Xiao Hua Issue 10

Xiao Hua 校話 MILESTONE

TWO GREAT HEROES : NELSON MANDELA, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

MAY 2014 ISSUE 10 Cover Artist: Mina Shih (Year 11)

FIFA WORLD CUP: NOT JUST ABOUT SPORTS

CS Logistics Centre (Luen Fat Factory Building), 2-16 Lam Tin Street, Kwai Chung, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Tel No.: (852) 2754 0638 Fax No.: (852) 2754 2234 Website: http://www.cargofe.com

ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY 2 Whatever we do, We do better than others – A Passion for Service

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Xiao Hua MAY 2014

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HAPPENINGS 簡報 ALUMNI CORNER: CHRIS WAN 16 SCHOOL YARD 校園 18 LOOKBACK @ XIAO HUA 20

VOICES 心聲 TWINCAPELLA 23 WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY 26 BYE BYE GYM 28 雙語文憑 30 HEALTHY EATING 32 X.H 校話 禽流感與沙士 35 MASTHEAD 報頭 8 明天過後？未日將至？ 36 EDITORIAL BOARD 編輯委員會 10 A WAR OF STANDARDIZED TESTS 38 SLT LETTER: CLAIRE WELLINGTON 12 AN UNBALANCED SCALE 39

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S LETTER: SUNWOO NAM 13

WHAT’S COOL 流行文化

XIAO HUA ANNOUNCEMENTS 14

DEAR DR LINGERS 41 DIARY OF A TEACHER: MR SANDERS 42 SNAPCHAT 44 THE PRODUCER’S HONOR 45

CONTACT US 14

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MOVIE REVIEW: 中國合伙人 46 BOOK REVIEW: THE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED 47 HANGZHOU MUSIC EXCHANGE PROGRAM 48 IPC FOODLAB REVIEW 50

FEATURES 專題文章 TWO GREAT HEROES AND A GREAT LEAP FORWARD FOR MANKIND 52 CIS: 30TH ANNIVERSARY 56 FIFA WORLD CUP: NOT JUST ABOUT SPORTS 60 COMMUNITY TIME 64 漢基體驗中國項目 66 THE RISE OF INTELLIGENT CITIES 68 HONG KONG RUGBY 7’S 72 THIRD CULTURE KIDS 76

HANGZHOU 杭州

EDITORIAL 觀點 A SELECTION DILEMMA: IB SUBJECT CHOICES 88 HAVE A BIG N’ TASTY 90 自閉，但並不孤單助自閉者劃出彩虹 92 我還能怎樣？獨居長者的自白 94 BITCOIN: PANACEA OR POISON 96 WHO SAYS YOU WANT A REVOLUTION: A POST SOVIET UKRAINE 98 A RISING NUMBER 102 CAN WE GO FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT? 106

SPORTS 體育 FITNESS GUIDE FOR CIS STUDENTS 108 SPORT INJURIES 112 TRYING NEW SPORTS 114 HERE’S AT LOOKING AT YOU KIDS 116 10 MYTHS ABOUT SPORTS DEBUNKED 118

COACH MENTORS: THE INTERVIEW 80 CREATIVE 創意 A TALE OF TWO CAMPUSES 83 心跳 121 THE PHOENIX RISES WITH FRISBEE 86 FREE WILL 122 STORM IN A TEACUP 124

ALUMNI CORNER 校友

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ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

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Xiao Hua

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

MAY 2014 ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

FACULTY ADVISOR 指導教師 Georgina Martignago EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 主編 Sunwoo Nam MANAGING EDITOR & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 設計副總監 Bernetta Li & Candice Lincon NEWS EDITOR 新聞編輯 Jackie Wu & Joshua Hung & Angus Lam FEATURES EDITOR 專題文章編輯 Medha Goyal CHINESE DIRECTOR 中文編輯 Justine Chen SPORTS EDITOR 體育編輯 Konrad Lee HEAD OF PHOTOGRAPHY 攝影主任 Jessica Eu & Andrew Koo BUSINESS & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR 財務及傳訊總監 Maegan Yeung PRODUCTION & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER 行政主任 Stephanie Leung Special Thanks to CIS Photography Club NEWS EDITOR 新聞編輯 Jackie Wu DEPUTY NEWS EDITORS Angus Lam, Joshua Hung Associate Editor Cuthbert Chow Reporters 記者

Raghav Goyal, Scarlet Au, Adrienne Chen, Crystal Lau, Richard Teng, Cuthbert Chow, Victoria Ngai, Charmaine Lai , Evelyn Choi, Ryan Lee, Simon Lam, Shannon Hu, Annette Kim, Zayna Mansuri , Daphne Yung, Zachary Yu, Horace Wang , Sophie Kang , Richard Ding, Mikaela Choo, Brian Lee, Christy Lau FEATURES EDITOR 專題文章編輯 Medha Goyal Reporters 記者

Hana Davis, Wen Yee Chan, Cordelia Lam, Hannah Jones, Adrienne Zhang, Isabella Boyne, Yoonah Han, Oliver Hsu, Megan Foo CHINESE DIRECTOR 中文編輯 Justine Chen Reporters 記者

Natalie Chak, Nicole Li, Ingrid Tsang, Ryan Tse, Justie Mak, Jessica Chan, Victoria Ngai, Caitlin Yeung, Maegan Yeung, Simon Lam, Adrienne Chen, Mona Shi, Jing Yi Shan SPORTS EDITOR 體育編輯 Konrad Lee Reporters 記者

Martin Banson, Ern Cheng, Ingrid Tsang

HANG ZHOU EDITORS 杭州編輯 Catherine Wang & Kenny Jeong & Hannah Hui Reporters 記者 & Photographers 攝影師

Catherine Wang, Hannah Hui, Jemima Barr

MANAGING EDITOR & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 設計副總監 Bernetta Li DEPUTY ARTISC DIRECTOR Candice Lincon Associate Designer Michelle Wu Illutrators and Designers 設計師

Kelly Luy, Kelly Chu, Michelle Wu, Britta Lam, Nicole Choi, Nicole Li, Hana Davis, Joseph Kim, Letitia Ho, Nicole Wang, Alison Wong, Trisha Wong HEAD OF PHOTOGRAPHY 攝影主任 Andrew Koo DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jessica Eu Associate Editor Britta Lam Photographers 攝影師

Scarlet Au, Nicole Choi, Britta Lam, Jasmine Brian Boys, Miriam Finnemore, Mathew Chow, Emma Kent, Elena Eu, Joanne Pang BUSINESS & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR 財務及傳訊總監Maegan Yeung Advertising Associates

Amarik Khosa, Darren Tong, Caitlin Yeung, Hillary Yuen, Sonia Yuen, Audree Wang, Wen Yee Chan, Francisca Lam, Yumi Tang, Eliza Gilchrist, Charmaine Lai, Miki Chiu, Sabrina Chong , Crystal Lau, Justie Mak, Angela Stanton, Bonnie Lee, Cindy Wang PRODUCTION & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER 行政主任 Stephanie Leung

Xiao Hua is a registered student organization of the Chinese International School. The magazine published indepedently by students of the Chinese International School, 1 Hau Yuen Path, Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong, Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.

Xiao Hua magazine. The magazine is published termly. There is no subscription rate to Xiao Hua- the publication is free of charge to all members of the Chinese International School community. For enquiries, please contact the Xiao Hua Communications Department at cis.xiaohua@gmail.com. Xiao Hua is not responsible for loss, damage or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited artwork, or any unsolicited materials. Those submitting manuscripts, photographs, artwork, or other materials for consideration should not send orginals, unless specifically requested to do so by Xiao Hua in writing. Manuscripts, photographs, and other materials submitted must be accompanied by a self addressed overnight delivery return envelope, postage prepaid. The paper used for this publication is a recyclable and renewable product. It has been produced using wood sourced from sustainably managed forests and elemental or total chlorine- free bleached pulp. The producing mills have third party certified management systems in place. This magazine can be recycled either through your curbside collection, or at a local recycling point. Log onto www. recyclenow.com and enter your postcode to find your nearest sites.

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Xiao Hua

XH

XH XH

heyy! sup? guess what? what?

IT’S MY 5th BDAY!! ...ok... happy bday! √ Seen 7:38pm

Features Editor: Medha Goyal

Administration Manager: Stephanie Leung

Issue 10! This is such a milestone, and it’s so exciting to be able to celebrate the 10th Issue of Xiao Hua and the 30th Anniversary of our CIS. I still remember being a Year 7 student and having the inaugural issue in my hands-- and I haven’t missed an issue since. I’m starting to learn by experience that putting a magazine together is an incredibly difficult task. Even though it requires work, sweat and tears, it is only with persistence from each and every member that we are able to produce work of such high quality. And with that, I would like to thank all the writers and editors for their commitment and resilience; this wouldn’t have been possible without you. Enjoy this issue CIS!

My first term as features editor turned out to be far more difficult than I expected. As I learned during my first editorial board meeting, Xiao Hua holds its writers to exorbitantly high standards, which to maintain I had to extract only the very best of my writers. True to their caliber, their articles far exceeded my expectations. Among others, I had two year nines writing extensively on the sociopolitical implications of the upcoming FIFA world cup, and two year elevens documenting our school’s entire 30 year journey to where it is today. Though I wish I could say that I played a major hand in the quality of our Features section, I must acknowledge that its success was largely borne of the writers’ talent. I invite you to read their work and enjoy it as I do.

Business Director: Maegan Yeung I am so grateful that I have been provided with the opportunity to lead and work with my cohorts in the Business Department, all in the efforts to transform this issue of Xiao Hua from concept to reality. These pages cannot have been put together without the effort of every single person in the Xiao Hua team, and it definitely has been a pleasure and honor working with such a group of hardworking, passionate and inspirational individuals. Happy reading, CIS!

Sports Editor: Konrad Lee

With this being the 10th Issue of Xiao Hua, I’m honored that I was able to lead and work with a team of such talented writers. I’ve had an awesome experience throughout the whole process, from brainstorming ideas with my fellow editors to discussing the articles with the writers themselves. I like to think we’ve done ourselves justice, and I hope you’ll all appreciate the hard work and dedication that has gone into creating this issue.

Go Phoenix!

News Editor: Jackie Wu A huge congratulations to all the writers, artists, photographers and ed-board members for putting together this issue in such short notice and with such fantastic quality. Xiao Hua has always reminded me of the importance of collaboration and communication, that each and every component is equally worthy of the next and together they amalgamate in representing the voice of CIS. In this issue we take a trip down memory lane as we look back on all the special moments since the school’s inauguration. Happy 30th CIS - enjoy the issue!

Artistic Director: Bernetta Li

It never ceases to amaze me, how unbelievably talented the Xiao Hua Team is.

When I led the layout team for Xiao Hua’s 9th Issue, I really did not think that the quality of their work could get any better than it was already. But as we began working on this issue, I was in for an incredible surprise. We have young writers, writing articles about political issues in Ukraine and technological breakthroughs; We have illustrators, photographers and layout designers, whose creativity and artistic ability always manage to blow my mind away. It is such an honor to be able to lead such a great team of people, and it is an absolute privilege to be a part of Xiao Hua’s 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Issue. I look forward to Xiao Hua’s many more years to come. CIS, enjoy!

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EDITORIAL BOARD

head of photography: andrew koo Having already worked for Xiao Hua, I already knew what was expected of me going in, but what I didn’t expect were the new things I learn’t even in my second issue. Working for the photography department has been a fantastic experience for me, I have grown closer to all my subordinates, and I have gained precious and valuable leadership experience this past semester. I have sown tight bonds with my fellow editorial board members, ones that I cherish greatly. The tenth issue of Xiao Hua will be one to remember!

Chinese Editor: Justine Chen

擔任《校話》的中文編 輯，我感到非常榮幸， 也感到非常興奮。有這 個機會與幾位勤奮而又 有才能的同學共同工作， 感覺自己學到了很多也進 步了很多。不但提高了中 文水平，也享受到了與同 學共同合作的樂趣。近一 年來，我們收到的中文稿 件越來越多，質量越來越 高，在校對同學文章的同 時，自己也感覺受益匪 淺。我相信我們的《校 話》是一個真正的雙語 雜誌，是一個大家共同交 流、學習的園地。通過大 家的努力，《校話》定會 越辦越好！

Dep. Artistic Director: Candice Lincon

Having worked with Xiao Hua over the past four years, I have been consistently amazed by the artistic talent possessed by many of our CIS students. Needless to say, this year I was delighted to be granted the opportunity to lead the Xiao Hua illustrations team. Xiao Hua serves an ideal medium for our illustrators to further refine and showcase their talents in order to express both critical and lighthearted issues impacting our community. Throughout the process of brainstorming and discussing drafts, I was pleasantly surprised by the vivacious creativity bursting forth from our illustrators’ minds. Thus, I am honoured to present to you all the 10th Issue of Xiao Hua, may you all enjoy this issue and it’s splendid artworks!

Dep. News Editor: Joshua Hung

It is with immense honor that I present the result of the hard work and dedication manifested by every single writer in the News Department. As a freshlyminted editor, I was able to experience first hand the highly operational organism that is Xiao Hua, and was blessed to be able to work with a wonderfully talented and devoted team of young writers. Xiao Hua has always been made by the collective community, and this issue is a great testament to that very important fact. If there is one thing that Xiao Hua always manages to do, issue after issue without fail, it is the completion of a highly competent final product that effectively reflects the sweat and tears of all our members. I am proud to say that Xiao Hua has done so again.

Dep. News Editor: Angus Lam

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JESSICA EU

It is a great privilege to serve as the next Xiao Hua news editor alongside Joshua, under the guidance of Jackie. With my new responsibilities comes two great honours: to lead a group of incredibly talented, and flourishing young writers; and to help deliver the material we as young people desperately need: news, whether of our local, or global, community. And so, I implore you, CIS, to revel in the products of these writers’ abilities, as well as all the other wonderful aspects of this celebratory issue.

My time this year with the Xiao Hua team has been wonderful. I enjoyed the growing group dynamics and cannot wait for you all to see what we have been working so hard on!

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student leadership team letter

ick Whittington. When I first understood what a milestone was, I was sitting in a theatre in Wimbledon watching that pantomime. Dick was trudging to London on foot, pointing out the (probably plaster-cast) milestones to his cat. After that show I’d notice real milestones beside the road in different parts of England, and wonder about journeys that people had made; for them the marker would have been longedfor proof that they were closer to their destination.

Not that we always know our destination when we start our journey of course. In 1990, it was time to leave England for a new start. Of course I knew things would be different as I joined my uncle, a British diplomat, living in a penthouse in Mid-Levels, but I could not know just how much my life would change when I booked that 3 week return-ticket to Hong Kong. I found work in quirky educational establishments, embarked on travel that I’d only read about in Sunday supplements, had all kinds of fun with amazing friends, and after a couple of years began working at CIS, little knowing that was to be a milestone too. That’s one thing I’ve realized about milestones: sometimes you really don’t notice them until they are long-passed.

Being part of a school as innovative and aspirational as CIS means that I have witnessed a number of milestones; many have proven to be significant in the evolution of the school and the delivery of its mission, but not all of them obvious at the time. I hadn’t quite arrived for the school-changing event of moving premises to our Hill, but I do remember the modest celebrations at the 10 year anniversary, with CIS not quite convinced of its place on the educational stage. I vividly remember the sadness felt as we lost the Infant Division in the merger to create a whole Primary School, but also the teaching possibilities that emerged as we changed the physical space to accommodate shared spaces beside our classrooms. I remember attending the first Graduation Ceremony held for just 14 students, and have long made a point to share in the Graduation Tea; I love to hear the students’ plans, but also to catch up with graduating parents. Many I’ve known for a dozen years - from the first anxious moments as they separate from young children beginning full-time school to that May afternoon, the critical climax of those school years. I recognize that parents achieve an emotional milestone right alongside their children on Graduation Day. And now, as I watch students nearing the end of their school life, I am consciously contemplating another milestone of my own: the end of my teaching years at CIS. I wonder whether leaving CIS might be even more significant for me than for some students, since it’s been my ‘other’ home for 21 years, more than their 14 years from Reception to Graduation. While here I’ve passed personal milestones: I’ve lost a mother, found a wonderful husband, become both a step-mother and step-grandmother, and adopted a beautiful furry family. Just like the students, I’ve made life-long friends here that I dread to leave. Like them, my years have been measured cyclically, following equally-spaced and clear milestones along the educational

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path. And next, like graduating students, a new adventure and an obvious milestone veering off the familiar marked path; for us it will be emigrating to our new rural lives in New Zealand. The anticipation of a fresh start and unknowable events in stunning surroundings is palpable in our home, or it is if you look behind the to-do lists that seem to be the modern markers of approaching milestones!

What will I miss at CIS? I’m leaving (just) before getting to greet those alumni I taught as young students bringing their own children to begin a year in my class, although that might be too-sensitive proof of my advancing years. What future CIS milestones would I like to hear about through the cyber-vine? I’d love to know that we had spawned a young CIS daughter school somewhere on the Mainland. A new school designed, nurtured and supported by the entire CIS community: what a truly significant and altruistic milestone that would be!

Mrs Wellington Primary Teacher 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

editor’s letter “And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy ter struggles and sometimes seize glorious moments.

Understanding that the journey of Xiao Hua latter end would greatly increase.”

wasn’t and won’t always be a smooth, easy one, the EdiEven though I’m not religious, this biblical quote torial board and I are fervent to learn from past mistakes particularly stands out as we commemorate the grand 30th and hiccups to drive towards further development of the magazine. It is our very own milestone, and our very anniversary of Chinese International School and Xiao own goal to embrace and unite the entire CIS communiHua’s 5th year anniversary. ty by presenting both balanced, investigative articles and In 1984, Chinese International School embarked on its journey as a small school with just 75 students and is artwork that best showcase the talents that our students now a renowned International School of Hong Kong with hold.

In this issue, we present several riveting and over 1400 students. Similarly, Xiao Hua set out as a small, thought provoking articles that look at the significant distinct project to latter become the school’s annual publication that tries to connect all students, teachers, parents changes and developments around the world that directly or indirectly influence our lives. Sometimes, these and alumni of CIS. As the new Editorial board and I publish our very memorable moments stem from the contribution of infirst issue, we are directed to stand before the starting line. dividuals as Wen Yee Chan (Y11) and Hannah May Jones (Y11) present two great heroes, Nelson Mandela and Many of us still vividly remember receiving our very first copies of Xiao Hua, marveling at the quality of work pre- Martin Luther King, who both tried to make a great leap sented before us. As once readers and contributors of the forward for the betterment of the society. Often times, magazine, we have watched the group sometimes encoun- however, grand landmarks occur as a result of cooperative and collaborative effort of a group as we see Megan Foo (Y12) investigating different countries’ progression and move towards becoming eco-cities with greener and cleaner environment. Similarly, Yoon Ah Han (Y12) looks at the growth of rapid globalization around the world, which allows more and more children to integrate themselves in culturally richer and more diverse societies.

A Milestone, strictly speaking, encompasses an action or an event that marks an important change.

However, grandiose movements don’t occur magically in a spontaneous action. Rather, as we see from the articles in this issue, it is the accumulation of small acts and thoughts that contribute to the real development and growth of an individual, society and country. Likewise, it is the sweat, tears and hard work of 120 students as well as support from the school community that have allowed Xiao Hua to grow, flourish and once again receive Columbian Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Crown Award.

There’s a tingle of excitement and nervousness as we present the 10th Issue of Xiao Hua. While our team is delighted to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the group, I am even more thrilled as I know there are many more years, and many more “milestones” to come in the future that lies ahead for Xiao Hua. Happy reading CIS!

Sunwoo Nam Editor-in-Chief

XiaoHua announcements

Congratulations

to our 110 student team for once again being awarded the Gold Crown Award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

The Gold Crown Award is the highest recognition given by the CSPA for overall excellence. This includes print and online student magazines, newspapers, and yearbooks.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) was founded in 1925. The Crown Awards is an international competition that aims to recognize exceptional work by student journalists in print and online media. The CSPA is overseen by the Columbia University School of Journalism.

let’s hear from you!

- COMMENTS(EVERYONE): Tell us what you think of Xiao Hua or any of our articles!

We’d love your feedback. Please send comments to: comments. cisxiaohua@gmail.com - CONTRIBUTE: Please submit articles, artwork, short stories, photos or anything that fits our content profiles to cis.xiaohua@gmail.com.

Subject: ‘Attention:Administrator.’ Make sure you put your name and class.

- JOIN US: If you want to join our staff, please contact us at cis.xiaohua@ gmail.com - ADVERTISING Xiao Hua is a unique high school publication in Hong Kong, being bilingual in Chinese and English. Featuring full colour graphics, it is also the only regular publication covering all aspects of CIS community life. Published twice a year, the maga-

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To view the announcement online, please visit the CSPA’s website at: http://cspa.columbia.edu/recepient-lists/2014-awards-studentwork-crown-awards-scholastic-recipients-0 Xiao Hua also received All American Honors and a Gold Medal, the highest ratings from the National Scholastic Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association critique programs respectively for its 2010 -2013 issues.

For more information and details, please email cis. xiaohua@gmail.com.

zine provides detailed coverage of school news, sports and arts.

Features on student accomplishments, community news and cultural interests round out the editorial package.

With a readership of over 3000 including students, parents, teachers and alumni, Xiao Hua is distributed to a finely targeted audience. Xiao Hua is not just another school publication. It embodies Hong Kong’s unique blend of Chinese and Western culture, as well as the best Chinese and English student work the school as to offer. It offers advertisers access to an affluent community with a wide range of interests.

Business & Communications Department Room 1904, Chinese International School, 1 Hau Yuen Oath, Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong.

Tel: 6478 0234 Fax: 2838 9596

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

HAPPENINGS

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CORNER

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WRITER: JOSHUA HUNG (Y11) On this issue’s Alumni Corner, we have been lucky enough to ask Chris Wan, previous Concertmaster of the CIS Symphony Orchestra from the Graduating Class of 2013, some questions regarding his life after graduating from CIS, his continued passion for music, and his memories of secondary school life.

Where do you go to University and what do you major in?

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I am currently studying Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, working towards a degree in either Chemistry or Biochemistry.

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you?

I joined CIS in year 1, staying for a total of 13 years before graduating in 2013. Having spent so much of my life at the school, I really don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that CIS has helped define much of who I am.

It would be impossible to list all the ways CIS has benefitted me. During those 13 years, I learned to think critically as well as laterally. I learned to stand up for my views, while carefully assessing other people’s opinions instead of taking them for granted. I learned to empathise. I built a group of close friends, many of whom I still talk to on a weekly, if not daily, basis. The values and attributes that quintessentially define us as a community – our bilingual abilities, as well as a “lifelong love for learning”, amongst other things – have definitely influenced much of my experience at university.

When I left CIS, the future was scary and uncertain, and it still is. But I graduated as a wideeyed optimist, and to this day I still feel ready to tackle and fully engage with whatever the future has to offer. I think this sense of empowerment is the most important thing a school can provide for its students, and I am so grateful for this.

ALUMNI featuring chris wan

How has your experience in CIS benefitted

Have you continued to pursue your passion in music?

Indeed I have! I play in the university Symphony Orchestra, in a string quartet, and I’m quite involved with the Music Society at my own college. I also play in shows and musicals every now and then. The arts scene here is unbelievably vibrant; walls are constantly plastered with posters for concerts, plays and other events. Being at a relatively large university means there is always something exciting going on, so it’s very easy to get involved in things you find interesting. It therefore becomes extremely important to know what you want to do with your time, and then to organise your schedule accordingly.

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

happenings How have you managed to balance your studies as well as your passion for music

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Truth be told, I’m still trying to find that balance.

It’s definitely tricky to juggle many commitments at the same time, while trying to keep up with studies and making sure I understand lecture material. I still struggle a lot when trying to decide what activities I should take on, and what I should turn down.

I think it’s important to realise that the balance between academics and non-academics is one that fluctuates all the time – it really depends on what it is you want to get out of university life. I definitely felt that change in balance when I first left CIS; obviously I knew that I wasn’t going to stop caring about academics altogether, but because I wanted different things from university, I had to alter my priorities. Everyone has different goals in college; people emphasise different parts of their university life to achieve different things, be it the balance between academics and non-academics, between being asleep and staying awake, or between hanging out with new friends and keeping in touch with old ones. I would argue that any way of allocating your time is valid, provided that it has been well thought through; as long as you are aware of (and take responsibility for) possible consequences, nothing should stop you from spending your time as you wish to. On the flip side of the same coin, other students may have priorities that do not align with your own; nonetheless it is important to respect them for how they choose to spend their time.

That being said, being in charge of your own schedule really makes you realise just how much time there is in a day. You can accomplish a lot in 24 hours, especially if what you do excites and motivates you.

So I think that’s the key – do things you are genuinely passionate about at university, academic or otherwise, and your schedule will sort itself out.

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What are you future plans?

I don’t know! I’m interested in a lot of things, and I’m often very guilty of being deliberately vague about decisions.

Right now I’m having a lot of trouble simply deciding what courses and modules I want to study in the coming fall, so I really can’t tell you where I want to be in a few years time. I quite like the idea of conducting research, or even lecturing and teaching, but I don’t know if I’ll still be as passionate about that when I graduate, or if I am good enough to stay in academia. Fortunately, I really enjoy this sense of ambiguity, and I think it’s quite important to be open-minded when thinking about the future anyway. I might even apply to work at CIS – who knows!

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Jonathan Lu (Alumni of 2013/Former Editor-in- wrong copy, and hiccups in distribution. With good humor and hard work, we persevered. The result is a beautiful, award-winning Chief of Xiao Hua) Five years ago, Xiao Hua was nothing but an idea. Our founding team envisioned creating a bilingual student magazine at CIS that would be the best of its kind in Hong Kong. It seemed a daunting idea then. There was no organization and no real precedent at the high school level. It was a truly greenfield creation. But we were determined to make Xiao Hua a reality. Using a mock-up, we sold advertising. Cold calling and facing mostly rejection, our team of 15 year olds nonetheless convinced enough companies to support a launch of our first issue. We taught ourselves all the necessary skills, from how to write a headline to graphic design, layout, editing, and business accounting. Things didn’t always go smoothly. There were late nights at the printers, a few unhappy advertisers who got the

magazine that celebrates the creativity, zest, and diversity of our school community.

Ten issues later, it’s hard to believe that Xiao Hua is one of the largest extracurricular organizations at school. The magazine has contributed to fostering pride and unity between primary and secondary students, faculty, parents, and alumni. Chinese and English native speakers have equal voice. Most importantly however, we’re grateful to the CIS community for its support of Xiao Hua, without which this milestone would not be possible. As our school turns 30, I cannot wait to see what the next ten issues will bring, for Xiao Hua and for CIS.

MISS GEORGINA MARTIGNAGO (TEACHER SUPERVISOR)

lively, positive energy through its choice of topics as well as the inclusion of quality hand drawn/digital illustrations and original photos to compliment each article. The students involved are continually encouraged to provide investigative writing by presenting facts to our readers, rather than offering their opinions. With the help of Ms Yeo from the English Department who has offered to facilitate this publication next year, we know this aspect will improve.

Thank you to the many students who have voluntarily contributed to this news magazine over the past five years under the leadership of Jonathon Lu, Johnson Pak and now Sunwoo Nam. I wish Ms Yeo all the very best as she drives Xiao Hau into a new age.

May we see this valuable publication become far more interactive and collaborative via an online platform.

It brings me great pleasure to present the tenth issue of Xiao Hua to the whole school community. Over the past five years I have witnessed three editorial teams deliver several issues during their tenure. The efforts have resulted in several awards such as; All American honors (NSPA) along with three Gold Medal (CSPA) and a Gold Circle award from the Columbia Scholastic Press association for layout, creativity and selected articles. With such accolades we must remember a majority of the 120 students involved in this publications creation range from twelve to sixteen years of age and each contributor is ever evolving, changing and continually learning.

With this issue we welcome our new editor in chief, Sunwoo Nam from Year 11. Inside we see a freshness that evokes a

Xavier Banson (Year 8 Student)

Throughout the years, I have been looking at copies of Xiao Hua brought home by my brother, Martin Banson. This year, my first one in CIS, I eagerly awaited my very own copy. I feel like Xiao Hua over the years has improved greatly, especially in layout. I enjoy seeing the new things the layout team have in store for us each year. Not only is the layout improving, but the writing itself has also improved. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Xiao Hua!!!

Katherine Zhang (Year 9 Student)

If I’m completely honest, I never knew what Xiao Hua was when it first came out, but as time passed by, it became to have a more significant role in the community. I began looking forward to reading the new issues and now I want to see how the magazine is going to advance in the future.

Cuthbert Chow (Year 11 Student) Xiao Hua - a staple of CIS student life - has continued to evolve under the changing student leadership. I am amazed by the consistency that the writers display, as well as the increase of involvement within the Xiao Hua community. Throughout its short life, I have seen it burgeon every year with new talent, and continue to churn out thoughtprovoking articles.

Bing mei Chen (Secondary Chinese Teacher) 五年以來，從校話中聽到了學 生的聲音，看到了學生的成 長。古人說：『天下之至文， 未有不出於童心者也。』期盼 著未來的《校話》一如既往、 持之以恆，繼續保持率真、幽 默、平實、嚴謹的風格。

Stephen Lincon (Year 5 Student) Throughout the past 5 years I remember receiving issues of the Xiao Hua in homeroom and reading it with my friends. I think its really cool. The artworks and illustrations are all very well done and it helps us understand the CIS secondary lifestyle. As times gone on the magazine has gotten more and more impressive!

Isaac Chap (Year 12 Student)

It is good to see that XH has still been one of the strongest and most renowned school projects, even after five years of creation. It has continued to serve our school as one of the main communication channels, increasing our awareness of surroundings and changes happening in and out of campus.

happenings

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VOICES

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A c a - s c u s e m e, but make room for

Twincapella!

Writter: Charmaine Lai (y11) Photography by: Miriiam Finnemore (y11)

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MAEGAN YEUNG

SONIA YUEN

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capella’s first major explosion in mainstream culture was when Pitch Perfect, an awardwinning musical comedy about college rival a capella groups, premiered in 2012. Then, there was Glee, which brought us the Dalton Academy ‘Warblers’, an all-boys a capella choir. Now, CIS presents to you an all-girl, twin-exclusive a capella group - Twincapella!

Twincapella, a vocal group of 4 talented musicians, Sonia Yuen, Hillary Yuen, Maegan Yeung and Caitlin Yeung, began their musical journey in 2013.

Their first performance in CIS’s annual Golden Note Competition won them first place in the Chamber Group category. They became well known to a wider audience after performing for the CIS community through several celebration assemblies and lunchtime concerts.

The video of their last medley, ‘Evolution of Movie Love Songs’ was no doubt delightfully goofy, and thoroughly exhibited their unquestionable originality and talent. This medley starts from ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ performed by Fred Astaire in 1936, and includes movie love songs through the ages, until it ends at ‘Love is an Open Door’ performed by Kristen Bell in 2013 from the top grossing animated movie Frozen.

I was lucky enough to speak with this talented group of vocalists, who provided insight into how they came together and their approach to musical arrangements.

HILLARY YUEN

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CAITLIN YEUNG

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voices How did the group come together?

In actuality , we have known each other since a long time ago. We actually went to summer school together in Year 7 and have been attending Choir and Orchestra classes at the Academy of Performing Arts together for some time already. But it wasn’t until Maegan and Caitlin came to CIS in year 10 (2013), when we were placed in the same music class, that we really realized our shared passion for singing and came up with an idea of singing together since we are both twins. As such, we decided to call ourselves Twincapella because we are 2 sets of twins with the same passion for music.

How do you put together the arrangements? Does everyone contribute?

Sometimes, we can find arranged versions online, but most of the time we arrange our own songs.

We do so through listening to the original song and then building our own arrangement on top of that.

We work on our own parts and then work on each other’s parts to perfect the piece. In fact, when we’re doing a medley, what we do is we each work with a section and then put it all together. In that sense, we all contribute equally.

How do you choose which songs to cover and arrange?

We are constantly discussing and deliberating, looking for songs that are either easy to arrange or sound good. Usually, it takes around 3 days to piece everything together. But if it’s a extremely original type of medley, it takes quite a while, like a week. We try to make the best thing possible. We rehearse whenever we have time and especially when we have performances and gigs.

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How did you reach a wider audience after the Golden Note Competition in CIS? Firstly, we tried to reach out to the school community. So we would go to lunch time concerts, where we performed our own rendition of Imagine Dragons ‘Radioactive’, as well as celebration assemblies, where we performed Maroon 5 ‘Sunday Morning’. We tried to reach out to the school and have been very lucky to have a lot of support from the teachers and students. We even created our personalized group page on Facebook, which makes it easier for us to share music with the community. In addition, we performed for the Hong Kong Ballet at the Nutcracker Christmas Benefit in 2013, allowing us to reach the Hong Kong community.

Were there any lessons you learned or takeaways from performing at the Unplugged - Musical Moments Concert 2014 in City Hall?

Well, it was a really good opportunity to reach out to the Hong Kong community and secondly it was a fundraising concert for Lifeline Express, which helps kids with cataracts in Mainland China. They are not as fortunate as us, and we think that it is really meaningful to be able to help people through something we’re passionate about like singing, especially as a group. It was such a surreal experience because we got to meet so many different and talented artists, like one of the singers there, Li Tong Hsu, who is now currently performing in Sweden for the musical Miss Saigon. We also met Howard McCary, a singer who was nominated for a Grammy Award.

So it was really fun. What we took away from this experience was both meeting these people and watching them perform. We also gained a lot of personal experiences, like staying calm and knowing how to calm our nerves. It was fun!

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What are you goals as a group and what are you doing to work towards those goals?

Our main goal is to try to make the best of music and share it with people who are equally as passionate as us (Facebook page!). Check out our Youtube channel! ( http://www.youtube.com/user/Twincapella/feed)

What can we look forward to next from Twincapella?

We have a lot of performances planned. We will sing at the annual concert 2014, and we’ll also be performing in Nouveau and are planning to sing in the MYP Year 11 Prom, as well as for other charities.

Do you have have anything else you want to add?

First of all, we like to thank Mr. Rabach and Ms. Leung for being such an inspiration and providing us with so many performance opportunities.

We’d also like to thank Mr. Quah and the Musical Moments team for inviting us to sing with them at such an important concert; it was a great learning experience for all of us!

------To my ears, and to many who have heard them perform, Twincapella manages to create complex musical harmonies and melodies with their voices, and are able to synchronize perfect, almost as if they are perfectly matched. What impresses me the most is that they all have a strong passion for singing. Their dedication and affection for music translates into beautiful harmonies. In all, Twincapella is a group of 4 brilliant individuals, meshed together to form an even better, even greater, musical ensemble.

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Wearable Technology:

Breaking Barriers Writers: Simon Lam, Adrienne Chen, & Raghav Goyal (y8) // illustrator: kelly luy Y11)

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ith the large advancements in technology over the past few years, people have begun to design products that we have never seen before, such as technology that is available for us to wear. These innovations have brought along many new features and systems which allow us to easily perform tasks; to help make our lives more convenient. Things can now be done with the swipe of a finger, or even via voice command. Technology can now be worn, in the form of watches, glasses or even rings.

