Author: experiencetoday

English articles

The Coronation

experiencetoday

Today is the big day for the Brits. King Charles has been crowned and Camilla is now Britain’s crowned Queen after the grand ceremony. Despite the tragic memories we still have of Princess Diana, there is no doubt that the King and Queen are such a special couple. They are friends, soul mates, and they have loved one another for decades. 

The last coronation in the UK was 70 years ago. I was not born yet and I remembered the days Hong Kong was a British colony. Many things carried the royal symbol, so I was nostalgic watching the coronation procession tonight. 

There was boundless excitement on the day. The King and Queen are definitely in high spirits and look gorgeous in white elaborate outfits. The young Prince Louis at 5 stole hearts with his cute expression in a carriage and waving to people on the balcony. 

I could not see Harry among the royals on the balcony. Somehow I found it a blessing, and it’s even more comforting not seeing Meghan attending the ceremony. 

So many guards were involved in the procession. The tall black fur hat elongates the guard’s body. The red tunic and gold buttons make them so classic that they can be easily recognized from a distance. I saw similar guard outfits in Canada during national day events. Today, the celebration in the UK was so massive that it created a joyous atmosphere for Brits and older generations like me living in Hong Kong. 

It is so delightful that I forgive how much money the royals spent on every ridiculous thing that made the celebration so remarkable and memorable. Yes, that costs a fortune. There is no doubt that it has brought great delight to people around the world. 

Now the national anthem has been changed to “God saves the Queen” from “God saves the King”. The coronation proves that the British monarchy will be unharmed for at least the next 10 years.

English articles

Sweden’s pop song formula

experiencetoday

What made artists enroll in Eurovision again and again?

Loreen, the previous solid Eurovision winner, may retake the trophy in 2023. While I personally wish for either Spain or Italy to win, the chances are slim. Euphoria is such a Eurovision all-time hit and Loreen has become an iconic Eurovision star. She looks amazing with a perfect body and a likable personality. Her well-established reputation can easily influence juries and appeal to fans. Her latest song Tattoo does not surprise me and sounds like a formula-made pop song.  

Italian Eurovision songs are always deeper and richer, both in their sound and lyrics. The Spanish entry embeds traditional folk sounds in pop, so distinctively different that the artist may not win public votes. 

Over the years, several singers participated in Eurovision multiple times. 

Irish singer Johnny Logan won Eurovision in 1980 with “What’s Another Year”, and again in 1987 with “Hold Me Now”. He also wrote the winning song for Linda Martin in 1992. Eurovision turned him into an internationally known artist. 

Alexander Rybak represented Norway in 2009 and won the contest with his song “Fairytale” in high energy. But his entry “That’s How You Write a Song” in 2018 sounded naive. With respectable results, he remained the fans’ favorite. 

Corry Brokken and Udo Jurgens have also won the contest twice. If Loreen wins again, people may change their opinions on Sweden’s pop song formula.

English articles

Staging

experiencetoday

Eurovision rehearsals continue. I hate that Tiktok got the exclusive snippets, we have zero access in Hong Kong. Luckily some fans uploaded those snippets to other channels. 

The stage consists of a huge structure, highly engineered, and automated. It is like a “dream come true” platform where highly creative work is made possible with LEDs, lighting, and enormous backstage manpower support. 

The moving staging enables the performance of the song with diverging backgrounds. An upbeat song is made more energetic by the silhouette of the artist on stage. A white seashell mimics a cocoon where a singer is awakened by a strong dance beat. Golden, tight, shimmering jumpsuits gives an unexpectedly fresh look to the young band. 

That is Eurovision’s amazing part. I once desired to be part of the team if I had stayed in the production field many years ago. Sadly, the pandemic put many production houses dormant or even destroyed them.  

The first Eurovision rehearsal has just begun. Snippets of the performance were revealed on Tiktok, showing the artists’ costumes as well as the artists’ costumes, dance moves, and staging.

