Xiao Hua Issue 6 by Xiao Hua

XiaoHua

2012年六月

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2012年六月

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Xiao Hua

COVER IMAGE SHOT BY NATHANIEL CHAN CONCEPT BY LOUISE WIHLBORN AND KAITLIN CHAN

June 2012

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6| CHINESE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

HAPPENINGS 簡報 ALUMNI CORNER 校友專訪| 18 VIRTUOSITY-CHINOSERIE| 19

SCHOOLYARD 校園 HEALTH AND SOCIAL DAY 2012| 20 TEACHING MATTERS 老師專訪 | 22

MUSIC: WHY ALBUM ART MATTERS|

Illustration by NICOLE WANG 4 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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Xiao Hua

N CHAN

June 2012

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6 | CHINESE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

June 2012

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6 | CHINESE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

FEATURES 專題文章

SPORTS 體育

CCAS VS INSANE TUTORING | 50

PLAYERS TO WATCH | 104

IB/MYP: THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE| 56

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE TERM| 106

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROFILES | 68

MALE ATHLETE OF THE TERM | 107

Exploring the mix of East and West at CIS

ACADEMIC HONESTY | 68 Weighing in on this year’s hottest debate

CIS SPORTS REPORT | 108 Phoenix Athletics

ARTS 藝術

CLASS OF 2012 | 74 THE CHINA CENTRE | 80

EDITORIALS 觀點

FASHION | 111 出生入死的愛 | 112 WHERE ARE THE GREAT MASTERS?| 113

VIDEO GAMES & MODERN SOCIETY| 84

THE DEATH OF THE CD|

助人為快樂之本－快樂的源泉 | 86

小鹿鹿 | 116

LINSANITY: 亞洲小子的傳奇-林書豪 | 95

THE GAMBLER & MOMMA’S FRIEND | 117

THE APPLE FACADE| 88 BALLET- BEAUTY BEHIND STEREOTYPES | 89 MYANMAR TODAY | 90 HOW GRADUATES FACE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCHOOL AND THE ‘REAL WORLD’ | 91

ALUMNI NEWS 校友剪 STARS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

LONDON OLYMPICS 2012: MASCOT | 96 LONDON OLYMPICS 2012: EXPECTATIONS| 100

P.S: The Xiao Hua Editorial Board would like to send a special message to the Year 13s who founded this magazine and are graduating this year. Jonathan Lu, Angela Pan and Alina Luk have been amazingly patient and caring in allowing us to continue making Xiao Hua. We’d like to wish them all the best in their future pursuits, and we hope that we can always preserve the original vision of Xiao Hua. Thank you so much. You guys are best! Chan ‘13 (p.84) Photograph bythe Nathaniel

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XIAO HUA AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT Congratulations to our 120 student team for being awarded the Crown Award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The Crown Award is the CSPA’s highest honor for overall excellence. This includes print and online student magazines, newspapers, and yearbooks. Of the 1,351 entries this year, CIS was the only overseas school awarded the Gold Crown Award, and the only bilingual publication to be shortlisted as a finalist. 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. To view the announcement online, please visit the CSPA’s website at: http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2012-scholastic-crown.html

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 Assocation critique programs respectively for its 2010 issues. For more information and details, please email cis.xiaohua@gmail.com.

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PHOTOS: JE

Since 1992

2012年六月

PHOTOS: JEFFREY YEUNG, ANGELA PAN

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Xiao Hua

Faculty Advisor 指導教師

GEORGINA MARTIGNAGO

Editor-in-Chief 主編 JOHNSON PAK Managing Editor & Artistic Director LOUISE WIHLBORN, KAITLIN CHAN News Editor FRANCIS NEWMAN Features Editor YILING LIU Business & Communications Director BEATRICE YOUNG Chinese Editor MICHELLE LI Sports Editor NICHOLAS SUNG Production & Administration Manager CYNTHIA SO

News Editor 新聞編輯 FRANCIS NEWMAN Associate Editor: Voices 新聞編審 MEGAN FOO Associate Editor: What’s Cool 文化編審 DIANA DAI

Associate Editor: Editorial 社論編審 ISAAC LEE

Associate Editor: Arts 藝術編審 KAITLIN CHAN

Associate Editor: Creative 創作編審 JENNIFER HO

Reporters 記者 LORRAINE LEUNG, CHRIS NG, SOPHIE LI, BRIGITTE NG, JUSTIN CHAN, MIKA WYSOCKI, MIRIAM FINNEMORE CLAIRE CHEE, SABRINA YAM, FRANCESCA LI, CATHERINE WANG, BRYCE LIM, MIYEON KIM JENNIFER HO, SUNWOO NAM, BORIS BUT NATASHA CHAK, AGNES CHAN, EATON LAM, CHRISTY LEUNG BRANDON LIN, NICHOLAS LIN, JINYUAN LIU, ERIC TSE, JUSTINE CHEN

Features Editor 專題文章編輯 YI-LING LIU Contributors 特約記者 MEGAN FOO, CHLOE MOK, VERA LUMMIS, RENEE CHANG, ISAAC LEE, VIRGINIA HSU, ADRIEN YEUNG, ASPEN WANG, SUSAN MAGINN, SHIRLEY YUEN, NICOLE TANNER, MEGAN FOO

Senior Artistic Directors and Managing Editors 副主編及設計總監 KAITLIN CHAN, LOUISE WIHLBORN Assistant Artistic Directors 設計副總監 Nicole Wang, Chloe Mok Heads of Photography 攝影主任 NATHANIEL CHAN

Publishing Director 編輯主任 STEPHNAIE SO

Artists & Designers 設計師 SHARON YIP, NICOLE WONG, HYOJU SOHN, CHLOE MOK, LETITIA HO, NICOLE WANG, SCARLETT CHEUNG, AUDREY HIOE, JONATHAN LAW, ASHLEY LAW

Business & Communications Director 財務及傳訊總監 BEATRICE YOUNG Advertising Manager 廣告經理

HOI NING LIU

Production & Administration Manager 行政主任 NICHOLAS LAI

Project Directors 項目主任 DARREN CHONG, BRANDON LIN

Advertising Associates 廣告助理 ANGELA CHA, HOI NING LIU, ALISON CHING, CONNIE KANG, DEZIREE RAPI, VIVIAN TONG, STEPHANIE CHEUNG, DAPHNE NG, CLAUDIA NG TIFFANY LAU, CHRISTINE HO, NICOLIA NG, KENNETH LEE, CAROL CHAN, RACHEL CHAN, GILLIAN CHIU, ELIZABETH HO CHRISTOPHER WAN, CHERIE HO, JASMINE LOKE, AMANDA WONG XIAO HUA IS A REGISTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATION OF THE CHINESE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. THE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY 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 provided 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. For information on advertising and promotion, please contact Alina Luk at al.look@gmail.com, or call at (852) 6478 0234, facsimile (852) 2838 9596. Xiao Hua is not responsible for loss, damage or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited artwork (including but not limited to: drawings, photographs, or transparencies), or any other unsolicited materials. Those submitting manuscripts, photographs, artwork, or other materials for consideration should not send originals, 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 on to www.recyclenow.com and enter your postcode to find your nearest sites.

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EDITORIAL BOARD 編輯委員 1

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Beatrice Young Nicholas Sung Michelle Li Business Editor Sports Editor Chinese Editor Yi-ling Liu Johnson Pak Features Editor Editor-In-Chief

Francis Newman News Editor

Cynthia So Secretary

Kaitlin Chan Louise Wihlborn Managing Editors and Art/Layout Directors JUNE 2012

Nathaniel Chan Photography Director

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EDITORIAL BOARD 編輯委員 As a Business Manager, I lead the business staff in procurement of paid advertisements to defray the costs of production and operation. I also follow up on clients and provide additional leads to ensure quality and client satisfaction. 1

Beatrice Young, 17

This year was no doubt a challenge for the new Ed-board crew. We embarked on this issue Jlu-less, Angela-less and Alina-less. They were disheartenening losses - Xiaohua casualties passing on to the new world of (amazing, American, and not to mention Ivy League) universities. Despite the losses incurred however, we have pulled through - Xiaohua is alive and well and will continue to live long and prosper. 4

Yi-ling Liu, 17

As Sports Editor, I was given the wonderful opportunity to produce the Sports Section of Xiao Hua which concentrated on highlighting Phoenix school spirit: with new training programmes being implemented in various sports teams this year, Phoenix pride and team spirit dominates the air – I was able to identify numerous CIS athletes who have displayed immense enthusiasm and dedication to their sports for the past season. It was fantastic collaborating with the sports staff - who have worked extremely hard during the production stage - and it has been my pleasure reporting on an incredibly exciting and rewarding season for the CIS sports community. Phoenix all the way! 2

To quote cliche, with the closing of one door- marked by the deperature of our beloved predessesors- another door opens. This door is cookie-cuttered in the shape of the next generation of eager, fresh-faced CIS-lites which will either craft, be featured in or will flip thrugh the pages of this magazine. Xiao Hua will always be by the people, for the people and of the people of CIS. A big shoutout to the conitrbutors who have helped actualize our vision for this issue!.

一瞬間、一眨眼，一年的時光就這麽從我的身邊匆匆的溜走了。雖説這是我第一年加入校話這個大家庭，可我這一點一滴在幕後所付出的努力並不比任何人少。能夠為校話舉辦第一屆頒獎典禮，的確是我的榮幸；希望我們校話能再接再厲，為漢基製作出 9 一本又一本百讀不厭的校刊！ 7

Nicholas Sung, 16

Louise Wihlborn , 17

Cynthia So, 16

新的一年，又能與大家一起創造一本這麼多姿多彩的校話，真的令我充滿成功感。這一期的校話也多了很多中文文章，希望能夠鼓勵同學們多讀，多寫中文，培養對中國語文的樂趣。能夠帶領校話中文部一群才華出眾的筆者，我也感到十分榮幸。大家以後繼續努力，讓校話成為漢基的驕傲！ 3

Michelle Li, 16

Another incredible set of articles created by a team of dedicated writers. It is a pleasure to work with such a group of scholars. We have come a long way this year, and the quality of writing has improved considerably. Moreover, there is real depth in feeling in many of the articles in this issue, with reporters choosing topics they are deeply passionate about. I think that we have continued to achieve a lot, and that in the years to come Xiao Hua will continue to grow and improve. 6

Francis Newman, 15

Here’s to the writers, designers, photographers, business asscociates, and the edteam for pouring their souls in to Xiao Hua. Plus a shoutout to the readers who give meaning to the process, and the amazing Year 13s who built this magazine. Love to you all. 9

Kaitlin Chan, 17 Chloe Mok

Nicole Wang Louise and Kaitlin would also like to highlight the great contribuitions of Chloe Mok and Nicole Wang as our Chief Layout Designers. They have gone above and beyond in helping to put together the magazine and many of this issue’s amazing layouts are their creations. Xiao Hua is very grateful for their hard work and dedication to this issue and are looking forward to a future with them.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

wice a year, as the new issue of Xiao Hua becomes available to students, I find myself, as faculty liaison for the publication, impressed with the CIS student body’s haste to read, digest and reflect upon each and every featured article. Congratulations to our incoming Editor-in-Chief, Johnson Pak, along with his multi-talented team on presenting yet another thoroughly engaging and stimulating issue. Since Xiao Hua’s inception in 2010 we have not only seen continual growth in creative use of photography and layout design, but as each page progresses to the next we are treated to a visual feast for both the eye and the intellect. “Guaranteed 100% Pure Student Product.” I am continually pulled back to this phrase coined by Dr. Faunce in his June 2010 introductory letter to Xiao Hua, Issue 2. Studentled initiatives continue to be the driving force drawing us forward into Issue 6. Aspen Wang has presented an informative article on ISMUN – our first completely student-organized Model United Nations simulation that was held at CIS in March. MUN explores numerous issues such as Human Rights, humanitarian concerns and food security from a world perspective, as well as fostering many attributes of the IB Learner Profile – principled, reflective communicators. Continuing on in the vein of the IB Learner Profile – open-minded, balanced risk-takers Megan Foo has researched and written an article on the ground-breaking CIS China Centre (CCC) and what Hangzhou, its environs and the CCC curriculum have to offer our Year 10s. One of the myriad possibilities arising from the CCC will be its future collaboration with Xiao Hua, either as a magnet entity or as a digital contributor.

At this point I would like to take the opportunity to thank a CIS parent for a generous donation in support of Xiao Hua and its encouragement of young writers. I am in deliberation with Johnson Pak and his team on the best way to make use of this donation to provide an authentic learning opportunity for CIS writers and aspiring writers in either or both of our dual-language media. As you enjoy the 6th edition of Xiao Hua I ask you to applaud our success in providing a dual-language newsmagazine of exceptional caliber and enduring heart and soul.

衷心祝賀《校話》獲獎！

Georgina Martignago Faculty Advisor

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EDITOR’S LETTER

thank all the writers, editors, photographers, illustrators and advertizing associates for all your contributions that have made this issue of Xiao Hua possible. 012 is a year of change. Changes are going on all around us. We have a tendency to repel against changes because we are accustomed to the comforts of our beliefs and our environment. But I believe changes only make you stronger. In this exciting issue, we look at how in the next school year, Year 9 students look forward to a completely new experience at the China Center at Hang Zhou and I’m sure that this would definitely be an unforgettable year for them. Isaac Lee (Y13) looks at the IB Diploma Programme and interviews our graduating class so that our younger colleagues can benefit from their insights and advice on different subjects for the IB. Adrien Yeung (Y12) and Agnes Chan (Y11) look at how CIS students react to the supposed “End of the World” in 2012, reflecting on social values and regrets as the end nears (perhaps). After these thought-provoking articles, I encourage you to think, discuss and reflect with your friends and families and learn to appreciate the world around you.

