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DB student Theo Robinson is blazing an entrepreneurial path with his first start-up– a tutoring service manned by DB teens. Elizabeth Kerr reports PHOTOS BY Baljit Gidwani – www.evoqueportraits.com Theo Robinson has the innate comportment of a natural entrepreneur. He listens intently during a conversation, he chooses his words carefully but makes them look spontaneous, and remembers to circle back to previous threads he wants to address. Theo’s also a 16-year-old Discovery Bay International School student with a new skateboard tucked under the coffee shop table he’s sitting at. “It’s good fun and a good way of travelling,” he says of his relatively new hobby-transport. Theo is the latest Discovery Bay teen to embrace his inner Warren Buffet and start a low-key, small business catering to DB residents. TR Music School and TR Tutoring ( www.trmusicschool.com and www.trtutoringdb.com ) are now a go-to for DB kids aged five to 14. What started as a way to hone his own drumming skills and earn a little spending money turned into a mini-empire when, after about four months, enquiries about guitar lessons started coming his way. No small feat considering the tutoring services are lockdown ventures. “It’s two separate schools under the same umbrella. One’s a music school, which is what I started with, and as that grew more successful and people started hearing about it, started coming to me, asking how I did it. So, I figured why not help them start a tutoring business and grow my own by rolling them into the existing platform,” Theo explains. And why not? That’s how Microsoft did it. GENERATION Z Born and raised in the UK, Theo and the family followed his father, in business development in F&B, to Qatar for two years, then back to London (Theo did two years secondary there), and finally to Hong Kong in 2019. Also in DB are his mother, a French teacher, younger sister and a retrieverpoodle mix. His older brother, now 18, remained in the UK to try his hand with a semi-professional football club. DB suits Theo just fine: The summer is going to be about hanging with friends, hitting the beach and doing some paddle-boarding. That, however, doesn’t mean he’s not looking ahead to a new school year and expanding the tutoring business – within reason. Theo tries not to overwhelm his staff (he’d likely cringe at the word “staff”), most of whom are more academically inclined than he. Theo is by no means a slacker, but he views traditional education through a very different lens these days. “I used to be a very good student, hard-working, and I cared very much about it. But as I discovered more about the business world, talking to my dad and talking to others, I started to realise all these school qualifications were moot,” he argues. Theo doesn’t believe education is without value; he just sees it as part of a larger whole. Attending school in a less privileged part of the UK opened his eyes to the world’s diversity, and exploring different places and meeting different people entrenched a love of travel. THEO’S PLAYLIST Nonetheless with a teacher in the house, there are some debates going on at home about Theo’s academic future. “As long as I know how to deal with people and manage people I’m set,” he argues. “As long as I’m doing something I love.” Theo’s not dropping out any time soon either, and he hopes he’ll be heading to Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music for a degree in music engineering and production after DBIS. “It’s crazy expensive, so I’m hoping to be a millionaire before I leave,” he quips. As a drummer with a penchant for technology Theo has his heart set on Berklee because of its focus on the technical and commercial side of music as well as the creative side. Still, he has plenty of musical opinions. He is steadfast about the importance of a good rhythm section: “If you don’t have a good drummer and a good bass player, you’re in trouble,” he states dryly. Theo admits to being a straight up pop and rock type, but he’s learnt to appreciate jazz through his drum teacher, Anna Fan. He debates the relative strengths of Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and Justin Bieber. “Have you listened to his new stuff? He’s really evolved.” He defends Ed Sheeran as an under-appreciated songwriter. “His lyrics are great, and he writes so much for so many other musicians.” A WIN-WIN GAME Right now, Theo is less a musician than a tutor and administrator, one’s who’s big on organisation and planning lessons, and who did his own marketing early on by building two websites. Word of mouth and good old fashioned ‘postering’ did the rest. Currently, he and his stable of student tutors help younger kids brush up on class work and occasionally teach concepts some students are just not understanding. In a fun, resonant way. “I only employ students around my age, and I help them develop their social and teaching skills. It also helps them earn a little bit of money to go and enjoy their weekends,” Theo says. “I’m dedicated to getting the word out that us teenagers can be hard working, compassionate people even though at times we may be a little silly.” Theo maxes out each tutor’s student load to five for bioprotocol compliant, one-on-one classes which means tutors that want it have more study time for themselves. So how does he account for the rapid growth of TR Music and TR Tutoring? For starters, in a COVID economy they’re more affordable, flexible options for parents. “I’m dedicated to keeping my prices low but the quality high to help those parents who can’t quite afford the high rates of some music and educational tutors in Hong Kong,” Theo says. “I knew I could do something to help link those teens looking for tutoring jobs and the parents trying to find well-priced tutors for their younger children.” And, best of all, kids ‘get’ kids. Students are more comfortable with a teen tutor than with a 55-year-old double PhD holder. “We’re almost their age. We know what they’re going though at school,” Theo reasons of the success of the service. “We’re not like other tutors stuck in the 1970s, who don’t understand new systems. It makes the students happy and it makes the parents happy.” Theo notes most of their clients are normal kids that are a little behind and who would be uncomfortable with that PhD, and kids who don’t like maths and music, and need a little push to ensure graduation. School's out for summer but expansion looms. Whatever September brings, Theo’s gained some coveted real-world knowledge and helped a few kids along the way. “This is a big learning experience for me. I don’t see this going like Kumon, worldwide developing my brand. Not at all,” he finishes with another laugh. “If it all collapses tomorrow, starting a business and learning how to make it work will have been worth it.”