We, the fans, try to get hints of how the performance will look on all channels, and how the influencers feel about the rehearsals. 

Eurovision audiences do not only judge the song by the quality of the voices, but by the energy, the melody, the high notes, and the lyrics. However, many times, the dance steps or backdrops are so memorising that can surprise us a lot. 

Sometimes I was surprised by the fact that I like  Gen-Z songs like “Breaking my heart” by Reiley, and “Samo mi se spava” by Luke Black, but then I gradually open up to songs with ethnic elements like “EAEA” by Blanca Paloma and “Soarele şi Luna” by Pasha Parfeni. It didn’t happen at all a few years ago.

This year’s Eurovision will be unpredictable due to the unknown nature of the jury votes till the grand final. Songs that are more artistic may have been eliminated in the first round already. 

Will global public voting affect the result? Although the song contest will be broadcast outside Europe, fans may not be motivated to vote for the artists. 

Will that be less obvious because of unfair jury voting? Let’s hope we won’t see Greece and Cyprus exchange the douze points again this year.

English articles

Eurovision

experiencetoday

April is always a great month with holidays and Eurovision pre-parties. Early to mid-May is the highlight of the month. This music event is the biggest of all kinds and has given me excitement for years. It is more than a music competition, but a visual presentation of original songs. It celebrates alternative cultures. Many singers, groups, and bands try to convey deep and meaningful messages in their songs – self-love, female power, being confident to be yourself, and the hardship of being artists without insurance or being ripped off. Staging is massive with a week of rehearsals.

This takes up a lot of valuable time for artists to take part in. Hence, not many established artists want to spend so much time participating. It can be very frustrating if a well-known artist does not win the competition.

With the change in the voting system this year, the two semi-finals will solely be decided by public votes, not only by those in the participating countries but for the first time by audiences around the world. Job well done! That’s really a major change. Eventually, the results could be a shock for many people.

The competition is more or less back to normal after the pandemic. No COVID rules, no restrictions on the number of audiences. The complete ambience is back! The official Eurovision organiser creates a lot of interesting content. I personally like the artists’ top 5 picks of their favourite songs in history, say, it’s natural for an Icelandic singer to pick a few past Icelandic entries, or Mimicat, a Portuguese singer, to select Portuguese songs in her Top 5. A few participants chose their own songs to be in the Top 5 as part of their promotion strategy.

Another fantastic official interview series is about the artists’ favourite pictures. Not a bad one. I like how the producer kept the interviews short, spontaneous, and to the point. After all, there are almost 40 entries. Information can be overloaded and repetitive these days with photo galleries, video clips, social media clips, youtube clips, shorts, and interviews on tik tok, youtube, and official platforms.

Staged in Liverpool, this year’s Eurovision is particularly welcoming, friendly, and accessible. Maybe there aren’t any language barriers, maybe it seems to be supported by a famous King and Queen. The world has returned to “normal”.

It is unbelievable how much delegations have devoted their energy to promoting their artists and getting exposure on social media. Checking out videos can be fun. For example, Käärijä, the rapper from Finland, shows off his unique personality in the video about what to pack for Eurovision. Some of the dance steps were revealed a bit before rehearsals.

The event is extremely competitive. I would like to see if the number of views of individual videos reflects the semi-final results.

Stay tuned!

Chinese articles

歷史的演進

experiencetoday

新工作離不開跟文字打交道，同樣有著長久的歷史故事，亦是由外國人建立，但這次救助的不是以外國人為對象，而是本地貧苦而染有肺炎的病人，還記得媽媽年輕時也曾染有肺病，故此我潛意識覺得自己的肺容量有點不足，大概跟媽媽有關。

這次發起救助本地疾苦的外國人是一群宣教士，由一位高大的挪威女教士領頭，他們不少是因為內地的政策改變而轉移陣地，來港繼續宣道和推展慈善工作，十數年後逐漸回國，華人醫護接棒繼承治理救疾苦的傳統。