GOOGLE GLASS: In February of 2013, Google announced a new product called Glass which was envisioned to replace the cell phone, and remove the disengaging use of touch screen phones. Google Glass is like any other pair of glasses: it fits comfortably on your nose, and is composed of two frames bearing lenses; plus, it has all the features that a phone has. You no longer have to hold something bulky when taking photos or searching the web, everything that you need simply pops up in the top right hand corner. The main piece of technology that brings all these amazing features together is a rectangular clip-on device which is attachable to sunglasses, or the default pair of glasses it comes with.

Glass is easy to use, just clip it on to your glasses while wearing them, and start the system by tapping its side. Google Glass makes daily use of the technology extremely convenient; everything is hands free. It also has voice recognition so you can complete all tasks by voice.

You can perform a Google search, take a picture, record a video and even ask for directions.

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Glass could be brought to unsuitable places such as bathrooms, and it being extremely easy to take a photo without others noticing, creates a serious issue.

The facial recognition feature is also a problem, as people using the Google Glass would perform a few quick searches to find out the person’s name, age, address and phone number.

THE RING BY LOGBAR INC: The Ring, a device created by Logbar Inc, is a wearable device that is worn on your finger and is, at its core, a simple device that controls things such as common household items and phone apps. Like many other wearable devices, it serves as a companion tool to the smartphone.

It is very easy to use: simply wear it, tap it by its side, and then you can start performing gestures. It will capture the gesture and send the data to your smartphone devices.

The Ring provides shortcuts through its many features. One of the features is a gesture control func5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

tion, which allows users to perform unique and different gestures to control different things and apps. Examples include drawing an envelope shape to open up the Mail app, drawing a music note to open the Music app, and drawing a camera to open the Camera app. These gestures can also be edited and can perform things such as sending friend requests, adjusting the brightness of lights, changing music, sending texts, turning on the TV and opening apps. Up to 1000 gestures can be performed before the Ring needs to be charged again.

The second feature of the Ring is text transmission, which allows users to type texts using gestures in mid-air, anytime and anywhere. The Ring provides a special Ring font which can be calibrated to help recognize the user’s handwriting and help texting become easier and faster.

The third feature is the Payment Information Transmission. This feature completely changes the way you shop because it allows you to make payments with the Ring by performing just a single swipe or a single gesture. This way you can immediately make payments and transactions through GPS or Apple’s iBeacon.

The fourth feature is the Receive and Alert function. The Ring uses vibrations and LED for notifications and updates. Users can also choose which notifications to receive such as Facebook and Mail.

The fifth feature is the API and the Ring Store. These systems allow developers to create and produce their own original apps that are compatible with the Ring and post it on the Ring store. Users can search through the Ring store to install a variety of apps. The Ring is compatible with numerous apps and software, for example iOS, Android, PC, other wearable devices (Pebble watch, Google Glass), SBS/website services (Twitter, Facebook, Evernote), Home control, many controllable tools (Quadcopter drones) and IOS native apps.

However, the Ring is not waterproof, which can be a problem as some users might forget to take off the Ring when washing their hands. The battery is not replaceable, meaning that if the battery stops working, you would need to buy a new Ring.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY GEAR: The Samsung Galaxy Gear is a sleek, beautifully designed Android-based smart watch with unique built-in features which can bring convenience into our lives. It comes in various colours, including jet black, mocha grey, wild orange, lime green, and rose gold.

With this new wearable technology, you can do many things easily without any trouble. The Samsung Galaxy Gear provides many features built-in to the watch. Never been able to reach your phone? Been busy lately with no time to fill up schedules? Can’t seem to wake up in the morning? Don’t fret!

This new advanced device can make calls, take pictures or record videos, and even has a ‘S Voice’, which helps to create schedules, call contacts, check the weather, or add an alarm.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear provides a screen with a beautiful display. The screen, with the size of just 1.63 inches, offers sharp details and amazing resolution. Ever thought about what you’d do if you lost your phone? The Samsung Galaxy Gear thoughtfully added in an application, ‘Find My Phone’. If the gear is within range (30 feet), an automatic alarm will be set off, leading you to the misplaced phone.

With all of these features built into just one little smartwatch, it has become a success in the market.

But, of course, there are many limitations on this device. As the use of an Apple iPhone has increased rapidly, Samsung users slowly decreased after months. Because the Galaxy Gear only comes to use with Android-based phones, it has done very poorly in sales. Many complaints have been sent to Samsung due to its unreasonable cost.

Another one of its cons is that the Samsung Galaxy Gear is smartphone-dependent, and currently there are only 2 compatible phones, the Note 3 and the Note 10.1. This means that without your smartphone nearby, the Samsung Galaxy Gear will not show any notifications or missed call alerts, and it is unable to connect to the internet as it requires your smartphone nearby to do so. It also cannot read email alerts, and has a poor battery life.

Wearable technology could become a great benefit to our daily lives, although there are still some disadvantages to it. The features they provide makes technology more convenient than ever before because tasks could be performed with a single swipe or gesture. With the introduction to wearable technology, more and more changes and improvements will be made so that the technology will become more adapted to our daily lives, such as the development of the Google driverless car. The advancement of technology would provide more shortcuts and benefit our lives even more in the future. For example, smaller, more energy-efficient, devices that come with better speech recognition systems. The future of wearable technology will rely on its ability to adapt to the fashion trends; companies such as Nike and other brands are beginning to develop wearable technology that are more effective, efficient and attractive at the same time. Wearable technology, breaking barriers one step at a time.

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Bye Bye Gym Writer: Crystal Lau (y11) // photography: photography club

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t has probably been several months since the last time you have visited the gym for a scheduled PE lesson, ages since you last attended a whole-school assembly held within the gym premises, and its been even longer since the last time you changed in the gym changing rooms. Reminding yourself that there will be a better gym with facilities that surpass your imagination is the only consolation you have when you see your favorite part of the school torn down. Built in the year 1994, our old gym has been an essential part of our school history, housing numerous events including PE lessons, graduation ceremonies, assemblies, administration tests, interschool contests, sport trainings, conferences, and many more. As such, in order to properly part with such a significant part of our school, the Order of the Phoenix has collaborated with the Student Council to organize a week of activities and games in the Gym, as a way of giving students one last opportunity to say farewell to one of the most beloved buildings on campus.

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As the saying goes, we have to get rid of the old to make room for the new. CIS has started its redevelopment project with great enthusiasm and the new changing rooms are only a teaser of the many splendors the redevelopment will bring forth. With the gym knocked down, a new tower will take place, which will include an improved gym, as well as the upper floors completely devoted to Science and Design Technology. The new gym promises to bring us state-of-the-art facilities, like retractable seating that is capable of accommodating the entire CIS community for assemblies. Students will no longer need to sit on the floor during all school assemblies, silently shifting from one leg to the other to avoid feeling uncomfortable and cramped. Additionally, the new gym will also provide much better fitness equipment, as well as a stimulating and challenging fitness center available for students. In all, the redevelopment plans involve major advancements in regards to the school’s facilities and provisions.

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etween March 31st and April 4th, students were exposed to a week full of exciting and traditional gym games, such as the hugely popular dodgeball, among many other games that students have enjoyed during special events and occasions. In addition, a variety of other events were also available during the Week in order to commemorate this integral aspect of CIS life, including opportunities for students to paint messages on to the wall of the gym, a music concert, as well as a final celebration assembly. Many students signed up to take part in the games, which were extremely stimulating and entertaining. Additionally, the Art department pitched in and the art students did their farewell tribute by painting the walls leading to the gym. With the walls brightly decorated, it reflected the students’ passion for Art, as well as their feelings about the gym being torn down. The Week, organized by the Order of the Phoenix and the Student Council, was a wonderful way to get the CIS Community together to commemorate something as momentous as demolishing a familiar and cherished building.

As an injured person would get their friends and family to sign their cast, during Bye Bye Gym Week, CIS students were allowed to paint their farewell messages and personal memories on to the green walls of the gym.

Despite showing gratitude for the numerous “sore bums” the gym has left with them, students also expressed appreciation for the special memories they experienced in the gym, such as scoring their first goal or playing their favorite games in PE classes. Some students even expressed sadness of not being able to graduate within the walls of the gym, whilst others painted their handprints as a means of parting with the gym. Simply reading a few emotional messages written by secondary students of all ages was enough to make anyone’s heartstrings twang.

Every time the school comes together, students and teachers alike convene at the gym. Besides the customary PE lessons, many social events had taken place

in the gym, such as countless inter school conferences.

The gym’s atmosphere is very versatile, enabling it to be possible for basketball players to feel at ease at trainings, while also allowing the graduating class to feel dignified at graduation ceremonies. At the final whole-school assembly, Mr May read out a few personal memories, chronicling a student’s Middle to High school experience and how much of it took place in the gym. To add onto the bittersweet atmosphere of the Celebration Assembly, Mr Ip was also recognized for being here from when the gym was first built. One can only imagine how Mr Ip feels about tearing down the building he has cared and known for so long.

It goes without saying that the gym has become an indispensable component of Chinese International school to many students, seeing as how many memorable moments have been created there. From hearing the CIS Symphony perform during countless assemblies to laughing at one of Mr. Wellington’s jokes in the Christmas Assembly, our old gym has inadvertently become a major part of our school lives, whether we recognize it or not.

That being said, although the gym has been torn down, one cannot suppress the feeling of excitement that a new, more glamorous gym is fast approaching. Knowing that there will be a new haven in which upcoming generations of CIS students will be able to make new memories in makes it possible for us to bid our old gym goodbye and to eagerly anticipate the arrival of the new one.

The gym’s atmosphere is very versatile, enabling it to be possible for basketball players to feel at ease at trainings, while also allowing the graduating class to feel dignified at graduation ceremonies.

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雙在 語 文 憑

Writers: Justie Mak (y11)//Jessica Chan (y11) Photography: Britta Lam (y11) 漢基國際學校，從幼兒園到十三年級， 我們都要學中文，這就是我們學校的特 點。很多父母都知道漢基有中英雙語課 程，所以希望孩子能來漢基讀書，今後 同時掌握中英兩種語言。漢基的辦校宗旨———— “ 竭力據此達致最高學術水平。”突出了一種競爭性 ， 漢基的每個學生都希望拿到最佳成績。但到選DP課程 的時候，特別是選中文科時， 學生有些發愁，因為中 文DP有七個不同的課程：語言A：文學（包括普通課程 和高級課程）；語言A：語言和文學課程（包括普通課 程和高級課程）；語言B（初級語言課程、普通課程和 高級課程）。語言A 或 語言B，應該選哪一個呢？ 表面看來，這是一個很容易解答的問題：同學 們應該選擇適合他們水平的課程。可是，IBO發佈新的 語言大綱有個清晰的指引： 如果你十一年級在語言A 或語言B 階段6（之前最少在語言A班學過一個學期） 的中文班學習，十二年級應該選讀語言A課程。從學生 的角度來看，有些認為這個規定不合理，於是很不開 心。一位十一年級中文A的學生發表看法：“我今年中 文成績退步了，而且我覺得課程很困難，可是我也不 能夠降班到B。”另一位在語言B階段6的同學也認為這 個規定不合理：“我今年在學B階段6的課程，可是明 年我又要上到A班，你不覺得這不公平嗎？我的程度哪 可以比得上今年學中文A的同學？” 要回答這個問題，我們要考慮每一同學的選擇 是不是合理的。如果有些同學真的是因為語言水平達 不到語言A的要求而想留在B，這個要求是合理的。可 是，許多同學只顧著想IB考試時能取得 40－45分的好 成績， 將來可以進入最好的大學，所以就會選擇對他 們來講比較容易的課程。從一個好的學習態度來看， 這不是一個正確的理由。我們來到學校是為了學習， 漢基的辦學宗旨是為了”啟發學生的求知慾，培養其 獨立性與批判性、有創見的思考能力。”漢基的辦校 宗旨不是指向製造能得到滿分的學生，真正的目的是

要“培訓學生成為富悲憫心、具高尚情操、有責任 感的人，期許他們對國家及世界作出貢獻。”我們 應該像十一年級的一個被我們訪問過的學生學習。 他說：“其實，我現在是Phase 6的學生，但是我覺 得IBO的新規定利大於弊。因為漢基非常注重中英雙 語課程，所以就希望更多學生能選讀語言A課程。我 們不應該因為想得到更好的分數而選擇對我們來說 學習很輕鬆的課程。只要學生努力，把握在漢基學 習雙語的機會，一定能得到好的成績！” 中文老師對這件事有什麼想法呢？李校長覺 得只要同學努力，讀A班也不會太困難。中文老師 們在想辦法提高學生的中文能力，例如，如果有學 生覺得上課有不明白的材料，老師們會提供課後幫 助，還可以幫助有需要的學生補課。 聽完了老師和學生對中英雙語課程的想法， 選課程時有很多方面要仔細考慮，不應該選擇不需 要怎麼付出，就容易得到高分的課程，應該有良好 的學習態度，“愛好學習，追求知識。”

Healthy eating :More than a diet

Writer: Medha Goyal (y11) Photography: Nicole Li (y9)

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he quest for a healthier diet is a growing trend. Testament to this is more than just an increase in Buzzfeed posts on ways to eat quinoa for breakfast. The CIS community has shown its concern for healthy eating by introducing health food provider Chartwells.

Statistics from the Hong Kong’s Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the focus of the wider community has also shifted to health: the number of dieticians in Hong Kong is estimated to increase by 21% by 2022. or my parents, their journey into healthy eating began with pizza, fries, and an endless supply of processed foods.

Upon landing in the United States, they became attached to the immediate gratification of chain restaurants galore. In fact it was only years later, after stumbling upon the recipes of Mark Bittman, famous food critic and chef featured in the New York Times, did they realize how unhealthy that diet was. The change occurred when they heard his comments on

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healthier alternatives to conventional ingredients. Disgusted by their forage into fatty fast food, they decided to abandon this unhealthy diet forever.

What followed was not the metamorphosis of a family that once enjoyed life into weight-obsessed, calorie-counting maniacs. It was instead an culinary exploration that did, indeed, culminate in grudging support of that rather self-righteous adage: everything in moderation. As we learned the hard way, a healthy lifestyle cannot be created overnight. Yet many self-proclaimed ‘quick-fix’ diets are still advertised.

Typing the phrase ‘healthy eating’ into Google, I come across a wide variety of advice. Your serving of meat should be as big as a deck of cards, a slice of bread the size of a CD case, and carbohydrate portions the size of a traditional light bulb, says HelpGuide. org. One kiwi a morning keeps you healthy, says Readers Digest. While these dietary tips do not inflict much harm if followed carefully, nutritionists and dieticians propulgate much more drastic diets too.

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One such diet would be the Cabbage Soup Diet: a 7 day quick-fix which allows for the consumption of cabbage soup variations. While advocates explain that, with this diet, the individual can lose up to 4.5kg within a week, nutritionists claim it is impossible to lose that much fat within a week, and thus the weight lost is actually water. Not only do the dieters fail to lose fat, but their calorie intake per day becomes dangerously less than the daily recommended amount.

Considered far more legitimate is the South Beach Diet, which distinguishes between the types of carbohydrates and fats that the individual can eat. The dieter is encouraged to replace “bad carbohydrates” with those that have a low glycemic index, and to replace trans-fats and saturated fats with unsaturated fats. Luckily this diet forces nothing upon the individual but instead allows the choice between several foods within certain categories. However, many nutritionists criticize this diet for not providing enough of the sugars present in carbohydrates that are responsible for providing the body with energy, strengthening the immune system, speeding up muscle recovery, and many more important bodily functions.

Reading about these extreme diets, one similarity becomes particularly salient: particular food groups are completely eliminated at different points of the diet, often without careful analysis of potential benefits this food might have, or ways in which it works symbiotically with other food types. Perhaps then it is more effective to allow several foods in moderation, with emphasis on certain types, instead of cutting a binary for what one is allowed to eat.

Our family also began by completely cutting out particular foods from our diet. We tried giving up chocolate. Instead of being able to forget about chocolate I simply craved some even more. Needless to say, I finally caved in within days. On another occasion, my father ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

and I decided to switch to a completely raw food diet, because he had heard that it would give you more energy, and decrease the amount of time you needed to sleep in order to feel well-rested.

This diet would consist of solely fruits, nuts, and salad. Instead of giving me more energy, it made me more listless, as I didn’t have enough food to eat. Similarly, in the past, my mother and brother had devoted most of the food in our fridge to curry and vegetables slathered in spices, and they smelled so good I simply could not refuse to eat them. Whereas we hoped for it to last in the long term, the diet lasted a grand total of 8 days. In fact, because all of our culinary changes were drastic, they ended quickly and were painful while they lasted. n the other hand, our more moderate ideas now form the staple of our diet.

Instead of eating only greens, we have simply changed the focus of our diet, so that we eat more of these foods and different types of grains. Instead of curry for all three meals a day, we replace lunch with salad, for example.

Instead of eating crackers for snack, we replace it with a bunch of fruit.

A common objection now often crops up: what if the healthy food is not as appetizing as calorie-rich but fat-inducing foods; how am I to continue eating them? At first I too found my family’s inclination towards fruits annoying. I could not eat more than a bowl of fruit at a time without feeling like I needed a cracker to go with it, and I did not particularly enjoy eating salad. The difference occurs, I realized, when you take these basic concepts and play with them, tailor them to your tastes. I found eating bowls full of blueberries boring.

So I simply gave myself a mix of different types of fruits, from raspberries to mangosteens to passionfruit. I found eating salads boring. So I mixed in them roasted squash, sunflower seeds, cucumber, sliced beets, dried cranberries, feta cheese, apple pieces, fresh blueberries and roasted garlic, whatever captured my fancy.

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Yet the excitement of whipping together novel recipes may soon give way to inertia. This is where the behavioral economics concept called choice architecture becomes useful. This concept suggests that people generally opt for the default option, the path of least resistance, simply because we are not inclined to expend more energy than necessary. To take advantage of this in dieting, one needs simply to make choices at the beginning of a diet that make it easy for the individual to continue to follow that choice during the diet. Take an Indian flatbread my family eats everyday: chapati. To make it, my mother need only restock flour every one and a half months.

So in order to maintain healthy chapati eating habits, my mother need only make one brief decision to buy wheat flour, containing grains such as millet, buckwheat and barley, instead of all purpose flour, and she has covered an entire 6 weeks of healthy bread eating. Another family staple is rice, so we decided to experiment with different types of rice. We tried brown rice, and a mixture of white and red, but ultimately we found the 8-grain type, which included sorghum, millet, and barley, most appetizing, with its soft and crunchy texture as well as its salty and umami taste. And because of these simple choices made once in a month, we have maintained relatively healthy standards of eating.

Many factors determine the success of a healthy diet, yet there a few we can keep in mind.

While we must exercise precaution with what we read in, say, Reader’s Digest, it doesn’t hurt to test out what we’ve heard in moderation. So next time you try for a healthy diet, ignore diets with flashy names or incredible promises. Tailor healthy foods to your tastes, exercise moderately, and change your diet step by step.

Remember choice architecture: instead of eliminating particular aspects of your diet, simply substitute healthier options for them, making one time choices that affect your diet for the next few weeks or so.

We see a world more conscious of the individual’s health. Hopefully this is a sign that it is more than just a way to slim your tummy but a whole new way of living that we can easily enjoy.

Herb Soup Recipe

by Yotam Ottolenghi from The Guardian 5 tbsp olive oil 2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp grated nutmeg 1 tbsp dried mint 500g baby spinach 25g parsley (whole, leaves and stalks) 25g coriander (whole, leaves and stalks) 1200ml vegetable stock 200g Greek yoghurt 10g fresh coriander leaves, chopped 10g fresh mint leaves, chopped 5g fresh parsley leaves, chopped 200g feta Salt and black pepper 1. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan.

2. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for around five minutes, or until translucent and soft.

3. Stir in the turmeric and nutmeg, fry for a couple of minutes, then add the dried mint, spinach, the whole parsley and coriander leaves and stalks, and stock.

4. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Season, then blitz the soup with a liquidiser or stick blender until smooth.

5. When you’re ready to serve, reheat the soup just to boiling point and pour the yoghurt into a bowl.

6. Whisk a ladleful of hot soup into the yoghurt, stirring constantly, and repeat with a couple more ladles of hot soup, then tip the yoghurt mix into the soup and whisk in.

7. Stir through the chopped herbs and crumble in the feta, reserving some leaves and cheese to garnish.

8. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

9. Pour into soup bowls, sprinkle over the herbs and feta, and finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Multigrain Rice

1. Cook 2 cups of multigrain rice in 4-5 cups of vegetable broth. Once boiling, low flame until soft and tender.

2. Use cooked rice for making stir fried rice. In a separate pan roast pine nuts in olive oil. Then add a medley of chopped vegetables like onion, celery, red pepper, spinach, mushrooms. Cook until vegetables soft.

3. Add cooked rice, and stir for 2 minutes. Add salt and red chilli powder to taste and one spoon of red wine vinegar.

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

禽流感 香港人的恐慌

與沙士 的策略。

“禽流感殺來了！”身為香港人對此“吶喊”是既熟悉又 恐懼。那麼禽流感到底是什麼？H5N1和H7N9又是什麼呢？ 香港已經歷過H5N1，但最近在東亞地區，尤其是在國內， 出現了諸多其他類型。H7N9就是其中已有280多宗個案的 一例，而且不少患者已死亡。禽流感其實是不同病毒的一 個統稱，主要存在於鳥類身上，不一定引起病徵，但傳 到人身上就會引起嚴重的後果。“沙士”又是另一個令 香港人毛骨悚然的名字，全名嚴重急性呼吸系統綜合症 （Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome：簡稱SARS，音 譯為“沙士”），是 由病毒引起的非典型肺炎的一種。 沙士最初在香港 被辨認出，名字也跟“HKSAR”非常相 似。最近出現在中東的類似案例則稱為“中東沙士”。

應對方法 我們都知道禽流感和沙士無論在香港或是外地都導致了很 多死亡個案，由於現在還沒有有效治療沙士的藥物，所以 若感染了沙士，就只能靠自己體內的抗體來對付病毒。禽 流感雖然已有解藥，但必須要及時得到治療才有效，而且 最終還是有百分之80到百分之90的機會康復。若稍微延 誤，恢復的機會就可能會降到百分之10到百分之20。此 外，由於禽流感是通過野生鳥類傳播的病毒，而且有很多 不同的類別，因此現階段要徹底消滅禽流感是不可能的。 由此可見， 我們的視線就應該注重于 “預防勝於治療”

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怎麼預防

Writer: Victoria Ngai (y9) Illustrator: mina shih (y11)

應該怎麼去預防沙士以及禽流感呢？通過與專業家庭醫生 的訪問，發現其實並沒有什麼秘訣。最理想當然是環境控 制，但這主要是政府的任務，作為個人的我們，就要保持 良好的生活及衛生習慣，提高身體的抵抗力。 首先要多做運動，而且要保持均衡飲食。這兩件事說 易行難。運動能提升身體五臟六腑的狀態，但必須堅持不 懈，三天打魚兩天曬網是不行的。均衡飲食，看似老生常 談，但往往是“說時無敵，做就無力”！美食當前，又有 多少人能抵受得了誘惑呢？ 此外，足夠的睡眠是更加不 能忽視的，因為睡眠會直接影響到身體的 免疫力。睡覺 時，身體的各部位都會跟著你一起“休息”，恢復到最佳 狀態。 綜上所述，“預防勝於治療”是多麼重要。平時注意 飲食、多做運動、強身健體、禦寒保暖。注意個人衛生， 例如勤洗手、咳嗽及打噴嚏時用紙巾捂住口、適時戴口 罩，保護自己及別人。在香港，每年有兩個流感高峰期： 一到三月及七到八月。通常，第一個高峰期會比較嚴重。 因此，在感冒活躍的高峰期到來之前，及時打疫苗提升免 疫能力也不愧為是一種有效的預防措施。由此可見，香港 人不必為禽流感及沙士過度恐慌。只要我們懂得好好保護 自己，病毒也就乖乖遠離我們了。

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

明天過後？ 末日將至？ WRITER: RYAN TSE (Y11) PHOTOGRAPHY: JESSICA EU (Y12)

雖

然2014年只過了四分之 一，但在這短短的時間 裡，相信大家已經親身 體驗過一些極端而又反 常的天氣現象了。今年一月，北美 洲經歷了一股強烈的寒流，而遠至最 南方的佛羅里達州也無法倖免。這罕 有的天氣現象是由於一股在北冰洋上 空形成的冷鋒與北美洲東北氣旋結合 而導致的。此極地渦旋為美國與加拿 大帶來了嚴重的暴風雪並以低於北極 的－37.9攝氏度打破了兩地的低溫記 錄。除了導致大量企業停工、學校停 課、道路封閉、航班取消，暴風雪更 使美東45萬戶停電，加東錄得60釐米 積雪。末日冰封的場面，與2004年的 電影《明天過後》的情節不謀而合。 不只如此，日本的雪災也使不少建築 物倒塌，使傷亡人數達到1200多人。 不少地方因大雪封路，斷糧停電；居 民要靠政府空投食物物資才不至於 餓死。相反，英國則受到五股風暴影 響，南部多個城市被洪水淹蓋，泰晤 士河的水位則達到60年來的新高。 反常天氣影響的不只是其他國家，更

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是一個身處在香港的我們也要面對的 問題。過去的幾個月，香港的溫度維 持在十多度左右，降雨量也不穩定。 以二月為例，有超過一半的時間日均 氣溫都是低於正常的。這又濕又冷的 天氣在漢基是最為明顯的。在寶馬 山上的校園內，各位老師與同學每天 早上都要迎面冒著刺骨的寒風跑進室 內，但同時也要在濕滑的走廊上小心 行走，以免滑倒，實在是狼狽不堪。 古人有句俚語：“未吃五月粽,破裘不 捨放“，意思為未到端午節，天氣也 會反覆不定、時晴時雨、忽冷忽熱， 因此不應把冬天的衣物收起。儘管如 此，但一般而言在二月分，天氣應該 漸漸回暖，但不升反跌，確實是極端 天氣來臨的先兆。其實，天氣驟變的 原因為中國內地的一股冷鋒南下，取 代了香港原來的潮濕海洋空氣。 千萬不要以為這只是一個短暫的天氣 現象，冷鋒所帶來的不只是溫度的下 降，更是珠江三角洲一帶工廠所產生 的廢氣。在二月十八日冷鋒越境來到 香港時，新界西北部（即，天水圍， 屯門，元朗）一帶的空氣指數健康

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指數一度從三度攀升到八度。可想而 知，天氣的改變與我們的健康息息相 關。 當然，極端天氣當然不是一朝一夕， 空穴來風的情況。美國華府因應之前 的雪災更罕有地提出警告，呼籲各國 共同應對氣候變化。國務卿克里早前 在印尼向大學生發表演說，拿氣候變 化與恐怖主義及核災難做出比較，稱 之為「世上最恐怖的武器」。克里指 出，世界多達97%的科學家都認同全球 暖化是人類活動的直接後果，而歷來 最熱的10個年頭都是在1998年Google 創辦後（網上活動遞增）錄得的。克 里說，東南亞地區將會在氣候變化中 首當其衝，因為多個國家的地勢都較 為平坦，生態以及經濟都受到威脅。 無奈的是，美國研究機構蓋諾普最近 的調查指出，雖然過半數的美國人都 相信全球暖化正在發生，但只有少於 40%的民眾覺得氣候變化的成因與自 己的生活習慣有關，並且會影響到自 己的生活。難道人類往往要到危急關 頭，才懂得面對現實，懂得悔改嗎？

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A

WAR OF

sat vs act

STANDARDIZED TESTS O

WRITERs: SIMON LAM (y8)// JOSHUA HUNG (y11) ILLUSTRAtor: trisha wong (y11)

ne of the most difficult questions that many high students encounter during the University Admissions process is the choice of taking either the SAT or the ACT. The debate over which test is better at quantifying a student’s ability and improve a student’s chances of achieving high test scores has seen many conflicting perspectives. Lately, many teachers recommend students to take both the SAT and the ACT examinations in order to physically comprehend which test is advantageous to them, as sources claim that the choice between SAT and ACT is purely circumstantial, with some students benefitting from taking the more aptitude-oriented SAT, and others doing better at the curriculum-focused ACT. The SAT is a standardized test for US college applications, and is accepted by almost all colleges and universities in the US. It is an aptitude test used to determine a student’s ability for college applications, and is composed of 2400 points, with the lowest score possible being 600. There are 3 sections, each out of 800, including Critical reading, Writing and Mathematics. Critical reading involves completing sentences and reading passages, while Writing involves writing an essay and answering multiple-choice questions on grammar usage and error, and Mathematics involves the application of various arithmetic operations.

There are also SAT Subject Tests available, and it is recommended that students submit test scores from at least two different subject tests during college applications.

With a wide variety of subject tests available, these tests are designed to allow students to express their interest in a specific subject area, allowing colleges to understand a student’s passion and abilities. There are many benefits of taking the SAT, primarily because the test is based on aptitudes in English Reading and Writing as well as Mathematical concepts taught during High school, meaning that students are appropriately equipped to take the test simply from their high school courses.

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Recently, it has been announced that the SAT will go through several major changes in 2016 due to complaints that the test has become too disjointed from topics that matter in University and working life. Most significantly, many have stated that the SAT covers arcane vocabulary and content, while ignoring many aspects that are more applicable in the workforce. lt has been announced that the SAT will begin a partnership with Khan Academy through offering free online tutorials to help low-income students become more adept at the SAT. Moreover, the scoring system will be reduced to 1600 points, composed of two 800 point sections - a math section as well as an evidence-based reading and writing section. The essay, currently compulsory, will become optional and scored separately from the SAT. More importantly, instead of requiring students to complete sentences using puzzling and obscure words, these words will be replaced with words that they might encounter again in college. The test will also include a broader range of subjects such as science, history, social studies and literature.

The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. These four sections are scored individually on a scale of 1–36, and a Composite score is provided, representing the whole number average of the four individual section scores. Unlike the SAT, the ACT Multiple-choice tests are not aptitude or IQ tests, and are focused entirely on schooltaught curricula. Because of that, students are constantly being prepared for the ACT while attending class, and normally students who pay attention in class and work hard at school manage to excel during the ACT. Apart from the ACT test itself, students also have the option to take an optional Writing Test. Students are recommended to take the additional writing component, as schools use different methods to measure writing skills, and therefore the standardized writing test offered by the ACT holds significant advantages for students.

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In regards to preparation for the ACT, many claim that the best way to do so is through taking challenging courses in high school, as these courses mainly cover the information required to take the ACT. Moreover, the ACT also offers a number of test preparation options including free online practice tests. One of the more unique qualities of the ACT is the fact that it also provides students with a unique Interest Inventory and Student Profile Section, which asks about the student’s interests, courses, and educational preferences. It also instructs students to provide a profile of their work in high school and career choices to colleges, which effectively helps students plan for the future. Moreover, by taking the ACT, student make themselves more visible to colleges and scholarship agencies, and therefore taking the exam is another way to help students get ready for life after high school as well as University applications.

The SAT and ACT are significantly different tests, and in many ways, they measure different skills. While the ACT is an achievement test that measures the student’s understanding of concepts and information taught at school, the SAT is more of an aptitude test, as it tests a student’s reasoning and verbal abilities, much of which deviate from typical school curriculum. However, this contrast isn’t exactly watertight. Many questions on the ACT test critical thinking, and there is a predictable range of material that’s tested on the SAT. In the end, while the SAT and ACT are very different tests, they both fulfill the same role in the admissions process, and most colleges accept both tests on a balanced basis.

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

D E C N A L A B SCALE UN

AN

T

WRITER: RICHARD TENG (y11)

raditionally, males have had the dominant roles in 500 CEO positions and 4.7 percent of Fortune 1000 CEO positions. the workplace. Whether it was at the office or in This is indicative of a steady rise in females being employed as corpothe boardroom, white collar or blue collar, males rate leaders. Sadly, when compared to statistics that indicate the number have usually had a commanding presence in the of females enrolled to University are equal to the number of men, workforce. Women have, for much of the recorded history however, these numbers seem incredibly meager. of mankind, been relegated to the more domestic tasks of In Strategy&’s 2013 Chief Executive Study, it was shown that the household. However, with the turn of the century, and globally over the past five years, the share for women in the incoming the two World Wars, women have begun to be thrust into a CEO classes was 3.6%, 71% higher than in the prior five-year period world where once only men existed. share of 2.1%. The study, which looks at incoming and outgoing In our modern era of equality and libertarianism, CEOs across 2,500 of the world’s largest public companies, revealed it seems unthinkable that women would be disadvantaged. that over the past 10 years, there have been 75% more women in the However, the truth is far from the ideal, and, in practice, incoming than the outgoing classes of CEOs. If this trend continues, women are often times passed over or discriminated against Strategy& predicts that by 2040, a third of all new CEO appointon account of their sex. In fact, what makes this even more ments will be women. Despite these encouraging trends, however, ludicrous is that, at the same level of education, women are women made up just 3% of the global incoming CEO class in 2013, actually more successful than men. In the 2010-2011 school a 1.3 percentage point drop from 2012. The speed at which gender year, according to the Higher Education Statistics Authority equality in the workplace may just be coming to a halt.