2 W

e were thrilled when Xiao Hua was awarded the Columbian Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Crown Award at the CSPA’s March Convention in New York. This is the CSPA’s highest honor for overall excellence and we are delighted by this wonderful recognition of the talent, creativity, and hard work of Xiao Hua’s excellent staff. Working with our team of 120 students has been a very rewarding and remarkable experience and I must take this opportunity to applaud everyone’s hard work in creating another excellent issue of Xiao Hua. As one of the best school publications in CIS, Xiao Hua has become something that students and teachers look forward to reading twice a year. I have heard many congratulatory messages about the continued success of Xiao Hua and I thank parents, students, teachers and alumni for all of your enthusiastic support. The creativity and achievement of the CIS community are absolutely awe-inspiring. Through the medium of this school magazine, we have connected these people together, proudly showcasing our CIS spirit to all our readers. This is the first issue for which I have served as Editor-in-Chief, I have to admit that many things are very new to me. Nevertheless, through this inexperience, I have learnt to treasure the efforts of all my staff members. I would especially like to thank our talented Artistic Directors Kaitlin Chan and Louise Whilborn for all the time and effort you have put into this magazine. Along with that, I must

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成功不是偶然的，機會是留給有準備的人。我們看看籃壇新星林書豪, 他雖然經過多年的挫敗和困難，但仍堅持自己的信仰，努力不懈地奮鬥，克服種種逆境，終於遇到一次難得的機會可以表現發揮自己。他被世界視為「亞洲的驕傲」。林書豪曾說：「苦難磨練品格，產生忍耐，被擊倒也要試著站起來」。希望我們都能以林書豪為榜樣，學習他那份自強不息，永不放棄的奮鬥精神。同學們，做好準備，我們一定能成功！

Johnson Pak Editor-in-Chief

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 交流

LETTERS

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: comments.cisxiaohua@ gmail.com. The magazine reserves the right to edit submissions. All submissions become the property of Xiao Hua.

COMMENTS ON OUR ISSUE 5 “PRIDE AND SPIRIT” FROM ACROSS THE COMMUNITY LETTERS: Xiao Hua is a worthwhile school publication. I appreciate the fact that when I suggested improvements to the layout and readability of the magazine, they were taken in to account. Xiao Hua’s articles are consistently relevant and the magazine has helped foster a greater sense of connection in the CIS community. I understand that putting together the magazine must be a time-consuming and complex process, but I’d like for the magazine to perhaps include more experimentation with the layout design. Looking forward to the next issue. Nicholas Tse 11SJ

No. 5 January 2012 Chinese International School

ND PRIDEA

2012年1月

CIS PIRITAT

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Xiao Hua represents a good best tradition of CIS. We are very lucky to have such an an amazing student body to put together this magazine. A Year 8 student

This edition was the best one yet. The quality of writing in the magazine seems to grow with every edition.However, please do look out for early cuts in articles and small typos. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the issue a lot. Make sure to keep up the good work! Joel Chi 13HB I am always amazed by the sheer quality of Xiao Hua. I always ask myself when my son brings his copy home, how can it be only students who produce work of such calibre? I hope students will continue to express themselves creatively and openly in this magazine. Good Work. A CIS Parent

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PHOTO: NA

PHOTO: NATHANIEL CHAN

Let’s Hear From You! Comments (students, teachers, parents, alums): 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 four color graphics, it is also the only regular publication covering all aspects of CIS community life. Published twice a year, the magazine provides detailed coverage of school news, sports and arts. Features on student accomplishments, community news and cultural interests round out the editorial package. With an readership of over 3,000 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 has to offer. It offers advertisers access to an affluent community with a wide range of interests.

For more information on advertising and pricing, please contact: Business & Communications Department Room 1904, Chinese International School, 1 Hau Yuen Path, Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong. Tel: 6478 0234 Fax: 2838 9596 Email: cis.xiaohua@gmail.com 2012年六月

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HAPPENINGS 簡報

Alumni Corner

Hannah Short, Class of 2011, former Head Girl and fresh from her Gap Year, tells us about life after CIS. Why did you choose to take a Gap Year instead of going to college?

way to help empower students. On top of all that, I wanted to challenge myself and gain some work experience. Share with us the most unforgettable moments you had before you graduated CIS.

I chose to take a gap year because I think it is a great opportunity to get to know yourself outside the rigidities of school life. It’s given me the chance to think about what I like and want to do, and even about who I am as a person. Logistically I also wasn’t ready to decide on my future and where I want to go to university. Last year I was very undecided about everything, so I’m glad I took a step back and gave myself time to think. Additionally I also really wanted to travel and do the programs that I have done.

Can you share with us some of your experiences during your Gap Year?

I did a semester in the autumn at the Beijing Culture and Language University to improve my Chinese. I had four hours of Chinese class every day, and I really enjoyed it! My Chinese vastly improved, and I got a lot out of living in Beijing. I shared an apartment with a friend, so I also had to do a lot of domestic things. I also had two internships. One was for a month at the International Finance Forum, which organized an international annual financial conference. I helped to organize the conference, and I got to be personal assistant to one of the guest speakers at the actual event. It was a great experience, and I saw the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, give a speech, but it’s definitely not a field I’m particularly interested in. My main internship was with JUMP!, a social enterprise that runs leadership training programs for youth. I worked with them for 4 months. It was a really interesting job, and I got to do lots of different types of work because I had no fixed position. I was involved in everything from facilitation, to editing the newsletter, to brainstorming for our new website design, to participating in the JUMP! vision session (which was basically a 16 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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Photo courtesy of Hannah Short

meeting to plan the next 5 years of the organization). It was also very rewarding, and really great to work with like-minded people. They have also offered me a job working for them this summer, which I gladly accepted. I really enjoyed the independence I had in Beijing, and I had a lot of fun! Since then I have been doing a program called SeaMester, which is a college program on board a 112 foot schooner (sail boat). At the time of writing this I am currently in the Bahamas, two months into the three month long program, which sees us sail all around the Caribbean. I am having an amazing time sailing and scuba diving in some of the most beautiful places in the world while studying marine biology and oceanography (and seeing my class material in action!). The program has been pretty tough, but doing it is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. What inspired you to become an intern facilitator at JUMP! ?

I wanted to work with JUMP! because I did a program myself as a student and got a lot out of it, so I wanted to help give back to them. I also really believe in the power of youth, so I thought it would be a great

Too many to pick just one! So many great times with my year group, especially in the common room. Homeroom with the GHB's was also super enjoyable. I have to say prank day was awesome just because it was so much fun wreaking havoc on the school that I dutifully attended for 14 years. Spirit week and our pokemon battles on the courtyard were also hilarious. The GIN conference was definitely a highlight though - so great to see CIS as the host to such a positive event, and to witness CIS students involved in really meaningful work. Finally, also SUCH a relief to finish our IB exams!!!

Do you have any advice for current MYP students?

Do your best, you owe it to yourself. Do your work! Procrastination is the enemy. Get to know and appreciate your year group. Respect your teachers, they are an invaluable resource. Enjoy your time at school – it will be over before you know it (sad but true!), and if you're anything like me then you'll miss it loads!

Finally, do you have any teachers, friends or students you want to give a shout out to?

Ms.Chadwick and Ms. Rossiter: thank you for believing in me. FISHies: keep it up! IB students: you’re almost there...it's worth it in the end! JUNE 2012

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SCHOOLYARD 校園 AROUND CIS, ONE EVENT AT A TIME 校園活動

CHINOISERIE

漢基精神

The charity fashion show that has become a CIS tradition was a night of music, art and fashion with a blend of East and West. Well done to the organizers!

漢基在四月二十一號舉辦了第一次以中國風為主的時尚秀。同學們都十分享受這麼有藝術性的一晚！

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY

NATHANIEL CHAN

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SCHOOLYARD 校園

SCHOOLSPIRIT 學校精神

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SCHOOLYARD 校園

神

2011 Photo Credits: Louise Wihlborn, Kaitlin Chan, Anastasia Salnikow, Harry Salnikow, Alston Lau, Daniella Sabnani

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Photos: Beatrice Chia, Simon Watts, Louise Wihlborn 01/06/2012 5:48 PM

SCHOOLYARD 校園

老師專訪丁老師 BY CHRISTINA LEE 李鈺 20 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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Phot

SCHOOLYARD 校園

Photos:Cheryl Chan 你小時候就想做老師嗎，還是想做別的？丁：我也沒有想過自己會選擇做老師。不過那個時候選這行是因爲我跟我爸爸吵架了，而爸爸是不希望我做老師，而我就賭氣說，“好，你不想我當老師的話，我就去選一個你不喜歡的行業。”我就去當老師。因爲這樣所以就入了這一行。不過後來就開始慢慢地很喜歡。原來在一間中學教英文，後來就是轉行去這所國際學校教，跟著慢慢接觸到不同的學生，就慢慢地更喜歡做老師。你上學時是這麽樣的學生？丁：我是個很棒，名列前茅的學生，從小學到中學，一直都是學習非常好，每一次考試，成績都非常好。我剛是記那些東西記得很快，但是也忘得比較快。我想如果是換在現在，大家都會說我是“Teacher’s Pet”，就是老師會很喜歡你那種，因爲那時，我會為老師做很多事情啊，會幫同學，自己成績很好啊，就一直到大學。到大學就開始覺得不用花那麽多時閒，就說，不用那麽專嚴，不要把成績搞到那麽好，然後就開始看多點書，有些人生的規劃，哪些。就不再追求每一次都要考到第一或第二那樣。你生命中有沒有特別留下印象或者特別喜歡的老師啊？丁：其實我也是，我最喜歡的老師也是教我寫作的那個老師啊。我還記得他的教書方法。他使到我很熱愛寫作，是我大學的老師。你來漢基之前是在那裏做什麽工作的？丁：我最早的時間是在上海的一家中學做英文老師，然後就去了國際學校，在那裏教了三年。我因爲結婚所以就去廣州國際學校教中文，就教了六年。其實我又教過小學也有叫過中學。然後大概三，四年前，２００７年來到香港，到了漢基。我在上海的時候其實跟小學的Mr.O’Reily是同事，然後我在廣州的時候又跟Ms. Martignago 是同事。來到這兒才發現世界真的很小，又踫到了。從你們的經驗，有沒有些比較有趣，幽默，或是難忘的故事？丁：我之前有一個學生對我印象很深刻，因爲他說了一句話，讓我感到這行工作還是蠻有意義的。我教他就是那個 IB Diploma Program課程。最後一年的時候，就是他要考試的那一年，我因爲要來香港所以就不能再教他。因爲他是日本人所以他剛到中國的時候就有一個不太愉快的經驗，讓他不喜歡任何一個中國人。我要走之前，他就說，“你是第一個讓我尊敬和喜歡的一個中國人。”然後他問，“我畢業的那一天，你可不可以來參加我的畢業典禮？”那時候我已經來到香港了，但是我也有去。他這句説話讓我覺得做老師是一份很有意義的工作。 2012年六月

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SCHOOLYARD 校園

Ms. Sloane BY CHRISTINA LEE 李鈺

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SCHOOLYARD 校園

你小時候就想做老師嗎，還是想做別的？ Ms. Sloane：沒有，我從來沒有考慮做教師。我本來想做獸醫，因爲我愛動物。我一定想跟人在一起工作，但是不太清楚在那個行業。上中學時，我曾經試過爲人照顧孩子。暑假時，我當過“Mother’s Helper”，所以我一直都喜歡跟孩子在一起，跟孩子工作。可是，在大學要選科時，有人鼓勵我，他說，“你那麽喜歡孩子，不如試一堂兒童發展課程？”我在一間幼稚園開始工作，覺得很好。我小時候其實很不喜歡上學，所以有人提起當老師時候，我真的沒法想像。但在那所幼稚園工作時見到那些快樂的孩子，使我明白現在的教育跟我以前在學校的經驗非常不同，而且這些變化很令人鼓舞。所以我成爲了一個老師，最初在幼稚園教書，然後去教小學生。你上學時是這麽樣的學生？ Ms. Sloane：我不喜歡上小學，因爲我比班裏的同學都年輕，更有點幼稚，結果就是經常被同學欺負。我在小學時又沒有什麽朋友。所以我開始跟孩子工作的時候，我決定不要我的學生感到那份寂寞。在體育課，每一次要分組，我都是最後一位被選的。當時，對小學生的我來説，這是很淒然的。所以，我希望我的學生在我班裏都能有安全感，讓班裏的環境充滿愛。我一直堅守住這個準則，這是我成爲教師的原因。我念大學的時候，老師突然對我有更高的期望，課程裏多了很多小組討論，而我非常享受跟別人談話。大學就是一個很不同的環境。我去了一所很小的大學，所以有很多討論的機會，而我慢慢愛上討論。跟小學和中學一樣那麽悶地坐住聽課很不同。你生命中有沒有特別留下印象或者特別喜歡的老師啊？ Ms. Sloane：我最喜歡的老師，就是我現在還有聯絡的大學創意寫作老師。我剛開始上這堂課的時候就以爲會教我們怎麽樣教導孩子做有創意的寫作家，但突然之間，那位老師就是要我們做寫作，而我就對這主意很不舒服。不過，從第一天之後，我就開始很愛那個課程。最初，我的反應就是“我？寫作？我行嗎？”他真是教的很出色！他對生命，對寫作就是太有熱情了，而且他又很懂得鼓勵人，而創作了一個好像我剛剛講的那個安全的環境，因爲我當時很緊張，不想分享我的寫作品給整班看，但是他把那班的環境變得完全安全，而對他的工作很有熱情，所以那熱情就很有感染性。那個課程是全校最受歡迎的課程，每個學生都想上堂，他就是一個非常非常棒的老師。你來漢基之前是在那裏做什麽工作的？ Ms. Sloane：我在新奧爾良－我的家－教了幾年書，跟著就去了海外教書，去了伊斯坦布爾，意大利，還有在布拉格教了書，所以只就是我第四個國際學校，而我在海外教了十六年吧。全部加起來就大概二十年。我剛去海外教書的時候，還以爲只為了得到在不同的環境的經驗而教兩三年，但是我很快發現了這樣可以遇到很多很有趣，很有意思的人物，而且跟在家裏的生活非常不同，很刺激。但是我一直都是當老師，一直都是教小學。從你們的經驗，有沒有些比較有趣，幽默，或是難忘的故事？ Ms. Sloane：阿，其中一次最好的教書經驗就是有一次，我在教這位小男孩。他學習中遇到很多困難，整年多很有困難，而且自信心很低。但是他的問題不是那種很快就可以解除的。他問了他父母可不可以在我班裏留下多一年。這是挺不尋常的，雖然我沒有叫他留級，但是他竟然自己提議要留級的。他父母跟我和校長商量了一下，他確實是跟不上課程，所以我們終于決定讓他留級。最後我教了他兩年，而在兩年之間，這位曾經學習有困難的孩子有了不可思議的進步。在已經歷過的課程中，他搖身變成班裏的領袖，這加強了他的自信心, 我也很替他高興。這可算是個很特別的例子，令人鼓舞。