這些歷史都由以往的護士或人傳教士或居民記下，遺留下來的史實十分珍貴，畢竟近七十年以至過百年的歷史若沒有這些筆錄紀載，實在難以追尋。

另一方面，這些歷史也反映著地區上的風貌、交通、政府、經濟、城鎮及人口變化，例如地區名稱與當時的麵粉廠有關，荒蕪的山地全靠舢板通達，直至後來開闢陸路。政府把難民移到這片荒蕪之地，而許多人都是有台灣背景；另外，有人為了讀書而遠道來到這個地方，只因家中沒有錢。

從前的香港真是一個細小的漁村，極少人在此居住。半世紀以前，香港許多地方工作都是依賴非牟利團體推進的，例如辦學和建醫院，教會佔大多數。直至近二三十年，本港經濟發展蓬勃，教會出資減少，許多非牟利團體都轉為由政府、馬會或公益金資助，又或改組，加入成為公營機構的一部分。香港殖民地色彩也減退不少。

從前我工作的機構也試過要出版歷史書的更新版，部分史實有點被美化了。今次我核實的歷史書，本著要如實地傳承史實，不僅從以美化任何傳教士為目標，我很認同這個如實傳承的概念，感到這次的工作特別富有意義，自己猶如變身成為歷史學家，要不偏不倚查看年份與發展項目的準確性，過程中也對地區發展的歷史認識更多。

事實上，有賴地區老一輩人士口述了不少有趣片段，今天才有機會讓我們這一代認識更多。

English articles

Change of Jobs

experiencetoday

Marriage, babies, changing jobs, and divorce are some of the most stressful moments in life. I usually get an urgent call from a friend when she is seriously considering a career change. Luckily it doesn’t happen very often.

Last week, she started a job and decided to expand her expertise to a wider spectrum with better pay.

Job matching can be frustrating yet interesting. The interview panel examines the strengths and weaknesses of candidates. As manpower is tight on the market, candidates have more job choices than ever. However, the employment package may not be very favourable.

“How is it that our job location cannot be swapped? We could have saved a lot of time traveling,” but job nature and remuneration play a more important role than location alone. No job is flawless in the real world. We always take into account the criteria we may have when evaluating job offers.

I’m recently flattered to have been invited by a small non-profit organisation to its newly opened senior position and have an honest conversation with their representative throughout the week. I must say, a genuine conversation is quite unusual and rare during the hiring process.

I had a million questions in my head when I considered the post; therefore I drafted a proposal to test the waters and give myself more time to think through what I want to do next. It is obvious that every organization has already established its yearly plan before anyone joins. I would like to make a change.

However, it seems like there are numerous things to do before I can negotiate further on the number of suggestions I want to implement. Nevertheless, I am impressed by the potential employer’s sincerity. The conversation enabled me to gather critical facts for serious thoughts. I like the idea of this upcoming challenge, but I still feel uncertain whether any of my suggestions will be taken into consideration seriously in the near future.

Work is part of my life and I always strive for more – sports I love, learning, new experience, pleasant environment and interactions with people, etc. Despite that I let go of a golden opportunity, I felt relieved eventually like a heavy stone lifted out of my chest.

Yes, I can do more, but I would like to seek to understand their community more before I am ready to stand tall and fight for their rights.

English articles

Lazy, indulgent Sunday

experiencetoday

I usually feel refreshed after getting plenty of sleep the next day. This morning, I struggled a bit. Waking up, I felt stiffness in my entire body. My scalp needs scratching and a massage to feel relieved. My throat is suffocating, and it’s a little hard to breathe. My spines are locked and need my full attention to release the tension.

Is it because of insufficient sleep? Or am I just a bit stressed? Do I need more serotonin?

Hiking yesterday morning probably left my muscles sore. My muscles tightened and the teacher wanted us to work on our core muscles in my yoga class last night. I tried to stretch and loosen my muscles between tightening exercises. It was a great feeling to have such a long stretch. I always wanted to regain my flexibility and aim to do the split again one day. My muscles are still strained. My racing thoughts are still with me.

