How much do you know about the month of December? 01. What do Christians celebrate on Christmas Day, December 25? A. The birth of Jesus Christ B. The resurrection of Jesus Christ C. The end of Lent 02. Which Grammy-award winning singer was born on December 18, 2001? A. Billie Eilish B. Taylor Swift C. Phoebe Bridgers 03. What do Buddhists celebrate on Bodhi Day, December 8? A. Buddha’s teachings B. Buddha’s enlightenment C. Buddha’s birthday 04. Where was novelist Joseph Conrad born on December 3, 1857? A. Ukraine B. Poland C. Hungary 05. What is December’s Jewish Festival of Lights known as? A. Rosh Hashana B. Yom Kippur C. Hanukkah 06. Which celebrated painter cut off his left ear on December 23, 1888? A. Paul Gauguin B. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec C. Vincent van Gogh 07. Which Wiccan Sabbat falls in December? A. Mabon B. Yule C. Imbolc 08. Which album did the Eagles release on December 8, 1976? A. Desperado B. Hotel California C. The Long Run 09. British novelist Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775: which of the following novels didn’t she write? A. Persuasion B. Northanger Abbey C. Vanity Fair 10. December brings the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere: what is it? A. The shortest day of the year B. The longest day of the year C. The coldest day of the year 11. What is December’s full moon called? A. Ice Moon B. Cold Moon C. Blue Moon 12. In Home Alone, where do the McCallisters plan to spend Christmas? A. Rome B. Prague C. Paris 13. What are December’s zodiac signs? A. Sagittarius and Capricorn B. Sagittarius and Scorpio C. Capricorn and Aquarius 14. Which franchise released all of its movies in December (2001, 2002, 2003)? A. Fifty Shades B. Twilight Saga C. Lord of the Rings 15. Which British band released Second Coming on December 5, 1994? A. The Stone Roses B. Oasis C. Joy Division 16. What is December’s birthstone? A. Turquoise B. Lapis Lazuli C. Sapphire 17. Which classical composers were both born in December? A. Bach and Schubert B. Mozart and Beethoven C. Haydn and Gluck 18. Which British actresses share a December 28 birthday? A. Maggie Smith and Sienna Miller B. Emily Blunt and Emma Thompson C. Keira Knightley and Kate Winslet 19. Permanent December is the seventh track on which Miley Cyrus album? A. Breakout B. Can’t be Tamed C. Bangerz 20. On which day does Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker take place? A. Christmas Eve B. Christmas Day C. New Year’s Eve

Time to have fun, develop new skills and step out of comfort zones! The holidays bring to mind images of excited kids and slow-paced, lazy afternoons, of reunions and celebrations with loved ones. Many DB families choose to stay home over the Xmas break, and as much as we love the buzz of children in the apartment 24/7, it’s sometimes difficult to keep them engaged constructively. The winter break should not mean a complete end to the structured day… which is where holiday camps come in. The best camps challenge kids every day. They come home tired from all the physical and mental activity and ready for a full meal and bed. They wake up looking forward to the day ahead and to giving it their best shot. Winter camp provides a carefree environment where kids work on ideas and learn to be responsible for their actions; it gives children a sense of purpose and direction. With all the different winter activities on offer across Lantau, how do you decide which will benefit your child the most? First of f, in choosing a summer camp for your children – with your children if they are old enough – making sure they are going to have lots of fun should be a priority. And that at least is easy enough to achieve. No matter which type of camp you choose, your kids will be given the opportunity to be busy and social. Hopefully too, away from the pressures and social hierarchies of school, they’ll be able to make new friends and, with the guidance of adult mentors, discover new things about themselves. Looked at one way the decision is simple. Sign them up for an activity they already enjoy and give them the chance to focus on it, and get seriously good at it. Game over, you might say; job done. But have you thought about alternatives? You might be tempted to go the other way… sign your kids up for a course in something new and unexpected, something that will expand their horizons. Let’s say your children are homebodies, constantly hardwired to their computers. Any