Waste or Natual?

Recently, my friend asked me to order something from Neal's Yard. I vaguely heard of it. When I looked at their website, they said that they were Carbon Neutral, no animal testing, to use organic matters where possible etc. It seemed good to me, so I bought some product online for myself to try as well.

A few days later, I looked at the box and thought: 'did I order too many stuff? How come the box is so massive?' But that was not the issue. I opened the box and couldn't believe what I saw - the box full of white plastic fillers! I had to put my hand in to search for the bottles.

Unfortunately, I think they break their promise. I have decided to share my thoughts about this on their Facebook page: '... I thought your company cared about the environment and believed in "Less is More"!?'

18/08/13 Updated - They replied: '...We always want our products to arrive with you safely, and as your order contained a number of 200ml glass bottles and essential oils, we selected a box that would allow space between the products, so as to avoid any damage during transit. The white chips that came in the box are corn starch and they’re fully decomposable so they can be put onto your compost heap afterwards – you don’t have to worry about them being plastic!...'

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Different Kind of Fruit Tea

Last month, I talked about English people with their tea. However, I don't follow this tradition. It's because tea has caffeine. I won't be able to go to sleep after. Whenever I stay at a B&B, or when my friends or colleagues buy me a drink, I don't know what to get. If I know the person well, I may ask for the hot chocolate and feel a bit embarrassed. But if the B&B doesn't provide my favourite hot drink, or I don't really know the person, I may end up having water instead. 

I remember there was a time I used to drink mint tea. I discovered it has caffeine, so I didn't bother drinking any kind of tea. Until last year, my friend came to visit me in the UK. She bought many souvenirs for her colleagues, especially fruit tea. I started drinking it because it doesn't have caffeine. I normally buy Twinings. It is because there are many different type of favour available. The most unusual one is Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange. It tastes like a kind of fruity soft drink without gas. Also, it is hot, not cold. Very interesting indeed.

Nowadays, when people offer me a drink, I have an extra choice of beverage.

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Busy January

I've been too busy lately that I've nearly forgotten to update my blog. Today is the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, I would like to say a belated wishes to you: 'Have a good dragon year and good health!'


There is a Chinese saying that 'have a new start in the New Year', I have a new job this year, and have been learning the new tasks and responsibilities.  At the weekend, I am carrying on teaching James Cantonese at our community radio station, Bradley Stoke Radio. Also, because the big sales are on this month, I've been doing some bargain hunting, mainly shoes and beauty products. I spent most of my money on The Body Shop because they were having some discounts!

(PS If you still remember, I went to Bradley Stoke Radio to host an one hour show on my own. Unfortunately, because of the copyright, I can't upload the whole programme on YouTube. However, two weeks ago when teaching James Cantonese as usual, James asked me how my show went. Below is the clip that was recorded on 15 January 2012.)

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What you love about Cath Kidston?

If you love handbags, or are interested in fashion, you might have heard of Cath Kidston.

I never heard of Cath Kidston until May 2009: a friend of mine asked me to buy a one of their handbags for her when I flew back home. I discovered many people in Hong Kong love this brand but couldn't understand why: the style was not particularly interesting but the goods were very expensive. Some of their handbags looked like plastic (as if you are taking a plastic bag to shopping). Since then, I buy Cath Kidston goods for my friends only. But never say never...

Because of encouragement from friends, I have started blogging again and am thinking to do some YouTube clips to 'teach' Chinese people how to make English food. I was looking for an apron which represents the UK. In the end, I decided to get one from Cath Kidston because 1) the material feels hard-wearing, 2) there was July Big Sale in the UK, and 3) many people seem to have heard of Cath Kidston.

Back in 1993, Ms Cath Kidston started her business in London, she expanded her whole line in 2008. Nowadays, you see many young ladies with a Cath Kidston handbag when walking down the street in the UK. Anyhow, I don't need anything from there for now, so I won't be going to the shop unless my friends ask me to buy something on their behalf...

Website: http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/

Note: As tourist, if you buy more than £30 worth of Cath Kidston product on the same receipt (food excluded), you can apply for the tax refund.

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