CONTENTS. Message from the principal P.1

Transcription

1 inblossom Issue 5 May 2013

2 CONTENTS Message from the principal P.1 Our Shining Stars Reflections on joining the Cathay Pacific I Can Fly Programme - S6A Lee Kok Fung, John P.2 A meaningful job - S6C Chan Hiu Man, Mandy P.3 What I have learnt from art - S4B Saranukulwong Sirilak, Angela P.3 A promising golfer - S1A Mun Chun Hin P.4 An all-rounder in sports - S6B Tsoi Man Kit P.4 A brilliant swimmer - S4A Chow Hoi Ching, Dorothy P.5 A bright skater - S1A Wong Yuk Jing P.5 A smart reader - S3A Wong Yu Hang, Lucas P.6 A growing pianist - S4C Chui Yuen Kwan, Yoyo P.6 Footsteps Trip to Fujian - S5A Hung Yan Yi, Honna, Or Ka Yu, Kim P.7 Trip to Australia - S6B Wong Ka Ho, Andrew P.8 Trip to Shanxi - S5A Kwok Wai Lam, Joanne P.8 Our visit to History Museum - S4C Choi Hei Wing, Roy, Lam Wing Chun, Leo, Kwok Sze Wing P.9 Gains from the field trip to Stanley - S2A Chan Wing Yee, Ranae, Wong Hei Yat, Cody P.10 A Group Review from 2C - S2C Yeung Hei, Harry, Ngan Hoi Ching, JoJo, Tai Yat Wa, Stanley, Lo Wai Sam, Sam P.11 My Military Training Experience - S1A Cheung Cheuk Him, Him P.12 - S1A Leung Yiu Kai, Leo P.13 My sweet family memory in Korea - S5B Lee Man Ka, Vivian P.14 My best family memory in Taiwan S1A Ng Wing Ka, Ginny P.14 My school life A glimpse of school life - S1C So Chun Him, Billy, Kwan Ho Yan, Kannis, S5C Hung Wing Sum, Vicky P.15 Good times, bad times - S5C Lee Ying Wa, Ashley, Hung Wing Sum, Vicky, Leung Wing Hei, Anthony P.16 Gallery P Young minds at work Travelling back in time - S4A Ng Cheuk Him, Nicholas P.27 Me by a chair - S4A Sze Lok Hang, Josephine P.28 S4C Yip Hiu Yan, Joanne. S3A Chan Chun Tat, Kelvin P.29 Cinderella s nightmare - S5A Yue Tsz Fan, Helen, Or Ka Yu, Kim P.30 The day off... - S5A Ng Hon Sze P.31 A better tuck shop - S2A Lau Rachel P.31 My business - S4C Ng Siu Chung, Eric, To Tsz Kwan, S3A Wong Yu Hang, Lucas P.32 The Perfect Day - S2C Chan Tsz Ping, Peter, S2A Lui Kam Yan, Emily, Wong Hei Yat, Cody P.33 - S2A Chan Ka San, Ryan, Lee Wing Kei, Winky, S2B Wong Chun Ting, Jonathon P.34 Animals poem - S2B Wong Chun Ting, Jonathon P.35 Cinquain Poems - S2A Lin Xianzong, Jacky, Chan Ankie Pui Wai, Lau Yin Shum, Marco, Yuen Ling Fung, Max, P.35 - S2A Lee Wing Kei, Cherry, S2B Tong Tsz Fung, Ted P.35 Five Senses Poems My Chinese New Year - S1A Chau Tsz Nga, Lam Erika Nicole Tiu, Yu Chung Yan, Joanna P.36 My Christmas - S1A Chan Chue Hang, Andy, S1A Regina Lam P.36 My Halloween - S1B Li Yat Tung, Michelle, S1A Cheng Chak Yung, Jasper P.37 Limerick poems - S2A Lai Cheuk Lam, Cherry, Lam Chun Ho Kelvin P.37 Feelings Poems - S2A Chui Chun Pui, Karl, Wong Yuen Yi, Joyce, Lee Wing Kei, Winky P.38 Forum Discrimination - S5B Wong Yick Hin, Ben P.39 Land for locals - S6A Law Kan Yip, Kenneth, Wong Ka Lam, Sibyl P.39 Mainlanders - S6A Poon Kin Hang P.40 Not everyone is bad - S6B Wong Chun Kit P.40 The Need for Women - only Carriages - S6A Lai Shun Yin P.40 Radio Call-in - S3B Wong Yat Cheung, Benson, Wong Sin Ying, Janessa, Koo Ka Kam, Karen, Cheung Ka Yi, Akina P.41 Cosmetic Surgery - S6A Lee Kok Fung, John P.41 A shopping centre for teenagers - S2B Fung Sovi Cheuk Lam, Wong Chun Ting P.42 Show your kindness to the elderly - S2A Wong Hei Yat, Cody P.42 Animal Conservation - S4A Fong Ka Hei, Andy P.43 Bird observation - S4A Wong Ho Hin, Alvin P.43 Role Model Nomination - S2C Chan Wing Yu, Iris P.44 A letter to Bun Chai s family - S6B Lo Wan Hin P.44 Violent TV prorammes - S3A Chan Tsun Ming, Bob, Cheng On Ling, Christine P.45 - S3A Cheng Ka Lok, Yani P46 Unemployment - S5B Lee Hong Ki, Jackie P.46 Nuclear power should not be used - S5A Wong Chung Wa, Ivan P.46 That s what I want The type of schooling I prefer - S1A Cheung Cheuk Him P.47 I want to study in a cyber school - S1B Choi Yee Ching, Sarina P.47 My Ambition - S5B Choi Ka Yan P.47 Messages from alumni My path of growth - a tribute to my teachers - Wan Yin Ha, Shirley Valuable voluntary experiences in Vietnam and Nepal - Tam Wing Yan, Rebecca P P.50-51

3 Message from the Principal I hope you enjoy these writings which come from our daily life. Our diversified and colourful campus life provides a variety of platforms for our students to showcase their talent and potential. Hon Wah In Blossom is a collection of the records of their learning experiences including their field trips and different encounters in and outside Hong Kong. It also serves as a tool for them to air their views on lots of social issues and share their learning outcomes from their active participation in extra-curricular activities. Hon Wah in Blossom does a great job in sharpening our students writing skills on one hand and enhancing their imagination, creativity and critical thinking on the other. I am delighted to get the support from our alumni and wish them all the best in their career path. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all English teachers and students for contributing their time and effort in making the publication a success. 1

4 O ur Shining Stars Reflections on joining the Cathay Pacific I Can Fly Programme S6A Lee Kok Fung, John Flying the plane is my dream. I find flying very interesting and exciting. Since the inauguration ceremony of the I Can Fly Programme, I have reveled in the related activities. Lots of my aviation dreams have been realized. After completing a series of attractive aviation-related activities, I find that I have got more than I expected. Besides acquiring lots of aviation knowledge, I have developed a strong bond with friends and team-mates. In the formal meetings and informal gatherings, I was able to have a deeper understanding of aviation and take an active part in the discussion with my team-mates. I think these experiences form a concrete basis for my future career and would be an excellent stepping stone for the aviation profession. The Programme has left me with a great deal of laughter and beautiful memories. As a teenager of eighteen, I enjoyed the whole programme and have found it the most fruitful event in all my past attempts. After six months of whole-hearted dedication towards the society and Cathay Pacific, I was awarded a visit to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. I tried the full motion flight simulator of the ARJ21 twin-engine aircraft and had wonderful experiences. The exposure was splendid. All pilot leaders and fellow team-mates of the Cathay Pacific exchanged technical information and shared experience with representatives from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. In pursuit of knowledge, there is no border between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Getting to know a group of good friends is not easy, and a group of good folks with the same passion in aviation is even harder. They give me the courage and the power to achieve my dream to serve the aviation industry in the future. Peers support one another and projects have been completed with high team spirit. We all were inspired with the fun of flying, but none of us could forget the hardship we faced and the efforts we paid for achieving our targets. I dare say I have got a strong sense of achievement through our outstanding accomplishments. In the Programme, I found a group of friends that inspire me to be the elite of aviation in Hong Kong. Since everyone is the master of his own fortune, we may be masters of future Hong Kong aviation. I look forward to continuing my dreams in aviation. With determination, I believe that I can fly not only Hong Kong but also the world. 2

5 A meaningful job S6C Chan Hiu Man, Mandy There is an old Chinese saying: It s better to travel 10,000 miles than to read 10,000 books. Knowing this proverb, I understood action speaks louder than words. To know more about our culture and help local tourism, I volunteered to be a Hong Kong Young Ambassador last year, which helps the government to promote our city as a preferred tourist destination. Joining the scheme, I had opportunities to station at some attractions, such as Hong Kong Wetland Park, Star Ferry Pier and Man Mo Temple to introduce Hong Kong to visitors and provide useful travel information to them. It is never an easy task to start a conversation with a stranger, especially the foreigners. As time went by, I got used to helping travellers proactively and took the initiative to lend a helping hand to people in need. Some may ask me why I choose to be a volunteer on weekends and holidays instead of having some entertainment with friends. It is because I find that when helping others, I enjoy a great sense of satisfaction. That feeling is what you can never buy with money. Also, as responsible youngsters, it is important to do what we can for society. Since we are still students, it is hard to contribute in terms of money. But we can help as volunteers. If we have strength and opportunities, why don t we assist? Act now! You can find lots of joy in voluntary work. What I have learnt from art S4B Saranukulwong Sirilak, Angela Mostly, I love drawing better than doing artwork which is much harder than drawing on paper. Moreover, I love the use of color in drawing, which is much freer as well. Thus, when I knew that my artwork The honesty of the vegetable could be displayed at the annual artwork exhibition of the secondary students, I was quite happy and surprised. It is a piece of artwork that I made in the art class last year at school. As I remember the topic is about something that we want to do in future. Since I love nature, I made it to reflect my emotion longing for a closer human relationship with nature. I love nature because I was close to it during my childhood. Those days, I always went to beaches, the forest, and places with flowers. It was so great with a sense of freedom. the trees cannot talk, the flowers cannot sing they can be felt: they are lively and kind. It crazy to hear that, but it is true that I can feel nature. Although seems very The honesty of the vegetable was made under no pressure. I think it is quite lucky and important in doing art work. The process of creating is much more important than the result, just like our learning process. It is true that it is necessary to consider the results. But if we only learn how to get higher marks, we will become a machine, not students of flesh and blood. Sometimes, we may perform badly in exams. Why? Someone may think: Does the study process go wrong? Is the time control bad? In fact, process is the way we learn how to improve ourselves better. It is valuable because we need it to go onto a higher level and achieve a better result. Doing the artworks may take a lot of time: looking for ideas, making the plan and so on. Sometimes it can make people crazy. But I am still there because I love it. I enjoy the time while I am working on it. Though I encounter difficulties, I don t want to give up until the end. The piece I create may not be perfect or beautiful every time. At least, I have tried. What is art? Art can be everything, and everything can be art. The feeling that let you try to stop for a while and look kindly at things around is what I have learnt from art. 3

