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P. ii

CCOONNTTEENNTTss

PPrreeffaaccee bbyy MMrrss CChhaann YYeeuunngg MMeeii HHaayy

FFoorreewwoorrdd bbyy MMss TTssaaii LLiinn FFuunngg

AAccttiioonn ttoo ccrraacckk ddoowwnn oonn PPiirraaccyy bbyy 66BB DDeenniissee CChheeuunngg**

BBaadd PPeeooppllee hhaavvee aa BBaadd EEnndd bbyy 33CC AAnniittaa LLuukk

CCoommppllaaiinnttss aabboouutt MMyy NNeeiigghhbboouurr bbyy 22CC AAtthheennaa CChhaann

DDuukkee ooff DDeevviill bbyy 22CC AAnniittaa LLuukk **

EEvveerryytthhiinngg iiss aallrriigghhtt eexxcceepptt ………… bbyy 33CC AAnniittaa LLuukk

FFuunn wwiitthh KKiiddss bbyy 33CC CCrryyssttaall KKwwaann

GGrruummbbllee aabboouutt NNooiissee bbyy 22DD EEmmiillyy CChhaann

HHeellppiinngg KKeellllyy CChhaann bbyy 22CC YYaannnnii HHoo

IInnvviinncciibbllee JJaann bbyy 33CC SSaammaanntthhaa CChhuunngg

JJooyyffuull DDaayy wwiitthh NNiiccoollee KKiiddmmaann bbyy 44CC JJaanneett LLiinngg

KKaaiissiittii bbyy 22CC CCaatthheerriinnee YYeeuunngg **

LLiiffee oonn aann UUnnddiissccoovveerreedd IIssllaanndd bbyy 33CC CCaatthheerriinnee YYeeuunngg

MMooddeell ooff DDaanniieell VVoossoovviicc bbyy 22CC KKaatthhyy LLuuii

Noises made by Neighbours by 2E Joanne Cheung

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* written in 04-05

P. 23Outstanding Witch by 3C Karen Chong

Proposal for the ‘Celebrity of the Year’ by 4A Kimmy Ma

Quizzical Claire by 1E Angelica Au Yeung, Sharon Yip, Wendy Lam,

Macy Chan & Cindy Lam

Rules for Making Friends by 2E Anita Fong

Spending a day with Kids by 3C Joyce Tse

Tuesday with Lohan by 4A Tiffany Tang

Unforgettable Day with Twins by 4D Diana Chan

Very Passionate Man – Jay Chou by 4E Yuki Tsang

Weight Problem by 2C Stephy Chung

Xtremely Happy Time with Britney Spears by 4E Stephanie Yim

Youth Will Fade by 4E Vivian Chau

Zealous Helen Lee by 4E Mildred Chan

Words from the Editors by 2C Hailey Wai

Editorial Board

Acknowledgements

Preface

We are glad to present here the second volume of students’ English writing. Our school aims to enhance students’ language proficiency and has been providing them with abundant opportunities to develop their language potential. Publishing students’ writing is an integral part of the school’s endeavors to create a language rich environment. These beautiful short essays were written within a time limit as most of them were writing tasks during the final examination of the previous year. The young writers appearing in this volume with their essays therefore all deserve our special appreciation and recognition. We sincerely hope that we will meet them again, and many more others, in our future volumes as we continue to promote the reading and writing culture in school.

Mrs Chan Yeung Mei hay

Principal

P. i

Foreword

Nothing is like writing – it attacks without a sword. Denise Cheung used just 700 words and she was able to criticize more than 70,000 Hong Kong people (or more) who bought pirated CDs. She did not even need to confront them face-to-face! I was especially impressed by her sensitivity to social evils. Nothing is like writing – it sooths pain. You’ll be happy to know there are true friends like Samantha Chung, who will stand up for us against bullies; and friends like Anita Fong and Stephy Chung, who really care when we have problems. Nothing is like writing – it creates a different world and makes dreams come true. Anita Luk wrote there are handsome devils in our world and we believe someday we’ll meet one. Stephanie Yim, Vivian Chau, Diana Chan, Yuki Tsang and Kathy Lui said they spent some time with their favourite stars and we believe it happened. Writing sometimes makes our hair stand on end! Catherine Yeung has an uncle who murdered his wife, put wriggling leeches into Catherine’s nose and made the bathtub bleed! One of Anita Luk’s girl friends provoked her boyfriend(s) to beat her because she wanted an accidental miscarriage, and it turned out that the baby’s father was her own father! Will you not gasp at their imagination? I also admire the well-thought twists in the tail of their stories! These young writers’ ability to put thoughtful ideas in a logical and cohesive structure within an extremely limited exam span is really amazing. And without doubt, those beautiful lively expressions like ‘feel the crisp wind slashing my face’, ‘my face flushed crimson’, ‘Youth will fade’ ... are manifestation of the writers’ reading habit, without which, nobody will make a good writer. P.ii

May I take the chance to express my sincere thanks to all teachers from the English Department for selecting and contributing their students’ good work to this publication? Of course, I will not forget all members of the Editorial Board for reviewing and typing out the articles. Special thanks are also due to the two very creative illustrators, Catherine Wong and Anita Luk, for producing all the vivid illustrations and graphic design, and the three speakers, Janet Ling, Joyce Shum and Floria Ong, for doing the recordings in the electronic version. I am also grateful to Ms Gail Dengate and Ms Angela Jackson for their careful proofreading of the manuscripts. Last but not least, I must thank Mrs Chan for her kind support in publishing students’ writings. Without the help of any of the parties mentioned, this publication would remain an unfulfilled dream. Most of the writings in this publication are compositions students wrote in the 2005-2006 Final Writing Exam. The publication provides a space for imagination to fly. So, follow in your peers’ foot steps, feel, think and take up a pen! I look forward to seeing more unfamiliar names in other issues.

Ms Tsai Lin Fung

Chief Editor

P. iii

AAccttiioonn ttoo ccrraacckk ddoowwnn oonn PPiirraaccyy bbyy 0044--0055 66BB DDeenniissee CChheeuunngg

High Time for Action

Walk past some streets in Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan and you will in all likelihood see people who sell and buy pirated CDs and fake brand-name goods; flip through magazines and newspapers and you are bound to see that the number of people who download music illegally from the internet is still soaring regardless of the government’s warning. The prevalence of infringement of intellectual property rights is so serious a problem that it warrants our grave concern. Let us examine the causes of the problem thoroughly before we discuss the ways to crack down on piracy. The reasons to which the rampant infringement of piracy can be attributed are threefold: low price of pirated goods, social influence and lack of controls. First of all, many people succumb to the low price of pirated goods; in consequence, they choose to buy fake products instead of genuine ones. The price of a pirated CD is only one-tenth of that of a genuine one, and although the quality of fake goods is lower than that of real ones, they can tempt many people into purchasing them since most people do not seek high quality goods. In consequence, thousands of people ignore intellectual property rights and choose to purchase fake products. ‘Everyone buys fake products!’ Why shouldn’t I?’ some think. Disregard of intellectual property rights is so common that many ignorant people tend to choose to buy fake products due to social influence. Teenagers, who are at a tender age, are more easily affected by their peers. As a result, it has become a prevailing belief that infringement of intellectual property does not matter and it is just as normal as buying goods at reasonable prices. More and more people conform to the norm; thus, a lamentable phenomenon results.

