There was still some littering, but the streets were relatively clean.

Also, there were recycling bins for rubbish.

However, I saw some people spitting and the toilets were dirty. The toilets were never flushed or the flush did not work.

In public places and tourist spots, people did not talk loudly or take off their socks, shoes and shirts.

There was little sign of vandalising of historic sites and public facilities.

When we got to the train station in Beijing, I felt horrible.

My classmates and I stood together and held hands tightly because many strangers walked around us and stared at us.

When the train arrived, we quickly ran into the train and then started counting to see if anyone was missing.

It was at that moment that I felt I love Hong Kong very much and I miss my family.

I wanted to go home and did not like Beijing at all.

I think everything is being done just for the Olympics, they are not doing it for their future. Is this good for Beijing?

Joey Leung Cho-yee

Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School

Efficient learning a school priority

This year, my school's priority is efficient learning and teaching. I think this is a good move.

For us, efficient learning consists of pre-lesson, lesson time and after-lesson activity.

To study efficiently, we should prepare for the next day's lesson.

We can take down notes and questions so that we can ask the teacher.

During lesson, concentration is important. We should jot down important points.

Also, we should try to answer our teacher's questions more often - this is an opportunity

for us to enhance our self-confidence.

After the lesson, we can make a conclusion and revise the day's work.

I sometimes take important notes during class, but not often.

Taking notes is very helpful. It helps me to be engaged and more focused in class.

Lee Ching-ching

Carmel Secondary School

Handover joy

Recently, the central government gave us two pandas as a gift to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's reunion with the mainland.

It is an excellent idea for Beijing to send us the pandas, since the animal is a national treasure of China.

The gift to Hong Kong embodies the principle of 'one country, two systems'.

It also raises awareness of the conservation of endangered species, such as the panda.

Apart from the gifts, activities should be organised for students, for instance, a national anthem competition and drama, slogan and poem-writing competitions.

The prize should be a free trip to the mainland to enhance students' knowledge of Chinese history.

But I definitely think the best present to Hong Kong is universal suffrage - that means we have the right to choose our chief executive.

Yuen Tak-yan

King Ling College

Uniform unsuitable

Should students wear school uniform? I don't think so.

Although the school uniform can help identify which school we attend, I still think it's not suitable for us.

To start with, we can dress more freely without the school uniform.

We are judged on our academic achievements, not on our appearance. There is no freedom of choice having to wear a uniform.

The school uniform is also unnecessarily expensive and it does not look good.

The design is boring and the material is poor. It is also old-fashioned.

If we wear a school uniform, there are many restrictions.

Casual wear expresses our personality.

It's also cheaper than the school uniform.

A Student

Our Lady of the Rosary College

Your own true rival

Have you ever felt jealous of your classmate's good results, your friend's popularity or your colleague's outstanding performance at work?

You try to do better than them, and sometimes you succeed but sometimes you fail.

There will always be people in this world who do better than us.

What can we do? We should stop competing against others. Instead, we should compete against ourselves.

Yip Wai-man

Streetball is cool

Streetball is not only a sport, but also a subculture and a way of life. It is basketball played in the streets (first started in New York) with no rules.

To non-players, it could seem that playing without rules is impossible and even dangerous.

But without the rules, it gives you the chance to create an infinite number of moves that are not allowed in organised basketball - you can create your own style.

In streetball, if you break the rules of basketball to hurt people or you don't play at a good level (you don't have good tricks and style) you will be kicked out of court.

This also happens if you are being tricked too easily by your opponent.

There is also a 'council' of old players with a good reputation that can be the judges.

Streetball is about making neat tricks to surprise the crowd and win yourself a reputation.

Streetball is very popular in the US and it is often associated with hip hop culture.

Eddy Yeung

The Chinese Foundation Secondary School

Amazing Serena

I'm amazed by tennis player Serena Williams.

She takes up challenges when no one seems to support her and even when she's injured.

To give herself the extra push, she dared to prove people wrong.

She never gives up or is affected by other people's opinion. She just trusts her instinct that she can succeed.

I ask myself if she can, why can't I?

She has taught me to live up to my dreams and not be easily affected by others.

Cheung Ho-wai

Dangers of Net life

The internet provides an easy and convenient way for us to communicate with others.

But I think it has destroyed personal relationships.

Teenagers are keen on using MSN and ICQ to find new friends.

Maybe they can have dozens of internet friends, but they are not true friends.

Without face-to-face communication, we don't know who we are talking to.

Such relationships will only remain superficial and we might meet bad people.

Being 'hooked' on the internet will make us neglect the most important people in our lives - our family.

Trista Yeung

Leung Shek Chee College