6 A promising golfer S1A Mun Chun Hin I started to play golf when I was seven. My coach, Mr. Jason Kwok of J & J Golf Academy, has taught me until now. I always practise in Discovery Bay Golf Club. I have my golf lesson once a week. I also practise in Asia Golf Club with the Hong Kong Golf Team in Cheung Sha Wan. I usually practise on Friday after school for two hours. I have joined the golf tournament since I was 9. I won the 3rd place when I was 10 and then my first championship when I was 11. Since the first time I won the tournament until now, I have won a number of awards. I have got the 3rd place in the biggest tournament of the year 2012, that is, the Mac Gregor Hong Kong Open. A month ago, I became the champion in another tournament too. I love golf very much and I am looking forward to representing Hong Kong in an international tournament. An all-rounder in sports S6B Tsoi Man Kit In the secondary schooling, I have learned to see and think a lot from different aspects and angles, for instance, about our interpersonal relationship and the way to do things. Also, things that occur in the school life are always in my mind. I will never forget them! Among them, the PE lessons are really profound in my mind. In fact, I have developed great fondness for sports since I was a kid. For example, I have started swimming since I was 3 years old. I am passionate about sports, so I will not give it up. In my secondary school life, besides taking part in sports as a hobby, I have had a lot of great experience in swimming competitions, inter-school athletics championship, basketball competitions, badminton competitions and volleyball competitions. After school, I took up a part-time job as a swimming coach while I was studying in Form 4. Swimming is my interest and teaching swimming can enrich my work experience and improve my communication skills. I love sports. Playing sports can boost my confidence, enlarge my social circle and increase my self-esteem. In school, I have won merit awards for outstanding performance in not only sports but also academic subjects. Sports have really changed my life! 4

7 A brilliant swimmer S4A Chow Hoi Ching, Dorothy Sports are activities that can keep us fit and let us feel relaxed. I know many of you know how to swim, right? I love swimming very much, so I choose swimming to be my hobby. I swim 9 times a week. I need to wake up at 4:45 a.m., swim from 5:30 to 7:00 in the early morning, and then I go to school. It s not the end of the day. I practise swimming again after school, from 4:30 to 6:30 in the afternoon. Sometimes, I feel sleepy when I swim in the morning. But soon I will recover. I insist on having a nap during lunchtime to refresh myself for the afternoon lessons... Besides being trained locally, I also need to go on trips to have practice, which helps me make greater improvement. And at the same time, I take the opportunity to know more about different cultures in different places. I have taken part in a number of swimming competitions and won a lot of prizes. Preparing for competitions means rigorous training. During competitions, I need to swim my personal best for each stroke. If it is not the personal best or slower than last time, I will be scolded by my coach. But I still love swimming very much. Swimming enables me to make more friends sharing the same passion for the sport. I am proud of being a member of the Hong Kong Regional Swimming Squad. I will go on working hard at both my studies and swimming. A bright skater S1A Wong Yuk Jing The final competition of the inline skating organized by the Hong Kong Federation of the Inline Skating Association takes place in December every year. Every skater wants to have a chance to get their standard verified at this competition. This year I was selected and nominated by my coach to join the competition. In order to prepare well for the competition, my training schedule was tighter than usual. Besides the regular lesson on Saturday evenings, my mother took me to Kowloon Bay Sport Ground for the extra training with my coach every Friday because Hong Kong does not have a proper training field or bank track. The training started at 11 p.m. and continued till mid-night. It focused on improving my start and increasing my tolerance to deal with the long-distance competition. I thanked my coach for his guidance and patience. 4th or the 5th. From the 5th laps onward, I started to skate in full strength. I skated fast enough to lap 2 players in front of me and I was the 2nd runner-up at this game finally. We were very happy as the award was gained by the tremendous effort of me and my coach. At last I did not disappoint my coach. Thank you very much, Coach Doon. I promise I will skate hard and prepare well for the British Championship held in August th December 2012 was the competition day. I arrived at the Chai Wan Park No. 2 Football Court at 8 a.m. with my family. I did the warm-up thoroughly and made myself perfectly ready for the competition. I joined 2 events short distance 500 meters (4 laps) and long distance 1000 meters (8 laps). I skated hard in the heats and was the 1st runner-up in the final. After lunch, the final games started. In the short distance, I was the 3rd runner-up even though I skated very hard. The reason was all other players were taller and stronger than I. I was a little bit upset and disappointed with the result. My coach encouraged me and we changed the strategy in my long distance event. In the first 4 laps, I followed the other players and kept my position at the 5

8 A smart reader S3A Wong Yu Hang, Lucas Lucas is awarded the Top 500 Student Readers in Hong Kong. Hi everyone, I am Lucas from S3A. I am going to talk about what has pushed or encouraged me to work hard on the Online Reading Programme My Smart ABC. At first, the same as my classmates, I did the exercises of My Smart ABC because I got to finish my homework. The online reading programme is part of our English monthly homework. We need to do certain pieces of exercises per month. As it s simply a kind of homework, I didn t care much about it. At the beginning, I just did it once a week in a terrible way. As time went by, I started to find that the programme is quite exciting and interesting. It includes different types of exercises indeed, like listening, reading, speaking, etc. Some of the stories are really fascinating and hilarious and I am amused by them. That s one of the reasons which push me to work hard at it. The second reason is that this programme is useful and educational. After doing it for a long period of time, I found that my English knowledge has improved. Furthermore, I ve learnt new words and expressions from it. The last reason and a great deal of the most important one for me to work hard on this program is the advice of my English teacher! She always tells me that if I want to improve my English and reach a higher level, I got to read more, speak more and listen more in English. She has a high expectation of me, so that I ought to work hard and keep up. Therefore, I think I can make good use of this programme. Since then, I have kept working hard at it. Every day I will not only finish the daily exercise but also an extra one. It does work effectively eventually. My English has started improving and I won a prize presented by My Smart ABC Online Reading Programme as well. I will keep doing these exercises in order to keep a steady improvement. Hope you guys will also improve your English by working hard on it. A growing pianist S4C Chui Yuen Kwan, Yoyo It s my honor to have a chance to play the school song at the school events. Like many others, I hated practicing playing the piano initially. But now I love playing the piano because I found that music can release my feelings and it is just like telling stories to people while playing the piano. I remember when I was in Form 2, Miss Wong asked me to play the school song for a school event. At that time, I was very scared because I heard that she was very strict. So I ran away. I talked to my parents about that later on. To my surprise, they said I shouldn t miss the chance and it is such a precious chance that I should treasure. While playing the school song in following events, I found that I am not shy anymore. I became brave. I have to thank Miss Wong for giving me a chance. I hope everybody can grab a chance when they get it. Don t miss it or you will regret! 6

9 F ootsteps Trip to Fujian S5A Hung Yan Yi, Honna I visited Fujian with my teachers and classmates for a study trip in March. I never thought that this place can be so special. Tulou is a type of Hakka building located in mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China. They were built between the 12th and 20th centuries. When I stepped into the huge Tulou, I was stunned by this ancient Chinese architecture. It reflects the wisdom of our ancestors. In the center of the Tulou is a public square. If one claps or shouts in the center, the sound can be heard around the whole building. Besides, the building was designed to protect the residents from big storms and earthquakes. People living inside can experience cool summers and warm winters. Perhaps, it is the biggest traditional residential structure in the world. On the third day, we visited a local school in Xiamen. The first thing we saw was quite shocking. There were nearly 4000 students exercising together in the morning. During the lesson arranged for us, I learned a lot and also made a new friend. We chatted about our interests and various features of our school. We talked and talked just like we were good old friends. I think we should learn from their learning attitude and show our deepest hospitality to them if they visit us. S5A Or Ka Yu, Kim I took part in the school trip to Fujian from 20th March to 23 March. On the second day of the trip, we went to Tulou. It was my first time to visit this place. We followed the tour guide to enter the building. It was such a spectacular architecture. Every room is arranged from high to low according to the family position in the clan. In fact the relationship of each resident is very close. When one of them is in trouble, others will help immediately. Nowadays in Hong Kong, everyone wants privacy. Thus, I was impressed that people there still enjoy such a harmonious and supportive living environment. Moreover, we observed an English lesson at a local school. The students there have a very good learning attitude. During the lesson, I found that they concentrated on the lesson and jotted notes in their notebook seriously. I think we should learn from them. Having a good attitude is extremely important to success. The trip was really an eye-opening experience for me. 7