P. 1

According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Council, the lack of laws banning the purchase of fake products leads to too strong a temptation for people to resist. ‘The government does not seem to care about intellectual property rights as no action is taken! Why should I care about it?’ ‘It is not an illegal act for me to buy one or two fake products!’ many people hold this belief. So, there exist many citizens who buy counterfeit products under the pretext that this act is legal. Infringement of intellectual property can lead to catastrophic consequences. The decline of moral standards may damage the reputation of Hong Kong. In addition, the creative industries will suffer a lot because the producers and designers can no longer earn a living by producing genuine products. As a result, not only are inventors adversely affected, but also the citizens because there will be no new songs composed and no special goods, manufactured. As the situation is deteriorating, we should not turn a blind eye to it any more. There are lots of things which need to be done. As a first step, the government should adopt stringent measures to crack down on piracy. Not only should the ones who sell pirated goods be punished, but also those who buy fake products. They should be fined no matter how many fake products they have bought. More frequent raids on factories and inspections at notorious black spots should be carried out as well. These measures ought to be put in place promptly in a bid to crack down on piracy. For the sake of tackling the root of the problem, education is a must. The government should send professionals to schools to give talks on intellectual property rights. Evidently, schools should take the initiative in implanting the importance of intellectual property rights into students’ minds. Interesting activities can be organized so as to draw students’ attention to the seriousness of the problem of infringement of intellectual property. Parents also have a role to play. Without a doubt, they should take the lead in buying genuine products. Only in this way can youngsters realize the importance of protecting intellectual property rights.

P. 2

It is obvious to everyone that the time has now come for the government to embark on the implementation of plans aimed at cracking down on piracy, and for citizens to be cooperative with those plans. As the old saying goes, ‘Union is strength’. With our collective endeavours, piracy will be suppressed in the foreseeable future.

Logan Pearsall Smith: What I like in a good author isn't what he says, but what he whispers.

P. 3

BBaadd PPeeooppllee hhaavvee aa BBaadd EEnndd bbyy 0055--0066 33CC AAnniittaa LLuukk

(Scene 1: Two students talking in a school corridor)

Martin: Tong, can I tell you a secret? Promise you won’t tell anyone. Tony: OK, sure, what is it? Martin: Well, this morning, I think Timmy stole the questions for Mr Lee’s English compo paper next week. Tony: Really? Tell me what happened. Martin: This morning, I arrived at school early and found Mr Chan because I

wanted to ask him some questions. But then, I saw Timmy secretly take away a piece of paper when he walked past Mr Lee’s desk.

Tony: How did you know it was the test paper? Martin: That’s why I’m telling you. I think we should confirm it by asking him. Tony: Yes! If it is, we’ll tell Mr Lee. (Scene 2: In the classroom) Martin: Timmy, I saw you in the staffroom this morning. Did you steal the

English Compo test paper? Timmy: (shocked) I…I…I was just…… (Martin sees something hidden behind Timmy and quickly grabs it.) Martin: The questions! Timmy, you can’t get away with cheating! Tony, let’s

tell Mr Lee at lunch time. (The bell rings) (Scene 3: Tony and Timmy in the toilet.) Tony: (whispering) Timmy, I know how you feel. You’re brave to get the test

paper! Timmy: (embarrassed) What do you want? Tony: I know a secret about Martin. If you share the paper with me, I’ll tell you.

And then we can threaten Martin not to tell anybody. Timmy: (hesitates for a while) Good! (Scene 4: At lunch time) Tony: Martin, come here. Martin: Let’s go to see Mr Lee. Tony: (coolly) No, I’m not going. If you tell Mr Lee about the paper, I’ll also

tell him that you have a game boy in your drawer. P. 4

Martin: (shocked) How come you—I understand, Timmy shared the paper with you! No! I’ll tell Mr Lee that you and Timmy did it together.

(Scene 5: Martin goes to the staff room, but Tony and Timmy are already there.) Mr Lee: Martin. I’m now going to check your drawer. They told me you have

a game boy in the classroom. (Tony gives a smile to Timmy) Martin: (not worried at all) Fine.

(Scene 6: Mr Lee, Timmy, Tony and Martin in the classroom.) Mr Lee: (checking Martin’s drawer) No game boy? Timmy and Tony, what

are you two doing? (angry) (Timmy secretly steps on Tony’s foot.) Tony: (shocked and nervous) I…I…don’t know. Martin really got--- Martin: (satisfied) See? I’m innocent. But Mr Lee, someone here is guilty. Oh,

somebody here is guilty. Mr Lee: (puzzled) What? You three are suspicious! Martin: (smiles) Timmy and Tony took the Eng Compo test paper and Tony

has a game boy in the drawer. (After checking Tony and Timmy’s drawer) Mr Lee: (holding the test paper and the game boy) This should not be the behaviour of good students. Timmy: (nearly crying) I’m sor… sorry. Mr L--- Mr Lee: Shut up! How dare you! Tony: Mr Lee! Martin put that in my drawer. It’s not mine! Mr Lee: Stop! You two, come to the staff room with me. I need to contact your

parents. (furious) (Tony and Timmy go away with Mr Lee. Martin is satisfied) Martin: (happily) Bad people have a bad end!

P. 5

CCoommppllaaiinnttss aabboouutt MMyy NNeeiigghhbboorr bbyy 0055--0066 22CC AAtthheennaa CChhaann

Dear Sir,

I am writing to complain about the noise pollution made by my neighbor, Mr. Ho. Since Mr. Ho moved into his flat, I have never had a comfortable sleep because of the deafening noise. Every night, starting at nine thirty, he has a party with his friends. First of all, they play mahjong until eleven thirty. Of course, they make a lot of noise when they are playing it. I seem to be living in a construction site where machines are making a loud noise. Secondly, they turn on the hi-hi loudly and sing karaoke for half an hour. They clap their hands, stamp their feet and scream loudly. I think they are like fierce tigers and lions roaring all night. It’s terrible! I can’t sleep. Thirdly, they start to drink beer at twelve. They bang on the wall and move the furniture noisily after they get drunk. They will not be silent until three o’clock. The noise is deafening. I can’t put up with my neighbor, Mr. Ho, anymore. I am unable to go to sleep until three. I am getting thinner and thinner and I can’t concentrate on my work both because I only sleep for four hours every night and I am like a panda with dark black circles around my eyes. I have tried to ask Mr. Ho to lower the noise they make because it’s really disturbing. However, he replied rudely and said that is his right to hold a party and play loudly after midnight. He also said that he had lots of ‘pressure’ and needed to ‘relax’. I think their behavior is really inconsiderate. They don’t care about other people’s feelings. They build their happiness on other people’s sadness. I would be grateful if you could look into the matter and take action immediately. Yours faithfully, Wendy

P. 6

DDuukkee ooff DDeevviill bbyy 0055--0066 33CC AAnniittaa LLuukk

I am doing illegal things right now. I am dressed like a woman,

walking into the women’ toilet. It’s so sad that I have lost the game and my friends have forced me to have the punishment of walking once into the women’s toilet. I push the door, Goodness! There is a dying man lying there! He is right there on the wet floor, in some dirty trendy clothes. “How can such a young man be lying in a girls’ toilet? I’m going to call 999,”I think. Suddenly, the man looks up. On his handsome face, his gorgeous smoky eyes are staring at me, filled with sorrow. I get jealous, I know that girls will scream when they see such a painful but extraordinarily handsome man, so I’m not going to call 999. He speaks up, “Hi, pretty girl. Would you please do me a flavour?” Bad boy. He’s alright. He’s just lying here to attract every single girl. “Surely not.” I’m not gay. I stand up and want to leave. The punishment is over. He stands up too. “Never mind. This is the last one.” He holds my neck and gives it a painful bite. No! He is a mad man! I push him away, but there is already a bite on my neck! He opens his popping eyes wide and stares at me in confusion. Pop! He disappears! A roll of paper is rolling on the floor.

TO: THE DUKE OF DEVIL REASON: TEAR THE CLOTHES OF LORD OF EVIL PUNISHMENT: KILL 1,000 YOUNG GIRLS IN THE WORLD WITHIN 10 MILLION YEARS *NEVER HAVE BOYS TO REPLACE GIRLS, OR YOU WILL NEVER GO BACK TO HELL LORD OF EVIL

I just can’t believe it! That handsome man was “The Duke of Devil”? I

guess more girls can be attracted if he is handsome, so he made himself that handsome. So, I have just seen a GHOST! Yeah! I love it! P. 7

Samuel Lover:

When once the itch of literature comes over a man,

nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen.

