How to Make New Friends

Li Yuen Tung 2A

We can make new friends by chatting to someone we don’t know.  We can talk about some topics that we are both interested in, for example K-pop stars, sports, favourite subjects and songs.  If we have things in common we will chat more and so get to know each other better.

Also, we can suggest joining some activities together, like basketball or badminton teams, which improve our teamwork skills and let us make more friends; if we join some activity we will have more time to work together and become good friends.

Apart from chatting and joining activities together, we can also help new friends when they are in need: if they are carrying a lot of books we can offer to help them.  If they don’t know how to do their homework, maybe we can help them with that.

Lastly we can study together.  For example, we can teach and help each other and revise together before exams.  If we know something the other doesn’t we can explain things; show them the steps to solve a problem in maths for instance.  We can ask them questions to make sure they understand something.

If we use these methods, I think we can make new friends – even new best friends

Blind Love

by 2D Candy Lee

 

Ken is a bank clerk.  His daily repetition of boring work was his life, until one day, something happened…

“Stop moving! Put your hands up!”  Five bandits with scarves tied around their faces rushed into the bank. They were armed with guns and smashed the door open.

“Oh my God!”

“Help!”

“Call the police! Hurry!”

People were confused and started screaming.

“No talking!”  The tallest bandit shouted, and walked over to the counter. “Give us all the money!” he shouted at Ken, who was very scared.  He began to tremble all over, moved back a step and stepped on someone’s foot. “Aah!” a female employee, Kelly, screamed.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Ken said.

“Are you okay?” one of the bandits asked Kelly, politely.

“I’m fine thank you,” replied Kelly, surprised at the bandit’s concern for her.

At that moment, the police arrived.  The five bandits rushed out of the bank without any money. “What?!” Ken could not believe what had happened. “They just ran away?”

Three months later, Kelly told Ken that she was going to marry one of the bandits, whose name was Jerry.  Ken was amazed - love really is blind!

Should Secondary School Students Do Part-time Jobs?

Is it a good idea for secondary school students to take part time jobs? Two Form 4 students of our school present two opposing views on the topic below.

Lee Hoi Lam from 4C believes that working part time is good for students.

Firstly, teenagers who has a part time job can get some valuable work experience.  If teenagers have work experience, they won’t have so much pressure when they get a job in the future as they know how hard work can be.  Take my sister Amy as an example, she is eighteen years old now.  When she was sixteen she worked as a sales girl.  She was so nervous when she went to work on the first day but as time passed, her experience increased and she knew how to strike a balance between work and study.  So, having work experience is good for teenagers.

Moreover, when teenagers have a part time job, they can earn pocket money, become more independent and less of a financial burden on their parents, which will make them feel good about themselves. 

Also, when they know how hard it is to make money, they won’t spend it carelessly, and develop good money management skills. 

The last reason why I think teenagers taking part time jobs is a good idea is that having a job is suitable for them.  For example opening an online shop with friends is a good idea for teenagers, as they tend to know the latest trends and fashions. One possibility would be for them to start an online shop to sell their chosen goods; this can be quite profitable if well researched and managed, as there is need to rent a shop and it is quite a relaxing way to do business.  They can study and work at the same time, which is a good balance of the two.

In conclusion, I think it is a good idea for teenagers in Hong Kong to take part time jobs while they are studying at school. Interference with their studies will be minimal and undertaken in their free time. They will develop money management skills, gain work experience and become more financially independent.

On the other hand, Leung Hau Shan, also from 4C thinks that working part time brings negative impacts to students.

Firstly, it is true that a teenager who has a part time job can get work experience and earn money, but there are some negative effects to having a part time job.  If students work, even if only part time they will concentrate more on the job than their studies.  Let's take my friend Ivan as an example. When he was a student, he also had a job, and lost interest in school work. Later, he still worked and he only concentrated on the job because he thought earning money was more important than the school work.  He didn’t have enough time to rest so he often slept in his lessons.  Then of course his results became worse and worse.  Finally he didn't go to school at all.

