Category: English articles

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.

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”.

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.

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. 

English articles

A colourful world of Miro

experiencetoday

After a three-year lockdown, several international art events are finally back in Hong Kong, namely Art Central and Art Basel. I am so grateful to be able to see European paintings in an art museum without much fuss. No vaccination passes, no QR codes.

The debut of our “comeback” featured artist is Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist Joan Miro. He chose art over business at a young age. His works are playful with the frequent use of symbols, shapes, and colours.

He always used black to create shapes or core subjects. Yellow, blue, and red are some of his favourite colours. The combination of these vibrant colours is so Spanish. My friend considered him sad when looking at his paintings. Specifically, she described his paintings as having gray or dark backgrounds and black strokes.

What caught my attention the most was the use of cardboard and knitted strings as his canvas. I just thought these media were always dark in colour. He even picked up paintings and incorporated his wild imagination of shapes and symbols and letter-like creations on top.

I do not find black strokes indicative of low mood as people always use black pens or paint.
To my surprise, Miro experienced nervous breakdowns at age 18. He also had several depressive episodes throughout his life. Some paintings place curved lines, objects, faces, and symbols chaotically. His paintings often featured ladders as symbols of his struggle with mental state and escaping from chaos.

While some people write to channel their emotions, Miro felt calm when painting. Like Picasso, he lived a long life, survived the Spanish political movement and World War I and II, and died at 90.

In his paintings, he associated blue with calmness, serenity, and spirituality.

Red represents passion, energy, and vitality and may be associated with violence or danger in some of his works.

Miro’s yellow is the colour of celebration, joy, and movement. Black creates depth and darkness within a composition, or even death or mourning. Green was occasionally used in his works to represent nature, growth, and renewal.

It is said that creativity may be related to depression. No matter what, do not undermine your creativity in the arts, writing, or any other form of creation. History shows that mental state does not hinder us from excelling at what we do best.

English articles

Tao Fong Shan

experiencetoday

There is a small path close to Sha Tin subway station leading up to the hiking track to Tao Fong Shan. Starting with narrow steps in a village, my brother and I were already surrounded by trees overlooking the city and the railway.

This track is suitable for a novice hiker as all the steps are cemented.

After 20 minutes’ walk, there was a roundabout and a sign for Tao Fong Shan Road. On our left were a few residential building blocks that look upper middle class. Despite being a weekday, we saw a few hikers. We soon reached a group of low white houses belonging to Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre. More and more worshippers arrived by chartered transport.

Situated in the high mountains, the Christian Centre offers a diverse range of workshops and spiritual activities.

The temple is in Chinese architectural style with Christian symbols. The labyrinth is constructed in a corner with a fun design. It is ideal for taking group photos or spending a solo moment in this tranquil environment.

A very large cross is located at the far end among these white houses, standing tall on top of a bare mountain, exposed in a wide space. Backlights will be switched on to ensure that people from the city can see the cross from a distance at night time.

For Christian believers, it surely gives them spiritual support when spending time at home during COVID. For non-believers, they won’t feel that isolated seeing some lights on the mountains.

Tao Fong Shan is also accessible from Shing Mun Reservoir or Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery where it takes 2 to 3 hours to complete.

Our trip took 1 and a half hours, and was refreshing in the morning before heading to lunch.

English articles

Only you

experiencetoday


I never found the Netflix movie touching, but when the song Only You played in an Italian movie “Ora era” (Still time), tears came to my eyes.” 

It tells the story of a workaholic who is always on the go for work and chores in life. After his 40-year-old birthday celebration, he lost a whole year when he woke up the next day. It was his 41st birthday, and he was shocked. 

His days leapt forward so fast that he missed the birth of his daughter, the first time she called her daddy. Every time he woke up the next day, a year passed. One day, he was devastated to learn about his best friend having cancer. He was afraid to lose this friend the next time he woke up. That was a hurtful feeling. Like one day he spent time talking to his dad, but the next moment, he found himself in an empty house. His father was gone. Luckily, his best friend was still around. 

His relationship was a disaster, but he hated no longer living with his girlfriend and his daughter. He missed them so much. 