Photos:Cheryl Chan 2012年六月

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EASTE VOICES 心聲

Berlin

Krakow

Europe Travellogue

Ausch

European travel is often thought to entail strolling along the brightly lit Champs Elysees, frolicking along the French Riviera or sampling cheese in quaint Sicilian bistros served by waiters named Mario or Michelangelo. When we think about Europe, we always think Western Europe. Because the people are so outspoken and the sun is so vibrant, Western Europe often outshines its eastern counterparts, as if everything off the curved right border of Austria is the ducklings’ ugly siblings.

our first day in Not to mention, the food was deli- in Krakow, Poland, the sun and warmth ods and 21st century chatter seemed Prague On Prague, we took part in cious. It was Easter and the thriving had disappeared and the scarves and strangely out of place. We even had a a walking tour around the city with a rotund woman with a pink umbrella and a rolling Czech accent as our guide. I can honestly say the city was like a page ripped out of an ornate, leatherbound story book – it was full of intricate, gothic pre-12th century towers, small houses with red-tiled roofs and antique bookstores. Even the McDonalds by St. Vitus Cathedral, where the coronations of Czech Kings and Queens took place, had a stone-carved storefront, the golden arches meticulously assimilated into the vintage atmosphere. We spent the entire afternoon walking through the cobblestone Charles Bridge to the Old Town Square, the indisputable heart of Prague, a vast open space flanked by a blend of Gothic and Baroque architecture and the fairytaleesque Tyn Church. We strolled around Wencelas Square, a boulevard running down the city, where, in 1989, thousands gathered to shake their keys in celebration of the collapse of the Soviet Communist Party. I was perfectly content – the entire day, it was warm and sunny and I was beginning to believe the gorgeous weather had rendered my trenchcoat useless.

Easter Market served an mélange of Czech snacks – cinnamon rolls, fistsized strawberries dipped in chocolate, sauerkraut frankfurters, crisp roadside pizzas - for us to sample. By night, I had gained two extra pounds and Nutella stains graced the corners of my mouth. the Oloumouc Throughout trip, we spent time on the road, getting from one city to the next, and I feel obliged to write about a stop on the road from Prague to Krakow at the quaint town of Oloumouc. This obscure dot on the map was once the capital of Moravia until the 17th century, home to Moravian Theatre and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. When we visited, however, it was Easter Sunday, and a small Eastern European town on Easter Sunday is essentially a ghost town. Olomouc seemed almost like a movie set, full of empty streets and gothic gargoyles. Nevertheless, we had a plateful of duck breast and sauerkraut for lunch, for a price for which I would’ve gotten nothing for in Paris or Geneva.

Krakow By the time we arrived

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raincoats were taken out. It was beautiful nonetheless, in an almost antiquarian way. Eastern Europeans are proud of Krakow – it is perhaps the most important city not to have come of World War II looking like a trampled Lego set – even the Soviets failed to leave their mark on the city center during 45 years of supervision. Our guide Tomacz was sincere, witty and amicable, his friendliness particularly surprising given the hostile response we received from our hotel staff the night before. The people of the Polish tourism industry are without a doubt blunt, stoic and altogether not a cuddly bunch. However, from friendly Tomacz, I picked up several enlightening snippets of information. I didn’t know beforehand, for example, that the last Pagan Empire was in Lithuania, nor did I know that Roman Polanski’s film The Pianist was based on his very own experiences in Krakow, and that we had retraced his very steps. We walked to the Jewish Quarter, an area of peeling facades, wooden shutters and dozens of cafes, each one holding an air of pre-war timelessness. The area seemed to have not aged at all and our flashing DSLRs, Apple iP-

lunch of Motzaball soup in the exact restaurant in which Spielberg dined when he was forming in his mind the beginnings of an Oscar-winning film – Schindler’s List. We later visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The mine, thrown together by the forces of nature around 15 million years ago, is massive. To give you an idea of its size, the mine features, a 22,000 cubic metre Chapel, a salt lake that holds more than 300g of salt per litre and a hall big enough to fly a hotair balloon in. And everything was made out of salt – the mine guide explained to us that we could “lick everything except the tour guide and the statues.” Given this prompt, we excitedly ran our tongues across the salty walls like dogs lapping buckets of water until we had to leave, and a rattling high-speed mining elevator so cramped that our long-limbed history teacher was forced to crouch, brought us back to the surface. trip took Auschwitz Our a more somber turn when we visited the concentration camps Auschwitz I and II, a site where 1.5 million people were brutally exterminated. Before the trip, I JUNE 2012

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Des Ger and starc colo

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TERN VOICES 心聲 Prague

Oloumouc

Writer

Yi Ling Liu Layout Nicole Wang

Auschwitz

ese in cause urved

Despite this misconception, I decided to participate in a trip to this area for a week, starting with Prague, Czech Republic and ending with Berlin, Germany. From the first day onwards, when I stepped off the plane and into Prague, I noticed, indeed, obvious differences between the east and the west – the populace in the East are more reserved and stoic, the architecture more utilitarian, the speech more guttural, the food more starch-filled, the lifestyle more wallet-friendly. But in no way did Eastern Europe shine less vibrantly than the West – my eight days there were colorful and well-spent.

eemed had a exact dined nd the film –

thought I was well read on the Holocaust. I pored over countless films, documentaries, books and survivor accounts, from Elie Wiesels’ Night, to Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. I thought I knew enough. But I didn’t. There is no other way of understanding history’s most horrific genocide than by setting foot in Auschwitz itself. The sheer scale of the camps was overwhelming. Auschwitz II hosted 300 barracks and held up to 100,000 prisoners. It was stunning in a horrific way, so immense, so systematic, it seemed almost like an industrial plant, a blemish on Poland’s map. I walked on what I once saw only in the photos of my history textbooks - the entrance, designed to look like a train station to coax prisoners into entering the camp and the mangled remains of the crematoria. It was surreal. The Auschwitz museum shed more insight into the Holocaust than all the films I had seen and all the books I had read. Without being heavy-handed, the history of Auschwitz was presented in all its contexts, with a level of tact, poignancy and professionalism. We saw the blocks where prisoners were held captive and the ‘Death Wall’ where they were shot, but perhaps what alarmed me the most was the 2012年六月 seven tonnes of human hair displayed

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in a glass room, seven tonnes of human hair destined for German factories. Only then could I better understand the complete depravity of the Nazi death machine. arrived in Berlin exBerlin We hausted and moody after an overnight bus ride, with several nighttime stops at lonely gas stations to satiate pangs of nocturnal hunger. After a long nap, however, we awoke to noontime Berlin, a city that possessed a beauty more cosmopolitan than fairytale Prague. Berlin is a city of contrasts: a fusion of a utilitarian East and a romantic West. On one hand, there are remnants of the Soviet’s rigid, straight-backed architecture. On the other hand, there is the Reichstag, a stunning piece of architecture with Norman Foster’s signature glass dome and there the Brandenburg gate, where a man in a yellow chicken suit invited us to take photos with him. Being a fun-loving yet frustratingly naïve group of students, we bunched together and posed for the camera, unaware that he would later aggressively demand monetary funds for his service. It seemed only natural then, that we visited what was left of the Berlin wall, which once separated East and

West Germany. We went to the colorful Check Point Charlie museum, jam-packed with dramatic stories of separated lovers, of freedom-seeking families and fed-up senior citizens in the GDR who breached the wall. A lover of trinkets and memorabilia, I was tempted to buy an overpriced little piece of the wall held in a plastic box, but in fear that it may not have been a part of the famous wall, but perhaps a mass produced chunk of cement, I relinquished the souvenir and took photos instead. Berlin is also a hybrid of old and new, dotted with both medieval-era cathedrals as well as glossy modern structures like the Sony Center and the Daimler Chrysler complex. The Neues Museum on Museum Island epitomized this blend of old and new. Devastated during the war, the museum was only renovated recently in 2008, and was designed in such a way that the bomb marks, the signs of destruction and the history of the museum itself were integrated into the modern architecture. It was a remarkable achievement - the museum guide beamed as she showed us the new Neues, and I could not help but share her pride. We also visited Wansee villa, a pristine white house in suburban Berlin, where the Nazis decided on “The Fi-

nal Solution” – the decision to order the murder 11 million innocent people. It was such a stark contrast – the tranquil, upper class setting, all white houses and green lawns and the horrific documents of the Wansee conference. This is Berlin’s final paradox: it is a city where goodness and atrocity have existed side by side, a city of both beauty and horror.

At the Berlin airport, we stocked up on Haribo gummies and German chocolate in nostalgia and in hopes of reliving, even if slightly, the Eastern European experience back at home. I did not want to leave, and for that reason, it seemed even more fitting that I lost my Hong Kong ID while wandering around the departure gate. My heart thudded when I pried through my empty wallet. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to get back to Hong Kong, but a few more days in Berlin? In Krakow? In Prague? Perhaps get that hand-painted egg I wanted to get at the Easter market? Another day in Eastern Europe was tempting. But alas, that would be for another time my ID was found and my bags were checked in. | XIAO HUA 校話 | 25 漢基國際學校 01/06/2012 5:49 PM

中國 VOICES 心聲

近十年來的科技發展 Eric Tse 謝承潤 Layout

Nicole Wang

無論是想提高經濟建設，社會民生，科學文化還是節能減排都離不開科技發展。一切都是在圍繞著科技；而沒有科技，就沒有今天的中國。我個人相信“大進步，小困難；小進步，大困難；不進步，最困難”的思想。國家政府在“十一五”及“ 十二五”中，均推出的一系列發展科技的政策，並且取得佳績。從研究人員數量來看，中國雖然僅次於美國，但同時中國的科研投入也超過日本，排列世界的第二位。科學家們憑著堅定不移的毅力還有前所未有的創新能力，不斷研發出各種各樣能令中國更加昌盛的產品。

引下，中國政府一直重視科技政策。去年年初，中國政府制定了至2020年的中長期科學技術發展規劃，決定大幅度增加國家對科研的投入。目前中國的科研經費佔GDP的比率為1.4% ，中國政府的目標是達到2.5%。在這十年中，中國達到了許多目標，具體如下：

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核心電子器件、高端通用芯片及基礎軟件產品。此產品的研究目標就是提高高性

能計算機和網絡的應用。通過重點研究開發微波毫米波的器件、高端通用的芯片、操作系統和數據庫管理的系統，避免緩慢的數據傳送率和高度功耗，使它們分別達到10Gbps以上和 200mW以下。此變革的特征就是當軟件升級以后，及可將互聯網視為軟件開發和運作的平台，將軟件無縫的客戶端設備延伸到巨大的互聯網，實現一個高層次的資源管理與共享；它同時可以支持多樣性服務平台和多種新型網絡應用模式，形成新型、開放、可持續生長的信息系統。我國的互聯網系統可通過此技術從靜態、封閉、可控的環境逐步走向開放、動態、難控的服務化趨勢。由於網絡不同的承載量得到的空前的提高，信息，教學，娛樂，游戲等交流都可以更上一層樓；同時，由於可以更持久的保存各種資料，此軟件也可降低網絡詐騙或犯罪的風險，使政方調查更加容易。

新一代寬帶無線移動通信網。此技術的目標是研製具有海量通信能力的新一代寬帶蜂窩移動通信系統和低成本廣泛覆蓋的寬帶無線通信接入系統。任何智能儀器都可以一邊移動，一邊與互聯網連接，也不會影響其速度。一個具有特征性的例子就是高鐵，乘客可以在車廂內使用2G/3G，無線上網，數據服務與互聯網一直連接。此技術可以與之前介紹的技術互相結合，使智能儀器使用者無時無刻運用新型寬帶和高端網絡軟件視頻通話，長距離聯系，讓電話會議，長途見面不再是夢想。此技術更可以顯著我國在國際主流技術標準的提高，加大科技成果的商業應用，形成超過1000億元的產值，提供更多的商業機會。 JUNE 2012

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VOICES 心聲

載人航天與探月工程。此技術為多方面技術，目標是為了突破航天員出艙活動以及空間飛行器交會對接等重大技術。中國希望能夠建立一個人類可以短期在內生活，研究、而長期在軌自主飛行的空間實驗室，並且容易往裡面運輸必需品。這些技術是為了更加強探月研究的基礎，研製月球探測衛星，突破月球探測的關鍵技術，使全面開展探月工程成為現實。