Secondly, when teenagers have a part time job they may meet bad friends in the workplace and develop bad habits.  For example, they may start smoking and drinking with their bad friends, and in extreme cases they may even take drugs, which will of course be very bad for their health.  Moreover, they will not go to school because they want to avoid their friends who may find out they are taking drugs.

The last reason why I think teenagers should not take part time jobs is that they may spend money carelessly because they may think the money is earned easily. Afterwards, they might spend more and more money to buy useless things.

In conclusion, I don't think teenagers taking part time jobs is a good idea.  It may lead them to lose interest in school work, meet bad friends and develop bad habits.  It may also affect their money management skills.

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The Pet Sitter

by 3B Ethan Ho

The ad in the paper said:

Wanted: pet sitter

Need someone to look after little monkey Jolly

while I am away.

Willing to pay $400/day to the right person.

Four hundred dollars for looking after somebody’s pet!

‘Easy money!” I thought so I took the job. When I arrived at the house, a man gave me the keys. He then took his suitcase and left. I was left alone with Jolly.

“Just a monkey,” I thought, “they have those in zoos too.”   But you know, monkeys in zoos are locked up.  I immediately noticed the door swinging open because of the wind, and there Jolly went, as I chased after it.

After 15 minutes or so I got the little monkey back, and almost “stabbed” the door lock with the key, so anxious was I to get it back into the house.

“You… you sit there!”  I was furious.  Looks like the monkey wasn’t trained to listen to people.  You see, the pet owner’s house had fancy lights like chandeliers, and I could see why some lights were out.  The monkey almost brought down one of them.

“Get down now!” I was shouting like a barbarian or something, shouting up at “King Kong”.  But this time he listened, though he landed on my head and gave me a few scratches to my face.  Meanwhile, I noticed something on my head.  It was poop. He had pooped on my head!

Then I just yelled like a maniac.  I looked over to the neighbour’s place and saw an old man staring at me.  It was almost like he was saying, “Go see a doctor.”

I washed my head and began to leave.  I saw the monkey and almost kicked him - but I wouldn’t do that.  As a last resort, I saw a banana, and threw it at him like a boomerang.  Guess what, he caught the banana and started poking at the television’s power switch.  Then he just sat and watched television without any more fuss.

“Wow,” I thought, “You didn’t train him to obey, but you trained him to watch television.”

So, I put a bunch of bananas next to Jolly and left.  I left the keys under the “Welcome!” rug at the door. Not easy money, for sure.  Today hadn’t been ‘jolly’ at all!

Growing Pains and Gains

 by 2D Janet Wong

Ashley’s birthday party was over.  It was very late when Constance left for home.  When she arrived, her parents were in the living room.

“Why are you so late?  It’s nearly twelve o'clock!  I didn’t get any call from Ashley’s home!  Where have you been all night? At a bar or somewhere?”

“Mum, I'm so tired. Maybe let's talk in the morning.  I had better go to bed now.  Good Night.”  Constance yawned and pretended to be very tired.

"Constance!" yelled mum.

"Mum, I've said goodnight," Constance replied in an impatient tone.

"Sorry, Constance, I don’t think I can let you go out at night anymore! You are NOT allowed to go out at night!"  Dad shouted furiously.

"Why dad? What have I done wrong?  FINE! You're so annoying!" Constance started crying and rushed out of the flat.




Constance looking down at the dark street

At midnight, she was walking along the street as a dark shadow moved slowly up behind her.  Constance looked round and trembled with fear.   She was about to scream, when the dark shadow moved towards her.  A girl with a friendly smile waved at her… "Hi,” she said, “I'm Jo."

She asked why Constance looked so sad.  Constance told her she had had a fight with her parents.  Jo gave her some medicine.

After meeting Jo, Constance never went home.  She stayed with Jo and some bad guys every night.  She seldom went to school.  Constance's bosom friend, Leah, was worried about her. She called Constance many times but every time she phoned her, Constance’s phone was switched off.  She left a voice message reminding Constance not to take drugs.