I pick up the roll of paper as a gift the Duke of Devil gave me. The Duke of Devil, nice name!

P. 8

EEvveerryytthhiinngg iiss aallrriigghhtt eexxcceepptt …….. bbyy 0055--0066 33CC AAnniittaa LLuukk

Dear Candy,

How are you? Everything’s alright in Canada? I’m just writing to tell you about an event that happened recently and that deeply depressed me. I want your advice! This Monday morning, when I was on my way to school, I discovered that Ingrid, the tallest girl in my class, was being bullied! There were two boys holding wooden sticks, beating her hard. I was extremely shocked so I went to stop them. There, at the corner of the street, I started to argue with them. You won’t believe this! When I was shouting that they shouldn’t have bullied a girl whatever she had done, one of them cried out that she had betrayed them and stolen all their savings! I mean, Ingrid had relationships with both of them and used this to steal their money. I just couldn’t imagine Ingrid doing this! Suddenly, she fainted and there was blood coming from her dress. Then I wondered, “Oh no, Ingrid isn’t pregnant!” One of the boys asked, “Is this yours?” The other answered, “I…I don’t know.” At that moment, I was so furious as they were so irresponsible! But I suppressed my anger and calmly called the ambulance. You don’t think Ingrid is like this, do you? Let me continue. About one hour later, four of us were at the hospital. Ingrid was in bed. I became the witness and the boys were suspected of having sex with an underage girl. After the boys had left for the police station, the doctor told me that she had miscarried. I felt very sorry for Ingrid and her baby. In order to soothe her, I decided to buy some food for her first. Having bought some fruit, I went back to the hospital. Ingrid was still lying in bed, saying nothing and staring at the wall. Candy, I must say that Ingrid is very desperate. Suddenly she said she was very down and wanted someone to talk to. “Jan, you know? The baby is my dad’s.” “Oh my god, you must be lying.” She looked at me sadly, “I went along with them just to get money to…to get rid of the baby.” “No! Your father! This is—” “Ssh—don’t tell anyone. Keep this secret, ok?” There was a long silence. “Ok.” I don’t want to do this! But I thought there should be something else. “Actually, I am happy that they have beaten me. Now I don’t have to use the money, and my father can be protected.” I gave her a hug and she cried. Candy, I am very P. 9

frustrated! Next week the boys will be in court. Should I tell the secret or keep it? I don’t know what to do! Please write back to me immediately! I want your advice.

Take Care, Jan

P. 10

FFuunn WWiitthh KKiiddss bbyy 0055--0066 33CC CCrryyssttaall KKwwaann

What did you do during the summer holidays? For me, my neighbor asked

me to look after her two small children for a day. It was really an unforgettable day spent with those two kids. At first, I believed that looking after kids would be no trouble at all. But, I was absolutely wrong! That afternoon, I went to my neighbor’s house, and I rang the doorbell, but nobody answered. I tried again but the same thing happened. When trying to knock on the door, I discovered that the door was unlocked, so I entered the house. “Hello,” I said but nobody answered. I tired to search for the two kids. After the whole house had been searched, I finally opened the door of their parents’ bedroom. I was shocked by what I saw. The two kids were drawing on the wall happily. “Stop!” I told them to stop drawing but they laughed at me, “Ha ha! Don’t you think this is the most beautiful drawing you’ve ever seen?” Not knowing what to do, I answered with a fake smile, “Oh yes. But shall we clean the wall now? I think your parents will scold you if they see this wonderful picture?” “No! We want to eat something now, cook for us! ,” replied the kids. So, I prepared lunch for them. They seemed to be very quiet when they started to eat. But after a minute, they started playing with the food! They threw the food here and there, and on my face! “Oh my god!” I shouted in disbelief. “How come you are so naughty,” I thought. I didn’t want to clean the house but I had to. I thought I must do something to stop them from being so naughty and dirty. I gave them some sweets and told them, “Good kids, I’m giving you some candies. So can you promise me not to be so naughty?” The two kids smiled. Afterwards, I helped them to bathe. The kids were so naughty as they turned on the shower and the bathroom was all wet. Being so tired and careless, I slipped and fell. I got all my clothes wet. In the end, the two mischievous children helped me to change my clothes. I was pleased because they finally behaved like normal kids.

It was fun spending the day with the two children. I learned how to look after children and, of course, how kind and naughty kids could be!

P. 11

Rudyard Kipling:

Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.

P. 12

GGrruummbbllee aabboouutt NNooiissee bbyy 0055--0066 22DD EEmmiillyy CChhaann

Dear Sir,

I am writing to complain about the noise pollution in Shek Po Street. I have been disturbed by loud noises late at night from my neighbour. Every night about eleven o’clock, my neighbour has a party, especially playing mah-jong, which makes a deafening noise, just like a banging sound. This noise makes it hard for me to sleep. Also, they do not just play mah-jong. They talk very loudly. Sometimes they sing karaoke loudly. I have put up with them over a period of time. The most serious thing is the knocking on the wall. When it is almost twelve o’clock, they like to drink beer. But they always get drunk. At this moment, they are even louder and do things such as shouting, laughing, screaming and knocking on the wall, etc. Once, I saw a drunk man throw the beer bottles out of the window, while the other men were laughing and clapping. A few minutes later they all threw bottles out of the window. Luckily no one got hurt. At night, I try to sleep while listening to their hi-fi, but I find that it is impossible. Because the hi-fi is too loud, I am afraid that I have to see a doctor because of my ears. Since they have parties, I can’t sleep until midnight. Once, while I was working at the office, I fell asleep. My boss was not pleased about that. I couldn’t stand it any more. So I decided to talk with them. Unfortunately, I failed. Finally, I am writing this letter. I would be grateful if you could look into the matter and take action immediately.

Yours faithfully, Wendy

P. 13

HHeellppiinngg KKeellllyy CChhaann bbyy 0055--0066 22CC YYaannnnii HHoo

‘Oh! What a sunny day!’ I yelled as I was walking along the street. The sun

was shining so brightly that I could hardly open my eyes. But strangely, there was nobody on the street except me. Maybe it was because the weather was too hot. But suddenly, I heard someone running up behind me. The sound was getting closer and closer. A voice suddenly said ‘Excuse me, can you help me, please?’ And I looked over my shoulder and saw a beautiful girl standing behind me. She was the famous pop star—KELLY CHAN! The girl I dreamed of every night! I was shocked almost to speechlessness. I was totally expressionless but then I saw her shedding tears. ‘Why? Why are you crying?! For what reason?’ I asked tenderly, ‘Please help me!’ she cried. ‘Yes, yes! I will!’ ‘This morning, I was jogging with my dog in that park. But then for some obscure reason, my dog suddenly ran to the road and a car smashed into my dog! The driver just left us without a word. I really can’t find any help! Please, please help me!’ She burst into tears. I took her hand and rushed to the road she mentioned without a second thought. And I saw a lot of blood on the ground! I felt really dizzy and breathless! But I plucked up my courage and walked towards the dying dog which was lying down in the road. The dog had bled a lot. ‘The dog has already died,’ I thought in sadness. But I couldn’t tell Kelly as the truth was too cruel for her to bear! ‘Everything will be alright,’ I said to her with a wry smile. And I dialed 999 for her. A car arrived soon and took Kelly and her dog away from me. But I still remember her teary smile and her words ’’Thank you’’ when she got into the car. Her ’’ Thank you’’ filled my brain. I was lost in thought because I knew I had not helped her at all. I felt so helpless. But, I still wanted to persevere with her until the last moment. I looked up into the sky. The sun painted a guilty orange sky. And I just wanted to bathe in the twilight and throw away the painful feeling inside the deepest part of my heart. Will her teary smile ever fade away in my memory? I am sure it won’t.