(HESA), more than 55% of the undergraduates enrolled in More discouraging is the fact that according to the results, fethe UK were of the fairer sex, despite the fact that there were male CEOs are significantly more likely to be fired: 38% of female more men of university age in the country than women. Addi- CEOs have been forced out of office, compared with 27% of their tionally, across the board in the education system, from primary male contemporaries. The findings also show a marked difference to university, women, or at this stage girls, tend to outperform in the way male and female CEOs were recruited. While the majortheir male counterparts, at least academically. And yet, female ity of male CEOs (78%) are recruited from within the company, prowess in the academic arena somehow does not translate over this is only true for 65% of women. With 35% of female CEOs into dominance in the workplace. recruited from outside the company, it’s clear that while some Within most corporate workplaces, men are continucompanies are working to reduce the gender gap at the top, ally at an advantage compared to their female counterparts. The they’re not doing it by improving the chances of internal candiAmerican Association of University Women recently published dates. This echoes the trend for increasing the number of women their annual The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap Report, on boards. Whilst the number of female non-executive directors which suggests that on a whole, women earn about 90% of the in the FTSE 100, which is a share index of the 100 companies amount of money men make until they are in their mid 30s, at listed on the London Stock Exchange with the highest market which point their salaries reflect only about 70-80% of their male capitalization, has increased from 15% in 2012 to 25% today, counterparts. Additionally, according to new data from the U.S. the number of females in the executive board has barely moved, Census Bureau, Women still earned only 77 cents for every dollar from 5.5% in 2012 to 6.9% today. that men earned in 2012. This imbalance, shockingly, has been the Perhaps one of the most notable female success stories would status quo for more than the past decade, showing the stagnating be that of Gail Kelly, mother of four and the current chief exnature of the gender gap. The reasons for this are numerous, rangecutive of Australia’s second largest bank, Westpac, a position ing from preconceived gender discrimination to excuses such as the she assumed in 2008. She started an MBA (Masters of Busifear of future pregnancy leave. However, one of the most prominent ness Administration) while pregnant with her oldest daughter reasons is showcased in what Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and graduated with distinction. In 2002, she became the first and one of the leaders in the Technological field, calls the Heidi/ female CEO of a major Australian bank or top 15 company Howard Study. This study highlights that success and likeability, whilst and, as of 2005, was the highest paid woman in an Australian positively correlated for men, are negatively correlated for women. corporation. Today, she is the 62nd most powerful woman in The ingrained psychology that successful women are less likeable the world, according to Forbes, but admits the notoriously makes it harder for women to get higher pay. Additionally, studies have male-dominated banking world has been a “tough area to shown that women are less likely to fight for higher salaries, and even crack.” As CEO, she made it her mission to improve gender when they do, they are often much less aggressive, thus putting them at equality, and announced a target to have women occupy 40% a distinct disadvantage when negotiating salary. of the top 4000 managerial positions at Westpac. She has It is true that, in order to be fair, women ought to be paid the been reported to have almost achieved that target by March same amount of money for the same amount of work. However, the 2012. flip side of the coin is also true, that in cases where one gender is better Despite these successes, there is still a long way to go or more efficient, it makes sense to hire more of that gender and pay until complete gender equality in the workplace, especially them more, as it would be ludicrous to presume that it is necessary to in boardrooms, can be achieved. In order for women to make them equal. In jobs where the biological difference between men have more of a force within the workplace, they need to and women, such as in the fields of manual-labour-intensive jobs such continue to fight for their position, as well as to ensure as construction, it makes sense to afford males appropriate pay and roles, support if they choose to have children or submit to given that males are biologically stronger and thus may be more likely to marriage pressures. However, it is as much a two way perform at higher intensity. People should not be considered on account dialogue as it is a woman’s battle. Therefore, it is necesof gender, and only the value and measure of the person’s work should be sary for men to help, both in encouraging women to fight taken into consideration in order to make things fair and impartial. more for themselves in the workplace, and also to assist However, at the same time, we have seen rapid advancements in the home so that the pressure of raising a family is with regards to gender equality in the corporate workplace. In recent years, more equally divided and not concentrated on either the number of female CEO’s have been steadily growing. According to the gender. Only then can women contribute and gain more Fortune magazine, which publishes an annual list of the five hundred largest from work, and only then will there be a more balanced US industrial corporations, women currently hold 4.8 percent of Fortune and effective workplace.

ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY 39

WHAT’S COOL THE LOWDOWN ON THE LATEST MOVIES, BOOKS, MUSIC AND MUCH MORE

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askdr.lingers. what’s cool

Dear Dr. Lingers, I just broke up with my boyfriend of 13 months. I can’t seem to get over him, and I feel like my life is falling apart…

What should I do?

From, Heartbroken

At Xiao Hua, we care about the student body and anyone is welcome to submit an email regarding anything in their lives. Write to us – we offer personal advice, answering any and all questions, while remaining completely anonymous.

We’d love to hear from you!

Just Ask Dr. Lingers at cis.xiaohua@gmail.com!

Dear Heartbroken, Before answering your question, I’d like to thank you for sending in this question and opening yourself up to me – Dr. Lingers. It always makes me feel very important giving personal advice to CIS students, many of whom always seem to give out this emotionless-robot-vibe. They say I’m the most useless person in Xiao Hua, but whatever.

Anyways, back to your question. Firstly, congratulations! Managing to stay in a 13 month relationship high school relationship is something that should be applauded. Though I

What NOT to do after a breakup 1. Stalk your ex.

Yes, that includes googling all combinations of their name and usernames. And don’t check when they’re ‘last seen’ on WhatsApp. Yes, it’s easy and no one will find out, but it’s also morally and ethically wrong. And creepy. Very, very creepy.

2. Try to get back together.

Keep your distance; don’t test the restraining order, it may actually have legal repercussions.

3. Overeat and oversleep.

Remember to exercise; an active lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle.

We’re not promoting calorie-counting, we’re just expecting a little bit of physical movement from you every once in a while.

Get off the couch missie!

4. Spread rumours about your ex.

Rumors are trumors! NOT. Rumors are never good-- you definitely don’t need any more drama in your life, or anybody else’s.

Your aim is to lead a simple life.

5. Talk about your problems all the time.

Your friends will get annoyed. Contrary to popular belief, they do have feelings too. The more you talk about your problems, the more you’ll be convinced that your life is falling apart. We want positivity… positive psychology!

Once you have completed the above, you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone and make a change in your life. Out with the old and in with the new, right? It’s time to freshen up!

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do find it somewhat puzzling when you say you feel like your life is falling apart. Before I ridicule you for being so shortsighted and naive… what do you mean “falling apart”? Do you mean you’re finding it harder to get that 8 on the Math Criterion A test (because in actuality no one can)? Or that you can’t seem to sit through another Gossip Girl episode because the tension between Chuck and Blair makes you want to puke (because in actuality everyone does)? Well, actually, it doesn’t matter. I’ll give you several do’s and don’ts after a breakup, and soon you’ll be laughing at yourself for sending this question in!

Woo!

A 5-Step method to get over your ex!

1. Get rid of all memorabilia Pictures, stuff toys, that 10 cent change he once touched...

2. Listen to at least five breakup songs, and watch at least two breakup films.

Our song recommendations include: When You’re Gone by Avril Lavigne; 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon; Rolling in the Deep by Adele; Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen;… and of course the Contemporary Pop classic: Single Ladies by Queen Bey. Our film recommendations include: Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2.

Nothing beats raw, passionate, vengeful violence when it comes to getting over your ex.

3. Make a pros table of being single.

Yes, you read right. A pros table. No cons. You don’t need to “accept yourself for who you are” (puke). What you need to do is remind yourself that you’re awesome and finally free of that dim-witted anchor of a boyfriend.

4. Occupy yourself with hobbies-- old and new.

We mean anything. Reading, photography, art, karate, pilates, writing the Dr. Lingers article for Xiao Hua, etc. The way to move on is to occupy your time, so that you’ll stop thinking about the heartbreak.

5. Go out and socialize!

As vulnerable of a position you may be putting yourself in by doing so, socializing will definitely put your mind at ease. A bit of chit-chat won’t do you harm!

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

DIARY OF A

TEACHER

MR. SANDERS W

Writer: Raghav Goyal (y8) Photography: Scarlet Au (y8)

e recently had the privilege of talking to Mr. Sanders, a well known Maths teacher in the secondary school at CIS, and an organizer of the Maths Club.

Mr. Sanders has been at CIS for 10 years and has taught Maths courses to multiple cohorts of CIS secondary students. He also teaches advanced Maths courses called “Further Maths” to Year 12 and 13 students.

His commitment and passion to teach Maths to students is inspiring. In addition to teaching Maths to CIS students, Mr. Sanders is also the leader of the Maths Club CCA. He meets with about 30 students every Tuesday after-school and works through Maths problems to prepare for Maths competitions. He challenges his students and pushes them with difficult Maths questions. As a result, we go away with a much deeper appreciation for Maths. You may have also seen Mr. Sanders send out Student Council emails, and this is because he is also a student council advisor.

Mr. Sanders is also active in promoting math in the wider Hong Kong community. He has

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helped create a Hong Kong wide competition called the ‘International School Math Competition of Hong Kong’. Mr. Sanders makes the questions for the competition, and with the help of Year 12 students, plans out all the logistics.

He has also taken numerous CIS teams to Maths competitions such as SEAMC and Dragon Math, and some of them have brought back medals and glory to CIS. As I learnt during my interview with him, Mr. Sanders has an adventurous spirit.

He has taught in far out places such as Zimbabwe and Yemen. His adventures in Yemen, his fearless spirit, and his love of adventure comes through in the TEDx talk he gave to CIS students last year. He is a great story-teller and communicator. He loves adventure and his ability to adapt to difficult situations and new cultures is dynamic. In addition to traveling, Mr. Sanders likes jogging, hiking, and taking pictures.

He is a good role-model for all of us, as he explores the outdoors, and perseveres whenever problems arise.

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what’s cool

Q. A.

Q. A.

Where did you teach before joining CIS? What has been the best teaching experience for you?

“I have been teaching at CIS for ten years now. Before joining CIS I have also taught at schools in Australia, China, England, Korea, Taiwan, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. The best teaching experience for me was the time when the CIS team won the SEAMC competition two years in a row.”

Q. A.

What inspired you to make math teaching your profession?

Q. A.

Why did you decide to be a teacher and what is the best part of being one?

“I did Maths and Science type subjects at school and I was good at them and liked them, so I majored in physics, chemistry and math at my university. I can teach in any of these subjects. I have been applying for teaching both Maths and Physics.”

“Why did I decide to be a teacher? Because I couldn’t get a job! No, no, I just saw it advertised. The best thing is the holidays and the nice students at CIS.”

Q. A.

Q. A.

If there was a Nobel Prize for Maths, who do you think would be the best candidate?

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I like to play bridge and practice aikido.

If I had more time I would like to do other stuff. I’d like to grow plants, and of course travel to different places.”

“It should be Alexander Grothendieck, a French mathematician who sort of completely rethought the way mathematics is done. He completely revolutionized our thinking about Maths in an abstract sense.”

Q. A.

Q. A.

What is your favorite food and do you have any recommendations of restaurants in Hong Kong?

During TEDxCIS 2013 you talked about your adventure to Yemen. Do you like to travel?

“Yeah! We’ve had all sorts of experiences everywhere. We’ve had lots of interesting experiences in Africa. We have been to places like Gabon, Rwanda, Mozambique, Mali and many others. I like travelling. I’ve sat with mountain gorillas, been to Timbuktu. I’ve been robbed several times in Africa.”

Mr. Sanders has organized a Hong Kong wide Maths competition, helped the Student Council as an advisor, helped prepare a hiking award, started a Maths Club CCA, and has achieved many other feats. He has had a positive impact on the CIS and Hong Kong community. His

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If you didn’t have the option of teaching math, what profession would you have preferred?

“If I was teaching something besides Maths I would love to teach Physics because I have always taught Maths and Physics subjects at schools. If I was doing a different profession, I’d like to be a sound engineer. I was interested in electronic music when it first started out.

I liked making new sounds using different electronic components. I also enjoy programing these sounds to form music.”

“Oh! My favorite food? I love eating Japanese food. It is pretty much my favorite.”

Mr. Sanders loves many different restaurants, but his favorite place to eat in Hong Kong is the “Lobster Bar and Grill” at the Shangri-La hotel.

fearless love for adventure and taking risks are two things that are hard to come by. Mr. Sanders has had thrilling and enriching journeys that have shaped the way he is today: a great storyteller and communicator, and above all an inspiring Maths teacher.

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snapchat

智

能電話變得越來 越普及，很多的用 戶都會下載一些遊 戲程式或傳達信息 的程式。最近，市場上推出了一 個非常流行的應用程式－Snapchat。 雖然沒有一個真正的用 戶量，但估計Snapchat已有超 過三千萬的用戶。為什麼它那 麼流行？因為Snapchat為用 戶提供了一個前所未有的聊 天方式，使用戶在與朋友 們聊天時增添樂趣。 Snapchat本來是 兩個在史丹福大學學生 的研究項目，想不到它會 成為其中一個人氣最旺的應用 程式。 Snapchat讓用戶利用一個不同的方式聊天， 顧名思義，Snapchat的特別之處在於它讓用戶以傳送 照片的方式來聊天，很多人都喜歡利用Snapchat來傳 送好笑的自拍照片，而每次傳送的照片只會保留 1-10 秒鐘就會消失，除非朋友們將屏幕截圖，這樣才會留 下記錄。每張相片會給用戶傳達短簡的消息，除此之 外，用戶還可以利用畫筆的功能，為相片加上插圖或 為自己“變身”，無論是傳送照片給別人，還是收到 朋友搞笑的相片，過程都非常有趣。 無可否應，Snapchat的確能帶來很多的樂 趣，但同時，用戶們也要注意它所存在的危險。

WRITER: natalie chak (y9)

Snapchat最特別 地方，就是所有照片過了幾 秒後，根據創辦人說，會 被刪除以及永遠消失。 但是越來越多人開始 質疑這個說法。它的 創辦人伺服器只會保 留200張最新被傳送 的照片，如果用戶沒 有看朋友傳送給他們 的照片，伺服器也會 把照片保留三十天。 否則，所有的相片都會刪 除。但有人指出要從一個伺 服 器裏完完全全的刪除一些東西是沒 可能的，而Snapchat的隱私政策裏也說明Snapchat在 有需要的時候，有權傳送用戶的資料。在去年12月的時 候，大約四百六十萬各用戶的資料，包括他們的用戶名 稱和電話號碼，因為被黑客入侵而泄漏了。從這件事件 可以看出Snapchat的安防系統有很大的漏洞，所以用戶 懷疑Snapchat的安全性也是理所當然的。 Snapchat固然為我們帶來了一個很新穎的溝通 方法，使我們得到無數的樂趣，但用戶們絕對要清楚知 道Snapchat所存在的危險，所以在上載任何個人資料或 傳送照片前，必須三思而後行。 的

o

9 10 seconds ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

) ) E (Y10 ding (y10 E L RYAN jessica : R E : WRIT TRATOR ILLUS

T

he Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, is an annual event that takes place usually in February or March; a ceremony to honour achievements in the film industry. Starting from 2002, it has been held in the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Every year, actors and films are nominated in one or more areas, such as: best actor/actress, supporting actor/ actress, best picture, best director, best cinematography, best documentary, best film editing and best sound editing.

For many of us movie fans, we have always been obsessed with the fates of nominations for the awards. To be a winner standing in front of a huge audience is to be honoured and respected, as they are recognised for excellence in their respective fields, and perhaps for their daring to raise the standards of filmmaking. Moreover, the Academy awards are the gold standard of recommendation and recognition, in the midst of movie critiques that can be found on the Internet. For actors, winning an award can benefit their careers and opportunities presented to them. It can also increase the successfulness of a film. In general, actors and filmmakers are taken more seriously if they have won an award. The Oscars reflect our society in many ways, and the pursuit for being recognized by the larger community.

The annual ceremony has always been extremely popular among the public, and with film producers and actors alike. The winners and losers of this event are the biggest factor to play in the ceremony itself. The unpredictability is also one of the factors that makes the show even more surprising and mysterious. The internet was taken by storm when Leonardo DiCaprio failed to win the Best Actor award, which was instead given to Matthew McConaughey, who starred in Dallas Buyers Club. As many online users have stated, “The Internet’s joke has been secured once more”. On the other hand, the Academy Awards is the only opportunity for filmmakers to receive recognition, appreciation and respect from members of the public, as well as fellow filmmakers and actors. It is a great method for them to showcase their talents in terms of directing, writing, scripting and editing a movie. However, it can also be used as an important opportunity for companies to showcase commercials and company advertisements, as well as introduce marketing stunts in order to promote their products.

Not only does this attract the attention of their target audiences, but the presence of these commercials at such a prestigious event is also big advertising for the movie industry. These companies are willing to pay large

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what’s cool

sums of money just to promote their products, and hope that they can reach a wider audience, as most of the public is watching the show via different modes of media.

As technology advances, many people make use of it to watch the shows just as it unravels, which makes it all the more intense and fascinating. However, many of us may not be able to fully realize the amount of influence it has had on our lives. Many experience constant anxiety; the desire to listen to the category winners result in an “addiction” phenomenon. We expect these people to win and lose, but in reality most of us may not know the background of these actors/producers quite well. Our reactions towards the Oscars are somewhat related to the affirmation of our own cultural values. The Oscars has been a longstanding event, and has extended back to 1929. In past occasions, the hosts also play a big role in managing the atmosphere of the ceremony. Jokes, past references, compliments and unexpected events are all part of the routine to stir up sensation and excitement within the group. On the other hand, it is also similar to the format of an old-variety show. What matters most is that the films that are being celebrated are products of our cultural heritage. Politics also has a role to play in the Oscars. For example, it was under the influence of Washington politics, as representatives of the government commented on the depictions of torture shown in the movie “Zero Dark Thirty”, and stated that they were not accurate.

The Oscars can show the changing styles of Hollywood, and for many viewers, they can gain an understanding of how America’s culture is changing, as well as an insight into the global influence of modern-day films. Many movies played in theatres are film adaptations of Pulitzer prizewinning novels, and every filmmaker has his own individual perspective of real events.

We can safely say that the presence of movies (and events for celebrating the production of these movies) have redefined society. With the trend of famous actors and actresses taking on different roles in many different theatrical movies, the public will be even more concerned about the achievements and awards received by these people. The Academy Awards has been a tradition for many years, and has re-defined the way we view the power of mass-media, as well as its effects upon members of the public. It is also an event that inspires hard work, diligence and self-pursuit of achieving higher aims, and will continue to receive attention from worldwide audiences.

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

MOVIE REVIEW:

中國合伙人 WRITER: ADRIENNE ZHANG (Y9) // PhotographY: Scarlet Au (Y8)

中

國合伙人是一部既幽默、好笑，又激 動人心的電影。我們跟隨着在大學相 遇的三個人：成東青（演員: 黃曉 明）、孟曉駿（鄧超）和王陽（佟大 為）的不同背景、性格。成東青出生於農村，在母 親四處借錢的情況下,終於在第三次參加高考後才 考上大學。 他無法和孟曉駿，王陽相比， 可是心 中卻對他們充滿了敬佩。成東青是一個非常努力 的人，可是因為英文比較差， 所以學習成績並不 優秀， 畢業後一直希望能通過申請，前往美國深 造，但是很可惜，他的三次申請都被拒簽。孟曉駿 出身於知識份子家庭， 從小開始學英語，而且也 有學英語的環境， 在大學時的學習成績很優秀， 並且聰明，所以受歡迎， 畢業後如願前往他從小 嚮往的公平、自由的國度------美國。 王陽是個 熱愛文學、夢想自由和浪漫的一個大學生。 雖然 他順利拿到了去美國的簽證，可是因為愛情而卻放 棄了前往美國的機會，並且自信的說了一句，“I love my country”。 這三個背景和性格完全不同的人， 被 緣分串在了一起，而他們也變成了生死不離的兄 弟。 成東青一直以為自己比不上別人，可是另外 的兩個人給了他自信，而他從此開始崇拜孟曉駿。 簽證審批時， 問他誰是他的偶像， 成東青毅然回 答 “孟曉駿”。 他們在大學時期一起打鬧，嬉

戲， 追女孩。畢業後， 分道揚鑣，各走各的路， 成東青在一次偶然的機會開始創辦了自己的 “學 校”。這個學校剛開始是將肯德基當作免費的教 室, 可是通過成東青有創意並且獨特的教學法，吸 引了許多學生，接著王陽後來也跟著他一起教書， 就連孟曉駿也放棄了回美國的念頭和他一起開始 了”夢想”學校的創辦，最後這個剛開始在肯德基 上課的補習班漸漸變成中國最成功的英語學校。 看了這部電影， 觀眾必然被這三個陌生 人， 平凡人的故事感動。 他們並不是大明星， 也沒有生長在富有的家庭， 但他們有理想、 有希 望， 始終沒有放棄自己的理想， 繼續堅強。 他 們有夢想、 有期望， 能通過幫助了別人， 也幫 助了自己。《中國合伙人》 中的主角雖然演得有 點滑稽， 可是他們也告訴我們不要對未來絕望， 因為未來 什麼都可能發生。 我看著電影，不得不佩服成東青。他的朋 友來自富有家庭， 他卻是農村來的小孩。他沒有 孟曉駿從小被培養的英文能力，也沒有王陽自由、 勇敢、 自信、可是憑著自己的努力，逐漸走向成 功。 我們從他這樣的精神也能學到一種道德。 漢 基的學生大部份都生長在富裕的環境中， 可是我 們不能單憑這樣的條件，我們還是應該兢兢業業地 努力向前。

what’s cool

BOOK REVIEW

writers: zayna Mansuri // scarlet au (y9) illustrator: michelle wu (y11)

THE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED After I received this book as a birthday present, I immediately found it engrossing - especially because the use of an elderly person as the protagonist was a much-needed breath of fresh air. Quite Simply, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared (a mouthful, I know) is an amusing satirical book infused with historical and action elements.

The book illustrates the journey of Allan Karlsson, a hundred-year-old pensioner, in two separate narratives, the first throughout the 20th century, and the other detailing his escape from an old person’s home in 2005. Moreover, the story illustrates Allan’s journey of renewal and his attempts to reconnect with people from his past. The two story lines remain separate until the very end, where they reach a meeting point and resolve each other. The story, being set in a historic time period, is inevitably full of political themes - but is unique in the fact that the main character is apathetic towards such matters, rather than being politically driven. His moral and political flexibility (along with his aptitude for blowing objects up) allow him to become involved with, and responsible for, many important events of the past century. However, in the 21st century, Allan’s life takes an arguably worse turn - he’s a hundred-year-old man who thinks he has nothing left to live for and resigns himself to that, until he realises that he should probably fix that and decides to climb out the window of his room (quite virile for his age, admittedly). Over the course of his journeys, he inadvertently kills a couple of people and befriends a few more.

The author uses a humorous tone throughout the book, and addresses the story in a very casual manner. The story is laid out in such a way that you cross whole decades without even realising, but this fast pace is contrasted by the detail with which he explains each event and his rambly language. Because of the lack of metaphors and literary devices alike, most of THYOMWCOTWAD (as I will now call it) is quite direct and literal, imitating a frank tone that thoroughly suits Allan’s character. As I said earlier, the story goes back and forth between the past and present, and while they aren’t immediately related, it adds a great deal of background to AlISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

lan’s character and helps us flesh out who this eccentric (and possibly crazy) old man is.

Our favourite character is the Boss, a.k.a Per-Gunnar Gerdin, who started of as a nameless, ominous figure at the beginning and slowly become one of the central characters, as his character arc is possibly the largest in the book. Our favorite scene was when Bucket, one of the boss’s assistants tracks down the Beauty and drives the car into the driveway of her house. The author described the scene with vivid and detailed descriptions, and portrays the atmosphere in an effective and evocative manner, allowing the readers to feel like as if they were directly involved. I think this is one of the main literary techniques the book managed to retain after being translated from Swedish to English.

This book is great, I mean there’s an elephant and criminals, and North Korea - how could it not be? The book is extremely well translated and a fun read - not to complex, but complex enough to make you think. The characters are bizarre and varied, the things they come up with even more so. It’s almost ironic how Allan, perpetually placid, plays such a major role in events as he chugs down vodka. I think that almost anyone could enjoy this book, because there’s something for everyone, humour, a fair bit of gore, history, romance, action, among a variety of other genres.

The author is extremely creative and always makes sure the reader is not bored at any point whilst reading the book. He constantly adds unexpected and creative twists to the the story, and exaggerates parts of the story through the use of black humor and satirical elements.

In conclusion, The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a clever blend of humour and history, and we highly recommend this to pretty much anyone who knows how to read (even if they don’t like to read), because it’s simple enough to read, but very entertaining, too.

This book is humorous and is suitable for everyone. The interweaving story lines and the sense of irony and sarcasm makes it enjoyable and funny. Plus, who doesn’t want to read about a Hundred year old man getting hold of a suitcase of drug money and ends up getting chased by both drug dealers and the police?

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P

lato, the Greek philosopher once said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and “life to everything”. This was certainly no exception during the past two Hangzhou Music Exchange Programs held in 2013 and 2014; a fruitful learning experience in which both school communities, CIS and Greentown Yuhua School, shared their collective passion for music.

The Hangzhou Music Exchange Program came about in 2013, as the brainchild of the CIS Music Head of Department, Mr. Rabach and Ms. Liu Shasha (the Greentown Yuhua Orchestra conductor). Because the Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua School is CIS Hangzhou’s sister school, we were eager to collaborate with them and this was a perfect opportunity to kick start the relationship. It also served as a chance for the music groups to attend intensive rehearsals and appreciate different styles of teaching and music, as well as allowing the members of the music groups to interact and understand each other more.

The first of these exchange programs was between the Greentown Yuhua School and Chinese International School in January 2013. This trip only involved the CIS Symphony Orchestra, through an invitation from the Greentown school. The gruelling task of arriving in the airport by 5am did not dampen any excitement, and the orchestra members and CIS staff were all buzzing with anticipation. The CIS Symphony Orchestra integrated with the Greentown Yuhua Orchestra during the intensive rehearsals over the 2 days. The repertoire included beautiful classical pieces such as Salut D’amour

by Edward Elgar and Hungarian Dance No. 1 by Johannes Brahms, and also exciting modern pieces such as Star Wars by John Williams, The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith, and Variations on a Korean Folk Song by John Barnes Chance. The orchestra received masterclasses from some of China’s most outstanding musicians, and got the opportunity to train their skill of adapting and learning from different teaching styles and techniques. It was a very interesting experience, and even though total of 10 hours of orchestra practice per day was a new sensation to the orchestra members, it definitely encouraged us and helped put practice sessions into perspective. The final performance after the 2 days of rehearsal was an exhilarating and extremely rewarding experience. The orchestra members had gotten a lot closerover the course of this trip, and all treasured this unforgettable event. The second exchange program was the collaboration between Greentown Yuhua School, CIS BH, and CIS Hangzhou in January 2014. It was exhilarating to be returning to Hangzhou

writers: sonia and hillary yuen (y11) not only to visit the new campus, but also because of the mass collaboration between the CIS Symphony Orchestra, CIS Concert Choir and CME. Organizing a trip for around 70 people was no easy feat, and we are grateful for all the hard work put into helping this trip become a reality. The orchestra members were excited to revisit old faces from last year, and to introduce the other members of the CIS music community to the Greentown Yuhua students and staff.

This time round, the CIS staff and year 7-11 students slept in the dorms at the CIS Hangzhou Center, whilst the year 12-13 students stayed at a hotel nearby to the school. Seeing the newly built campus for the Hangzhou students, we could all tell why it would be an intriguing experience to attend the CIS Hangzhou school.

Because of the mass collaboration across all major music groups, the final performance truly embodied the infusion of both Chinese and Western cultures, with outstanding performances from the CIS Symphony and Greentown Yuhua Orchestra, CME, Greentown Yuhua’s Jazz Band, CIS’s own acappella group Twincapella, and finally a performance combining the CIS Concert Choir and both orchestras for the grand finale just to name a few. The program consisted of a wide range of repertoire, which showed the progress and growth of all music groups in comparison to last years performance. Some pieces that were played included a Sound of Music Medley, In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg, Hungarian Dance No. 1 by Johanne Brahms, The Longest Time by Billy Joel, and Gloria and Amen MASSive by Paul Barker.

The Hangzhou Music Exchange Program was certainly a nurturing and worthwhile experience for all.

Darren Chong, CIS’s first student conduISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Hangzhou Music Exchange Program

ctor says, “the Hangzhou Music Exchange Program further emphasized my passion for conducting. I was extremely proud to have been able to conduct a full orchestra of about 110 people, and pull off a difficult piece of music”. CIS Symphony’s concertmaster Brandon Lin adds that “not only was the joint orchestra one of the largest I have had the pleasure of leading, this trip created many friendships from different year groups. I was able to get to know people in the orchestra that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to, and build friendships I will cherish and remember forever”. All agree that it has been a great experience, and Brandon Lin recommended all younger musicians to take this great opportunity to play in a bigger orchestra to improve their musical skills. According to CIS Concert Choir leader Lorraine Sin, “the most memorable thing about the trip was taking care of the younger students, as well as the fact the it is last music trip with year 13s. Another enjoyable factor of the trip was simply making music with the Choir and Orchestra.” She also said “the trip helped develop my musical skill and passion, as we were playing all types of music 24/7” and “I am extremely proud of the growth that choir went through, and hope that they found the trip as rewarding as I did.” The Hangzhou Music Exchange Program has since become a hotly anticipated music trip, and CIS BH’s Head of Music Department, Mr. Rabach, has given some exciting news in regarding music trips and exchange programs that the CIS community can look ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

forward to.

ences was extremely fulfilling.

A Did the Hangzhou trip fulfill the goals you wanted to achieve through it?

C What can we expect from further trips like this?

The Hangzhou trip this year was very successful on a number of levels. This year we included students from CIS Hangzhou and this enabled them to make connections with Year 10 Braemar Hill students and other members of the orchestra. This will help these students when they return to CIS BH for the next school year. The quality of performance of the CIS Symphony lifted considerably with the extra-focused rehearsal time. This year when students were seated in their section they were placed beside a musician from the Greentown Yuhua School. This facilitated a connection with these students and helped both groups connect and develop friendships. It also helped the CIS Hangzhou students form stronger bonds with the students from Greentown Yuhua.

B What aspect of it did you enjoy the most, or found most fulfilling?

There is a moment in rehearsal with a group you have been working with that everything comes together and the music transcends and takes you to a new level. This happened with the CIS orchestra when playing Morgenstemning from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg. Seeing how accomplished our musicians are now - Darren Chong's conducting performance was a definite highlight - and watching students communicate across age and cultural differ-

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Next year we will have a reciprocal visit from the Greentown Yuhua School and we will conduct a workshop weekend with the help of local Hong Kong musicians. I am excited about this, as we will get to host the event and our students can choose to home stay our guests. We will also have the CIS Hangzhou students act as guides for the visiting students and it is planned that we will all perform as part of the Christmas Concert in December ‘14.

D What will happen in the next few years in regards to music trips and exchange programs?

In the following years, I would like to see the CIS undertake a tour - perhaps to some cities in China. These types of events are a vital part of the development of a music group because they focus rehearsal, hone performance skills, broaden musicians horizons and build a strong sense of community for the members of the group.

Throughout these exchange program excursions, the CIS music community developed a bond over their passion for music. This music exchange could cultivate a tradition as an annual trip for a weekend full of beautiful music making and culture appreciation. CIS, look out for equally exciting and rewarding music experiences in the future!

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

what’s cool

HOT BITES @ IPC FOOD LAB HEALTHY // SUSTAINABLE // CONTEMPORARY

WRITER: VICTORIA NGAI // PHOTOGRAPHER: MATHEW CHOW In today’s world of innovative technologies and developed ideas, the definition of “good food” has also been renewed and refreshed. “Organic food” or “green food” may or may not sound familiar to you, but is undoubtedly becoming more popular both locally and globally. To have a taste of this new vogue, be sure to stop by at IPC Foodlab and “let food be thy medicine” – as said on their very own website.

IPC Foodlab is a brand new concept restaurant that grows, cooks and sells its own food. With restaurant outlets in Central and Fanling as well as its own vertical farms, the ultimate aim is to help consumers eat consciously and reconnect them with the land. Dining environments are spacious with high ceilings, and customers are surrounded by wooden furniture with green plants growing indoors, creating the perfect atmosphere to enjoy organic meals.

Nearly all of the food sold in IPC Foodlab is organic and fresh; no doubt preservative- and additive-free.

In their very own greenhouses (upstairs to the restaurants), a wide range of vegetable plants are grown, like radish sprouts, pea sprouts, bean sprouts and wheatgrass. The “agaricus”, known to relieve fatigue, is a special species of mushrooms that they are growing; these are nurtured under controlled humidities and temperatures to guarantee the best growing conditions. Where inadequate, IPC also buys organic foods from nearby local farms, like sweet potatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers. All these vegetables are immediately used to make delectable delights for the customers like fresh juices and salads.

It’s a common mistake to think that organic food must taste gross. In fact, IPC Foodlab completely overthrows this misunderstanding by providing a wide range of dishes with great tastes, including seafood, desserts and soup. Professional chefs cook the food so that the

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Address: 38A Caine Road, Central ~ G/F, IPC Centre, 26 On Lok Mun Street, Fanling, New Territories Opening Hours (Central): Sunday to Thursday 8:30am - 9:30pm Friday to Saturday 8:30am - 10:30pm Opening Hours (Fanling): Monday to Sunday 11:30am – 10:30pm Payment: Visa, Master, Cash Website: http://www.ipcfoodlab.com/

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natural flavours and nutritional attributes are maintained as much as possible, of course without spoiling the overall appeal and impression of the dishes. Take, for example, “Organic papaya salad + grapefruit x guava” – a healthy dish made of organic fruits; or “Ginger cheesecake + fruit salad” – a unique fusion of tastes that you wouldn’t normally find together.

In addition to that, the menu changes very frequently in order to complement the foods being grown that are in season,hence providing customers with the best eating experience where they don’t get bored, and get to try the best foods available.

An organic restaurant like this sounds so good, what else could there be? One of the greatest benefits of growing their own food is that the transportation process is eliminated, hence reducing nearly all pollution emissions, a great favour to the environment! However, as a result of the all-round restaurant providing high-quality products, facility and service, some of the prices are higher than other common restaurants in Hong Kong.

So, if you are willing to pay the price for a meal at a healthy, sustainable and contemporary place, be sure to visit IPC Foodlab!

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

FEATURES

TWO GREAT HEROES AND A GREAT LEAP FORWARD FOR MANKIND

WRITERS: HANNAH JONES (Y11) // WEN YEE CHAN (Y11) ILLUSTRATOR: MINA SHIH (Y11) (appropriated image)

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

features A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. “ Joseph Campbell.

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years ago, a man lay sleeping in a quiet Atlanta hospital room, resting after a checkup. He was stirred from his rest by a telephone call delivering news from his wife, unbelievable news. At the age of 35, he was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to him for his nonviolent struggle for equality. This year will be the 50th anniversary of the acceptance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize.

49 years later, in a country halfway around the world, the roads of the city of Pretoria were packed full of people clutching small flags all bearing the sign of their nation, South Africa.

Crowds squeezed up against fences lined along the sides of the roads, watching military outriders escorted a single black hearse containing a coffin draped with the colours of South Africa.

Thousands more queued all over the city for hours on end, all waiting for the chance to pay their respects to their hero and father of their nation, Nelson Mandela.

The 50th Anniversary of King’s Nobel Peace Prize and Mandela’s death and memorial take place within a year of each other, a coincidence that together remind us of the great and influential work of two men, halfway around the world from each other, fighting against discrimination as they strived to make the world equal and just.

Before the work of these two activists, both of their countries were racist and segregated, people “of colour” brutalized and ruled over by the “whites” who thought themselves to be superior to the other races. Innocent African Americans would be lynched weekly for the entertainment of the whites, and buses, waiting rooms and other facilities were segregated and Blacks could be arrested for using White facilities. The blacks were disadvantaged economically, socially and lacked a proper education.

Black South Africans suffered under the policy of Apartheid, implemented by the all-white government at the time, despite the absurd fact that the white “Afrikaners” were a minority race in the country.

Both of these unjust cases led to people rising up against this violation of their rights and spreading unrest throughout the nation. It was on these chaotic stages on which King and Mandela emerged as strong heroes that would lead their nations to equality and true democracy.

A common trait these two men, these two heroes, share is their persistence in pushing for civil rights. Change did not occur overnight and the activists would spend many years, blood, sweat, and tears to make changes against their oppressive societies.

King spent over a decade organising peaceful protests and giving speeches, not even letting his time in Birmingham jail stop him from fighting. Mandela dedicated half a century of his life to combat apartheid, 27 of those spent behind bars. Despite the numerous hardships and difficulties they faced on the road to equality, they refused to let them hold them back and continued to strive onward.