10 Trip to Australia S6B Wong Ka Ho, Andrew I went on a school study trip to Australia last summer. It was my first time to visit Melbourne. The weather there was wonderful. The sky was always clear. I liked the lifestyle which is quite relaxing. The city of Melbourne is full of character with a combination of old and new buildings. Due to the fact that it was a study tour, we had to go to a school called Beaconhill College every day. Except for some days that were planned for sightseeing, we had to attend classes starting from 8:35a.m. The school prepared a variety of classes for us including funky dance, food technology, map-making. We were given a chance to meet the leader of the aboriginals in Melbourne. We met lots of new friends there. It was an unforgettable experience. Another highlight of the trip was staying with a host family. All of us were assigned to a family during the two weeks. It was a challenge to us as English is not our mother language. For me, I had a great time with my host family. I really enjoyed the time with them. The study tour was a rewarding one. Besides English, I have learned a lot about the lifestyle and culture of the city. It has widened my horizons. If you ever have a chance to go on a study tour, go for it! Trip to Shanxi S5A Kwok Wai Lam, Joanne Last September, my schoolmates and I travelled to Shanxi. We went there to know more about our history. We visited a lot of places such as the Terracotta Army, an apple orchard, and a museum. I like the Terracotta Army very much. This is because there are a large number of Terracotta warriors, wearing the same face!! It was so amusing. An apple orchard is an interesting place we visited in Shanxi. There are many apple trees and they are tall and lush. Although the apples were not too red, they were juicy. I love it! In this trip, I learnt more about the history of China. Also, I found that Shanxi people are nice. I hope that we have the opportunity to join a trip of such nature next year. 8

11 Our visit to History Museum S4C Choi Hei Wing, Roy My classmates and I, led by our teachers, went to the History Museum of Hong Kong on 12th October, The topic was the Terracotta Army. I found the exhibition very interesting, especially the 3D interactive animation of Terracotta Army. It was really exciting and fascinating. After visiting the Museum, it was time for our team to do some project work. We held two meetings. During the meetings, we discussed how to look for more information on Terracotta Army and who would be responsible for writing the project essay. Since we had to write about 700 words, no one wanted to do it. Do you know how we solved this problem? You are right: lucky draw. S4C Lam Wing Chun, Leo We went to the History Museum on 12th October, My classmates and I looked for information and took photos of the Terracotta Army of the Qin Dynasty. Before the visit, my teammates had had a lot of ideas and we had a heated debate about how to do the project. When we arrived at the museum, we jotted notes and took photos of the Terracotta Army. The exhibits show our Chinese heritage. After the visit, we started to prepare for the project work. My classmates and I found it a little difficult since there were too many exhibits. While doing the project, our team collaborated to accomplish the tasks because the teammates are my best friends. We know each other very well. In the project, we drew some pictures. This is the most enjoyable part for me. It is because at first we had different ideas, but finally we could put our ideas together and drew pictures. This experience was valuable and important to me. We managed to settle our disputes and worked together very well. I feel happy to finish the project with the full cooperation of my friends. S4C Kwok Sze Wing I like History very much. I visited the History Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui with my History teachers and classmates on 12th October, It was my first time to visit the museum. The theme of the exhibition was about the Qin Dynasty. I felt amazed when I walked into the museum. I was interested to learn that a lot of precious and historic relics were displayed and many of which were rarely shown to the public. I was so fortunate that I had a chance to see the relics on the spot. The museum also added some high-tech elements to demonstrate and to tell the history of the Qin Dynasty. They helped us to understand more about our country. After the visit, we spent a lot of time doing the project. We needed to do many things such as drawing, writing the timelines and an essay. The work was challenging but enjoyable. Fortunately, my teammates were very cooperative. We could finish our project on time. In fact, the most meaningful part of this visit is that we can learn many things. For example, we learn to be a good team member and work with others in a cordial manner, which is very important in our life. Of course, I have got a lot of knowledge of Chinese history. The exhibition helps me understand more about China. 9

12 Gains from the field trip to Stanley S2A Chan Wing Yee, Ranae My group members have interviewed four visitors in Stanley. We also drew a sketch about Stanley. After that we walked around in Stanley and ate something when we had a break. We had fun in Stanley and enjoyed our trip very much. After returning to school, we prepared a Powerpoint presentation. I found team work is very important for us to succeed in doing a project. Throughout the whole project, we divided the work among ourselves. When we came across problems, we discussed and worked them out together. I found collaboration enhances our efficiency and helps us develop an interest in it. Overall, I enjoyed it very much and hope the teachers will plan more school outings like this for us! S2A Wong Hei Yat, Cody From this project, we could learn how to cooperate with others and respect each other. Also, we could learn more about the culture, history and lifestyle of Stanley. I would like to thank the teachers and the school to let me have this chance to enjoy the beautiful views in Stanley and a good opportunity to learn. I could spend a relaxing day while doing a project with my classmates. This project has improved my speaking skills and self-confidence a lot. I hope we can do a good project and we can have another chance to have such a study trip next time! 10

13 A Group Review from 2C S2C Yeung Hei, Harry During the Stanley trip, our team divided the jobs into different stages. First, Sam drafted interview questions, and then we discussed the best questions that we would use for the interviews. Stanley Tai designed the pictures which would be put next to the questions. It was because Sam is good at writing and Stanley is good at computer skills. And also, Stanley made photocopies of the questionnaires. After doing all the preparation, we interviewed a lot of Europeans and Americans at Stanley. They liked our interviews. I was the cameraman during the interviews. Finally, Stanley Tai and JoJo did the PowerPoint and the presentation in front of our classmates and teacher. S2C Ngan Hoi Ching, JoJo Our work was very good because we had Stanley Tai in our group. He is good at doing project and team work. We did a lot of interviews with our target --- western people. After the trip, I prepared the PowerPoint with Stanley Tai and did the presentation also. And I need to thank Stanley Tai very much because he taught me a lot of skills in making the PowerPoint and doing the project. We have learned a lot from the project. S2C Tai Yat Wa, Stanley I felt so excited when I drafted interview questions, and was very happy because I can have a chance to talk to people from other countries. I enjoyed talking with westerners most because I can improve my English. When I was walking around Stanley, I felt very excited because it has a very good sea view and a beautiful sunset. My team worked in close collaboration because we developed our talents in this project and we organized well. This was a valuable learning experience. S2C Lo Wai Sam, Sam During our Stanley trip, we asked some Europeans a few questions. It was very exciting when I did the interviews. In the trip, I learnt more English words and enhance my communication skills. I think our presentation was very successful because our team s PowerPoint was better than the other groups. Stanley Tai and JoJo were the best in our group because they did a lot of work in preparing the PowerPoint. 11

14 My military training experience S1A Cheung Cheuk Him, Him I had a camping trip in Whampoa Youth Military Training School from 11th to 13th October. On the first day, an instructor appeared after lunch. He taught us foot drill. I found it very interesting at first but I felt very tired after an hour s training. At night, there was an opening ceremony and the headmaster delivered a speech which was quite inspiring. That night, I slept at ten. On the second day, we had another foot drill after breakfast. It also took us around an hour to do the training. In the afternoon, I had a happy time because there were real tanks and cannons in front of me. I felt so excited and couldn t wait to touch them. We also had a war game later in the afternoon. I was so unlucky that I was shot by our enemies and even collapsed. At night, we watched videos of how the Chinese army has their training. On the third day, we had a closing ceremony in the morning. Most of the parents came to join us. We marched in front of them. We went back home in the evening. I felt very exhausted but I also got many precious experiences and memories that I will not forget all my life. 12

15 S1A Leung Yiu Kai, Leo When I see a gun, I will think of one thing my military camping training! On 11th October 2012, all Form One students attended a military camp. When we arrived, the instructor told us the rules. It was hard for me to follow, but I had to try my best because if I did not obey the rules, I would be punished. At night, I couldn t sleep well as I was very scared when the idea of being punished came into my mind. The next day, we played a war game, which was very exciting! Although I lost the game, I was still very thrilled and happy as I had never taken part in such a kind of game before. On the last day, we had a relatively more relaxing day as our instructor was not as serious and strict as before. He got quite playful sometimes and even told jokes. I think I will not forget my instructor. 13

16 My sweet family memory in Korea S5B Lee Man Ka, Vivian I have been to Korea twice. I am not tired of it. I still enjoy memories of the wonderful time I spent in Korea with my family in Easter holiday. In the first day, I was really tired. I slept for about three hours on the plane. Sometimes I heard some baby cry, which was so annoying. When I arrived at Korea, I was highly impressed how clean the city was. The air was fresher than that of Hong Kong. Although it was the end of March, it was quite cold and windy there. Unfortunately, I can t see the snow. On another day, I had a good spirit. Our destinations were three famous universities. My most favorite university is called Ewha Woman University. It was for girls only and it is the top university in Korea. Fortunately, it was open for the public to visit. Near the University, there were a lot of side streets where a lot of accessories, clothes and snacks were sold.it was like a girl s shopping paradise. Besides, we visited some historical sites, like Gyeongbokgung Palace. And we also visited the Government House. We were scared that there might be a war between South and North Korea. Another thing I enjoyed very much on this tour was the meals. We tried different kinds of dishes every day. They were delicious and filling. We had a traditional Korean BBQ. At the end of the trip, we went to the biggest supermarket to buy souvenirs for friends. A lot of Hong Kong tourists were carrying big boxes when boarding. It was a good measure for environmental protection packing the goods by yourselves with the recycle tray. In this tour I have learnt more about Korean culture. It has been the first time for my sister and I act as tour guide to lead my family. It was a very memorable experience. My best family memory in Taiwan S1A Ng Wing Ka, Ginny My best family memory is going to Taiwan in summer holiday with my parents and elder sister. We went to Alishan. The scenery there was great. We went sightseeing for a long time. And we took many photos there. On the way to the mountain top, dad told us lots of knowledge about the flowers and the history of Alishan. The trees there were over one hundred years old! At the top of the Alishan, the views there were so breath-taking. After we returned to the hotel that is located in the mountain, we had our tea and enjoyed the sunset. It was really beautiful. Sometimes, the sun hid behind the sea of clouds, which painted the skies red. We had lots of fun there! And I got an unforgettable memory. I love going travelling with my family and I hope I can go travelling with my family again soon. 14