Fourteen years in, Dana Winograd of DB Greencontinues to encourage us to expand our recycling regimes and volunteer to clean beaches. Reporting by Rachel Sadler | Photos by Richard Gordon- Richardgordonphotography.com As one of the founding members of DB Green, Dana Winograd first started encouraging fellow residents to recycle better and live greener 14 years ago. The mission then as now is to create awareness within the community about Hong Kong’s waste pollution issue, strive to keep waste off DB’s beaches, encourage people to use less single-use packaging, and work alongside Hong Kong Resort (HKR) to ensure that DBers’ recycling options are second to none. Recent months have seen growing involvement from DB restaurants, many of which have switched to non-plastic packaging for takeaway. Uncle Russ Coffee and Hemingway’s now also recycle their liquid cartons, and have partnered with tech start-up Circular City (and Plastic Free Seas) to trial a brandnew reusable takeout borrow/ return scheme in DB this month. Through Choose: Reuse, residents can borrow coffee cups and food containers (with a fully refundable deposit) using their Octopus card, and return them to the smart return stations at Hemingway’s and Uncle Russ Coffee (DB ferry pier and Central pier 3). The scheme is digitally enabled, so participants get to see their individual impact in the number of cups/ containers saved from landfill, alongside the collective impact from other users. One thing’s for sure, there are numerous ways all of us can live greener, as long as we are prepared to make the effort. This month, why not recommit to recycling (it really does all need to be cleaned and sorted before you bin it) and perhaps even spare an hour or two to clean a beach. CLEAN A BEACH Dana first started organising DB beach clean-ups in 2007 and DB Green now partners with Plastic Free Seas to organise monthly clean-ups at two DB beaches: Nim Shue Wan and Cheung Sha Lan. “HKR manages Tai Pak Wan and cleans it every day,” Dana says. “However, Nim Shue Wan, Cheung Sha Lan and Sam Pak Wan are not part of DB; they are cleaned either weekly or bi-weekly by the government.” So, if you turn up at this month’s DB Green/ PFS beach-clean-up what can you expect? Dana clarifies: “The monthly community beach clean-ups are open to individuals and families, not only from DB but from all around Hong Kong. We provide reusable, one-sizefits- all cotton gloves and rubbish bags, and we ask that volunteers wear closed-toe shoes, and bring a full, reusable water bottle, along with sun protection and bug spray. If it is a registered beach clean-up, you can leave the collected waste on the beach. The government will come and collect it for you.” Each meet typically involves around 50 participants, who are focused not only on the sandy part of the beach but also on the vegetation line. “We typically collect 75 to 150 kilogrammes of waste per cleanup, depending on the season,” says Dana. “Cigarette butts, empty cans, plastic bottles, polyfoam, nets and now, of course, face masks – we picked up 121 at the clean-up in June.” Importantly, beach cleaning is not just for adults – kids are also welcome to do their bit and see the positive impact community action can have on the environment. “It’s never too early to bring your children down to the beach, although we ask that kids below the age of nine are accompanied by an adult,” Dana says. “Even if they only pick up a few bottle caps and then play the rest of the time, kids are learning about the issue and, most importantly, they are enjoying the beach.” This is especially important because, as Dana well knows: “People tend to take better care of what they appreciate.” Interestingly Dana doesn’t hope for the same volunteers to turn up each month – her fundamental objective is to “raise awareness… It’s important to change your behaviour as a result of what you’ve learnt and also, of course, to share what you’ve learnt. “It’s contagious, when people see you doing something, they think, I can do that too,” Dana adds, pointing to the way many DBers now clean beaches independently of DB Green. All rubbish that isn’t properly disposed of has the potential to end up in the ocean, so Dana urges that we pick up litter wherever and whenever we see it – on the beach, on the street, on the trails. “Our actions on a daily basis have the potential to positively impact our environment,” she says. RECYCLE AT THE GREEN ICON Refuse! Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! We all need to use less, re-use what we can and, most importantly perhaps, treat our waste like the waste industry sees it – as a resource. Drink cartons are being converted into paper pulp, glass into ecobricks, plastic bottles into (new) plastic bottles or clothing… the type of waste that can be recycled is rapidly expanding. So, now’s the time for all of us to recommit to recycling, ensuring more of our waste stays out of landfill and gets a new lease of life. "Properly sorted materials means a better chance that they will get recycled, especially for different types of plastic... - DANA WINOGRAD In DB, we are already ahead of the curve since there are communal separation bins at all villages, clearly labelled for glass, plastic, paper and metal but until May of this year we had to work a little harder to recycle certain ‘hard to collect’ items. For instance, large electrical appliances, CDs and DVDs had to be taken to the waste transfer station near the Mui Wo ferry pier, while small electrical items (WEEE), rechargeable batteries, energy-saving lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes were handed in at the village management offices. Polyfoam and plastics, including drink cartons, coffee cups/ lids and contact lens packaging, could be disposed of at DB Green’s dedicated recycling collection, held monthly at the waterfront side of Hemingway’s. As of May, however, we’ve been able to unload the bulk of our recyclables at the Green Icon in front of Parkridge Village. Thanks to DB Green, a team from the government-funded Green@Community recycling network now comes to DB every Tuesday, from 10am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm, to collect clean and sorted recyclables, including most plastics/ polyfoam, liquid cartons, electrical appliances, rechargeable batteries and energy-saving lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes. The Green@Community team also takes metal, glass and paper recyclables (though there’s no harm in continuing to deposit these items at the communal separation bins). With plastics it’s a little more complicated. Dana recommends that we take any non-bottle shaped plastics, particularly soft plastics (film), to the Green Icon for weekly collection by the Green@Community for it to have the highest chance of getting recycled. “Be sure to check the number in the chasing arrows triangle. Theoretically #1, 2, 4 and 5 plastics can be recycled from the communal separation bins, but in reality, this is not certain,” Dana says. “Plastic bottles (beverage and body-care products) will get recycled, but non-bottle rigid plastic and film/ soft plastics will have a much better chance of being recycled at the weekly Green@Community sorted recycling collection, and rigid polystyrene and polyfoam can only be recycled there. They don’t accept #3 plastic. And #7s, a catchall for any type of plastic other than a #1-6, although accepted are problematic, as they may include bio-based plastic which can contaminate the plastic recycling stream.” What’s key is that all recyclables are cleaned and properly sorted. “In order to be recycled, all cartons need to be cut open and washed with the plastic spout and lid removed, and they should be dried, flattened and sorted by type (whiteback and silver-back),” says Dana. “Polyfoam items, including food containers, fruit nets and product packaging also need to be clean and dry, with no food residue, tape, stickers or any other contaminants. Beverage bottles must be empty of liquid, and you can leave the cap and label on. “Properly sorted materials means a better chance that they will get recycled, especially for different types of plastic,” Dana concludes with a satisfied grin. “The waste will be disposed of properly and not end up in a landfill, or worse, in the sea.”

