Life and everythingAs recommended by Institute members

Bhutan is one of the happiest countries in the world. The rich and unique cultural heritage has been carefully preserved, as have the mountain scenery and unique natural environment.

What to do:• Visit Punakha Dzong, known as the Palace of Great Happiness,

where the wedding of Bhutan’s king was held. It is the second oldest and second largest dzong, or fortress, in Bhutan.

• Hike up to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Paro Valley, over

3,000 metres above sea level. The sacred Buddhist temple is a meditation site and hangs on a cliff precipice.

Where to stay:• Uma by COMO in Paro Valley offers a luxury retreat with a

great hiking trail nearby.• Gangte Goenpa Lodge in Gangte Valley is an exclusive

lodge with great service and offers a spectacular view over the entire valley.

Places to visit in Bhutan by Honnus Cheung, Chief Financial Officer at Travelzoo Asia Pacific

JOOX is a free streaming music app that’s perfect for any occasion. It provides a range of local and global hits from my favourite artists in Hong Kong or international markets. I can enjoy endless music throughout the day. JOOX’s free Radio options offer a wide selection of music, from genre to language, time period and audience so I can listen to what I’m in the mood for. The app also allows me to tailor my own playlists. If I want to check out the latest releases, I can easily tap the “New Releases” feature to get updated music downloads.

I also use iPick, which is a new food and bever-age social app, to follow my friends’ food moments. It is an interactive live stream that gathers cred-ible reviews, photos, comments and updates from

friends about food and restau-rants they like. Since a good meal can be elevated with the help of a chic dining area, iPick provides a new innovative 360-degree viewing function of se-lect restaurants. Décor and presentation matter, and now I can experience the atmosphere of a restaurant through this new feature.

I enjoy these new apps with my iPhone 6 Plus. This device provides more than ample amounts of screen space to experience the apps. Even with a slightly larger screen, the iPhone remains comfort-able to hold. I can easily listen to my favourite music on JOOX or search popular restaurants with iPick on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Best lifestyle apps by John Lo, Chief Financial Officer of Tencent

iPick

JOOX

54 November 2015

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Winter is approaching and households may need to switch on the fan heater to keep their homes warm. However, some have found highly effective ways to reduce power bills – with the application of a little behavioural science.

Personalized Home Energy Reports served by CLP are now available to all 2.1 million households through the Eco Optimizer 2.0 (www.clp.com.hk/EO) and offer a detailed analysis of electricity usage, along with some easy-to-read comparisons to similar households in the neighbourhood.

On top of that, the reports also offer energy saving tips, such as:• Switch to energy efficient LED bulbs which save around 75 percent of

power, compared to incandescent bulbs.• Use a reverse-cycle air conditioner to save 50 percent of energy, compared

to a fan heater, which can save an average of HK$300 over the winter months.• Choose an induction cooker to save at least 30 percent on power costs

for cooking.

As people get increasingly smart in their habits, I’m confident our concerted efforts can make Hong Kong a greener place to live.

How to save on energy costs by slightly changing consumption behaviour by Betty Yuen, Vice Chairman of CLP Power Hong Kong

The art of coffee by Patrick Kwok, Head of Operations of Starbucks Hong Kong and Macau

Working at Starbucks has given me the opportunity to explore the world of specialty coffee. Coffee grown in different origins and pro-cessed with different methods, roasting levels and blends produce specific flavour profiles. I enjoy drinking black coffee and espresso so that I can try the original taste of coffee from around the world.

Coffee tasting – or cupping – is the practice of identifying cer-tain tasting characteristics of the coffee: aroma, acidity, body and flavour. For example, Latin America coffee will have crisp acidity with flavours of nuts, cocoa and soft spice. Coffee from Africa can be lush and juicy with flavours from floral and citrusy to berry and spicy. Asia-Pacific coffee is full-bodied, syrupy smooth and exotic with dark chocolate and subtle earthy tones.

Melbourne has long been known as the coffee capital of Aus-tralia, where I tried an espresso-based milk coffee, cappuccino, for

the first time. Now, my favourite milk coffee is a ristretto bianco made with a ristretto shot, where a shot of espresso is extracted from the normal amount of ground coffee but with less water, and steamed milk. The ristretto shot is more concentrated with more body and less bitterness.

Australia also introduced another type of milk coffee, the piccolo latte, which is made of a ristretto shot with warm, silky milk served in a small 4oz glass. This mini latte lets you taste your favourite espresso with milk, without the bloated feeling.

In short, there are thousands of ways to enjoy your coffee – hot, iced, blended with ice and sugar, with syrup, pureed, with milk, alcohol, chocolate and more. While there are many choices and combinations, there is no right or wrong. Enjoy the process of exploration and have fun finding a flavour that best suits you.

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