camp you choose will encourage them to unplug but one that’s based outdoors could be the way to go. To keep things interesting, you might also consider a classroom-based camp. Specialised, teacher-led winter courses make learning and problem-solving fun and interactive. Fortunately, there are numerous options within DB and across Lantau – we’ve listed our top six here! ARK EDEN www.arkedenonlantau.org Ark Eden’s eco-aware, nature-based Winter Holiday Camps run from December 15 to January 2 on a hillside in Mui Wo. Pick-up and drop-off in Tung Chung and Central is available Monday to Friday. Children, aged 5 to 11, can join for HK$790 per day with discounts on additional days booked! Kids who enrol with five friends or more get another 10% off. WhatsApp: 5117 4537 Email: info@arkedenonlantau.org HK DRAGONS dragons.hk HK Dragons Football Christmas Camps run from 9am to 10.30am at DB North Plaza Football Pitch. This year there’s a five-day camp from December 15 to 19, and a four-day camp from December 29 to January 2 (skipping January 1). The Dragons’ experienced coaches invite U5-U15 boys and girls, of all abilities, to learn new skills and have lots of fun! WhatsApp: 6417 3303 Email: theoffice@dragons.com.hk BAYVIEW HOUSE OF CHILDREN www.bayview.hk Bayview House of Children’s Holiday Camp runs from December 15 to 19 in DB North Plaza with a firm focus on festive fun! Children, aged 3 to 6, can enjoy arts & crafts, winter science, cookery, music and outdoor games, all with a special Christmas sparkle. Choose from morning or full-day options, daily or for the full week. Let the holiday magic begin! Tel: 6114 2436 Email: info@bayview.hk FRIENDLY RIDES & GUIDES www.friendlyridesandguides.com Friendly Rides & Guides’ Winter Camps deliver an exciting experience adventuring around South Lantau. Kids aged 7+ enjoy skills-based activities, mountain biking, nature exploration, woodworking and team games. This year’s camps run from December 15 to Januar y 10: pick-up and drop - off in Tung Chung and Central is available Monday to Friday. Tel: 5117 0051 Email: info@friendlyridesandguides.com TREASURE ISLAND GROUP www.treasureislandhk.com Treasure Island’s Winter Camps – Surf, Adventure, Explorers, eXtreme and Little Kids Club – run from December 8 to Januar y 30 at Pui O Beach and are bookable by the day. Kids, aged 4 to 14, get to experience a wide range of outdoor activities, including surfing, flying kiwi, wetland tours and waterfall hiking, while making new friends and developing eco - awareness and life skills. Tel: 5236 7016 Email: inquiries@treasureislandhk.com FAUST www.faustworld.com Faust’s HK-wide Winter Holiday Programme runs from December 15 to 19 and December 29 to January 3, with courses in Holiday Theatre, ages 3 to 16; Musical Theatre, ages 8 to 12; and Creative Writing, ages 6 to 13. Children experience a fun-filled learning environment in which to develop leadership and teamwork skills, individual expression and confidence. Tel: 2547 9114 Email: info@faustworld.com

Take a look at the results and photos! [PHOTOS BY Andrew Spires.] More than 104 young and daring competitors took to the track for the 10th anniversary edition of the HLG Kart Race on November 22. Hosted by Harvey Law Group in partnership with Milwaukee, the event provided all participants with karts and transformed the Discovery Bay Road cycle lane with an impressive eight-foot-high ramp. Children aged 7 to 12 put their skills to the test, racing against peers in a spirited display of energy, courage, and sportsmanship. This year’s event wasn’t just about speed - it was about giving back. A total of HK$25,000 was raised and donated to Heep Hong Society, a local charity dedicated to providing education and support services to children with diverse abilities and their families. Photo Slideshow: 2025 Results: Age 7: 1st: 1117 – Olivia Henderson 2nd: 1111 – Neo Simpson 3rd: 1024 – Nico Casati Age 8: 1st: 822 – Aneliya Khabibullina 2nd: 825 – Francisco Tomaz Daros 3rd: 1014 – Ava Allan Age 9: 1st: 904 – Edoardo Lavenia 2nd: 922 – Liam Wright 3rd: 916 – Filip Wong Age 10: 1st: 1005 – Alexis Tsang 2nd: 1004 – Kilyann Kyle Sharma Mansart 3rd: 1002 – Max Chiu Age 11: 1st: 1101 – Adam Wilkins 2nd: 1102 – Manon Perreau 3rd: 1103 – Viktoria Schnatterbeck Age 12: 1st: 1203 – Tianyi Yu (Olivia) 2nd: 1202 – Nathaniel Mccurrach 3rd: 1205 – Miles Chen