Photos Courtesy of Everything Under the Sun There is a better way to discourage mosquitoes than simply drenching yourself in a chemical- based mosquito repellent. The experts at Everything Under the Sun recommend you use Green Strike mosquito control devices, which rely on innovative patented technologies to both deter and eliminate mosquitoes. Designed in Canada, Green Strike offers eco-friendly, non-toxic solutions to keep your living space a bite-free zone. GREEN STRIKE MOSQUITO PREVENTER The Preventer addresses mosquito populations at source, and is best placed in areas where mosquitoes rest and breed. Utilising patented Zero- Hatch Technology™, it disrupts the lifecycle of mosquitoes, preventing future generations of mosquitoes from hatching. The Preventer is environmentally friendly and free of chemicals and pesticides. Placement: For outdoor use. Coverage: Protects up to 2,000 square metres. GREEN STRIKE MOSQUITO ELIMINATOR The Eliminator uses a unique combination of lures, including patented No-mating technology™, to attract mosquitoes to the trap. When the mosquitoes get close to the trap, they are vacuumed inside, where they die from dehydration. Placement: For Outdoor use. Coverage: Protects up to 1,000 square feet. GREEN STRIKE MOSQUITO DEFENDER The defender is a neat plug-in device designed for home, offices and schools. It uses a unique two-lure system, including advanced UVA-LED technology calibrated to the optimal wavelength for mosquitoes to attract, capture and kill mosquitoes quietly and efficiently. A removable holding tray allows for quick and easy cleaning. Placement: For indoor spaces. Coverage: Protects rooms up to 300 square feet. Everything Under the Sun 902 Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong T: 2554 9088 everythingunderthesun.com.hk

Are you curious about chess? Want to start playing chess? This article by Boon Tiong Tan is for you PHOTOS BY Koesen Wong & COURTESY OF Adobe Stock & Pexels Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit has brought sexy back to chess; it’s cool and popular again. But why the title? The Queen’s Gambit is actually the name of a chess opening in which the white (always makes the first move of a game) dares the black to take a seemingly free pawn on the queen’s side. And yes, there’s an opening named the King’s Gambit where the pawn offered is on the king’s side. While the difference seems tiny, these two openings develop into wildly different games. Chess is a game of skill not chance, and it has fascinated people for hundreds of years. Karl Marx, when not thinking about making society more just, and much to his wife’sexasperation, would disappear with his friends for days at a time on chess binges. So, if you want to give chess a try, how do you start? Like almost everything, you can learn the basics, like the names of the pieces (the chessmen) and how they move, on YouTube. Know that a typical game has an opening, a mid-game and an endgame. During the opening, you have two main aims – to take control of the centre and develop your knights and bishops. Now that my daughters have mastered this, beating them is a lot harder. The good old days of me checkmating them in a few moves is history. PLAYING MIND GAMES Chess is a board game with 32 pieces played over 64 squares. How complicated can that be? The answer is, it is extremely complicated. The permutations are mind blowing, and there are an infinite number of possible move combinations – more than all the sand in the world. Little wonder chess has always been considered a game for the intelligentsia, and the strongest grandmasters have IQs of 180 plus. In his autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson wrote that if he were to start his football managing career all over again, he’d want all his players to learn how to play chess. Athletes need both brains and brawn, after all, and chess teaches you how to focus and think a few moves ahead. As well as training analytical minds, chess teaches responsibility. You make the decision for every move. If you lose, you can’t blame the weather or put it down to rotten luck. Russian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov thinks every school should teach chess. COMPETITVE STREAK Is chess a sport? If you think this is an absurd question and your answer is a resolute no, read on. The reigning World Chess Champion, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, prepares himself for a tournament exactly like an elite athlete. He runs, he plays soccer and he does yoga. He has a personal chef and he watches his diet. While Roger Federer needs to run around a tennis court for an hour to burn 600 calories, Magnus Carlsen burns the same amount in two hours simply by sitting and moving his arms across a chess board intermittently. In extreme cases, top chess players can lose up to 20 pounds in one tournament. (The World Championship Series is often played over a matter of weeks, to allow each player time to recover from the mental exertion of the games they have played, as much as to allow time for the games themselves.) On average, world chess champions peak in their mid-30s. GOING INTO BATTLE Chess probably originated in India 1,500 years ago. The Arabs brought the game to Europe in the 7th century and it evolved into its current form in the 15th century. The first World Chess Championship took place in 1886, but it didn’t hit many people’s radars until 1972, when the eccentric American genius Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky, smashing 25 years of Soviet chess hegemony. Two decades later, machines entered the fray. Garry Kasparov took up the challenge to play against Deep Blue, an IBM supercomputer. He won in 1996 but lost the following year’s rematch. The machine never looked back. As almost anyone can tell you, to win at chess you need to deliver a checkmate (trap your opponent’s king). Your chessmen are your army, and the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. This is largely due to her mobility – she is able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally. How powerful is the queen compared to other pieces? There is a simple point system to answer this question. A queen is worth 9 points, a rook 5 points and a minor piece (bishop or knight) is worth 3 points. The king is much less mobile than the queen – he can move only one square in any direction – but during an endgame, he can be formidable. COOL MOVES The terms ‘knight,’ ‘en passant’ and ‘grandmaster’ lend chess a certain mystique but the game is easy to learn with only a few rules, and it’s fun to play with limitless possibilities. You just need to download a free chess app (like www.chess.com) and you can start playing with tens of millions of chess enthusiasts all over the world. Just like in amateur tennis, the winner of a chess game is not the player who hits the best shots but the player who makes the least mistakes. Avoid the following and you will immediately up your game. Many beginners like to move their queen during the opening. Top chess players almost never do that. While the queen is powerful, she is not invincible – if you leave her unprotected, she can be chased around the board by your opponent’s chessmen. Without support from other pieces, she can end up being trapped and ‘killed.’ Picture a lion being brought down by a clan of hyenas. While it is true to some extent that offence is the best defence, no good chess player can afford to focus solely on offence. You need to play offence and defence at the same time, all the time. Just look at Liverpool FC: Despite a formidable attacking force, their success came only after they acquired goalkeeper Allison Becker and defender Virgil van Dijk. When Liverpool lost their central defenders to injuries this season, they lost an unprecedented six matches in a row at Anfield, their home ground. In a football match, a team that has 20 shots at the goal but none in the net loses to the opposing side that has only one shot and one goal. It’s the same with chess. Checks do not win a game, only a checkmate does. Beginners love to check when there are other better moves to make. Don’t check too much. 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 .

