Hongkongers are a miserable lot, according to the 2014 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Based on a survey of about 146,000 people aged over 15, it ranked Hong Kong 120th among 145 countries and territories, far behind Taiwan (59th), Japan (92nd) and Singapore (97th).
Just what was on the mind of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying when he said, on a number of occasions, that Hong Kong needed to strengthen its image as a "tourist city"?
People have been predicting "the death of Hong Kong" since the infamous cover story published in Fortune magazine 20 years ago warning that the prosperous days of the city would be over after the 1997 handover.
Kailash Satyarthi, who shared this year's Nobel Peace Prize with 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and for young people's rights, said in his acceptance speech.
According to Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, the new mediocre has become the new normal.
The Occupy Hong Kong movement has been with us for some time now. What came as a revelation isn't how much the protesters love democracy, but how much they hate the status quo.
Hongkongers are not known for their sophisticated understanding of the intricacies of politics. But it has always been their folk genius to know where interest lies.
Why would anyone in her right mind put herself through something like this? It's a question I can't help asking myself while watching the heroines of reality shows swearing, crying, confessing and despairing across the screen of my television.
If this is political theatre, it is time to bring down the curtain. The pan-democrats and radicals act like children determined to give everyone hell because they cannot get their favourite toy.
If you want to know how smartphones have made people less and less smart, just look around when you travel on the MTR.
