Tips from the T-List

Wow! Visiting the latest addition to our hotel portfolio last week, I could not help it but to notice I was truly impressed by the dedication of its owners to deliver excellent guest service.  They have true hoteliers blood running through their veins. Let me share this inspiring story of genuine... (more...)

Watching Family Guy last night, we hit the episode where Tricia Takanawa says: “Hi! I’m here with Stephen Hawking, the only white man I’ve ever met who knows math better than me.” We laughed. And then we almost cried. Because here are some (translated) examples of the algebra... (more...)

 OMG! An OVEN in Asia!! I love my big kitchen in Asia and let me tell you that big kitchens are very rare in Asia I love my big kitchen in Asia and let me tell you that big kitchens are VERY rare in Asia and an oven is non existent in most apartments and homes. Most kitchens are tiny as street... (more...)

The lesser spotted tween, and its larger relative, the greater spotted teen, are elusive creatures in urban China. You might glimpse one between 6 and 7am, neat in their tracksuits on their way to school, then again between 5.30 and 7pm, returning to their homes. On Friday nights, you might catch one... (more...)

Learning Spanish in SpainIs immersion the easiest way to learn a language? Raising a bilingual or trilingual kid with travel can Is immersion the easiest way to learn a language? Raising a bilingual or trilingual kid with travel can  greatly help the process. I've written a series on how to raise... (more...)

For the first week of Chinese school, our routine has been: wake up at 6am, breakfast, dress, and leave the house at 6.40 to make the bus at 7am. This is a routine that Zac adapts to better than I. He is not a morning person, but he is adaptable. I am not a morning person, and I am not adaptable. Left... (more...)

The Importance of Play in Learning “It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and “It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection... (more...)

Handwriting has never been a strength of Zac’s. He’s a lefty, and started writing aged three. Then, because current British thinking is that young children should be left to “experiment with mark-making” by themselves – which is ideal if children are “mark-making”, rather less so... (more...)