One day, Leah was on the way home and she saw a girl; she couldn't believe her eyes, Constance was lying on the street!  She phoned the school counsellor, Mrs Leung, and they took Constance to hospital at once.

Constance received residential drug treatment and realised that she had been extremely stupid. She felt sorry for her parents and apologised to them, and finally she regained a good relationship with them.  She really thanked her bosom friend Leah for the emergency help and realised that every teenager has problems; she had gained a valuable lesson.

 

The Hands Resist Him

by 5F Liu Chin Wai

 



The Hands Resist Him
Bill Stoneham 1972
 

‘It must be that haunted painting, it always brings misfortune!’ the curator screamed.

The previous night, serious vandalism had occurred in the Hong Kong Museum of Art and several masterpieces had been damaged, so Patrick Ip, a criminal investigator,  and his assistant David were on their way to there to investigate further.  It was a cloudy morning; as they arrived, a gust of chilly wind blew the huge banner hanging high at the top of the entrance.  It swung as if it were welcoming them.

 

‘Let’s go in and make a start’, said Patrick to his sidekick.

 

As they moved towards the entrance, the glass sliding door opened automatically. It was even cooler inside, and Patrick trembled even though he was wearing a pretty thick jacket. He showed his warrant card to the approaching guard and they were led to the Special Exhibition Gallery where two more guards flanked the entrance. The poster next to it bore the words‘Exhibition of the World’s Scariest Masterpieces’.

 

In the center of the hall, five paintings, each the size of a coffee table were on display, and burn marks could be seen on all of them - except the middle one.

 

‘Wow, that’s pretty horrible, I mean the painting in the middle,’ commented David.

 

This was indeed true: in the picture, two children were standing in front of an opaque door.  Behind the door, numerous tiny hands were pushing against it. No facial expression could be seen on the children.  The most horrible thing was that when studied closely, it became apparent that they had been painted with no eyes!

 

 

‘That’s “The Hands Resist Him” by Bill Stoneham, a painting rumoured to be haunted,’ a middle-aged woman murmured as she approached the two detectives, a distracted smile on her face.  Nonetheless, in her eyes, there was a sense of sadness and worry…

 

‘I am Susan Wong, the curator of this museum,’ she explained.

 

Patrick introduced David and himself, and asked Susan if they could view the CCTV footage from the previous night.

 

Everyone was shocked when the video was played - nobody made a sound.  Everything was alright for the first five hours after the museum had closed, but then something astonishing happened, just when the digital clock struck midnight. The brightly shining spotlights dimmed, and the “Hands Resist Him” painting suddenly vibrated, electricity arcing like live snakes through the other paintings, leaving scorch marks on each of them. One, two, three… four.  In an instant the four valuable pictures burst into flames, a billion dollars had gone up in smoke!  The eyes of the two children in the painting remained hollow and murky, as if silently observing the destruction around them.

 

David held his breath with his mouth open; Susan’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to conceal her terror.  Patrick managed to keep calm, but he felt his skin crawl, especially when a blast of chill wind blown out by the air conditioner went down his back, raising goosebumps on his flesh.  They all fell into silence, none of them daring to be the first to comment on what they had just witnessed.

 

‘It must be that haunted painting.  It always brings misfortune!’ screamed Susan again, ‘In the rumour I told you about, those two children will come out from the picture at night and play tricks!  They must have burnt the pictures and caused all those things to happen!’ she continued.

 

They fell into silence again, Patrick tried to break the panic; he didn’t believe in anything supernatural, at least he didn’t want to, and certainly not before his investigative instincts as a detective had been tested.  He turned around and walked towards the now dead canvases.  David followed.  Patrick studied the paintings in great detail, almost as if he were an art restorer.  As he reached out to touch one of the paintings, Susan stopped him.

 

‘The frames of all these pictures are electrically connected as part of the security system’, she warned.  ‘They could still be live.’

 

Patrick’s heart almost stopped beating when he heard this, and he breathed a sigh of relief for having been warned and escaping almost certain electrocution, the same fate as the very things he was examining.   He welcomed the thought of being warm again – but not that warm!

