WHAT you write may say less about you than the way you write it. To the trained eye, handwriting reveals aspects of per sonality the writer may wish to keep concealed.
There are 400 handwriting characteristics which a graphologist uses to read between the lines. Fat loops, spiky ascenders, incomplete letters, the slant of the writing, the pressure on the pen - each is as individual as a fingerprint.
It may sound like New Age gobbledegook, but graphology has become a widely respected profession in Europe, particularly in France, where 75 per cent of companies use the technique to screen job applicants and management prospects.
British graphologist and former geography lecturer Professor Alice Coleman has analysed thousands of handwriting samples, from Baroness Thatcher to forgers ('You can tell under a magnifying glass because of the number of stops a forger makes because he writes more slowly').
To test the theory during her visit to the territory last week, the Sunday Morning Post Magazine faxed her eight anonymous samples of handwriting by prominent Hong Kong personalities to analyse. Because she had only a few lines of writing and limited time, Professor Coleman was not able to do full graphological analyses. Some details were also lost in the fax transmission.
Match the handwriting and Professor Coleman's analyses to the personalities listed below, and send your answers to: Mont Blanc Handwriting Competition, Sunday Morning Post Magazine, PO Box 47, Hong Kong. Two lucky winners will receive a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck fountain pen, worth $1,930.
THE WRITERS Simon Murray, Hutchison Whampoa Emily Lau, Legislative Councillor Greenstreet Kan, columnist Willy Mark, food connoisseur John Hung, World International (Holdings) Helen Wong, Romano fashion boutiques Eddie Lau, fashion designer Sir David Akers-Jones, former chairman of the Housing Authority Writer one is work-oriented, mentally agile and has the ability to seek out new information, which he/she analyses in an ordered way and expresses in literary achievement. Is aided by an ability to cut straight to essentials and take the initiative. Can beblunt and forthright, and does not suffer fools gladly. Although this person is keenly aware of what is going on, and can cope with other people, he/she likes to work independently and without interference. Enjoys quality and style, but is a little frustrated and quite cautious, checking things thoroughly.