轉基因生物新品種培育。此技術的目標是研究出安全，健康的產品，低投入的生殖出多種高質量產品，例如巨大的有機茄子，從而使農業可以健康，安全地發展。而重點研究基因克隆與驗證、規模化轉基因操作和生物安全評價三大核心技術，從而建立和完善優異種質的創新、新品種培育和規模化製種三大技術平台，獲得功能驗證的新基因1000個以上。從研究到實驗到生產、加工、經營、進口許可這些環節當中（包括最終產品、消費品的標識管理），政府都有一套法規制度。這實現了轉基因技術研發和應用的全過程管理，為此技術持續健康發展提供切實的保障。現今，我國有培育轉基因農作物新品種（系）100~150個還有轉基因動物新品種（材料）30個以上。

通標能移廣信儀一不具高廂上網以相用寬頻讓不可流大，產機 2012年六月

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但是，

目前我國科技的總體水平同世界先進水平相比仍有較大差距，同我國經濟社會發展的要求還有許多不相適應的地方。主要的原因是科學研究的實力不夠強，優秀拔尖人才也比較缺乏，科技投入不足。科學技術發展還存在著一些體制、機制性障礙，特別是自主創新能力不足已成為製約國家經濟社會持續發展的重要因素。即使在研究高新技術的道路上有重重阻礙，一路坎坷，但我國還是不斷努力，一步一步靠近這些未知的領域，希望能讓中國百姓的未來生活更加美好，幫助我們中國向小康社會繼續發展。而我們漢基學生也應該學習他們的創新精神，不斷努力，進步，發展，為祖國綻放光芒。

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INTOTHE

VOICES 心聲

MARINE

WONDE “77 to 63… It’s finished! We won! We won! Expo 2012 will be held in Yeosu, South Korea!” (26 November 2007, Bureau International Des Expositions)

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DERS Writer

Sunwoo Nam Layout

Nicole Wang

2012年六月

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WORLD EXPO 2012

@ YEOSU, SOUTH KOREA Since then, five years have passed. The countdown has begun for Expo 2012 Yeosu, which will write this picturesque port city into the history of world expositions. But before going further into the wonders of this year’s world expo, let’s get a better glimpse of what the world expo really is. The world expo is a large-scale, global, non-commercial, public exhibition, which aims to advocate the exchange of ideas and development of the world economy, culture and technology. Many exhibitors come and promulgate their ideas and achievements and this process greatly helps improve global relationships. The first expo was held in 1851 in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, under the title “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations.” The public event was an idea of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, and was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. As such, it has had an impact on the development of different aspects of society, from art and design, education, international trade and relations, and even tourism. Since then, accordingly, this world fair has become regarded as the Olympic Games of the economy, science and technology. This year, Yeosu, South Korea was able to grasp this golden opportunity for an international encounter opening under the imposing theme of “The Living Ocean and Coast”. This main theme of “The Living Ocean and Coast” conceptualizes the most covetable and desirable future for the ocean and the living kind, whose sound preservation and well-being is closely connected with the survival of humans. It will help diffuse light on humans’ knowledge and advancement of technology concerning the ocean and coast and resolve challenges facing the marine matters. In 1993, the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea went into action with the declaration that in settling various problems that the humankind has, such as resources, food, space and environment, the ocean has emerged as a crucial factor. However, intense industrial activities and developments have damaged the marine ecosystem and therefore reduced many aquatic lives. As a result, the ocean is now experiencing an acute crisis, because a harmed marine ecosystem, global warming and natural disasters aren’t just limited to a certain country or region, but spread out with global implications. Therefore, Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is themed on “The Living Ocean and Coast” with the hope that it will further emphasize and affirm the global effort to overcome such issues. The expo’s theme was then divided into three subthemes, which are: Coastal Development and Preservation, New Resources Technology, and Creative Maritime Activities. These themes are to be portrayed in different pavilions, such as The Korea pavilion, International pavilion, International organization pavilion, The big-o and Expo digital gallery. Yeusu expo is expected to apply the wonders of information technol30 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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ogy and virtual reality to showcase the futuristic preview of how the world might turn out to be in 2050. As this expo is a Korean cultural and academic festival to unify the global village, Yeosu will hold 34 colorful and enriching events taking place over 93 days. With participation of 106 countries all around the globe and 10 International Organizations, the harmony of the global choir will reverberate throughout the Yeosu Port. The Yeosu declaration to be adopted during the expo will be an esJUNE 2012

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sential chance to activate the international community and look at the importance of marine resources conservation while the Yeosu project will contribute to development of the human life by supporting solutions for developing countries marine vitamin problems. While this memorable and exciting event is in preparation, the Chairman of Organizing Committee for Expo 2012, Kang Dong-suk enthusiastically notes “It will be the most beautiful and meaningful Expo in the 160-year history of the Expo”. Likewise, this coming May 12 to August 12, 2012 in the New Port area in Yeosu, a wealth of new discoveries and new intellectual approaches is anticipated to be shared about the ocean and be exhibited inside the modern, unique pavilions. It will definitely be a great conduit for that communication: from person to person as well as nation to nation, as the world will come together to hpledge and enhance its cooperation to protect the ocean for the future survival of the world. 2012年六月

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世界末日

ENDOFTHEWORLD

There are two popular theories as regarding our potential doom on the 21st of December this year. What might happen? ENGLISH ARTICLE BY ADRIEN YEUNG CHINESE ARTICLE BY AGNES CHAN

LAYOUT BY NICOLE WANG

A man and a woman stand on a barren landscape. It’s eerily barren and the surrounding holocaust is bleak. The sky is radioactive shade of dark green and jarring yellow. The two figures step forwards to embrace. Behind them, a large explosion occurs, sending a massive wave of debris and energy towards the man and woman. There is a split second between the explosion of the bomb and their obliteration. Their charcoal black skeletons are clasped together, locked in a final kiss. Apart from being an iconic scene from Watchmen, this may be the dramatic finale that awaits us at the end of this year. No matter how we reigned in the New Year a few months ago, there was probably a little additional thrill as we faced the prospect of starting 2012. Would it be our last ever year? Phrases like “the end of the world”, an “apocalypse”, or “a bunch of nonsense” bounce around in are heads when we consider 2012. 在今年的12月21日，人類的時代會否徹底被畫上句號？ 32 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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2012年六月

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1 2

THE MAYAN THEORY

No.

The young boy anxiously consults the bronze almanac, his eyebrows furrowed in distress. He flicks his head impatiently, and the bronze bangles around his head make a nervous tinkling sound. Suddenly, he understands. He gives a cry of fear and jumps up, ripping the ancient prayer mask from his head. The boy races towards the Sacred Temple, and the banana leaves hanging from his mid-drift flap dangerously high. Panting, he reaches the Shaman and drops to his knees, crying earnestly. “Shaman, I have seen the future. The End is coming.” “Young being, calm yourself. It is-” “Please Shaman! I beg of you, in the name of Acan to listen to me! I have seen it! It will happen on December 21st 2012. It will happen then!” “Foolish young one. You call yourself a Maya? Our calendar simply ends on that date. It doesn’t cease to exist. Just as other calendars end after one year, our calendar will end too. Then, these other calendars will continue after they end, starting a new year. Our calendar will start a new cycle as well. That is all” “Oh.”

Brace yourselves. An unidentified planet known as Nibiru was discovered thousands of years ago by the Sumerians. We don’t know where it comes from. We’re not even that sure who the Sumerians are. But we do know that Nibiru is heading for Planet Earth. That will be it. The End of the World. We originally thought that the collision would occur on May 2003, but nothing happened. So we’ve decided to push the day up to December 2012. That way, it coincides nicely with the Mayan theory. We don’t need scientific backing. We don’t need evidence. An Internet hoax is enough to induce fear, because it adds drama to our lives. Impending doom and inescapable disaster. It’s just like the caption for some stupid Nicholas Cage movie, and we love it. If we look at the world through a relatively gloomy lens, our situation isn’t ideal. Some can say that the way our society is constructed doesn’t merit much praise. There are many faults and countless problems that seem to repel solutions. At school, we’re taught to be globally aware. We know about Tibet’s longstanding fight for independence. We

No.

THELOGICTHEORY

know that the world’s poorest people live on US$1.50 a day. We know that countless have no access to clean and safe drinking water. There is an inordinate number of charities and organizations that attempt to ease the suffering, but are they enough? We are constantly reminded about these issues in our textbooks, in the news, and everyone talks about those “pressing social issues” incessantly. Yet, our minds turn blank and gloss over the blurring facts and statistics. The way our society is built makes it hard to avoid the trivial lifestyle of the developed world. There, we Keep Up With the Kardashians, and we eat sushi and fro-yo. The advertisements teach us to crave for materialistic goods, to feed into the massive bubble of consumerism. Those global issues that really do matter soon fade. They become faceless issues 34 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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to which we can’t really connect to, since the Internet and communication via television is somewhat lacking, despite the fancy images. Does enough of us know that the government that Joseph Kony is fighting against is also guilty of genocide and violating human rights? The events happening in Greece and Syria cross our minds, but we can easily forget them since they are happening so far away. Even if we are worried, it’s because it sounds so terrible. Civil unrest in Homs? More austerity measures? We feel bad because the problems sound bad, but not necessarily because we truly care. Of course, this isn’t to say that we are soulless and self-absorbed. Simply, it’s hard for many to truly empathise with these plights around the world. Most of us think briefly about these issues after watching the JUNE 2012

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n w t f Y t a w c e a a F L j i s s e o v b b t i i n c b T e y n E i T h n j p t t o T t o T n n c t fi h a a a W I p I e

s t , . .

! n

y s r r

e e y e c r d

e e t e

d e -

, o o e e o t e

news or reading an issue of Newsweek. Few of us actively research the affair and treat these matters as food for thought. Yet, with 2012 it’s different. It threatens our existence, and that appeals to our fear of a world without humans anymore. How can everything that we have built, everything that exists suddenly disappear? The prospect of having a deadline for living is terrifying. Fewer days. Fewer opportunities. Less time. How could everything just be completely destroyed? 2012 is frightening because it rocks our sense of stability. Our concrete skylines are designed to stand forever, yet they can crumble in seconds. The mountains ranges and vast expanses of oceans are symbols of permanence. They have been present for millions of years; they are foundations. The possibility of all this disappearing is unimaginable. There would also be no trace of our existence left. Our culture and our customs could just be obliterated. There would be no record of your existence. Nothing to certify that you were a part of something, nothing to show that you mattered. Earth could just collapse and vanish. Then, we have the majority that is highly skeptical of the 2012 phenomenon. How could the world just “end”? Where is the scientific proof ? Even NASA has debunked the stupid Mayan myth. What is the point in getting so worked up over something that is so stupid? This is probably just something that a bunch of conspiracy theoryobsessed geeks has concocted. Those who feel that the 2012 phenomenon is pure garbage will sadly notice that it has infiltrated our culture in many ways . Obviously, the 2009 blockbuster 2012 was a film unlike any other. It featured headache-inducing acting, a weak and cheesy script, and stupidity in apocalyptic proportions. We can also enjoy Britney Spears’ “Till the World Ends” and Jay Sean’s “2012: It ain’t the end”. Why has the 2012 phenomenon become so popular? It’s sensationalism. The thrill and excitement is intriguing, and facing 2012年六月

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VOICES 心聲

THEENDTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDTH DTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDT THEENDTHEENDTHEENDTHE DTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDTH DTHEENDTHEENDTHEENDTH

such gloomy prospects is never so hard when you are sitting in a comfy cinema chair, munching buttery popcorn. All this endless hype over an insignificant issue has overblown the conspiracy completely. Images of large tsunamis in New York, snow in New Delhi and hailstorms in Japan are fed into our brains. Many media industries have taken advantage of pseudoscience to earn a quick buck. Promoters of 2012 massively abused stealth and viral marketing to appeal to a wide audience. Their efforts included launching a website for the fictional “Institute of Human Continuity”, in which movie-watchers could take part in a lottery where winners would be part of a small community that would be saved from global destruction. It worked. Many panicked and NASA was swamped with enquiries regarding the end of the world and some people even contemplated suicide. Sick marketing habits aside, what will the 2012 phenomenon actually mean to us? Although it may not mark the Earth’s destruction, it could simply be a change in the way we live. Has the fear resulted in a change for the better? Will there be increased efforts to find solutions to global warming? Will there be increased efforts to meet the Millennium Goals and help the less fortunate in the world? Will there be an end to triviality in our society? Obviously, the political world isn’t bracing for December 21st and there are international policies and provisions made for 2013 and beyond. What do people in CIS think? In a survey of 232 members of the secondary student body, it is clear that the majority of the responders have disregarded the phenomenon as utter rubbish. However, the are those who genuinely fear the 21st, and they may in fact be right to fear. Who knows?