P. 14

IInnvviinncciibbllee JJaann bbyy 0055--0066 33CC SSaammaanntthhaa CChhuunngg

Dear Candy,

Hello! Long time no see. How are you? Do you enjoy your school life? Actually, I’m writing to describe an incident that happened yesterday. I found that I was really brave! Yesterday morning, when I was going to school as usual, I heard a loud noise, something like a squawk. I stopped to look around. Then, I was shocked. I saw my classmate, Natalie, being bullied by two boys! Those boys gave me a really bad impression. They were gangsters, I think, with golden hair, many rings in their ears, and their clothing was extremely untidy. The knife held by one of them was pointing at Natalie. I was frightened at that moment. All of a sudden, a scene from a TV programme came to my mind. The condition was just like mine. But the character in that TV programme was calm enough to think. When I was watching that, I couldn’t help thinking what I would do if I were the character. I didn’t know why, but I was suddenly full of courage. I cried, ‘The police are coming! Run!’ The gangsters were quite foolish and they immediately threw away the knife and escaped. How clever and lucky I was! After that, I ran to Natalie and grinned at her. She was scared and couldn’t react. I nodded to her and said, ‘It’s alright now. You are safe. But one thing, you have to have lunch with me to thank me.’ ‘No problem! I used to have lunch alone but now, I have a companion!’ she said, grinning at me too. You know, helping others is absolutely wonderful! I was delighted, not because of my ‘courage’, but because of Natalie. I ‘rescued’ her and became her friend! I think you should take me as your model! Haha! Lastly, I want to say, I miss you very much! When will you come to Hong Kong? If you come to Hong Kong, I will provide a ‘hotel-like’ service for you. Want it or not? I’m looking forward to seeing you! Write to me as soon as possible. Best wishes Jan

P. 15

JJooyyffuull DDaayy wwiitthh NNiiccoollee KKiiddmmaann bbyy 0055--0066 44CC JJaanneett LLiinngg

I just couldn’t believe that I was lucky enough to win a competition in

this famous music magazine. And I couldn’t imagine myself having a precious chance to spend a day with my favourite actress－Nicole Kidman. She was the star that I had always dreamed of. On that special day, in the morning, I received a phone call. And when I picked up the phone, I screamed “Oh! My god! ” It was my dream star calling me (I could definitely recognize her voice from the second she spoke the first word). Then, when I opened the door, Nicole Kidman was there in the car, right in front of my house, smiling at me warmly. She then drove me to her house and we had breakfast. In the afternoon, I had a little interview with her. I told her that I was really impressed by her acting and singing in “Moulin Rouge” for which she had been nominated for the best actress award in the Oscars last year. She then taught me how to act and sing in a natural way. At the end of the day, I felt Nicole Kidman was very friendly and easy-going. She was a very talented actress, yet very humble which is very different from some other actresses in Hollywood. All in all, we both had a great time!

P. 16

Ivan Levison:

When your writing is filled with detail, it has

a lot more impact.

KKaaiissiittii bbyy 0044--0055 22CC CCaatthheerriinnee YYeeuunngg

I am called Kaisiti and I used to live with my beloved grandmother in

a small village called Jumsabille in Jakarta, Indonesia. Like many other seven-year olds, I am just an ordinary cheerful child and I am no different from my peers. However, about a couple of years ago, something horrifying happened to me……That day, as I remember, started with a brilliant morning and it was breezy. So I had a walk with my dog in the garden of our house. Surprisingly, the dog barked at a palm tree which was constantly growing! I followed him and looked into the matter because once my friend told me dogs can see things which humans can’t see. To my surprise, as I came to it, I thought that was very common in the natural environment. Not long after the next day, as I woke up, I felt something crawling in my nose and it made it hard for me to breathe. Therefore, I dashed into the washroom to see what had happened. I looked into the mirror. Scared and surprised, I saw many leeches attaching themselves tightly to my nose and they were sucking my blood! That explained why my nose kept bleeding before! Some time later, all parts of my body were itchy! My hands, my toes, even my eyeballs, tongue and teeth! Yuck! But the horror had just started…… Then, the blood vessels started to be seen clearly in my eyeballs. Meanwhile, they bulged and they nearly popped out. Suddenly, the washroom was full of steam. I knew I had to get help somehow. I tried to open the door but it was locked. I tried to scream for help (my great grandma was at home) but there was no response. I was trapped in the steamy washroom. My heart pounded so that the blood seemed to be stopped in my veins. As I was thinking of some ways to get out of it, I felt something like needles stinging my whole body. I was fed up. Then I shouted, like the roaring of a wild lion, muttering why my grandma hadn’t come to me. I lost my temper. I scratched the bath tub hard with my fingernails and I acted like a Godzilla. To my surprise, there was a scratch on the tub and soon it started to bleed! At the same time, someone wrote the sentence “Saya Rini, dorout atkou” with steam on the mirror. In English, it means “I am Rini. Please help me.” I was so scared that I reeled back. After a few minutes, my great grandma dashed into the washroom and helped me to get out. I wanted to say something, but no words came out. Instead, I just gave an affectionate hug and hung my mouth open wide. Grandma brought me to our garden and came to our palm tree immediately. She poured some water into the soil. She told me my uncle P. 17

murdered his wife and was executed by the High Court, then he was buried there. She explained to me maybe he was dehydrated underneath and he hoped someone could help him. Therefore, he did such things to alert me. I also told all the mysterious things to her. The next morning, all was gone. The palm tree started to grow green. Now, most of the things in my childhood are blurred or lost somewhere in the mists of memory. However, this cannot be lost. Although all was gone now, the memory of it will always stay with me and the spirit of my uncle (though he was very evil) will be precious in my heart!

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I am Joseph, an American-born teenager who loves exploring nature

and always goes on trips. I am not afraid of anything and I am always proud of myself for being a hero. However, not long ago, something unforgettable happened to me. It’s still recurring in my memory… Last month, I boarded a ship with my friends, starting our 3-month journey to Iceland. However, that night, there was a sudden storm. There was the rumbling of thunder and the sky was covered by dull clouds. I could feel the crisp wind slashing my face. Then there was an enormous downpour. We all got drenched! Eventually, I am sad to say all my friends were drowned or were pulled down by the whirlpools in the sea. I plucked up the courage to jump into the sea. Holding my breath, I swam frantically, hoping to get ashore. In the meantime, I was filled with a wave of panic. Fortunately, my wish was granted – I had got ashore on an unknown and undiscovered island. It was deserted. I went back to the ship’s wreckage, which was all littered with the bodies of my friends, and picked up my own stuff: some string, a torch and a large white sheet. There was not a single cloud to be seen in the sky and there were also seagulls gliding in the blue sky. The sand glittered under the sun. It felt like cotton when stepping on it. I looked around at my surroundings. Suddenly, I found something lurking behind the bushes and its emerald eyes were gleaming. It attracted me like a powerful magnet and I peered at it. A bunny emerged. ‘Wow! I am starving!’ I muttered to myself with great delight. I kept spying on my prey, waiting for a chance to snatch it. Then, I set up a fire and grilled it for lunch. For the next few days, I ate coconuts and bananas for my food. However, there was less and less food and I started to grow hungrier and hungrier, weaker and weaker. I nearly died of starvation, and I felt depressed. At that moment, a helicopter flew overhead. A hope flickered in my head. I quickly grabbed my white sheet, and shrieked for help. Then, a rope was lowered and I clung to it and was saved. I was hospitalized immediately for a further check-up. This was an immensely eventful and unforgettable experience for me. P. 19

Erica Jong:

When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish. I

think it's a wonderful way to spend one's life.

