December is one of the most preferred months for those who look to relocate to other countries. The past few years has seen a steady exodus of expats living in Hong Kong owing to various reasons, beginning from the 2019 protests to the ongoing strict COVID 19 rules and restrictions. While the government has changed many of the rules, for some it might seem like too little, too late. Most people choose to make major changes either during the school summer holidays so that chil

A lot has changed over the years during COVID19. HKIA which once used to be one of the busiest airport nearly became empty. But all of that is changing as we are moving on towards our recovery phase and slowly but surely opening up our home Hong Kong to not only returning residents, but for tourists and business people alike. Our LocalHood website content team volunteer Saravanan took this opportunity to see how things have gotten easier coming back to Hong Kong now that the

You would imagine that when someone you don’t know well does a favor for you, at best, it’s not going to change the way they feel about you. It might even make them feel a little annoyed with you because you’ve taken up their time. And because you don’t like people to get annoyed with you, you are very careful about the favors you ask for. The research shows the opposite. When someone does a favor for you, they actually have a more positive image of you. The bigger the fav

Blue Lotus Gallery, established in 2007, is a photography gallery with a strong focus on exploring Hong Kong culture and identity. Different perspectives opens up our minds. In our news letters, different artists from the Gallery will give us a peek into their own HK. Through their perspective, their lens. The Blue Lotus gallery offers an exquisite selection of books, limited edition and vintage prints on old and new Hong Kong by respected master photographers and emerging c

Tell us something about yourself… Hey, everyone! My name is Nicola. I am 32 years old now. I was born in Pasadena, Los Angeles and ended up moving to Hong Kong when I was about 6 months old due to relocation of my parents' jobs. I lived here until I was about 12 years old before going back to the US for school, then returned to Hong Kong again after college. Fun fact #1... I love sports and being outdoors. This is me at the Rugby Sevens event this year. I love getting outdoor

Thanksgiving is an occasion to show our appreciation to those who make a positive difference in our lives. The perfect occasion to appreciate the unsung heroes of our neighborhoods who work diligently to make our ‘hood a better place to live in—the street cleaners and gardeners. The cleaners work doubly hard in the post-Covid hypervigilant era of incessant sanitizing in public and private spaces and taking real risks to their health to keep ours low. They ensure that our Hong

Join LocalHood and HK designers for an evening of discovering the cheongsam culture along with try outs and share some wine with us. Ranee K- is a Parson's School of Design alumni has drawn inspiration for her Cheongsam creations from her Chinese root to create chic modern designs that reflect Oriental sensibilities with a Western twist. Ranee’s love of the enchanting history of cheongsam led her to a master's degree in Conservation focusing on the research and methodology of

Are you a regular hiker with LocalHood? If you are we have taken you to some awesome walks or hikes with great views. Sze Yeen, an avid hiker, writes this article about one of her fav one. Read on here... Each year end, starting from November, we are constantly bombarded by retailers this is the season for “Giving and Sharing”. Trying to surprise the recipient with our thoughtful gift without going deep into our pockets can be a stressful process. Here’s one gift idea that

Don’t many of us feel that one of their friends, their neighbors or one of their siblings has a good life? Each one of us, at some point of our life must feel that, right? What it means by “having a good life”? An easy life? Not sure. A no-problem life…hmmm. That’s imaginary, the wise say. So probably it just means that we choose to focus on the good in our lives. Being happy for me starts by counting our blessings. And being grateful. Gratitude is first of all a feeling, rig