Newsletter Jan 2026

Flower of the Month

Flowering Yellow Ginger

By Bibi

When we hear the word ginger, many of us immediately think of a knobbly rhizome used to flavour stir-fries, soups, or herbal teas. But ginger has another, less familiar side — one that blooms, perfumes the air, and quietly transforms the garden. Hedychium flavescens, commonly known as flowering yellow ginger, invites us to see something ordinary with fresh eyes as we step into a new year.

Native to the Himalayan region, flowering yellow ginger is a tropical perennial that grows from rhizomes, just like culinary ginger. In summer, it produces tall leafy stems topped with soft yellow, butterfly-like flowers that release a sweet, lingering fragrance, especially in the evening. The scent is often described as warm, floral, and calming — a natural reminder to pause and breathe.

Beyond its beauty, Hedychium flavescens carries cultural significance across Asia, where flowering gingers are associated with hospitality, protection, and healing. In times of collective shock and grief — after devastating fires, mass violence, and sudden loss of life — healing rarely comes in dramatic gestures. It comes slowly, through safety, care, and the reassurance that life can continue. Flowering yellow ginger, emerging quietly from underground rhizomes, reminds us that recovery does not erase what has happened, but it allows new growth alongside grief. Its fragrance and return each season offer a gentle message of resilience, continuity, and hope.

As we welcome 2026, flowering yellow ginger offers a quiet invitation:
to soften our pace, to rediscover the familiar, and to allow something unexpected to bloom.

Yellow Ginger – a poem as a special tribute to the survivors of the recent Bondi Beach Shooting

From hidden roots beneath the earth,
A tender bloom begins its birth.
Soft yellow petals, fragrance light,
Unfolding slow in morning’s light.

In quiet strength, it greets the sun,
A whispered hope when day is done.
Through shadowed times, it will arise—
A gentle gift, both brave and wise.

Healing moves in patient streams,
Like yellow ginger’s tender dreams.
Slow and steady, life renews,
In every petal, strength shines through.

Check out this clip for a simple single stem floral arrangement:

Plant of the Month

Flowering Yucca

By Bibi

Flowering Yucca is a striking, architectural plant known for its sword-like leaves and tall flower spikes topped with creamy white, bell-shaped blooms. Despite its dramatic appearance, yucca is surprisingly low-maintenance and well suited to Australian gardens, especially in warm and dry climates.

Care Instructions:
Yucca thrives in full sun, though it can tolerate light shade. More sunlight encourages stronger growth and better flowering. It prefers well-drained soil and is highly drought-tolerant once established, making it an excellent water-wise plant. Overwatering is the most common cause of problems—allow the soil to dry out between watering sessions.

Yucca is adaptable to poor or sandy soils and generally does not require frequent fertilising. A light application of a balanced fertiliser in spring can support flowering but is optional. Remove spent flower stalks once blooming finishes to keep the plant tidy. Older leaves at the base may naturally yellow and can be trimmed back carefully.

Yucca is hardy and resistant to most pests and diseases. It tolerates heat, wind, and even mild frost, though young plants benefit from some protection during extreme cold.

Fun Facts:
• Yucca plants are native to North and Central America and have long been valued by Indigenous peoples for food, fibre, and medicine.
• The flowers are edible when cooked and were traditionally used in stews and omelettes.
• Yucca has a unique relationship with the yucca moth, which is the plant’s primary pollinator—each depends on the other to survive.
• Despite its dessert look, yucca is not a true cactus; it belongs to the asparagus family.
• A mature yucca can live for decades, symbolising resilience and endurance.

With minimal care and maximum visual impact, flowering yucca is a beautiful reminder that strength and beauty often grow best under simple conditions.

Check out this YouTube clip on the healing power of gardening:

For a limited time only, ‘Pregnant Onion’ is available for sale at the CFS Flower Shop.

Movie Review by Wing C.

Daughter’s Daughter

I watched Daughter’s Daughter (2024), starring the remarkable Sylvia Chang, on my flight from Sydney to Ottawa to attend my mum’s funeral. The title alone caught my attention, but I didn’t expect how deeply this film would resonate with me during such a tender moment in my own life.

The film bravely weaves together multiple difficult and often controversial themes: teenage pregnancy, a “half-forced” adoption, a lesbian relationship longing for a child, premature death caused by a traffic accident, and the ethical and emotional complexities surrounding surrogacy and frozen embryos. The story moves between two contrasting cities — conservative Taipei and modern New York — mirroring the generational, cultural, and ideological divides at the heart of the film.

Sylvia Chang plays a mother who resents her younger daughter’s lesbian relationship, creating intense and unresolved tension between them. At the same time, she is caring for her own ageing mother with dementia, caught in the exhausting middle ground of being both daughter and mother. The narrative becomes even more layered with the unexpected reunion of her elder daughter — given up for adoption years ago — who visits from New York.

When the younger daughter dies suddenly in New York, the mother is left with an unimaginable decision: how to “handle” her deceased daughter’s frozen embryo. One of the most touching scenes comes when the elder daughter quietly asks her mother what she was thinking at the moment she gave away her newborn baby years ago. That question hangs heavily in the air — unanswered, yet profoundly revealing.

