GIVEAWAYS

HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN PRIZES! Around DB prizes are incredibly easy to get your hands on, and you have until the 10th of the month to apply. Scan the QR code, or go to www.arounddb.com/giveaways, select the giveaway you want, and enter your details into the online form

WIN PILATES CLASSES AT EMBODY

Photos by Roy Esterhuysen

DB Pilates and yoga studio Embody is offering one reader two free Pilates classes (worth HK$490). Still located in DB Plaza but with a brand-new owner, Gill Welgemoed, Embody offers fitness classes throughout the week including Pilates reformer, yoga and Zumba. Founded in 2008, Embody was the first studio in Hong Kong to offer classical Pilates classes and use Peak Pilates equipment. In addition to classes for adults, Embody also offers classes for kids aged four years and up, including yoga, Bounce DanceFit and Zumba.

To book a session, call 6624 8712.

Congratulations to last month’s winners Ada Chan, Ruby Yong, Wendy Chan, Lyndsay Lingard and JP Sun for a bag of roasted coffee from Cowbird Coffee Roasters; and Mar-Loes Mantoua and Tatum White for a trial class at MGK Fight Club

New Zealand fresh groceries delivered straight to your door!

Visit store.eatthekiwi.com to order now, or email hello@eatthekiwi.com or WhatsApp 9785 5706 for more information.

Photo Finish

DB designer Kevin Chu is taking his sustainable design concepts to the next level with a little help from science and the sun. Elizabeth Kerr reports

First thing’s first. Despite what kind of rumours might be floating around out there, designer Kevin Chu’s series of photocatalysisenhanced lamps do not eliminate COVID-19. They never have, and they never will. The chemistrybased surface additive used on them “is not a cure, but it reduces transmission” of the bug, he explains one afternoon in Pizza Express in DB Plaza over a refreshing Peroni.

Photocatalysis is not a magic bullet, but it’s not snake oil either. Kevin has been working with environmental cleaners in his interior design work at COC Design (www.coc.design) and now with product at I Am Sugo. He’s added biophilia creations to his credits, but for him the concept is far from a bandwagon to hop on. He’s been at it for six years.

Kevin looks as switched on as he did back in 2018, when he and his Italian wife, Giulia, were talking about environmentally sustainable design over coffee in ifc. Since then there have been some major changes in his life –an opportunity to reposition his design philosophy and products in light of COVID-19, and the birth of a son.

“Man, he’s a lot of work. Sleeping is a luxury for me,” Kevin says with a laugh. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you here today, to grab a beer, and just get out of the house for a bit.” The ‘poor dad pose’ is bluster, though. As Kevin swipes around for photos to show me of his nearly two-yearold, he stresses he hopes he’ll be able to be the kind of parent that encourages his children to do what makes them happy. That doesn’t mean he can’t lament the terrible twos.

The conversation rambles and weaves, covering everything from the initial, brutal impact of

The elegant, birdlike FLY lamps

Guilin, a stylised mountainscape

coronavirus on Italy, where Giulia still has family, the fresh hurdles he’s faced in supply chains thanks to petulant trade disputes, the upcoming American election, and Apple’s court fight with Epic Games. The primary topic, however, is photocatalysis.

Kevin’s magic lamps

In a nutshell, Kevin is using an improved version of a photocatalytic additive on a series of light fixtures and lamps that react to a wide spectrum of light to passively clean our environment. The concept has been around since the early 20th century, with major breakthroughs coming from Japan in the 1970s. Kevin’s been working with it for six years, and this past summer, he won the 2021 German Design Award (GDA) for the sexy and functional FLY lamp. that are more than just good looking, and the lamp’s ceaseless photocatalytic properties made it stand out. “Even as a discarded material it’s actually doing something. It’s still working,” says Kevin. “That’s why the GDA gave us an award. And it’s applicable to anything, not just the lamp.”

Currently Kevin’s additive (the tech itself was refined by a local lab, BLG) starts life as a milky white liquid that goes into interior The GDA is bestowed on products

finishings that are applied to various surfaces in the home, from lamps to varnishes. Kevin claims their compound (certified safe and effective by labs in Hong Kong and Germany) is able to cleanse the environment of up to 70% of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in three minutes once the light is on — including viruses and bacteria. The bigger the surface area it covers, the better it works. But, there’s a difference from older versions.

