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SCMP Reporter

Week 1

Amy Yang Miu-yuk, 15

Hong Kong Chinese Women's Club College

Challenge: Loose weight

My summer target is to get fit. I want to lose weight not because of what I've read in the media, but because my doctor has advised me to do more exercise. Because of this, I intend to follow a keep-fit programme. I actually try to do more exercise every summer because I have a lot more free time, but in the past I have found it difficult to keep doing the exercises or to make sure my diet was balanced. That's why I think the Summer Challenge is so good. It will give me the motivation to keep going because readers will want to see my progress every week. My mother's support will also help me. What about you? Are you looking forward to doing something meaningful this summer, even though you won't be writing about it? Keep up with me and get inspired. See you next week.

Jermaine Wong, 16

St Paul's Convent School

Challenge: Find out more about astronomy

This summer, I plan to learn about  astronomy. I have already signed up  for three astronomy camps organised by different organisations. The last time I got involved in astronomy was when I watched last year's Venus transit. I went to the Space Museum and had a look through the telescope, but other than that, I don't really know anything about astronomy.    To prepare myself for my first astronomy camp,  I  attended two lectures at University of Hong Kong.   The  lectures were on the fundamentals of  astronomy such as black holes and how to stargaze. They were really interesting and physics-oriented. I think I should get out my  physics books  before the camp. I went to a second talk on July 12, where I met  some astronomy lovers. It was the first time this year that I looked at the stars.  It was a brilliant night, the sky was  clear and there was little  light interfering with our view.  I looked at the moon through a telescope and learned about   the Scorpius and the Summer Triangle, which is made up of  the stars Deneb, Altair and Vega. We also learned how to identify the group of stars known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. I am really looking forward  to the camps, but I need to revise my notes on  astronomy first!

Inga Choi Wing-ka, 16

CCC Ming Yin College

Challenge: Play a Grade Seven piece of music on my trumpet  and all the minor scales   I've got eight weeks to  learn and perfect a Grade Seven trumpet piece and all the minor scales. I started playing the trumpet in Primary Four, about  six years ago now. I passed the Grade Five music theory exam with a distinction and gained a merit in the Grade Six trumpet exam.  I am a member of the Hong Kong Symphonic Band and City Wind Ensemble. The piece I have chosen is a bit fast and  quite difficult to play. To achieve my goal, I need to practise more. Also, I need to  listen to some trumpet CDs to get some tips from  famous trumpeters.  I plan to try my  best and work hard.

Mandy Chu Ka-man, 16

SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School

Challenge: Learn how to ballroom  dance Ballroom dancing  seems to be geared towards  adults, but I want to try it out. This is because I learnt the cha-cha at  school, which got me interested. My first lesson was on July 14 and I attended with a friend.  I didn't know what to wear so I wore a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Later, I was told to wear  only trousers or a skirt.  Oops!  Next time, I'll wear my black skirt. After  some warm-up exercises,  we started to learn the cha-cha. I used to think  the cha-cha was easy, but I was  wrong.  You can't shake your shoulders or bounce up and down. You also have to be careful not to step on your partner's feet. The body has to stay straight at all times, even if you're tired, and you can only take small steps to make sure you stay in time with the music.   Learning the  steps was easy, dancing them beautifully was extremely hard.  I really enjoyed my first lesson but my legs ached for two hours afterwards. I'm looking forward to the next session! cha-cha-cha! cha-cha-cha!



Summer Challenge