The actresses portraying the three generations of women all deliver outstanding performances. Their portrayals capture the complex entanglement of love, resentment, guilt, and longing that so often exists in mother–daughter relationships. I won’t give away the ending, but the director deserves great credit for courageously linking these sensitive themes so seamlessly.

The film expresses, with great nuance, the complicated “love and hate” dynamics between three pairs of mothers and daughters. It is emotionally demanding, but deeply human.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ — 4.5 stars from me.

Recipe of the Month

Cranberries and Apple Salad

by Teresa Lam

Ingredients:

1 Royal Gala Apple (or any crunchy variety)

Dashes of Lemon juice

¾ cup of dry cranberries

2 tablespoons of marinated feta cheese

200g mixed salad leaves

1 cup of candied nuts (pecan or cashews or walnuts)

Dressing:

4 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp pomegranate juice (optional)

1.5 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method:

Thinly slice the apple, and brush with lemon juice to avoid browning. Soak the cranberries in hot water for 5-10 min to plump them up (optional). Chop or break the nuts into smaller pieces. Wash and dry the leaves and put in salad bowl. Add cranberries, candied nuts, apples. Add dressing and toss. Sprinkle feta cheese on top.

Note: This salad should be made as close to serving as possible.

From the Desk of Bibi

Managing negative emotions

By Dr Bibiana Chan

Managing Negative Emotions After Collective Tragedies

Reflections following the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Fire and the Bondi Mass Shooting

Recent tragedies such as the Tower Fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and the Bondi Beach mass shooting have deeply affected many of us, even if we were not directly involved. These events stir powerful emotions that can feel overwhelming and hard to process. Below are some reflections and practical tips on how we might care for our emotional wellbeing during times like these.

1. Naming It as Collective (Shared) Trauma

These are not just individual reactions — they are collective trauma. Many people are experiencing a mix of:

• Deep sadness over the loss of multiple lives
• Shock and helplessness
• Anger, especially when it appears that these tragedies could have been prevented

Anger often arises from questions like “Why wasn’t more done?” or “Who should be held accountable?”
Acknowledging these emotions — rather than suppressing them — is the first step toward healing. What we are feeling is human and valid.

2. Be Mindful of Social Media Overload

In the days following these tragedies, social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube were flooded with:

• Graphic footage
• Repeated news clips
• Emotional interviews with victims and survivors

While staying informed is important, passively consuming large volumes of distressing content can intensify sadness and anger, rather than helping us process them. This often leads to emotional exhaustion and a sense of being “stuck.”

Practical tip:

• Set boundaries around news and social media consumption
• Choose one or two reliable sources
• Give yourself permission to pause, especially when you notice your body or emotions becoming overwhelmed

Processing emotions requires active expression, not constant exposure.

3. Expressing Emotions Through Action and Kindness

One healthy way to release negative emotions is through purposeful action.

After the Bondi tragedy, the Jewish community encouraged acts of kindness — a powerful response to violence. We saw people offering:

• Floral tributes
• Donations of money or goods
• Practical help to affected families

These acts help transform something deeply negative into something life-affirming.

Similarly, in Hong Kong, many citizens have called on the government to fully investigate the causes of the Tai Po fire — such as the alleged use of substandard protection nets or disabled fire alarms — and to hold those responsible accountable.

In Australia, people are asking parallel questions after Bondi, including:

• Gaps in intelligence and early intervention
• Responsibilities of law enforcement agencies
• Gun control and public safety measures

Taking action — whether through advocacy, donations, or community support — helps channel anger into constructive energy.

Read my full article HERE.

Subscriber’s Corner

Flying High contributed by Teresa Lam

In early December, I attended an art exhibition Flying High which took my breath away. Curated by Janani Peiris, an artist and therapist, it showcased the imagination and creativity of the children she teaches. There were workshops and interactive components aiming at engaging with the attendees to this awesome exhibition!

“Flying High is a powerful, installation based, art exhibition created by children through a series of art therapy experiences that support emotional exploration, self-expression, and healing.”

Flying High is a celebration of the limitless spirit of childhood — a reminder that every child carries within them the wings of imagination, strength, and hope. This exhibition invites children to explore the rich inner landscapes of emotion, thought, and self-awareness, while connecting with the vibrant, ever-changing world around them.”
Centred around the symbol of a bird, Flying High represents imagination, strength, and the freedom to express and grow. Through this process, they come to understand: Flying High is also about community and compassion.

All proceeds from the exhibition was donated to the Sydney Children’s Hospital, allowing young artists to make a meaningful impact beyond themselves. Through this experience, they not only discover their own strength and creativity but also learn the joy of giving back — rising together, not just as individuals, but as a collective, lifting others as they fly.

A chance for adults and children to pause, reflect and explore their inner world through living artworks, conversation and reflective art therapy exercises.”
~ Words from Janani Peiris

She said she would return as ‘Flying Higher’ in a few years. Follow Janani on Instagram.