“So why is this so different? It’s light-based but it’s not necessary for a light to be on all the time. If it’s off it still works,” Kevin notes

Kevin Chu with Shin Eunhye at Gallery Jeeum

enthusiastically. “And existing nanotech has been proven to get into the body and cause some cancers. The particles used in this are about 100 times bigger, and so can’t get into the bloodstream. The gamechanger for us is that we can make an additive for your paint and redo your house. The application is endless.”

Kevin and his scientific partners are working on a version that can be embedded into all kinds of materials for everyday usage, which isn’t a crackpot idea either. Between 2012 and 2015 the European Commission experimented with adding a similar compound to construction concrete in Copenhagen, Holbæk and Valencia to mitigate air quality. They recorded a 5 to 20% reduction in pollutants in a year.

Kevin is still working on getting the scientific paperwork together that would support the compound’s ability to mitigate the presence of things like swine flu viruses and other coronaviruses, including COVID. Needless to say, “You need a level four laboratory for those tests, which are not easy to get into under normal circumstances, and they’re slammed now,” he admits. “But there are ways to get it done, and we’re exploring those.”

On show at Gallery Jeeum

But Kevin is first and foremost a designer, and the lighting options he’s created blend science, sustainability and art without losing their style, and prove the three elements indeed go together. The photocatalysis series includes the elegant, birdlike FLY; Guilin, a stylised mountainscape; the Rain pendant that recreates the ripples of drops on water; the Hutong, mirroring the planning of old Beijing; the striking leaf design of the Foglia; and the fun and funky Omino stickmen with lightbulb heads among others. (Science details and design are both at www.iamsugo.com).

When looking to debut his creations in Hong Kong, Kevin found an ally in Gallery Jeeum owner Shin Eunhye. From the first of this month, the gallery in DB North Plaza is featuring some of Kevin’s sculptural installations in a hygienic space.

“Gallery Jeeum is the first place in the world to exhibit the Guilin light sculpture and the FLY lamps in a public space,” says Kevin of the special editions he created for the show.

“Shin argued there were no art galleries in DB but there are people who like art – who maybe don’t want to head all the way to Central for it,” Kevin says of the gallery which opened in February this year and, as the little sister of the acclaimed Seoul-based Jeeum, represents hip, contemporary artists from all over the world. “During COVID, nobody cares about beautiful things. But we need to, especially right now,” he adds. “Shin saw the potential in paying a bit more for a bigger piece and so she went for it. This goes beyond just sustainability. Things can be designed to be actively working for the environment.”

Through COC Kevin is trying to make his cleansing additive a standard part of all his institutional work (hotels, offices, restaurants), as well as for consumer product like furniture going forward. The manufacturing batches are small for now, so the lamps aren’t IKEA cheap, but they’re not bank-breakers either. “These are absolutely for everybody,” he stresses. Just don’t expect miracles.

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Just do it!

Stock investment is like playing chess – you have to play defence and offence at the same time, all the time. DB finance expert Boon Tiong Tan has some advice for wannabe day traders