17 M y school life A glimpse of school life S1C So Chun Him, Billy I am a new student in Hon Wah College. I like this school. My favourite subject is Science because I like doing experiments. It is fun. My favourite place is the 6th floor because there are different kinds of science rooms and laboratories. Joe Ma is my best friend. I often share my feelings with him. Joe is playful, clever and considerate. Both of us like Science. I hope I can get good results in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination a few years later. S1C Kwan Ho Yan, Kannis My favourte place on campus is our school library. It is situated on the first floor. I like it because there are different kinds of reading material, such as magazines, newspapers, Chinese and English fictions. It is interesting and relaxing to read books with classmates and friends in the library. Among all the subjects, I like English most because it is fun to learn this subject. What s more, I don t have any difficulties in English. The teachers and classmates of Hon Wah College are very friendly to me. My classmates are quite playful. My English teacher, Mr Fung, is friendly and nice to me! I get along well with my classmates although they are playful. We often work, talk and play together. Sometimes, if my classmates don t know what the questions mean, I will explain to them patiently or tell them the answer. They like me very much. We have some class rules like Don t talk in class, Don t throw any rubbish in the classroom and so on. The rules remind us of the proper manner at school. S5C Hung Wing Sum, Vicky Looking back at my school life, I think I am glad that I have a chance to study in Hon Wah College. I have met many new friends. Most of my classmates are kind and nice. Some have become my best friends. They are so helpful and they always chat with me when I feel bored. They make me happy. I love my friends. But sometimes, we may argue over trivial things. Some of my classmates are horrible they are so violent. They look like monsters. But in general, I get along well with my classmates. Our relationship is good. In Secondary 5, I have to work hard because I will sit for the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination next year. My favourite subjects are Chinese History and Chinese Language because I have a good memory. I like to know more about China. Learning Chinese History makes me know that China was once a kingdom ruled by the absolute monarchy. I have a great interest in Chinese History. Among all the subjects, the worst are English and Mathematics. I always forget the meaning and the spelling of English words. My Mathematics is not good as I don t know how to get the solution. At school, my favourite place is the library because there are many books and magazines. I like reading. There are also sets of computers for students to use. The library is so quiet that I can do my homework in it. So I like the library. Besides, I like the Multi-media Learning Centre (MMLC) in which I can watch many movies. I feel comfortable when I go to the MMLC to have self-learning. I hope that the school can have more interest classes, such as Japanese class. They can enhance students interests in different fields or change their feelings towards our school. In fact, I enjoy my school life. I like Hon Wah College. I will work hard in order to get graduated from Hon Wah next year. 15

18 Good times, bad times S5C Lee Ying Wa, Ashley Sometimes I feel happy because I can meet and make a lot of friends at school. I can share my ups and downs with my friends. I can chat and hang out with them during my leisure after school. I feel satisfied when I can learn a lot of knowledge. For example, I can learn Chinese, English, History, etc. Also I feel delighted as I can go to school every day because I feel very bored if I stay at home all the time. However, I feel unhappy if I don t do my homework because I will get detained. I hate to be detained because I think detention deprives me of my free time. I feel sad that there are school rules and regulations. Sometimes I feel that I have no freedom. Sometimes I am under the pressure of school work, so I feel bad. And one more thing, I really hate Math lesson. It is because I think Math is very difficult and boring, so I feel upset at school. S5C Leung Wing Hei, Anthony S5C Hung Wing Sum, Vicky In my school life, there are bad times because there are many school rules and regulations that I have to follow or I will be punished. Sometimes I feel that I have no freedom. Sometimes I argue with my friends or classmates because we are of different opinions in our school project. Sometimes I cannot solve my problems and I get bad marks in my test and exam. My parents will blame me. I am under stress in my study. Sometimes I feel discouraged because my English is not good. I often don t know how to learn English and improve my English standard. There are times I feel relieved because I can share my happiness and sadness with my friends at school. If I get bad results, my friends will comfort me. So I try it again. I will do my best to improve my schoolwork. I have good times at school. I can learn new knowledge. I can try new things. For example, I can learn how to draw pictures. I can go to China to do voluntary work, or train myself to solve problem. I have a sense of achievement when I help people out. All in all, I have more good times than bad times. I can meet and make a lot of good friends at school although sometimes we are under study pressure. There are times that I can meet and make a lot of good friends at school. I can equip myself with knowledge. I can go to school every day, I can share my ups and downs with my good friends. I feel happy about it. In school, if I don t do my schoolwork, I will get punished and I am not allowed to leave school until 5:30 pm. There are a number of school rules and regulations to abide by. Sometimes I feel that I have no freedom at all. My classmates and I are under pressure at school. We have a lot of assignments to do. We are under exam pressure. I have good times and bad times in school. I feel happy that I can often talk to my friends, play basketball with them. But when there is a lot of homework to do, I feel bad. 16

19 G allery Organic farm S3 a trip to Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences S6 students are going on a trip to old Hong Kong 17

20 S4 literature + music S4 Finance - a trip to Tao Heung Museum of food culture 18

21 Voluntary Work in Qingyuan - setting up a reading room in a village school 19

22 20

23 English Wednesday English Fun Fair

24 Karate elite talks about sportsmanship Shadow Play from Shanxi 22

25 Performance of school rope-skipping team Plant with care, harvest with joy 23

26 Sports Day 24

27 Annual Singing Contest 25

28 A visit to the ceramic exhibition of Chiu Sou Lan, our alumna 26 Celebrating the 60th graduation anniversay

29 Y oung minds at work Traveling back in time S4A Ng Cheuk Him, Nicholas Brazil, where next Olympic Games will take place, is an advanced yet a developing country. Having the interest in learning more about this country, I decided to have a visit there and it was the beginning of my journey. I traveled to Brazil by air. While I was reading a book, I must be too tired the night before for preparation, so I fell asleep. I didn t know how long I had slept. When I woke up, I was shocked to find a group of naked people staring at me and murmuring to each other in a strange language. I tried to ask them where I was, but they did not understand what I said. I started to get anxious. Then, they took me to a village----just like the one I saw in books about ancient people. There were huts, fields and simple tools there. I must be back to ancient time of Brazil!!! Arriving at the village, the people took me to the biggest hut. An old man with a helmet of colorful feathers and clothes made of animals skin, sat in the hut, and tried to communicate with me by body language. He pointed at his helmet and showed me how powerful he was. Oh, I understood! He was the king there! I used the same way to tell him that I came from a place far far away and I was lost and hungry Then, he gave me something to eat. How disgusting! There was a bowl of worm soup. However, I was so hungry that I blinked my eye and drank it quickly. Creepy! After that, he took me to his village, and taught me their language, So I knew that they called themselves Meraco. I stayed with them. One day, I went hunting with Meraco. They told me that I had to be very careful because a monster lived there. It was powerful enough to pull down trees and it had already damaged their village before. Suddenly, a large roar was heard. They shouted, Run, the big monster s coming!!! Then, I saw trees falling down one by one. People screamed, and ran everywhere. In the meantime, I was extremely scared. It was running towards me and ready to step on me. I blinked my eyes and yelled HELP!!!!. After that, I opened my eyes and I discovered that I was still on the plane. Oh, it was only a dream! On my lap there was a book called Indigenous People in Amazon Forest. I must have been too involved in the book!!! 27

30 Me by a chair S4A Sze Lok Hang, Josephine I am the blue chair in your room. You brought me from a second-hand furniture shop 10 years ago. I knew you at the time you just entered the primary school. I stayed with you and saw your happiness and sadness during these years. Most of the time, you were singing happily back from school. However, I remembered you felt sad to leave your primary classmates and cried secretly in your room. You were afraid that your mother would discover this and thought you were not mature enough to be promoted to secondary school. Although you were unhappy sometimes, you still pretended to be strong in front of people. You were good in handling your emotion and recovered from bad events quickly. That was why I was proud of being one of the furniture to serve you in your room. You are a very different master comparing with my previous ones. My first master was an office lady working in Central. She had a bad boss and always scolded her. Then, she released her negative emotion towards me when she was going back home. My second master was even worse. He was a construction worker. His smelly and heavy body always made me sick. He hit me when he felt angry. He spoke foul language all the time in the room that I wanted to close my ears or even to be deaf. Luckily, I was finally brought into your home. You treated me so gently that I had never had before. You gave me hope that there was still good human beings in the world. Last night, I saw you cry very seriously until you fell asleep. I had never seen this scenario before. I knew something must have happened in the day time, but I couldn t know what it was. I wish I were your close friend so that you could share your feelings with me freely. I wrote this note to you because I wanted to let you know that I will be with you all the time and support you continuously no matter what happens to your life. We are best friends forever. 28

31 S4C Yip Hiu Yan, Joanne I am a chair. My master is a little girl called May. I am one of the chairs in the girl s room. I have been staying next to a big desk for almost three years. When I was new to this place, I was a happy, beautiful wooden chair in a yellow coat. But now I am getting dirty and old. Do you know why? I find that my master doesn t like me as much as she did when she first took me home, so I am writing the following note to my master May. Dear May, my old friend, I think you will be surprised to see this note. I used to be your lovely chair which was always accompanying you when you were studying. Do you know I am not happy any more? It is because the way you treat me is not as well as you did before. First, you always put heavy stuff on me. Sometimes, I have to suffer the weight for a long time. Don t you know that my legs are always in pain? Second, I hate colour pencils which you always put them on me after drawing. They make me dirty but you have never tried to tidy me up. Can you show me a little more concern and be my good friend again? Love Chair S3A Chan Chun Tat, Kelvin Dear Kelvin, I m sorry that I left without a word since I didn t want to scare you. Therefore, I m leaving this note to tell you something that you didn t know in these ten years and the things you must know. I am not a real chair. Actually, I am an alien. From one of the moons in Jupiter and I disguised myself as a chair since my mission is to do a report on lives on earth. In the past five years, I had learnt about you, culture of human beings, everyday life and body structure. I want to thank you for all the information you gave me to do my report and also I am really sorry for using you as a tool for the mission. I hope you can forgive me. Remember the day we first met. I think you were about nine years old at that time. You were a very naughty little kid. To tell you the truth, I didn t like you very much. I m afraid that you might ruin me. However, as you grow, you are starting to be mature. At that time, I think we can be partners, but the base in my home planet sent me a message a year ago. It told me that the first of September, that is, the day before yesterday was the deadline of the submission of my report and I had to go back home. I really miss you and everything on earth. Sorry again for using you as a tool and leaving without a word. Don t worry, my friend. We will meet again soon. The next time we meet, I will give you the greatest present you have ever got the elixir of life. I hope you can live a better life though without me. Your alien chair George 29