DB Community Green Square serves to highlight the natural beauty of DB and encourage residents to join together in healthy outdoor activities. Elizabeth Jerabek meets the DB landscape team to find out more PHOTOS BY Richard Gordon - richardgordonphotography.com & COURTESY OF City Management Discovery Bay landscaper Anna Li is happy to have spent the day getting her hands dirty with DB residents at a series of flowerbasket arrangement workshops, and she is excited to show me what the participants have planted in their flower baskets. “I don’t think of myself as a teacher,” says Anna, who has been an officer with the DB landscape team for over two years. “I wanted to provide lots of different plants for people to choose from at the workshop, and I was really curious to see how everyone would mix and match to make their own unique flower basket. I wanted to encourage people to be creative and think outside of the box.” The flower-basket arrangement workshops were held at DB Community Green Square on April 24 and, due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, they were the first opportunity that the DB landscape team has had to directly interact with residents in over a year. Similar to the collaborative approach with DB landscapers and residents at the workshops, creating a partnership between City Management (CM, officially Discovery Services Management Ltd), and residents is one of the main objectives behind DB Community Green Square. “The mission is even part of the name,” says Eddie Heung on behalf of CM’s community relations team. “The ‘Square’ in the name is the result of DBers (residents and CM) – DB2 – working together to create a new gathering place. “When DB Nursery was moved to an upland location near DB Golf Course last December, HKR, as the landlord, gave CM permission to replan the site as DB Community Green Square. It’s a new spot for residents to enjoy leisure and landscaping activities.” DB Community Green Square launched on April 10 with the first in a series of monthly community plant markets. DB’s low-density residential planning is unique in Hong Kong and that – along with residents’ interest in gardening – is what has made a horticultural space like DB Community Green Square possible. The aim is threefold – to highlight the natural beauty of DB, to encourage residents to participate in healthy outdoor activities, and to enable local experts to share their knowledge about gardening and landscaping and thereby give back to the community. GROWING TOGETHER One of the most appealing aspects of DB Community Green Square is that it is designed to forge a connection between all those involved – residents, the landscape team and the community relations team. Residents are being encouraged to register as ‘Green DBers’ so that they can participate in plant workshops and other leisure activities. “We hope that someday the Green DBers will become workshop leaders too and share what they’ve learned from our colleagues with other residents,” says Eddie. DB Community Green Square also includes an area of ‘community farmland', which CM has invited a group of residents – the Green Elite – to tend together with the DB landscape team. The new collaborative will grow produce (such as corn, squash and tomatoes) to sell at the monthly DB plant markets. Indeed, cultivation is already underway and the first members of the Green Elite have had the opportunity to contribute to the site’s overall planning. Leisure activities such as yoga and meditation classes, unplugged music concerts and classes for children may also feature in the upcoming programme of events. “No matter what kind of events happen in DB Community Green Square, it is a way to build up good community relationships,” says Eddie. “It is definitely a place that belongs to the residents. In fact, we have already received a number of excellent suggestions for events that could be held at DB Community Green Square. For now, our event offering is limited by COVID-19 social distancing restrictions but we are confident that we can find a balance.” As a communication platform, facilitating interaction between residents and between residents and CM, DB Community Green Square has so much potential. It will be a two-way street where residents can learn from the landscape team, and the landscape team can learn from residents. It will be a space where CM can fast-track residents’ ideas for outdoor events. And, perhaps most importantly, it will enable everyone involved to work together to improve quality of life and further beautify DB. ENHANCING THE LANDSCAPE Anna, for one, continues to be amazed by DB’s natural beauty – it’s fresh air and wide-open spaces. “When I first came to DB to work with the landscape team, I did not feel like I was in Hong Kong anymore and I was reminded of Auroville, the utopian community in India,” she says. There’s no doubt that DB is an innovative example of green and sustainable residential development, and Anna has enjoyed becoming part of the community through her work. “I really like the ‘Discovery’ part of the name, and here I have discovered many new skills and interests,” she says. “Similarly, I hope DB Community Green Square can be an opportunity for residents to grow and discover more about the beautiful landscape around them. “I look forward to reaching out to the community to share stories about the plants we use in the landscaping and to increase the community’s awareness of how the landscape team cares for the environment in DB,” Anna adds. With over 20 years of experience, Leong Kam Chun – aka Franky – is a veteran member of the DB landscape team and he takes his responsibilities seriously. “We mainly consider how we can beautify the DB environment and enhance the natural atmosphere,” he says. “I heard from colleagues that some DB residents are amazed by the lotus pool, which they compare with the wetland area in north-west Hong Kong. Generally speaking, residents love DB because it's quiet and peaceful and they can enjoy nature everywhere." Like Anna, Franky is looking forward to working closely with residents at DB Community Green Square. “I enjoy communicating with residents very much and I think they are very kind,” he says. “Sometimes, when I care for the plants in different villages, some residents talk to me and we exchange landscape knowledge with each other. “My colleagues and I are responsible for beautifying DB; we always work towards its betterment,” Franky adds. “It can be hard work, especially in the summer, but sometimes DB residents show their appreciation of our gardening work. I am always really glad to hear it and, as our team leader says, it becomes motivation for work.” Talk about a two-way street! Franky adds. “It can be hard work, especially in the summer, but sometimes DB residents show their appreciation of our gardening work. I am always really glad to hear it and, as our team leader says, it becomes motivation for work.” Talk about a two-way street! DB Community Green Square provides a platform for local experts to share their knowledge about gardening and landscaping. Leisure activities such as yoga, unplugged music performances and classes for children are also in the offing. UPCOMING EVENTS: June 5 and July 3: Monthly plant market June 16: Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) workshop June 19: Succulent arrangement workshop

The DB Baking Competition is back for 2021, Unleash your Inner Chef! Submission Deadline July 15! ELIGIBILITY To enter, bakers must be DB residents (with proof of address) or students studying in DB (with a DB student ID card). YOUR SUBMISSION There are two entry categories – Open and Under 12 – with three finalists in each category: first-prize winner, first runner-up and second runner-up. We are looking for you to share your best bake sale recipes – anything from cookies, cakes and brownies to pies, breads, scones and muffins. Entry submissions, emailed to Baymedia.competition@gmail.com , must include: • Complete recipe with list of ingredients • Six photos (full-size image and resolution, preferably 1600 x 1200px) showing the ingredients, key preparation steps, the baker baking and the finished product KEY DATES July 15 : Submission deadline August 1 : Shortlisted entrants are announced and pictured in the August issue of Around DB August 5-15 : Online voting on the Around DB Facebook page August 18 : Results posted on the Around DB Facebook page September 1 : The first-prize winners’ recipes – Open and Under 12 categories – are published in the September issue of Around DB, along with photos of the first-prize winners, first runners-up and second runners-up in each category PRIZES TO WIN Up to HK$8,000 worth of vouchers to spend at the Auberge Discovery Bay, Peony, D Café, Café Siena and DB Ice Rink. If you have any questions about the application process, don’t hesitate to email us at info@baymedia.com.hk , Get baking fast as the submission deadline is July 15!