Discover how small changes in your living space can invite harmony, relaxation and positive energy. Samantha Wong reports Formalised as an art and science over 3,000 years ago in China, feng shui’s aim is to improve quality of life. Feng means ‘wind’ and shui means ‘water,’ and both are associated with good health, so if you get the feng shui in your home right, you can expect good things to follow. Feng shui contains elements of various branches of study, including physics, philosophy, astronomy and astrology. It’s a complex body of knowledge that takes years to master but you don’t have to be an expert or own a luopan (a feng-shui compass with 24 directions marked on it) to start working it into your home and reaping the benefits. The first thing you need to know is that according to feng shui everyone and everything is interconnected, and everything is filled with chi (energy). The way you arrange objects within a room influences how that energy flows, and how you feel. One basic tip is that your bed, desk and stove need to be placed in the ‘command position’ – this is important because the bed represents you, the desk represents your career and the stove represents your wealth. When you are in these spaces, be sure that you can see the door without being directly in line with it – this puts you in the command position, meaning you are in control of your life and receptive to positive outcomes. Feng shui is all about mindfulness too: slowing down and noticing the details in your life and living space so that you can create harmony. Dusty corners represent areas of your life that are stagnant and ignored, so clean them up. Get rid of or fix any broken objects because they are obstacles in your life, causing stress that holds you back. And create space in your wardrobe. If it’s overstuffed, you’re giving out the message that your life is complete and you don’t need anything else. We often intuitively know when something is not quite right in our homes, so work out where you feel uneasy and sit there, quieting the mind. You may be able to energise the space simply by moving things around, for instance placing an armchair in front of a window, but if that doesn’t do the trick, you’ll need to look to a core feng-shui principle – the theory of the five elements. Wood, fire, earth, metal and water – the five elements – are a big deal in feng shui. Simply put, feng shui works to balance these five natural elements in your home, and by extension in your life. You need to ensure that all five elements are present in each room and working harmoniously together. To achieve this in a living area, you might combine wood and metal furniture, light some candles (fire), install an aquarium (water) and place a clay pot (earth) in a corner. But you don’t have to think so literally – each element is represented by a specific colour (see the sidebar below), so colour use is an easy and effective way to harmonise the five elements within your home. For instance, if the wood element is lacking in a bedroom, paint a feature wall green or brown; if you need more of the earth element, pick up some yellow-toned soft furnishings. By using colour to include all the elements in your decor, you can improve your quality of life, but there’s more to it than that. Each element is also associated with a specific life attribute – wood with vitality; fire with passion and recognition; earth with stability; metal with clarity and self-discipline; and water with tranquillity and wisdom – so upping the presence of a particular element in your home can bring you more of the attribute it represents. To go at it another way, if something is lacking in your life, you will likely see that the element it corresponds to is lacking in your decor. Let’s say you lack stability and don’t take good enough care of yourself. Chances are you need more of the earth element (sand, yellow and light brown) in your home. If you’re looking for more clarity, self-discipline or structure, look to the metal element: add grey, silver or white to your colour scheme. By calling on the element of water, you can invite tranquillity and wisdom into your life. Try sitting on a blue or black cushion when you’re at your computer. Wood energy, associated with the colour green, can help kickstart new beginnings and increase your vitality. Alternatively, if you’re looking for passion or recognition, play around with red fire energy. Light some candles – fire is symbolised by real flames – or place red flowers in a favourite vase When reworking your home to improve the feng