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MMooddeell ooff DDaanniieell VVoossoovviicc bbyy 0055--0066 22CC KKaatthhyy LLuuii

‘What a lovely day!’ I exclaimed. The sun was shining brightly and the

birds were all singing. I was wearing a T-shirt and a skirt with lace on the edge that day, an unforgettable day. I was walking on the street alone, in the early morning, when I noticed that someone was walking behind me. For three minutes, he was following me. When I stopped, he stopped. When I started to walk, he walked too! That was really weird and my heart was beating really fast, and I decided to run! I ran, and he ran too! After a few minutes, I was very exhausted so I gave up and turned round ‘okay, what do you want…..’ While I was speaking, I saw a tall young man with brown curly hair and hazel eyes. Somehow this face was not foreign to me but I just couldn’t remember who that beautiful face belonged to! And I heard him say’ Excuse me, can you do me a favour?’ I remembered this voice! It belonged to Daniel Vosovic, a famous designer who was always appearing on TV. I couldn’t believe it! I pretended to be cool and gentle. But you know, underneath my cool exterior, I was really extremely excited! ‘Hmm, yes of course. What can I do for you?’ He said, ‘Today I need to take photos but my model couldn’t come, so can you be my model today and I will pay you ,’ My face flushed crimson. I hesitated for a while and ‘sure’ was my answer. Honestly, I didn’t think I was pretty enough to be a model. I was eighteen and 160 tall. I had black hair and green eyes. He told me not to be nervous and just be myself. So I did it. It took us three hours for make-up, changing into the clothes and taking photos. He sent them to the company and said that they were good and they appreciated me a lot. We said goodbye and I went out of the shop turned round and caught sight of my idol for the last time! I chuckled when I walked back home. I will never forget this day.

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Anne Sexton:

When I'm writing, I know I'm doing the thing I was born to do.

Noises made by Neighbors by 05-06 2E Joanne Cheung

Dear Sir,

I am writing to complain about the loud noises late at night from my neighbor who lives in Shek Wa Building in Shek Po Street. My neighbor always makes loud noises at night. They play mah-jong, watch TV, have a party...... But they usually stop before midnight. So I haven’t complained to them before. But one night, they played mah-jong and laughed loudly at 11:25 p.m.. I thought that they would stop so I read a book and waited for them to stop. At 11:45p.m., they started to sing karaoke. The noises made from the hi-fi were very loud. After that, they drank beer and talked loudly. At about midnight, they got drunk and shouted loudly. One of them threw bottles out of the window. They made a deafening noise. I was very angry. At 3a.m., they all stopped making loud noises. But I couldn’t sleep well anymore. The next day, I got up late and was very sleepy. So I couldn’t work. I would be grateful if you could look into the matter and take action immediately.

Yours faithfully, Wendy

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Outstanding Witch by 05-06 3C Karen Chong

Dear Candy,

How are you? Is it cold in Canada now? It’s really cold here in Britain. It snows all day long. This week is the examination week of Hogwart’s wizard and witch school. So I am preparing for it. You know, I really want to be a great and good witch in the future. There was one incident which made me want to be a good witch more than ever yesterday. It was the examination of potions yesterday. I studied hard the night before. Unfortunately, I overslept and I needed to hurry to school. I had no time to tie up my hair but I started to run to school. I wore a thick coat since it was snowing and I took the equipment I needed for the potion examination with me.

Suddenly, I heard someone screaming. That voice was familiar. ‘Who is it?’ I thought. When I walked slowly forward, I realized Hermioni, my best friend, was being bullied by two boys! I slowly recognized those boys. They were Malfoy－the trouble-maker in our school and Bill－Malfoy’s follower.

They were kicking and hitting Hermioni in her face. Hermioni seemed hurt and blood was running from her nose and mouth! I was shocked, ‘What should I do?’ I asked myself. I stayed at the back of a wall to make sure that those boys couldn’t see me so that I could have some time to think of the solution.

‘Let’s cast a spell on her, what spell should we make? To give her a pair of cat’s ears?’ suggested Bill. ‘No. it’s too simple. Let’s make her a ghost, what do you think?’ Malfoy said. Bill nodded his head happily. ‘Ghost!’ I said as I thought of a good solution! I pulled all my untied hair to the front and made it messy. I pulled the sleeves of my big coat longer and hid my hands in them. Lastly, I took out the knife which had been used to cut the ingredients in the potion exam.

I slowly walked towards the boys. At first, they were surprised to see a ghost like thing. Gradually their surprise turned into fear when they saw the knife in my hand! ‘Leave that girl and go away!’ I said in a low voice. ‘You’re kidding, right?’ Malfoy said but I could see him shaking. ‘No. Do it, or else, I will cut open your flesh!’ I said as I waved the knife in my hand. It’s long and sharp, with some blood stains left on it when I cut the frog’s leg last time. Malfoy and Bill ran away without a second look at me.

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After they had left, I pulled back my hair and went closer to Hermioni. ‘Are you all right?’ I asked. ‘Of course I am not, but thank you for saving me anyway.’ So I helped her to clean the wounds and walked to school with her. We told the teacher everything and she contacted Hermioni’s parents immediately and sent her to hospital. She also promised to punish Malfoy and Bill.

After this incident, I realized that we should behave even though we have special abilities. We should not abuse them, such as hurting people. I have sworn to myself that I must study hard and be a good witch in the future!

Oh! It’s very late now, so I need to sleep. Otherwise, I will oversleep again! I am looking forward to hearing from you soon! Tell me more about your life in Canada!

Best wishes, Jan

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Proposal for the ‘Celebrity of the Year’ by 05-06 4A Kimmy Ma

Proposal for the ‘Celebrity of the Year’ Award Ceremony

1. Aim of the award Every year, a celebrity in society will be nominated to receive the award. We truly hope that by knowing more about celebrities, students will be inspired to follow in the celebrities’ footsteps. Details of the Award Ceremony are suggested as follows. 2. ‘Celebrity of the year’ After much consideration, a final decision has been made. We have nominated Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to be the ‘Celebrity of the year’. We all think that he deserves the honour because of his leadership skills shown in leading Hong Kong. Being the Chief Executive is never an easy job, as he has to shoulder a great responsibility and adversity; and we can all see that Nr Tsang is leading us to take a step further and further towards success. The steps seem to be bold but in fact, it is important, through the countless crises that he has managed in the past, that we can see his ability in keeping a balance. All the things mentioned above have made him the ‘Celebrity of the Year’. 3. Details of the award ceremony The venue of the ceremony will be the same as last year- the lecture hall of the Queen’s College. We chose it because Mr Tsang has studied there and we hope that this visit to his old school can evoke memories of his past. And Queen’s College is happy to host it, so there will not be any difficulties in borrowing the place. 3.2 Time and Date In order to let more people participate in this event, we have decided to hold the ceremony on the 10th of May, Sunday, from 10a.m. to 12:20p.m. It will be quite suitable for those who have families to enjoy the ‘family day’ after the ceremony. 3.3 People involved The receiver of the award will surely be involved in this event. However, there may be some helpers and M.C.s to help in organizing the event. We need approximately twenty helpers and two M.C.s to help. The recruitment of helpers is due to be finished this week.

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P. 26

Sholem Asch:

Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.

3.4 Outline of the Ceremony First of all, we might spend about half an hour to introduce the history of the award in different ways such as a display on a board. Then we might invite all the guests to take a seat in the hall. In the next section our principal will give a speech in the ceremony. Our principal will stay on the stage to present the award to Mr Tsang and it will be followed closely by a response from Mr Tsang. Lastly, there will be a question and answer section for all the guests to know more about him. So it can greatly narrow the distance between him and the people. The section aims to let people get closer to him. We hope that our advice will be of use.