32 Cinderella s nightmare S.5A Yue Tsz Fan, Helen Everyone knows the ending of the Disney s Cinderella. But one day, when Cinderella went to bed, she had a different experience in a dream, and the story began... Wake up, Cinderella, or you will forever stay here, a weird voice whispered in Cinderella s ears. Cinderella shook her head and wanted to clear her mind. Who are you? Is anybody here? Cinderella shouted. The prince was walking towards Cinderella. Why are you coming? Cinderella asked kindly, with a rapid heartbeat. a princess any longer? She cast a spell over Cinderella and she then became a little mouse. What a foolish prince! I told him that you re going to be with another man. He believes it. Now, I will go and kill him. Soon, the Kingdom would be mine! Ha!Ha! The wicked witch laughed and flew to the sky. One day, Cinderella the mouse died. And, the prince regretted what he said to her. At last, the poor couple never got together. Sorry, Cinderella, I think we should keep a distance. I think you are not suitable to be my princess, said the Prince coldly. This can t be true. I don t believe it. replied Cinderella innocently. Are you kidding? Her eyes were filled with tears instantly. You should have known the reason, answered the Prince cruelly and disappeared. Cinderella cried loudly. She could feel her heart was broken into small pieces. A wicked witch came to Cinderella and said, This is what I want. You will become an ordinary person just like before, ha! she laughed, Don t you dare to become S5A Or Ka Yu, Kim There s a beautiful girl, But she has a pitiful experience. She has a wicked stepmother Whom she wants to have another. Nevertheless, there was a bad night, The girl had a nightmare. She found that the prince was a monster, The prince wanted to catch her madly. One day, she went to the ball. There was a little angel. The little angel gave her a chance, So she would have a change. The girl was very horrified. She ran on and on She found wonders after wonders Till the sky turned bright. 30

33 The day off S5A Ng Hon Sze Today is my day off, I woke up late when the time was ten. I had a rich breakfast with my favourite ham. It was not like the busy weekday. I sat on my brown sofa, And I read a fashion magazine. There were many noisy cars outside, But I had a quiet time. When I went out, You were smiling to me, It warmed my heart. People in pairs walked on the street, I was not alone, Cause you were by my side! A better tuck shop S2A Lau Rachel If the principal allowed us to open one more tuck shop in the school, I would like to do the following things to make it a better one. First, I would like to set up the new tuck shop on the 3rd floor. So students who are on upper floors can go to the tuck shop more conveniently. Second, I would like to include more kinds of food and drinks. If the tuck shop has more varieties, students will be happier and they will buy more often. Also we need to employ more good staff for the new tuck shop. Efficiency is very important. If we have more staff, the quality of service will be increased. Third, decoration is an attraction to customers. For example we need to put some decorations in the tuck shop to attract students. Also we need to introduce more special offers for the students. They will be happy to buy more. I hope that the principal will like my idea. 31

34 My business S4C Ng Siu Chung, Eric I am running a skateboard shop. I sell skateboards, long boards, sportswear, etc. Why am I running a skateboard shop? It is because I like playing skateboard. My skateboard shop sells skate Tee-shirts, trousers, sneakers, hats, etc. I am running an indoor skating rink too. My customers can come to my indoor skating rink to have fun. I can hold some skateboard competitions for those who like skateboarding. This is my business. S3A Wong Yu Hang, Lucas Today is the 1st of January of The world has changed a lot over the past fifteen years. We have no more phones now, but a new communication gadget called Nerve Linker which is usually worn on our neck. I have started my own business. When I was small, I always wondered if it is good for me to be a doctor or scientist when I grew up. However, I became none of those. I chose to be a designer and opened my own shop eventually. The item that I design and sell is not some kinds of improved Nerve Linker. It is something that is much better and special an alloy suit. My alloy suit has many functions and advantages. First, we can call others, surf the Internet, and check s when we re wearing it. Not only does it have all the functions of a Nerve Linker, but also a new 3D projector that can cast images and videos on the screen or the wall. Secondly, we will become as powerful as the superman while we are wearing it. The suit enables us to do everything superman does, such as flying in the sky, carrying over one ton of things on the shoulder. And most important of all, it can protect the people who are wearing it from any attack. Lastly, what makes the suit so special is that it can be transformed into anything that we want when we take it out. My suit is very famous and popular now. Many people are attracted by its multi-functions. Although it is expensive, over 90% of people in the world are using it. From now on, I ll do my best to upgrade my suit. Hope everyone in the world will buy my suit. S4C To Tsz Kwan I have started my own business, running an online cosmetic store. The target group of my products is teenagers. It is because nowadays many teenage girls love to wear makeup to make themselves prettier so as to live more happily. Also, the price of my cosmetic products is affordable and the components of which are natural, not sensitive. They are good for the skin of young girls. My business is an online store. Therefore, I don t need to rent a place for selling the products. What I need to do is to place my products in a proper place, and take photos of them. Then I can upload the photos to the Web and add some descriptions about them. The most popular products of my business are the eyeliner and the liquid foundation. For the eyeliner, it is extremely fine and black. Girls can draw a fine and sharp eyeline which will not melt or lose colour for all day. For the liquid foundation, it contains a special formula. It suits different skin tones. Girls do not need to try different colours. They can just buy one bottle of foundation and then it will definitely match their skin tones. Aren t my products fantastic? Fantastic Online Cosmetic is the name of my store. This exactly describes the characteristic of our products. You would be definitely fascinated by the quality of our products. Don t hesitate! You should all give it a try. 32

35 The Perfect Day S2C Chan Tsz Ping, Peter When there is no need to go to school I will go to the swimming pool Of course I enjoy sleeping And I will go shopping I will go to my friend s home to play This is the perfect day S2A Lui Kam Yan, Emily The perfect day is listening to music While I am not getting sick I can play with my cousin And no need to have a lesson I can have a yummy dessert And go to an exciting concert S2A Wong Hei Yat, Cody My perfect day is relaxing all day. I like hiking and I love to play! Sunday, go shopping, Friday, go cycling! There are different ways, For my perfect days! 33

36 S2A Chan Ka San, Ryan The perfect day is watching a film With my friend Tim Sometimes I go shopping in Sogo With my friend Hugo Sometimes I play video games With my friend James S2A Lee Wing Kei, Winky The perfect day is shopping with my family We always go to a shop called Emily Sometimes I go swimming at the beach But my brother has me to teach Or I will take care of my hamster Because I am her master. S2B Wong Chun Ting, Jonathon I finish my homework for today I plan to have a perfect day. I can play computer games or go shopping I can go swimming or ice- skating. My mum may teach me how to cook Or I may save some time to read a book. 34

37 Animals poem S2B Wong Chun Ting, Jonathon Something happened at the zoo today! The animals got free and ran away! The giraffe with long legs ran very fast The elephants were so lazy they left the zoo last All the monkeys climbed up and down the tree, They were so happy to be free! The lions escaped from the cage quickly And all the animals disappeared suddenly. Cinquain Poems S2A Lin Xianzong, Jacky Birds Pretty, clever Talking, singing, flying The songs are good Singers S2A Chan Ankie Pui Wai Dogs Lovely, friendly Sleeping, eating, running They listen to you Pets S2A Lau Yim Shum, Marco Dogs Friendly, loyal Barking, eating, running Always by your side Pets S2B Tong Tsz Fung, Ted Mrs. Barry Hard-working, friendly Laughing, talking, teaching Always check our work Teacher S2A Yuen Ling Fung, Max Fish Small, fast Swimming, playing, eating Don t move when sleeping Friend S2A Lee Wing Kei, Cherry Mouse Dirty, naughty Stealing, eating, running Thief in your home Animal 35

38 Five Senses Poems My Chinese New Year My Christmas S1A Chau Tsz Nga I see the homework that I haven t finished I hear the knock on the door I smell the wonderful dishes I taste the sweet candies I touch the money in the red packets. S1A Chan Chue Hang, Andy I see my present and it is from my friend Susan I hear the choir singing and I am enjoying I smell the cakes I taste the turkey at dinner time I touch my present- a teddy bear S1A Lam Erika Nicole Tiu I see the people knocking on the door for the red packets I hear the people laughing and the drums playing I smell the yummy food cooked by my mum I taste the turnip cake and the dumplings I touch the red packets. S1A Regina Lam I see Santa coming to town I hear my friend s wishes I smell the sweet candies I taste the Christmas cake I touch the gifts which are under the tree S1A Yu Chung Yan, Joanna I see the fireworks I hear Kung Hei Fat Choi I smell the yummy food from the kitchen I taste the candy I touch the red packets. 36

39 My Halloween S1B Li Yat Tung, Michelle I see the ghost costumes I hear people ask me to take candies. I smell the chocolate I taste the candy I touch the pumpkin S1A Cheng Chak Yung, Jasper I see the scary masks I hear the screaming sounds I smell many candies I taste the candies and they are sweet I touch the special costumes. Limerick poems S2A Lai Cheuk Lam, Cherry There was a smart girl in Taikoo Everyone said that she is cool Her favourite fruit is cherry She is good at cooking curry Her favourite place is the zoo S2A Lam Chun Ho, Kelvin There was a school boy from Hong Kong Who lived in a town in Kwun Tong He speaks English well And at my school sings well Now he will sing us a song 37