While the stock market – are critical factors in determining ourselves – we forget our follies is hot, it is naturally success in the stock market. You and remember only our victories. easier to make need to temper your hope to break Trade records and journals help money. It was so even when your stocks are losing you remain honest with yourself. easy in the late 1990s that many and your greed when they are amateur traders quit their jobs to winning. You need to fight the fear Do your homework become full-time day traders. But of missing out or you’ll soon regret before you make that leap, know buying high. The ability to control Another tip? Spend some time that even the brightest minds can your emotions is key. learning about financial history; lose their shirts. Faced with huge familiarise yourself with events losses after participating in the Benjamin Franklin didn’t say that rocked the markets like Black South Sea Bubble (1720), Sir Isaac honesty was about having the Monday (1987), the Japanese Newton said: “I can calculate the best morals – he said it was the asset-price bubble (1989) and the motion of heavenly bodies, but not best policy. This is good advice dot-com bubble (2000). Knowing the madness of people.” Here are for investors. Being honest with what has happened in the past some tips to help you avoid making yourself is crucial if you’re to expands your experience, and the same (financial) mistakes succeed. It’s the starting point and shows you that every party must he did. foundation for good investment one day come to an end. decisions. You need to take full Investing isn’t a oneIf someone tells you: size-fits-all proposition. “These were the best Each person must find stocks to own. They were their own approach. If Benjamin Franklin didn’t say big, well managed and, you’re always looking for a bargain, value investing will honesty was about having the most importantly, they grew fast. No price was too probably suit you best. If you’re always on the move, best morals – he said it was the high.” Which stocks come to mind? Amazon? Apple? momentum trading might best policy. This is good advice Nope. Your friend is likely be your cup of tea. Are you most comfortable with for investors looking back to the early 1970s and talking about the fundamental or technical Nifty Fifty – stocks like IBM, analysis or a combination of Polaroid and Xerox. These both? After a bit of trial and growth stocks rewarded error, you’ll discover what works responsibility for your results. You investors with growing dividends for you and which investment should never claim that the market and capital appreciation. At their approach suits your personality. is crazy and blame the world for peak in 1972, the Nifty Fifty had your losses. If you aren’t honest an average P/E ratio of 43 – more The best – and only – way to learn with yourself, you’ll never learn than double that of the S&P 500. about investing is to give it a try: from your mistakes; if you never What happened to these invincible ‘Just do it.’ If you want to find out learn from your mistakes, you won’t stocks? In the 1973/74 bear how you’ll react when facing bull improve as an investor; if you don’t market, while the Dow Jones Index and bear markets, there’s nothing improve as an investor, you’ll never fell 45%, they plunged 62%. like committing your own money. be a profitable one. In early September, the seemingly Consider both risks and rewards endless rally in US technology To make sure you’re honest with stocks abruptly came to an yourself, make a point of recording It’s possible that you buy Tesla end. The high-flying Tesla and all your trades and keep a journal at US$350 and profit-take at Zoom dropped a third in a week. on your investment thoughts. A US$2,500 (before the 1-for-5 stock Rollercoaster rides likes these are journal might sound trivial or even split) but how likely is it? Good not for the faint-hearted. Think childish, but many top investors trades are those that are likely to you’ve got nerves of steel? There’s recommend it. There’s much to make money, not those with a slim only one way to find out. learn from past trades. If a trade chance to make big money. Don’t was good, remember it and try to confuse probability with possibility. Be honest with yourself do the same again; if it was bad, learn from your mistakes and try You should not trade stocks just Psychology, temperament and not to do it again. Our memories because it is commission-free or character – more than intelligence can trick us into feeling good about because the Robinhood app is at

your fingertips. Every trade should be based on good risk/ reward. Don’t be blinded by high returns and lose sight of the risks. Always look at both risks and rewards before putting on a trade.

Most investors pay a lot of attention to price and tend to overlook size; they think that in order to maximise their return, they need to maximise the size of their position. As a result, their default position can end up being too large and outside their comfort level. Don’t just focus on making money. Focus on not losing money too.

When making money is easy and borrowing money is cheap, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you can make money with borrowed money. However, the obvious danger is that you can lose more than you have. The less obvious danger is that your emotional swing is magnified – more greed and fear, more hope and despair. You’re going to make more impulsive trades and more mistakes. Borrowing is like a drug, once you’ve enjoyed the extra return it brings you, you’re addicted.

In this age, with everyone living longer and more people facing career disruptions, learning how to invest is more important than ever. Legendary Wall Street trader Jesse and Book Depository; for information about the finance courses he

Livermore offered this timeless advice a century ago: “It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!”

Despite all the setbacks – natural disasters, pandemics, world wars, economy keeps growing and the stock markets keep scaling new heights. The Dow Jones was below 100 at the beginning of the 20th century. It is about 28,000 today. The Hang Seng Index was

launched in 1969 at 158 and it now stands at around 25,000. Will these indexes continue to break new highs in the future? No one has a crystal ball but you probably want to bet on it. Just sit tight.

DB resident Boon Tiong Tan (CFA) has worked as a trader with banks like HSBC and Morgan Stanley for over 20 years. The author of A Stock Investment Book For The 99%: By A 99%, BT’s aim is to educate regular folk about the stock market and how to invest successfully. His book is available at Bookazine, Amazon cold wars, trade wars – the world

offers in DB, email tbt444@gmail.com.

Top tips for effective communication from family lawyer Billy Ko of Withers!

Communication is key to preventing and resolving conflicts. As a longtime lawyer specialising in family law, this is something I always tell my clients. And, as a new father to a baby boy, this is something I also practice at home to help strengthen the bonds of trust and partnership between my wife and I.

However, COVID-19 has completely upturned how we communicate both at work and at home, causing me to rethink my own communication best practices. Due to the pandemic, people have been confined to their homes, working remotely, and living in much closer quarters with family members 24/7. With so many high-tension factors in place, an uptick in family quarrels has been inevitable.

But in the last few months, I’ve learnt some important lessons on how to improve my communication skills at home and at work to prevent and resolve these types of quarrels. 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, and I sincerely hope that my findings will be useful for you as well.