They both showed a huge amount of bravery and courage which enabled them to do their work. They knew that they were taking huge risks in opposing the government and society and indeed their fears turned to reality. King’s house was bombed in one occasion and he was arrested numerous times by the racist police forces of the cities he was protesting in. In the end, King’s life was taken away for his beliefs when he was assassinated in 1968. While Mandela did not lose his life to the cause of equality, he fully expected to do so. When standing on trial accused with charges of sabotage, Mandela expected that he would be executed ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

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for his activities, giving a three hour speech which is now known as “I am Prepared to Die”, where he famously looked the judge in the eye and challenged him to pass down a death sentence “But, My Lord, if it needs be, [the ideal of a democratic and free society] is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”. While both activists knew that their actions and beliefs would make them opponents of the state and put them in a great deal of danger, they refused to give up and give in and were determined to see their ideals through.

They both used completely different methods to achieve their goals. King and the American Civil Rights Movement in general, is famous for their use of and advocating nonviolence as a means of peaceful protest. This method was strongly affected by King’s strong religious beliefs, as is often shown in King’s speeches where he would frequently quote scripture. Perhaps the most famous example of King’s nonviolence was the campaign that brought King to fame and attention was his bus boycott in the Southern and segregated city of Montgomery. In this campaign organised by King, the black community refused to ride the segregated buses of the city for a year, which ultimately led to the bus company losing a majority of their income and following the wish of King and his supporters.

On the other hand, Mandela did not believe that nonviolence would work against the South African state and felt that the government left no other way to secure their rights than through armed resistance. Though angry at the state for pushing him to this final option of violence, he did not wish to cause loss of life and decided to use acts of sabotage on vacant government installments.

Although it could be said that perhaps Mandela did not have as much patience as King in waiting for nonviolence to succeed in pushing the government, both men show great compassion through the means in which they pursued their actions: King through refusing to allow his discontent drive him to harm others and Mandela through refusing to kill despite being pushed to violence.

Although these two heroes have made great progress in pursuit of an equal non-discriminatory world, one would have to be foolish and naive to believe that our world is truly equal and just. While both USA and South Africa and both currently lead by black presidents and legal segregation and discrimination has ended in both nations, Blacks and other people of colour are still economically disadvantaged and have higher rates of unemployment. The fact that you also don’t have to look far to find examples of modern racism in current society, whether it’s through news, films, the odd bit of racial violence or racist public figures and maybe even politicians, says something about the world and the people who inhabit it. We still have a long way to go until we can achieve a truly equal world that people strive for.

But despite this sour note, we must still acknowledge that without the work of these two inspirational men, our world would not be as racially equal as it currently is, or acknowledge the benefits of diversity, whether it is racial, religious or otherwise.

They have taken a large step toward their dream of an ideal world with no prejudice or discrimination, as can be seen in Mandela’s memorial service and how it brought together numerous dignitaries and heads of states in one of the largest gatherings of world leaders to celebrate Mandela’s life and accomplishments.Their accomplishments remind the world of their goals and dream and how seeing them through should be of utmost importance to any and all citizens of the world. These heroes leave behind a world that has greatly benefitted from their efforts in the pursuit of equality for all people around the globe.

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

nelson mandela (1918-2013)

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n the 11th of December, thousands of people queued all over the city of Pretoria for hours on end, all waiting for the chance to gain entry to the Union Buildings, the government buildings where Nelson Mandela’s body lay in state. Over the next few days, many more mourners came to catch a glimpse of and pay their final respects to their hero.

Nelson Mandela passed away on the 5th of December and South Africa, the nation he had served for 1994-1999 as President, held a national mourning period of ten days to remember the “father of the nation” who had defied odds, fought against Apartheid and discrimination as the leader of African National Congress and helped to bring racial equality and democracy to South Africa as its President.

In 1948, the policy of Apartheid was introduced by the all-white National Party government in South Africa, who believed themselves to be above and superior to the “Blacks” who were native to South Africa and formed the majority of the population.

This system of segregation classified South Africans in four different racial groups: white, black, coloured and Indian. This gave the whites legal rights to openly discriminate against and oppress those who were not of the same race. The government segregated residential areas, and non-whites could not seek an education or even medical treatment at white schools and hospitals, which were greatly superior to the services provided to “Blacks”. Many people in South Africa were outraged by the racial injustice of this legislation, which led to people rising up against this violation of their rights by participating in protests and demonstrations, spreading unrest throughout the nation. It was on this chaotic stage on which Mandela took his first steps on his way to Presidency and establishing a new and democratic South Africa.

Mandela was born to the royal house of the Thembu tribe -one of the major tribes of the Xhosa people, an ethnic minority in South Africa- in 1918 as “Rolihlahla Mandela”. Perhaps it was the royal blood that flowed through his veins which contributed to his skills as a great leader. At the age of nine, the young Mandela was sent off to the Thembu royal house to live as a ward and it was there where he was first groomed for a leadership role.

When the Nationalist Party instituted its policy of apartheid in South Africa in 1948, Mandela was the deputy of the African National Congress, an organisation founded to increase the rights of black South Africans. The organisation began seeking alliances with communist groups to organise anti-apartheid civil disobedience campaigns and Mandela used his skill as a lawyer to promote his political ends.

After years of peaceful protest met with the government’s force, Mandela found himself disillusioned with peaceful non-violent tactics. Unlike other famous civil rightists in history such as Martin Luther King, Mandela believed that non-violent demonstrations were ineffective and that change would only come about by taking up armed resistance against the government.

In 1961, believing that the government left them with no other way to gain their rights, Mandela founded the African National Congress’ armed wing and guerilla force, Umkhonto we Sizwe, meaning “Spear of the Nation”. Although angry at the State for pushing him to commit violent acts, Mandela maintained his humanity and was reluctant to cause loss of life. The guerilla force launched attacks on government installments, sabotaging them when citizens were not present in the area, causing the South Afri-

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can government to classify them as a terrorist organisation.

In 1962, Mandela left the country in secret and traveled all over the continent to raise support and funds for the African National Congress and to study guerilla warfare, he also traveled to London to meet prominent leftist politicians and other anti-apartheid activists. When he returned to South Africa, he was finally caught and captured, he was given a five year sentence for leaving the country illegally. A year after his arrest, Mandela and other African National Congress leaders were charged with sabotage for their guerilla activities. The ensuing trial, known as the Rivonia trial, lasted for half a year. It was at the beginning of the defence’s proceedings where Mandela gave his famous three-hour speech “I Am Prepared to Die” from the defender’s dock where he pointed out the injustice in South African law and society, defended and justified the movement’s actions and challenged the judge to hand down the death sentence as he was prepared to die for an ideal he hoped to see realised, an ideal democratic society where all people have equal opportunities. The trial gained much media attention in South Africa and in other countries around the world, and many institutions such as the UN called for his release. But it was all in vain as Mandela and the other accused were sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 June 1964.

Mandela would spend 27 years of his life behind bars, including 18 years at the notorious Robben Island. It was during these years that Mandela exhibited his inspiring perseverance and determination in surviving the brutality of Robben Island. When President De Klerk of South Africa announced his vision of a “New South Africa” and the unbanning of the African National Congress, he also announced his decision to allow Mandela to be released. In 1990 Mandela walked free from his prison to cheering crowds with his fist held high, giving the ANC salute.

Mandela’s release showed another side to the man, his capacity for forgiveness. His lack of bitterness towards his jailers and those who had taken away three decades of his life was pivotal in achieving national reconciliation and improving the nation as he knew that clinging on to revenge would not benefit the country at all.

In 1991, Mandela became President of the ANC, and would continue to fight for racial equality and for the end of apartheid in South Africa. In 1993, Mandela and De Clark, the leader of the NP, were jointly awarded a nobel prize for their collaborative work on the peaceful end of apartheid. The first South African democratic general election in which citizens of all races were allowed to vote was set for 1994, this election marked the end of apartheid, a major success for Mandela, the ANC and for South Africa. Newly elected South African President Nelson Mandela’s inauguration took place on 10 May 1994.

Even in Mandela’s passing, we are reminded of the life and achievements of this great man as we see how his memorial service brought together numerous dignitaries and heads of states in one of the largest gatherings of world leaders to celebrate Mandela’s life and accomplishments. Finally, we are reminded of his goal and ideals “of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities” and how seeing his dream through should be of utmost importance to any and all citizens of the world. Nelson Mandela leaves behind a world that has greatly benefitted from his efforts in the pursuit of equality for all races and colours.

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features

martin luther king jr. (1929-1968)

“I

have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” 50 years ago, on the 28th of August 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most influential and inspiring speeches to go down in history. The main message of his speech was “that all men were created equal”, and his vision would inspire many others to support the Civil Rights Act. His leadership and strategy of nonviolence would be key in the fight for equality.

Before the 1950s, before the Civil Rights Movement, innocent African Americans would be lynched weekly for the entertainment of the whites. A young 14 year old, Emmitt Till, would be violently murdered for allegedly whistling at a white female. A young black woman, Rosa Parks, would be arrested for not giving up her seat for a white male. People would have to live under the Jim Crow laws, the basis of it being “separate but equal”, encouraging segregation of coloured people. As if these laws were not appalling enough, most of the facilities were not, in fact, “equal”.

The blacks were disadvantaged economically, socially and lacked a proper education. The detrimental effects of segregation would then take decades to reverse, some of which are still affect them today.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in the 15th of January, 1929. He was the middle child, the oldest being his sister Willie Christine King, and the youngest being his brother, Alfred Daniel Williams King. As his father was Reverend, he grew up in a religious family and entered the seminary to become reverend himself. His strong religious belief would influence his nonviolent strategy in leading the Civil Rights Movement, where he would frequently quote scripture.

One of the very first movements on the passage to Civil Rights was the Montgomery Bus boycott in December 1955, which was led by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), of which King was chairman. This boycott was aimed against the bus laws, where blacks were only allowed to sit in the back, and had to give up their seats for a white person. Blacks carpooled and walked to their destinations and boycott of the buses were a huge success. The bus company lost 65% of their income, and the supreme court declared segregation of public services unconstitutional a year later. This was also one of the first examples of the potential of civil disobedience. The leaders of the boycott faced violent opposition such as bombings and being shot by snipers from white extremists, all of which were acquitted in an all white court.

King and Ralph Abernathy, civil rights activists, formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), who taught the technique of nonviolent direct action and led numerous demonstrations such as the March on Washington. Martin Luther King strongly believed in Ghandi’s principle of nonviolence, and was influenced with his Christian background. In 1963, Birmingham was one of the most segregated communities in America, as the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), a group of white supremacists, greatly influenced the people of the city. Therefore, Martin Luther King Jr. put a lot of effort into the promoting civil rights in Birmingham. Instead of supporting the fight against racism, a group of clergymen in Birmingham wrote a letter, “Letter to Martin Luther King from a Group of Clergymen” reprimanding their acts of civil disobedience. “We are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely.”, and commended the law enforcement officials for “the calm manner in which these demonstrations have been handled. We urge the public to continue to show restraint should the demonstrations continue, and the law enforcement

officials to remain calm and continue to protect our city from violence.” Martin Luther King then responded in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, defending the strategy of nonviolence, and suggests that men have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws.

“I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law…”. On the 3rd of May, the SCLC organised a nonviolent demonstration consisting mainly of students and children. Bull Connor, the head of police, released police dogs and high pressure hoses at the protesters.

2000 demonstrators were arrested, 1300 of which were children.

The media coverage and publicity of this demonstration produced national outrage, as the innocent children juxtaposed with the violence of the officers, gaining support for the civil rights act. The violence and injustice of this act cause John F Kennedy to finally decide to act and propose the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending legal segregation. In his Civil Rights Commencement Speech, he stated that “this nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free”.

Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize of 1964 for his large contribution in the passage of Civil Rights, and his nonviolent campaign. At 35 years old, he was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and announced that he would donate his prize money of USD $54,000 (now worth $407,270) During his fight for equality, he had made many enemies such as the head of FBI, John Edgar Hoover, who put him under surveillance, accusing him of being a communist. His house was bombed, received telephone threats, sued for several reasons, and wrongfully arrested. He was also awarded 5 honorary degrees, and was the first African American to be named Man of the Year by Times Magazine in 1963.

On the 7th of March 1965, the SCLC organised a March on Selma for equal voting rights. 2500 demonstrators planned to march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. When they reached Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were attacked by police officials with tear gas, clubs and whips. This sparked national outrage and was critical publicity for the Voting Rights Act. 50 people were injured and 16 were hospitalised. This incident was thereafter called ‘Bloody Sunday’, and forced President Johnson to intervene, contributing to congress passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This granted blacks equal voting rights, who previously had to pay poll tax and take a literacy test (which was impossibly difficult).

On the 4th of April 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the most segregated cities in America at that time. His death marked the end of the era of the fight for civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr transformed the civil rights movement into a national campaign, and pushed the civil rights to a level of critical influence.

Today, America is transformed, and legal segregation has disappeared. While the laws have changed, have the attitudes of racism changed with them? 50 years ago, the Blacks faced discrimination from the police, the government and were disadvantaged economically, socially and lacking education. While there is in fact a black president, blacks are still more likely to be unemployed, bankrupt and get arrested. Despite this, Martin Luther King Jr helped America take a large step towards the dream of racial equality, and was truly an inspirational figure.

CIS (Est. 1983)

30TH ANNIVERSARY

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writers: cordelia lam (y11) // hana davis (y11)

hole school assemblies are always momentous occasions, full of a certain grandeur that only the Lower Gym swelling to crowd capacity can bring. The orchestra plays as the crowd files in, while the Primary kids sat on the risers excitedly survey the “Big Kids” opposite. The two sides are separated by what seems like a mile of wooden floor. This is later filled by a slew of MCs and musical performers, habitually the Head Boy and Girl, and often Mr. Morr or Mr. Tanner on the piano. The “Really Big Kids” survey the proceedings from above, their excitement somewhat different from that of the kids on the ground floor- it’s more distant, more nostalgic… more “adult”. Over a thousand students and teachers have gathered together in the Lower Gym, generations of people united in celebration. It is hard to believe that CIS students and teachers have been gathering together in celebration of special occasions since ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

1983. Thirty years later, here we still are, sat with our knees pressed against our classmates’ backs, watching the Primary kids belt out Christmas songs at the tops of their lungs, getting lost in the music of the Chinese orchestra.

This is Chinese International School, and this year, we celebrate our 30th birthday.

Springing from a humble beginning of 75 students in Primary 1 to 3, with a campus at 7 Eastern Hospital Road, CIS has evolved almost beyond recognition. A prestigious G20 secondary school, CIS boasts a hardly modest collection of achievements, chief among them, a reputation for earning some of the highest IB Diploma scores in the world. But how exactly did we get here? How did a small student body of 75 grow to one that is now 2000 strong, and how did the cultural dream of our founders become an internationally acclaimed reality? Let us take a trip down memory lane, and explore our school’s three decades of history.

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5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

features Then and Now

Founded in 1983 by Nelly Fung, Kin-Yue Fu, and Joyce Tai, CIS was established with the East and West in mind. The three women observed a trend of exambased, and Western-centric education in local and international schools respectively. They hoped to build an institution with a combination of Eastern and Western culture in its identity.

Thirty years later, their vision of a dual heritage school stands triumphantly in its place on Braemar Hill, miles away from its original location in Causeway Bay, and its subsequent placements on Borrett Road and Kennedy Road. Since its foundation, CIS has reached countless milestones. From the composition of our school song in 1985, to the development of the secondary school in 1987, and to the opening of our current campus in 1991, CIS has undergone progressive change during its 30 year life. Some notable highlights over the years include our first ever sports day in 1984, the glorious institution of the student detention system in 1985, the formation of the swim team in 1992, and the introduction of the IB Diploma Program to the secondary school curriculum in the same year.

Mr. Bernardo, Computer Technology maestro and beloved pillar of the CIS identity, has been with us for 25 years, having joined in 1989. “We started off with only nine staff for the whole of secondary, since we only had around 100 students

Primary: Pushing the Boundaries of Learning

Changes are occurring top to bottom at this school, and the Primary school has become a buzzing hub of progress. Perhaps the biggest, most exciting development is that of the dual language program, the centerpiece of the CIS mission. Strategic planning has steered language education in a more harmonious, collaborative direction, as English and Chinese lessons are now planned together, and along the same topics. As Mrs. Porter, Head of Primary, states, “A streamlined, dual language curriculum means that Chinese and English can actually serve each other. Learning is more integrated, as students can build solid connections between what they learn in English, and in Chinese.” Collaborative lesson topics include narrative writing techniques, poetry, and integrated studies, which are taught in sync. Ms. Lapidge bears witness to this, explaining “We have

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in Form 1-3. We followed a GCSE curriculum then; I was a math, geography, and CT teacher! Everything was new and full of hope; everyone was eager to try things and make a difference,” he says, fondly noting “We didn’t even have a cafeteria, so we had takeaway lunch delivered to us for almost 2 years!

I was a huge fan of the teriyaki rice.” This scene seems like a world away.

Legendary Primary Year 3 teacher Ms. Lapidge is in her 12th year of teaching at CIS. “When I first arrived at this school 12 years ago, it was definitely a lot smaller.”, she says, “We had fewer students and faculty for sure. The staff knew each other on a much more personal level, as we taught in much closer proximity. Witnessing the growth of the Primary school in both size and vision has been amazing.”

Growth and development are perhaps the defining themes of this anniversary in particular. Our 30th birthday marks an important turning point in CIS history- at 30 years old, our school qualifies as both an experienced, mature establishment, and as a dynamic agent of change. As many 30-somethings would argue, “30 isn’t really that old”! While armed with the experience and quiet self assurance of an adult, we are still young, and full of enough vitality to strive for new heights. As it would appear, we already are. meetings with the Chinese teachers to draft our lesson plans, so the students can use knowledge from both subjects to advance their learning.”

Efforts to strengthen dual language education have also been reinforced with the advent of technology, which has been used to support non-Chinese speaking families in accessing the language outside school grounds, perhaps even in the home. Parents are increasingly involved in Chinese learning, and find the relevant technology very useful for themselves as well. Web resources, applications, and online services are just part of the dual language puzzle being creatively pieced together by the Primary school. Mrs. Porter remarks “CIS has world leader status in dual language acquisition. What makes us stand above the rest is our relentless commitment to this cause.

In my previous schools, where students were very multicultural and multilingual, there wasn’t the same emphasis on dual language fluency, and on the appreciation of different cultures.”

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>> A remarkable change in Primary has been the integration of technology into teaching. Students are stunningly tech-savvy, as gadgets and gizmos become staples of their education.

Students are bestowed their own Apple handheld devices, with Macbooks readily available for classroom use, making exercises in math, grammar, and other difficult areas infinitely more appealing. Visiting the Primary side, one invariably sees children handling complex technology with complete easethey often make PowerPoint and video presentations, and are skilled operators of Scratch and other puzzling applications.

According to Ms. Lapidge, “the computers and technology have made students more aware of the way the world works.

They are more organized, and certainly more sophisticated.”

Hotly contested has been the “tech for tech’s sake” topic: where do we draw the line between technology as a “teaching aid” and overdoing it? Some argue that young students’ heavy reliance on technology may staunch their creativity and ability to function in the real world, but we must trust that it serves to keep students motivated and enthusiastic about their learning.

An interesting development in Primary school learning has been the introduction of “Ten Percent Time” for students in Year 6. The idea is to give students 10% of their total learning time to indulge in their passions outside of school curriculum, by giving them the freedom to design a project around their topic of interest. Bearing conceptual similarities to the Year 11 Personal Project, “Ten Percent Time” is a shift in the Year 6 teaching model, and allows students to think beyond the classroom, teaching them from a young age to be thoughtful, curious, and innovative in their learning. The project endeavors to encourage independent study, and the pursuit of passions based on genuine interest, not just in accordance with lesson syllabus.

The primary school has evolved so substantially that returning to visit our childhood teachers almost feels like walking into a different school. Significant changes to CIS education are being implemented from the bottom up- surely the work being done to propel Primary to the forefront of education will foster a generation of students with more creativity, generosity, and a greater thirst for knowledge.

Secondary: Expansion and Enhancement

studies.” Despite a rocky start, generally speaking, advisory seems to be working, and we shall soon see the effects of the new approach to student care.

Student involvement is also expanding. The growing number of student-run publications that circulate within school walls is a prime example, proliferating from Xiao Hua to creative anthology Scribbles and then design bible Fragments, with others surely in the works. Support (and funding!) for student-led initiatives has increased greatly to better allow students to get involved. Evidence of expansion is abundantthe broadening of the CCA catalog, the increase in activity trips and competitions, and the elevation of school teams to a higher standard of performance, spirit, and dress are cogent examples. Sports and activities in particular is one of the most rapidly expanding fields at school, its progress brought about largely by director Mrs. Alexander. It all started with student Valerie Tang’s school mascot-themed Personal Project, and 4 years later, her phoenix is the face of CIS. Then came the founding of the Order of the Phoenix, affectionately called the OTP, and subsequently a barrage of groups, teams, and celebrations under the widening Sports and Activities umbrella. A more streamlined sports program has “emerged from the ashes” as it were, with more effective CCA signups, greater roles in the ISSFHK and HKSSF, and more organized leadership quickly springing forth. “I am most proud to say that the HK community now considers CIS a real challenger on the competitive scene, both in sports and academics.” says Mrs. Alexander, “Together, we have worked hard to create spirit through celebration assemblies and with a smarter, more coordinated uniform- I am very proud of these improvements to school pride.” Undeniably, sports and activities at CIS will continue to flourish, even while hamstrung by the next few years’ lack of facilities. The same can be said for CIS Secondary- if the current status quo is anything to go by, we can expect even more exciting change in the near future.

Secondary school has always been a busy place, but lately the bustling atmosphere has slipped into overdrive. In the past few years alone, the school has transformed before our very eyes into a newer, grander, more dynamic place to learn, with the overarching ideas of “expansion” and “enhancement” driving the changes that take place. An obvious and widely recognized area of growth was the launch of the CIS Hangzhou Center and one-year residential immersion program in August last year. As our Headmaster Dr. Faunce comments, “The Hangzhou program is our response to a growing need to engage fully with Chinese culture. Hangzhou students are gaining not only a unique perspective on Chinese language and culture, but also the ability to live independently. They are shaping up to be more resilient and robust.” With the goal of building students’ character as well as a stronger cultural identity, the Hangzhou center is part of a more holistic, “wellness”-centered initiative currently moving up on the Secondary agenda. Student wellbeing is now a bigger priority, as school administration grasps the idea that software is more valuable than just good hardware. Greater emphasis is being placed on students’ understanding of themselves- character strengths and growth mindsets have been subjects of exploration in CHOICES sessions and assemblies this year, as attention focuses on positive education and support. We saw another part of the holistic initiative come to life this year: the advisory model. It was a somewhat controversial transition from traditional homeroom to a scary new paradigm, and initial objections to the “splitting of families” were commonplace. “This wellness initiative is no gimmick,” says Dr. Faunce, “Advisory is built on a great philosophy. We’re dealing with the idea that every teacher should be capable of, and eager to form relationships with students outside of their

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features The CIS Effect

During our 30 year history, CIS has produced 20 graduating classes, and over 1300 graduates. Although CIS has an enviable track record of diploma results and university placements, the success of a school is best measured by its students, and not by its statistics. As Mr. Bernardo remarks, “it’s all in how the students perceive themselves as individuals.” So how do CIS students perceive themselves in relation to their school? Alumnus Sarah Pemberton (‘11) reflects “I am a product of a CIS education in its broadest sense – CIS inspired me intellectually, it’s created a thirst for international education and travel, it’s instilled a deep commitment to philanthropy and community, it’s taught me the intricacies of local and global issues… it’s made me genuinely motivated in and outside of the classroom.”

Evidently, CIS fosters a lifelong love of learning in its students, who emerge eager to consume and absorb the world around them in the form of knowledge and firsthand experience.

School inevitably ends, but learning continues past graduation, and far into our adult lives.

Reflecting on attitude and spirit at CIS, alumnus Lucas Sin (‘11) remembers: “I learned to go beyond and do things.

To fall into my passions and to get my hands dirty. To not just sign up for things, but instead, to go ahead and do them. It isn’t simply to seek what it’s like to be, but to experience the process of becoming.” As it would appear, signing up and doing is

what CIS students do best. Almost all students here juggle academics and CCA commitments- it isn’t as much a question of “how do they handle it?” as it is of “how much can they handle?”. It comes as no surprise that well-roundedness is a common trait in CIS students, resulting in a creative and passionate student body with talents in countless areas. Only at CIS could you find a Robotics club, a Human Rights Group, a Psychology club, and an Archery team, among so many others, all on the same campus!

Community is perhaps the fondest memory for CIS students, and has a tenacious grip on who they are for the rest of their lives. Three years after graduating, Sarah, who Skype calls her CIS classmates regularly, still runs the cross-country path to clear her mind. She recalls “I loved the days when we just celebrated the crazy, beautiful life of a CISer. This is a school where the lines between students, teachers, and parents are blurred. Teachers and administrators became mentors and friends.” There really is no better way to sum up the CIS experience than with the words of its students. CIS is remembered by its alumni as more than just a 7 hour day camp; it is a whole world of its own, capable of molding and shaping identities and characters in the most unbelievable ways. “If I had to fit CIS in one of Hogwarts’ four houses, we would undeniably be Gryffindor,” Sarah declares, “which is characterized by courage, chivalry, and determination. I was engulfed by CIS’ spirit. I always felt like I was one of a greater community.”

Looking Ahead

1991- CONSTRUCTION OF CAMPUS 2017- REDEVELOPMENT OF CIS

One thing is for certain: 30 years have flown by, but the years to come have even more to offer. With the beginning of the school’s complete structural redevelopment, and a successful first year of the Hangzhou program coming to a close, CIS has grown in leaps and bounds, and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Like any organization in the midst of defining itself and cementing its brand, our school is working to discover its place in the world around it. However, it all comes down to keeping students at the center. Regardless of where the future takes us, if CIS continues to maintain strong, stable leadership, and continues to make decisions centered around enhancing the student experience, the sky is truly the limit. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and the same rings true for CIS. It takes a special kind of community to cultivate a CIS student, and we are fortunate to be blessed with an amazing one.

FI FA

w or ld

cu p

not abo just ut s por ts The writ e illus rs: adrie trat n or: k ne zhan g elly chu (y9), isab (y10), bern ella boy crowds are feretta n Li (y11 e (y9) vent and trembling with anticipation. Sweat)

ing shoulders bump against bare, painted chests. Fans howl until their voices are hoarse and lost in an energy that is almost zealous. This is the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup has long been considered by football experts and fanatics alike as one of the greatest sporting events in the modern world, marking many key, pivotal historic events, such USA’s victory against England in 1950, Italy’s defeat at North Korea’s hands in 1966, Cameroon’s emergence in the 1980s and more.

Football is much more than a physical challenge. It is an indicator of a country’s wealth, prosperity and status.

And in 2014, the World Cup is to return.

Football is a centuries old sport. The first competitive football match in the world with official representatives from two countries was in the 19th century, pitting England against Scotland. It was a small, unpublicized event with a tiny audience, but it marks the emergence of football. From then, football grew rapidly, and soon, the nations of continental Europe decided it was time to found an international sports association that would allow members of different countries to compete

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for the ultimate football title. Thus, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup was born. It was founded by a small council in Paris and organized its first tentative game in Uruguay in the 1930s. FIFA united the footballers and football fans of France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Today, the FIFA World Cup has a global audience entrapped under it’s spell. According to the FIFA website, the audience of the 2010 world cup included at least 1 billion people.

Because of the sheer quantity of supporters and members, the FIFA World Cup isn’t only about football, or the football stars, or even the fans. It’s overlooked by most, but FIFA holds great political and social significance.

The chance to host the FIFA world cup is an honor and a burden. It brings a country into the spot-

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features light. This means that Brazil will receive more international recognition and its social issues can be explored and improved, with the help of the internationalism and media coverage.

This has been shown to have happened in other countries with other sporting events. For example, in Sochi, the LGBT issues of Russia were brought to light to not only the general public of Russia, but to the international community. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia had been putting tighter LGBT laws into place, so that “gay propaganda� has been criminalised and LGBT rights activists have been attacked in the streets. Despite the fact that 88% of Russians were against gay rights, internationally, they were received with a different reaction. Obama chose gay athletes to represent the country at opening and closing ceremonies, and German president Joachi

Gauck canceled his trip to Sochi in protest, and overall, international countries and people have now seen this issue being brought to light, thus more people can attempt to do something about it.

Due to media coverage brought by the World Cup, different issues in Brazil can get brought to the public eye, bringing us one step closer to solving these problems. For example, the World Cup has brought favelas in Brazil to attention. Favelas are the terms used for slums in Brazil, especially in urban areas. The issues that revolve around security and urbanisation in favelas has grown to an extreme since the announcement of the World Cup. Brazil is now put under a lot of pressure, both internally and externally (from international countries) to introduce policies for securing and restructuring favelas, particularly in Rio and Sao Paulo. There have been many instances in the past where the government has attempted to remove or rehabilitate favelas, that have been for the most part, unsuccessful. But the World Cup has caused a sense of urgency to complete these attempts. Brazil is now faced with doubt: is its security up to par, especially when thousands are pouring into a city where 6,000 people are killed each year. Many new plans to clear some of the favelas and rebuild others would end up affecting more than 260,000 households and relocate about 13,000 families.

The World Cup brings in many opportunities for Brazil. The expected economic growth this year in Brazil due to the World Cup is definitely large. Brazil has spent R$22.46 billion on the World Cup, mainly in infrastructure, such as stadiums and living quarters.

The Brazilian government is spending and is ready to spend large sums of money to ensure stadiums are state of the art, security is ramped up and athletes are content. This is beneficial in the long term due to the fact that there may be urban redevelopment benefits that organisers may hope to arise in the form of new private investments in the areas around each stadium. Also, since football is Brazil’s national sport, the provisions of new stadiums across the country will allow more access to the sport, for professional and amateur levels, which will help deliver social and health benefits too.

This 22 billion is not as heavy a blow as it seems, considering that FIFA authorities and Brazilian economics experts predicted that the World Cup will earn Brazil R$142.39

billion from World Cup watchers and create 3.63 million jobs. This not only ensures a reduced unemployment rate, it also means higher pay for the workers, due to the rising demand of labourers as stadiums are put up.

Aside from construction workers, other jobs include architecture of stadiums and living caterers for events, electricians and plumbers, and information services (mainly for tourism). Furthermore due to the extremely large amount of viewers (estimated to be 26.29 billion that watch on television), media and broadcasting will also increase in their need for employment. The tourist inflow into Brazil will also be helping their economy. The amount of tourists will increase the need for hospitality, meals, purchase (of goods), transport, understanding of culture and leisure purposes, communications and more.

But before we assume FIFA is God’s gift to mankind, we must also consider the cons.

Brazil is not as developed as other countries in the world.. It is still struggling with corruption, poverty, readily available health care, unemployment rates, education etc. Brazilians have long been protesting for more rights and more stability. And for the protesters, the FIFA World Cup seems like the right place to start.

The Brazilian authorities have also been removing gangs with cruel and arguably unnecessary force to lower the chance of organised crime during the tournament. This seems like a good move, but Brazilian authorities will not be able to remove all gang activities. When there is a lesser amount of gangs, it removes competition increases the power the remaining gangs have, therefore increasing the number and intensity of the operations the remaining gangs will run. And with the government’s ramped up security forces, gangs will turn their attention away from government officials to vulnerable commoners.

Aside from threats of crime, many people of Brazil will be made to leave their homes. According to Amnesty International, 170 thousand people will have to leave their homes to make way for the stadiums. While the numbers may not be completely accounted for, the number of people being removed and displaced form what are considered very poor areas of the city are definitely large.

There have been complaints over lack of compensation given to people for their homes, while some of the areas ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

that are designated for the relocation are far and not yet finished being built.

Last year, Alexandre Mendes, former head of housing rights at Rio’s state public defender’s office was reported by the Associated Press last year. His view on the matter was that: “Many of these removals did not respect principles and rights considered basic in local and international law”.

But FIFA leaders such as Sepp Blatter and FIFA’s ambassador, Pelé still continue to insist that the tournaments will bring good to Brazil. Blatter repeatedly stated that the people should calm down when the World Cup start arrives. This is due to immense excitement, from both protestors and fans that the World Cup is bringing to Brazil, but Blatter has not specified exactly how this calmness will arrive.

Pelé also insists that the tournaments will bring rewards for Brazil. In a recent interview he said, “I hope that people have good sense: let the World Cup pass on.

Football only brings foreign money and only benefits Brazil”.

Brazil is in fact not completely prepared for the mass amount of people coming in and the internationalism they are receiving. There is lack of transport, safe roads and other basic necessities that Brazil must have if they are hoping to host the World Cup. There have been accusations of the government being corrupt, of fraud and embezzlement too, an old problem for Brazil, but now the people are getting impatient.

One of the cities in Brazil that is taking part in hosting the World Cup, Manaus, does not have a professional football club. Cuiaba, another host, does not have a football club either.

Several of the 12 stadiums that are going to be used for

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the World Cup are still incomplete and under construction. However, Sepp Blatter, the FIFA head of construction played down concerns of the stadiums incompletion, saying ““Everything with the stadiums will work out. This is not my first World Cup. In the end, all the stadiums will be ready,” when speaking to the DPA. On the other hand, Mr. Blatter has also said that Brazil was further behind schedule than any other host he had seen, Chantalthough they had had the most time to prepare for the ing against event.

FIFA and against In 2013, during the Confederations Cupthe World Cup is now a curtain-raiser for the World Cup, the Brazilpopular at almost every proian President was booed by fans during the test. opening match, thus Mr. Blatter has revoked The protests, which are still any speeches to start off the World Cup. on-going (although on a much smaller Shortly after the Confederations Cup, scale) have so far seen 10 deaths and 250 up until now, Brazillian protesters have injured, mostly through incidents of police taken to the streets. brutality. There have been 651 people arrested In any sporting event, the hosting so far in relation to the riots. The most protestcan be seen as a great opportunity, ers were located in Rio de Janeiro where 300,000 for more of an global reputation, people took to the streets. But protesting isn’t limintroducing tourists and foreignited to Rio. 13 other cities also had fervent protests, ers to the country, however it can with participant numbering anywhere between 15,000 also lead to impending disaster, to 100,000 protesters. This terrifying number of people depending which side you see should be a sign to the Brazilian government that they in the argument. And the World need to act more wisely in their spending for World Cup Cup is no different. preparations.

Brazilians are not happy Maybe all of the economic, political and social with FIFA. To ease their disconimpacts due to the World Cup will be putting a little bit tent, government officials and too much strain on Brazil. A lot of the general public FIFA representatives have given certainly seems to think so. On the other hand, Brazil reasons to promote the World will also find benefits in hosting the World Cup. But Cup, to no result. regardless of the pros and cons of the situation they Protests are not an unfaare currently in, it appears that Brazil will continue miliar scene in Brazil. They have to go ahead and host the FIFA World Cup. We can been occurring long before the simply hope that that impact of the World Cup on FIFA cup arrived. They were mostly Brazil will be good. focused on topics like bus fares, All in all, the FIFA World healthcare, corruption etc., and were Cup is an event to be enjoyed all around the trying to achieve better quality of life. world. But it is far more than a sportBut with the arrival of FIFA, demonstraing event: it can be a nation’s ticket to tors and protesters have risen in number. either improvement or regression.

Protests have been held all over It changes things for everyone, the country, against what they consider a and you don’t have to be frivolous and unjust spending of their taxes. a football fan to They believe that the government is unjustiunderstand fied in spending the money on sporting events that. instead of helping more pressing issues and evicting people from their homes without compensation.