40 Feelings Poems S2A Chui Chun Pui, Karl Happiness is a rainbow in the sky Happiness is a score sheet with 100 marks Happiness is a level up in the computer game Happiness is a trip overseas Happiness is a smile on your face S2A Wong Yuen Yi, Joyce Happiness is a sunny day at school Happiness is a day when you win a game Happiness is when you have a surprise from friends Happiness is watching your favourite movie at the cinema Happiness is a smiling face S2A Lee Wing Kei, Winky Anger is when people play tricks on you Anger is when the teacher gives a lot of homework Anger is when people don t listen to what you say Anger is being awoken by dogs barking at night 38

41 F orum Discrimination S5B Wong Yick Hin, Ben Discrimination is one of the most serious social problems. This includes age discrimination, sex discrimination, racial discrimination and other forms of discrimination. Its results can be found at individual and societal levels. At the individual level, the people who are being discriminated feel unhappy. If the discrimination is serious, they may even suffer from mental disorder and mental problems. So they may want to do something to take revenge on the people who discriminate against them. These may cause many people to get hurt. At the societal level, the people who are being discriminated may feel they are unfairly treated. As discrimination becomes serious, they may go on strike and demonstration. If they do that, our society may be badly affected. Land for Locals S6A Law Kan Yip, Kenneth I support the Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people policy. In this day and age, property prices in Hong Kong are too high. Most Hong Kong people can t afford to buy a flat as their salary growth rate is too low and the inflation problem is serious. In my opinion, the main reason for high property prices is speculation in property market, but the poor people and the middle class have become victims. It causes an extreme disparity between the rich and the poor. Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people policy can prevent people speculating in property market because it is restricted to permanent residents for 30 years and they can t be resold to companies. Apart from controlling property prices, the policy provides much cheaper flats. So, more people find it easier to buy a flat. Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po said the government will continue to launch more land for sale under the policy. Also, he has promised that the land won t be sold to land agencies. Last but not least, I hope more people can have their own flats and have a better life. S6A Wong Ka Lam, Sibyl Hong Kong is tiny, yet densely populated. There are more than seven million inhabitants. Therefore, housing problem has long been frustrating the people in Hong Kong. It is high time to rethink about the possible solution to tackle the problem. That s why our Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is launching Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people policy. This policy will only serve the permanent residents of Hong Kong. In my opinion, this policy can protect the right of Hong Kong people to buy the house since they can have more choices of houses. Besides, it can restrict those rich mainland buyers who will drive up property prices. Therefore, it is a workable policy for Hong Kong citizens to a certain extent. However, this is not enough to meet the housing need in our community. It is because the land for residential buildings is inadequate and therefore, it is a precious resource. As a result, I think the government should undertake a rigorous study about how to develop the land we have and how to cool down the property market. Moreover, the government can provide Hongkongers with housing subsidies. At last, I think we should solve the problem hand in hand. We should give more suggestions to the government since better communication always leads to more comprehensive solutions. 39

42 Mainlanders S6A Poon Kin Hang The series of news about the recent D&G photo-ban row, mothers-to-be gate-crashing wards, the dispute over a visitor eating on the MTR, and a Beijing scholar describing some Hong Kong people as dogs have drawn fire from Hong Kong citizens. From these incidents, it is not uneasy to see that Hong Kong people are indiscriminately labeling the mainlanders. Some people may think this discriminating action is unfair to mainlanders, as there are also mainlanders who are courteous and follow the rules. Therefore, they suggest we should concern ourselves with facts and not get personal. I would not disagree with the point that some mainlanders are courteous and follow the rules. However, based on what I realize, only a minor group of them behave well. This makes me believe that no matter whether I concern myself with fact or get personal, the result would not have a big difference. Their behaviour frequently drives people crazy, such as letting children urinate in the public. They do things spontaneously, without consideration of the occasion and time. You certainly can treat it as freestyle; however, I treat it as misbehavior. Not everyone is bad S6B Wong Chun Kit I have read an article Do not unfairly label mainlanders. The writer thinks that Hong Kong people should not generalize all the mainlanders as barbarians. Although there are some being impolite, some will give up their seats to the elderly at the same time. I definitely agree with the writer. Having a stereotype towards mainlanders is another type of discrimination. However, Hong Kong people still despise the people who speak Mandarin. I have seen foreign kids playing and chasing in the MTR station, no one blames them. But things become totally different if they are from mainland China. Hong Kong citizens undoubtedly regard them as wild kids lacking family education. The situation should be controlled immediately, or with more negative information appearing, even some children will label mainlanders without critical thinking. We are always told to say no to brainwashing, how about this time? There is no doubt that we are brainwashing our next generation if we continue to label. Not everyone is bad. In a nutshell, I really think mainlanders should behave well in order to stop Hong Kong citizens from indiscriminately labeling them. The Need for Women-only Carriages S6A Lai Shun Yin The introduction of women-only carriages has recently been brought to the public s attention. I think the arrangement is significant. Some argue that education is more important than the arrangement. They believe that education can help women to protect themselves and prevent people from committing sexual abuse. This seemingly well-founded fact is fundamentally flawed. In fact, since we were young, we have been instilled with the respect for law and order through education. Although many Hong Kong people are well-educated, some people still commit crime, even politicians. This proves that education isn t a panacea for eliminating all crimes. As you may be aware, whenever a crowd of people swarm into the carriages, it is very easy to have physical contact among the passengers, especially during rush hours. It always provokes the misunderstanding of molestation. In fact, even though women suspect that they have been molested, most of them would remain silent and get off at the following station. I believe that they know how to confront danger. Shyness is the stumbling block to scream and ask others for help. They don t want to disclose these embarrassing things. I think the women-only carriages can let women feel more secure. Implementing the plan of women-only carriages offers adequate protection for women. They wouldn t be too worried about being molested in the carriage. Last but not least, all of us should be brave enough and work hand in hand to clamp down on sexual assaults. 40

43 Radio Call-in S3B Wong Yat Cheung, Benson S3B Wong Sin Ying, Janessa S3B Koo Ka Kam, Karen S3B Cheung Ka Yi, Akina Agony Aunt: Today, our topic is teen problems. You can phone in to ask questions. I will be here to answer your questions. (call in sound) Hello, what problem do you have? Amy : I m very unhappy! I always have pimples. They make me look very ugly. Someone also teases me. I don t want to hear that any more. Please help me to settle this problem. Agony Aunt: I think you don t have to mind what they say because having pimples is very common with teens. It will help if you try to reduce your stress, in other words, keep cheerful! Amy : Ok. Now I know what to do. Thank you very much. Agony Aunt: You are welcome. Let s have another teenager to join us now! (call in sound) Hello Benson, what problem do you have? Benson : I m very tired! Teachers always give us much homework. I always finish my homework at 2:00 a.m. And I feel sleepy during lessons. What should I do? Agony Aunt: I think you can do your homework at lunch time or recess. Don t waste time to do trivial things. You must treasure your time. In fact, I know students are having lots of homework. But you should do your job well. If you have done your homework quickly you may have more time to sleep. Hope my suggestion helps. Benson : Yes, that can help me get more time to sleep. Thank you very much. Agony Aunt: You are welcome, Benson. Here comes the last caller today! (call in sound) Hello Janessa, what problem do you have? Janessa : I don t know how to help my friend! I saw my friend cheating in a test. I was worried. I didn t know if I should tell the teacher or not. If I tell the teacher, she will be punished and she will not be my friend anymore. What should I do? Agony Aunt: I think you should tell your teacher because your friend did something wrong. If you don t tell your teacher, she will make the same mistake again. As a real friend, you must do the right thing. I think you may ask the teacher not to punish her too severely. I hope my advice could help you. Janessa : That really can help me. Thanks. Agony Aunt: Finally thanks for calling! If you have problems, don t hesitate to call us. Bye bye. Cosmetic Surgery S6A Lee Kok Fung, John Dear Peter, I am sorry to hear that Lucy wanted to undergo surgery with such high risks. Here is my advice: You may want to tell her the possible health risks of these cosmetic treatments. Once she takes the surgery, her body is no longer part of nature, and it is proved that having man-made parts can be hazardous. Beauty parlors are not likely to notify you about all the potential health risks behind and you may not be able to know what will happen to your body if medical failure appears. Sometimes, when the effect of the surgery does not meet your expectations, you may need to take another operation, which further increases the health risk. Taking cosmetic surgery for the procurement of beauty is both economically and socially undesirable. In fact, everyone should be unique but cosmetic surgery makes people look like the same Barbie from the factory. Appearances can be deceptive, only personality is durable. Lucy should not concern too much about improving her image but her personality and character instead. After all, I hope you will consider my advice because it is not worth having cosmetic surgery. Best, John 41

44 A shopping centre for teenagers S2B Fung Sovi Cheuk Lam I would like to introduce to you all a shopping centre that is suitable for teenagers to shop. This shopping centre is Cityplaza in Tai Koo Shing. This is really a good shopping centre for teenagers. I like it very much. The shops there include Apita, Marks and Spencer, H&M, Uniqlo, Bossini etc. Many teenagers think that these shops are stylish and fashionable. There are different types of boutiques, so teenagers can choose the best one to buy. The souvenirs there are also quite special. In addition, they can try different types of food in the food court. Go there for a walk. You will like it. S2B Wong Chun Ting Cityplaza is a shopping centre that is suitable for teenagers to shop. It has a great variety of shops selling fashionable clothing, electronics, cosmetics and fabulous gifts. It has a wide selection of restaurants. You can get sushi, hamburgers, noodles, pizza whatever you feel like eating. Cityplaza is close to MTR station. It also has a modern cinema and an ice-skating rink, which makes it a great shopping centre for teenagers. I really love shopping at Cityplaza. In fact, I never shop at anywhere else. Show your kindness to the elderly S2A Wong Hei Yat, Cody Dear Editor, I am writing to share my opinions about the young people s behaviours to the elderly. I am surprised that a young man behaved so badly to his mum. He asked her for money but she refused to give it to him. He then took away her quilt and turned on a fan at high speed while she was sleeping. He should be nice to her and earn a living by himself. He shouldn t borrow money from his mum! I think some old people in Hong Kong are treated badly. You can see how cruel the young guy is to his mum. I think the government should set up laws to protect the elderly s lives. The laws can also punish anyone who wants to hurt the elderly. I hope that no tragedy will happen again! Yours faithfully Cody 42