Quizzical Claire by 05-06 1E Angelica Au Yeung, Sharon Yip, Wendy Lam,

Macy Chan & Cindy Lam

Fifty years ago, there was a girl called Claire. She had a twin sister

called Luna, but Luna died when she was born. After Luna died, their mother bought Claire a big toy teddy bear to compensate for the loss of Luna.

Claire liked the big toy bear very much and she named it “Tidy”. It meant it had a clean and tidy body. She always held it tightly when she was sleeping. Without Tidy, Claire couldn’t sleep. One day, a strange thing happened. When Claire was sleeping, Tidy jumped out of her bed and started to dance. Why could it move? It’s because Claire’s grandma was a witch. When Luna died, Grandma put Luna’s spirit into the toy bear. At night when everyone was sleep, Luna the toy bear could move on its own. It was a secret between Luna and Grandma. The next day, Claire discovered that Tidy had disappeared. “Where is my bear?” she asked. “Yesterday, it slept with you, didn’t it?” asked Mum. “Yes, but I can’t find it now,” said Claire, crying. In the afternoon when Mum was sweeping Claire’s bedroom, she found Tidy under the bed, so she told Claire the news excitedly. Claire didn’t cry anymore. She said to Tidy, “You can’t leave me again. Wherever I go, you should go with me.” In fact, Tidy could understand human speech but it couldn’t answer. That night, Claire could not sleep. “What kind of person would my sister be if she were alive? Would she like me?” Claire closed her eyes and thought hard. Suddenly she heard a noise. She opened her eyes and saw Tidy moving! She felt very surprised. She wondered if she was dreaming. At that moment, Tidy changed back into a toy. The next morning, Claire asked Grandma, ‘Can toys move?” When Grandma heard the question, she knew something must have happened but she said, “Of course they can’t. Why did you ask such a silly question?” “I saw Tidy move last night,” said Claire. “I think perhaps you were so tired that you were just seeing things.” said Grandma. Night came. Claire was not able to get to sleep again. She was wondering why Tidy could move the night before. She tried to sleep. Then she felt Tidy moving again! Claire opened her eyes and caught Tidy’s hand. Tidy couldn’t run away. It could only tell Claire about everything. Claire knew she was not seeing things. She held Luna the toy bear tightly and contentedly.

P. 27

P. 28

William Shakespeare:

If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me.

Rules for Making Friends by 05-06 2E Anita Fong

Dear Pat,

Don’t worry about your problems. We can solve them together. You said you couldn’t make any friends at the new school, right? Making friends is not difficult. Just try to talk to others! I know you are shy. But if you want to make more friends, you should not be shy and take the initiative to talk with your classmates and be friendly to them. Maybe they would like to make friends with you too. Also, be more active. Try to join some extra curricular activities or class activities. You can also learn more about your school.

The next problem is your weight. I know you have pressure at your new school. But eating won’t solve your problems. You can eat chocolate and sweets as snacks. But if you eat too much, it will be bad for your health. You can do exercise such as swimming or running. I know you really loved swimming before. Why don’t you go swimming? Sport is a good way to help you ease the pressure.

Also, don’t eat too much food from fast food restaurants. There are a lot of additional things in it, such as preservatives or flavouring. These will make you fat, too. You can cook yourself at home. Don’t worry, be cheerful! Write to me if you have problems. Chris

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Spending a day with Kids by 05-06 3C Joyce Tse

In the summer holidays, my neighbor, Mrs. Wong, asked me to look after

her two small children for the day. I agreed instantly, believing it would be no trouble at all. But I didn’t know that it was a big mistake and my nightmare was about to begin.

I am quite a systematic person. I like to arrange everything well in advance. I hate anything troublesome. I am a clean person too. I hate anything dirty. But the two kids nearly destroyed my dream house! At first, I brought them into the house and I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for them. Actually, I hate cooking. However, the two kids said they were hungry so I needed to do so. But while I was preparing the meal, I heard some laughing coming from my bedroom. I wondered what they were laughing about, hoping that they would not do anything to my bedroom. Oh! My God! When I arrived at my room, I was shocked. What do you think they were doing? They were standing on my bed and drawing pictures on my wall! Oh! My lovely wall! I was very angry with them! ‘Get out of my room now!’ I shouted to them. ‘Go to the dining room and have your meal! Don’t stay here!’ I spent half an hour cleaning all the drawings off my wall. It was really a hard job. I was very tired. But I still went to the dining room to look for the two ‘lovely’ kids. When I arrived at the kitchen, I was shocked again. It was a terrible scene. The milk and water was spilt all over the floor! How dirty it was! ‘What have you done with my kitchen?’ I nearly cried out. ‘That’s very fine, isn’t it?’ They laughed. ‘We want to have a bath. Can we?’ I had no time to argue with them since I needed to clean up the kitchen. ‘Yes.’ They ran away. After I cleaned up my kitchen, I was extremely tired. I went to the bathroom to have a bath. When I opened the bathroom door and went inside, I fell down on the slippery floor! That was painful. I saw the two kids were playing with the shower! They sprayed it in different directions and most areas of my bathroom were covered by water. ‘Stop it! Put your clothes on and get out!’ I shouted. Ten minutes later, I had a bath in the bathroom. Then I needed to clean away all the water and tidy up all the things. But when I came to my room, I saw the two kids again. ‘Please leave my room, I need to change.’ I went to the wardrobe. ‘Hey! What are you doing?’ The two kids were trying to take off my only piece of clothing – the towel!

P. 30

They were mad. They must be mad! ‘You crazy kids! Get out of my room!’ I got extremely furious, and shouted at the horrible kids loudly. ‘He he…’ They laughed. ‘We just want to tell you that our mum is back! We have to go now. Bye! Idiot!’ They laughed loudly, and ran out of my house. ‘You two crazy kids! Don’t let me see you again!’ I shouted to them. Do you think this story is funny? I don’t think so. I just think that it is terrible! But perhaps, you will just think it is funny… You won’t understand the tears behind the fun!

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Tuesday with Lohan by 05-06 4A Tiffany Tang

I couldn’t believe that I finally got the chance of a lifetime to meet

Lindsay Lohan. You know that she is really such a heartthrob star that I couldn’t help but stare at her with stars in my eyes. She is so beautiful! (Though she was a bit bewildered when I looked at her like that!) When Daniel, Lindsay’s agent introduced me to her, I was so happy that I lost control and shook her hand violently. She looked embarrassed when I shook her hand so mightily. But anyway, I was so blissful to see her! I’ll tell you what, I am an aficionado of Lindsay’s music, like ‘Confession of a Broken Heart’ and ‘Rumors’! They are all very nice songs. After the “violent” introduction, I wanted to scream when I saw her! Daniel told us that Lindsay and I were going to Fantastic Park, one of the most resplendent, gigantic and splendid theme parks in London, to have fun for the whole day. I nearly went bananas when I heard that. Fantastic Park is really a nice place to go! Then, Daniel, Lindsay and I hit the road in a luxury limo: I was so excited at that time! When we were all in the limo, I finally got a chance to admire Lindsay from head to toe. I could see all the cool bangles, chains and bracelets on her neck and wrists. I could see her beautiful make-up on her cheeks. I could see her pretty profile. I could see her Louis Vuitton latest high heels, which make lots of shopaholics and big-spenders hold their breath and press their ‘nasty’ nose against the shops’ windows. I could see…she is so beautiful! But she seemed not very happy. Instead, she looked grumpy and likely to throw a bad tantrum! She looked out the window all the time and didn’t bother to talk to me! I was a bit scared, actually I didn’t dare to chitchat with her throughout the whole limo journey. It was Daniel that broke the silence. ‘At last!’ I looked out the window and saw the big Mickey Mouse moving automatically outside the Fantastic Park. Finally, we arrived at the world-renowned theme park. Lindsay and I went to the entrance and bought tickets. Not many people noticed Lindsay as she was wearing specs. Then, I saw a small stall that sold ice cream and fizzy drinks. ‘Do you like ice cream? If you do, I can buy you one!’ I asked and smiled broadly at her. She glared at me and snorted. ‘I don’t like this kind of thing. Don’t you bother to buy anything for me?’ I felt myself go rigid, when I heard that. ‘Keep going! You shabby little pig’ she shouted. I then realized P. 32