How can I work through my day when I do not feel fit to have a more productive writing day? I simply practise breathing exercises, have a warm shower, lie on the sofa, and indulge in my favourite fruits, desserts, and drinks. Self-care is a necessity as well as interactions with familiar faces.

It is joyous to meet familiar faces on the community farm. I am disappointed with my winter harvest. Sunshine is insufficient. But my farm mates are generous to share some of their harvest and plants with me – lettuce, basil, and peppers.

Our farming session will end soon, and we need to take a break before another farm session comes.

By listening to music and watching movies, I can refocus my drifting mind on something else entirely. I must say today was not my usual Sunday morning, I hate my body limits what I can do. But I told myself the weird feeling will be gone soon and I decide not to push myself too much. Tomorrow will be a better day.

English articles

Bad hair day

experiencetoday

From late March to April, people in Hong Kong turn on their AC and fans at home. Heat may not be the culprit, but humid heat is. The air is stuffy, and even with the wind, we still feel damp.

It is quite common to find corridor floors wet all day when humidity reaches 90 – 100%. We cannot do much unless air conditioners are installed to keep humidity low, but they are not environmentally friendly.

Laundry can be difficult as many of us hardly have space to dry our clothes. Dehumidifiers and fans are must-buy items in Hong Kong.

Styling hair is difficult on a humid day. I wash it and blow it dry in the morning. By the time I return to the office, my thin hair sticks to my face and becomes frizzy. I simply call it a “bad hair day”, or even a “worst hair day”. The young girl sitting next to me has an electric device to style her hair at work on a wet day. This is not once, but twice. “It is so imperative to ensure my hair looks gorgeous no matter what the weather is like.” That’s what she probably thinks.

On such a hair-unfriendly day, I prefer a passive approach to managing my hair as it naturally turns into an Omega style. I have to embrace it or tie my hair in a bun.

To be more aggressive, I’ll get a haircut, making it short and neat. Then it will stay well for a while.

I’m wishing the humidity this year is within hair bearable limits.

English articles

Edible fruits skin

experiencetoday

People tend not to eat apple skin or bread crust nowadays. This is not necessary and is more like wasting food to me. My friend introduced me to these tiny mandarins from Japan where I can enjoy the skin. I must admit that it’s weird to eat the whole thing, but I feel less “guilty” when I have them.

Known as Kishu mandarins, they are much smaller than regular mandarins or tangelos. Sweet and seedless with a thin, tender edible skin. They are not waxed, and the skin feels natural, not like apples’ waxy skin.

It is always exciting to try out different fruit, but I would prefer not to have too many of them especially the skin of mandarins. Japanese fruits can be high in chemicals as reported in the news. With the expensive price tag, I’d better switch back to regular Mandarins to use the skins for fertilizers or soaps.

As a matter of fact, there is a Japanese version of bananas that you can eat the whole thing including the skin. It’s almost $100 each, and although edible, it’s a strange feeling having the “skin-included” banana in your meal. 

We are programmed with habits, especially when it comes to eating habits and preferences. It will take a long time to convince me to try that “edible peel” banana.

Chinese articles

多角度看愛情

experiencetoday

這套Netflix的西葡小品Até Que a Vida Nos Separe （Until life do us apart）道盡多角色的愛情故事。女主角Vanessa於美術課堂上作人像模特兒，年青不羈的藝術系學生Vasco迷戀她，游說她派對及美國之旅。結果，這個足球派對全男班，俊朗而口才極佳的Vasco未能留住她； Vanessa反而愛上他的好友Daniel。Daniel猶如Vasco的相反照，就如平淡的海水，好好先生的形象，但沒給人太多驚喜。