shui, good lighting is another must. Si chi (bad energy) breeds in spaces that are harshly or dimly lit, so don’t limit a room to a single ceiling lamp. Layered lighting works best, meaning you rely on a number of fixtures – ceiling, standing and table – to illuminate each living space. Mirrors are a great way to bounce light around but be a little bit cautious with them. Mirrors literally and metaphorically double what they reflect, which means they need to reflect something positive, like a beautiful view or favourite piece of furniture. A mirror above the sofa might look stylish but if it’s reflecting a neglected corner, that feeling is likely being doubled in your life. Mirrors are also linked to self-esteem, so stick to full-length ones in which you can see yourself completely. If your body is ‘cut’ in your reflection, your energy is cut, and you’re telling yourself that you don’t measure up. Last but not least, get minimal: a pared-back, clutter-free room is harmonious and well-balanced; it’s calming without being dull and it has a sense of flow – all essentials for good feng shui. So throw out what you can (that pile of old magazines on the coffee table) and find storage solutions for things you use on a regular basis. It’s worth investing in a few simple pieces that will free up space – perhaps you need a fitted wardrobe in the bedroom and a couple of bedside tables. One of the reasons minimalist design schemes appeal to so many of us is that they radiate sheng chi (beneficial energy). You’re aiming to fill your home with only the (attractive) necessities, and this goes for larger pieces too – get rid of the chair you never sit in and the painting you no longer look at. Paring down will immediately up the feng shui of any home, as will giving some further thought to furniture placement. Group chairs to promote conversation and togetherness, and put the TV in a cabinet so that you can really switch off from it every now and then. Work with scale and proportion to create harmony between pieces of furniture, and make sure the chi can flow.

6 terrifying novels to freak you out GHOST STORY: PETER STRAUB (1979) In the sleepy town of Milburn, New York, four old men gather to tell each other stories – some true, some made-up, all of them frightening. But one story is coming back to haunt them and their small town: a tale of something they did long ago – a wicked mistake, a horrifying accident – and they are about to learn that no one can bury the past forever. HOUSE OF LEAVES: MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI (2000) Will and Karen move to Virgina with their family only to discover that something is terribly wrong – their new home is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The children wander off and disappear but the couple can hear them whispering about an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door and an unholy growl which soon tears through their walls. MEXICAN GOTHIC: SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA (2020) Naomi hurries to High Place house in the Mexican countryside, concerned about her newlywed cousin. A tough, smart and worldly socialite, Naomi is not afraid – not of her cousin’s menacing but alluring new husband; not of his father, the ancient patriarch; and not even of the brutal nightmares she soon experiences about the house itself. PET SEMATARY: STEPHEN KING (1983) The road in front of the Creed family’s Maine home frequently claims the lives of neighbourhood pets. Near the house, local children have created a cemetery for the dogs and cats killed by speeding trucks. Deeper in the woods lies another graveyard, an ancient Indian burial ground whose sinister properties the Creeds discover when the family cat is killed. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE: SHIRLEY JACKSON (1959) Four seekers arrive at infamous Hill House: Dr Montague, an occult scholar looking for evidence of a haunting; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. They encounter inexplicable phenomena: soon Hill House will claim one of them for its own. THIS CURSED HOUSE: DEL SANDEEN (2024) Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago and the spirits she has always been able to see. She accepts an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans; an eccentric clan, all of whom seem to have a tenuous grip on reality. Soon, the shocking truth comes out: the Duchons are under a curse and they think Jemma can break it.