Demonstrators, police and ordinary citizens with no involvement have been injured or even killed due to these protests. Police are actively using teargas and rubber bullets. the brutality they are placing on the protesters is making things even worse than before.

The waste of lives on the World Cup has further incensed protesters. But now FIFA’s large events have become sparked these issues.

COMMUNITY TIME

今

WRITER: ADRIENNE CHEN (Y8) photography: jasmine brian-boys (y11)

年，漢基國際學校介紹了一個 新的項目：『Community Time』 。『Community Time 』是一個 讓學生們，甚至老師們休息的 時間。和小息時間不同的是，因為『Community Time』都安排在同一個時間，學生們能 夠更容易的與同學和老師安排時間見面，組 織會議等。學生們有機會利用這一段時間開 會，和老師見面，或者和朋友們聊天。

『Community Time』 發生在小息的後 面，也就等於是占『Advisory』 的時間。大 部份的學生們都把 Community Time 看成一 個有用的項目。他們能夠運用 『Community Time』 的時間來補功課、復習考試、以及問 老師關於功課或考試的問題。有一位八年級 的學生說： 「小息和中飯時，我需要吃飯， 沒時間找我的英文老師。可是現在因為有了 『Community Time』，我有了 20分鐘來跟英 文老師討論！『Community Time』 真是救了 我一把！」

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當然了，除了跟老師討論功課以外， 『Community Time』 也是一個放鬆和跟同學 們交流的時間。Community Time 可以讓學生 們輕鬆輕鬆，免得他們上課的壓力那麼大。 有些男生甚至會在球場上打一打籃球，把學 業忘掉。有一大部份同學們都會利用『Community Time』去圖書館看書，一起打遊戲， 以及和朋友們談天說地。雖然 『Community Time』 只有 20 分鐘左右，這是個讓同學們 對話和交流的好機會。很多學生會利用 Community Time 的時間了解了解其他同學。

雖然大部份的學生們都認為 『Community Time』是一個有用、有意義的項目，但 是也有一些人不同意。『Community Time』 也有許多缺陷。有同學認為『Community Time』和小息時間一樣，而在小息時間後加 上『Community Time』沒有必要，只在浪費 時間。一天內學生們真的需要兩個小時的休 息、吃飯時間嗎？如果同學們需要時間和老 師們或別的同學們交流、開會議，他們很容 64

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features

易就可以在午息的一個小時或者 小息的半個小時內湊出時間來。 有了『Community Time』，有很 多特點和缺點。『Community Time』 不但能讓我們做很多有 用的事兒，還能讓同學們交流， 讓學生們輕鬆輕鬆。但是，很多 學生們也認為這個項目沒有很 大的用處。因為 『Community Time』 是個新的項目，我們需 要保持一個開放的態度，通過好 好利用『Community Time』 這 一短時間，『Community Time』 一定會成為一個很成功的項目。

features

漢基體驗中國項目 writer: ingrid Tsang (y9) illustrator: Bernetta Li (y11)

漢基

國際學校(Chinese International School)對雙語學習非常重視。中學七年級到九 年級的學生，會參與體驗中國項目。五月初會利用兩個星期時間到中國大陸 三個不同城市學習體驗。這些城市都是經過仔細篩選而選出的，包括西安、昆明與 陽朔。當初在二零一零年五月開辦體驗中國項目是經過學校兩年的深思熟慮，認 為加入這個活動能讓漢基的中文科增添更多在現實生活運用的機會，而且 能加強漢基“雙語言、雙文化的辦學理念”。從中希望我們在課堂外使 用更多中文，同時接觸、認識更多中國文化。上午我們與本地學校合 作，與學生一起上課，體驗本地學校學生的日常生活。下午參與其 他活動，不但加深對城市的文化、歷史等的認識，而且可以服務 於社會。 七年級學生去西安。一大早，在學校飯堂吃完 一頓美味的早餐，便匆匆忙忙地跑去操場，

與 當 地的 全體學生 做早操。這 樣一來，睡意完 全消失，是一天的好 開始。全校全體學生同一時間聚 在操場上做“廣播體操”，情景十分壯觀。做完 早操後，我們便跟著我們的本地伙伴一起上課，有 語文、英文、地理、歷史、政治、體育、電腦課等 等。他們上課的模式跟我們的很不一樣，主要是老 師講課，很少會跟學生有什麼互動。與本地學生上 課後，我們就跟本校的老師上課。她每天跟我們介 紹西安的不同特色，也為我們導讀《長恨歌》。我 們也跟武術大師學習武術。練習了一套武術動作， 回到香港為家長表演。午飯過後，我們會到不同的 景點參觀，或是上不同的文化課。我們曾到兵馬 俑、大雁塔、鼓樓、鐘樓、回民街等景點一遊。有 一個下午，我們租了自行車，繞城牆騎了一圈。有 時候，我們會上古箏、二胡、編織、民歌的課，晚 上還去了觀看《長恨歌》表演，非常精彩！ 八年級的學生去昆明。早上，在酒店用餐 後，便到學校去。每天去的課室不一樣，讓我們可 以接觸更多的學生，同時也可以比較不同老師的教 法，非常有趣。他們每次做閱讀理解的時候，每一 組會被分配一些問題，要上講台為其他同學解說。 記得有一次，有一組把我請上講台解說問題。當時

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面 對著三 十多個陌生的學生與 老師，有一點張口結舌，緊張地瞪著課本說了一大 堆話，實在是個有意思而難得的經驗。然後跟本地 老師上課。老師每天都不一樣，各有不同的教法。 他們根據課文安排上課內容。記得有一篇課文關於 花，老師帶我們到校園周圍欣賞不同種類的花朵， 並且向我們介紹它們的特色。然後，我們就會跟當 地學生做早操，繞著跑步徑跑兩個圈。早操過後， 我們便會回到教室上課，有美術、衛生、地理、歷 史、音樂等等。在衛生課裡，我們參觀了小學生的 宿舍，學習他們的生活模式、規矩，也學習了如何 摺被子。他們的房間非常整潔，一切都是很有條例 的，連牙刷都是向著一個方向。第二堂課，我們要 回到自己的酒店，把自己的房間整理好，讓衛生老 師檢查、指點。下午，我們到不同景點參觀，例如 去雲南民族村學習關於雲南的五十二個少數民族。 除此以外，我們也去了一所幼稚園，幫忙照顧可愛 的小朋友。到了晚上，我們會與本地學生一起做運

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動，如 踢足球、打羽毛 球、打籃球等等。然後 我們回到早上的教室，與他們 一起自習。一個多小時的安靜，讓我們 反省一天發生的種種事情。 最後，九年級的學生去陽朔。一早在酒店 吃了早餐後，我們用約十分鐘步行到學校。到了學校，我們便 會去指定的課室與當地的學生一起上課。吃完午飯後，我們便 會參與不同的活動。今年的體驗中國項目與前兩年不一樣，由 戶外教育專家Dragonfly帶領，有更多服務以及探險的機會。 這些活動包括：攀石、探洞、採摘茶葉、騎自行車、在幼稚園 幫忙教學、為學校裝飾牆壁等等。其中我認為最刺激的就是探 洞。洞穴裡面非常了不起，特別是跳入泥浴裡，弄得一身滿是 泥。我也覺得採摘茶葉的活動十分有趣。在這個活動裡面，我們 有機會與採摘員交流、認識採摘背後的歷史與文化，更有機會嘗 試幫忙採摘茶葉。採摘的時候才發現，原來這是一項不容易的工 作。採摘員當然是熟能生巧，很快便能採摘一大籃子的茶葉。這 樣有趣的活動，不是參與體驗中國項目，絕對沒有可能有機會嘗 試。 體驗中國項目對學生來說，回憶非常難忘。在中國這些 城市，體驗當地人們的生活、學習關於他們的文化背景，從中得 益良多，也是獨一無二的經驗。為了進一步支持漢基的雙語言、 雙文化的辦學理念，我們真應該慶祝慶祝這個特別的項目。

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THE

RISE OF

INTELLIGENT CITIES. CITIES WRITER: MEGAN FOO (Y12) PHOTOGRAPHER: MATHEW CHOW (Y10)

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s we enter a time when accelerated urbanization is rife, cities all over the world run the risk of being “unlivable”. Poorly-run cities exacerbate some already pressing environmental concerns; the rampant exploitation of power and fuel releases inordinately high levels of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, while the lack of basic environmental infrastructure sends a flood of untreated sewage into watercourses, threatening not only the ecological safety of water bodies, but also the livelihoods of those who depend on them.

Compounding this problem is the pervasive influence of cities that has been forecasted; City Science, a MIT Media Lab Initiative, projects that in the future, cities will account for nearly 90% of global population growth and 60% of total energy consumption. These foreboding figures do not bode well; they imply that the world is on an unstable path that will inevitably impede economic sustainability.

Hence, it is no surprise that the cry for sustainable cities, also known as “smart cities”, has never resounded more sonorously. Entering the civic lexicon in common parlance, a smart city refers to what The Committee of Digital and KnowledgeBased cities de-

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features fines as “a type of city that uses new technologies to make them more liveable, functional, technological and modern through the use of new technologies, the promotion of innovation and knowledge management, and bringing together six key fields of performance: the economy, mobility, the environment, citizenship, quality of life, and finally, management.”

The concept of a smart city, championed by the International Business Machines Corporation, hinges on the union of infrastructure, operations, and people. Ignoring antiquated views that cities should consider separate systems like food, waste, transport, education, and energy by function, smart cities aim to address these systems holistically and in the process, solve city-specific problems proactively. Unlike their technology-heavy counterparts, smart cities leverage physical and social capital simultaneously, taking into account social networks in tandem with concrete factors of production when staging city-scale interventions. Ultimately, smart cities work to develop strategies that can raise their inhabitants’ “standard of living”, targeting domains like reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion, and improving “livability” and creativity.

Abstractions aside, what are some concrete strategies various smart cities have utilized to accommodate an ever-growing, perpetually sprawling population? Aspects of urban planning that are associated with environmental and economic sustainability are often more indicative of the merits of smart cities, and they can likely provide new heights of insight into how cities can identify, transform, and progress.

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features ASPECT 1: A COMMITMENT TO USING LOW-CARBON ENERGY

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aintaining its high on the smart city indices, Copenhagen boasts nearly unrivalled standards of sustainability. With creating a “green” society at the forefront of the city’s goals, the Danish capital is pushing relentlessly on toward a zero-carbon emissions future, with instituting wind farms, transforming city-wide heating networks and furthering an already widespread culture of cycling definitely in the cards. Hailed by the European Commission as the European Green Capital of 2014, Denmark endeavors to become the first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

This objective is bolstered predominantly by its low-carbon drive; Denmark’s “smart city” solutions include refining integrated transport networks through promoting cycling and constructing over 390 km of designated cycling lanes. Achieving a two-fold effect of abating traffic congestion and improving citizens’ physical health, this low-carbon strategy not only

serves as a positive precedent for other cities, but also preludes a litany of sustainable ventures to come. Recently, representatives from Copenhagen have partnered with MIT to develop a “smart bike” complete with sensors that gauge air pollution and traffic congestion, to keep bike riders and administrators alike formidably well-informed about their outputs.

Partnerships that work towards greater sustainability - like that between Copenhagen and MIT - are perhaps some of the most powerful alliances that have been and should be made.

And these partnerships do not even have to cross borders.

Vienna, acclaimed by American climate strategist Boyd Cohen as the world’s “number one smart city”, is currently working in cooperation with a local energy provider, Wien Energie, to develop a crowdfunding project that encourages citizens to buy half or whole advanced energy panels and receive a guaranteed return of 3.1% annually.

ASPECT 2: THE HARNESSING OF APPLICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR FURTHER GROWTH

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long with mobile applications or “apps” that specifically target reducing emissions, another facet of shifting toward a smart-city future involves maximizing the usage of applications that address other aspects of sustainable city planning. In 2013, a coalition of 22 forwardthinking cities around the world announced the innovative solutions they came up with to solve their urgent urban and socioeconomic problems at the Smart Cities Council in San Francisco.

According to Jesse Berst, the Smart Cities Council Chairman, “Many of [these solutions] are city-scale solutions, such as the proposal to offer free WiFi in the public areas of Lagos.

But many are ‘lightweight’ apps that accomplish a simple purpose, such as augmented reality museum tours in Finland. And I think that is a powerful lesson. Not all smart city applications have to be grandiose mega-solutions that cost millions of dollars and years of time. We can improve citizens’ livability, workability and sustainability one small app at a time. The prerequisite is a platform that gives innovators access to the data they need and a way to reach an audience for their solutions.”

The apps that were selected included Butler, a free social network with the aim of improving users’ emotional wellbeing, and empowering the social support network through new technology and facilitated access to emotionally nourishing activities. Geared towards the elderly population of Mexico City, the Butler application was invented to not only boost elderly psychological health, but also to contribute to the interconnected nature of mobile apps, as Butler seeks to, in the words of researcher Cristina Botella, provide “further support to an application in Spain to put it in touch with cities around the world.” Butler’s future is nothing short of bright; since its inception, its stellar results have been featured in numerous national and international scientific journals, and the application has inculcated in people over 60 years the skills needed to

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use the Internet independently and straightforwardly.

In addition, Urban Parasol, a Wi-Fi enabled urban amenity that seeks to generate comfortable and interactive urban spaces all year round in Paris, was selected for its innovative response to the problem of spatial rigidity in urban areas. Marrying sustainable solutions for energy-efficient heating and lighting systems with interactive tools that engage social interactions at a community wide level, Urban Parsol hopes to accelerate Paris’ trajectory toward being a “smart city” through human-machine interfacing and providing city-scale platforms to collect data from its users via Arudino (an open-source physical computing platform predicated on a microcontroller board, coupled with a conducive development environment for writing software for the board).

Furthermore, as the ascent toward a smart city is also in part influenced by increased convenience and optimized mobility of its inhabitants, mobile apps that level at these efficient outcomes have become the sine qua non of urban planning. The manifold benefits of reduced commute times, scheduled task times, and more “efficient routing of field city resources between jobs, especially during emergency situations”, have been identified by San Francisco’s ClickSoftware, self-proclaimed to be “the leading provider of field service and workforce management software and solutions for every size of field service business in any industry.” ClickSoftware Field Service Optimization, which offers real-time visibility to expedite these added conveniences, realizes that these efficiencies not only bring about increased coherence to the lives of its buzzing populace, but also note that they also save millions of dollars annually – a further validation of the idea that the transition toward a “smart city” will naturally spur economic prosperity.

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ASPECT 3: A CULTURE-WIDE MENTALITY TO JOURNEY TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE PATH

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erhaps transforming the nascent “smart city” concept into a reality warrants a cognitive shift that in turn, breeds an expedited action plan. After all, can mobility solutions for sustainability come to fruition without the collaborative support of their various stakeholders? Reducing motorised traffic can only happen when people adopt a less car-dependent lifestyle, and apps that target increased convenience and security hinge on the effective use of their willing operators.

The aspiration to achieve greater sustainability as a city should be embedded in a mentality that ripples throughout the whole society, not just in the minds of those on the obvious decision-making end of schemes and policies. But how can this cognitive shift be actualized? Most evidently, it can be ignited through education. When students learn more about the hazards that their local area faces, be it through lectures or hands-on experiential learning, their interest in developing positive, sustainable solutions to their city’s ills may be piqued. This then has the promise to translate to a change in habit, or a newfound penchant for contributing to their city’s socio-economic fabric. From this, micro investments in education establish a very macro impact, one that may well be beneficial in the long run.

As is evident, there is no easy way to expedite the universal development of smart cities; only prolonged action can eradicate the dysfunctional facets of modern cities. A full discussion on the nuances of urban planning and sustainable solutions will certainly go beyond the ambit of this article. Yet this should not discourage urban planners and policymakers, as well as the general populace of these cities, from attempting to turn the tides against the “unlivable” nature of contemporary conurbations, and investing in smart cities to drive further economic sustainability. The plethora of cities that are inching closer to adopting a smart city model should not dishearten or demoralize. If anything, they should serve as an incentive to step up one’s pace and revamp ineffective strategies, and as such, move one step closer to extending new frontiers in economic sustainability as a smart city to be.

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HONG RUGBY KONG

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he spirit of celebration is one that visits the sandy shores and rolling hills of Hong Kong every year towards the end of March. It creeps into each facet of daily life gradually and imperceptibly, until the anticipa-tion for that one weekend of festivities and revelry is undeniably present.

The Hong Kong Sevens is a well known and established event in the region. Yet it is so much more than simply an annual three day rugby tournament. It is an embodiment of the heterogeneity and multicultu-ralism that form a core component of Hong Kong’s identity. It is a realization of the corporate and sport culture hybrid present in Hong Kong. It is a testament to Hong Kong’s position as a city of international relevance. It is the apotheosis of the city’s spirit

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of celebration.

The first Hong Kong Sevens tournament was held in 1976 with largely pan asian teams participating.

Since then it has grown to include 22 countries with a much greater international influence. The event grew ahead of its time and became a model for other tournaments to emulate. Developing a reputation as a ‘party weekend’, the event has become a symbol of sport in celebration.

Though rugby is a very popular sport within Hong Kong, that popularity alone does not justify the level of buzz generated by the Sevens each year.

The event is not simply a sporting competition, and as such is not only appealing to rugby fans, but also to the general population and anyone who enjoys a weekend of celebration and festivities. Indeed, for

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features some attendees the aspect of the party trumps the rugby portion of the Sevens. The vibrant colors and thunderous cheers of the South stand are the stuff of legend.

Many go to the Sevens without a great interest in rugby, but with a desire to celebrate and a weekend to do it in. When students were asked why they go to the Sevens, responses ranged from “to watch rugby and hang out with friends” to “because it’s a good chance to have fun” to “to party”. “The one thing I like most about the Sevens is seeing the majority of the expat community crowded into one stadium”, says one CIS student.

“I love the feeling of being able to cheer on teams with my friends and all this excitement!”, yells another as the Hong Kong team scores another try and the stands erupt into cheers. It is interesting to note that few responses state rugby as the sole reason for attending the Sevens.

There is a crucial defining celebratory aspect of the Sevens, and it is this component that draws so many to the stands of the Hong Kong Stadium each March.

It is interesting to note the cultural constitution of Sevens attendees.

Anecdotally, it would appear that the many, if not most spectators come from English speaking backgrounds, with the number of expats in attendance being quite high. Many are involved in white collar corporate careers, a tendency that is not surprising given the nature of the event’s organization and ticket distribution. At the younger end of the spectrum, the number of international school students appears to greatly outnumber students from local schools.

There are also a significant mixtures of nationalities represented within the spectators that reflect both Hong Kong’s multicultural identity as well as its status as an international city, as some attendees have travelled from foreign destinations to Hong Kong for the Sevens. The combination of a melting pot of nationalities and teams that represent different countries is a great amount of support for teams. The Hong Kong team always gets a good reception, the English team receives many cheers, and the French team is booed by everyone but the French. It is a testament to Hong Kong’s position as a destination of international interaction, leisure, and economic relevance for it to host a sports event with many national teams that each have supporting fans, and the cultural makeup of the Sevens certainly reflects this

status.

It has been suggested that the Sevens encapsulate exclusivity and cater towards the expat demographic while marginalizing local fans. “I think it represents the “party weekend” of upper middle class expats and international school teenagers”, says one CIS student. “Personally I don’t know any local school students who go to the Sevens”. The cultural divide of two characterizing sections of Hong Kong society appears to run contrary to the idea of the Sevens as a manifestation of Hong Kong’s multicultural history.

Perhaps this divide is due to the logistical arrangements of the event promotion and ticket distribution. Tickets are not available for direct sale to the general public, and instead the opportunity to purchase tickets are given by means of a public ballot. This allocation system is a reasonable implementation given the popularity of the Sevens and the excess demand for tickets, but is somewhat undermined by the various other methods for and ease of obtaining tickets for certain sectors of society.

Corporate backing of the event or associated projects often lead to many tickets being distributed to individuals from more corporate backgrounds, which may correspond to the high number of expat attendees. A redistribution of these tickets then often occurs among these circles, and the result is that many tickets are circulated around the communities of upper middle class expats and their families, which often include international students; thus, certain sectors of society enjoy greater access to Sevens tickets.

There is also the possibility that marginalization in attendance of certain demographics is simply due to the nature of the Sevens and differences in culture and not solely selective distribution. The rugby culture in Hong Kong is likely more established among expats than among locals, and as the event is a manifestation of rugby culture, it may be that the concept of a weekend of sport and celebration appeals more to certain sectors of Hong Kong society due to differences in cultural backgrounds. Within the context of schools and youth, rugby as a sport is not as popular with local school students as it is within the international school community. Approximately half of the schools listed as participants in the

“I love the feeling of being able to cheer on teams with my friends and all this excitement!”, yells another as the Hong Kong team scores another try and the stands erupt into cheers.

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Hong Kong Rugby Football Union school’s rugby program are international schools, and the HKSSF list of inter-school rugby participants is largely dominated by international schools. This disproportionate representation in the inter-school competitions suggests the presence of rugby’s lack of prominence within certain demographics.

Perhaps the disproportionality stems from a deeper difference in culture.

Rugby as a sport has a rich history in Hong Kong starting from as early as the late 1800s, but this history and presence in the city is firmly tied to Hong Kong’s period as a British colony. In the early 20th century, the game was primarily played by military men, police, and merchant cadets, and it is a firm connection to British culture that has established rugby so deeply within Hong Kong; thus, it is not surprising that rugby, as a sport and a culture, is far more closely appreciated by those closer to British culture, such as the expat community in Hong Kong. With this difference in culture, it is not surprising that Hong Kong’s biggest rugby event met with much greater enthusiasm amongst the expat community in comparison with locals.

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A combination of distribution limitations and cultural differences could have contributed to the demographics of Sevens attendees, but the question of which came first is then raised. Did a limited access result in certain sectors of society getting more access to rugby culture? Did a well established tradition of rugby culture and affinity for celebration lead to greater involvement and influence over the Sevens as an accessible event? The question of demographics is certainly a complex one.

Despite the expat-local divide that one may notice at the Sevens, the event remains a highly multicultural event in Hong Kong, drawing crowds from many different countries outside the neighboring regions and uniting these cultures through an international sport. This unity is the atmosphere of the sevens, and it is one that colors every aspect of the spirit of celebration. The Sevens is undoubtedly one of the defining events of Hong Kong, perhaps for many the most prominent event. With a nature that embodies the multicultural heritage of Hong Kong and festivities that show the city at its liveliest, the Sevens is truly Hong Kong’s celebration.

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THIRD CULTURE kids

writers: yoon ah Han (y12) photography: andrew koo (y11)

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oined in the 1950’s, the term “third culture kid” refers to “a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture”. Other terms such as “global nomad”, “international traveler” and “transculture kid” have been used to describe the same phenomenon. The increasing emergence of “third culture kids” in recent years has been attributed to globalization - as international careers are being more commonplace and parents

are moving their families across the globe to pursue their careers, the number of third culture kids has increased rapidly. Hong Kong, a country known for being a “world city” with a large foreign population comprised of expats and immigrants, is full of third culture kids. In particular, a large portion of the school population at CIS, a school where the student body and the faculty is composed of people from a myriad of cultures and countries, are these aptly named “global nomads”.

Charlotte Emery (Year 12) has lived in more countries than most people will ever even visit in their lives. Many know her as a member of the Enharmonics, or as the lead of the 2012 whole school production “Annie Get Your Gun”, but what few know about her is that she is also a polyglot, speaking French, Spanish, English fluently and Mandarin and Japanese functionally. Born from an Argentine mother and a French father, Charlotte has lived in several countries across the globe, including London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Switzerland, the US, and Bali.

Q: How has being a “Third Culture Kid” affected you (as a person, as a student, as a global citizen)?

A: I think that being a third culture kid has broadened my perspective in terms of open mindedness towards other cultures.

Q: What disadvantages, if any, have you had from being a “third culture kid”?

A: I don’t really have a home town, which can be a bit of a downer.

Q: What advantages, if any, are there from being a “third culture kid”?

A: I can make myself at home anywhere, in any country, likely on any planet. My knowledge of worldwide languages and cultures is broader than that of a general “single” culture kid. I also feel strangely at home in airports, especially Heathrow, Narita, and Hong Kong airport.

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features Born in California to Californian parents,

Sophia Katz (year 11) has lived in Washington DC, San Diego, Santa Fe, Singapore and Hong Kong. Having come to Hong Kong three years ago, Sophia has had a motley of cultural experiences in various countries around the world.

Q: How has being a “Third Culture Kid” affected you (as a person, as a student, as a global citizen)?

A: I think that I’m more aware of things that are happening in the world. Also, there are a lot of people who are content with staying where they are for their whole lives so being a third culture kid has made me want to go all over the world and learn about different cultures.

Q: Do you think you suffer from an identity crisis/problems related to belonging?

A: A little. When people ask me “Where are you from”? I say “I was born in the States but I’ve lived in Asia my whole life.” It’s hard to explain, but I usually identify with California even though I’ve only lived there for one year. I don’t struggle with it internally though, it’s just when people ask that it gets rather confusing.

Q: What disadvantages, if any, have you had from being a “third culture kid”?

A: It’s inconvenient as far as family and friends- all of my family live in the States so I only get to see my grandparents and old friends once or twice a year.

Q: Where is home to you?

A: Actually, that’s one thing… I don’t feel like I have a home. I’ve been in Hong Kong for 3 years, and I’ll probably end up graduating here, but I’m not from Hong Kong. And then there’s Singapore, where I haven’t lived in since I was 10. And the States- for a long time I considered Santa Fe my home, because even though we only lived there for a few years, I lived there when I was really small, when I was a bit older, and the last time I lived there was when i was 12, so I lived there at different points in my life. But now, since most of my friends have moved away, I don’t consider that place my home anymore. I guess I could say California but we don’t really have a physical home there.

Q: What advantages, if any, are there from being a “third culture kid”?

A: I have different life experiences. Because, in California, where I used to live, the people there have been there their entire lives- my parents grew up there and my grandparents grew up there. However, I generally think it’s more interesting if you move aroundI definitely think that I’ve gained a lot of rich cultural experiences from being a third culture kid.

Q: Do you think you suffer from an identity crisis/problems related to belonging?

A: I have assumed my mother’s Argentinian heritage as my “identity”. It may seem a little strange, but I find a lot of comfort in this country that I haven’t ever even lived in. I feel a very strong connection to Argentina, as if my soul and blood are Argentine.

Q: Where is “home” to you?

A: Home is where the people are. If I could paradoxically create a country of only international people, then that would be where I would feel at home.

Q: Would you want your child to be a third culture kid, or be deeply rooted in one culture?

A: I think that deep down, I would have loved to have been deeply rooted in a culture, but that wasn’t a choice that I had. I don’t think it matters that much at this current point in time, although if I really had to choose, I would want my child to be deeply rooted in a culture.

Culture makes up a lot of a person’s identity, no matter if they embrace it or flee from it, and I wouldn’t want my child to miss out.

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Q: How has being a “Third Culture Kid” affected you (as a person, as a student, as a global citizen)?

A: From ages 0-9, I considered myself a third culture kid in some ways, but after moving to Denmark at age 9, I integrated into the Danish society. I had Danish parents who encouraged me to embrace the Danish culture even while living abroad. So I do feel like after living in Denmark for many years, I am mostly Danish. I am more like 70% Danish and 30% third culture kid.

Born in South Africa to Danish parents, Maths and Physics teacher Mr. Mumm had traveled around the globe several times due to his parents’ work. He had lived in Wales, Australia, India, Malaysia, Scotland, before finally returning to Denmark at age 9.

Q: How was it like living in somewhere outside of your parents’ culture?

A: It was fun, as I had lots of interesting experiences. Being a global nomad definitely makes you more open to other cultures. It makes you more resilient- for example, I lived in India for over a year and so going back there, I’m don’t get a lot of culture shock. After having lived there, I learned to look beyond the immediate appearance of things. So I think living in different cultures makes you more resilient and open minded.

Q: Where is home to you?

A: The broad answer would be wherever my wife and son is.

Whenever I’m with my wife and son, we make a home, so I don’t think i’m particularly attached to one particular culture or place. I definitely identify with the term “global nomad”, which is another expression used in place of “third culture kid”. Of course Denmark is a place I’ve lived the longest, so I do connect with Danish culture. But my wife is Chinese, so I often pretend that I sometimes understand Chinese culture as well. Right now, HK is home- I’ve been here for 5 years, my son was born here, but who knows… maybe it won’t be home in 5 years. I think it’s the nature of the world we live in. So as a global nomad, you’re better prepared for that new reality.

Q: Would you want your child to be a third culture kid, or be deeply rooted in one culture?

A: Good question… It’s something my wife and I talk a lot about now and I think I want him to be a balanced person that experiences new things. It’s good to travel a lot and experience many different cultures but it’s also important to feel like you have roots somewhere. Maybe it doesn’t have to be roots in a place- it can also be roots to people. I want to make sure my son is not someone who just lives in a place, gets to know people then just moves on cutting all ties with the past. It’s important to remember the past and make a connection it.

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features

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rom a personal standpoint, being a third culture kid, the question “Where are you from?” has always stumped me. When asked that daunting question, I would stop, think, then after much deliberation, reply with a long-winded answer that left others confused. “So… are you from Korea? Or Hong Kong?” they would proceed to ask even after my long spiel, with brows furrowed and nose wrinkled. I would sigh, having experienced this many a time. Here’s some background information about me- my father was born in Korea, yet was raised in the United States, while my mother was born and raised in Korea. I myself was born in Hong Kong and experience Hong Kong culture through my daily interaction with my friends, teachers, acquaintances and the locals. Therefore, in my daily life, I am exposed to Korean, American and Hong Kongese culture. In addition, my parents have always loved traveling, and thus my exposure to various cultures was heightened.

Through my upbringing and personal experience, I have experienced both the ups and downs of being a third culture kid. From gathering various insights through the numerous conversations I’ve had with “global nomads” and conducting several interviews with fellow third culture kids, I would conclude that, in a large scope, the positives of being a TCK outweigh the negatives. However, I, like other third culture kids, deal with what my fellow TCK friend phrases as “belonging everywhere and nowhere”. With the subject of “Third Culture Kids”, many have raised issues related to identity and belonging. While those who have been brought up in a single culture tend to have ownership over their belonging to a certain region or country, “Third Culture Kids” often have difficulty feeling completely at home in one place. The primary reason for this is that these people have several cultural influences shaping their sense of identity and belonging. When there’s an amalgamation of differing cultural ideals, values, beliefs and mannerisms comprising your own sense identity, you are often left to wonder “Where do I belong?”.

Granted, being a third culture kid does not just leave you with a feeling of rootlessness. In fact, it has been instrumental in shaping aspects of my personal-

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ity, thought processes and values. It is said that being a TCK imparts you with a sense of open-mindedness and international understanding. In addition, having multiple frames of reference for different aspects of the global society allows third culture kids to build cultural bridges and better understand world issues. Being a student at an international school, meeting people from different countries and having traveled to several countries, I was able to foster my cultural curiosity and act upon that interest. From my interviews, I see that a common trend is that being a third culture kid provides a basis and acts as a catalyst to developing an interest in global issues. As Charlotte stated in her interview, “being a third culture kid has broadened my perspective in terms of open mindedness about other cultures”. All of my interviewees have stated that their experiences have allowed them to be more open-minded and knowledgeable about issues that affect various regions of the globe. Thus, it seems as though being broad minded is a universal trait that most third culture kids possess.

Had it not been for the various cultural influences that I have had since a young age, I likely would not have been inspired to learn Mandarin Chinese or French. TCK kids, as in the cases of my interviewees Charlotte & Mr Mumm, as well as myself, often speak multiple languages. In an informal survey carried out online by DenizenMag.com, 85% of the surveyees spoke two or more languages, while 47% spoke three or more languages. These statistics lend credence to the fact that having multiple cultural influences facilitates an interest in broadening a person’s foreign linguistic scope and abilities.

As globalization continues to establish itself in society, more and more children are being raised in cultures that differ from those of their parents. As in the cases of a large percentage of the school community, as well as with numerous others around the globe, “third culture kids” are becoming more ubiquitous. With the experiences that come from being global nomads, these third culture kids will likely gain an arsenal of foreign words, a diverse friendship circle and, of course, a passport full of multifarious stamps.

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COACH MENTORS: THE INTERVIEW WRITER: HANNAH HUI (Y10) PHOTOGRAPHY: HANNAH HUI (Y10)

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oach mentors were a largely undefined term until now. Nicknamed CMs, the eight coach mentors who take permanent residence in CIS Hangzhou play a significant part in the community, not only bringing excitement, fun, and laughter to the campus but also embodying the qualities of a responsible and caring elder sibling. Recognized to students as role models, advice-givers, shoulders-to-cry-on-when-thegoing-gets-tough, life coaches, or perhaps even elder brothers or sisters, not one student would doubt that the CMs in CIS Hangzhou are a milestone to its term, and indeed play a role pivotal to the functionality, order and success of CIS Hangzhou.

Although life in Hangzhou without them would be like missing a vital organ, most of the CIS community know little to nothing about the coach mentors. In this interview, we get up close and personal with a few of them.

Aydee Tie 1. Three adjectives that describe you?

Quirky, fun, and crazy-eccentric-hyperactively-awesome.

AYDEE TIE

2. State your entire job description encompassed in a few words or sentences.

What on earth am I doing here? Just kidding. Let’s see. We’re responsible for all the year ten off campus learning experiences, as well as their daily and nightly routines.

3. So, why did you decide to be a coach-mentor?

I enjoy working with kids —though year tens are hardly children— and at one point I was interested in a future career in education. But now I’m mostly here because I honestly just really enjoy what I do, and I’ve already formed some really meaningful relationships with the year tens!

4. What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?

Talking to the girls every night. Hearing the laughter. Just seeing how much fun they’re having here in Hangzhou, really.

5. Most memorable moment so far?

I can’t just say one. I have a collection of most memorable memories which all consist of me and my group of girls singing and dancing in very public places all around Hangzhou.

6. What do you miss the most about CIS?

The people. All the friends I practically grew up with.

7. Describe your life here in Hangzhou in one word.

Hectic.

8. Any interesting/funny stories to share?

You mean all the interesting and funny stories many of the Year Tens happened to have shared with me about their private lives? I’m afraid I can’t say; I’m not entirely sure they should be shared here. (winks)

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China and giving up New York was an extremely scary step and now I’m at a job that really requires going with the flow, flexibility, creativity and resilience. However, it’s also a situation in which I can look back, see how far I’ve come, how much I’ve grown and have absolutely no regrets.

Natailie Lau 1. Three adjectives that describe you?

I have no idea. Quirky, chill, and hilarious, though the last one is subject to debate. At least I think so!

2. State your entire job description encompassed in a few words or sentences.

8. Any interesting/funny stories to share?

Anyone who has seen this job in action knows it can’t be described in one sentence. Coach mentors supervise, mentor and live alongside the students, help plan the outdoor experiential learning programs, and provide academic, personal and emotional support!

3. Why did you decide to be a coach-mentor?

This job was actually recommended to me by a few parents at CIS but I chose it because I love working with high schoolers and I’m really passionate about leadership development.