Ernest Hemingway:

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what

I feel in the best and simplest way.

that I was rooted to the spot. ‘Oh! I’m…sorry.’ I stammered. Then, we went on to another part of the park. I could only hear the sound of the bangles and heels the whole journey as I didn’t even look at her. ‘Oh! There is a haunted house! We can go there!’ Daniel said, obviously wanting to overcome the embarrassment. ‘Yes! Yes! We can go to haunted house.’ I cried. ‘Shut up! You filthy little copy cat!’ Lindsay yelled. ‘Oh! I’m…sorry!’ ‘This is so annoying!’ she said. ‘Oh! Ha! Ha! It doesn’t matter! We can try the Indian restaurant over there!’ Daniel said. We ordered lots of food to eat. It was all mouth-watering! When it came to the curry, I almost cried out as I liked curry so much. At that critical juncture, Lindsay cursed. ‘Oh! Shit! It’s so nasty! Look at my skirt! It’s all ruined! I hate…curry.’ Before Daniel and I could protest, she pushed all the food on the table to the ground. ‘Disgusting!’ she roared and folded her arms. We went out of the restaurant as quickly as our feet could carry us for fear that the cook would blame us. Then, Daniel suggested going to watch the show ‘Sharks encounter’. But guess what, Lindsay grumbled again! Finally, we went back to Lindsay’s studio, with Lindsay moaning about how she didn’t like curry and Fantastic Park and meeting with her fans, which meant me! After meeting with Lindsay the moaner, I realized that she isn’t as good as I thought. I hate her! She is so annoying! She is spoiled by her parents and that Daniel! I hope she will be caught doing bad things by the paparazzi. I hope she’ll get cancer! And, I hope Paris Hilton can get rid of her. I think I’ll join this kind of competition again as now I love Hilary Duff!

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Unforgettable Day with Twins by 05-06 4D Diana Chan

Recently, I won the singing competition which was organised by this

magazine. I could spend one day with my favourite pop star- Twins! Last Saturday, I was nervous and also excited because I could spend this

day with Twins! After I had my breakfast, I went to Tung Chung to wait for the twins! At about eleven o’clock in the morning, I met them and started our ‘journey’. Firstly, we went to Disneyland. I was really shy at the beginning but when I saw their smile, I felt better. I knew that Twins liked going on the roller coaster very much so we rode on it first. It was really exciting. We were all excited and played all the games at least twice! Don’t you think that we were crazy? ‘Hello!’ a soft voice said. When we looked round, we were really happy. Do you know what was it? It was Minnie! I took out my camera and took many photographs with it. I had never dreamed that I could see Minnie mouse! What a wonderful day! After we had lunch, we left Disneyland and went to Stanley Market. During the time on the bus, Twins asked me a lot of questions and I also asked them many questions too. I know many secrets now. Let me share one with you. They had been fortune tellers as part-time jobs before they became pop stars. It was really amazing. When we arrived at Stanley Market, we went shopping immediately. We bought some bags, coin bags, wallets and even sunglasses! When we walked along, I found that Charlene had disappeared. So we waited for her near the ice-cream shop. I was worried but Gillian seemed not to care about it. As I looked around, I saw her running towards me. She gave me a necklace and said, ‘It is a present for you.’ Oh! Am I dreaming? I was really pleased at that moment and I said thank you to both of them. At night, we went to a Western restaurant for dinner. We ordered a lot of food. For example, steak salad, e.t.c. We all got full after that dinner. Then, after we chatted for a while, we said good-bye to each other. At the end of that day, I felt that Twins were really kind and nice. You will feel very happy when you are in contact with them. When I saw them on the television, I thought that they were a bit fatuous but in fact, no. They

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were just like two children. I hope that I can have more opportunities to meet other pop stars in the future.

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Bulwer-Lytton:

The pen is mightier than the sword.

Very Passionate Man – Jay Chou by 05-06 4E Yuki Tsang

I am still excited about the day I spent with the pop star Jay Chou.

That is the greatest prize I have ever received. The day was unforgettable and moving. I got to know more about Jay Chou – his dream and personality. After knowing more about him, I cannot stop myself from praising him. Let me share some parts of the day with you and you will agree with me.

The day started with an interview with Jay. Jay shared the experience with me on how he became a singer. He told me that the key to making music which can charm people’s hearts is to set your heart to music. He said that he seldom left the work room and ate only fried chicken and noodles when he was composing songs. He went all out to play and create his own music. Finally, his effort was rewarded. People were touched by his music. He has become a popular singer who has won lots of awards.

On the other hand, Jay admitted that he has lost many things, such as private time, while he was successful in his career. For example, he is always followed by reporters; he has no privacy. This certainly casts a shadow on Jay’s great life. However, he never regrets having become a singer because he can express his feelings through music and he can make his own music. He added that the support of his fans pushed him to achieve his goal more successfully.

After the interview, Jay taught me to play the piano. How great it was! I could feel Jay’s passion towards music when he taught me every detail of playing the piano. He is a wonderful teacher. I was glad to have the chance to explore Jay’s music world. Although I didn’t play well, he taught me patiently. Finally, I could play “The Little Star” slowly. It was so amazing! Jay praised me for that. How nice he was!

Lastly, Jay gave me a present. It was his new album. I was touched. He was so friendly, even though he didn’t know me! I think Jay is not only a good singer but also a good person!

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Weight Problem by 05-06 2C Stephy Chung

Dear Pat,

First, thanks for you letter. I was so surprised to read your short but important letter. It was very exciting. Now, I think the most serious problem is not your weight, but people’s teasing. Right? To solve the problem, I think you should eat balanced meals to reduce your weight. Also, do more exercise so that the fat in your body can be burnt. Eat fewer snacks, such as sweets and chocolate, as well as potato chips……and don’t go to fast food restaurants so often! In addition, tell your parents that you want to have a beautiful body shape and good health, and hope that they won’t always take you to the fast food restaurants. Understand? After your weight decreases you should make friends with your classmates. You can make friends by joining school activities. Otherwise, find something to do. For example, join some classes which you are interested in, read books, or even do some volunteer work! And, when you are doing these things, tell yourself, ‘I can do it! ’ .you will find that you are full of energy. If you’re successful, you won’t feel that you are fat and ugly anymore. And no one will tease you. Try hard and I will support you! Chris

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Xtremely Happy Time with Britney Spears by 05-06 4E Stephanie Yim

I am so delighted to write this article, which is about what I did with my

favorite pop star – Britney Spears! That day, I was very excited and extremely happy because I could spend a whole day with my favorite pop star Britney Spears. It had been my dream for a long time and it had come true! I flew to America and met her manager at the airport. Britney didn’t come to pick me up because the reporters would definitely chase her if she appeared. Britney’s manager carried the luggage for me and accompanied me to Britney’s house. When I arrived, Britney welcomed me and hugged me. I nearly fainted because I was so overjoyed. She gave me a big box. The things inside made me scream. All of her albums were in the box! She said those were her own CDs, not the ones on sale. She gave them to me as a gift. I shed tears of happiness. Then Britney drove me to a restaurant which she liked. She ordered a steak and a soup for me but she only wanted a salad for herself. I asked her why she didn’t eat more. She said she had to keep fit in order to dance beautifully in her concerts. I said she was very unfortunate. Then she smiled and said that was the cost of being a pop star. Then we changed to another topic and chatted happily during lunch. After lunch, she took me to a shopping mall. She said that was the biggest shopping mall in New York. She asked me what American product I liked most. I replied I liked NBA. She laughed and then she did something that really surprised me. She bought me a Michael Jordan shirt and added my name B Chan on the shirt. Then she said,” Now, you are a player in NBA.” I was really happy. About dinner time, she returned to her house. Her manager bought a lot of seafood. Britney said she was quite good at cooking and she was going to cook a seafood meal for the night. I yelled happily! Britney’s food tasted really delicious. The seafood cooked by Britney was different from what I used to eat in Hong Kong. The difference was not whether it was Western or Eastern, but because it was cooked by Britney. After spending the whole day with Britney, I found that Britney is a very

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Edmund Morrison:

Like stones, words are laborious and unforgiving,

and the fitting of them together, like the

fitting of stones, demands great patience and strength

of purpose and particular skill.

kind person. She is not as cold as she presents on TV or on MTV. She treats her fans like friends. It is so impressive. From that day onwards, Britney Spears is not only a pop star that I like, but also a friend I treasure.