Historic streets, timeless beauty STAY AT HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, built from the ruins of Santo Domingo, once one of the most important convents in Central America. The hotel houses several museums and an art gallery, and you can explore the convent’s original chapels, crypts, gardens and courtyards. EXPLORE GUATEMALA’S COLONIAL PAST at Museo de Arte Colonial. Spanish rule lasted for nearly 300 years (1524– 1821) and the museum contains an extraordinary collection of religious paintings, sculptures and relics. Works by both indigenous artists and Spanish craftsmen are on display. VENTURE UP VOLCÁN PACAYA just 30km from Antigua for the best pizza you will ever have! This two-hour trek takes you across dried lava fields with striking views of the neighbouring volcanoes. You get to bake your very own pizza over the lava rocks and guides provide sticks for marshmallow roasting. ENTER THE MAGICAL WORLD of J.R.R. Tolkien on a tour of Hobbitenango, a whimsical eco-lodge and theme park located high in the mountains about 8km from Antigua. It’s inspired by The Shire from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with hobbit-style houses built into the hillsides, and there are panoramic views of the Guatemalan highlands. EXPERIENCE ANTIGUA AFTER DARK with charismatic tour guide Luis Francisco Gonzáles as he takes you on a walking tour of Antigua’s most haunted locales. Both spooky and educational, this tour is also a thrilling way to familiarise yourself with mythical figures from local folklore like La Llorona (the Weeping Woman) and El Sombrerón (the Little Hat Man). VISIT IGLESIA DE LA MERCED, a striking yellow Baroque masterpiece and former monastery that homes the largest fountain in Central America – 27 meters across, it’s shaped like a water lily, a traditional symbol of power for the Maya. The church remains active, with a candlelit procession held monthly. ONCE THE CAPITAL OF GUATEMALA, Antigua Guatemala is a lively city where history, culture and everyday life come together. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s known for its cobblestone streets, colourful colonial buildings and one-of-a-kind views of nearby volcanoes. There are countless iconic sights including picture-perfect Arco de Santa Catarina, built back in the 17th century.

Serves 2 2tbsp butter 3tbsp flour ¾tsp salt ½tsp nutmeg ½tsp mustard powder 118ml milk ¾tsp lemon juice 50g each cheddar, gruyere, emmental 2 snapper fillets Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a saucepan, melt the butter and blend in the flour, salt, nutmeg and mustard powder. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the lemon juice and grated cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Place the snapper fillets in a greased baking pan. Cover with the cheese sauce and bake for 45 minutes. Garnish with fresh rosemary and basil to serve.

Time to have fun, develop new skills and step out of comfort zones! ARK EDEN www.arkedenonlantau.org Ark Eden’s eco-aware, nature-based Winter Holiday Camps run from December 15 to January 2 on a hillside in Mui Wo. Pick-up and drop-off in Tung Chung and Central is available Monday to Friday. Children, aged 5 to 11, can join for HK$790 per day with discounts on additional days booked! Kids who enrol with five friends or more get another 10% off. WhatsApp: 5117 4537 Email: info@arkedenonlantau.org HK DRAGONS dragons.hk HK Dragons Football Christmas Camps run from 9am to 10.30am at DB North Plaza Football Pitch. This year there’s a five-day camp from December 15 to 19, and a four-day camp from December 29 to January 2 (skipping January 1). The Dragons’ experienced coaches invite U5-U15 boys and girls, of all abilities, to learn new skills and have lots of fun! WhatsApp: 6417 3303 Email: theoffice@dragons.com.hk BAYVIEW HOUSE OF CHILDREN www.bayview.hk Bayview House of Children’s Holiday Camp runs from December 15 to 19 in DB North Plaza with a firm focus on festive fun! Children, aged 3 to 6, can enjoy arts & crafts, winter science, cookery, music and outdoor games, all with a special Christmas sparkle. Choose from morning or full-day options, daily or for the full week. Let the holiday magic begin! Tel: 6114 2436 Email: info@bayview.hk FRIENDLY RIDES & GUIDES www.friendlyridesandguides.com Friendly Rides & Guides’ Winter Camps deliver an exciting experience adventuring around South Lantau. Kids aged 7+ enjoy skills-based activities, mountain biking, nature exploration, woodworking and team games. This year’s camps run from December 15 to Januar y 10: pick-up and drop - off in Tung Chung and Central is available Monday to Friday. Tel: 5117 0051 Email: info@friendlyridesandguides.com TREASURE ISLAND GROUP www.treasureislandhk.com Treasure Island’s Winter Camps – Surf, Adventure, Explorers, eXtreme and Little Kids Club – run from December 8 to Januar y 30 at Pui O Beach and are bookable by the day. Kids, aged 4 to 14, get to experience a wide range of outdoor activities, including surfing, flying kiwi, wetland tours and waterfall hiking, while making new friends and developing eco - awareness and life skills. Tel: 5236 7016 Email: inquiries@treasureislandhk.com FAUST www.faustworld.com Faust’s HK-wide Winter Holiday Programme runs from December 15 to 19 and December 29 to January 3, with courses in Holiday Theatre, ages 3 to 16; Musical Theatre, ages 8 to 12; and Creative Writing, ages 6 to 13. Children experience a fun-filled learning environment in which to develop leadership and teamwork skills, individual expression and confidence. Tel: 2547 9114 Email: info@faustworld.com