4. What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?

The students, obviously! The girls of N202 in particular but I may just be biased. It’s been fantastic getting to know the students, especially my girls! They’re uniquely spectacular people who care deeply and think articulately but are always down for a good time.

5. Most memorable moment so far?

Most memorable? There have been so many memorable moments, I hardly know how to pick! It might be all the times the girls in my dorm piled onto my bed to chat—by which I mean I gave boring lectures about personality tests— or the time I stayed in one of the rooms past lights out to listen to a retelling of “Hades and Persephone” (in the style of Homer, funnily enough).

6. What do you miss the most about CIS?

Wow, I have no idea. CIS felt like a lifetime ago and I can hardly remember it. Trading snacks on the playground in primary school taught me everything I needed to know about negotiating though. Calbee Pizza Chips always reigned supreme.

7. Describe your life here in Hangzhou in one word.

Adventure. I say this with mixed feelings though. Moving to

Again, there is no possible way to pick out just one or two stories. Our dorm has a quote wall with some pretty quality comedy material, each comes with its own funny story. I will tell you there was one time Gloria defied the laws of physics and proved she could get ready for bed in under two minutes.

It was like an episode of Ripley’s Believe or Not. I was in awe.

If you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

I have a whole laundry list of things I wish I knew at fifteen, but here are a few.

1. Take things seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously; Learn to dust off the embarrassment and laugh about life.

2. Commit to finding out what is right, not who is right. Being right in an argument really isn’t that important at the end of the day.

3. You’re smart, but you’re not that smart. Trust me, I was the queen of sticking-it-to-the-man. I thought it knew it all.

The older I get, the more I’m realizing how little I know and how complicated situations are. This always leads me back to number 2.

4. Commit to developing your creative side. There’s not going to be another time in your life where you’ll have the freedom, resources and support like you do in high school so dive into your passions! And, yes, you can be creative in math and science...

5. You can’t save people, you can only love them. Don’t forget to love yourself first though.

6. It takes strength to be vulnerable and it’ll only make you stronger.

7. (Last one, I promise!) I was told once that the way you make others feel about themselves says a lot about your character. So, in the words of Vonnegut, “There’s only one rule I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

YOHEI TSE 1. Three adjectives that describe you?

According to Nat? Hot and Cold. Just kidding. I’d say composed, deep?

After saying those two the third one would probably be narcissistic. (laughs) But I’m gonna go with Insightful.

2. State your entire job description encompassed in a few words or sentences.

Guidance. Sharing my own values with the kids, and as a result, hoping that they’ll become better people.

3. So, why did you decide to be a coach-mentor?

Despite everybody telling me how important it was, I didn’t take Chinese seriously while I was in CIS. And I really regret that. My own moment of realization came in university when I realized that many non-natives’ standards of Chinese were amazing. My Chinese should have been much better than theirs, since I’d been learning the language for over ten years.

But it wasn’t. In addition to this, I majored in international relations with a specialization in East Asia and China. I realized that what the adults were saying about the importance and growth of China was real. I now have a strong motivation and drive to improve on my Chinese, and I felt as if this ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

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year was a good opportunity to do just that. I also figured that this position was a great transition between school and being in a 9-5 workplace.

4. What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?

Firstly, I love seeing the kids take shape and grow. I also love the job because it challenges me. As a mentor, it’s easy to say things like, Why don’t you have better time management? Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that?Sometimes I feel quite hypocritical just by saying this. I want to lead by example, and sometimes, that’s challenging to me, too. You don’t need someone to tell you these things. I mean, it’s obvious! Do well in school, read, do homework, have good time management— the list goes on. Because I say it so much, I want to embody those values and lead by example.

5. Most memorable moment so far?

On the first night, I had a meeting with my boys laying out all the rules. At ten thirty I went in to check up on everybody, and I see all the guys in the same bed with their duvets wrapped around each other. I was like, “What are you doing?” They responded, “We’re having a bro talk!” And I was like, what the, bed time!

6. What do you miss the most about CIS?

The atmosphere in school created the best friendships. I mean, I still spend time with old my friends now, but it’s just not the same. When you’re in school you’re going through highs and lows together, it’s honestly just a completely different experience.

Also, the year 12 and 13 common rooms! We spent so many hours having proper cfab’s (slang used in CIS Hangzhou which

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stands for chill-for-a-bit). That’s practically where the meaning of the term originated from because we would just sit in the common room chilling for hours after school ended. The final years in school are the most stressful, no doubt, but I feel like moments like these were necessary. I don’t even remember what we were talking about but those moments were the fondest memories I had being in CIS.

7. Describe your life here in Hangzhou in one word.

Balanced. I feel like the ‘hectic-ness’ and all that is balanced by the fact that I do have a lot of time during the day to rest, and so on. I also don’t feel like i’m dreading my job. With all the things that simply have to be done come other things that I love doing, such as playing football with the kids.

8. Any interesting/funny stories to share?

I think this was around December when I was asking the kids to write in their logbooks. One of them shared their first entry which basically said, “Hangzhou is great. Everything is chill.

Everything is perfect. There no problems.” And I’m not sure if it’s actually funny, but it’s funny to me and the other guys in the dorm because all that kid really does is complain.

If you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

Trust your elders. As much as you may feel like you know it all, you don’t know what’s coming. You don’t what’s gonna hit you.

I would have said to take Chinese seriously as that’s personally my biggest regret but that’s one of those things you’re going to have to experience for yourself to know to be true. You’re going to have to screw up and be like, Aw, he was right. So trust your elders. Trust the mentors! (laughs)

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CIS HANGZHOU:

A TALE OF TWO CAMPUSES Is the Hangzhou program truly effective in immersing students in a Chinese environment?

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Or are we simply living in a bubble?

WRITER: CATHERINE ZHANG (Y10)

rom a distance, the CIS Hangzhou campus looks inconspicuous. On an aerial map of Greentown Yuhua School, the buildings are easily lost within the sea of larger blocks around it. The campus is neatly tucked along either sides of a wide pedestrian path – before the campus was built, Yuhua had planned to use the land as tennis courts – but come closer and you will see that the buildings are extravagantly designed, rather inconsistent with the austere tone of its environment. On one side of the path is the main residential lobby, a rather conspicuous sprawl of white marble and vaguely Grecian pillars, flanked by two residential buildings. The residential buildings are each four stories high, ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

complemented with large, darkened windows and decorative balconies. The dorms within are by all standards luxurious – four to a room, two showers and toilets, a large common room with a TV and kitchenette. Downstairs in the residential building is a games room, equipped with a pool and foosball table, and a fully stocked gym. The nurse is right next to the kitchen area on the first floor, where people can cook using the communal ovens and stoves. Right across from the residential building is the academic building, four stories high, again adorned with more dark windows and balconies. The classrooms are equipped with smart boards and couches, ergonomic chairs and full-length windows. The facilities are fantastic, the

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hangzhou architecture stunning. In photos, the Hangzhou campus is a beautiful sight to behold, a smooth sweep of white marble and dark glass. But it is incredibly lonely, marooned in a sea of tan and green and brick. More than that, though, is the vast ideological separation between the campus and its Chinese host, the sense of inconsistency between two wildly different cultures. It appears to be an island of Western values within a sea of Chinese ones, a hub of foreign ideas in a world of largely secular beliefs, a tourist rather imposingly stationed within a local town. In a way, the state of the buildings reflects the sphere of apparent cultural isolation that the students live in – elaborate, extravagant, affluent, but vaguely out of place.

We are a school within a school, remarkably self-sufficient, only using a small portion of Greentown land. But is this a good thing? And what does this mean for cultural immersion?

It is true that this problem with cultural immersion exists.

CIS Hangzhou has been criticized for this ‘bubble effect’ isolation, and for the subsequent lack of communication within the two student bodies. In a way, this is the inevitable consequence of maintaining the beliefs and practices of an entirely foreign culture. When moving to a new area, the common practice is to assimilate the local traditions and fit in as much as possible with the pre-existing norms of the environment.

However, the Hangzhou program does something very different – instead of adapting to the routines and practices of the Yuhua School, it maintains the CIS culture in a new campus, a school within a school. As a result, much of the tangible communication barrier and lack of cultural immersion lies in the innate cultural disparity between the students. We maintain CIS habits and CIS routines while living in a CIS space. The CIS students in Hangzhou live on a stringent routine that makes meaningful communication with the local Yuhua students very difficult. Every day, we wake up in the dormitories, have classes in the academic building right across from the dorms, hang out and do homework in the residential building, and eat meals in the cafeteria. As a result, our lives are largely confined to the well-kept radius of our CIS environment. The

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only time we venture onto the Greentown campus is to use the field and walk the 300 meters or so to the cafeteria; even at the cafeteria we eat buffet-style, in a well-ventilated private space of our own. Contact with the students is minimal, and at the most we exchange waves and smiles while walking to and from classes or meals. As a student myself, I have felt the uneasy sensation that we are living under constant assessment.

Maybe we are. Then again, communication is always a social tango, and for the Yuhua students reaching out is just as difficult as it is for us to fit in. For them, we are the living image of Western decadence: undisciplined, rapacious, arrogant, and wealthy. Often our manners of social conduct (skorts, public displays of affection) shock them – as a consequence, many eschew contact. We live in separate campuses, and lead separate lives. We live in the well-defined bubbles of our CIS habitats. However, this lack of communication goes against the aims of the Hangzhou program. To not engage with the ‘sister’ school at all would be to limit the Chinese outreach of program and effectively defeat the cultural benefits of locating the school within a larger Chinese campus.

Much has been done to help minimize the ‘bubble effect’ of the two campuses. Contrary to the popular view that Hangzhou has become an insulated bubble of CIS society, many ongoing efforts are being made to establish effective relationships wit the Yuhua School. One of the methods of encouraging cross-campus communication includes the routine, mandatory integrated activities that require students to interact.

Every Monday afternoon from around 2:20 to 4:00, CIS students join the Yuhua students to participate in a wide range of whimsical elective courses ranging from umbrella making to karate. CIS students can be seen scattered around the Yuhua classrooms in heartwarming displays of cross-campus cohesion. From 4:00 to 5:00, CIS students participate in a scheduled interaction program with Gao Yi (高一) students, playing games such as dodgeball and Just Dance. Both Yuhua and CIS students manage to communicate through these activities, and some manage to establish friendships that are sustained

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through QQ and (though illegal) Facebook. In addition, students embark on frequent homestay programs, in which they are paired with local students and stay with them and their families over the course of a weekend. Such homestay experiences not only prove to be great bonding opportunities for the students, but also serve as challenges to improve both Chinese listening and speaking skills in an authentic local environment. Homestay programs allow CIS students to experience first-hand the lives of local students, and slowly work under the skin of an expansive Hangzhou culture.

But is this interaction too forced? Would the tenuous relationships established quickly fall apart without the regulated activities and interactions? Yes, and no. Though the interaction might appear as an enforced, artificial occurrence, many of the relationships that develop as a result of this interaction are genuine and meaningful. Though we might differ in cultural tendencies, at our core we share the same human desire for connection and understanding.

Though there is no perfect solution to the issue of cultural immersion, a lot can be done to enhance our mutual understanding and level of engagement with each other.

After living in Hangzhou for a year, I have learned how to do my own laundry and how to get along with people you have to share a room with. I have tasted deep-fried sea dog from street vendors on Hefang Jie (tastes like chicken, by the way) and chased taxis down crowded rush-hour streets. But when I return to Hong Kong, the question that people keep asking me is this: Has your Chinese really improved? As a Language A student, I feel that it is a matter of pride (I usually reply yes). But really, has it? Has the effect of being in China improved my understanding of Chinese culture and my ability to speak the language? After living through one year of the CIS Hangzhou experience, I have undoubtedly experienced a lot of life. But have I experienced a lot of the Chinese environment? Is the Hangzhou program truly effective in immersing students in a Chinese environment? Yes, there are limitations to the Hangzhou environment, but these limitations exist everywhere. The lack or abundance of cultural immersion is due to the inherent cultural differences between the two campuses and their learning environments. Our lives are organized in highly repetitive, limited systems of routines and patterns, so that we are living in restrictive spheres that define what we experience and what we learn – however, we are capable of changing these spheres and of ultimately shaping our experiences and our environments. Though us CIS and Yuhua students might differ in cultural tendencies, at our core we share the same human desire for connection and understanding. Though there is no perfect solution to the issue of cultural immersion, a lot can be done to enhance our mutual understanding and level of engagement with each other.

Is there still a point in going to Hangzhou? Ultimately, the success of the Hangzhou program lies in the conscious decision of the individual to engage with the environment on different levels and to utilize the opportunity that he or she has been given. There is no ‘quick fix’ for effective cultural immersion – it all depends on the willingness of the student to learn and to challenge him or herself in meaningful ways. Hangzhou is an invaluable opportunity to grow in an entirely new environment while going underneath the surface of a massive culture; it is the chance to feel out the corners of a boundless range of new experiences, and through the process, come to understand yourself better. In the end, all that I can say about a year in Hangzhou is this: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.”

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THE PHOENIX RISESWITH FRISBEE WRITER: JEMIMA BARR (Y10)

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n October, a few enthusiastic Frisbee-playing boys were inspired to enter a national tournament in Wuhan. The team consisted of nine boys, two girls and two Coach Mentors (supported by one teacher). Selection for the team was followed by a gruelling three weeks of three hour training sessions on Sundays and on some weekday mornings from 5.30am to 7.00am. The organisation of the event was mainly due to the hard work of Justin and Brian, aided by the Coach Mentor Wang Lu and funded by donations from generous students and teachers.Just three weeks after the team had formed, we set off for Wuhan. As the budget was very tight, we settled for hard seats on one of the slowest trains. The journey would take us fourteen hours, whereas the Bullet train would only take two hours. Because the train stopped so often, it was jam-packed for the first two hours, with little room to move. A man came and shoved his carpets under our feet because there was nowhere to put them otherwise. In the row behind us, a baby began

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throwing up. Despite the ‘no smoking’ signs, the chain smoker in the row in front kept lighting up, clouding the carriage in blue smoke and making it smell vile. This was exacerbated by lack of opening windows. We sat there with our knees up to our chins, grimacing as the train stopped and more people piled. By the third hour, the train had thankfully begun to empty. It was then that one of our teammates, Henry, noticed that there was something dripping on his shoulder. Inspecting it more closely, he discovered that it was blood dripping from a mysterious pink bag in the baggage rack above. The bag was taken down by one of the passengers and opened to reveal pork meat that was defrosting and had begun to bleed. The man then proceeded to ask everyone in the carriage if it belonged to them. No one claimed it, so he simply opened the door and flung it out. One of the guards came and checked our tickets. On his way back down the train, he pulled open his jacket to reveal watches, belts, torches, razors and other bits and bobs he

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seemed to have collected on his travels and tried to sell them to us. He, and some of his friends became regular visitors throughout the night. After a long night, we arrived in Wuhan on Friday, and staggered out of the train, exhausted and gasping for fresh air (which we discovered was in limited supply.) On Saturday, our team skills were first tested when one of our Frisbees fell into a bog. We formed a human support line and lowered Tynan down by his ankles. Once the Frisbee was retrieved, we carried on through the Wu Cheng University campus to the tournament grounds. There, we realised that we would be competing against adults, some of who had been playing the game for over a decade. However, we were optimistic about the situation, reckoning that if anything else, we had nothing to lose.

On the first day, we played five hour-long matches; some with only five minutes break in between. Over the course of the day, we met many inspirational people, such as the members of the team Baking Brad, who were also from Hangzhou and Russell, who spent the competition coaching us individual, helping us with tactics and even playing for us. He had been born in America but lived in China for 40 years and spoke Mandarin like a native. He worked as a computer programmer and then spent the subsequent 20 years spreading his love for the game of Ultimate Frisbee in China, setting up national ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

tournaments and coaching members of the Chinese International Frisbee team.

Fuelled on Wuhan’s traditional Re Gan Mian (热 干面), we set of for the second day of the tournament.

In our final match, we played against one of the local teams and won decisively 9-2. With that win, we ended up 11th/12th, which, given our inexperience and relative size, was a big feat. This was recognized in the award to us of the spirit trophy, and thus we brought home CIS Hangzhou’s first trophy. Brian Lau was also awarded the best handler (thrower) in the entire competition. There was an elated atmosphere as we travelled back to Hangzhou on another 14-hour seated train ride. This time members of our team had learned how to sleep on the train, as Tynan hoisted himself up onto the luggage rack to lie down. The journey was almost seamless, apart from the train screeching to an abrupt halt at two in the morning in the middle of nowhere. A man had been caught without a ticket and was ejected from the train at the next wayside halt. The train rumbled on again.

Since the trip to Wuhan, the team has continued to practice on Sundays and occasionally plays with Baking Brad, the team who were runners up in the competition.

We hope to come back to the tournament to play again next year, although hopefully travelling on a more comfortable train.

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editorial

: : A A M M M M E E L L I I D D S S N N E E C C O O I I I I T T O O C C H H E E C C L L E E T T S S C C E E A A BB SSU J J B B U II E (Y10) E L N A RY CHOI & UNG (Y11) N Y L E NE YE RS: EV WRITE RATOR: SHA ILLUST

A

s the years of MYP come to an end, students have to select their subjects for the final two years of Secondary. In CIS, many strive to achieve and do their best to excel in their academics. But how do you choose your courses when it seems like your entire future depends on them?

There are so many factors to think about: universities, job prospects, course difficulties, our own interests… the list is never ending. Besides that, the science of fitting courses of different levels into the set format seems impossible. On the other hand, looming nature of some IB Diploma (DP) subject choices can also be attributed to the confusion surrounding the topic.

There are six groups of subjects in IBDP: Group 1 is Language A; Group 2 is Language B; Group 3 is Humanities; Group 4 is Sciences; Group 5 is Maths; and Group 6 is Arts, with alternative choices available. One course from each group has to be picked, adding up to six courses in total. The exception is if two Group 1 subjects are picked (meaning Chinese Language A), or if an alternative to Group 6 is picked.

Normally, a student will have three Higher Level (HL) and three Standard Level (SL) subjects, although some students opt for four Higher Levels instead.

Students about to choose their IB subjects should take note of the main differences between MYP and DP. In the MYP, Design Technology and Computer Science (also known as “Computational Thinking” according to some CT teachers) are called ‘technology subjects’, and are compulsory; whereas the DP doesn’t require this. Instead, DT is a Science under Group 4 and can be taken in place of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. CT is a Group 6 subject which serves as an alternative to the arts. English, Chinese (Groups 1 and 2), and Math (Group 5) have different courses depending on skill level, just as Chinese in the MYP has “phases”. For both English and Chinese Language A courses, there are two sections: first HL and SL Literature, then HL and SL Language and Literature.

Literature is often regarded as harder than Language and Literature, as there is a greater focus on literary analysis. Chinese can also be taken as a Language B, either at HL or SL. Math has three different courses, excepting Further Mathematics,

which is an alternative to Group 6. The courses are Math HL, Math SL, and Math Studies, which counts as an SL subject.

Even after the basic structure of subject choices is established, the subjects themselves still cause plenty of turmoil. In groups where subject choices are mainly a question of variety and not ability, such as Group 3 (Humanities) or Group 4 (Sciences), students may find themselves struggling to choose, especially if they aren’t passionate about any of the choices. Stereotypes run rampant throughout these groups: History will work your arm off, Biology is the easiest science, Economics is the easiest HL subject, and so on. The effects of these oft-spoken ideas shows in the grades: 57 people took Economics HL last year, but, according to the official 2013 grade distribution released on the CIS website, the course also had the second-lowest grade average in the entirety of Group 3. In fact, History HL had the highest grade average of the humanities, but then again, considering that there were only 15 students in the course, it is possible that only the most passionate dared take it after hearing all the rumors.

Of course, the high number of students in Economics (92 in total) might also be attributed to the fact that it is also an alternative to Group 6, meaning that if you want to take double humanities, one of them has to be Economics. As not all students want to take an arts subject over science, humanities, and so on, many end up taking the alternatives instead, which includes the double science option (chemistry required) and double humanities (economics required) option. The third language (French or Spanish), Further Mathematics, and Computer Science courses are also included.

On the other hand, because there are so many alternatives to Group 6, third language and Computer Science courses are often neglected. Mr. Hayes of the CT department suggests that “CS is seen as not as necessary, or not as easy to apply as economic knowledge. Another issue is that programming may scare some kids away.” Despite these issues, he concludes that the subject has some underappreciated value. He states that “the skills in Computer Science can be applied across many fields [...] The emphasis is not on the computer but on thinking

programmatically”.

The third language issue is also similar: although there are plenty of third language students in Year 7, more and more drop out as it increases in difficulty, until there are only a small number of students left. Some of them may also see third language subjects as being irrelevant to their future careers.

However, as Dr. Faunce puts it, “languages pay off with time”, meaning that taking a third language in the classroom and even beyond could have great benefits. Even so, it seems that most are willing to give up a third language to pursue other interests – after all, three languages in IB can be overwhelming. Though the prospect of mastering a single language after a period of time seems enticing for people who look forward to speak it in the future, too much time spent on the third language subject could also potentially affect their studies.

To learn more about how students and teachers have faced the selection dilemma, we interviewed Craig Boyce, the coordinator of the IB Diploma programme. He states that “the most important thing is to know what you like doing most, so

you know where to give your energy, time, and attention”. At the same time, he says that it is important to “keep in mind your [personal] academic record for future applications” as well as “the specific requirements [of some universities]”. Although he says that “students do a good job at selecting their courses most of the time”, he also notes that some students “[might not be] able to make realistic judgements about their abilities” or that they “may be persuaded by the different opinions that their peers have, or past experiences of their parents”. As a result, “20-40% of students will usually make a change in their course selections, due to the competitiveness of choosing their sciences. Mr Boyce also notes that some students might take the advice that they want to hear, and not the negative feedback that they might receive from their friends or parents. Even so, he stresses that “what matters is the learning process if they

make mistakes.

The learning is of greater value.” Finally, when asked about whether university subjects affect students’ choices, he explains that “it depends on the university that [the student] is applying to, and the application process that each country has. However, it may also matter when doing a professional degree, as there are specific requirements.”

And in the end,

“the rule of thumb is that the students make the choice.”

have a big N’tasty editorial

WRITER: CUTHBERT CHOW (y11) illustrator: kelly luy (y11)

W

hat is one place you can be guaranteed a mouthful of endless happiness and joy, with enough calories to send you on a treadmill for around seven hours to burn it all off ? Where - regardless of your location in Hong Kong - can you find a restaurant that has food which will make you salivate more profusely than one of Pavlov’s dogs? With value so good, even the smallest of meals available containing enough calories to last you a month, McDonalds is THE place to dine in Hong Kong, on earth, or anywhere else you happen to be within this galaxy.

You don’t need to be a food critic to know aesthetics is of utmost importance when looking at foods, and McDonald’s leaves no slack when it comes to delivering the most pristine, immaculately designed dishes. The boxes within which the delectable burgers are stored come in all shapes and sizes, and they look substantial and sturdy - just as you will when you’re done eating.

The boxes also flaunt witty - and undoubtedly truthful - slogans, ie. Big Mac: “Maybe it’s the way the

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i’m lovin’ it?

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still lovin’ it?

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double layer of 100% pure beef mingles with the special Big Mac sauce. Or maybe it’s just that it’s tall.” Sure.

Peel away the several hundred layers of plastic and paper - no expense spared here - and you arrive at the main attraction, the burger itself. From extensive research, I learned that a woman named Karen Hanrahan once saved a McDonald’s hamburger for 12 years since 1996, and despite the somewhat long duration, the burger showed almost no physical decay. Must be that “special Big Mac sauce” working its magic! Burgers that can be saved for your 50th birthday, ensconced within layers of lovely boxes and plastic, all for less than $30HKD - buying it is practically a daylight robbery!

But that’s not all! The people at McDonald’s are just so incessantly benevolent. There is no place that offers greater bang for your buck.

Grab one of those all-natural french fries, squeeze it against a piece of tissue, and out comes a waterfall of oil! With oil prices being what they are, I’m surprised McDonald’s hasn’t at all cut down on the amount of oil they’ve been pouring into their foods!

Regardless of how you wish to look at it, McDonald’s is one of the greatest restaurants in the world, and I can say with true candor everytime I step into McDonald’s that “I’m Lovin’ it”.

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自閉，但並不孤單 助自閉者畫出彩虹 WRITERS: CAITLIN AND MAEGAN YEUNG (Y11) PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW KOO (Y11)

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著科技和醫學的進步，我們自然相信面對 疾病和殘障的問題越來越少是理所當然的 事。例如：小兒痲痹症的疫苗已令這引致 小朋友下肢殘障的疾病差不多完全消失，產前檢查 亦令唐氏綜合症的個案大幅減少。但是自閉症的個 案近年卻相反地不降反升。二十年前，人們估計每 5000個小孩之中才會有一個自閉症, 可是美國疾病 預防控制中心在2013年研究調查了11個州, 發現過 去十年自閉症的病例飆升, 現在大約每88個孩子之 中就有一個患有自閉症，男孩子患病的比例更是1 比54, 調查的結果十分驚人。但患病人數劇增的背 後沒有明確的解釋，有專家認為病例飆升可能是由 於現代科技對此病有了更精確的檢測，但精確的診 斷並不能說明什麼，故此研究人員仍在繼續研究自 閉症和遺傳學之間的聯繫。 自閉症是一種先天性的發展障礙，患者在 社交溝通、語言及行為三方面都有不同程度的困難 ，是發展過程中的嚴重障礙。自閉症的表現包括孤 独离群，交际困难，言语障碍，兴趣狭窄，行为刻 板重复和抗拒环境变化等等。 多数智力发育比同 龄儿迟钝，少数患儿智力正常或接近正常。關於自 閉症的成因，現時有很多不同的推論，其中一種說 法是認為與腦部主要管理行為的中央神經系統受損 有關 ，但至今仍未有確實的結論。自閉症至今還 沒有藥物可以根治，只能透過行為分析來減輕它的 症狀。 位於新界大埔的匡智松嶺三校是專為嚴重障

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礙兼具多重弱能的孩子提供全面教育而開辦的。 該校不但可以讓智障兒童充分發揮潛能，提高他 們的生活素質，更能令他們融入社區的生活。在 三校就讀的孩子們，多數病情較嚴重，欠缺基本 的生活技能，因而生活的每一方面都需要得到全 面的照料，故此他們大多數都要住在學校的宿舍 裡。 近期我去了匡智松嶺三校做義工，協助 老師們帶該校學生到香港文化博物館遊覽。我到 學校後，老師首先把當天我需要照顧的兩個孩子 介紹給我認識，他們是十一歲的天寶和六歲的俊 日，都是患有自閉症的兒童。天寶看見我顯得有 點害羞，默默不語。但俊日卻開心得不得了，他 手舞足蹈，一邊拍手掌，一邊尖叫，令我感到有 點受寵若驚。上了巴士後，孩子們都興奮得笑不 攏嘴，各自在座位上活蹦亂跳。在車上我嘗試跟 天寶和俊日聊天，雖然他們只是笑笑看著我，但 是我從他們的眼神中看見了笑容，看見了滿足， 看見了希望。到了博物館後，他們就彷如脫了韁 的馬匹似的跑來跑去，充滿好奇地到處張望，他 們什麼都想看，什麼都想碰，什麼都想試。天 寶被粵劇那些色彩繽紛，閃閃發光的服裝而吸 引住，他凝視著那些衣服，久久不肯離開。到了 玩具展覽廳，孩子們雖然不能把玩那些玩具，但 是他們看著陳列着的模型飛機和洋娃娃都欣喜若 狂，笑聲震耳欲聾了。看見他們那麼開心，我也 因為自己為他們出了一份力而感到快樂和驕傲。 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

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通過這次做義工，我明白到雖然表面上這 些孩子好像很容易得到滿足，但其實他們的快樂得 之不易。他們快樂源其實是來自每位熱心人的付出 和努力。雖然天寶和俊日除了自閉症以外沒有其他 的發展障礙，但是很多其他孩子不單止智障，還有 肢體上多重的殘障，更有一些連呼吸也感到困難。 大多數學童吃東西有困難，要把食物切碎了才可以 一口一口的餵他們吃；有些有吞嚥障礙的學生，更 需要插胃廔管。那天當我餵天寶吃飯的時候，他把 我已為他切碎的食物弄得滿地都是，非常骯臟！他 們去洗手間的時候也需要人去幫他們清理。其實他 們很喜歡出外遊玩，但是帶他們出去玩，缺乏人 手，大部分的義工都要照顧兩個孩子以上，十分艱 難和辛苦。與資深義工霞姐談到做義工的心得時， 她表示：「我每隔一個星期六都會來做義工，看見 他們開心的樣子真的很有滿足感。但是由於來幫忙 的義工人數不夠，要帶孩子出來遊覽真是做得手忙 腳亂。尤其是有輪椅的孩子真的需要一對一照料， 但是我有時候要一邊推著一部輪椅，同時帶著另外 兩個有殘疾的孩子，真的挺辛苦的。但是無論如 何，就算做得再辛苦，也是值得的。最要緊的就是 讓孩子們開心。」聽見他們那麼辛苦的體驗，我也 好奇地問一位匡智松嶺三校的張老師為什麼還要堅 持每兩個星期就要帶他們出來遊玩，她說：「在三 校住宿的孩子們平時很少跟外界接觸，如果常常把 他們困在校舍裡，對他們的心身發展有影響。雖然 他們有多重障礙，但是我們還是應該盡能力讓他們 開闊視野，更重要的是讓他們感受到被關愛。」

其實，智障人士與社會上的每一個人一 樣，他們也有得到快樂的權利和自由，而這些權利 和自由不該被社會的局限而束縛的。由於大部分的 殘障都沒有辦法根治，所以能夠給殘疾人士帶來快 樂就已經能提高他們的生活質素了。我們應該多參 與義工活動，盡自己能力給予他們多點關心，多點 照顧，多點包容，讓他們在一個充滿愛心、充滿正 能量的環境下幸福地成長。身為有能力的年輕人， 請你們伸出緩手，幫助這些孩子吧！

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我還能怎樣？ 獨居長者的自白 WRITERS: CAITLIN & MAEGAN YEUNG (Y11) ILLUSTRATOR: CANDICE LINCON (Y11)

人

潮永遠勝於次數不夠多的公共汽 車，地鐵、輕鐵……大家早已習 慣於站立，但搶得座位的人刻不容 緩地投入在智能電話的屏幕上，目不轉睛， 全神貫注，其他一切事物都被視若無睹，包 括身邊可能需要幫忙的長者——一切皆見慣 了，冷漠了。 「人口老化」的浪潮持久不斷，席 捲全球，影響深遠，而香港亦難以獨善其 身。根據2001年人口普查的資料顯示，65歲 以上的長者為數747,052人，佔總人口百分之

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11.13。65歲以上人口與每1000名15至64歲 人口比例為154，較1961年的50人上升達三 倍。獨居長者佔72,114人，為老人人口的百 分之12.1。以上數據顯示，人口老化的問題 日益嚴重，而在貧窮線下的獨居老人為數亦 不少。雖政府的津貼能照顧長者的基本生理 需要，但是社會有關心他們的心理需要嗎？ 從熱鬧的大家庭到孤單地獨居，他們如何適 應？他們在年輕時有想過老來的家就是孤身 一人嗎？衣、食、住、行以外，他們的心聲 可向誰傾訴？ 94

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近

期筆者為了對這存在於社會根 基的問題作出更深層的了解， 而到訪了衛生處筲箕灣長者 健康中心親身跟長者接觸。筲箕灣舊式 住宅和市檔林立，是不少基層人士聚居 的地方，當中獨居老人更佔大多數。這 些老人大多都沒有投入正規勞動市場的 條件，也沒有親人日常的照顧，生活辛 酸。在筆者接觸的眾多長者中，令我印 象最為深刻的是七十三歲的麥婆婆。 麥婆婆生長於一個大家庭，6名 兄弟姐妹跟父母濟濟一堂，家中人氣鼎 盛，每天說話聲，笑聲，爭吵聲此起彼 落。一家八口一起吃飯時，一雙雙筷子 更是在飯桌上熙來攘往地穿插著，好不 熱鬧。可是現在的麥婆婆的生活卻截然 不同了。自從八年前麥婆婆從瑪麗醫院 清潔工人的崗位退役下來以後，接著她 的丈夫又在數年前因病而離她而去，再 加上近幾年她的兒子成家立室，他帶著 妻子和兩個可愛的孫子在屯門居住後， 便剩下麥婆婆獨自一人居住在華富村的 單位裡，驟覺孤單寂寞，她認為自己所 過的不再是「家庭」生活。 麥婆婆與大部份的獨居長者一 樣，都是非常慳儉，在生活的每一方面 都要節衣縮食。她平時總會6點半左右 才去街市買菜，她告訴我，那時街市開 始清貨，最便宜。 她亦是社區設施的 捧場客。她加入了聖雅各老人中心已經 有很多年了，加入的原因是希望找到傾 談對象。現在她除了找到了幾位較投契 的老人閒聊外，還享受到聖雅各為他們 提供的免費服務。她每天都會到那裡量 血壓，也會在休息室閱讀報章、看電 視，消磨一個下午。天氣太熱時，麥婆 婆晚上也會來這裡小坐一會兒，因為可

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以節省家裡的空調費。麥婆婆笑着說： 「這些社區中心真好，是避寒消暑的好 地方，而且什麼都是免費的，值得天天 來！」 麥婆婆每天如此知慳識儉，都 是為了應付龐大的開支。麥婆婆每個月 要支付＄770的管理費和＄1800左右的醫 藥費。 而麥婆婆所住的樓宇在兩年內維 修了兩次，她每次都要付兩、三萬的費 用；因為業主立案法團沒有解釋數字的 來源，以致令住客雖然不滿其龐大的開 支，亦有怨無處訴。筆者以為政府的生 果金和綜援理應可為這些獨居老人提供 足夠的援助，但是麥婆婆卻堅決認為這 些資助根本不足夠。麥婆婆是以退休前 所賺得的積蓄度日的，入不敷支的情況 日益嚴重；她每個月只有$1000的生果 金，連支付醫藥費都不夠。她希望政府 把它加至$2000，以助她應付日常支出。 其實，麥婆婆的兒子亦會定時 給她零用錢，可是她明白身為貨車司 機的兒子要養活一家四口人生活過得十 分艱難，尤其兩個孩子，開支很大。所 以，雖然她很欣賞他的孝心，但她還是 把兒子給的零用錢都儲存起來，以便以 後他們有不時之需可以用上。 對於獨居長者來說，人生到了 最後的一個階段，什麼也看透了，他 們深知盛年不重來，但最抵受不住的還 是寂寞。身為青少年的我們，當然可以 稍盡綿力，坐言起行，成為義工的一份 子，給予老人家關心和愛；除此之外， 政府也須因應老人家的需求，為他們提 供適當和足夠的資助，並多資助機構， 安排社工和義工的輔導，彌補長者心靈 上的不足，這才是協助老人安渡晚年的 最佳做法。

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PAN ACE BITC AO OIN R PO ISON ?