“世界末日”本來是掙扎在地獄邊緣的詞，但今日這四個字卻掛在我們的嘴邊，似乎近在咫尺。我們曾對那一連串的預言聽而不聞，但最近《2012》的電影和科學家的肯定使我們不禁認真考慮世界末日的可能性。要是那些聽起來荒誕不經的預測真的實現了，我們該如何面對世界末日的來臨呢？最後這半年又該怎麼渡過呢？最先預言世界末日的，就是歷史長久的瑪雅人 (Mayans)。瑪雅人的長歷法（Long House Calendar）說明：在每個太陽紀的末期，地球都會陷入慘不忍睹的悲劇。太陽紀只有五個循環，而在最後一個年紀的末期，太陽就會完全消失，而我們的地球就會徹底毀滅。從古至今，瑪雅人沒有用任何科學的器材，都能準確地計算出地球和金星的自轉公轉週期。他們計算出來的數據竟然跟現代的科學家計算非常相近，所以他們預測事件的本領是不可小覤的。當然，現在的科學家對他們的哲學也提出了異議。他們批駁：所謂第五太陽紀的末期，其實只不過是新時代的開始。瑪雅人歷法中寫的“零日”只代表當前的世代已結束，因此1,872,000天的時代便再次從零算起。至於瑪雅人的預言是真是假，我們只能拭目以待。世界末日有可能出現嗎？最近幾年，人類確實面對許多危機：核電站的爆炸，全球暖化，冰川融化，空氣污染等。這些災難的出現，完全是人類一手造成的。人類因為不斷地浪費紙張，電，水等地球上的資源，才會導致環境的惡化，引致科學家運用危險的核電來取代污染環境的化石燃料。由此看出，核電站的爆炸也是人類過度浪費資源而造成的災難。地球的資源根本就不能滿足世界上70億人的慾望。因此，人類應該愛護大自然，否則極可能遭到自然界的報復，逐漸邁向世界末日的一天。長輩們經常向我們嘮叨，“不要等到世界末日才珍惜你身邊的一切。” 確實，對於當時沒有理會勸告的我們，世界末日的來臨勸著我們要更加珍惜眼前剩下的時光。說來奇怪，為甚麼我們人類偏偏要等到最無奈的時候才來聽從他人的勸告呢？為甚麼只有危急的壓迫，才能作為我們行動的推動力？在如此短暫的生命裡，把每一天當成最後一天來過，我們才能夠無悔地面對黑暗降臨的那一時刻。漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 35

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No - 68%

Do you really think the world is going to end?

THECIS PERSPECTIVE

Yes - 6%

Don’t Care - 5%

Don’t Know - 21%

What do you think will happen on December 2012?

Perhaps just a change to our lifestyles? 26%

No.

The End - 3% Don’t Know - 9%

Just any other normal day - 61%

Certain responses have perfectly encapsulated the scorn and contempt that most feel towards the entire theory: “The idea that once a calendar ends so does the world is preposterous because the only thing that happens when a calendar ends is the start of a new calendar.” Year 11 “I think it’s just going to be some big realization that the Incans just ran out of stone/papyrus/whatever they used to print calendars. Even though it is marked as being the end of the world, it is noted that the Incans never actually stated the world’s “End of the World”; they simply said “End of a Cycle”. Most probably, we will just find out that the Incans had a really sadistic sense of humor, seeing us run around panicking like mad.” Year 10

Other responses have provided highly astute opinions on the way our world behaves: “I think it is a very sad reflection on the power of the media today. A movie using simple and easily toppled evidence for an extreme, impossible event can create panic amongst people and can create all sorts of problems, all simply because it was a good and compelling film. People need to learn that movies are movies, and all movies are made for entertainment and often ignore all scientific principles. This is really an issue that must be brought up in today’s society.” Year 9 Some responders have a very dramatic (and interesting) flair to their thoughts: “There’s a whole movie based on the premise that because the Mayan Long Count calendar ends on the very precise day of 12/21/12, the world will also somehow end. It was absolutely ludicrous, complete with terrible acting and highly artificial CGI. Perhaps humans are only satisfied with these apocalyptic predictions and conspiracy theories which claim that a New World Order will be established from the ashes made on that day. We saw a predicted rapture last year that came and left without much publicity. We will see another highly anticipated day go by on that day, and the wild fantasies of those believers shall be crushed into millions of little dust particles.” Year 12 36 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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Food for thought: “We need 2012 to remain fearful of something, otherwise we will get complacent and narcissistic as a species.” Year 8 Some interesting opinions: “I do think that once in a while, we do need to be reminded of such a possibility that the life you planned so carefully for might just end tomorrow. It’s this possibility that makes people really realize (or be reminded of) what is important to them.” Year 13 “We do kind of deserve having the world end because who else could we hold responsible for destroying the Earth?” Year 8 “I don’t think we deserve it. Human beings haven’t reached their peak in terms of research and innovation. It is unfair to destroy people’s dreams and die without knowing the truth to many phenomena.” Year 9 And a personal favourite: “Gg” Year 13 JUNE 2012

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In the end, 2012 may not be the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it. It may bring a radical change in thinking, a change in the way society operates. It could be like a diluted version of Project Mayhem (Fight Club), where social ills are properly addressed after increased awareness. Or it may occur on a smaller scale, with slight changes in thinking by individual members of a community. Anything should happen. The fear of our possible demise may actual propel us to act, to make the most of our life regardless if anything may happen. Alternatively, nothing can happen at all. Those who choose to spend their last night partying in Lan Kwai Fong may hold their breath as the countdown to the 22nd occurs, and then celebrate even harder as the moment passes and life continues. The skeptics will awaken on the morning of 22nd, with a smug smile on their faces. Only the true pessimists will curse fate, and mourn for the death that never occurred. The end may indeed be nigh, but there is really no way of knowing what may happen. Perhaps the next issue of Xioa Hua will be published on Mars, where the few surviving human beings will have sought refuge. Who knows? We’ll just wait, and see.

, s

o u w. e ”

讓這次死亡的意識先聲奪人，作為我們改變精神的激勵。否則，在世界徹底毀滅之情況下，我們渡過的前半生也只是完全虛擲了。其實，世界末日不是最可怕的。最可怕的就是到了世界末日的那一天，我們才開始回想虛度的日子，後悔自己沒有好好珍惜身邊的一切。

t e ”

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N U

M S I

WRITER: ASPEN WANG PHOTOS: NATASHA CHAK

Most students at CIS have heard of the MUN club, many aren’t fully aware of what it is or how it works. MUN stands for Model United Nations, and functions exactly how the name suggests: a simulation of the United Nations organizations. Topics covered often include human rights, nuclear nonproliferation, and world trade. MUN is not only important because of what it represents (an increasingly interconnected world), but it offers a platform for students to hone their debating skills, conduct independent research, and understand what it really means to be diplomatic and truly represent one’s country. It is a tool that allows CIS students to attain greater knowledge of the world around them, and to craft experiences and friendships that will be fondly remembered even when the events are over. With CIS going to internationally recognized BEIMUN, HKMUN, LPCMUN, SEOMUN and SEASAC, last week CIS caught the spotlight with its very own and very first Inter-School MUN, and we will now take a look at the weekend’s events. MUN is a lot more than just a fantastic after school activity. For a few, the charm of MUN comes from the possibility of an advanced social networking base and the confidence MUN imbues in a person, for some, it is the impressive stamp of the acronym “MUN” on the report cards, and for the rest, it is the art or mental stimulation derived from a sophisticated debate. Some schools have even elevated the role of MUN as part of their teaching curriculum as a subject. Nowadays when you go out, nearly everything we buy is from outside Hong Kong. From Swiss cheese to Taiwanese iPhones, evidence of our increasingly global economy is ever present. Proof of this doesn’t just stop with the goods we buy. International relations, world history and current events are slowly creeping up into school curriculums, as well as every day conversation. This increase in globalization means that it is imperative that we as students understand the way the world works, and works together to become better global citizens. When we have issues such as Iran enriching its Uranium, an Arab Spring in the Middle East, the continued tension between DPRK and South Korea, all of these sending off ripples that ultimately affect HK itself, we are catapulted into a reality where events can create domino effects and are not isolated instances. As much as the UN tries to deal with it, it will come to pass when a new generation arrives and becomes the next proponent of change, and training for that starts now. 38 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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JUNE 2012

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highlights of questions for the secretary generals ISMUN VOICES 心聲

Six Party Talks // Davis Wong & Colin Diersing Topic: A North Korean nuclear launch facility has been found by a South Korean spy satellite. The US proceeds to back South Korea with its military and the two Koreas prepare for war. topic Representatives from Russia, Republic of Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, United States, People’s Republic of China, and Japan reconvene the Six Party Talks in desperate hopes of finding an agreement to avoid conflict. Highlights: 1) An issue that continues to puzzle greatest global minds – not an easy issue 2) Delegates managed to find consensus on a draft statement that would in theory solve it 3) Chairs were impressed with the quality of debating and the improvements of delegates.

2 Security Council // Aspen Wang & Justin Lee Topic: The Security Council had to manage crises in both Egypt as well as Libya. The Egyptian military regime has again refused to hand power back to the democratic government following a suspected insurgence. Egypt is now in a state of emergency. In Libya, the tribal leaders and warlords of the East have declared full self-autonomy, sending Libya into civil war. The Libyan National Transitional Council has condemned this and has threatened to use military force if necessary. The Security Council meets in Hong Kong to discuss and find a solution to these issues. Highlights: Syrian Arab Republic attempted to remove the United States’ veto rights, but ended up trying to remove the delegate of USA’s speaking rights for 10 minutes. 3

North Atlantic Council // Lorraine Leung & Francis Newman Topic: The President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, has died in Damascus. The circumstances surrounding his death are unknown, but an already volatile nation is in danger of being thrown into anarchy. Highlights: 1) Trying to solve one of today’s most urgent issues 2) Delegates succeeded in doing quite a lot to ensure future stability of Syria 3) Notable amount of improvement

Advisory Panel // Elizabeth Tse & Clement Chan Topic: Sudden Abduction and kidnapping of Aung San Suu Kyi Highlights: 1)Deals with the situation in several aspect 2) Established a committee to investigate the situation 3)Electoral transparency in Myanmar 4) Had a fruitful debate on an eight-word clause Finally let’s not dismiss the fun of MUN. At the end, there is traditionally a third world war set off, an expulsion from the committee, or if in the Security Council, a robbing of veto rights for one of the P5. If you think that’s ridiculous, be prepared for the mountain of analogies some delegates stock themselves up with just to warm the atmosphere of a timid committee. Last but not least we have a typical set of Superlatives sheet that gives awards to the best delegate and the “funniest delegate” or the “most attractive delegate”. Those are just the common ones, but really they’re limited only by the committee’s imagination and inhibition to be awkward. As previously stated, in MUN students must assume the role of a delegate representing a country and not their own view points. In doing so, they have certain stances on a variety of issues, and must balance bolstering their view point in a debate while maintaining diplomatic relationships. Delegates are expected to create clauses which are the building blocks for whole resolutions which, if passed, bind all nations involved with the actions specified in the resolution. Although there is a specific way of formatting the clauses/resolution as well as several formalities/procedures in debate, it is essentially about composing a promise that nations are willing to be bound to and to act on. Speeches are made in the attempt to defend or attack the underling core principles of such clauses/resolution, allowing delegates to engage in the beautiful art of persuasion. If used strategically, POIs can also become a form of poignant attack or solid support. 2012年六月

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1. Why did ISMUN make crisis management a key theme in the conference? In recent years, our world has been confronted by many emergency issues: devastating earthquakes and natural disasters, the Arab Spring, the international debt crisis and more. These situations call for the United Nations, with its potential to safeguard international peace, to rise to the forefront of efforts to deal with these emergency crises and combat arising issues despite the relative lack of information, personnel and resources. With this in mind, we selected the theme of “Crisis Management” for the inaugural ISMUNHK conference. Many MUN conferences lack the element of surprise, and hence do not fully portray the UN aspect of dealing with an unexpected crisis. This theme fully simulates the real United Nations - specific topics are unknown and resolutions are unwritten until the actual crisis occurs. 2. Who decided on the crisis topics and how did you decide on them? The Chairs of each committee were responsible for coming up with their own topic ideas, which had to be approved by the Secretary-General and DeputySecretary General. During one of our Officers Meetings, we went over the Chair Reports and also discussed potential ideas for the specific crises with the Chairs. However, for the most part, the crises were all managed by the Chairs -- the SecGens were mainly present to make sure they met the deadlines (or at least their extended deadlines). 3. Which schools came? CIS, Island School, CDNIS, HKIS, ISF Academy, a few independent delegates, and one chair from LPC 4. Did you find the conference a success? ISMUNHK was a huge success. All four committees (Security Council, Advisory Panel, Six Party Talks, North Atlantic Council) were extremely active and pragmatic in debating solutions. Over the past two days, we have definitely seen an improvement not only in delegates’ speeches and understanding of rules and procedures, but also in terms their pragmatic problem-solving abilities. ISMUNHK has turned out to be everything we envisioned it to be -- a small, focused conference that is both intimate and intensive. As the inaugural conference, having five schools was perfect as this number kept the committees small and manageable. While the amount of communication required between other schools and the (7- student) organizing board was manageable, we still had balanced committees with a variety of delegates from different backgrounds, and with different ideas. We definitely hope to see more schools participate in the future, and we’re certain that ISMUNHK will continue to grow and develop next year, under the leadership of the current Y12s 漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 39 and Y11s.