This special version of “Only You” carries all the sadness of losing the one you really love. Work can take up energy and jeopardize a relationship. 

The song brought out emotion in me. Maybe I feel sad about losing people I love – my parents, and the people I love. 

I know this song by Alison Moyet has qualities that have captivated me for a long time, and because of this remastered version, I feel the lyrics more.  

Songs sometimes help us express our feelings that are hard to express in words.

Looking from a window above, it’s like a story of love
Can you hear me
Came back only yesterday
I’m moving further away
Want you near me
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

Sometimes when I think of her name
When it’s only a game
And I need you
Listen to the words that you say
It’s getting harder to stay
When I see you

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

This is going to take a long time
And I wonder what’s mine
Can’t take no more


Wonder if you’ll understand
It’s just the touch of your hand
Behind a closed door
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

English articles

Bid someone goodbye

experiencetoday

I recalled the day I got the news about a doctor I admire passing away. Many of us anticipated this day would come but I was more shocked to hear the news when I was on a bus. 

The day before I read the news about a famous Chinese novelist who gave up treatment and died. I totally respected his decision as he said he no longer enjoyed food taste. And he’s over 85 and didn’t want chemotherapy. He’s actually an optimist and I always loved his openness on his talk show. He talked about love, poetry, history, movies and even sex more than a decade ago in this city. People were relatively conservative at the time. 

I let my tears run down and grieved, part of it, for the loss. I grieved, part of it, for my luck working with this doctor and being enlightened by his passion, innovative thoughts, and intelligence. 

No matter how stressful I was the rest of the day, I had to prepare all kinds of communication documents in a short time frame. But because of him, I pushed myself to complete the tasks. I learned to say no and get help when only I was asked to draft all documents. I am not a superwoman. 

When you live to the fullest, life can be filled with glory. His life is so meaningful and has inspired many to fulfill purpose. The purpose of my life is to explore little things with less stress and lead a balanced life. 

Celebrate moments when you feel happy, and cry out when you feel sad. Have a sense of curiosity and a little humour about the world. Don’t keep the emotion deep inside you and build it up till the balloon explodes. 

Observe what your body tells you. Have a sweet dream and a happy day. Every day is a new day. 

English articles

Broken Embraces

experiencetoday

A superb movie directed by Almodovar, Broken Embraces examines the relationship between an incredibly wealthy scriptwriter and a mistress-turned-actress.

Have you been a fan of someone or something you indulged in? It can drive you to do anything to hold onto it and it’s hard to let it go.

If it’s a harmless obsession, we call it love, focus, and passion. If it has become a hurtful relationship or illegal, we call it an addiction, harassment, and an offensive act.

There is a lot of speechless moment when I was watching this film. Not a logical way for a Hollywood movie, but a Spanish Almodovar way. Penelope Cruz is still the star of many of his movies. And I still find her an absolute beauty.

For my love to her, it’s not an obsession, it’s an admiration for her sparkling characters in those movies.

Job well done!

English articles

The last governor

experiencetoday

Did an egg tart make you think? For Hongkongers, it represented the mind of a man who offended two powerful countries to try to give us free hands to do more.  

In a recent interview, he told a renowned journalist based in Hong Kong for decades that he felt deeply sorry for what had happened here. Someone reminded him he was being photographed holding a yellow umbrella. Is that a sin? Is that awkward? 

Even though he is known as a famous sinner for a thousand years, he never loses his passion for Cantonese dim sum and delicacies. 

He told inspiring stories of two Hongkongers having made a fresh start in the UK – the first was a young doctor from a Hong Kong family; and the second was an excellent Hong Kong chemistry teacher who joined his old school. 

It is sad to let go of a place you have lived in for so long and reluctantly. His book and many of the memories are vivid in his head. You could feel the sadness on his face when he expressed his regret about not being able to return to Hong Kong in the future.  

He does not seem to be a governor or a politician, just an old man with many stories to tell. Some of them are about his encounters with diplomats and officials, some relate to people he met in Hong Kong and the UK. 

Time dilutes strong emotions. His love of Hong Kong egg tarts, for instance, can always touch our hearts.