愛情從來沒有錯與對。二人拍拖時，Vasco仍極力追求Vanessa，不過，年青的Vanessa懷有身孕，跟Daniel搬入他父母的農莊經營籌辦婚禮的生意，養兒育女。男的抱怨為何由攝影師變成婚宴拍照員，放棄了追求理想的機會。 Vasco事業成功，有自己的畫廊。女的感到一生花盡心力經營農莊婚宴生意，丈夫卻不稱職、頻頻出錯、完不投入。如果再揀一次，與Vasco到美國暢遊，是否有更美好人生呢？生活會否有更多火花？

似乎每個平凡夫婦背後，最初結織時都有著甜蜜又令人落淚的小故事，就如Vanessa的父母，二人結婚五十年，就算女開始有腦退化，父親依舊深愛著他；又有誰猜到他年輕時曾經是一個Boxer。在亂世年代，年輕小子滿面傷痕，逃避警察而到她家裡，兩人就此互相認識。康復後，他依然想念她，二人走在一起，不計較貧苦，養育兩位女兒，如今亦多了兩個長大成人的孫仔女。

兩人年邁老去，家中成員依依不捨。數月間發生的這個改變令大家庭失去重心，原來兩位老人家無形『支撐』著各人在農場上生活，儘使生活上、感情上出現問題，都有股動力嘗試迎難而上，是兩老給予大家愛情的典範？還是老人家賦予一股無形的凝聚力？

姊弟拍住協助媽媽經營這盤婚宴生意，到最後瀕臨破產邊緣，仍然立定志向堅持守業。孫女二十五歲，孫仔大既二十出頭。新一代對愛情的看法果然與所不同—— 她愛的是已結婚的靚仔警察，意無反顧，只想有愛，沒有想太多。

弟弟有如父親一樣經常沉點不言，不愛交往，女仔主動獻身，只會嚇怕他。他於虛擬世界交心，對方決意要見他一面，又好像愛上了他，性向對他而言，似乎不是重點的考慮，反而自覺是無性向人士，不想這個虛擬好友失望。

愛的表達有很多。Daniel與Vanessa分手的一刻，在攝影展上，展示了他對Vanessa真誠的愛、Vanessa父母的恩愛，以及葡萄牙人對家庭的重現，為他人生上半場見證的各種情愛作一個完美的總結。

劇集要說的故事和手法真的與英美片不同，有著耐人尋味的情懷感覺。

English articles

Tips for Sleep

experiencetoday

A therapist once suggested taking care of feelings instead of seeking a solution to certain problems. Our minds have emotional needs. My brain started to “digest” what it meant – Listen to your body instead of overthinking to save brain power. 

Just follow your gut, just do it without thinking, especially before you go to sleep.

You write an address on an envelope. You need not think, it’s just your procedural memory that helps you do the task. You have breakfast. You need not think as you just take that into your mouth and your body automatically digests the food. You get to bed, it’s supposed to be programmed to sleep. If you think too much, it interferes with the original plan and leads to a lot of worries and interference. 

Let the mind wander, stay still, close your eyes, imagine you’re resting and relaxing deep, slow down the breathing like when you’re sleeping. Then a visual will appear. Let it wander. You will realise “I just slept a bit?!”, follow these steps and enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep. 

Thanks to the comic artists who gave us such valuable tips. 

That’s something I have to keep in mind. Let it rest. 

A few more tips from a sleep specialist:

  • Change your thoughts – It’s fine to function the next day even if you do not sleep well tonight. 
  • Accept the fact – the less you struggle with insomnia, the better your chances are of falling asleep.
  • Learn to relax – worry less, see what happens
  • Nervous about our class/meeting – tell yourself worrying is normal, try to accept 
  • Sleep hygiene; sleep early instead of having too many worries
  • Mindfulness in a pleasant environment, feeling the beautiful environment, minimising negative thought
  • Do what is of importance to you – look at the big picture; care about what you want to do, and forget those minor things
  • Not to cancel meeting your friends; normal routine 
  • Immerse less in social media, and focus on what you like to do, e.g. hiking, swimming, heading to the beach 
English articles

Autistic minds

experiencetoday

What do autistic people really feel? I always imagined a small kid playing in a corner of the room until I watched the BBC documentary – inside our autistic minds. 