 

‘Wait, what did you say?  The frames are connected to the mains?’ David asked.

 

‘Ha! Great minds think alike,’ replied Patrick, again taking pains to avoid touching the picture frames.

 

‘I want to know more about this frame - please disconnect the electricity and find person who designed it. I would like to have a talk with him,’ ordered Patrick.

 

They were finally able to take the paintings down for a closer study after the security system had been turned off.  However, to their disappointment, nothing untoward was found except a network of electrical wires.  While they were still checking the connections, the designer arrived.

 

To their astonishment, the designer was a man from the Middle East named Adam Hussein.

 

‘So you are the designer as well as the new security manager here at the Museum?’ asked Patrick in a firm voice.

 

‘Yes, that’s right. I made the frame, but I didn’t do that, I haven’t committed any crime!’ replied Hussein immediately.

 

‘I never said you had.  Why did you say that?’  Patrick’s iron-like tone hardened.

 

Hussein’s face went pale and his hands started shaking,  confirming Patrick’s suspicions.  He walked over to David winking at him unobtrusively.  He leant close to his head and whispered to him to leave and run a check on Hussein.  He kept talking to Hussein, whose replies got more and more confused and contradictory; the hunter had nearly caught his quarry.

 

As their conversation became heated, Patrick received a message from David on his mobile.

 

‘Hussein is a fanatical Christian. Could be important!

 

Receiving the message, Patrick realised the truth of what had happened in a flash.  So strong was the realisation that it was like an electric shock.  He asked Susan for more details of the damaged artworks.

 

‘Here you are,’ she said, flicking through the Museum’s catalogue of the exhibition.  ‘As our theme is horror in this exhibition, we have paintings related to horrible topics, so they are “Sin”, “Death” and “The Devil”, “St Michael Defeats the Devils”, “Building the Devil’s Bridge”, and finally, “Satan Before the Lord,” said Susan, enumerating all the pictures in the exhibition.

 

‘Bingo! All the damaged artworks are related to the devils; a Christian fanatic will neither approve of nor allow the existence of the devil, even in art.  Am I correct, Mr. Hussein?’ asked Patrick, his voice now like steel.

 

Adam’s eyes became hollow, like the children in “Hands Resist Him”.  He stuttered, ‘Brilliant, really clever deduction.  Devils cannot be allowed to exist, so I deliberately connected the wires to those pictures in order to cause a short circuit.  They burnt when the security system was turned on at night, when I was out of sight, out of mind. The lord will bless me for my deed,’ he choked, a crazy smile on his face.

 

‘Yes, true, so may God forgive you, in jail. Take him away!’  Patrick ordered and Adam was handcuffed by David and the security guards and led away.

 

‘There is no supernatural,’ sighed Patrick. ‘Let’s call it a day. File closed.’ Patrick grinned at David as he spoke, watching the delusional criminal being manhandled out to the waiting police car.

My Dream Festival

by 1C Kwan Wing Chee

My dream festival is a Free Travelling Festival, because I love travelling abroad very much, but I don't have enough time or money to travel around the world at the moment.

 

The Free Travelling Festival is a student exchange scheme for Hong Kong citizens who are under 18.  Eligible applicants can apply to go to the country of their choice, such as England, Japan, the USA or France - you name it!   Students would start their journey in March every year.  It would be a good chance for young people to explore other cities, as this fantastic plan is sponsored by the government.  All the expenses of successful applicants would be covered by the government.  This festival provides chances for us to learn more about the cultures of the other countries.  Students could see new things and learn new languages like Japanese - or even French.  I can imagine that those applicants lucky enough to go on such a trip would be very happy to see the clear skies, green fields, blue oceans and the fresh air in other countries.  What a fantastic trip!

I hope that this imaginary festival will become a reality someday; then I could learn things outside the classroom - for example in a botanical garden.  I really hope this could happen, and have even decided to write a letter to persuade our government to run this scheme for us!