Former French Foreign Legionnaire turned executive coach, Vladimir Bourov is helping Hong Kong’s men reclaim strength through service, community and conscious leadership. Elizabeth Kerr reports PHOTOS BY Andrew Spires & courtesy of Tatiana Bourov At first blush, Vladimir Bourov looks a lot like the rest of the bankers, insurers and consultants at Fuel in ifc Mall late on a Thursday afternoon. His white shirt is perfectly starched, he’s lean and manicured in a way that looks disciplined, not uptight, and the perfect square of the knapsack he’s toting suggests precision packing. None of that is surprising considering the seven years Vladimir spent in the French Foreign Legion prior to relocating to Hong Kong. Vladimir’s coming from Admiralty this day, where he’s just wrapped up sessions related to his consultancy business Servant Leadership, which specialises in leadership training and executive coaching for C-suite dwellers in need of guidance on corporate work culture (www.vladimirbourov.com). Vladimir guides his clients on how to be conscious in leadership and on how their influence will impact their people and in turn their families. It’s his way of contributing to a better world, and his time in the military is one of the reasons the city’s executives are requesting his services. “They trust I’m the person they can learn from,” Vladimir opens. “My 35 years have been rich in experience: unique life experiences, military service, Harvard Business School. What I convey to my clients is that leadership is about service, and that starts with a responsible mindset. I facilitate the fulfilment of individual needs and influence how they manage their business to create positive change. We all want a world where our children are going to grow up with leaders who are stewards – not people who confront each other for resources to line pockets.” Vladimir’s commitment to giving back and inspiring others by leading by example was also the driver behind his DB-based initiative Pushing Limits Forging Bonds – just now disbanded due to family reasons. For the past three years, he has provided High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) sessions for men three mornings a week, free of charge. He hopes PLFB will soon make a comeback, headed up by fellow residents, with a continued focus on commitment, resilience and raising the bar. Interest in leadership was indeed born in The Legion, but also of necessity. Vladimir moved to Discovery Bay with his wife Tatiana after they got married in 2019 and went on to have a son, like most preferring the environment for children. It was she who convinced him to move to Hong Kong after they met in a Paris train station in 2016 – “Tatiana’s to blame for everything,” he quips – where she’d been recruited by a Hong Kong firm after working in the mainland for a decade. And it was Tatiana who encouraged him to get certified in Life Coaching, NLP and as a Counselling Master Practitioner when it became clear he was struggling to transition to life outside the military. Vladimir says he loved Hong Kong and its security from the get-go, but it took a while to accept. “I remember we were walking in Tamar Park around 11pm one night. We saw a group of maybe seven guys coming towards us, and for me that’s a fight. I was already calculating my strategy... and they just passed by. I was super-shocked. My risk assessment failed,” he laughs again. For most of us The Legion is the stuff of fantasy – think of films like Beau Geste, Beau Travail or Legionnaire – but Vladimir credits it with straightening out his life and putting him on his circuitous route to DB. Born in the Soviet Union, in Irkutsk, his family fled to Spain in 1995, but a paperwork mix-up left him on his own in a small village with his grandmother and younger sister at just four years old. The mix-up lasted two years. “You can imagine. It’s 1995. There’s no Skype, no WhatsApp. The money that was left for us to live on is gone in five to six months,” he recalls. “There were very good people who saw that something wasn’t right, and they helped us out and got us into school. As kids we didn’t really realise the problem. What I recall well is that my entrepreneurial side was born there.” Vladimir learnt that neighbours would pay him a few pesetas to complete ‘odd jobs’ and manual chores, enough to buoy the family until his parents finally made it back to the small Valencia town they’d settled in. By the mid-2000s, however, a combination of Spanish nationalism at the time and regular bullying when he was younger meant he had “built