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SCMP Reporter

Be confident

Have you ever  taken part in a singing competition? Are you brave enough to tell others that you love them?

Many youngsters  lack confidence and this can be a disadvantage when competing with others, especially in this modern city.

To build confidence, teenagers should take part in  competitions like singing and speech contests.

This will help them stand up in front of other people and voice their opinions.

Y. K. Wong

Don't lose your sense of morality

In this 21st century, we live in a post-modern world.

Many people no longer believe in traditions or an underlying truth or framework like religion, family structure, or culture.

Although post-modernism has stimulated work in various academic fields,  it has serious moral consequences.

People begin to think that they can do whatever they like as there is no absolute truth.

For instance, more and more teenagers and adults believe in  pre-marital sex.

They  base decisions on how they feel, rather than  responsibility and control. They confuse true love with  infatuation.

This can lead to pre-marital pregnancy and  single-parent families.

People living in a post-modern society tend to be materialistic.

They  sport the latest fashions and trendy products.  They  change their mobile phones regularly so they have the latest  functions. Women buy brand-name clothes and  handbags and men  splash out on expensive electronic goods.

We can't avoid living in  a post-modern world. But we still have a choice as to how to behave.

We  can be chic  and  have morals.  It is important not to follow trends blindly.

Alice Li Ka-lam

Leung Shek Chee College

Don't let medical care standards slip

It costs  about $100 to receive immediate treatment  in public hospitals.

If you don't want to queue up in a public hospital and can afford a higher consultation fee, you could see a doctor in a private clinic  near your home.

If you go to a private clinic that charges a low consultation fee, however, you might be treated by a less senior doctor.

This is particularly the case at night as  junior doctors with less than four years of experience often run  the night clinics. Most of these young doctors work in  public hospitals  during the day.

There has recently been a price war  as more and more private clinics are competing for business.

Some of them not only charge $90 for the consultation fee and two days' medicine, but also run their treatment services until midnight so they can receive more patients. Since the emergency ward of public hospitals began charging $100 a few years ago, many private clinics have become more crowded.

Doctors are under an increasing amount of strain, especially at private clinics.

I am not saying that the medical service in public hospitals  is always better than at private clinics.

But doctors generally need to receive better training so that they can cope with the growing demands of their job.

Ma Chi-ho

King Ling College

Take steps to avoid triad extortion

There has been a rise in the number of extortion incidents in our school district.

In October last year, 50 incidents were reported to the police. In most cases, the victims were students, several of which came from my school.

Last Thursday afternoon, when I was walking in Victoria Park, a young man came up to me. He was about 25 years old. He told me that he is a Big Brother (triad member)  and that he needed $500 for my protection fee.

I told him that I did not have any money and  went straight to the police station.

I was lucky that I got out of the situation unharmed. But you might not be as lucky as me.

Here  are two tips on how to protect yourself.

First, if you have to walk home from school, choose a main street, avoid dark alleys and do not go alone. Don't go to games centres and parks alone.

Second, remember not to carry a lot of cash with you.

I hope my  experience reminds you of general safety measures.

Bertha Yau

What could they do?

Fourteen  Hong Kong people died in the bus crush in Egypt last week.

A man whose wife was killed in the accident said that  Hong Kong tourists passing the scene did not do anything to help the injured.  The man called these people cold-blooded.

But what could the passing tourists have done?  They couldn't get off their bus and help the injured, especially with no medical training.

I hope people show more understanding to the passing tourists and that the injured passengers recover quickly.

Wendy Choi Wing-pui

Leung Shek Chee College



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