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Youth Will Fade by 05-06 4E Vivian Chau

In the article, I will share my feelings about spending a day with my

all-time favorite – Kelly Chan. I bet her fans are jealous now. Yet, this is the prize for the music competition I won last month! I got all those pop lyrics correct!

Kelly had a day off last Saturday. However, a day off is not equal to a day of rest! At six in the morning, when I was still yawning widely, Kelly and I were visiting an eight-year-old patient, the boy that was beaten by his so-called mum. I still remember the white ceiling and the smell of alcohol in the hospital. Kelly took a fairy tale book and a cartoon figurine to Bun. He was excited when seeing his idol. (So was I!) Kelly gave Bun a soft pat and encouraged him not to give up. “Bun, cheer up! Forget all the unhappy things that happened! OK?” She said in a sweet voice. And that smile really impressed me a lot. I realized Kelly was truly a considerate and kind-hearted singer.

Time went quickly and it was time for lunch. We did not have a feast, but simply a slice of bread! It was because Kelly had song practice throughout the whole afternoon! Never give up. It is the motto which drives her on the right path. She sang repeatedly in a serious way. Whenever the effect sounded not satisfactory to her, Kelly did not hesitate but tried all over again. I was not at all bored during the three hours. I really admired her attitude, her attentiveness and her persistence.

After that, she finally got a moment to chat with me. (In fact, she had to practise the pronunciation of some words at the same time.) Time and tide wait for no man. That was another gold key I discovered from her. Kelly revealed that a singer had to upgrade herself continuously. I agree with her the Jungle Rule is dominant in Hong Kong. Once you stop learning, you will be eliminated soon.

The last thing that Kelly got to do was to sing a few songs in a charity show for Po Leung Kuk. “A rose will bloom. It then will fade. So does youth….” She chose to sing an opera song written by William Shakespeare.

Only at this point did I have the chance to think how I felt about Kelly right in front of me. She was a kind-hearted singer. Squeezing the time to visit a patient was not easy for a full-scheduled pop star. Also, I truly appreciated her never-give-up attitude. We fans tend to judge things by their cover only, P. 40

without considering the effort a singer puts into her career. Although youth is really just like a blooming rose, it will fade in a short time, so we have to learn from Kelly – to seize every moment to reach our potential. Success lies in persistence and hard work. And the behavior of Kelly is clearly words put into action. She gets the current status, which she deserves, through nothing but hard work.

Kelly will be my life-long idol, not because of her face, but her heart.

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Zealous Helen Lee by 05-06 4E Mildred Chan

I was so excited for I won a music competition; I could spend a day

with my favorite pop star – Helen Lee. I got up early and dressed myself like a pop star. A car was waiting

outside my house. I rushed out and I saw my dream girl. Helen Lee was standing next to the car door.

Firstly, I was given a chance to have lunch with Helen Lee at her place. There were a lot of music albums in Helen’s house. We talked about music when we were waiting for the delicious meal cooked by Helen’s private cook. I was surprised to find that we had a lot of common interests. Helen and I were both diehard fans of rock and roll music. She was not only a master of music; she was also a master of cultural studies. We enjoyed our wonderful meal. Secondly, Helen took me to her workplace. I was impressed by her working attitude. She jotted down all the mistakes she made in a notebook. I could easily understand why she has made so much improvement in recent years. All the people working with her were friendly and helpful. They introduced me to all the things in Helen’s workshop. Finally, we came to the end of the day. Helen had her photo taken with me. She gave me a tiny booklet as a gift. When I glanced at the booklet, I nearly cried. There were lots of photos in the booklet telling me about Helen’s difficult life on the road towards success, including her mental illness and her hard life in the early years. Her father died when she was five. She tried her best to face all the difficulties. She was a true hero. After the day with Helen Lee, I felt happy. I knew the difficulties of being a pop star. Helen was not only a pop singer but also a true lover of music as she took her job seriously. I have learnt how to live life well from Helen Lee. Helen gave me the dream of a bright future. I remember one of the people working with Helen said, “Helen is not a talented girl, but she is the most hardworking girl I have seen in my life.” I would like to treat everything in my life as seriously as Helen does.

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W o r d s f r o m t h e

Editors

V ista / ’vɪstə / n [(of )] 1 a distant view, to which the eye is directed between narrow limits, as by rows of trees. 2 a set of events stretching far into the future or back into the past, as seen in the imagination We agreed to name the publication Vista because we like the romantic idea that beyond the limit, the view is boundless. Catherine Wong’s cover design also depicts that our potential explodes when the right note hits. I’m glad that I can be one of the editors of Vista. During the summer holiday, all the editors were diligent in preparing the publication of Vista. We had several meetings at the school, but we mainly discussed on MSN, which I think is very convenient. We had lots of ideas, and there were more and more popping up during the discussions. It took us a lot of time to make a small decision, but we were happy to arrive at what all of us desired eventually. Most essays in Vista were chosen from examinations. I was so impressed - our fellow-schoolmates could write so well within such a short period of time. I learned a lot from those good essays and I’m sure you’ll all gain from Vista. Hailey Wai P. 43

EDITORIAL BOARD

EDITORS:

2005-2006

ANITA LUK ( 3C )

CATHERINE WONG ( 3C )

MAY NG ( 3C )

YANNI HO ( 2C )

HAILEY WAI ( 2C )

KATHY LUI ( 2C )

JOYCE SHUM ( 2C )

FLORIA ONG ( 2C )

PRISCILLA MAN ( 2C )

RECORDING:

JANET LING ( 4C )

JOYCE SHUM ( 2C )

FLORIA ONG ( 2C ) P. 44

The editorial board (from left to right): Hailey Wai, Floria Ong, Yanni Ho, Priscilla Man, Kathy Lui & Joyce Shum Janet Ling Voice-over in the electronic version

The illustrators (from left to right): Anita Luk & Catherine Wong; May Ng (one of the editors)

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ILLUSTRATORS:

ANITA LUK ( 3C )

CATHERINE WONG ( 3C )

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Acknowledgements

THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

MRS CHAN YEUNG MEI HAY

MS TSAI LIN FUNG

MS ANGELA JACKSON

MS GAIL DENGATE

CONTRIBUTORS

Angelica Au Yeung Athena Chan Diana Chan Emily Chan

Macy Chan Mildred Chan Vivian Chau Denise Cheung

Joanne Cheung Karen Chong Samantha Chung Stephy Chung

Anita Fong Yanni Ho Crystal Kwan Cindy Lam

Wendy Lam Janet Ling Kathy Lui Anita Luk

Kimmy Ma Tiffany Tang Yuki Tsang Joyce Tse

Catherine Yeung Stephanie Yim Sharon Yip

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Cover Design by: 3C Catherine Wong

Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Siu Ming Catholic Secondary School No.6 Kwai Yip Street, Kwai Shing, N.T.

Published in December 2006

@ 2005-2006