Marine biologist Estelle Davies heads into her second summer teaching kids stuck in Hong Kong about the wide world under the water. Elizabeth Kerr reports. Photos Courtesy of Estelle Davis On an increasingly swelter-y Monday afternoon, marine biologist and educator Estelle Davies is sitting in Pascucci in DB Plaza, her non-motorised scooter tucked in a corner. Her fair hair and long limbs make her look as if she were born on the water, which is actually not that far from the truth. Born in Cyprus to British parents, Estelle arrived in Hong Kong in 1979 when she was just nine months old. Her father had signed up with Cathay Pacific Airways and the family promptly carved out a life in Sai Kung and Clear Water Bay. “There was even a car ferry to cross the harbour back then,” she recalls with a laugh. Estelle is relaxed and fast with a quip; always ready with a story or comment. It’s easy to see how she came to be in her communicative line of work. Conversation rambles, from earthquakes in the SAR, skinny buildings in Happy Valley, childhood science educator heroes – David Attenborough, Carl Sagan and David Suzuki pop up – terrace hazards and the documentary Seaspiracy. COUSTEAU NATURALIST Estelle fell in love with the ocean early, and by 16, she was in Belize “doing expeditions… I was fascinated by this world under the ocean; this life, that could exist on its own,” she says. “I was fascinated by how little it needed us. I felt like I needed to share this knowledge with others.” And a career path was born. After completing a bachelor’s degree in marine and environmental science at St Andrews University in Scotland and a master’s in Tropical Marine Ecology from James Cook University in Queensland (with a stop in London for a postgrad certificate in education), Estelle joined Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society’s (OFS). As a Cousteau naturalist, on the Ambassadors of the Environment Marine Exploration and Adventure programme, she found herself travelling the world’s oceans, giving lectures to guests on all things marine, ecological and sustainable – an experience she credits with instilling her desire to educate young people. In 2005, OFS offered Estelle the opportunity to run the Ambassadors of the Environment programme in French Polynesia aboard the award-winning M/S Paul Gauguin cruise ship. This involved snorkelling and diving in some of the most pristine waters in the world – and teaching young travellers and their families about sustainability and protecting the islands’ ecosystems. Of Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of Jacques Cousteau, famous explorer and conservationist, Estelle shares: “Jean-Michel is kind and thoughtful and one of the most inspiring individuals I know. He is a very modest man and his life is dedicated to ocean conservation, especially education. He believes, as do I, that people only protect what they love. So, we need to go out and make people fall in love with the ocean, the coral reefs and the animals that live there.” Home eventually beckoned and Estelle returned to Hong Kong to settle in Discovery Bay in 2008 with her sisters. They’re not neighbours, but they’re a stone’s throw away from each other. “We chose DB because it’s close to the airport and also because one of my sisters already lived there with my nieces and nephew,” Estelle explains. “I love Sai Kung but for getting around ideally you need a car. “DB has hiking and the outdoors and everything we want. And, of course, it’s on the water – I row so I spend a lot of time at the Lantau Boat Club.” LIVING OCEANS For the second summer in as many years, COVID-19 travel restrictions have meant that DB, and Hong Kong, kids who might normally jet off to see family overseas are staying at home. And like the kids she teaches, Estelle will be in town for the summer. Which actually isn’t the worst thing that could happen. As the founder and director of Living Oceans Education (LOE, www.livingoceanseducation.com), Estelle has been on a mission to raise environmental awareness, promote sustainable living and inspire better guardianship of the natural world in the next generations since 2016. She is carrying on the work she did as a client relationship manager at Asia Pacific Adventure, where she helped kids develop a better understanding and appreciation for Hong Kong’s spectacular environment and how to live more sustainably. This summer, LOE’s signature field trips and beach explorations are still on (overseas trips are, obviously, on hold). The programmes run three or four days and explore the coastal environments around Lamma, Peng Chau, Sai Kung and, of course, Lantau and DB. Groups are small, and activities are designed to be eye-opening for kids aged six years and up. “At LOE, I teach students in Hong Kong about life in our oceans and to value nature,” Estelle says. “We lead outdoor field trips to snorkel a coral reef, visit mangrove forests and introduce them to the rich biodiversity of Hong Kong. People don’t realise just how much is here, right on our doorstep. Thankfully people are starting to explore to learn themselves because it’s so easy, but there’s always more.” LOE does a great deal of its work during the school year, hosting after-school programmes and customising presentations and mini-seminars based on school curricula, most of which pivoted to an online model over the past year. Estelle will grant that Zoom got the job done, but it wasn’t quite as engaging as classroom visits, where hands frantically wave and oohs and aahs frequently erupt. WATER BABIES “I think most kids are born with a curious mind and a passion to learn, but at some point they get pushed into being afraid of the unknown and, sadly, sheltered from the environment around them,” Estelle theorises. And while there are dozens of Hong Kong organisations that teach climate change and the hazards of plastic pollution, a resonant connection is often missing. Admittedly you’d need a master’s degree to truly understand the link between fossil fuel production, climate change and the price of tuna, but Estelle does her best to “pose the right questions.” “A lot of kids don’t go to the beach and have an ‘It doesn’t affect me’ attitude about . But if we connect it to their daily lives or the food they eat for example, then the connection becomes a little clearer… Why should this worry us? Why should we be concerned? At LOE I’m trying to connect kids to nature, and show why we need each other; why we should care. How does warming, plastic in the ocean and overfishing ultimately affect us?” Estelle wants kids to “fall in love with” marine life as she did as a child, and after they’ve connected with it, she wants them to strive to protect it. Being the change is a constant battle especially now, with pandemic living’s reliance on surgical masks and plastic takeaway food packaging creating a sense of two steps forward, one step back. Estelle’s modest about her own impact. “Does my little contribution make a difference?” She shrugs. We can’t all be David Attenborough, but we can try.