English articles

The real price of dinner

experiencetoday


A 10% service charge is usually added to my bill when eating in a restaurant in Hong Kong. We expect to pay more for tipping. Fast food outlets and Hong Kong-style cafes are exceptions. In general, it is not too difficult to figure out the real price of my meal. My friends and I can sit down, eat our meals, and talk freely.

Dining in New Zealand and Japan is simple because I don’t have to figure out taxes, service fees, or tipping. What I see on the menu is what I will pay for. I like this practice as travelling on a tight budget may add stress when spending too much on meals. I prefer focusing on travel experiences such as enjoying the wonderful scenery, checking out an awkward rock formation, or visiting lovely penguins. 

Surprisingly, my friend told me that Kiwi restaurants may add a surcharge to the bill during public holidays, such as Christmas Day or Easter Sunday. This is 10% to 15% more to cover the higher manpower costs and operational costs of running a restaurant on a public holiday. A surcharge at the weekend is not common, but restaurants can do so.

Luckily, I didn’t come across this when visiting New Zealand. I was at the Agricultural Show and enjoyed good snacks outdoors. Prices were reasonable, and the tastes were fantastic.

Having to calculate the service charge and tip myself made me nervous about dining out in Canada and the USA. I felt embarrassed if I paid too little, and then I felt ripped off when I paid too much. I once ordered a coffee in a vineyard. When the waitress looked at me, I realized I had overpaid for the drink. I should calculate the service charge based on the pre-tax price. Well, I just smiled at her and wished her a good day.

English articles

How to enjoy your travel

experiencetoday

I am delighted to discuss travel with many others again on the Clubhouse platform. We’re not trying to compete with each other over where we’ve been; we’re sharing what we’ve enjoyed on our travels. 

Thailand seems to be a popular destination for Americans in Asia, as it’s got a lot to offer, beaches, tasty food, islands, and inexpensive shopping. 

Some people got the luck to travel as part of their business trips, so they were able to save a lot of money on their flights. Some live in a vast country where the West coast or Mid-West could be a lot different from where they live. 

In your 30s, Thailand was your favourite place, and Paris will be your favourite place when you are older. I disagree. I could imagine people having different reasons to travel to certain places. I travelled to Canada a few times because of meeting people and music. The flight is not that pleasant unless you are in business class. Then I came to Japan at different ages and each time, the experience was totally different. 

The first time I went to Europe, I was broke and had a limited budget. My friends and I survived on pieces of bread or food samples. We stayed in hostels, or even on night trains or on a beach. It’s such an experience that could hardly be replicated at my age now. 

Overall, I can see that new experiences, connections with nature, and friends are what make travel the most exciting for me. I could still remember the travel guide in Sri Lanka. He could only speak a little English but he did a great job driving us around and trying to arrange everything according to the itinerary. 

I could recall how excited I was seeing sheep in the Netherlands, Niagara Falls in Canada, and bathing on a high floor in a hotel in Shanghai. Definitely, the list could be expanded in the future. 

The planning process can be tedious but it can be fun and enjoyable as well, giving me some sense of uncertainty and great expectations as well. 

Hello, Europe. Hello, Japan. I’ll come to explore your heritage, your food, and your culture soon.

white bark trees
English articles

Reservoir hiking in Hong Kong

experiencetoday

Located in the New Territories and surrounded by beautiful nature and scenery, Shing Mun Reservoir has numerous trails that are suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. 

A circular route around the reservoir requires about 1.5 – 2 hours to complete. However, it takes longer to hike along the reservoir, although people with basic fitness levels can manage it. My friends and I spent 4 hours completing the circular route. Half of it was pavement, half of it was a hiking trail. Many trails are under the shade of trees, suitable for hiking in sunny weather, but the reservoir views are mostly hidden by tall trees and branches. 

Hikers usually take the minibus 82 from Tsuen Wan to the starting point. Getting off any buses passing through Lei Muk Shue is another option as getting up to the starting point takes only around 20 minutes only. I walked along the road to the reservoir with an old lady who made it all the way from Shek Yam. She walks up to the reservoir almost every day and is a regular hiker to the reservoir. 