45 Animal Conservation S4A Fong Ka Hei, Andy Chief Executive Office HKSAR Dear Mr. Leung, I am writing on behalf of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to inform you that the number of Chinese White Dolphins is decreasing. As it is the type of animals which can represent Hong Kong, we are concerned about the possibility that they will completely disappear in the waters of Hong Kong in a short time if we don t do something about it at once. So we sincerely hope you can help us to save them. There are lots of reasons for their disappearance. One of them is the noise created by the marine traffic. Those dolphins hate to live in a noisy environment. So if they can t bear that type of noise, they will move to another place to start their new life. Therefore the number of Chinese White Dolphins decreases. Another reason is that there is not enough food for them because of overfishing which leads to the shortage of food for dolphins. So if they don t find a place with enough supply of food for them, they will die very soon. Therefore leaving the territory of Hong Kong is their only choice. For the above reasons, I suggest 3 methods which the government can adopt to save them. First, I suggest the government should set up some laws that can prevent overfishing. If the amount of food for dolphins increases, some of the dolphins will select Hong Kong as their home again. So it can increase the number of Chinese White Dolphins in Hong Kong. Second, I hope the government can also do something to preserve the natural habitats for them. If no one can disturb them in the habitat, they can feel comfortable to live in the habitat. Therefore they would like to return to Hong Kong. Third, there should be more marine police to prevent anyone from interesting with the dolphins and the over-speed boats which may hurt them appeared. So the dolphins would feel safe in Hong Kong. Therefore they would like in live in Hong Kong again. I hope you find the above suggestions useful in saving Chinese White Dolphins. As it is a type of endangered animals in the world, we should try all means to protect them. Yours sincerely, Andy Fong Member of WWF Bird observation S4A Wong Ho Hin, Alvin My teachers, 4A classmates and I went to observe birds in Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories on 12th October, When we arrived at Tin Shui Wai, there were only a few birds. We saw a dead snake, however. We took pictures of it. We worked together there and left at 11 a.m. After the bird observation activity, we needed to hand in a project work. The project was about different breeds of birds and their behaviour. It was not an easy task, but we finally made it. I really appreciated the efforts that our team members put on it. I enjoyed the bird observation very much. Although it is hard to finish the project, I have learned many things through this activity and project. I think it is a meaningful activity. I have realized the birds habits and their characteristics. It helps me understand more about their habitats. How amazing Nature is! 43

46 Role Model Nomination S2C Chan Wing Yu, Iris I would like to nominate GiGi Yip for the Outstanding Students Award. I believe she deserves the award for three reasons. Firstly, she always studies hard and has outstanding academic results. She always gets the highest marks in exams. Secondly, she is an active person and has joined many extra-curricular activities. She is good at sports and is one of the members of the school volleyball team. Thirdly, she is a helpful person. She always helps people who are in need. She always takes part in voluntary work, such as visiting elderly homes and selling flags. GiGi is hardworking, active, sporty and helpful. I believe she is the right person for the Outstanding Students Award this year. A letter to Bun Chai s family S6B Lo Wan Hin Dear Bun Chai s family, On behalf of all the students at my school, I am writing to sympathy. Bun Chai s death is the sad news to all Hong Kong who are so proud of him feel heartbroken. send you our deepest people. Knowing his death, we For me, Bun is the kind of person that is outspoken. He was brave to voice what was in his mind. In 2003, he appealed for legal euthanasia so that he could end his life with dignity. He was the first person who appealed this motion in the Hong Kong history. Although he could not move his hands, Bun still managed to type the letter. He did so by using a chopstick gripped between his teeth. He was really a man who would not give up easily. And I am sure his attitude is what young people should learn as teenagers nowadays tend to give up on what they want to achieve easily. Besides, he is really staunch and unyielding. When the Chief Executive Tung Chee-hua rejected his request, Bun did not give up. He changed his mind and wrote a 300-page book entitled I Want Euthanasia in 2007 instead. This book has changed a lot of people s thoughts about life and death and I am one of the influenced ones. Bun is really a life-fighter and he is also other people s life reminder. At the beginning, he might have thought of quitting his life as he appealed for legal euthanasia. However, he soon gained confidence in living again. He fought hard against his destiny. He tried his best to do what he could. He reminds us of what we should do in face of difficulties: we should not give up so easily. Finally, we are all proud of him. He will be our role model forever. I hope you can overcome the grief of losing him soon. Warmest regards, Harry Chan Chairperson of the Students Union 44

47 Violent TV programmes S3A Chan Tsun Ming, Bob I agree that all TV programmes containing violence should be banned to a large extent. The reason is that the programmes will send some wrong messages to teenagers. Nowadays many TV programmes instill wrong messages into teenagers mind. They will imitate the behaviour of the stars in the TV programmes at school, such as bullying friends, being insincere to others and irritable. Besides, there have been some campus shooting incidents in the U.S.A. these days. Some of these incidents were similar to what happened in those TV programmes. These tell us that we should ban some of the TV programmes containing violence and stop teenagers from following suit because it will hurt themselves and others as well. The parents should tell the teenagers to get away from violence and prevent them from watching violent programmes. Although the TV programmes are bad for teenagers, we do not have to ban all of them. Some can be broadcast after midnight because many teenagers have already gone to bed by that time. When the adults are after work, they can watch these TV programmes to relax. Finally, despite the fact that there are many TV programmes containing violence, we need to be careful to choose the suitable ones to watch. To a large extent, it is true that violent TV programmes bring about adverse effects on the public, particularly the teenagers. S3A Cheng On Ling, Christine TV programmes containing violence should be banned to a large extent. The major reasons are these programmes instill wrong messages into teenagers mind and may cause psychological problems among children and youngsters. On the one hand, these programmes instill wrong messages into teenagers mind. It seems to be acceptable to solve problems with violence. Teenagers will learn the negative things from the violent programmes and imitate. In our daily life, teenage bullying and gang fighting are not uncommonly heard of at school or in society. On the other hand, programmes which contain violence may cause psychological problems among children and youngsters. After watching these programmes, children will feel frightened. Children will also become sleepless and have nightmare. To solve the problem, there can be more educational and informative programmes, such as wildlife programmes, documentaries and reality shows instead. These kinds of programmes are popular nowadays. In fact, teenagers can get positive messages from these programmes. I would suggest that these violent programmes should be censored by the Communications Authority instead of being banned completely. This is because these programmes are not only for teenagers and children, but adults watch them too. Adults normally have a better sense of judgement. After work, they watch these programmes to relax. I think these programmes can be broadcast after midnight so that they will not affect teenagers and children. There should also be warning signs, such as Parental Guidance to show that these programmes are not suitable for children to watch. If children want to watch them, parents should be there to guide or explain to their children what is going on in these programmes, and tell them not to copy the wrong doings. They need to work with school to help and educate them. 45

48 Violent TV programmes S3A Cheng Ka Lok, Yani All TV programmes containing violence should be banned to a certain extent. The major reasons are the teenagers will copy the violent act and watching TV should be a family pastime. First of all, these TV programmes instill wrong messages or concepts into teenagers mind. They may think that it is alright to use physical power in their daily life. These programmes will teach the teenagers bad manners. In this way, they may reckon that it is acceptable to solve problems using violence. Young people may copy the violent act they see on TV. The teenagers in school may bully or beat others up to solve problems, just like what happens in the violent TV programmes. Perhaps a greater variety of TV programmes should be broadcast, including violent TV programmes. Yet, these programmes must have clear warning signs (for example, Parental Guidance (PG) and Mature (M)) and must be broadcast after midnight. A great variety of programmes, including violent programmes, should be offered as TV stations serve the public, but not limited to teenagers. On the other hand, watching TV is a family pastime. Violent programmes are definitely unsuitable for children and teenagers. Parents need to educate their children when they are small, and teach them not to imitate and use violence in their daily life. Nuclear power should not be used S5A Wong Chung Wa, Ivan In the past decades, the issue of nuclear power has been under the limelight. People s views on this issue are divergent. Those who are in favour of using nuclear power as non-renewable energy think it is a possible way. Nevertheless, others hold the view that such nuclear power is unacceptable. Some people believe that using nuclear power is environmentally friendly, cheap and more stable to generate electricity; however, it causes waste heat, radioactive waste and radiation leak. Also, the price of building a nuclear power plant is extremely high. The maintenance cost is expensive and it can cause cancer or genetic defects. Using nuclear power is dangerous. Apart from genetic defects, nuclear power plant explosion is one of the worries. Unemployment S5B Lee Hong Ki, Jackie Unemployment is one of the most serious social problems affecting citizens. There are several causes and effects for the problem. The main cause is academic devaluation. Nowadays, a lot of people get an associate degree or all kinds of certificates. The graduates social status becomes lower. They have to accept some low-paid jobs. Another cause includes minimum wage. As the law was passed, employers started to lay off the staff because they are concerned about the profit and do not want to pay more wages to the employees. Although it can save some cost of running the business, it takes away people s job opportunities. Unemployment affects citizens in various ways. First, it will make their living standard decline. The income is not enough to support their living. They may live in a poor condition. Secondly, it may lead to a rise in crime rate. Some people will find some illegal ways to make money. Finally, it will make them lose the motivation to find a new job because they will rely on the government, such as applying for comprehensive social security assistance. In the long run, this may cause social unrest. Take The Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in 1986, and the Fukushima nuclear power plant explosion in 2011 as examples, many people were badly affected or even die. From these cases, we can see that nuclear power is not a suitable way to generate electricity. Furthermore, nuclear power plants will not be safe when there is a war. They will be important targets to attack. When they explode, nuclear pollution will spread out quickly and affect or even kill the human beings. In other words, nuclear power causes more problems. To sum up, it is obvious that the disadvantages of using nuclear power outweigh the advantages. Nuclear power is dangerous and affects our life. It is vital to stop using nuclear power. 46