Launched in 2018 by PCCW, Now E is a one-stop entertainment OTT platform that allows viewers to consume their favourite content anywhere, anytime. From movies and dramas to live sport and news, Now E offers a wide variety of entertainment, enabling customers to register on a total of five devices and stream on two different devices simultaneously. With flexible charging models and no contracts necessary, Now E is easy, convenient and flexible. For more details, visit www.nowe.com . From June 11 to July 11, Now E is bringing viewers the highly anticipated UEFA EURO 2020™. Twenty-four of Europe’s top teams face off for the right to become kings of their continent, and viewers need not miss a minute of the action as Now E is showing all 51 games live, as well as offering video-on-demand for 30 days. Selected matches come in 4K. Take advantage of Now E’s special event pass price of just HK$1,080 to stream every minute of the festival of football. Now E is also offering fully comprehensive and affordable packages for the English Premier League, with every game available for the 2020-21 season, some in 4K. For just HK$228 per month, customers can live-stream and enjoy video-on-demand to watch their favourite teams, or select the pick of the fixtures from the world’s most watched league. Day passes are offered at just HK$78. As LaLiga builds to an exciting climax, Now E takes viewers to the heart of the action by live-streaming selected matches and offering video-on-demand for 30 days. Hang on to your seats as some of the most renowned players in the world battle it out to reign in Spain. The UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League have reached the knockout rounds and Now E is showing every game from each competition from the quarter-finals to the finals. Featuring many of the world’s biggest and most popular club teams, football fans can stream all the action live or watch it on-demand for only HK$298. Now E’s flexible pricing models mean that everyone can watch the world’s best leagues and club competitions, plus the UEFA EURO 2020™. For more information, please visit the link below: www.nowe.com .

A year of lockdown hasn’t stopped Ivailo Tonchev and Alyona Zarnitsyna growing The Beat into a state-of-the-art, dual venue fitness and-dance hub. Elizabeth Kerr reports PHOTOS BY Baljit Gidwani - www.evoqueportraits.com When Alyona Zarnitsyna comes bounding into the Starbucks in ifc, four years after I first interviewed her for this magazine, I immediately realise that a lot has changed. Make no mistake, she’s still got energy to burn, but this time around the workout gear has been replaced with a stylish jacket accented by a wide statement belt and slim trousers. Husband Ivailo Tonchev is right behind her, looking more casual in jeans and a navy pullover, but equally lithe, tan and fit – a year into a global pandemic lockdown. It strikes me that the co-founders of DB-based boutique fitness-and-dance studio The Beat might be superhuman. While Ivailo goes off to grab drinks, Alyona settles into catch-up mode, detailing how the couple’s daughters, Polina and Yana, are now Discovery College students, and how a trip to Central is a pleasant change of pace. Alyona and Ivailo enjoy an occasional evening out for dinner, but duty calls, as their growing business is pleasantly all-consuming. “We were busy when we first launched The Beat in DB Plaza back in September 2016 but that was nothing compared to now,” Alyona opens. “Your first question then was ‘What is your vision?’ I remember that now, and it’s giving me goosebumps. We said that we believed we’d be able to provide all the exercise DBers want, and I’m happy to say it happened. “You want to exercise? Come to The Beat. You want to dance? Come to The Beat. You want to relax, talk, get nutritional advice? Come to The Beat. We provide the whole package about health and lifestyle.” EXPANDING THE OFFERING Achieving this complete package hasn’t been smooth sailing, however. Alyona and Ivailo have had quite a year of it, like many Hongkongers. They decided to open a second studio in DB North Plaza in late 2019, after much hemming and hawing, and right after they signed a leasing contract, the pandemic erupted. Gyms closed for long stretches of time, and a now-notorious ‘dance group’ caused the city’s single biggest COVID cluster yet. Now operating out of two locations in DB, The Beat is a boutique fitness-and-dance studio dedicated to meeting all your fitness, health and wellness needs. To join The Beat community, call 5721 3000, email info@thebeat.com.hk or visit www.thebeat.com.hk “It was very tough, for everyone, and we felt it,” says Ivailo. “But we have supportive landlords and we’ve had several government subsidies, which we appreciate. We try not to think about the year we lost. There’s always some kind of silver lining. Instead of crying – which we did – we decided to reinvest in the business, in education, and in getting better at what we do.” While the rest of us learnt to make sourdough bread, Ivailo and Alyona used the 2020 lockdown to take online courses and earn new training certifications that the studio is rolling out in classes now. And while they were working on new workout qualifications, they also focused on their instructors’ development. The rest of us were baking because we had the time, Ivailo and Alyona didn’t. The extra hours with Polina and Yana never materialised to the degree they’d expected. Ivailo explains they spent so much time adjusting and adapting to constantly fluctuating bioprotocols and forging some kind of online workout, any extra downtime, while welcome, was negligible. The couple agrees that the effort has been worth it. The Beat now provides a comprehensive range of fitness-and-dance classes out of two DB