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SCMP Reporter

Chinese proverb still true today

Have you ever heard  the Chinese proverb  'Study when it is studying time; play when it is playing time'?

It means we should  allocate time for different activities, and only do those activities at that time.

If we  don't divide our time, our schoolwork will suffer.

By leaving yourself enough time to work, rest and play, you will succeed both in and out of school.

Jacky Lau Yan-lun

Chinese Foundation Secondary School

Field trip taught important lessons

Last month, we  went on a field trip  to Tung Ping Chau.

Tung Ping Chau  is really beautiful. It has many rare features. There is a unusual sort of  rock called shale. Shale is fine-grained sedimentary rock. It is  uncommon to see this type of rock in cities.

I also saw some interesting sea creatures such as sea urchins, sea cucumbers and crabs.

We  ate our lunch on  a big rock called Kang Lau Shek.  It is  nearly 8 metres tall. Sitting on the rock, I  was able to enjoy the blue sky and cool breeze. It was really comfortable and relaxing.

The trip taught me a lot about geography. It also made me think about our environment. We need to work hard to preserve Tung Ping Chau, this beautiful island.

Joel Cheng Ka-ki

PLK 1983 Board of Directors' College

Superstitions can be dangerous

I  write in response to 'Keep fruit, placards off substitute wishing tree, say officials' (SCMP, March 15).

The government has taken action to protect  the tree  named as the new 'wishing tree' at Hang Ha Po village.

The original wishing tree in Lam Tsuen was dying after being damaged  by people throwing wishes at it.

In my opinion, I think the government is doing too little, too late.  They already let the Lam Tsuen tree be destroyed.

People have started throwing fruit with wishes attached at the Hang Ha Po tree. Although the fruit has been removed, the insects the fruit attracted may be in the tree already, destroying it.

I think it is important to realise that superstition can be dangerous.

Not only do people rely on their superstitions, and believe that they can really bring them good or bad luck, but they can be damaging to the environment.

Lai Miu-sum

Tsuen Wan Public Ho

Chuen Yiu Memorial College

A symbol of love

I have a pipa at home but I haven't played it for nearly a year. I  keep it in my mum and dad's bedroom. Whenever I see it,  I think about  what happened in Primary Six.

I  was going to play the pipa  in a competition that was part of the school music festival.

I practised every day before the competition. I tried very hard but  I wasn't very good. I wanted to give up.

But my mother encouraged me to try my best. And she helped me  practise and gave me helpful comments.

I felt how much my mother loved me, and this made me want to try again.

When I finally played in the competition, I was the second  runner-up. I felt  so happy.  My mum's love and encouragement had helped me do well.

So when I  see the pipa at home every day, even though I don't play it, I  remember how much my mum loves me.

Christy Chan Hiu-yan

A successful teacher

I think a successful teacher should be  kind and polite.  He or she must always smile  and not  get angry.

I will give you an example. I think Miss Rebecca Chan is a successful teacher. She is beautiful and has a pretty smile. She always smiles and she never punishes me when I  do something wrong.

She is really kind and I can talk  to her  as a friend.

She taught me English last year. When I forgot to bring my book, she  wouldn't punish me. She  just told me to bring it  next time. She is very understanding.

She is patient.  She will always give us extra time for assignments if we need it.  And she will spend the time answering all of our questions.

She also takes care  of us.  When my English quiz results were low, she talked to me, and made me realise I could do better time.

She is a clever teacher. She  makes people happy and everybody likes her.

I think she is  the most successful teacher in the school.

Chan Wan-yi

SKH Lam Kau Mow Secondary School

Waste not want not

Most of my classmates order lunch boxes at school. However, only a few  people   finish them.

Over 50 per cent of them  eat only half of the food and then throw  the rest away. The uneaten food will  be  taken to land fills.

These students do not finish their lunch boxes because  they are bored of the flavour.

But do they  think about  people who  have no food?

A lack of food is common in many developing countries.  People  die of starvation.   We are very lucky  as we don't have to worry  about having enough food.

We should treasure all we have and remind others not to waste food.

Renice Cheung

Put others first

One morning recently, I  woke up  late, so I was hurrying to school.

When I arrived at  the MTR station, I saw a little girl crying and I thought she may have  been lost.

I hesitated whether or not I should help her:  if I helped her, I  would be late for school.

As I was  deciding what to do, I saw another girl from my school  take her to the customer service and  ask for help.

When I arrived at school, I was not late.  As I arrived I saw  the other girl rushing toward the school entrance. Luckily, she wasn't late either.

That girl is a kind person: she helped people without considering her own problems.

This  may seem like a small incident, but  not many people these days  act without thinking about themselves first.

I think we should learn from her and help  people in need.

As the world  becomes more complicated, and people  become alienated from one another,  being helpful and considerate will make the world  a better place.

Tam Yu

Our Lady of the Rosary College

No to plastic surgery

Many people think that cosmetic surgery is a good idea.

But I don't believe it is.

Everywhere you look, there are adverts for slimming companies.

Everywhere you go, people hand you leaflets for treatments that are meant to make you look more beautiful.

Even very young people wonder whether they can get plastic surgery to make them slimmer, or prettier.

They spend a lot of money on trying to look 'perfect'.

But these  procedures can have  side effects.

For example,  some products may cause allergic reactions. Others have even been shown to cause cancer.

What is the point of risking your health to look like a doll?

We are all meant to look different and unique. Plastic surgery creates clones.

Besides, I think everyone is  beautiful when they smile.

Find the self-confidence to believe that you are beautiful.

Agnes Fan Lai-lam

TWGHs Li Ka Shing College



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