Two young adults showed the world how they felt when encountering the world in a 2-minute video. I could see two normal human young minds pursuing their own dreams. 

Ethan is a 19-year-old student and rapper. He demonstrated in his video that he is hypersensitive to sounds and noises, as well as to many visual stimulations. Anton, a football lover, lets his friends and family know in a video that routines are super significant to him. Having many things planned ahead of time is super critical to him. If his precise schedule gets disrupted, he feels lost. He can only have fun when he feels safe and secure by sticking to the routine. 

I cannot differentiate Anton’s case from that of an anxious adult. If you know the difference, tell me more.

English articles

Pixar

experiencetoday

Since Apple introduced the Mac, and later the iPhone and iPad, the brand has been a global leader in the market. I later realised how influential Steve Jobs was on Pixar when visiting the Pixar exhibition in Hong Kong.

It surprised me that Steve Jobs was actually involved in Pixar’s success story and sold the company to Disney in 2006. My friend told me their company hired a senior executive whose annual salary is HK$400 million. She considered that salary high, and not reasonable. I disagreed.

If that executive does a brilliant job like those global leaders who moved the brand to the next level, why not pay them a handsome amount of money? They deserve it!

I also grasped the concept of “continuous improvement” in the Pixar exhibition. Take an in-depth look at the stretches of how “Woody” looked at Toy Story or how “Kevin” looked in the movie Up! You would lose excitement if they really looked like that! Fortunately, those are the only stretches. As the team worked on the concept, they improved it bit by bit. They even outlined detailed movement of ears, eye brows, hands and body parts, indicating how those intricate details should look like when the characters were in action. A clay model was also made to allow the creative team to understand the characters in multiple dimensions.

How many hours and manpower went into a single character? Imagine how many characters were in a single Pixar movie? The result was an ” impressive accomplishment”.

Chinese articles

我終於中了

experiencetoday

由今年初，香港復常，結束3年十分壓迫的生活，口罩令撤回了，對其他國家的入境限制也沒有了。面授課堂和全日制課堂也如常了，似乎大家已很安心外出旅行。

星期一最後一天復活節假期，大早起床，頭痛極了，肚子亦痛，以為是昨日吃的東西變壞了。累極了，只想休息，睡了一回，醒來，又再入睡去，喉嚨有點乾和痛，反反覆覆直到睡到下午二時。早上的快測是一條線，但另一個快測似乎有第二條線，很微弱的，也沒有想太多，反正是假期。三時多再試一次吧，真的是兩條線，四時多，兩條線也很深色。

頭是有點燙熱，很久沒有發燒至38.5C，原來頭燙熱的感覺不好受。吃過退燒藥，減熱完，又升高，如是者，一天過後，37.8C，算是有所改善，頭仍是繃緊的。

精神好多了，沒有想昏睡的感覺，眼睛有點累，想吃清淡而多水份的東西，昨天中午吃過湯飯，胃很舒服；晚餐吃炒意粉，實在太濃味。今早還是吃麥片，喝檸檬水吧！

其實，這次初次中新冠的經歷，最不快的是，未能上班，我不是工作狂，但畢竟我只上班三天，有點過意不去，另外，就是未能享受昨天的假期，以及今個星期的門球練習。

昨天似乎是幾天假期天氣最好的一天，本想去海灘，或來過小行山，但還是未能如願。

今天，趁要看醫生取醫生紙，到公園走走吧！

醫生也一言中的，為何數個月前確診外出是罪，現在病了不返工是則是惡行？我們的價值觀是長久而建立，真不是每一個人都可以在短時間內作出修改。我尊敬他終於自我的精神，也多謝他不讓我回公司傳播病菌。

English articles

Green shopping

experiencetoday

While shopping at the supermarket, my friend kept lecturing me about carbon footprints. Hong Kong is such a business city that we rarely have local produce at a reasonable price. Imported food is natural for us. 