locations. Offerings include the increasingly popular resistance based Pilates reformer workout, high-intensity training, indoor cycling, BODYPUMP, boxing, circuit training, yoga, kids’ classes, nutritional advice and training, and a range of dance classes (including Latin American). And that’s not all: Ivailo and Alyona have been investing in state-of-the-art, high-quality equipment to ensure clients feel “safe, welcome and challenged.” Look around The Beat and you’ll see Les Mills weights, top-of-the-range STAGES spin bikes and the latest Allegro II Pilates Reformer machines. It goes without saying that there’s rubberised flooring in the multi-functional fitness studio. PROVIDING AN EXPERIENCE Despite all the ambitious expansion, The Beat remains a highly individualised operation, somewhere Ivailo says clients have called a “hidden gem,” that offers personal, boutique-style services, and a place to connect. “What our clients miss these days is communication,” theorises Ivailo. “I’ve seen people grabbing coffee together after sticking to their exercise plan. They know we know them; they recognise each other even if they’re not ‘friends.’ That’s what we’ve been deprived of this year. We need to get back to socialising. Safely.” Alyona backs this up saying, “I don’t like that feeling of going into a gym, doing your exercise and then leaving. If you come here, I want you to stay a little longer.” The duo’s aim is to provide a workout space that is decidedly not like the ones found in commercial chain gyms. There’s nothing wrong with those, but it’s not what they want to do; it never has been. The lights are dimmed in The Beat studios these days, so class is not so intimidating. “We want to give clients the feeling of being detached from reality. We really believe in providing an ‘experience,’” says Ivailo. “That’s our motto now, too: ‘Experience the difference.’ We feel we’re different.” “I don’t like that feeling of going into a gym, doing your exercise and then leaving. If you come here, I want you to stay a little longer” — ALYONA ZARNITSYNA Ultimately The Beat is a family business, and Ivailo and Alyona treat it as such. The studio runs as a collective and classes are small, so instructors that need to swap out classes can tell their sub who’s who in the class, and who’s got a bum knee. That goes for Ivailo and Alyona too – both still teach in addition to fulfilling all their managerial chores. “A lot of our clients like the fact that we’re not just the owners. I’m happy to make coffee every morning. I know who only drinks tea, who likes to have a chat and who doesn’t,” Alyona finishes. “We're always busy, often tired. But always, I can’t wait to go back to work.”

These tried-and-true Greek recipes are made with deliciously simple ingredients and very little effort. Avgolemono (Lemon Chicken Soup) Serves 4 • ½ a free-range chicken • 80g short-grain rice • 2 whole eggs • 2 lemons, juice only • Fresh parsley, chopped Put the chicken in a pot just large enough to fit. Cover with cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Skim the surface, lower the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 2 hours. Remove the chicken. Pour 1.5 litres of the chicken stock into a pot and add the rice. Cook for 15 minutes until the rice is soft. Shred the chicken, discarding the skin, and add to the soup. Season and keep warm over a low heat. Beat the egg whites until slightly stiff, then beat in the lemon juice. Whisk the yolks and pour them into the egg-white mixture. Remove the soup from the heat, and whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture. Repeat with two more ladles of stock, then pour the mixture back into the chicken soup and stir to combine. Check for seasoning, add more lemon juice to taste, and serve garnished with fresh parsley. Briam (Baked Courgettes and Potatoes) Serves 4 • 1kg potatoes, thinly sliced • 4 courgettes, thinly sliced • 4 red onions, thinly sliced • 2 yellow peppers, sliced • 6 ripe tomatoes • 8tbsp olive oil • 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped • 75g feta Preheat the oven to 200℃. Arrange the potatoes, courgettes, red onions and yellow peppers in a large baking dish. ‘Purée’ the tomatoes by cutting them in half and grating them on a large box grater, leaving the skin behind. Add the tomatoes, olive oil and parsley to the baking dish. Season well. Toss all the ingredients together so that the vegetables are evenly coated. Bake in the preheated oven, stirring after 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender and the moisture has evaporated, about 90 minutes. Serve with a hearty chunk of feta on the side. Stifado (Beef Stew) Serves 6 • 1kg chuck steak, cut into chunks • 500g onions, peeled and halved • 1tbsp tomato purée • 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped • 1tsp honey • Fresh oregano, chopped For the marinade • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 3 bay leaves • 1 cinnamon stick • 1tsp allspice • ½tsp coriander seeds • 4 cloves • 1 strip of orange peel • 300ml red wine Marinade the beef in the refrigerator, covered, for several hours or overnight When you’re ready to cook, fry the onions in a large casserole dish until they are golden. Remove them from the casserole. Strain the beef and pat it dry, reserving the marinade. Sear the beef in the casserole until well browned. Return the onions and the marinade to the casserole. Mix the tomato purée with a little water, and add this to the casserole, together with the tomatoes and honey. Season, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Cover the casserole with a lid and cook the stifado for 1-1½ hours until the meat and onions are tender. Stir at intervals, turning the meat each time. Sprinkle with fresh oregano to serve.