My friends and I started walking up the stairs from the left. We passed through Pineapple Dam, then the entrance to the Butterfly Garden Nature Trail after 20 minutes, followed by the Waterside paperbarks. The distinctive papery barks from the tall trees on the sides offer a picturesque setting for photo-taking. They are not particularly spectacular on a cloudy day but make the path cool and pleasant to walk along. 

After around 1.5 hours, we reached the Tai Shing stream surrounded by lush forests. We then turned to the shaded hiking path which seemed endless. After another 2.5 hours, we reached the Gorge Dam of Shing Mun Reservoir. This tallest dam is 84m tall and was built by the British Empire. A beautiful spot to take a selfie. 

As we walked towards Lei Muk Shue, we added another 30 minutes to our trip. The bus stop provides a few more bus options than the starting point of the reservoir. By the time we arrived at Tsuen Wan, we were starving and we only wanted to sit down and eat. 

Try the inexpensive curry rice at Bentoya on the ground floor of The Mills which is now a shopping complex revitalized from a textile factory in Tsuen Wan. The Taiwanese eatery Cha Fan at 8 ½ in Tsuen Wan has a variety of bubble teas and fruit teas that instantly quench our thirst and satisfy our palate.

Check out more pictures in our walk

potatoes
English articles

Growing potatoes

experiencetoday

Learning to grow vegetables on a small farm improves mental health and well-being. The joy of harvesting vegetables is beyond buying something that I like in a shop.

Today and yesterday, I took home a few potatoes from the community farm. Some were tiny, some were regular. All are organic and no pesticides are used. The skins are particularly tender and thin, so it is easy to rub them out for cooking.

Growing potatoes is very easy. Seed potatoes are handy when the “eyes” grow bigger and wider over a week or so. Simply put the seed potatoes in the soil with the eyes facing up. In January, when the sun was scarce, my brother planted around 6 seed potatoes. Surprisingly, they grew fast.

I was told that each seed potato produces 4 to 8 potatoes. So far, I have harvested 7 potatoes. They are quality produce, organic, and enough for 3 meals.

It is quite a lazy plant as some of my farm mates just leave them there on their farms. I could see potatoes near the root of the plants.

It took less than three months for me to harvest the first crop. The skin of some potatoes is exposed to the soil when they come close to the surface. I simply added some soil on top till they turned from green to yellow.

potato plants

Basically, when the leaves turn yellow, it is a sign that they are almost ready.

Since last summer, I have felt the power of horticultural therapy. Gardening, such as loosening the soil or planting sprouts individually, makes me feel mindful.

Learning what produce is cultivated on a farm is fun; growing from seed to harvest is surely a sense of achievement. I had beans and okra for two months in summer and now have potatoes in spring. Mints and herbs are usually grown in any season here.

Want to learn more about farming? Farm mates and an instructor taught me how to manage the farm and grow some vegetables. Many YouTube videos can help as well.

English articles

The happiest garden in the world

experiencetoday

My friend’s New Zealand trip just began. She followed my advice to explore the small French Akaroa town south of Christchurch. 

The Giant’s House is one of the key attractions in this picturesque town by the harbour. I missed visiting this special garden last year, and I can only blame the rain for that decision. After all, the joyous garden should be a place for taking pictures. Going there in the rain is no fun. 

My friend shared this Giant’s House with me, which was built by artist and horticulturalist Josie Martin. The house was built in 1880 by a bank manager who came from England. When Josie bought the place over 25 years ago, the house needed serious repair and had no garden. 

Josie has always enjoyed gardening and is passionate about art and sculpture. She has a dream of sharing her art with the community in a playful and magical environment.  Her house in Akaroa therefore has become a blank canvas for her creative work.

She turned fragments of lovely old china buried in the ground into mosaics for the floor of the conservatory and steps. The idea worked well. With the help of local craftsmen, her installations evolved and grew. 

The artist called Giant’s House “the happiest garden in the world”, which is full of elaborate, vibrant-coloured sculptures. 

As the artist still lives in the Giant’s House and manages her garden, it feels more alive. 

Why is it called “The Giant’s House?” It was named by a little girl, looking up at it from the valley below, believing it must be the home of a giant.