Though many vegetables come from Mainland China, Hongkongers love produce imported from Japan, Europe, Australia and the US. We do not feel guilty for buying goods that have travelled a long way to the shops. Almost no local farms supply enough fresh pak chop, choy sham, or potatoes for our daily consumption. 

Several years ago, a concept store opened called Greenprice that sells near-expired products or canned goods that have passed their best-before dates. I do my regular grocery shopping there.

The stores do not include expired products like meat and dairy, which means that these foods are safe to consume. 

I even found it a fun experience to “seek and hunt” interesting and different brands and snacks at an affordable price. Yes, they are imported and create carbon footprints, but by buying these food items, we prevent gigantic food waste that harms the universe. 

This month, I purchased chunky peanut butter, chocolates, whole wheat pasta, body cream, and potato chips. They are yet to expire and are a deal. The most important is that I couldn’t find some of these goodies in other stores. 

Despite that these items might have travelled a long way, I still advocate green shopping, as these products will be sent to landfill if everyone gives them up.

English articles

Korean pizzas

experiencetoday

Hiking in Hong Kong always ends with a happy meal with friends or hikers. It can also be a fun barbecue time in a country park as many hiking tracks are close to the city. 

I brought my buddies to join a few visually impaired friendly people for an easy hike today. 

The track is home to monkeys, starting at the Shek Lei Pui Reservoir bus stop. Most of the track is flat, wide cement roads, so non-trained volunteers can take visually impaired individuals along the track. 

Then we passed through the Golden Hill Country Park by the Kowloon Reservoir, and ended up at the BBQ site at Shing Mun Reservoir. We’re so excited to find the sizzling BBQ smell was back after the public BBQ sites were closed for almost 3 years. 

Of course, hiking is not complete without great food, and today, we sat down together at a long table, trying Korean pizzas and fried chicken. Don’t argue with us that Asian pizzas are not authentic or ruin Italian traditions. 

Asians are creative and embrace diverse food cultures. We are not satisfied with plain pasta without meat or vegetable ingredients. A pizza with just mozzarella and herbs looked sad to us, so we tried different ways to make our pizzas yummy.  

I first tried frozen Korean pizzas 5 years ago. They do not have many ingredients because of competitive pricing, so I add chopped tomatoes and beef or cold cuts on top of my meal. 

Korean pizzas, in general, are crispy with a thin crust and usually well decorated with tomatoes, meats, seafood, or even kimchi toppings. If you want extra cheese, order a thick crust filled with cheese. The pizza we ordered at Pizza Maru today looks like a work of art, making our lunch gathering more fun and pleasant. 

The chicken comes in so many flavours. The honey garlic ones and beef tasty sauce ones taste fantastic. The meal was definitely a happy ending for everyone who hiked together today.

English articles

Family harmony

experiencetoday

What happens if different family members have divergent political views? The movie Jojo Rabbit tells a good story about such a situation.

The movie characters advocated for their ideals without conflict. Mom let her son join youth propaganda training, but she supported a propaganda campaign to free Germany. The son discovered his mom’s secret, but didn’t report it to the authorities; instead, he gradually embraced it and even became a Jewish girl’s friend. 

In real life, people join a political party and switch to another after a few years. It might reflect how their mindsets have changed or mean that they are seeking another path that fits with their goals and career development. 

Is that a harmonious choice? Not necessary. We compromise to make life happier. 

Is Jojo Rabbit a war movie? Not exactly, the ending with David Bowie’s music makes it happier and edgier. 

Have a good weekend.

