This self-control, this being able to put your phone down as needed, for as long as needed, shows others you are present, listening and thinking about what is being discussed, not what’s pinging on your phone or iPad. The message that this gives to the other person is that they are important, that your conversation is the one you are attending to, and that you are focusing on them and their needs. It’s a powerful way to strengthen a relationship. This works really well in the business world, but it’s a real game changer if you can get it happening in your family. Long-time DB resident Lorraine Cook (M.A. Psych) relocated to Canada earlier this year. She now provides counselling and therapy online, and you can email her at growingupgreat@gmail.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Harvey Law Group As COVID-19 wanes and the pilot shortage in the US comes roaring back, experienced foreign pilots have the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the US without obtaining a job offer or labour certification. The opportunity came about in April this year, as the US government recognised in a statement that it is of national interest to ease the travel and border control rules for foreign pilots and aircrew. Jean-Francois Harvey, Global Managing Partner of leading business immigration law firm Harvey Law Group, finds the government’s statement to be in response to the looming pilot shortage crisis in the US. “Numerous reports predict that there will be a shortage of over 12,000 pilots by 2023 and the country will need a total of 65,000 new pilots in the next 10 years to meet the demand for air travel,” says Harvey. “Furthermore, the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that the US will need to recruit 87 new airline pilots every day for the next 20 years to meet the growing demand.” The lack of pilot availability can be felt in the US even today. In the last five months alone, Delta Airlines cancelled nearly 100 flights and American Airlines cancelled over 300 flights due to a shortage of pilots. “As the demand for professional pilots continues to rise, foreign pilots holding the appropriate background may now apply for a green card for themselves and their families through the EB-2 National Interest Waiver Programme,” Harvey says. “The growing demand for pilots in the US has made it much easier for foreign pilots to meet the required criteria. So long as an applicant can demonstrate that he/ she has the skills, experience and education the US needs to address its pilot shortage problem, the applicant likely qualifies for a green card without securing a job offer. A petition typically takes only 8 to 10 months to process.” A number of factors have contributed to the pilot shortage situation in the US. It started with restrictive hiring practices, but the situation snowballed as the industry found it difficult to replace their ageing pilot workforce in view of the profession’s increasingly strict experience requirement. In response to the situation, some US airlines are offering newly hired pilots up to US$20,000 in signing bonuses, and providing a 30-40% raise in salaries to their commercial pilots. “Over the past two months, we have received a sharp increase in queries from foreign pilots looking to move to the US. We encourage those interested in the EB-2 National Interest Waiver Programme to speak to one of our lawyers as soon as possible as this prime opportunity hinges on the prevailing shortage,” Harvey concludes. If you are an experienced pilot and would like further advice on the EB-2 National Interest Waiver Programme, contact DB resident Jean-Francois Harvey at www.harveylawcorporation.com .

RENU’S BOLOGNESE Recipe by Renu Modesti Serves 2 6tbsp olive oil 500g minced beef 4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed 1 medium white onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 2tbsp dried Italian seasoning 2 beef OXO cubes 400g tinned chopped tomatoes 1½ cup red wine or water 3tbsp tomato paste 1tbsp dried basil 2tsp sugar or sweetener ½tsp chili flakes (optional) Heat 3tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan, preferably cast iron. Brown the minced beef in the hot oil. Remove from the pan and drain the meat in a metal colander tore move any liquid and excess oil. Set aside. In the same pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Fry the garlic gently for a minute. Add the onion and celery and fry until softened. Season with 1tbsp Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. Transfer the beef back into the pan and combine with the vegetables. Crumble in the OXO cubes and the remaining Italian seasoning. Fry everything together for a minute or two. Add the chopped tomatoes (complete with their juices) and the red wine or water. Then add the tomato paste, dried basil, sugar or sweetener and chili flakes (optional). Combine well. Add more wine or water if needed. Simmer for 15-30 minutes, stirring regularly. The sauce will reduce, thicken and the flavours become more intense. Taste and adjust the seasoning adding more salt or herbs if needed. Serve the Bolognese on top of cooked pasta or stir it through the pasta before serving. Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan. For a lower carb dish, serve with cauliflower rice, steamed vegetables or on its own. If you are inspired by this recipe, visit www.lekker.hk . Founded by two DB residents, Neil Schonken and Ainslie Vosloo, Lekker Laa is a specialty online food and wine business now delivering to DB. On top of delicious wine and meat (such as traditional boerewors) from South Africa, Lekker carries salmon from Norway, bacon from the Netherlands and steak from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Find more of Renu Malani’s recipes on Instagram (@ketorezza) and at the DB dinner and dessert Facebook page.