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Don't use history to read Japan's tragedy
Although the Japan earthquake and tsunami destroyed many people's homes and families, the Japanese stayed calm in the midst of this nightmare and did not panic. Instead, they helped others who were in need of food and shelter.
TVB interviewed a Chinese student who was being evacuated from Tokyo. The girl said she was trapped on the rooftop of a school with some Japanese and everyone was desperate for a telephone to tell their families not to worry about them, but only two phones were available.
She was deeply touched when the Japanese let her use one of the phones first. It shows that the Japanese are considerate even when they are suffering.
I have also heard the Japanese stood in a queue and waited for a convenience store to open. Why were they still behaving well even when the city was in chaos? If this had happened in Hong Kong, would we have helped one another like the Japanese did? This shows the nation has good manners.
Someone might say this disaster is punishment for Japan's invasion of China during the second world war and the seizure of the Diaoyu Islands. They say that the Japanese did wrong and this is what they deserve.
I have to admit that they killed a lot of Chinese in the past, but we should not use history to read the tragedy.
In the past, Japan adopted an expansionist policy and invaded other countries, killing Chinese people in the Nanking Massacre. But the atrocities were committed by past generations. The present generations are innocent and should not be blamed.
The current catastrophe wiped out lives and homes. The Japanese need our help and support. 'Go and help those brothers in need' - this is what the Bible says.
Angus Chow Tsz-shing, CNEC Christian College
Give your best in whatever you do
Behind one minute of performance on stage are 10 years of hard work off stage, as a Chinese saying goes.
A 15-year-old student scored the highest grade in an international examination in English. This student studied at Island School and took the Cambridge IGCSE First Language English exam last year. He sat the English language paper and 10 other subjects, and got straight A*s for all of them. His achievement proves that if you work hard enough, you can do anything.
In many stories of success, one only sees the person's moment of glory. Yet, his story of struggling to achieve success is what's most touching.
The road to success is not easy. I believe that 15-year-old student put a lot of effort into studying for the papers. Taking the Cambridge exam is no easy task, yet he has come out tops even though he is from an ordinary school. This shows hard work, not good fortune, is essential for achieving success.
Success may be gone in the blink of an eye, yet the efforts we put in are long-lasting. The harder we try, the happier we become. Life is made up of unending struggles. We should make every effort to achieve our dreams and live meaningful lives. Whatever we do, we should give our best; even if we fail in the end, it's good enough - at least we did our best.
Viki Leung, Pooi To Middle School
Market's 'notorious' label a shame
As the name 'Ladies Market' implies, the place sells women's products such as clothes, accessories, towels and small rugs. But the US recently labelled it a 'notorious market' for selling fake and pirated goods.
The label is shameful for Hong Kong. It destroys our reputation of a 'shopping paradise'. But the vendors do not care and claim to be just doing their job.
They say the economy is bad and selling designs similar to brand-name products help boost sales.
But this kind of attitude is irresponsible. For example, a football jersey with an adidas logo costs only HK$80 at the Ladies Market, while the real thing may cost five times more.
Brand-name designers spend a lot of time creating their products. It is unfair for our vendors to copy them.
We should boycott fake products. I hope the 'notorious market' label will disappear very soon.
Ng Kit-ying, Jockey Club Ti-I College