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THE LOWDOWN ON THE LATEST MOVIES, BOOKS, FOOD, MUSIC AND MUCH MORE

GRAPHIC BY KAITLIN CHAN 40 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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ADVICE ? DR. LINGERS

Dear. Dr. Lingers, I look in the mirror and I hate what I see. Please help me out! From, Insecure

your loving confidant

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. We’d love to hear from you. Just

Ask

Amy

cis.xiaohua@gmail.com

Dear Insecure, Firstly, thank you for writing your message so shortly and so sweetly – concision in a plea for advice is always desirable, especially when your name is Dr. Lingers, and you have to trudge through pages of whining on a daily basis. On the other hand, your statement of concern suffers from ambiguity. What exactly is it that you hate? Your height? Your bald spot? The nostril-shaped mole on your left collarbone? The shininess of the mirror? In order to achieve accuracy in my response, I have attempted to cover solutions to the typical sources of mirror-gazing displeasure. I’m too short To be honest, height isn’t really an aesthetic flaw. Usually people want to be tall because a) Tallness implies power, b) They want to model, c) They want to be Yao Ming. If you fall into the latter two categories, my apologies, but here is the bitter truth: you will not be a model, and there is only one Yao Ming. Option a), on the other hand, is a myth. Napoleon conquered Europe at 5”7, Keats spouted Ode to Grecian Urn at 5”2, Jada Pinkett Smith owned The Matrix and landed Will Smith at 5”. Deng Xiao Ping (short AND ugly) implemented the Four Modernizations that awakened the economic beast that China is today. The CCP kowtowed to him in spite of his shortness and ugliness. So myth busted tallness does not imply power, shortness does. I’m too scrawny Simple solution to scrawniness: Gym and protein shakes. (Consult Alistair Liu 12HK if you want specific workout moves, like how to do a triple deltoid manutoid twisty twist.) I’m overweight Simple solution to excess weight: Gym and lettuce. (Once again, Alistair can help you in the gym and I can source the lettuce.) The bathroom mirror is too shiny Try something less reflective. Mirrors are designed so that light waves oscillate and travel in an angle (larger than the angle of incidence) to achieve complete internal reflection. For something duller, try a glass window, the Victoria Harbour, or a bald forehead. Ultimately though, my general advice to you is to stop looking in the mirror. Narcissus froze after catching quick glimpses into the river too often. He died. In the movie Mirrors (I highly recommend it), the protagonist stares into a mirror for too long and a demon with mouth and teeth instead of eyes emerges from its depths. Listen to my advice if you’d prefer your innards to remain intact. Lots of Love,

Dr.Lingers 2012年六月

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漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 41

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Diary of A Teacher

photos by Jessica Eu & Sophia Ginsburg

Chris Caves

For other uses, see Teacher (disambiguation) Teachers (singular Teacher, latin Teacherius) are a genus of organisms that instruct and inspire, inhabiting the educational habitats of continents worldwide. There are about 64 known living species of Teacher, such as the Economics Teacher (Teacherius Economus) and the Math Teacher (Teacherius Mathematicae). They have had long interaction with Students, and their primary functions include educating, encouraging and instilling fear. Female teachers are all given the prefix Miss, Ms. or Mrs., while male teachers are given the prefix of Mr. Teachers belong to the scientific family Educatus. ADRIEN YEUNG During the reception era, the student was much simpler. Our brains were not tormented by prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the disappearance of the Mary Celeste or the cause of Miss Havisham’s mania. Our prehistoric lifestyle required only basic cerebral functions. Crayola or felt tips? Who to share the morning snack of Pretz with How to rig duck-duck-goose so that the girl we don’t like so much gets left out? The evolution of the student is long and illustrious, but even the brightest of our kind have made mistakes. We once believed that Harold, our best friend and favourite giraffe from the LEAP van, was real. Similarly, we had misconceptions about the Teacher. Ancient records have demonstrated that one of our previously upheld beliefs was that the Teacher permanently resided in the habitat of the classroom. However, there have been sightings of the Teacher in Times Square, and even as far from school as Central. Our entire fundamental understanding of the Teacher has been shaken by this discovery. The Teacher is a unique and unpredictable creature. Even the great David Attenborough himself has admitted defeat in trying to understand the complex species, but recent investigations by National Geographic and the Discovery Channel have shed light on the Teacher. These beings are far more versatile and diverse than we previously thought. Fortunately, Xiao Hua has visited an area that is high in Teacher population, and our findings have prompted even NASA and the Royal Geographical Society to make changes to their theories based on the data collected. We have studied the unknown Teacher by investigating a sub-species of the history Teacher, known in the local tongue as “Mr. Caves”. Hi Mr. Caves. Thanks for meeting with me. To begin, which classes do you teach? Well, I have a homeroom - 12HK. I see them every morning. I also teach two Year 9 History classes, one Year 10, one Year 11, a Year 12 HL and a Year 13 HL History class. How long have you been teaching at CIS? Have you taught other schools before? It’s been four and a half years. I have taught at a few other schools in Scotland and spent most of my time working in Edinburgh before moving to Hong Kong in 2007.

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In the last few years, have you noticed any unique characteristics of the standard “CIS students”? Are we very different from the students in Edinburgh? There are some significant differences between CIS and the school I worked at before moving here. My previous school was a boys only boarding school, and obviously the school day was much longer there. But it is hard to generalize regarding CIS students. I’d say that many are definitely sleep deprived! Sometimes that is very noticeable in class. Better time management and less procrastination would undoubtedly help in this regard. However, there are many more pluses than minuses, because CIS students tend to be intelligent, talented, articulate, hardworking and very pleasant. When teachers are asked what is the best part of working at CIS, very often the response is “the students.” What were you like as a student? Are there any similarities with a CIS student? I would say that I was relatively hardworking, and I was happy with my grades. I think that I definitely valued opportunities outside the classroom as much as those inside it. I participated in school plays, and I thought that sports and other extra-curricular activities were a really important part of my education. Still do. What plays were you in? I was in my school’s production of Charles Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby. I played Newman Noggs, who is Ralph Nickleby’s clerk. It was a huge production in the sense that the Directors (two of our teachers) decided that we would have to split the play into two parts, each being about 3 hours long. It was a lot for the audience to sit through, two evenings of 3 hours each, but we loved it, had a great time, got pretty good reviews and learned a huge amount about theatre. More importantly though, we learned about how to work together effectively in a large group of people. JUNE 2012

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urg

Have you ever experienced any culture clashes with the students? For example, when students started using weird words like “pwned”? It took me a little while to figure out “pwned”, but I got there in the end. “True that” is another phrase that was new to me, but now and again I catch myself saying it to my mum and dad on Skype and they look at me in utter bewilderment. There have been a number of embarrassing moments, I remember during my first year at CIS, I thought that I would illustrate how clued in I was at Chinese New Year by asking everyone in one class if they had enjoyed getting their “lychee” packets. The looks on their faces indicated that I’d got that quite wrong, so I attempted to redeem myself by saying, “Sorry, not ‘lychee’, I meant ‘kimchi’”. At that point, I think a few of them were on the verge of walking out, such was their disgust.

Now, moving on to the humanities department. Would you say that you are a tight-knit group? For example, do the history teachers like to celebrate important historical dates? Yes, we are a tight-knit group. I think we work well together, and there is a bit of give and take. Miss Lau, aka ‘The Chairman’ definitely keeps us in line. Do we hang out? Sometimes on a Friday after school some of us will go for a bite to eat and a drink, and usually once a semester, we all get together to go out for dinner. As sad and lonely as we are, we are not yet formally celebrating any historical dates!

What is the staffroom like? The staffroom’s a good place to go for a break, have a cup of tea, and maybe read the paper or chat to other teachers. And on the rare clear day, the view of Hong Kong harbour is simply spectacular. I suspect the staff use the staffroom a bit like how the Year 12’s and 13’s use their common rooms, but perhaps with a bit less gaming… (cough cough)

Are you friends with any other teachers at CIS? Yes, yes I am. I have many good friends at CIS. Teachers tend to usually be a fairly friendly bunch and that’s certainly the case here. Staff camaraderie is built up in a number of ways, for example, we sometimes play football on Wednesday afternoons. A group of us will go out for dinner or dim sum occasionally, and quite often a few of us will go out to watch a big football or rugby match. I also enjoy going to the theatre, particularly if there are CIS teachers and students in the production. A few months ago I went to see a play with Sophia Nagar, Mr. Sheehan and Mrs. Gilchrist (mother of Jake and Eliza) in it, it was excellent.

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What do you like to do with you over the weekend, or during the summer when not at CIS? When I’m not marking, weekends are normally for family time as much as possible. During the last few weekends, we’ve been going to Victoria Park. My daughter, Mia, is nearly two and is at the stage where she is extremely inquisitive, has few inhibitions and loves interacting with people. So we tend to go there, let her loose, and see what happens! Otherwise, I like to play some tennis, and maybe go to the cinema. It’s not exactly rock n’ roll, but I like it. Regarding summer holidays, a good friend of mine always says, “There are two reasons to be a teacher: July and August.” And there’s some truth in this! We’re very fortunate to have such great holidays, so we make a point of trying to travel to new places. Last summer we went to Kota Kinabalu for the first time and then travelled back to the UK to stay with my family. It’s good to get away and take a break.

Have you had any particularly memorable experiences during your time at CIS? Many! I’ve been fortunate enough to go on some great educational and service trips during Project Week to Thailand and Nepal, and I’ve been to various places in China that I hadn’t been to before. The Humanities Trips to Eastern Europe have also been highlights. On a more day to day basis, Homeroom is often memorable. Kaitlin Chan and Park Hay Yeung’s rap offs have become a thing of legend in 12HK, and their reading of the daily notices in various (particularly Scottish) accents has revealed a depth of hitherto unknown, linguistic talent. On a more serious note, it’s genuinely rewarding and memorable when you have times in class when you know that you’ve got all of the students’ full engagement, participation and interest in a topic or activity. It doesn’t always happen, but as a teacher, you’re fully aware of when it does, and that’s what makes the job exciting.

Finally, what can you tell us about the mystical “Interdepartmental pot-luck”, also known as “Fat Free Friday”? Well, actually it’s “Fat Friday”, not “Fat Free Friday”! Every Friday, one department is responsible for providing some unhealthy but delicious treats for the rest of the staff. It’s a good way of getting people together in the staffroom at Friday break time. Some departments are in favour of a more healthy approach to “Fat Friday” and provide tasty snacks with a good deal of nutritional value. However, speaking on behalf the Humanities department, I think it’s fair to say that we apply the more traditional approach to the event and fully embrace the “fatness” of Fat Friday. We tend to order samosas or the greasiest, nastiest, most sumptuous doughnuts Hong Kong has to offer. 漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 43

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Le 188 餐廳及酒廊 o

NICOLE LI 李思穎香港是一個又繁忙又緊張的城市，人們天天都要上學或工作。一家人在週末難得團聚，不如到北角的Le 188o 餐廳吧！ Le 188o 位於北角油街的港島海逸君綽酒店(Harbour Grand Hong Kong)的頂層。又高又大的落地玻璃讓你以188度的視線觀賞香港維多利亞港的美景，也是餐廳名字的由來。那裏的食物較為高級，並且美味可口。食客一定會享受這個美食之旅。中午時段，Le 188o 是一個悠閒的半自助餐。意思就是，頭盤和甜點是客人自己選擇的。甜點和頭盤又引人又美味，包括有沙拉，生蠔，壽司，瑪卡隆(Macaroon)，焦糖布丁(Crème brulée) 等，選擇眾多。午飯時間沒有晚上那麼花俏，價錢也比晚餐便宜，所以更適合一家人一起去用餐。我來到Le 188o ，選了四道非常獨特的菜餐。首先，頭盤是帶子吞拿魚番茄沙律配香草青檸汁（看圖1）。從荷蘭來的主廚Eric，把帶子和吞拿魚一排成棋盤般的圖形。一小塊一小塊地吃下時，便能感受到它清新爽口的味道。接下來，就是多寳魚配薑汁泡沫、亞枝竹、香橙甜醬油及橄欖油（看圖2）。望著這道菜已經令人垂涎三尺，但最特別就是它的薑汁泡沫，吃後給食客一種輕輕的感覺。第三道菜就是中東式烤羊配茄子茸、中東飯、莞茜及雞心豆醬（看圖3）。羊肉不但新鮮，而且很有口感；配著旁邊的中東飯，更能顯示出它獨特的味道。最後，就是法國的甜點廚師Matthieu精心炮製的開心果梳乎厘配酸車厘子及雪糕（看圖4）。梳乎厘不但非常軟滑，裡面還暖暖的，配著冰涼的雪糕，給人一種甜中又熱又冷的味道，讓人吃得津津有味。這四道菜色香味俱全，相信也會讓你留下難忘的味道。暗暗的燈光，配著一望無際的海和窗外七彩繽紛燈光閃閃的夜景－晚上來到Le 188o，正是餐廳最浪漫醉人的時刻。維多利亞港在你面前展示她最美麗的一刻，你也可以看到渺小的船隻和人們。主廚Eric說，Le 188 的夜晚就像把你帶到一個夢幻的世界，逃離了平常繁忙的香港。這個氣氛最適合戀愛中的情侶度過浪漫的晚餐，或夫婦一起享受難忘的一夜。雖然餐廳的價錢較貴，但看著迷人的景色，聽著動人的音樂，嘗著可口的山珍海味，非常值得。無論是晚上或中午，家人或情侶，Le 188o 美麗的景色和獨特的食品，一定會讓你留下一個不可思議的經驗。

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評估：

服務：5/5 價錢： 4/5 味道 : 4/5 環境: 5/5

午餐價錢：＄250 晚餐價錢：＄550

JUNE 2012

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SHARON YIP 葉詠霖「沈佳宜，我很喜歡妳，非常喜歡妳，總有一天，一定會追到妳。」 -柯景騰的初戀就這麽簡單。《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》這部電影圍繞著柯景騰年輕時的一群朋友。他們都有一個共通點—喜歡沈家宜。柯景騰是一位成績較差的學生，卻因為一次被老師懲罰而安排換位，便換到沈家宜的前面。後來，沈家宜忘記帶英文課本時，柯景騰不但把書借給她，還替她受懲罰。為了感謝他，沈家宜就為他補習和出卷。兩人的愛情故事漸漸地展開。這部電影繪畫出毫無懼畏、無驅無束和幼稚純真的青春愛情故事：「我喜歡妳，妳早就知道了啊。」即使他們最終沒有成為戀人，两人並沒有因此難過，更成為最好的老朋友。電影最經典的一句－「或許在另一個平行時空裡，我們是在一起的! 」帶出柯景騰把沈家宜離開時的悲傷感情，看成一段甜蜜和充滿勇氣的回憶；這令他回億到「那些年」時，看到的不是痛苦，而是一段完美、含苞待放的爱情。對於很多年青人來說，書本版的《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》故事情節比較平淡，而經過電影演繹的《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》才能感受到初戀的動力、年青人的生命力，讓故事變得栩栩如生。導演九把刀也是書本的作者，不但能完整地保存故事的意思，輕描淡寫、 2012年六月