Be patient and considerate;

everyone is going through a challenging time. It’s easy to get frustrated with family members when you are all confined at home. Small issues, like leaving out a dirty mug, are suddenly amplified when we spend significantly more time with each other.

However, it is important to keep calm and not let petty grievances cause disproportionately large arguments. Everyone in the household is unsettled and on edge so instead of jumping hotheadedly into an argument, take a breath, be patient and empathise.

Communicate with your partner

ahead of time instead of expecting her to anticipate your needs. Neither you nor your spouse are mind readers, so you need to talk things through – don’t assume you can second-guess each other.

I encourage you to let your spouse know in advance about aspects of your schedule where you would appreciate her special consideration. For example, you might have a conference call for which you need privacy and quiet. Or perhaps your spouse has an important upcoming deadline, and would appreciate you taking on more childcare responsibilities to help ease her workload. Again, communication is key in preventing any potential arguments.

Prioritise the small gestures that show your loved ones you care. As an advocate for mental health and wellness, I understand that the many additional stress points this year has challenged us with can cause increased anxiety and depression. That’s why it is so important to take a few minutes out of your day to give the people in your life positive affirmations. Be sure to ask family members how they are feeling, and then actively listen to their response. By keeping the lines of communication open, you can understand what they are struggling with, and be there to help.

With work colleagues, you could send a quick email thanking them for their hard work. In the age of working remotely, it is easy for office staff to feel underappreciated, so reaffirming their contribution to the team, especially when you may not have seen them face-to-face for an extended period of time, is invaluable.

FIND IT

• Withers, 30/F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty, 3711 1600, www.withersworldwide.com/en-gb/hong-kong A Partner at international law firm Withers, Billy Ko advises on all aspects of family law. Find more from Billy at www.withersworldwide.com/en-gb/people/billy-ko.

There are multiple reasons why authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and J.M. Barrie continue to captivate young readers. Their ability to take us into a fantasy world where magic is a natural part of everyday life is just one of them. The greatest books provide more than just a ‘good read,’ they actually impart goodness and wisdom; they support and carry us through life. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1955), the Harry Potter heptalogy (2007), and Peter Pan (first written as a play in 1904) are all perfect examples.

These stories have some really tough life lessons to impart (that have nothing to do with magic or the supernatural), and this is one of the reasons we continue to read them to our kids. But we also continue to read them to our kids simply because kids love them.

Children connect to the vulnerability of the characters, they live vicariously through their potentially fatal challenges and, when the last page is turned, they return to their real lives having survived death by the Nazgûl, Lord Voldemort or Captain Hook.

Middle-earth

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a profound, classic example of beautifully written fiction, it shows kids what literature – or more specifically, fantasy – is all about. First and foremost, it’s a thrilling adventure story, an epic battle (of good versus evil) for Middle-earth. Immersed in a mind-blowingly complex fantasy world, what children learn about is their own reality. There’s a lot of bravery to be found and fear to get through before the ‘happily ever after.’

Tolkien’s Middle-earth is epic in every sense. He writes as if he were recounting both history and legend, and draws children into a White), Hobbits show them the

world that feels every bit as real as their own. As they walk the gardens of the Shire, sleep under the stars and climb the slopes of Doom, kids grow alongside and befriend the fellowship – Froddo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli and Gandolf – and all those who fight with them. They mourn their deaths, and glory in their triumphs.

Through the story, children come to a new understanding of the nature of good and evil. They feel the slow-rising tide of temptation, of power, of the Ring. They wrestle with the complexities of pride and humility. They witness the heroic classroom banter and the potiontogether no matter what.

virtue of self-sacrifice, and they learn to cherish friendship.

Overcoming their fears alongside Frodo and Sam, and witnessing their bravery, children find their courage. Middle-earth’s fate is placed in the hands of ‘little people’ like themselves, so kids learn that they too have the potential to stand up for what is right – and that they must never give up.

The Lord of the Rings also has a fought Lord Voldemort, Bellatrix

fiercely inclusionary message to impart – Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits overcome their differences to come together and fight Sauron. As the ferocity and size of the battles increase, children come to understand war in a very real way. It’s presented not in a romanticised way, but with all its complexities, horrors, great losses and triumphs. Tolkien fought in the First World War, and he weaves his experiences his central female characters are warriors – they are not the sort to sit by the hearth, rather they are there to save the day.

