This week in PostMag: the allure of the Rubik’s Cube, escaping chaos, and the art of hospitality

Despite the extra day earlier this year (thank you, February 29), we’re already in November. Busy season is here. That means an endless stream of holiday parties, long-haul flights to see the in-laws or simply weekends subsumed by family, school break, and that weird purgatory between January 1 and Lunar New Year where no one quite knows what to do.

In anticipation of this end-of-the-year madness and the cacophony it brings, it was a relief to read Teja Lele’s piece on destinations for some much-needed quiet, in this week’s print issue. From an indigenous village retreat in Ecuador to a private sanctuary nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, it’s a collection of covetable escapes where peace and quiet reign. One can dream. I’d never heard about “silent architecture” until now, but if I can disappear into a renovated fisherman’s hut and heave my phone into Portugal’s Sado River, I’m already a fan. There’s only so much respite “do not disturb” mode can offer.

I think our own internal “do not disturb” modes erode as we age. As a kid, I remember it was impossible to break my brother’s concentration when he was lost in the plot of a novel, no matter what annoying antics I might have tried. My own young child also frequently channels some primordial flow state that must have its origins from before the attention economy came into existence.

Kamala Thiagarajan sees this in the youngsters she interviews for our feature on the Rubik’s Cube – concentrated quietude as they twist and turn the pieces into place with a single-minded intent to solve it as quickly as possible. This year is the 50th anniversary of the puzzle cube and, decades on, its appeal endures with youth in Hong Kong and around the world.

Trying to predict consumer behaviour is a puzzle of its own kind, as Samsen founders Adam Cliff and Bella Kong discovered when opening their first location. Everyone just wanted to share their noodle bowls family style. Now already on their third outpost, the pair behind the much-loved Thai restaurant brand seems to, as Gavin Yeung discovers, have it down to an art.

Hospitality is as much of an art, and all good art comes from practice and dedication – something we see in Kristina Snaith-Lense’s life arc that landed her as general manager of The Upper House, recently recognised as one of the world’s best hotels. For her, having strong long-standing relationships is crucial – a belief Hong Kong director Yonfan appears to share. Jenny S. Li chats with the local legend about Crossing Years, his latest documentary that portrays the lifelong friendship he had with artist Huang Yongyu.