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風趣和直接的寫作風格，也能配合電影中的幽默和純真的展示方式。在電影裡的音樂、視覺、拍攝技巧和場面，加上幾位充滿青年熱血的帥哥淑女，大大增進故事內容和展示的效果。《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》在香港公映七十三天后，於二零一一年十二月三十一日晚上錄得 $61,295,651港幣票房，顯然大受歡迎，同時衝破周星馳的《功夫》在二零零四年創下的華語片票房記錄。我個人認為《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》非常適合少年觀看，其中的追求、性笑話、分離和回味往事，深深動人，讓觀眾產生共鳴。我最喜歡沈家宜給柯景騰做試卷的部分，她一次又一次地用圓珠筆點在「柯騰」的背上，配合電影剛開始時看到的校服，過了十多年都還保存著藍圓珠筆的點點印記。同名的電影主題曲提到無條件的幸福，「親愛的我多麼幸運人海中能夠遇見你」，不但貼切地輔助和襯托著電影的題材，也讓女主角在結婚的一幕顯出她的幸福快樂。總然而之，我高度推薦這部電影；身邊青年人之間都看得有笑有淚。如果你喜歡簡單、幽默的青春愛情片，《那些年，我們一起追的女孩》就再適合不過了。漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 45

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BOOKS BOOKS

CLARON NIU Philip Reeve’s innovative new world is brought to life through the sheer power of his imagination. Mortal Engines is a book set in the distant future, after nuclear weapons have destroyed human civilisation. America and China are irradiated wastelands. In this destroyed world, Humans have invented moving cities which eat other, smaller, settlements for sustenance. The book uses this fantastic setting to springboard a love story centred around a ruined orphan and a young historian in the moving city of London. The two meet under most unlikely circumstances, and romance ensues. Although it sounds cliché, the way that Philip Reeve writes, which pulses with energy and movement, veers away from this and moves into much stranger territory to give readers a much more interesting experience. Anybody who loves the fantasy worlds of Eragon and Harry Potter will love this book. A first-rate, fast-paced adventure that is also the first in a quartet – so readers won’t feel disappointed if longing for more. Not to worry, there are three other books. “I loved it. Beautiful and clean prose.”

SABRINA YAM Do you have protective older siblings? Siblings who are willing to fight for you, to stand up for you, to get hurt for you, to go against authority and struggle for you? Tommo may be one of the luckiest little brothers in the world. His older brother, Charlie, is always there for him, getting him out of trouble and fighting off bullies for him. He follows Charlie everywhere, knowing that he be able to protect him and hoping that someday he would be able to protect his brother as well. “FIVE PAST TEN. They’ve gone now, and I’m alone at last. I have the whole night ahead of me, and I won’t waste a single moment of it. I shan’t sleep it away. I won’t dream it away either. I mustn’t, because every moment of it is far too precious.” The story opens with a mysterious scene before flicking to something more commonplace. ‘Private Peaceful’ follows the life of Tommo Peaceful, the youngest sibling in a family of four. He lives with his mother and two brothers, Joe and Charlie. The first half of the book is dotted with childhood memories, including nasty run-ins with adults such as the mean teacher Mr. Munnings and their landlord Colonel, as well as Tommo’s grandmother, who is dubbed ‘the wolf ’. Tommo’s childhood tells a tale of rural poverty, and fascinating stories of bravery and brotherhood as Charlie and Thomas support each other to stand up to these problems and take care of their family. Then Britain is thrown into chaos by the declaration of war. Tommo and Charlie are both sent off to war, where they show further support for each other on the battlefield. Their bond truly shines through as Charlie defies authority just to stay by his brother’s side. But when he defies the rules, there are serious consequences. Are they worth it? 46 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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One student who recently read Private Peaceful said that “It is really a great read. I do recommend it for primary and even secondary school kids. It may seem a little hard to get into, but once you read through it, you’ll really start to like the emotions that are shown through the simple language used by the author.” Another student who read the book Year 6 recalls “I still remember reading it...it was amazing. I remember finding the ending really sad and crying a lot because of it...” Private Peaceful is a tale of two brothers, of two soldiers, of a family, and of a war. It’s compelling and moving, strikingly full of emotions. Reading through the book, readers are transported back in time to a country struck by war, where two boys try to find a way to take on the responsibility of looking after a broken family. With no father to support them, Tommo and Charlie have only each other to depend on. It is a book full of pain and grief, but full of trust, brotherhood and family all at the same time. This story is also full of history, telling of tension between countries, life on the battlefield and the people who are caught in between all the chaos.

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WHAT’S COOL 流行文化

ART: NICOLE WONG

KAITLIN CHAN I don’t know about you, but I need album artwork in my Itunes. Even if the artwork isn’t to my liking , it serves as a sort of visual interpretation of my music. With the majority of youth these days swapping record collections for digital music, it seems as if some of the magic of sleeve art is being lost. I can imagine that holding a 12” vinyl record sleeve is a completely different feeling than the one I get from the 1” .jpeg under my playlist sidebar. I’d like to think that people in this day and age will not forget the importance of an amazing cover. The cultural significance and personal sentiment of brilliant cover art help to complement the love one has for a favourite album. So, in case you’ve disabled Cover Flow because it sometimes (always) comes up when you don’t want it to, I’ve compiled my picks for the most beautiful covers you need to see now, as well as some that burned holes in to my retinas. Note that album covers are not nescessariy representative of the quality of the music. However, at times a hideous album cover does put the band’s creative input and thus music in question.

D A

C F

E D

uCongratulations /MGMT I would list what is wrong with this but this is a one page article. uFor Your Entertainment /Adam Lambert is simpy too talented for this cover. There are few too many glow effects on the text. uU Smile/Justin Bieber What dosen’t work here is the fact that in the song, Justin states that when “you smile, [he] smile[s].” In the

photo he is barely smiling, and this just dosen’t bode well with the song’s message. Furthermore, the terrible font choice makes it look like a meme.

uHorses/ Patti Smith Not only did Patti Smith scream and shout and use power chords like the male punk pioneers of her time, she turned punk into a form of high art, infused with poetry, complexity, dealing with inter-human social issues, such as feminism, generation clash, as well as intra-human emotional issues, such as redemption and connection. Isabella Bersani

uLondon Calling /The Clash Q magazine named London Calling’s cover art the best rockn’roll photograph of all time, saying that

“it captures the ultimate rockn’roll moment – total loss of control”. A similar comment can be made about the album itself. The music offered from a chilling commentary on social problems plaguing London in the 70s. It combined the Clash’s punk sound with all sorts of genres. If anything, the album was like a post-apocalyptic freeform radio broadcast that took us on an exhilarating musical joyride. Justin Yau

uSgt

Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band /The Beatles This is a photograph of The Beatles in their Sgt Pepper’s gear with 60 cutouts of famous people they find intriguing and or inspiring. The idea was that this photo represents a concert Sgt Pepper’s played in a park and the crowd was the audience. Not just an epic cover , the tracks on this record suit any time and any where. Throw on “She’s Leaving Home” for nostalgia, “With a Little Help From My Friends” for a party, Lucy In the Sky...” for an even crazier party, and “A Day In the Life” for when you’re blue, and revel in musical bliss.

uThe Best of

Simple Minds Its like someone took the worst possible clip art image and dipped it in nuclear waste. However, this should not deter you from enjoying this compilation, at least for the Breakfast Club theme song “Don’t You Forget About Me”. 2012年六月

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FEATURES

extracurricular activities vs insane tutoring writer chloe mok photos natasha

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FEATURES

2012年六月

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FEATURES

Meet Amy

- she’s the captain of the Volleyball team, the president of three charity clubs, and the editor-in-chief of the school’s annual Yearbook. She takes 4 Higher Level IB subjects, is predicted an IB score of 45 and holds the perfect SAT score of 2380. To us, she seems to be the ideal student, and the ideal college applicant. In spite of this, she remains doubtful of her ability in gaining acceptance to her dream colleges - and she is not alone.

Our generation of high school students are faced with the highly competitive field of college admissions. The concept of becoming an ideal college or university applicant has become so deeply ingrained in our minds that it seems almost natural for some of us to prepare for the SATs 2 years in advance. But what exactly constitutes as an ‘ideal college applicant’? Students commonly associate this term with a remarkable set of grades and a variety of extracurricular activities. Yet the lengths to which certain students go to accomplish this feat and ultimately gain acceptance into their ‘dream colleges’ can reach extreme levels, such as tutoring to the extent of insanity and participating in a laundry list of extracurricular activities. A parent, guidance counselor or psychiatrist would describe a healthy school life as a balance between work and play. However some students, often influenced by ‘tiger parents’, place sole emphasis on work. They believe that grades are the most important indicators of their academic ability. Students, especially from private schools, are pressurized to fulfill their parents’ dreams by being admitted into highly selective colleges or universities such as those of the Ivy League in the US or Oxbridge in the UK. They feel that grades are most important to college admissions staff, so getting good grades has become something of an obsession and tutors have become their salvation. Tutors are a source of supplement for students who experience difficulty in a particular subject. Some students, however, overdose with this supplement by

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“Students feel that grades are most important to college admissions staff, so getting good grades has become something of an obsession and tutors have become their salvation.” attending more tutoring sessions than they can manage. Students are caught in the fervent craze of tutoring, entangled in the midst of it all that they can no longer independently complete schoolwork because of their reliance on tutors. This extreme level of behavior is aptly described as ‘tutoring to the point of insanity’. In order to satisfy colleges’ desires for balanced applicants, particularly in the US, a student should ideally be involved in a range of extracurricular activities. The concept of extracurricular activities, such as participating in the school soccer team, began as a balance between work and play, where work represented the academic side of school life, and play represented the extracurricular activities. Participating in activities are supposed to allow students to relax and have fun while doing something they love. This concept has sadly evolved into extracurricular activities being integrated into the ‘work’ aspect. Students deluge themselves with a myriad of activities not necessarily to their liking, but simply because ‘it will look good on my report’. Activities are no longer joined out of interest, but out of application-bound obligation. It soon becomes clear that instead of blithe, students feel pressure and instead of its purpose to de-stress, extracurricular

activities only add extra weight to the everexpanding workload students carry. The idea of having a vast array of extracurricular activities and a list of tutors at their beck and call is a familiar one to academically motivated CIS students. A survey was conducted around the Secondary School and 69% of respondents admitted having more than one tutor. One respondent even admitted to having seven tutors. But why do students even need tutors? Many students pay for a tutor because they struggle in class. By doing so, their actions become the source of a domino effect that sets off other students to pay for tutors only because their friends are doing it. They feel that those who have tutors will have an edge in certain subjects, and to balance out the academic inequity they too feel the need for a tutor. Tutors, however, can often impair academic performance. Students no longer concentrate in class because they become reliant on tutors for information. One survey respondent pointed out that “paying for academic tutors will ultimately make you rely on other people to do your work for you, and I do not think that that is good for your education. A common phenomenon among my friends when an assessment is coming up is that they say, ‘Oh its okay, I'll just get my tutor to do it for me.’” Therefore, tutors are only as good as the student who pays for them. If the student learns from both schoolteachers and tutors, academic performance may be enhanced. If the student neglects schoolteachers and becomes dependent towards the tutor for schoolwork, academic performance and attitude to learning will undoubtedly worsen. Of course, there are those who refuse to conform to the conventions of academic tutors. 31% of CIS respondents said that they have no tutors, and still they manage to survive the rigors of the MYP and IB,

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FEATURES FEATURES

which just goes to show that paying for tutors is not an absolute necessity in order to excel in school. The requirements of Community and Service or CAS hours for Year 10s to 13s play a major role in a student’s decision to participate in extracurricular activities. The number of hours awarded in an activity is a factor taken into significant consideration when students are in dire need for hours. A student will opt for an activity that awards plenty of hours, despite a lack of interest towards it. The concept of an enjoyable extracurricular activity is gone because students sign up for something they are barely interested in. When asked whether they sign up for extracurricular activities more because ‘it looks good on their report card’ or because of genuine interest, 43% of survey respondents answered with ‘an equal balance of both’. As can be seen, students do indeed take into account whether a particular activity can fulfill school requirements, resulting in the student’s inability to fully enjoy the activity. Answers to another question indicated that 68% of survey respondents participate in more than 3 extracurricular activities, with 3% indicating that they participate in 8 extracurricular activities. Evidently, CIS students maintain a healthy balance of work and play. However, activi-

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“Instead of mindlessly paying for tutors, think deeply about whether or not tutors are an absolute necessity. Instead of mindlessly joining charity clubs in which you feel nothing but indifference towards the cause you are supporting, join an activity that you are truly passionate about.”

The competition among students for gaining college acceptance has undoubtedly intensified. The rabid desire for producing an ideal college application has deluded students with the preconceived notion that paying for an academic tutor guarantees improved grades, and that joining a laundry list of extracurricular activities guarantee a balanced college application. Instead of mindlessly paying for tutors, think deeply about whether or not tutors are an absolute necessity. Instead of mindlessly joining charity clubs in which you feel nothing but indifference towards the cause you are supporting, join an activity that you are truly passionate about. Then you may find yourself better placed to move on to life outside school.

ties joined out of mere obligation for fulfilling school requirements will simply cause further stress for students, and extracurricular activities should be narrowed down to those joined out of genuine interest.