The Lord of the Rings is also deeply relevant to young readers in the way it encourages a deep appreciation for nature. Tolkien’s heroes live in harmony with Mother Earth, while his antagonists seek to destroy and manipulate her. What’s more, The Lord of the Rings is profoundly spiritual – those who seek to destroy the Ring of Power are helped by something greater than themselves, kids are introduced to the concept of an after-life (Valinor, the Undying Lands) and of rebirth (Gandolf the Grey returns as Gandolf the value of simplicity and goodness. Although Tolkien swore that The Lord of the Rings is not allegory, it is undeniably full of metaphor.

Hogwarts

Young children reading Potter for the first time may focus on the making but as they get older, they find that Rowling’s books have a lot to teach them. Again, a battle for power unfolds in a fantasy world populated by witches, wizards, Muggles (men) and all manner of magical creatures; good triumphs over evil (real-world evil not the supernatural kind) and friends stick

Essentially what kids learn through reading the heptalogy is courage. It becomes easier to stand up to a bully at school once you have into his story. Interestingly too,

Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge alongside Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Bravery means standing up for what’s right and acting on it even when it’s hard; intelligence, loyalty and nerve are important; our choices determine who we are.

Children learn that it’s wrong to be prejudiced or to seek power over others. Anyone who was disturbed by Rowling’s recent comments about transgender people should note that in the world of Potter, children are taught always to support and be accepting of those who are ‘different.’ Only people

like the Malfoys use the word Mudblood, Hermione sets up the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.) in response to the unjust treatment of house-elves at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. Kids are encouraged to empathise anyone who is mistreated simply for being themselves – Harry, Luna Lovegood, Professor Lupin and, of course, Dobby the House Elf.

The characterisation in the Harry Potter heptalogy is incredibly complex and there are amazing role models for girls as well as boys in these books. At the same time, children learn that people (even Dumbledore and Snape) aren’t all good or all bad but a mixture of both.

A classic coming of age story, Potter provides an introduction to the iconic hero’s journey – kids reading the books for the first time, literally grow up with Harry. They walk with him on the road to maturity and experience his breakthroughs (and setbacks) as if they were their own.

Never-Land

Underneath all the fun and fairy dust that has allowed the play to transfer so well to the world of pantomime and Disney, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan has some equally important lessons to share with young readers. There’s evil to overcome (Captain Hook may be a bumbler but he’s a bona fide baddie) and a homeland to fight for, family and friendship are all important. Children are introduced to the idea of death, which Peter expects will be an awfully big adventure, and they learn that everyone (apart from Peter) has to grow up.

Of course, kids love all the good magic that’s expressed in Peter

Kids love all the good magic that’s expressed in these stories but that’s not all

Pan – you can fly if you think lovely, wonderful thoughts, you can save a fairy’s life by clapping your hands. So, is it that which makes them love the 116-year-old story? Yes. But only in part.

The other side of it is that kids, like adults, actually like to suspend disbelief every now and then, and really feel the fear. It’s fun for them to get so caught up in Peter Pan that they scream when the wicked pirates (or the ticking crocodile) come near. What they are enjoying is the thrill, the hyperarousal of the fight-or-flight response within safe parameters.

It’s true that Peter Pan can cause nightmares (none of us has ever really gotten over the horror of Tootles shooting the Wendy Bird), but, generally speaking, the fears children experience in a story like this are manageable. By age seven, most kids know the difference between what is real and what is not and, once they are able to do this, most with outsiders and to stand up for

can cope with the scares they experience in the make-believe world of a book. Kids can handle the fears they face in Never-Land because Never-Land doesn’t actually exist.

Kids are instinctively drawn to scary things because they rely on the continuing safety of the real world. And in the real world, there are no evil fairies, malicious mermaids or wicked pirates – and your parents are always there to protect you. Reading Peter Pan means visiting places where impossible things are suddenly, temporarily, possible. It gives kids the chance to experience a really potent fantasy and almost live it, without any of the consequences. They get to experience fear in a controlled environment (in the fantastical world of the play) in the safety of their own homes.

The best children’s books are written in such a way as to help kids differentiate between what is real and what is not. A common device sees a book open in the real world, one with which young readers are familiar, that is populated by characters not unlike themselves. Then, after a page or two, something happens to these characters, which means they transition into a world of makebelieve. So it is that in Peter Pan, The Darlings are woken up by a magical boy, whom they have already met in their dreams, and they fly with him (second turn to the right and then straight on till morning) to Never-Land. Children know when the bridge between reality and fantasy has been crossed, and they adjust their fear threshold accordingly.

In reading Peter Pan, children are left in no doubt of their happily ever after.