49 T hat s what I want My Ambition S5B Choi Ka Yan Being an architect has been my ambition since I was a child. At that time, whenever I went to a city or a country, the first thing I noticed was its buildings. Every city has its own unique style. It is worth our appreciation. The type of schooling I prefer S1A Cheung Cheuk Him I am an outgoing guy so I would prefer boarding school. If studying at a boarding school, we can make many friends because we will play and learn together every day. I think we will have a lot of fun. In addition, we will learn how to communicate with others in order to improve our interpersonal relationship. But, if we choose a cyber-school, it means we are going to study alone without any classmates by our side. Oh no! I would rather die! Boarding school is definitely my choice if my family can afford it. What is yours? I want to study in a cyber school S1B Choi Yee Ching, Sarina If I choose, I would like a cyber school. This is because I can learn and play with the computer. Also I can talk with my friends at my desk using a webcam. Computers are just convenient so I love cyber school. Unlike studying in the boarding school, I can see my family every day if I study in the cyber school. Also, less paper is wasted when we do homework. It is so environmentallyfriendly. The only disadvantage about studying at the cyber school is I cannot meet my classmates, friends and teachers in person. I remember that when I was 9 years old, I travelled to Europe. I saw many buildings of European design. They were not the same as those modern buildings I saw in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, there are very tall buildings wrapped by high reflective curtain walls. However, foreign designs are ancient and classical. Every building looks different from others. Do you know where I went 2 years ago? I travelled to Japan. The buildings reflect Japanese culture. I really liked those buildings, so I took a lot of photos and I made some sketches of the buildings. I designed some interesting ones on my own and kept them as a record. It is enjoyable when I see human thoughts from their designs of buildings. Buildings can make a city look more pleasant. Everybody needs to work, live, play and dine in there. So, having fantastic buildings can make people happy. I hope that in the near future, I can design many different buildings. Everyone is delighted when they see or use them. My ambition is to bring fun and happiness to people, to contribute to society and to make every city look more active and fascinating. I should work harder to achieve my goal. In my spare time, I read more books related to building design. I surf the internet and look at buildings from different countries so as to widen my horizons and develop my creativity. I will go travelling whenever my parents offer me a chance. Joining a design course will surely help me to realize my dream. I hope that my ambition can be achieved in the future. 47

50 M essages from alumni My path of growth- a tribute to my teachers Wan Yin Ha, Shirley Time passes very quickly, I left the school for nearly five years ago. The once familiar buildings, joys and sadness, the setbacks, those naive fantasies, lofty ambitions constitute my memories Those days in Hon Wah were like yesterday. I participated in a lot of different extracurricular activities. The voluntary work was what I liked most. Once, I visited an elderly who was living alone. She told us that her husband had just died, and her sons and daughters were in a foreign country. I understand that the elderly people really need our help. From then on, I often took part in the voluntary work. Over the years, a lot of teachers taught me, but two teachers changed me One of them is my former English teacher - Miss Lau. In those days, my English was poor because I was not born in Hong Kong. I knew that I had to pass English in order to go to university. Miss Lau encouraged and supported me. She helped me review my lessons. I went to her every day, reading English aloud, and she corrected me with with Miss Ng and Miss Lau patience. I also remember that in the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival, all my classmates participated in the competition, except for me. With Miss Lau s encouragement and guidance, I overcame my fear, joined the contest and finally attained a Merit. Miss Lau gave me light when I was confused and led me into the temple of knowledge. Miss Lau also encouraged me to sing English songs to learn English. Together with my classmates, I joined the 1st Central and Western District Folk Song Singing Contest. Our team, led by Miss Lau, got the second place. Moreover, I got the Best Improved Student Award presented by the Lion & Globe Educational Trust. I love Miss Lau very much because she has a gold-like sparkling heart. When I failed, she comforted me and encouraged me to move forward; when I was successful, she shared my joy of success; when I made mistakes, she taught me with patience. She is both my mentor and my most sincere friend. Miss Ng, a retired teacher of Hon Wah, is like my grandmother. In fact, I chose to study accounting because of her advice. My results in HKCEE were not satisfactory. I did not know what I could do. She helped me learn how to accept defeat helped me find my goals and interests. Then I entered the high diploma courses majoring in accounting. I faced great challenges since all the textbooks were in English. I was so scared that I could not get a good result in the exams. The accounting teacher asked how many students had not studied accounting before. Only 4 students and I was one of them. So I always asked the teachers about the lessons. I remember that I once asked my teacher many times for one question, but I still did not understand. She was angry and asked me why I was so stupid. I cried. Later, the teacher understood my situation. As I was the only one student that had not taken the LCCI Examination, she encouraged me to try and would give me special tutorial. Suddenly I remembered my first attempt in the Hong Kong Speech 48

51 Festival, I became confident. I took the exam and got good results. Moreover, I got eighth in the course and won the Outstanding Performance Award in the final exam. In fact, I got good harvests because I believe success comes from each small step on the road ahead. Don t fancy there is a sudden leap with luck, so we should focus on short-term goals. Perseverance in fulfilling the target every day could eventually lead to the achievement of the greater goal. Going through many examinations, I finally was admitted to the university. When I re-examine my experiences of growing up and those setbacks in the past, I find that the pain I suffered is not completely without value. On the contrary, it implies a far-reaching significance. Now, I treat the people around me with more tolerance and more understanding. Life is a book, college life is the most beautiful color pages in the book; life is a play, then college life is the most wonderful scene; life, from birth to death, is a longdistance travel; in college life, we can see the most splendid scenery. I could obtain such a result; in fact, I also can t believe it. But now I succeed, which proves that nothing is impossible. I think that being smart is not the most important, as perseverance is the key to gain a good harvest. Now I m working and I have realized working and studying are not the same. We have to face different people: our boss, colleagues, and clients. Such relationships become more complicated. Society will not change because of you, instead you have to adapt to the society, and make efforts to equip yourselves. Finally, I think intelligence is not the most important. As long as you stick to your goals, you will succeed some day. I will work hard to become an accountant. Wish you all have your own ideal and enjoy your wonderful life. University is not a fantasy, not a dream, but our great ideal. As long as we struggle and work hard, it will be a rewarding experience! The University is a new page: all foreign teachers, all English in class, but I was not afraid of it any more. But the hardest thing is the long dissertation. When the University grades came out, I was very nervous. I got a second upper, though not first class, but I was the winner in The Hong Kong Institute of Accredited Accounting Technicians (HKIAAT) s professional exam and was eligible to enter the university. The teacher can t believe 49

52 Valuable voluntary experiences in Vietnam and Nepal Tam Wing Yan, Rebecca It is with great pleasure that I write this piece as an alumna of Hon Wah College. I have had the honor of being in a leadership enhancement program at the Institute of Education for two consecutive years, during which I have experienced the most meaningful winter breaks of my life in Vietnam and Nepal. I am always excited to share my lifechanging experience with people around me. The leadership enhancement programme has played a significant role in developing my generic skills and expanding my intellectual repertoire essential for leaders of the 21st century. Interacting with people coming from different cultural backgrounds, I have also developed cultural awareness for effective intercultural communication. Being a language student, I always feel privileged to be able to utilize my linguistic knowledge to study and gain better mastery of the languages spoken by the local communities of the placement countries. Most importantly, however, the roles I took up in the program have prompted me to explore and evaluate the meaning of service leadership from different perspectives, which in turn, have a direct influence on my leadership style and personality. My first voluntary program took place in Vietnam, where I began to reflect on the meaning of volunteering. One of the most amazing snapshots I would like to share will be the wall-painting task I did to refurbish a kindergarten in a small village in Hanoi. There was a bunch of elementary school students wandering along the streets awaiting their lunch. I then handed the brush to the kids who had never tried painting before to paint the kindergarten. To my surprise, they returned to the site and showed their parents and siblings how they contributed to the refurbishment. From that moment onwards, I began to see that volunteering should be about facilitating local people to develop solidarity and a sense of belonging to their community. My amazing voluntary experience in Vietnam made me embark on another strenuous yet fruitful journey in Nepal, where I immersed myself in a primitive living environment and developed some basic survival skills like making fire and cutting down trees. I was also very fortunate to be able to celebrate the year of 2070 with my students and join some Nepali rituals during the Losar 50

53 Festival. Most remarkable of all, my leadership position and the social leaders I encountered in my journey gave me an insight into the concept of service leadership a service offered in hopes of meeting the needs and enhancing the well-being of self, communities, and environments. Yet, the integrity and consciousness of leaders will determine the quality of the service. By and large, there is no one-size-fit-all leadership rule for all leaders. I firmly believe that proactive and spontaneous leaders will always demonstrate the audacity to step outside their comfort zones and challenge their beliefs and perceptions. While confronting challenges and setbacks, they will become dauntless in optimizing their leadership styles. 51

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55 We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Professor Rowson LEE for (BSc, MSc, MRICS, MHKIS, FAIB, FCIOB, FABE) his genuine support and sponsorship of this publication. Editorial Board Consultant: Ms SIN Lai Wan Teacher-in-charge: Miss LAU Bik Yee Editors: Ms DEWAN Raka Miss FOK Kit Man Miss CHIU Suk Mei Ms MA Ying Ying

56 English Department Hon Wah College 3 Harmony Road, Siu Sai Wan, Hong Kong We Learn We Practise We Accomplish We Learn We Pra ctise We Accomplish We Learn We Practise We Accomplish Design by SOB