WRR W ITIT ILLLLUU EERR: :CCUU TTHBB SSTTRR ERETRT AATTO H ORR: M CHCO HW : MAA O( D Bitcoins: the DID Y E IGER W GIFRFIFT 11()Y11) new-fangled mode of FHITSH( currency that everyone has YS11)(Y 11 heard of, but not everyone understands. Once an esoteric subject relegated to discussions amongst tech geeks, Bitcoins have come under the international limelight, and have been the subject of both intense interest and scrutiny. Vague notions of this modern mode of exchange include those of shady black market transactions, uncontrollable monetary supply, or easily hackable internet-based cash. Many have heard murmurings of concepts such as “bit mining” and “peer to peer”, but the negative connotations of these words are oft misconstrued. Fortunately, the reality is a whole lot more benign.

HOW DOES BITCOIN WORK?

When considering the value of such a complicated currency, one must first fully appreciate the processes and technologies that underlie the overall system. Bitcoin is a “cryptocurrency”, meaning that it is a digital medium of exchange. The entire Bitcoin service is built upon a peer-to-peer, or P2P, network, meaning all the transactions rely solely upon the processing power of the users, and not a centralized server.

In other words, any user of Bitcoins - be it you or I - is a “node” upon the international network that is the Bitcoin system. This is contrasted to the more traditional centralized clientserver model, where all the users are fed data from a main server.

When Bitcoin was first introduced in 2009, it had a predetermined rate of minting, which means the amount of bitcoins that are digitally minted each day can be predicted.

Supply will be capped at the arbitrary value of 21 million, with Bitcoins continually being minted for over 100 years. Bitcoin uses an interesting process through which it can create new Bitcoins, whilst receiving the processing power it needs to sustain the system. Bitcoins are minted in a process ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

)

that is commonly known as “mining”. As was mentioned, Bitcoin operates on a peer-to-peer system, which means it relies on the network participants to offer processing power. The users of bitcoin lend the computational power of their machines which help record and processes transactions, and in return bitcoins are given to those who lent processing power.

Think of it like a barter transaction: The user offers their services in helping process Bitcoin payments, and in return they are given Bitcoins for spending.

The actual processes that facilitate these digital interactions are slightly more abstruse. Bitcoin uses a digital database of transactions that is known as a “block chain”. This contains secure information about every bitcoin transfer that has ever been made, and helps ensure that there is no “double spending”, which is a repeated spending of the same unit of currency. But intuitively, this block chain needs to be updated consistently as transactions are being made incessantly. Therefore, every 10 minutes, a new “block” is added to the block chain, a block that contains the most recent information on the latest undertakings. These blocks are processed and added by the “nodes”, or users, on the Bitcoin system, and each block that is added is remunerated with 25 bitcoins. More than one user processes each block, so this incentive is divided amongst the contributors in accordance to the proportion of their endowment. To control the inflation of the currency, this 25 bitcoin reward is halved in value every four years, until the total supply of currency remains fixed at the value of 21 million Bitcoins. According to the founders, the supply decay is meant to mimic

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the rate at which the supply of gold diminishes, and will help ensure the currency does not fall prey to endless inflation.

SO WHAT IS BITCOIN WORTH?

Bitcoins are traded amongst and within several exchanges, which leads to a variance in the value of Bitcoins.

At the time of writing, Bitcoins were worth around $560 USD on the Bitstamp exchange - one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges. With the given 12 million Bitcoins currently in circulation, the total volume of Bitcoins can be valued at an exorbitant 6.5 billion US Dollars.

However, it has to be considered that the currency’s value has been oscillating unpredictably for the past year. Once worth only several dollars, the currency had also once breached the $1000 USD barrier, before falling down to its current price. With its expeditious rise to fame, the currency’s variance can be explained, and this writer believes that as the dust settles, the value of Bitcoins will take on a much more consistent and dependable pace.

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editorial BITCOIN VS TRADITIONAL CURRENCIES

You might be wondering, considering the assortment of currencies and payment methods that already exist, why this new, redundant, addition warrants such attention. Well, there are many arguments that can be made in favor of Bitcoins over traditional payment systems.

Importantly, there is no intermediary that facilitates Bitcoin transactions. When sending the currency back and forth, it doesn’t have to go through any regulatory organization such as a bank, which consequently lowers the normal transaction fees.

The transaction fees are even lower than those of credit cards, which usually accept a fee of 2-3%.

Furthermore, Bitcoins hold an advantage over currencies such as the US Dollar because the supply is fixed and limited. It cannot be

tampered with by a central bank, and because of this, curbed supply is better at holding value.

Also, Bitcoins are easily divisible. Unlike physical currencies that have a minimum denomination, Bitcoins can be divided into indiscriminate fractions to match the appropriate value of the service or good being purchased. Bitcoins are also highly portable, as they can be sent anywhere globally almost instantly, through internet transactions, and at near zero cost.

- an exchange that handled 70% of all Bitcoin transactions - suspended trading. They announced to the public that 850,000 Bitcoins had gone “missing” - those Bitcoins amounting at the time to $450,000 USD. Up to the time of writing, the source of this disappearance has not been confirmed, although speculation of internet hacking and theft is rife. Such an incident is the largest of its kind, and serves as a presage of the almost inevitable possibility of another such occurrence.

HOW CAN IT BE USED?

WHAT NOW?

Being a relatively new currency, Bitcoins are not currently accepted by many vendors. There are several notable places that accept the incipient currency, including online portals such as Zynga, Tiger Direct and Virgin Galactic. With its currently unpredictable evolution, many have been reluctant to adopt the new Bitcoin medium. However, given its unprecedented reputation, it can be safely assumed that many large corporations will be following suit, and that it will become ever more logical to utilize this new cryptocurrency.

Like all other online establishments, Bitcoin has not had a life devoid of contention or controversy, and it will undoubtedly continue to face such adversity. But as was mentioned, Bitcoin holds many advantages over traditional payment methods, and offers the first true innovation within the realm of payments in the past decade.

This writer believes that it is in the best interest of all parties to pay close attention to the advancement of Bitcoin, and what its impact could mean to all.

FLAWS OF BITCOIN

Unfortunately, Bitcoin’s meteoric ascension has not been without incident. In February of 2014, Mt. Gox

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“

WHO SAYS YOU WANT A

REVOLUTION } POST-SOVIET UKRAINE--} {--A

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WRITER: ANGUS LAM (Y11) ILLUSTRATOR: ALISON WONG (Y10)

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editorial

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he year 2013 gave rise to revolutionary waves across the Middle East, known collectively as the ‘Arab Spring’. From Tunisia to Egypt, Libya to Yemen, Algeria to Sudan, the people of those nations stood together, in whatever fragile alliances they had, to demand political freedoms and basic human rights. The early stages of 2014, however, saw the spotlight turn to a location much closer to the “developed world”, and on a continent many would expect to have long been elucidated of its problems: the Eastern European nation of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s history as a 20th century independent nation began, like many other ex-Soviet states, with the decline

of the Soviet Union. A new parliament was formed on 16 July 1990, adopting the ‘Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine’, which outlined their aims of seeking to build a democratic government with principles of self-determination; establishing political and economic independence from Russia, with priority of Ukrainian law over Soviet. Then, on 24 August 1991, a formal Act of Independence was adopted, and the newly-formed government moved onwards to face new social, economic and political uncertainties. A new dilemma in the area of foreign policy took unforeseen precedence: Should the nation create stronger ties with its Western allies, or the former “Motherland” which borders on its East?

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS UKRAINE AFTER 1991?

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uring its time as a Soviet republic, Ukraine was the second most important economic region of the former Communist Superpower, producing four times as much as the next region.

The land in the west was composed of fertile black soil which generated one quarter of Soviet agricultural produce; the land in the east consisted of heavy industries which supplied raw materials and unique equipment to other regions of the USSR. Keeping this in mind, it was surprising to many that after the August independence proclamation, the Ukrainian economy didn’t do so well.

The legally-aided privatisation of industries didn’t stop the economic output to fall to less than 40% of the 1991 level, even after eight years, with five-digit inflation rates; the country experienced deeper economic slowdowns than some of the other Post-Soviet states. Although the Ukrainian economy stabilized by the new millennium, with steady real economic annual growth at an average of seven percent, the President of the time, Leonid Kuchma, was criticized by opponents for corruption, electoral fraud, suppression of free speech, and centralizing executive power. Needless to say, mass protests were common and “Ukraine without Kuchma” became a familiar phrase to many.

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Fast forward to the latter half of the 2000s decade, and Kuchma has been succeeded by Viktor Yushchenko, whose main concern was to move towards NATO and EU membership. However, divided public opinion in Ukraine, as well as a Western reluctance to antagonize an increasingly powerful Russia decelerated this progress. Regarding Ukraine’s public opinion, it is conspicuously split by geography and demography: Pro-West and Ukrainian nationalist sentiments are most prevalent in the West (where Russian minority populations are small), whereas Pro-Russian sentiments are widespread in the East (where Russian populations are in high concentrations).

In 2010, Yushchenko lost the presidential elections to his old political opponent Viktor Yanukovych, who quickly re-oriented foreign and trade policies towards Russia.

2013 saw new revolutionary waves, the ‘Euromaidan protests’, when thousands protested against the government’s last minute cancellation of an ‘Association Agreement’ and ‘Free Trade Agreement’ with the EU, both seen as vital first steps in becoming a member nation. A decree was issued by the Prime Minister on 21 November 2013, stating that this decision was to “ensure the national security of Ukraine”; instead the government

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opted for talks with Russia. Taking into account the massive economic reliance Ukraine has on Russia, it is no doubt that signing the EU agreement would have threatened Russia’s sense of security and created tensions between the two countries, and by extension harm the Ukrainian’s economy. However, the backlash received for this decision shows that it was one that was against the people’s interests, and was only conducted after Russian prodding. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the “EU deal was bad for Russia’s security interests”, and was revealed to have been asking the Ukrainian Government to delay the signing of the agreement.

From afar, it seems that the conflict is between Russia and Western Europe itself, rather than having anything to do with Ukraine; a tug of war with the ex-Soviet state at its center. In fact, the relatively small country seems to be pulled apart by politics governed by both parties’ sense of security; or perhaps it is really a question of economic benefits. Both countries did not opt for a compromise. Ukraine may be trying to progress, but is stagnant in so many areas, even as it becomes the backdrop of an escalating conflict and battlefield for East-West skirmishes reminiscent of the Cold War.

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

FEARS, CHEERS, JEERS, AND MORE CHEERS FOR CRIMEA

KIEV

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t the center of this crisis is the central government of Ukraine itself, situated in the capital city of Kiev. They maintain the position that the referendum, which voted for the secession of Crimea from the mainland, is unconstitutional, and is a result of Russian direct interference. Three former Ukrainian presidents, Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Yushchenko, agree with this position, and blames Russia for meddling. Kiev, along with most of the Western world, claims (with reasonable vindication) the Pro-Russian armed forces that stormed the Crimean government buildings and military bases were actually Russian soldiers without insignia. The secession threatens Kiev’s stability, in that the country faces serious risks of separatism in certain parts of the country, in particular the East; many question whether this is Russia’s true motive.

ith the Euromaidan protests behind us, and the Ukrainian government seemingly stable, a new predicament takes its place: the Crimean Crisis. In late February 2014, Russian special forces and pro-Russian militias occupied key government buildings and military bases in the Ukrainian Autonomous region, apparently under protest of the ousting of President Yanukovych (the end result of the Euromaidan protests).

In March 2014, a popular referendum took place, deciding whether Crimea and the port city Sevastopol would secede from Ukraine and join Russia; the results were in favour of the latter. At the time of this article’s writing, Ukraine has refused to recognize the referendum, and still considers Crimea and Sevastopol under their jurisdiction. Here is a brief summary of the four main parties’ position rationale:

The Autonomous Republic of Crimea

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rimea’s main reason for seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia, aside from all claims of unconstitutionality, may be a reasonable one.

The distribution of ethnic groups in Crimea, conducted by a 2001 local census, is as follows: 58% Ethnic Russian, 24% Ukrainian, 12% Ukrainian Tatar and 6% others. 77% of Crimea considers Russian as their first language, and 90.6% of Sevastopol (another city on the Crimean Peninsula) considers it theirs. When this, combined with a 96% affirmative vote in favour of secession, is accounted for, it seems perfectly fair, on paper, that

Crimea can join the Russian Federation. But with a 96% affirmative vote, compared to a 58% Russian population, it is no wonder some called this referendum almost “Orwellian”.

Self-determination was outlined in the ‘Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine’. Does this imply selfdetermination of the Russian majority within Crimea, or does this mean self-determination of Ukraine as a whole from Russia? The foreign intervention of Russia is still an inevitable factor in this Autonomous Republic’s secession, and cannot be ignored.

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he majority of the West (a metonym for NATO and EU nations) has been absolutely adamant and unified in its position that the Crimean referendum is illegitimate, and that the Russians have overstepped the (arbitrary) line between direct interference and foreign aid, by apparently sending in troops under the guise of Pro-Russian militia to capture key Crimean buildings and military bases. The Western leaders have avoided calling the crisis the biggest Cold War confrontation since 1989, but the title seems to have some truth in it. Many see Putin as an ambitious and crazed leader hoping to regain the glories and territories of pre-1991 ‘Mother Russia’, and rebuild the Soviet Union. Fear of such is reflected in the recent UN resolution denouncing the Crimean referendum: Estonia, another PostSoviet state, co-signed the resolution in fear of Russian expansion. Other small republics of close proximity have chosen ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

to follow suit, such as Albania and Slovenia.

The question of whether Crimea is just the beginning has often been raised; many fear that the the Russian President is hoping to separate Ukraine into two parts: Ukrainian West and Russian East. Others compare Putin to Hitler’s landgrabbing frenzy, in particular the closely-watched Austrian Anschluss, and the Sudetenland Crisis. With the latter analogy to the Nazi Leader, it is somewhat understandable of the West to fear what is coming, and to do everything it can to prevent escalation.

A 1994 ‘Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances’, which both the US and Russia signed, had foreign powers agree on respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial independence. According to the US, UK and Canada, Russia has clearly violated these agreements, and is becoming a major threat to Ukraine.

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editorial

Russia

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he Russians’ point of view is one that the West can’t seem to understand, and has been fighting on every single front of argument. First and foremost, Putin and his government sees this Crimean referendum as the pinnacle of self-determination. The votes were counted, and they were in favour of joining Russia. Of course, the West sees this as awfully coincidental, and rather a showcase of an opportunistic Putin, jumping at the chance to expand his borders. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavro, like many other Russian officials, argue that “the residents of [Crimea] demonstrate their sincere joy in joining the Russian Federation, [...] tell [the Western leaders] to study the footage from Crimea.”

Secondly, Russia has been blatant in its argument that the Crimean Peninsula is of utmost strategic importance, in particular Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Fleet is situated. With this, they believe that the Crimean peninsula rightfully belongs to them. Khrushchev, a Soviet leader, gave Crimea to Ukraine in 1954. The Russians believe that this is reason enough to take it back as they please. But how about the rightful “owners” of the land, the Crimean Tatars, who were deported by Stalin in 1944, and as of now take up 12% of the Crimean population? It is interesting to note that the Tatars have refused to take part in the referendum, calling it

“illegal” and “illegitimate”.

Thirdly, Putin thinks in a way completely opposite from the West in that the “coup d’etat” in Kiev was illegitimate and illegal in itself; and hence, Russia has to protect its people from the “extreme right-wing fascists” and “ultra-nationalists” that toppled the government. He brings up another historic event, where NATO militarily assisted Kosovo’s split from Serbia; proclaiming the need for double standards.

However, the main and most important difference between the two crises is that in Serbia, the Albanians of Kosovo were being slaughtered. In Ukraine, Russians were not under any threat. Putin has conjured an illusionary threat, perhaps as an excuse to carry out ulterior motives. By bringing up this example, Russia has placed itself on the wrong side of history.

Or perhaps it is NATO and EU expansion in Eastern Europe that has forced Russia to make a move. Seven new members joined NATO on March 29 2004, many of whom are former members of the communist Warsaw pact. With Ukraine seemingly following in their footsteps, Russia may feel insecure in being surrounded by what it sees as political/ ideological enemies, being more and more isolated on their own continent.

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o whose revolution is it? Is it the Ukrainian people’s, or the Russians’ in Crimea? Vladimir Putin’s, or the all-encompassing West’s? There are rights and wrongs committed on both sides; one could argue that it was Putin who “started” all of this, or the West. But one has to agree that a large part of it is simply the fault of foreign intervention.

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editorial

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RISING

Number

What is Aging Population?

Writer: Joshua Hung// Christy Lau (Y11) Photographer: Britta Lam (Y11)

“P

opulation ageing” is a pervasive, profound and enduring tide that is sweeping across the globe.

In short, it is a shift in population towards older ages, reflected by an increased proportion of the elderly cohort. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has projected that by 2050, a quarter of the world’s population will be over 60 years old. While more economically developed countries (MEDCs) are the hardest hit, aging population is affecting the entire world. Recently, even less economically developed countries (LEDCs) have began to face the same problem. Like many MEDCs worldwide, Hong Kong is no exception to this increasingly troublesome issue.

Whereas many people may still perceive population ageing as a long-term and distant subject, the consultation document released on 24 October 2013 by the Steering Committee on Population Policy (SCPP) revealed that our population would age at a faster pace than previously expected. In just a few years’ time, our workforce would embark on a persistent decline. Under a “do-nothing” scenario, population ageing could entail profound implications to our socio-economic development and public finance. This article elaborates on Hong Kong’s demographic challenges and the reasons behind them, as well as the potential impacts that they would bring to our society.

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An aging population is a shift of a country’s median age group towards older ages. That is, the majority of the population becomes older people. Because of lower fertility rates and higher life spans, the younger age groups make up a much smaller portion of the population. Perhaps this is best illustrated with a population pyramid:

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population pyramid divides a population by sex and age group. The wider the pyramid at a given section, the larger the percentage of people in that age group. Population pyramids of a country hosting an aging population are marked by a distinctive bulge near the older age groups and a narrowing column near the younger age groups. Clearly, Hong Kong was already suffering from an aging population four years ago - a pronounced bulge occupies the area between ages 40 and 50. The largest cohort of women (40-44 years old) make up five percent of the population, almost the same amount as the three youngest cohorts (0-14 years old) of females combined. Unfortunately, the situation will only worsen over the years:

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emographers predict the bulge will relentlessly ascend. By then, people aged between 65-69 will become part of Hong Kong’s largest age group.

But what causes an aging population? Lower fertility rates are encouraged by a multitude of factors, including the increased accessibility to contraceptives, the degradation of social norms stereotyping women as childbearers, prevalence of education, as well as state benefits. State benefits such as social welfare and government pensions mean that parents no longer need to rely on their children to take care of them after retirement, and thus, there is less incentive to produce more children. In addition, the economic state of a country has an immense effect on its fertility rate. In LEDCs, parents raise many children for two main reasons: insurance and money. Because these countries often suffer from high

child mortality rates and short life spans, parents are encouraged to raise more children. This way, they can make sure at least a few survive to take care of them when they retire.

More children also means more hands able to work and earn for the family. When a country becomes more economically developed, parents no longer need so many children. Instead, the high cost of nurturing a child causes a decrease in fertility.

The other factor causing aging populations is a longer lifespan. Because of advancements in healthcare and technology, as well as the improved knowledge about a healthy lifestyle (for example, a balanced diet and regular exercise) and improved quality of life, the lifespan of the global population has been continuously increasing. When people have less children and start living longer, they stay as the larger age group for a long time, changing the demographics of a population.

Status Quo

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f, like the rest of the world, Hong Kong’s aging population is caused by two phenomena - lower fertility rates and longer lifespans - it begs the question: Why is the Hong Kong population ageing so fast? Disconcertingly, our population is aging at one of the highest rates in the world. Exactly what distinguishes us from other MEDCs facing the same problem? Hong Kong’s fertility rate, despite an encouraging pick-up from the 0.9 child born per woman in 2003 to 1.3 in 2012, remains to be one of the lowest fertility rates worldwide. This value is hardly adequate to achieve the natural replacement level of 2.1. Furthermore, in 2012, men and women born in Hong Kong were expected to live 81 and 86 years respectively, values among the highest in the world. In fact, by 2041, almost one third of Hong Kong’s population will be 65 or above. Life expectancy at

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birth will increase to 84.4 years for men and 90.8 years for women. The trends of low fertility and increasing longevity will prevail, leading to a drastic shift of the Hong Kong population in coming decades.

In addition, according to latest projections, the Hong Kong population will age at a faster pace than previously expected.

The labour force will peak at 3.71 million in 2018, and start to decline from that point onwards as soon as the post-World War II baby boomers retire. Labour force participation rate is expected to drop from 58.8% in 2012 to 49.5% in 2041. Higher life expectancy and a low birth rate combined will mean an upward trend in the total dependency ratio. The ratio is expected to rise from the current 355 dependent persons per 1,000 working age persons to 712 per 1,000 by 2041, indicating increased pressure on the productive population.

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Economic InfLUence

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he most immediate and direct consequence of population ageing is the dwindling labour force, as more people retire while fewer younger people enter the labour market. With the post-war baby-boomers approaching retirement age, total labour force is projected to peak in 2018 and then look set to decline persistently until the early 2030s, before stabilising somewhat thereafter. This unwelcome development is particularly worrisome, as currently, manpower shortage is already evident in some sectors, including construction, retail, catering, and elderly care services.

Over the past two decades, Hong Kong’s economy has grown by an average of around 4% in real terms per annum. Of this, around 1 percentage point was due to the growth in labour force, while the other 3 percentage points came from productivity growth. With a rapidly shrinking labour force after 2018, it would be difficult to maintain the same rate of economic growth as in the past, unless productivity growth is significantly enhanced.

social InfLUence

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dditionally, compared to younger people, the elderly are more conservative in consumption and investment. Therefore, an ageing population may impact on the growth of the Hong Kong economy. However, in the next decade, Hong Kong will be seeing a new generation of elderly who are better educated and financially sound with stronger consumption power. This group of elderly will have higher expectations and stronger demands for quality of life and services. In this aspect, many sociologists state that there will be many future business opportunities in an emerging ‘silver market’, through the development of new products and services in a wide variety of industries such as banking, insurance, health, housing, transportation, among others, all catering to the changing demands of this group of senior customers. An ageing-friendly city will definitely encourage the elderly to actively participate in social activities and become a contributive member of society.

Moreover, taking a positive angle to the issue of an aging population, some political leaders believe that the increasing number of older adults can serve as an emerging pool of human capital to society. As 85% of the elderly population is ambulant and able-bodied, if they are offered an opportunity to continue to lead an active and independent life to share their knowledge, insights and experiences, they can continue to be valuable assets to society by serving as consultants, advisors, mentors or volunteers.

In some ways, an Aging Population can be interpreted as beneficial. It is believed that a larger proportion of ageing people can add experience to the workforce, and therefore increase productivity and efficiency. However, at the same time, there will come a time when the elderly are simply unable to continue working, and when that time comes, demographic estimates state that there are not enough people in the younger cohorts to replace the eventually retiring elderly, resulting in the inevitable shrinking of the labor market. At the same time, there are many legislatures concerned over the fact that the cost of providing pensions, health care and sheltered housing to a larger population of elderly will lead to increased taxes, as a larger and larger portion of the population enters the retirement phase. The increase in governmental expenditure on pensions and welfare for the Elderly will be subsequently reflected in tax increases, which will then have be taken from a proportionally small workforce.

editorial Current Efforts and Possible Solutions

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ot surprisingly, aging population has been a major agenda in discussions in the Legislative Council (LegCo). Including social security and healthcare, the government expects to spend 18.3% of total government expenditure on the elderly. In late October 2013, the SCPP chairman, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, began a four-month public consultation on solutions to Hong Kong’s aging population. The committee proposed a few solutions to tackle the economic impacts, including “increasing labour force quality by improving education and training… [and] attracting talent from overseas and the Mainland.” To overcome social challenges, the government also plans to build ”an age-friendly environment, [promote] active ageing and [develop] the ‘silver hair’ market.”

According to the WHO, “active aging is the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age.” Government initiatives to promote active aging include the Elder Academy (EA) Scheme, the Neighbourhood Active-Ageing Project (NAAP) and the Improvement Programme of Elderly Centres (IPEC). In 2007, the EA Scheme was launched to offer “a wide range of courses to encourage elderly people to pursue lifelong learning.” Currently, over 106 EA centres exist across the city.

The NAAP was launched shortly after to develop “develop support networks and [encourage] elderly people to serve the community as volunteers.” Between 2008 and 2011, the networks engaged “more than 200,000 elderly persons and their family members.” In 2012, the IPEC Scheme fitted 237 elderly centres with improved facilities. To support the scheme, total funds of $1010 million came from the Lotteries Fund and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The scheme “will enable some 200,000 users of the elderly centres to engage more fully in community life.”

Another aspect of active aging is building an age-friendly environment. In August 2012, the government implemented a new policy on Universal Accessibility. This policy aims to improve the “accessibility of existing public walkways to help

our elderly… to move around with greater ease.” The programme will install lifts and ramps at existing public walkways.

In addition, the Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme began in 2013. Under this scheme, elderly people can travel on public transport at a concessionary fare of $2 per trip, regardless of destination. “The daily average passenger trips using MTR, buses and ferries by elderly people under the Scheme is around 580,000.” Furthermore, because the ‘silver hair’ market will rapidly grow, the government is encouraging businesses to shift their focus and take up new opportunities “in financial services (such as health or medical insurance), tourism… medical services, fitness and grooming, health food products, and housing.” If approached appropriately, Hong Kong’s economy will benefit greatly from these possibilities. If not, because most businesses target the middle-aged, failure to adapt can cause lowered profits.

Of course, these solutions were met with mixed reactions, especially concerning the labour force. Hong Kong citizens are already expressing antagonism towards Mainlanders, fueled by skyrocketing housing prices, Mainland women taking up hospital beds and a severe lack of kindergarten and primary school spaces. The milk powder incident and locust protests are just a small part of the enormous issue. 784,000 Mainlanders immigrated between 1997 and June 2013, making up 11% of our total population. Locals fear Hong Kong will quickly become overpopulated. Bringing even more Mainlanders will only aggravate the situation. More needs to be done concerning Hong Kong citizens themselves. For example, the retirement age can be raised. At the very least, all citizens can be given a choice when to retire. Currently, it is up to each individual business to decide at what age its employees must stop working. The future elderly population will be fitter and better educated than ever before. Their continued participation in the labour force can bring many benefits. The SCPP is also interested in facilitating elderly to retire in Guangdong and other parts of the Mainland. A lot of elderly people prefer to live somewhere spacious, so Guangdong is becoming a popular option.

Global Perspective (Aging Populations in Other Nations)

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n order to solve this impending demographic challenge, communication and collaboration between the Government and the Hong Kong community is essential. Most importantly, efforts to deepen public understanding of the population challenges, initiate active discussion, and gauge views widely from the community are integral to the development of a more sustainable society. Only through discussions with members of society and concerted efforts to solve the issue by the Government can key strategies and specific measures be mapped out to address these demographic chal-

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lenges. Population policy touches on a wide array of complex and multifaceted issues, and it is important for all Hong Kong citizens to voice their views and thoughts on how best the city can embrace the population ageing trend, so as to sustain Hong Kong’s development towards a knowledge-based and global economy, while also maintaining the long-term sustainability of its public services and welfare system. After all, the ultimate goal is to attain higher living standards for all residents and families in Hong Kong, and addressing the impending issue of an Aging Population is a necessary first step.

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Can We Go Faster Than Writer: richard ding (y12) IllustratoR: maddie grifFITHS

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a constant we should now be familiar with, the speed of light (c).

This mass-energy equivalence can be represented in a straight line.

In a straight line, both sides of the side measure the same, that is, if one was to take a ruler and measure both sides of the straight line, the length would be the same.

Thus, the length of the left side = length of the right side.

But e=mc2 is not entirely true; that is, it isnt the full equation. e=mc2 only applies for objects with no momentum, meaning that they are stationary. The full equation, one less known, is the equation E2=(mc2 )2+(pc)2, where p is momentum. This equation accounts for objects moving with mass and at speed, but the most beautiful part of this equation is that it fits into Pythagoras’s Theorem, a2+b2 =c2 where c is the hypotenuse of a right triangle, and a and b are its sides. Substituting variables, we can fit the E2, (mc2 )2, and (pc)2 of the full massenergy equivalence equation onto a triangle.

mc2

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planet would yield massive implihe highest speed at which cations. The most relevant one to one can legally drive in visit would be Gilese 581g (if it Hong Kong is 110km/h. even exists), and that would take a This is a speed limit set stunning 20 years to reach. In that by the government, and we are time, the civilization may have easexpected to obey it. But what if ily reached a point unrecognizable we wanted to go faster? Well, we to that of 20 years ago; advancecould buy a Hennessey Venom ments in nanotechnology or comGT, and a long strip of tarmac, munications would be different and achieve speeds of 435km/h. to the extent that a trip using 20 Thats fast. So lets take this furyear old technology to a differther. What about a train? A plane? ent planet may not be worthwhile.

A rocket? A speed of 60,000km/h The scenario described above would be achievable. But what lies does well to suggest that the speed beyond that? Can we keep adding of light is actually relatively slow, booster rockets and go faster? The given the scale of the universe. answer is no, as there is a univerAlbert Einstein is most sal speed limit of 299792458 m/s. famous today for his Theory of This seems strange, because its inRelativity. Specifically, this contuitive that we can just add anothstitutes special relativity and gener engine or booster and go just eral relativity. Einstein’s theory of that bit faster. Alas, the Gods of special relativity dictates that evePhysics foil us again. That doesn’t rything gains mass when it accelwork. Why? Simply speaking, its erates, a fairly groundbreaking disbecause of a man named Albert 2 covery during his lifetime. What Einstein and e=mc . this means, practically speaking, Before we discuss the is that the more massive an object topic of relativity, we must first becomes, the greater thrust is reexplore the speed of light itself. quired to maintain or increase its 299792458 m/s sounds like an speed. This, however, may seem extremely quick speed, and in hucounter-intuitive, and the effects man terms, it certainly is. Howof relativity is a ever, lets imagine concept difficult we could travel to grasp, as we at the speed of 2 mc rarely encounter light. If that is relativistic situapossible, it would tions in our everyday life. Howevtake 4.2 years to reach the nearer, we can still use simple algebra est star, Alpha Centuri. 4.2 years as well as the Pythagorean Theoseems reasonable, but this is rem to help us understand this merely a visit to a nearby star phenomena. nothing really could be gained E=mc2, probably the from this. So, where could we go out of interest? Taking a page out most famous equation known to of practically every sci-fi book, mankind, depicts the relationship I believe a trip to a ‘Goldilocks’ between energy (E), mass (m) and

pc For whatever value of E, the values for mc2 and pc will obey the equation above.

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editorial

n the Speed of Light?

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nd there we have mathematical proof regarding why we cannot reach the speed of light, simply because the energy required will always be longer, and thus, larger than the two other sides.

However, there is one final idea that we must consider in order to gain a more wholesome understanding of the speed of light - the fact that it does seem to have been broken before. To explain this phenomena, one has to believe in the Big Bang Theory.

Right after the big bang happened, it seems that the universe expanded at a rate that was faster than the speed of light. However, it is important to note and understand that this does not violate e=mc2 directly, as the mass of spacetime is zero.

other situation where the speed of light seems to have been breached is the situation where galaxies right now are moving away from us at a rate faster than the speed of light, which can be observed through the phenomena of redshift. If we were to take the “distance� as the length of a ruler required to connect two galaxies when time is frozen, then what we notice is that the universe expands at the rate that is roughly the hubble constant, 71 kilometers per seconds per megaparsec. Translated into human terms, that's roughly 0.007% inflation per million years. If we were to use the definition of distance given above (and

only if we use this definition and no other), the Hubble constant tells us that for every megaparsec of distance between two galaxies, the apparent speed at which the galaxies move apart from each other is greater by 71 kilometers per second. Since we know that the speed of light is around 300,000 kilometers per second, it is easy to calculate how far away two galaxies must be in order to be moving away from each other faster than the speed of light. The answer we get is that the two galaxies must be separated by around 4,200 megaparsecs (130,000,000,0 00,000,000,000,000 kilometers).

An-

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sports

FITNESS GUIDE for CIS Students WRITER: KONRAD LEE(y11) PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW KOO (y11)

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ired of watching people pass you in cross country? Tired of feeling drained walking up the stairs in school? Given the competitive nature of CIS students, most of us want to excel at all areas of life, which includes health and fitness. Anyway, it’s about time we start thinking about getting ready for beach season, and we all want to look and feel our best.

Studies show that fitness has a long-term influence on a wide range of cognitive abilities and can help you perform better academically. So if you’re aiming for that Head’s Commendation, you’ll want to be fully prepared to tackle it on. So here is a quick and easy sports guy to follow that’ll ensure that you’ll be ready for summer and for school anytime, anywhere.

CARDIO Contrary to it’s reputation for being boring and exhausting, cardio is actually very beneficial to your health. It improves your overall endurance and ability to exert yourself over an extended period. It promotes cardiovascular health and contributes to increased bone density. Additionally, it pretty much makes everything else function better: cardio helps stabilize hormone levels (Great for teenagers) , improves endurance and recovery, helps the body fuel calories away from the fat cells and into the muscle, helps with weight maintenance, and generally keeps you healthy all the time.

So why wait and give yourself excuses? Better put on those sneakers and get ready to head out!

Biking One of the best cardio-aerobic exercises out there, and an alternate route (GEDDIT?) for those who don’t enjoy pounding the pavement.

You can do this either outdoors or in the gym. (We assume you all know how to bike normally thanks to CEP, so here’s the instructions on how to use a stationary bike in the gym) 1. Climb onto the machine and hold the handlebars.

2. Rest the center of each foot on the pedals and make sure that the leg in the lower position is bent by 5/10 degrees 3. Increase resistance to a suitable level for you.

Now start pedaling!

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Running The exercise that is simultaneous to cardio, running is one of the most popular forms of exercise, and can be done in the great outdoors or on a treadmill. Whilst we’re sure you all know how to run, here’s the method to do it that minimizes injuries and increases efficiency.

1. Keep your head straight 2. Don’t hunch your shoulders 3. Keep your hands relaxed 4. Keep your arms at 90 degrees 5. Lean forward while running

6. Keep your hips stable 7. Don’t lift your knees too high 8. Aim for a mid-foot strike 9. Don’t strike the ground heavily 10. Breathe deeply and rhythmically

The exercise that is simultaneous to cardio, running is one of the most popular forms of exercise, and can be done in the great outdoors or on a treadmill. Whilst we’re sure you all know how to run, here’s the method to do it that minimizes injuries and increases efficiency.

Rowing Machine

Rowing provides the best total-body workout for any cardio machine, so if you’re stuck indoors on a rainy day, hit the rowing machine!

Getting Started - Sit on the seat, strap your feet into the footpads and grab the handles with an overhand grip.

- Extend your arms straight toward the flywheel, and keep your wrists flat.

- Slide forward on the seat until your shins are vertical.

- Lean forward slightly at the hips.

The Drive Position - Begin the drive by extending your legs and pushing off against the foot pads.

- Keep your core tight, arms straight and back firm as you transfer power to the handles.

- As your knees straighten, gradually bend your arms and lean your upper body back. Finish with a slight backward lean.

The Recovery Position - Extend your arms by straightening your elbows and returning the handle toward the flywheel.