a life on the streets”. None of this prevented Vladimir helping to fund his sisters through university – he also helped transform an old kebab shop that his parents had managed to buy into a thriving Russian/ Spanish takeaway (it’s still there). “I made the decision to go to France during the nights I was working on that small business, because I wanted to move forward with my life,” he says. “I finished rebuilding the shop, and one week before going to The Legion I gave my mother the keys to it. I had €120 in my pocket and I moved to France.” As a new recruit Vladimir embarked on a gruelling training programme before gaining a spot in an all-Russian squad. He spent three years as a sniper and finally got on a leadership track. “I was a sergeant, which isn’t high in terms of commissioned officers. But my function was Special Forces instructor which gave me a chance to work with different units and gain a lot of experience. That’s where my leadership skills really developed. The Legion gave me hope, a new life and a sense of feeling valuable and useful.” Vladimir has parlayed that feeling of usefulness into his leadership coaching and now into the six-month-old Wolves Private Club (www.wolveshk.com), a paid membership, men-only club whose mission is to ‘unite and empower like-minded men, pushing each other beyond ordinary, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in triumph and adversity, and forging legacies that resonate through time’. There’s a focus on outdoor activities, thought-provoking events and servant leadership initiatives. Every week, members come together to share challenges and triumphs, support, uplift and empower one another. In 2025, it’s still more acceptable for women to seek support from peers: Vladimir is targeting men because it’s what he knows; Tatiana, as Wolves’ co-founder, is in charge of the club’s wider reach. “To promote fatherhood within the club, my wife and I also organise family-focused events and seminars focused on strengthening the bond between fathers and children and promoting a healthy lifestyle for the entire family. “When I arrived in Hong Kong, I recognised the need among leaders for support and camaraderie similar to what I experienced in The Legion. This inspired me to create a private club grounded in my leadership expertise and my desire to help others grow. Alongside my wife’s knowledge in longevity, we aim to share valuable insights to help our members and their families foster healthy, fulfilling and long-lasting lives.” Wolves Private Club’s focus is on longevity, servant leadership and philanthropy. “Material success shouldn’t be your goal,” Vladimir finishes. “It should be service, a more inclusive environment, and a culture where people thrive and fulfil evolving needs.”

From deciphering Cantonese worksheets to hauling kilos of textbooks, the local school system can feel like an uphill climb for non-Chinese-speaking parents. But give it time and it all starts to feel like home. Andrew Spires reports PHOTOGRAPHY BY Andrew Spires If you type local vs international school into the World Wide Web, you’ll be offered the same information that’s been discussed for years; namely that international schools are great if you move countries a lot, that they offer a ‘global perspective’ and have a more holistic teaching style, whereas local schools provide in-depth local and cultural knowledge and proper bi- or tri-lingual capabilities. One is incredibly expensive and the other isn’t. But then you already know that. So what I’m going to do is spend the next five minutes telling you what it’s like to be an expat parent of kids in the local Hong Kong system, as that’s what I am. I need to caveat this article by saying that my wife is local and speaks only Cantonese to the kids when she’s home, which isn’t very often, as she’s always at work. That language base has given my two girls (10 and 8) a fantastic step-up at school. We also have amazing grandparents who occasionally assist with homework. Even with that local language help, both my kids visit the dreaded tutor once a week to help with their Cantonese. The local system takes about a year to settle into. We chose our local primary based on their open day, where we were told they had a very strong NCS (non-Chinese speaking) department. Turns out they did not. Worksheets would be sent home nightly causing my doe-eyed daughter and I to stare blankly at them, fumbling with Google Translate to figure out what needed to be done. After a few weeks of this, I asked to have a meeting with the NCS Head and armed myself with an Arabic worksheet. Halfway through the meeting, I slid the worksheet across the table and asked the teacher if she could complete it. Now she was the one staring blankly. “But how can I complete this? I don’t read Arabic,” she pointed out. “I don’t read Cantonese,” I replied, “But we’re expected to complete them daily.” It was a lightbulb moment for the NCS department. The local system is powered by textbooks. Hundreds of them. Approximately HK$2,500 a term’s worth. Each subject has its own volume that