For many parents, the fear of their children being separated from them and facing quarantine or hospitalisation alone, is a much larger concern than contracting COVID-19. What happens if one or both parents test positive for COVID-19? The general rule is that the children are placed in a quarantine centre under supervision of social services and according to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), they err on the side of caution and will isolate members of the public, regardless of their age. While the CHP and the Department of Health have advised that special consideration will be applied on a ‘case by case’ basis, this is not helpful and does little to ease the minds of anxious and stressed out parents. The government issued a press release on March 16 to address ‘quarantine and isolation arrangements involving children.’ Whilst this is a step in the right direction, it seems clearer guidelines are required to ensure the best interests of children. If children are required to be isolated at a hospital or a quarantine centre, their caretaker must seek permission to accompany them. In light of this lack of clarity and transparency, the setting up of legal guardianship appears essential (to say the least). Knowing that their children are being cared for by someone they know and trust will give some comfort to parents. The Guardianship of Minors Ordinance (Ca. 13) governs court proceedings relating to the custody and upbringing of children, as well as the appointment and removal of guardians. The appointment of a legal guardian is made pursuant to a Deed of Guardianship that is drafted by a solicitor. Careful consideration should be given to the choice of the person or people designated as Legal Guardian and should be based on a variety of factors. What if the appointed guardian was someone associated with the recent ‘gym cluster’ and also, like the parents, tested positive? Consideration should be given to the ‘layer’ of guardians who are to be appointed and whoever is appointed should be someone familiar to the children. Consideration should also be given to the potential guardians’ age and health status, and whether they are committed to shouldering parental responsibility until the children reach the age of majority. Parents should be aware, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, that technically a Deed of Guardianship document does not have binding legal effect. However, it will reinforce the expressed wishes of parents regarding the care and control of their children and convey these wishes to the authorities. This is particularly important if the parents are unable to effectively communicate their wishes. Our team at Withers has extensive experience in dealing with child custody issues and Hong Kong family laws, so kindly get in touch with us to find out how we can help. Withers , 30/F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty, 3711 1600, www.withersworldwide.com/en-gb/hong-kong For more information on setting up a legal guardianship, reach out to Anisha Kumar Ramanathan, Senior Associate at Withers, at anisha.ramanathan@withersworldwide.com

There’s no question that CBD is the buzzy wellness product of the moment. It’s gone from being sort of around to absolutely everywhere all at once. I got a taste for it after talking to Brenda Chan of Altum Asia at the DB Handmade Hong Kong Market last month. Altum supplies CBD products throughout Asia – and opened Found (Hong Kong’s first CBD retailer and café) in Sheung Wan last July. Here in DB, you can find Altum’s CBD products at YogaUp (check out the 90-minute CBD therapy sessions) and My Pet Shop (yes, it benefits pets too). Even though it’s infiltrating pretty much every corner of the wellness world, CBD remains a little confusing, especially when it comes to figuring out the right way to use it and how to make sure the product you’re buying is, well, legit. Here’s everything you need to know. What is CBD? CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical compound derived from the hemp plant – Cannabis Sativa. It’s a naturally occurring substance that’s used in products like edibles to impart a feeling of relaxation and calm. Unlike its cousin, delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the major active ingredient in marijuana, CBD is not intoxicating. It won’t get you high. CBD can be legally bought and sold as an edible, as long as the product has testing accreditation and conforms to Hong Kong’s regulations regarding banned cannabinoids. What are the health benefits? CBD has been a key part of Chinese medicine for centuries. Today, it is commonly used by individuals to assist with anxiety, stress, insomnia, pain and inflammation. A natural stress and pain management solution, it affects people in different ways. While some find it helps them relax and sleep, others use it to enhance sports performance – they find it helps them focus during training and recover more quickly after work outs. CBD helps to balance the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), the body’s ‘master control system’ that is involved in regulating everything from appetite, metabolic health and pain, to muscle control, mood and memory. Put simply, if our ECS is balanced, inflammation can be reduced, stress responses can be controlled more effectively, and thinking and memory abilities can be more efficiently governed. Stress, poor diet and a lack of exercise can overstimulate receptors and create imbalance in our ECS. CBD-use is a way to ease this overstimulation, bringing the body back to its natural state. Interestingly too, since all mammals have an ECS, our pets can enjoy the same positive benefits we get from CBD. Used on pets, CBD can calm over-excited behaviour, soothe pain, stimulate appetite and aid with sleep. All that being said, you need to be wary of unrealistic health claims. While CBD provides many positive health benefits, it is not a miracle cure. Claims that it can treat cancer, cure depression and prevent (or even cure) COVID-19 are not substantiated by scientific research. Companies making absolute claims like these set out to mislead the public into buying their products. How do I choose a product? CBD is one of the fastest growing wellness trends in Hong Kong, and there are an increasing number of CBD products on the market. For this reason, it’s important to know what you are buying and using. Firstly, you need to be sure that the CBD product you purchase does not contain THC or other locally banned cannabinoids. THC is illegal in Hong Kong and it’s responsible for the sensation of being ‘intoxicated,’ which is associated with traditional cannabis consumption. If a CBD product is labelled as full-spectrum CBD, it means it contains THC. Contrary to the claims of many CBD brands in Hong Kong, there is no such thing as full-spectrum CBD with 0% THC. You should always ask for a Certificate of Analysis, issued by a reputable third-party laboratory, to make sure the product you are interested in does not contain THC or other illegal cannabinoids (such as CBN). Secondly, be mindful that the labelling on CBD products can be confusing. When buying a product, first take a look at how much CBD it contains. If there is no serving guide, which is often the case with tinctures, divide the total amount of CBD (mg) by the volume of the container (for instance 10ml, 30ml) to find the amount per dropper. If you’re new to CBD, start with a small serving (0.5mg of CBD per 1kg of bodyweight) and work your way up to find your best fit. Since CBD affects everyone differently, you may need to take more or less depending on your body’s composition. Most people adjust their serving size incrementally over time to find their sweet spot. It’s advisable to wait a few hours between each serving unless you are very comfortable with the effects of CBD. Having an understanding of serving size will allow you to judge whether a product will work for you. Depending on your needs, you might be better served by a product with a higher or lower CBD concentration. This can also lead to potential savings, since high concentration products usually contain more CBD per dollar. How do I take CBD? The most common and effective forms of CBD are CBD oil and water-soluble CBD liquid. You drop CBD oil under your tongue and wait 30 to 45 seconds before swallowing – the CDB is absorbed into your bloodstream quickly and easily. If you don’t like the taste of oil, you can choose water-soluble CBD liquid, which you add directly to a favourite food or drink. Other edible CBD products include CBD capsules, CBD gummies, CBD chocolate and CBD tea. If you are looking at CBD to help ease muscle and joint pain, try a CBD muscle balm which you apply directly on to the skin. CBD use is personal. There is no right or wrong way to incorporate it into your lifestyle. It can fit into any routine and you can use it at any time of the day. That said, some CBD products may contain melatonin or relaxing botanical blends to promote sleep, while others have energising properties that may be more suitable for daytime use. If you are a first timer, the best way to try CBD is at home in the evening. This way you can learn about the effect CBD has on your body – and really feel the benefit – without having to worry about rushing off somewhere. Just chill! FIND IT • Altum Asia, bchan@altum.group , www.altumasia.com • Found, Unit A, 8 Tai On Terrace, Sheung Wan, www.found.hk , 5288 2281 • My Pet Shop, DB North Plaza, 2987 8873 • YogaUp, DB North Plaza, 6805 4996