- Lean your upper body forward at the hips to follow the arms.

- Gradually bend you knees and slide forward on the seat to the start position.

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The Catch Position - Similar to the start position, extend your arms straight toward the flywheel and keep your wrists flat.

- Slide forward on the seat until your shins are vertical.

- Lean forward slightly at the hips.

- You are ready to take the next stroke.

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sports

CALISTHENICS Also known as body weight exercises, calisthenics is a great way to work on your muscles without lifting weights. (Yes, we know a lot of you can, and do, lift weights, but we’ve taken into consideration that some of our readers may not want to or cannot for whatever reason) You can increase muscle and tone through calisthenics, and the best part is, you don’t need any fancy equipment or weights, as they can be performed anytime, anywhere, as long as there’s a floor and enough space to move in.Compared to weight lifting, calisthenics is a lot easier on your joints, with a much lower risk of injury. So get ready to start working those muscles!

Push Ups

You know that experience in PE class, when the teacher makes you drop and give him/her twenty pushups?

You probably swore that you’d never do another push up once you were out of this school. But think again. Pushups are about the most convenient way there is to build up your chest, not to mention your shoulders, arms and upper back.

However, the correct form is important in maximizing your results, and it’s important that you do it correctly.(Which means you keep your back straight and lower your arms to 90 degrees, not 170 degrees).

1. Lie face down on the floor with your palms at shoulder level, fingers pointing forward.

2. Push yourself up until your body weight rests only on your palms and toes.

3. Lower yourself and repeat.

For girls, you can do this on your knees. Boys, there’s no slacking off. Go hard or go home.

Planks

1. Start with the pushup position, this is the easiest way to get into the plank.

One of the best ab exercises for building 2. Lower both your forearms to the ground so that both your endurance in the abs, back and core, this is an exerelbows and fists are flat to the ground. Your palms should be cise that is sometimes overlooked. Holding a plank balled up, and directly underneath your shoulders. for 2 minutes is one of the ways you can gauge your 3. Curl your toes under and engage your abs by tilting your fitness level. It might not sound that long, but it’ll pelvis and pulling your belly button toward your spine. be tough for many people. Plus, you’ll be amazed at 4. Straighten your body but keep your neck and spine neutral. how many people drop out at 60 seconds.Conquer Imagine that you’re a plank of wood, and that you’re straight this move and you’ll be ready to ascend to the higher as an arrow. echelons of fitness!

5. Flex your abdominals and squeeze your glutes.

6. Hold this position, also known as the plank, until after the burning begins. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of you.

Avoid raising your behind. Your body should make a straight line from your heels to the back of your head.

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Squats An excellent upper and lower body workout, squats are a functional exercise, which means they help your body to perform real-life activities.They help maintain your mobility and balance, as well as help boost your sports performance, allowing you to jump higher and run faster.

(Side note: they also help with waste removal, so for those with constipation issues, go for it!)

1. Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart 2. Keep your back in a neutral position, and keep your knees centered over your feet 3. Slowly bend your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a 90-degree angle 4. Return to starting position.

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TRYING NEW SPORTS

WRITER: MARTIN BANSON AND KONRAD LEE (Y11) PHOTOGRAPHY:photography club & SIMON WATTS

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hroughout the past few years, sports has taken more of a front in CIS than ever before. New sports, such as water polo and girl’s rugby have been introduced, and are now booming with people eager to join. This article will cover the two sports stated above and their rise from a small group to becoming a main fixture in the CIS sports community..

Water polo, founded by Mr. Boyce in 2012, originally only consisted of a small group of 8 people.

Over the summer, members of the team, including current captains Anya Eurwongpravit and Andrew Koo, were tasked with inducting new members into the group. The enormous amount of support they received was a pleasant surprise to them all. Partially due to having experienced water polo in PE during Year 8 and partially due to genuine interest, students flocked to sign up, and as a result, the 2013-2014 Water Polo Team increased its roster by 300%, having up to 30 members. The team trains every Tuesday and Thursday morning, with members waking up while it’s still dark out. Training is mainly split into two groups, basic and advanced, each focusing on different aspects of training. Basic training focuses on the fundamentals of the sport, whilst for the advanced group, players who already have an understanding of the basics practice more complicated techniques and strategies.

Andrew Koo, one of the founding members and now the captain of the team has said that he is optimistic of the gradual growth of the team. “I think that the biggest change that has occurred to the water polo team this year is the overwhelming sense of cama-

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raderie that has developed across all year levels, and the amazing strides that we have taken together to improve.

The thing we need to improve overall now is the stamina of the team, because not all of us have swimming backgrounds, or are unaccustomed to the intensity of the training, and some people have trouble keeping up at times. I think that the increase in members showcases not only the enthusiasm that the sport inspires in people, but also the enthusiasm and excitement it gives people who go to their first practice not even knowing the rules, but come out in love with the sport.”

Through diligent training, the CIS team has become one of the strongest teams in Hong Kong. They placed third in an interschool tournament, after losing out to the strongest team in Hong Kong, the Fukien water polo team. CIS performed extremely well against Fukien, considering that Fukien’s entire roster consisted of Hong Kong national team players. Players Ran Zhang, who used to be on the national squad, and Nick Sung, who is still currently on the national squad are the aces of the team. Not only are they the main scorers and defenders of the team, they also help keep morale up and take time out to mentor and coach younger, inexperienced players.

The water polo team also has quite a few individuals that show great promise and potential. Brian Chu, a Year 10, has recently been recruited to train with the Hong Kong National Team. He shows signs of becoming a great player and should become one of the main point scorers in the years to come.

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sports Another up and rising sport in CIS is Girls Rugby. Restarted by Britta Lam, it was originally a sport that virtually had zero awareness from the CIS community. Just like water polo, there was a lack of members to begin with, and consequently, people saw it as a bit of a joke. However, through strategic advertising, using opportunities such as whole school assemblies, they were able to recruit more members and are shaping up to be a team to be reckoned with.

The girls rugby team is coached by Mr.Watts and Year 12 Adrian Kan, who use their knowledge and experience of the game to mentor the girls.

The team has gone from consisting of girls that had never even held a rugby ball before, to defeating HKIS, one of the dominant teams in the league.

This is a clear message that with time and continuous growth, the CIS girls rugby team will soon be a force to be reckoned with.

Britta Lam shares her experience and reasons for committing to the sport. “I feel like what is most enjoyable about rugby is the physicality that you just can’t experience in any other sport. The

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feeling of adrenaline is so powerful, it really stimulates you.” This feeling is mutual amongst the players, who have come together as a whole through training and tournaments. They have grown to trust one another, and have complete faith in each other’s abilities. “That’s what makes a good rugby team” Britta Lam says, “Just look at the New Zealand All Blacks, they’re a prime example.”

The team has showed an incredible increase in talent this year. Players such as Anya Eurwongpravit and Michelle Li, who had never even played rugby before, are leading tacklers on the team, and help solidify the defensive line. Top scorer Jasmine-Brian Boys excels at avoiding tackles and getting to the try line, and everyone else has their place on the team.

Britta comments on the importance of each member, saying, “I think that everyone knows that when they’re on the field, they’re important. One missed tackle can lose us a try, and because of that, everyone gives their all.” While other teams struggle to find a feeling of collectiveness, the CIS team already has it. Their natural talent and their quick learning skills will be sure to propel them towards greater goals.

In the past, sports have often taken a back seat to academics in an academic-orientated school such as CIS. However, over the past few years, the presence of sports has grown substantially in our school. The introduction of new teams like water polo and girls rugby show that people are genuinely interested in participating in sports, and their results are a testimony to the fact that in the near future, CIS will continue to grow and excel, becoming a name feared by other schools in Hong Kong.

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sports

n the world of sports, injuries are common occurrences that happen very often. They range in severity, from a light ankle sprain that might require you to hobble for a few days, to damage done to the spinal cord that could leave the player paralyzed, or in some cases, dead.

Though undesirable as they are, injuries are an inevitable occurrence in sports. They have different impacts on different types of people, with the biggest being professional athletes whose livelihoods depend on staying healthy, and the smallest being people who do sports recreationally, and might even relish the opportunity to miss exercising. Nevertheless, injuries are always a negative thing, and should always be avoided and prevented if possible, despite being unpredictable in nature.

Injuries are generally defined into two types: an overuse injury, and an acute injury. An overuse injury is usually the result of the overuse of a particular muscle group and/or body part from a particular sport. These injuries are subtle, and occur over time as minor strains to bones, muscles, and tendons build up. A common example of this is tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), in which the tendons and muscles in the forearm inflame from the constant repetitive motion of swinging a racquet. An acute injury, however, comes from a single event. These injuries usually occur in contact sports such as American football, rugby, basketball, and soccer, in which collisions

and contact between players are inevitable, resulting in acute injuries such as concussions and fractures. Other examples of acute injuries are sprains, dislocations, and the tearing of muscles/tendons: all results of a sudden change in movement resulting in a hyperextension of the body part, or hard contact enough to injure the body part.

In professional sports, injuries are much more common than amongst amateur levels. This occurrence can be attributed to the highly competitive nature of professionals; the players rely on their physical traits and abilities to earn millions of dollars a year, and will need to both perform at a higher rate than amateurs, and push themselves harder than amateurs, making the risk of injury higher. Currently, there are 83 players injured in the NBA, and 1216 players injured in the NFL alone. Injuries are essentially inevitable for every athlete, regardless of physical conditioning and skill level. They tarnish the legacies and hinder the development of players. An example of this is Greg Oden, a highly touted college All-American First Team basketball player, picked first in his draft. 7 years later, after three microfracture surgeries, an arthroscopic knee surgery, and a

S E I R U J N I SPORT AD LEE (Y11) R N O K / )/ 10 (Y N CHENG 11) WRITERS: ER REW KOO (Y D N A : Y H P A R PHOTOG

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fractured patella, his name is practically synonymous with the words “bust” and “unfulfilled potential” in the world of basketball, leaving fans wondering what could have been if he had only stayed healthy. Furthermore, injuries in professional sports also play a role in a player’s personal life. As professional players rely on their bodies to make a living, an injury that renders them unable to play would eliminate their income entirely, while an injury that decreases their ability would lower it, with their market value and salaries lowered. Injuries in the professional sports world not only causes the pain of a regular injury, but could also tarnish legacies and keep a player from playing to his full potential.

While many of us may have dreamed, or even still dream, of being a professional athlete, perhaps we can take comfort in the relatively small impact that injuries have on us as students. As mentioned in the above, injuries cause 3 main negative factors towards professional athletes. Firstly, there is the pain of sustaining the injury, then the damage it could do to their legacy, and finally the financial troubles that it can cause. As students who take part in sports as a recreational activity, the last two factors don’t apply to us. The athletes who the factors apply to are professional, famous and make money from doing what they do: sports, whereas we as students have sporting as a recreational activity, meaning there is no legacy to be damaged. Our focus as students is also not on financial income by sport, but by business; sports have little to no input in terms of income. The only negative thing that happens when an injury occurs to us, students, is the pain of the injury and the inconvenience of it afterwards in the recovery stage. As we play in a lower, recreational level than the pros, the risk of injury is also lower: but still high enough to impact the CIS community. Going into CIS on any given day, it’s hardpressed to not find a single person who has an injury. For these people, life becomes inconvenient. The 9-floor CIS ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

campus requires students to walk around quite a lot, and the injured might not be able to do so. The elevator also travels at around one floor per minute, which is a further inconvenience to those who are injured. They may also have an impact on social life; some students in CIS play sports with friends at breaks and lunch, and with an injury, they would be unable to do so. Finally, there is also the frustration of being injured and having all of these inconveniences, and having nothing that can be done except rest and hope for a quick recovery. Whilst we as students at CIS might find the results of an injury bad, in no way does it compare to the negativity that professional athletes face when they sustain an injury. Nevertheless, in the CIS community, injuries sustained in sports are still an annoyance and inconvenience, and would be much better if prevented.

With that said, injuries are still unpredictable, and hard to prepare for. Warming up and loosening the muscles are one way to prepare for injuries, as the parts of the body that have been loosened become more flexible and therefore can sustain more movement. Rest and nutrition are also key in avoiding long-term overuse injuries.

Rest gives body parts time to recover between exercises, lowering the risk of overuse, while proper nutrition speeds up this process. Other than the aforementioned points, there isn’t much else to do to prevent injury, except perhaps exercising caution when doing sports.

Sustaining an injury is such an unpredictable matter that it is incredibly difficult to prepare for, and the preparations that we can attempt to make do not do much against the risk of injury on the whole. The negative effects that they bring upon us as students may be an annoyance, but on a more positive note, are not to the extent of which it may affect others on the professional level. With that in mind, we should all take what little steps we can to help prevent injuries, and hope that this inevitable occurrence will not affect us too badly.

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HERE’S at

looking at you KIDS WRITER: KONRAD LEE (Y11) PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW KOO (Y11)

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ith the end of the school year in our sights, it’s important to remember that not only are we bading farewell to the 2013-2014 school year, but also the year 13s that will be graduating. The class of 2014 has been an integral part of the CIS community, especially the sports community. We’ve taken the opportunity to talk to some of the graduating seniors that have been an integral part of CIS sports, whether it be leading their respective teams or being a crucial part of it.

Basketball: Dean Dyus, Captain Having played for CIS basketball for 6 years, I have to say this year was although not the most successful, the most fun and rewarding.

Although playing basketball in the HKSSF, ISSF leagues and Beijing were all amazing, the best part of the season was the chemistry we shared with each other as a team and the fun that we could have off the court. Hanging out with our coaches Ewing and Bobby Jones was an awesome experience for all of us, and the seniors know that the future of CIS basketball is looking good in their hands.

As for the year 12s and 11s that will be taking over A Grade... Well, I wish them the best.

Keep working hard, and make sure Alex goes to training. And somebody please teach Bernie how to make a lay up. Please. Thanks and good luck, boys.

Badminton: Darren Chong, Captain Having been a part of the CIS badminton team since Year 9, I vividly recall our days of training without a coach, broken nets, and plastic shuttlecocks. This year, having been given the opportunity to train with a great coach, our team has grown significantly both in spirit and technique. I am proud to have witnessed our team develop from one with little desire to compete, to one held together by mutual support and encouragement. Undoubtedly, it is this improvement in our on-court attitude that has put 3 out of 4 of our teams in the ISSFHK finals. Congratulations to the badminton teams on a very successful season! As my final year at CIS comes to an end, I have only words of encouragement for next year’s badminton team: Enjoy your time on court, bring a positive attitude to each training session – lets take badminton at CIS to the next level!

darren chongbadminton captain

sports Rugby: Alston Lau - I’ve been playing CIS rugby for about 6 years now, and the one consistent aspect of rugby that has stayed with me throughout the years is spirit and heart. Though my CIS rugby career was not the most successful, it was definitely rewarding. For me, heart is the most important element in rugby. People always tell me : “You’re not big enough”, “You’re not fast enough”.

Well, I’m telling you right now, that’s a lie. Heart will win you games. I truly believe that. When you can hear your teammate screaming from the other side of the pitch “ LET”S GO!”, you feel invigorated, you feel prepared.

Though the A grade team barely had a full squad this year, every single one of us had heart, which is why we enjoyed this season so much. In rugby, you must remember one thing - you are not only playing for yourself, but for your teammates as well. Do not let them down by giving up, encourage them and be that one person that is able to inspire your team to victories. Thank you coaches Mr. Caves, Mr. Mallen, Mr. Bailey, and Mr. George for all these years of great rugby!

Swimming: Nicholas Sung - It’s my 6th year on the team and trust me when I say you guys have been such an important part of my CIS career. I think we’re one of the largest and most well-spirited teams at school, and I won’t forget every single competition and overseas trip I’ve been on with you all. I must admit that seeing

dean dyusbasketball captain

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our relay teams race across various age-groups at swim meets always brings me immense joy – it is evidence of our solid team chemistry and how we are supportive of each other. Training is tough, but do please keep up the hard work in the pool! As Coach Alex keeps reminding us: perseverance is the key to consistency. The junior swimmers are showing so much potential and I have no doubt that whilst they strive for improvement, the senior swimmers will take their accomplishments to the next level. Wishing the team all the best!

Water Polo: Nicholas Sung - It was my pleasure to play this fantastic sport with such an enthusiastic bunch of teammates. I still remember when the team only consisted of a handful of players and it’s amazing to witness such growth and progress within the squad in terms of both depth and skill. As Coach Toby told me before, Water Polo is one of those sports in which experience can change games in a matter of seconds. So when you Year 11s and Year 12s have free periods next year, definitely get together and head to the pool for some scrimmaging if its open – it will really benefit your game.

Bryan and Simon, remember to use that pace on the wing to your advantage...Joseph, Andrew and Tavis I hope you’ll keep scoring tons of goals at the Inter-schools next year! Also, hats off to the Girls Team for the dedication and spirit that we all have to learn from. I will miss you all!

nicholas sungswimming & water polo captain

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DEBUNKED

MYTHS ABOUT SPORT

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WRITER: IINGRID TSANG (y9) PHOTOGRaphy: JASMINE BRIAN-BOYS (y11)

There are many sports and exercise myths around us, but are they scientifically proven to be true? How do we know if we can believe them? Do crunches really give you instant abdominal muscles? Never fear, because here are 10 of the most popular sports myths - debunked.

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10.

Swimming is great for losing weight.

Actually, swimming does help tone muscles and increase lung capacity, but it isn’t a great way to lose weight. The truth is that only unless you swim for many hours a day, think Michael Phelps style training, swimming isn’t the best way to lose weight.

This is because the buoyancy of the water supports your body, so that you don’t work as hard as when exercising on land, where your muscles have to fully support your weight, such as while running. Moreover, due to low sugar levels and the need to refuel your body, people tend to binge eat after swimming, which is not what comes to mind when you say “lose weight”.

9.

Running on a treadmill is better for your knees than running on pavement.

8.

Long distance running is best for fat loss.

7.

If you are feeling ok, then you can’t be overworking it.

Actually, running on a treadmill puts the same pressure on your knees as running on pavement. Running is, no doubt, a great way to work out. However, it does impact the knees. This is caused by the force of the body weight on the joints, which means that it is no different on a treadmill. To reduce the stress, you should add different types of cardiovascular activities into your workout (e.g. using the biking and elliptical machine), allowing you to run many more years.

Actually, long distance running is not necessarily the best way to lose fat. Many studies now show that this is the case.

More and more research suggest the use of high intensity interval training for fat loss. This only takes about half the time (12 to 20 minutes) compared to long distance running and gives you better results. Only endurance athletes and people without good-enough health, in which case low intensity interval training would better, should be doing long distance running.

Actually, you can be overworking it, even if you are feeling ok during the workout. A mistake many people make is doing too much too soon. This is because you feel ok while you are doing it. But effects of overworking usually take place a day or two after your workout, no at the time. Especially after a period of rest from an activity, no matter how good you feel, don’t try to redo how hard you worked before right away. You won’t feel it during the workout, but you will a while after. It takes time to get back to that level, so don’t rush it, otherwise it may take you out of the activity again.

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6.

If you aren’t sweating, you aren’t working hard enough.

5.

Machines are safer for doing exercise, because you can’t get it wrong.

Actually, not sweating doesn’t mean that you aren’t working hard enough. Sweating is a way for the body to cool itself, not an indicator of how hard you are working. A lot of it depends on the focus of your workout. There are lots of factors that play into the fact of whether you are sweating. You might be working very hard and burning load of calories, but not necessarily sweating a lot.

Actually, exercising on machines aren’t necessarily safer. It may seem that the machines make sure that you are in the correct position and are doing the correct movements, it only ensures that if you have adjusted it to be suitable for your height and weight. Unless you have a personal trainer who can teach you how to use the machines properly, you might still use it incorrectly. Whether it is the purpose you are using the machine for or the way you are using it, you could make just as many mistakes. The risk of injury is just as high as other non-machine exercises.

4.

You have to feel some pain to reap any benefits, “no pain, no gain”.

Actually, you shouldn’t feel pain during a workout.

You might feel some soreness after your workout, but it is a totally different matter if you are feeling pain during the workout. Working out shouldn’t hurt, if it does, you either have an injury or you are doing it incorrectly. If you do feel pain during a workout, you should stop, rest and see if the pain subsides. If not, you should go see a doctor.

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sports

3.

Static stretching before exercise is very important.

2.

Doing abdominal strengthening exercises gets rid of belly fat.

1.

If you can’t exercise frequently, there is no point.

Actually, you shouldn’t do static stretching before exercise. This loosens the tendons and makes the muscles less firm, causing them to feel less steady and weaker, which in turn decreases your performance and increases the risk of injury. A better alternative it doing dynamic warm ups, which mimic motions in the main part of workout, getting the body ready, in turn improving your performance. Static stretching should be done after a workout, which loosens and relaxes the muscles.

Actually, abdominal strengthening exercises do help strengthen your abdominal muscles, but doesn’t necessarily get rid of belly fat. However, you wouldn’t be able to see your abdominal muscles if you have too much belly fat. Experts say that you can’t choose the area where you want to lose weight, so it is not possible to target to burn your belly fat. It is recommended that you create strength and cardiovascular workouts, which would cause overall fat loss in your body.

Actually, even small amounts of exercise can benefit your body, shown to reduce stroke and heart disease. If you have no time to do 30 minutes straight of exercise, try breaking it up into shorter periods of time (e.g. 3 periods of 10 minutes). Exercise can range from short walks, climbing stairs to jump rope and body weight exercises (e.g. push ups). Any exercise, however small, is always better than none.

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心跳 冬

WRITER// PHOTOGRAPHER: NICOLE LI (Y9)

天的一個清晨，柏油路面濕漉漉的，帶有了 昨日細雨爽涼的氣味。一陣微風吹動了街旁 的柳樹，把樹葉上的露珠灑到了地面上。我 耳中塞住了耳機，一邊散步，一邊輕輕地跟著音樂哼 起來了。 突然，我看見哥哥邊喘氣邊喊，從街道的轉 角後向我跑來，手中好像還拿著我平時常喜歡穿的湛 藍色外套。當他靠近來去拔走我的耳機時，我感覺到 他的心跳很快，還不停地喘氣。我走了那麼久，發現 這裡離我們家有兩公里多的距離。 “我希望你是來 練跑步而不是來幫我拿外套的吧。” 我忍著笑，彎 著腰，用手臂撐著膝蓋的哥哥說。他臉上滾下了一滴 一滴汗珠，沾到他殘破不堪的黑色運動鞋上。 他沒 有說話，只是輕輕地微笑，把外套遞給我。我嘆了一 口氣，迅速地把外套穿上。在冬天的寒風中，我突然 感覺到了一份異奇的溫暖，從哥哥的心跳聲傳來的感 動。 那天晚上，哥哥很晚才回來。母親和父親早 就回房睡覺了，屋子裡鴉雀無聲，只留著一個黯淡的 燈光。突然，哥哥顫抖的雙手把門緩緩地打開了。雖 然窗外傳來一陣陣的寒風，但他卻不停地在流汗，手 中握住了一個被一塊黑布蓋住的東西。他把那無名的 東西鎖在一個箱子裡，然後就立刻趴到了沙發上。幾 秒鐘後，他便一聲不響地睡著了。我悄悄地走過去， 輕輕地給他鋪上了被子。睡著了的哥哥，心跳還是比 我的快。不知道...他到底又在做什麼惡夢了。我坐在 地毯上，靠著沙發，在哥哥心跳的節奏下睡著了。

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我夢到了六年前的冬天，我們一家在雪中玩 雪橇的情景。我穿著厚厚的大藍衣，抱著雪橇滿臉笑 容地爬上了白茫茫的山丘。那時我還小，當我在山丘 的頂端滑下來時，握不住雪橇的繩子，失去了控制， 像雪球似地滾到了山底。哥哥飛快地向我奔去，焦急 地向父母親大喊。他用顫顫不止的雙手把我抱起，細 心地檢查我的傷口。雖然我的記憶已有點兒模糊了， 但我清楚地記得他那時的心跳，是“撲通撲通”飛快 地跳動著。 次日早上，陽光透過玻璃窗戶灑到了客廳 裡。我懶洋洋地從地毯上爬起，恍然發現哥哥已出門 了。我走到了父母親的房間裡，在床上找到了一張小 小的紙條，上面有著母親龍飛鳳舞的字體：綾子，哥 哥出了點事，我們一早去了懲教處，對不起。 霎時，我心中仿佛塞滿了千萬個問號。哥哥 到底做了什麼事呢？昨晚那件他急忙鎖起的東西又 是從哪裡來的呢？我急急忙忙地把腳塞進鞋裡，前往 懲教處去弄個明白。到了警察局，我看見母親坐在木 椅上哭泣，而父親則皺着眉頭，不停地在走廊上徘 徊。“到底發生了什－” 當我看到哥哥在鐵窗的另一 面無情地凝視著我的時候，我驚訝地捂住了我的嘴。 突然，隨著母親的尖叫聲，哥哥把頭狠狠地 撞到監牢牆上。灰沈沈的磚牆沾滿了鮮紅的血，而哥 哥的心跳，就在那一刻永遠地停留在我的記憶中了。 雙腳一軟，我悲憤地跌倒在地上。周圍的聲音都在我 的淚水中靜止了。當我閉上了雙眼，我仍能夠聽到哥 哥的心跳在我的耳中回響。

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FREE WILL. J

ared’s hand hesitates on the red button. He throws his hands up in the air, breathing heavily, and eyebrows knitted together. His mind grasps at countless theories, possibilities, patterns. It’s hard to see in the dim light but I can hear him smile in his now more rhythmic, confident breathing. He pushes the green button; the checkered floor swallows him. Jared’s shock ripples through his howls.

Sarah, without even batting one fake eyelash, lightly presses the orange button with one well manicured fingernail. A door materializes from the floor and bored ISSUE 10 XIAO HUA

writers: Shannon Hu & Annette Kim (y10) illustrator: alison wong (y10) Sarah walks through it.

It’s hard to tell which is the less responsive one: Raph or the wall. He screams his rage and pummels the merciless wall. He has completely ignored the selection of buttons before him. But no matter. The glass floor shatters and he helplessly falls into the sky.

Footsteps echo and fall hollow. Cautiously, his shiny leather shoes sniff the new surroundings.

The girl has perched herself on the faded army green couch, her legs crossed in a lady-like fashion. But, no… that wouldn’t do… Ah! Over by the flickering fireplace -

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creative with her face gently resting against the cold brick… head slightly more tilted and expression more dazed, and…. yes, that’s much better.

You may begin now.

[Sarah, the girl, jars from her sudden consciousness and clumsily rises from her fetal position at the base of the fireplace. Her leather jacket, covering the bare shoulders her pink dress had forgotten, hung uncomfortably on her as a scarecrow would on a pike.]

JARED (startled by the sounds, attempts to creep forward silently with his arms out. For balance or reassurance, I have no idea): H-hello?

Even from above I can see the whites of his eyes widened with fear.

The trio finds themselves in a room elaborately decorated with antique furniture. Jared is pacing around the room. Sarah is extended along the couch like a lazy cat.

Raph sits upright on an upholstered chair; his knuckles white from his hands gripping the arms like vices.

JARED: [looking up, still pacing] It can be no coincidence that all of us are in the same room now.

SARAH: [laughs derisively] Oh, really?

JARED: [looks at SARAH, as if just noticing her in the room] What’s so funny?

SARAH: It’s pathetic and kinda cute how you’re so sure of your little theory, despite the odds.

JARED: Don’t be so sure of yourself! Come, come. We’ll reason this out. Lets begin by telling each other how we came here. I pressed the red button because I’ve developed a pattern that SARAH: Clearly was bull. I chose the orange one. It doesn’t matter.

RAPH: [stammering, under JARED and SARAH’s sudden attention] I, I didn’t do anything.

JARED: [sharply] You just did nothing?

RAPH: [stands up abruptly, toppling the chair] Well what was I supposed to do? What could I have done? [suddenly sad, he crosses his legs on the floor and sinks his head into his hands] I’m not very smart.

SARAH: [kneels next to Raph, and pats his back soothingly] There, there. There was nothing anybody could have done about it.

JARED: No, no! We have to keep trying! Lets try another way. We’ve got to be connected somehow. My name’s Jared. I’m a scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Science.

SARAH: Sarah. Unemployed. Nice to meet you.

RAPH: [sighs, agonized] I’m Raphael. Call me Raph. I’m a tennis coach.

JARED: [eagerly] Excellent! Now tell me how you all came to this path. Share your stories! Mine is that on a late night after work, around 1am on July 26th, I fell into

a manhole. Afterwards it was a series of buttons - choices I had to make.

SARAH: Fascinating story, Alice. I hate to rain on your parade but I was drunk. Don’t remember a thing.

RAPH: [stands up, looking up to JARED] What’s the point of this? We were obviously expected to push at least one button. So whichever one we chose, it would have gone as planned! Now we’re expected to talk to each other. We can’t be logical like you.

We’ve got to resist.

JARED: [steps forward, nearly nose to nose with RAPH] Well, if that isn’t the simplest form of insanity I’ve ever heard.

SARAH: [comes between JARED and RAPH, pushing them away] You men are so stupid. Why do you even try in your own useless ways? Why not just do what’s expected of us?

JARED: [stares at SARAH] You ignorant cow. Are you even listening to yourself ?

SARAH: It’s clear we can’t do anything. So lets just enjoy and make the best of the situation.

JARED: [sweat beads appear on his domed forehead] A chance! A chance is all I need!

SARAH: [rolling her eyes] Wake up, then. You don’t have your “chance”.

RAPH: [eyes hard with thought] But, but, if there isn’t a chance, why live at all? [eyes widen] Do we wander round this place forever? I can’t, I can’t. [looks around the room wildly] I need, I need, something sharp. Anything sharp.

I, I SARAH: [slaps RAPH, the sound rides waves across the room] Oh shut up. Like I said, give up. Adapt. Learn to seize the moment and have fun with it. There’s no fun trying to think ahead all the time.

JARED: Yes, but think of what we’ve accomplished in our “useless” thinking ahead! Along our journey, we’ve developed and praised creativity and innovation. All our efforts bring us just one step closer to the truth, the universal answer.

A door, previously unseen before, creaks open. The three turn immediately, but none of them moves.

SARAH: [to JARED and RAPH, cocks her head towards the door] This could be your chance. Go on.

JARED: Are you coming with us?

SARAH: [tosses her hair to one side, laughing grimly] Sure, why not?

JARED: [turns to RAPH] And you?

RAPH: Even if I was doing the right thing, I’d rather do the wrong thing than be alone. I’ll go nuts.

I watch them exit the room. I don’t know where they’re headed to, whether it’s by pattern or random probability.

But I will continue observing their journey.

storm in a

teacup

A

WRITER: EVELYN CHOI (y10) ILLUSTRATOR: CANDICE LINCON (y11)

s she exited her neighbour’s basement, grubby duffel bag in hand, she had to blink several times to confirm that this was, in fact, her reality.

The amount of rubble that fell in through the basement door clued her in to the damage the storm caused, but she hadn’t expected total devastation. All she could see around her was ruin: first of houses, then of people. Paramedics, firefighters, and policemen swarmed the area, with countless more civilians milling about in various directions. She brushed her matted hair off her face as she squinted, trying to adjust to the startling sunlight. Where was her house?

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The wind stung her wounds, so she put down her duffel bag and inspected them– some from scrambling through broken windows, some from the fallen rubble– until a polite cough disturbed her. Her gaze turned away once again, this time towards the young reporter in front of her.

“Sorry, miss, I was wondering if I could ask you what’s in your bag.” Her stare remained blank, and so he hurriedly added, “I’m recording a segment on the importance of creating emergency kits during natural disasters, you see.”

“Sure,” she whispered, getting up. Even as she spoke, her eyes were concentrating elsewhere. This isn’t home.

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There was a clicking noise, and the reporter put a microphone in front of her as the cameraman behind him aimed at her face. “So,” he said casually, “tell me, miss, what do you have in that bag of yours?”

She unzipped her duffel bag and lifted out a first aid kit, then a few important documents, some food, and– The short gasp of the reporter stopped her. Her hand hovered above the glistening teacup, nestled within the folds of a small blanket. Shakily, her hands cradled around it and lifted it out of the bag.

Thankfully, the blanket had shielded it from shattering.

Her house was one thing, but the teacup was another entirely.

“Why, might I ask,” the reporter began giddily, “do you have a teacup in your emergency bag?”

She inhaled sharply as her vision tunnelled straight into the intricately detailed bottom of the cup. Her legs wobbled as she felt a wave of darkness overcome her, and she was suddenly deep in her past, her brain recreating every last detail of the memory...

“Kara,” her mother’s voice called.

She was home, and she was small. A small tea party was set up with her various dolls and stuffed animals, all sat down around a low white table. Light shone through an open window onto the teacups on the tabletop while the shrieks of other children and chatter of adults echoed from outside her room.

“Kara,” she heard again.

She looked up at the figure who stood by the doorway, hands curved around a cardboard box. Her mother walked over to the table and bent over to place the box on its surface.

“Happy birthday,” she heard, the soft voice somehow piercing through the ceaseless noise from outside.

Gingerly, carefully, her fingers picked the tape off the box, trying not to peel the surface of the cardboard, until it popped open to reveal a mass of bubble wrap. She already knew what was in it– she got the same thing every year, like rings on a tree– but unwrapped it quickly anyway. When she was done, she grasped the tiny, ring-finger deep teacup tightly in her palm.

“Do you want to come outside? We have cake,” her mother offered.

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She opened her mouth to reply, but found that no air could escape it, and the memory faded as her sight went black once again.

A huge weight overcame her. It took effort to keep herself from tumbling down. She opened her eyes to see herself, now adult-sized, reflected in a mirror, covered in tulle and pearls and masked by a veil.

Outside the back room she was in, she could hear the faint farewells of the leaving guests, but the room was filled with a calming silence.

The door behind her swung open and the cold night air came rushing in. It shut just as quickly as the man who opened it walked up to her and removed her veil. “Can you believe it?” he asked. “We’re finally married!”

They attempted to embrace, but the girth of the fairytale dress blocked them, so he backed off and smiled awkwardly. “Should– should I make tea?”

She nodded and waited as he brewed it, the gentle steam filling the air, until he returned with two gold-leafed teacups. She took it in her palms and closed her eyes. It smelt of quiet joy.

The scent disappeared and the heaviness on her shoulders was replaced by a burden less physical, but equally weighty. Her chest tugged towards the ground. She opened her eyes in panic– no, not this memory, not this one– and was greeted by a scene of hectic fury. He stood before her, eyes aflame and mouth twisted in anger, shouting so loudly that the entire world seemed to be shaking. She couldn’t make out his words, or her own: in fact, the noises coming out of her seemed to be nothing but a series of incoherent shrieks. Her head swam with fire and she stopped to take a breath as he turned and stomped out of their tiny apartment. He slammed the door shut and the walls shook. A cabinet flew open and out tumbled a torrent of porcelain, flashing and reflecting as they shattered on the ground with a deafening roar.

She stared, stunned, at the shards carpeting the floor, surrounding one intact teacup.

Another blink and she was in her neighbour’s lawn again, back in broken suburbia, faced with the blinking red light of a camera.

“Miss?” asked the reporter, and there was a thump as the last teacup hit the soil.

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alumni

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it to alum ni@c is.ed u.hk Got more alum ni new s? Send

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