makes the Encyclopaedia Britannica look like The Beano. These need to be carried to and from school each day, like an educational flagellation. Little spines shouldn’t be carrying 5kgs. Scaled-up, that’s the equivalent of me carrying 15 litres of water. So, back into school I went for another meeting… Homework is famous in the local system for the sheer quantity of it. It’s not just the amount of homework given, but the bizarre code with which it’s indexed. When my eldest first joined secondary, we spent equal amounts of time simply figuring out what the homework was as we spent doing it. Each type of homework is encoded with numbers and letters, for example, WBP8 is workbook, page 8. That’s an easy one. Then there is DWP: to this day I don’t know what it’s short for, but it involves online maths quizzes. It’s quite bizarre. My final rant is about the literal nature of teaching in Hong Kong. My youngest is wildly creative, but that’s not viewed with any cheer in the local system. In P1, her textbook asked her to draw circles to make a chart for each of the different types of images on the page. As opposed to circles, my little artist drew little versions of the images. When the homework was marked, the whole page had a big red pen line through it, and a note saying she was asked to draw circles and that she was to re-do the work, even though her answer wasn’t wrong. Back to school I went for another meeting… With all that being said, I’m starting to fall in love with my children’s school. There are endless ‘interest’ classes to choose from including, and I’m not making this up, ‘fancy skipping rope, choral speaking, Chinese acrobatics and soft clay’, to name a few. My two are in school teams, which are taken very seriously indeed, and rightly so. Inter-school swimming competitions have professional timing boards deployed and are carried out in an Olympic-sized pool, and athletics events use a starter pistol, which always makes me smile. Nothing like a blast from a gun to get your kid sprinting in the 60m race. Academically, it’s tough and incredibly competitive. All kids, even the local ones, appear to use tutors to either keep their heads above water or to get ahead. All subjects apart from English are taught in Cantonese, although for maths you can opt to have the textbooks in English. Science isn’t taught as individual subjects until secondary school, so it falls under Humanities, which also covers sex-ed, politics and of course National Education lessons. Oddly, Mandarin doesn’t feature that heavily, with only one hour a week of instruction. There is little in the way of thinking around a subject and a heavy emphasis on rote learning, drilling in a subject until it sticks. My two are both learning to read and write Chinese brilliantly, which always feels like a superpower to me, but they’re not learning the ‘why’ of the language, just the form, meaning they struggle to use it outside of the structure of the classroom. This is counteracted by having local friends. Most of my children’s Cantonese language skill comes from interaction with their classmates at recess. Culturally, this is very important as my kids are naturally learning local customs. They’re not just learning about Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year, they’re living it and adopting it into their own frame of reference. On a personal level, I do feel excluded at the school gates as my Cantonese is only marginally better than my Arabic! I sign up to be a parent volunteer when my workload isn’t too heavy, but I sense the tension in the room when I walk in. I haven’t formed the friends that I might have done had my kids gone to an international school, and I can feel useless when it comes to helping with Chinese homework. This is all down to me not learning the language well enough, but worth considering when you’re choosing schools. We have some western friends who started their eldest in the local system, but by P3 decided to move her to Discovery Bay International School, where she’s grown in confidence and is thriving. The kicker was that they couldn’t help their daughter with her school work which was leading to fights at home. At the same time, they were stressed by the focus on academics; they felt her childhood could be better spent. For them, transferring to an international school was the logical decision, and a little help with funding by Cathay helped to grease the wheels. International schools are by their very nature more culturally diverse than the local system. It’s great that kids can mingle with varied cultures from such a young age. The connections made at an international school will also help them later in life in a global economy. After all, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. My local wife went to an international school in the UK and now has useful connections all over the world. If I had the cash, would I send my kids to an international school? If I weren’t planning on staying in Hong Kong, then probably yes. But as Hong Kong and Lantau are very much my home, a local education is priceless.