Chinese articles

如何善待患者

experiencetoday

女主角出世時37秒沒呼吸，之後造成腦性麻痺，媽媽很愛她，從洗澡以至外出上車，也看緊她。她的漫畫成為別人的作品，沒有得到讚美，只感到被人利用。一天，她看到一些情色漫畫，突然想嘗試創作這方面的漫畫，她主動到雜誌社跟主編見面，雖然得到主編的欣賞，但就是情愛的描繪不真實，因為她從未試過戀愛，也從未試跟男子作親密過，主編鼓勵她有這方面的經驗後，加入漫畫的元素再次見她吧。

少女對性的疑惑，令她想與男士作一次親密接觸，結果無功而回。她失望極了，但她遇到一個服務殘障人士的性工作者和她的朋友。兩人給少女一種過正常人日子的感覺，唱歌、飲酒、打扮一下。媽媽發現她不再工作、過著不一樣的日子，十分失望，沒收她的電話，也不讓她外出。

殘障人士和其他患者也有其尊嚴，照顧者、朋友和同事或未能理解。她們也想發揮所長。什麼是休息？

這可以是在床上睡著，這亦可以是按摩，這亦可以是作喜歡的事，例如每天精神許可下，寫一點東西、做一點運動、外出呼吸一點空氣，這可能是她們放鬆的地方。醫護人員只顧不讓病人下床，不希望她們跌倒，其實在醫院環境容許下，患者走走又何不可以呢？伸一伸，跟人說笑也是一種休息。看看電郵也可能是一種放鬆，因為這是與別人連繫的感覺，一切都可以從心。

患者重視的地方是工作嗎？她們的重點大多放在自己的身體上，難道她們遇到交通意外，也要第一時間向老闆交待在意外現場，是否有點不切實際。是真心關懷的話，多一點同理心吧。每個人待事待人都不同。

有些殘障人士希望幫助推她一把； 一些患者則會自己『前行』，感到無比快樂。

定律是這樣嗎？ 放大固有的空間吧！

English articles

ADHD

experiencetoday

Without true love and patience, parents and teachers cannot encourage children to learn and grow. I spent two hours at an activity session organised by a non-profit organisation on Saturday afternoon. 

Half of the children at 3 seem like normal pupils. They pay close attention in classes, enjoy making crafts, following teachers’ directions, and doing fun activities with other children. 

Half of them have very short attention spans. They find watching a video very boring and want to walk around or explore new things in the classroom. 

The Indian boy I looked after on Saturday was smart. He constantly looked for creative things to play with in the room, for example, the swirling chair, or the buttons of a fan. He knows the way to grasp a teacher’s attention and makes the teacher let him do something he likes to do. For the first 45 minutes, he was fine sitting down and drawing, but then he lost patience and began to jump around corners. It was like a physical challenge for me to stop his explorations. I did not want him to get hurt. 

For the second half hour, I observed how he interacted with the teacher he knew. He was still restless and did not want to calm down. The teacher asked him to count from one to twenty, which kept me focused for 2 minutes. Eventually, the teacher had to take him for a walk in another room before returning to the small classroom. 

The boy knows the name of transport means in Cantonese. Intellectually he appears to be a normal child. 

Through the volunteering experience, I have empathy with the parents who raise a hyperactive child. I am still unable to convince myself why doctors prescribe more ADHD drugs to children. Psychiatric drugs require long-term or lifelong use. Why do doctors give 8 – 10 pills to 11-year-old boys and girls whose physical and mental development is not yet complete? 

Maybe simply giving them space to jump around, like young puppies, can benefit their well-being. Maybe we can set a boundary for the stimuli we expose ourselves to. Managing expectations for ourselves and our children will help maintain mental wellness.

English articles

Gluten-free, nutty crackers

experiencetoday

Do you like chips but want something healthier?

These crispy crackers made of chia seeds, flax seed powder, sesame seeds, and assorted nuts are perfect for a mid-morning snack.

To make this thin crisp, all your ingredients need to be mixed with water, then add honey or salt and bake it for half an hour. I usually don’t have the patience to spend hours baking dough, but this recipe takes just a few minutes. It’s ready to serve and delicious. 

Honestly, I do not feel guilty about eating these protein-rich and fibre-rich crackers during a mid-day break. I simply enjoy those anti-oxidant content and nuts. 

Bon appetite.