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FEATURES

CIS CULTURE WHAT CIS STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY... I think that tutors can only go so far, but that extracurricular activities do provide students with that little bit more insight into things outside the normal realm of academic study that can help them develop a more open mind and a healthier body. In the end, what college admission officers want to see is a person who is eager to learn and use their skills to help the college and society, and so skills learnt in CCA’s will help.tremendously. Participating in more extra curricular activities is worth the time as it shows that one has genuine interest in the happenings in a society and perhaps global events and does not have a narrow mind that is limited to grades and academics.

Paying for academic tutors will ultimately make you rely on other people to do your work for you, and I do not think that that is good for your education. A common phenomenon among my friends when an assessment is coming up is that they say, “Oh its okay, I’ll just get my tutor to do it for me”. Participating in co-curricular activities and experiencing new things (for example, traveling to exotic locales and enjoying the local culture) does help to build a character that is more open, aware and diverse in terms of psychological and cultural aspects. Paying for academic tutors does help to attain better grades when used appropriately, but also streamlines a person’s character. However, it must be considered that enjoying a good personal and social life, and developing one’s mindset has significant roots in one’s local environment and upbringing. As such, if a person were to have good development in one’s local environment as well as a diverse range of experiences, activities and academic tutors, then obviously a person’s character would be that much more appealing and have a greater chance of acceptance from academic authorities. But not having that diverse range would not necessarily result in a lacking character.

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Regarding extracurricular activities, I think we put too much emphasis on doing things that look good on our report. If you’re generally an outgoing student, participating in activities that you genuinely enjoy will go far and universities will piece you as a person. Just have an impressive edge instead of doing bits here and there. On the other hand, if you’re quite an introverted person, so what? That’s you, and colleges should accept you for who you are. If you don’t get into a college, there’s a reason. Its not that you’re stupid. You just don’t fit into the type of environment they’re stimulating and in the long run, its for your own good. I personally do not think tutors are necessary because I think we're learning enough at school. If the tutors are helping us with our school work, it doesn't really help our ability to work independently. Instead of paying for academic tutors and wasting your time re-learning subjects, try to take part in other activities that you either enjoy, or ones that will have a positive effect on your report card.

Whe emp or yo

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FEATURES On a scale of 1-5, how important do you think obtaining good grades is?

1- Not important at all 2345 - Extrememly important

Which is more important to gain college admission; getting good grades or participating in extracurricular activities? Extracurricular activities Getting good grades

XIAO HUA SURVEY RESULTS A survey was conducted around the Secondary School regarding CIS students’ view towards the importance of tutors and extracurricular activities. The results from the survey are shown graphically.

Do you sign up for an extracurricular activity more because ‘it looks good in your report’ or because you are genuinely interested in that activity? Equal balance of both Genuinely interested in that activity

Looks good on my report

When colleges review your application, do you think more emphasis is put upon your report card (grades and CCA’s) or your interveiew (your persona/charisma)? Interview

2012年六月

Report card

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How many extracurricular activities do you currently take part in?

How many academic tutors do you have?

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IB FEATURES

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FEATURES

Writer

Isaac Lee

Layout

Nicole Wang

THEULTIMATE GUIDE IB: It Gets Better In the MYP days, the looming International Baccalaureate was supposed to be hell. Dressing casual masked the bleary, sleepdeprived eyes already common in MYP, while the common room served as a bunker where hard-working students prepare ceaselessly for tests and exams. The running joke of “Enough sleep, Social life, Good grades: pick two” hung as an ominous cloud over us. We’ve been warned by our teachers that the Diploma Programme years would be the most intense two of our life. But in many ways, the Diploma Programme offers a far better experience than the Middle Years Pro-

gramme. Academically, the IBDP prizes substance over style, narrowing the types of assessments and ultimately allowing the workload to not be significantly higher than in the MYP years. Socially, the hard-earned perks for Year 12s and 13s have accumulated to a point where student life in the lower years become virtually alien. Yes, teachers, family and peers are right in saying that IB will be two critical years of your secondary school career. However, importance does not entail despair, as the IB offered here in CIS is in many ways a more intellectually engaging and socially cohesive in comparison to the MYP. 漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 55

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FEATURES

KNOWLEDGE

IS POWER

You can’t waffle your way into a 7 during the IB. IB largely assesses actual knowledge rather than style and format.

For

example, whereas MYP Science weighs the “Attitudes in Science” criteria as heavily as “Knowledge and Understanding”, paying attention to the most basic safety procedures would do little to bump your grade compared to understanding Newton’s Laws of Motion. Though I haven’t written a single ‘One World’ style essay for Physics, my learning has not been compromised because the narrow research conducted for a handful of essays cannot compare to the breadth of knowledge taught by a textbook. The emphasis of ‘application’ in the MYP is pushed back across the board when you graduate to the IB. In mathematics, I remember when ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ was only worth two points more than ‘Reflection and Evaluation”. In the IB, mathematical modelling only occurs once and comprises 20-25% of your grade. The rest of math will be grade in exams, which are knowledge-heavy and naturally assimilates some communication and pattern recognition (for Higher Level) skills into the final grade. Having exams at the end of the two-year course means less focus on internal assessment and a smaller variety in assessment methods. Rubrics are less important now than are markschemes. Students benefit by having predictable formats, a large source of past-paper questions to revise with, and no vague criteria that requires endless training workshops to comprehend. Teachers can use past-papers as well to test us according IB standards, and will spend less time secondguessing Cardiff when moderating assessments. Yes, I’ve mentioned past papers56twice already, precisely because | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA

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they are inherently helpful and endorsed by teachers as an effective revision tool. But the focus on knowledge and exams during the IB does not mean more work. With a reduction from 10 subjects in the MYP to 6 in the IB, it means students will have four less sets of rubrics and assessments to worry about. As the IB offers choices of subjects, students will typically pick subjects they are genuinely interested in, and are even given chances to switch subjects way into the academic year (a friend of mine even switched two subjects just before Year 13!). Homework issued is largely for the purpose of helping students digest information, rather than take-home assessments that require hours of editing and bibliography-composing. I do not promise an easy time, but at least you will have a bit more appreciation of the subjects at hand. Neither does the focus on exams mean that your fate will be decided in a three-week period in the May of Year 13. Your first set of grades in mid-Year 12 and in mid-Year 13 will be based on internal coursework, tests and even your participation in class. In fact, the mock exams in Year 12 may even be more important than the IB 校話

exams, as they form the basis of the projected grades sent to UK and Commonwealth universities, and of crucial second semester transcript grades for US colleges. That is why after January 1st, when most US applications are sent in, Year 13 students begin a lazy phase of ‘senioritis’ even when the real IB exams are nearing. I remember the days of Computer Technology and Design Technology where it was all DIY: the criteria required to undergo ‘experiential learning’, filling up the dozens of headings and sections on our own, consuming hours upon hours without necessarily improving our knowledge and skills. I remember when the Arts demanded 300 word reflections per lesson (a conservative estimate here), requiring me write more in the arts subjects than in a language or a humanities subject. For many students, the Extended Essay of a mere four thousand words will possibly be the most they will need to write for the already few writing assignments given. The ten-thousand word design folders or multivolume, multi-colored developmental workbooks will vanish from the sands of time. In the IB, the time spent working is time spent learning, and in two years time the amount of knowledge amassed is so great that colleges regularly offer an entire semester’s worth of credits for top achieving students. JUNE 2012

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A The

‘surp no s

scho that

nt to cond after ar 13 real

Deuired s of upon and d reiring or a Essay most signmultianish king nt of er an ents.

FEATURES

ACourse Perky

The two critical IB years brings in numerous benefits that help compensate for the academic rigor.

Frees

, Enrichment, CHOICES and PE punctuate a schedule in such a way that lucky students may rarely have a full day of academic subjects. And then there are ‘surprise frees’, which occur when teachers are absent for one reason or another, as there are no substitute teachers for IB courses. And where would you spend those frees? Whereas the lower years scatter around in the school, the Common Room is the central hub for students. The plentiful sofas allow for that necessary nap or a lounge for conversation. A dedicated work room can be used for last 2012年六月

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minute revision, while a soda machine and tiled area for eating means the cafeteria, like uniforms, will be but a distant memory for many IB students. Speaking of food, did you know you can leave the school during lunch to eat in the daipaidong or the Glass House? Or if you are lazy, Tsui Wah is only a phone call away. But it isn’t limited to Chinese food, as the paninis and Russian Borsch will be open to you in the Aspretto Cafe. This may be sounding like an advertisement for the IB years, but in all frankness, the drastic change between MYP and IB is largely a change for the better. The distinction between casual and uniform is a demarcation of who holds power among the student body. CIS, like Hong Kong, makes it simple to gather a few friends and start up your own student organization. For the not-as-enterprising students, there are of course the long-established Student Council or Senior Student Committee or House Captain positions. I’d advise that you take these opportunities to effect change for the better. You have only one or two years to make change, and it would be a shame if you don’t translate the litany of CIS student complaints with effective action. 漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 57

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FEATURES

1 WITH ISABELLA BERSANI

MATHEMATICS

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE MATH HL? I have always enjoyed Math. I took Math HL because it is a challenging course, and my brother had a great experience in math HL.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART?

WHAT IS THE EASIEST PART OF MATH HL?

Matrices. Also, there is basically no homework on a class-to-class basis, so it’s all very relaxed until it’s time to take the unit test.

FAVOURITE MATH PICK UP LINE? I don’t know if you’re in my range, but I’d sure like to take you back to my domain.

2 WITH ROBIN NEWMAN

CHEMISTRY

Trigonometry. Also, the stress of studying for a unit test is a little overwhelming initially, but you learn to handle it.

EQUATION FOR A 2D AND 3D HEART? Depends what kind of heart you want to draw. For the classic 2D heart I would recommend (x^2+y^2-1)^3-x^2y^3=0. For a sleeker 2D heart x^2+2(3/5(x^2/3)-Y)^2-1=0 is a good option. This works well for a 3D heart.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE CHEMISTRY HL? To apply Physics in another avenue, i.e. chemicals.

WHAT IS THE EASIEST PART OF CHEMISTRY HL? Organic Chemistry.

IF YOU WERE A QUIDDITCH PLAYER AT HOGWARTS, HOW WOULD YOU CREATE A POTION TO ENHANCE Periodicity. PERFORMANCE ON THE FIELD? FAVOURITE CHEMISTRY PICK UP LINE? ByYOUR experimenting with a cauldron. Dragon hide with cesium, for instance, WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART?

To random person: Hmm, that smells nice. What have you been electro-synthesizing today? To a known person: H2SO4, professor! Don’t electro-synthesize anything I wouldn’t. And may the reciprocal of pi be with you.

3 WITH MARCO LAU PHYSICS

EASIEST PART?

The 20 minutes at the beginning of each class when Mr Winderam imparts upon us a small segment of his vast knowledge of how the world works.

HARDEST PART? Giancoli online questions.

4 WITH KOLLEEN KU ENGLISH

HARDEST PART?

Probably procrastinating on World Lit essays, or the nerve wracking minutes before your IOC.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE PHYSICS HL? I’ve always wondered about how the world worked on the physical level -- I told Maple in the first day of year 7 that my favourite subject was Physics. Also a no-brainer given that I suck at almost every other subject.

FAVOURITE PHYSICS PICK UP LINE? “Hi. I’m not a physicist.”

WHAT IS THE AIRSPEED VELOCITY OF AN UNLADEN SWALon your inertial reference frame but not on it’s region of origin, LOW? Depends be it Africa or Europe. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE ENGLISH HL? I’ve always loved reading and writing, and hope to continue studying English in college, so it was a pretty easy decision to make.

WHAT IS THE EASIEST PART OF ENGLISH HL? Reading great books and having interesting conversations. The course isn’t all easy, but definitely enjoyable and incredibly enlightening if you go into it with an open mind and a passion for literature.

FAVOURITE PICK UP LINE? I’m partial to lame Harry Potter pickup lines... “If you were a dementor, I’d become a criminal just to get your kiss”, “You can have the portkey to my heart”, various wand puns. 58 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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might have interesting results. There are various things that could be done: first, a person could be made invisible, allowing them to sneak around the pitch without anybody noticing. Second, a person could be made lucky; although this should be done with caution (as it is outlawed by the Ministry of Magic).

IF HAMLET, MACBETH, AND RICHARD III WERE COMPETING FOR THE THRONE, WHAT WOULD THE OUTCOME of them would be terrible rulers, but Richard III would probably win BE? All because he’s ruthless and crazy. I’m rooting for Hamlet though - he’s a little crazy as well, but also sensitive and adorable. JUNE 2012

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Rea

Ne nes an occ

Sho clas dra has abo of bat

Wa Stic

Iw ste wo CIS bui

An arti ano For be cha eas

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ing

tle

5 WITH EMILY TSUI CHINESE

EASIEST PART?

Reading the assigned literature.

2D eker

RTS, CE

ance, done: d the y; alnistry

FAVOURITE PICK UP LINE?

FEATURES WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE CHINESE A1? I love literature, I love Chinese, I love Chinese literature. ergo it was the best course to take.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART?

The one commentary per week policy that has been frequently (unintentionally...) disregarded by some of us. It isn’t so much the analysis that is daunting, but the actual physical act of handwriting 1500 words that really leaves one cursing whoever decided to put so many strokes in 讓.

IF A RECKLESS DRIVER ALMOST RAN INTO YOU, HOW WOULD YOU EXPRESS YOUR ANGER IN CHINESE?

Never had to pick anyone up in chinese before... must remember to keep an eye out for a good one incase the occasion does arise.

你长不长眼睛啊？差点撞上绝世美女...

6 WITH NINA STENDER HISTORY

EASIEST PART?

Showing up to class. No, seriously. There are classes where you feel physical pain when you drag yourself into the classroom, but History has never been one of those classes. It’s not about having a black or white answer, as much of what we learn is open to discussion and debate.

FAVOURITE PICK UP LINE?

in at I

AL-

rigin,

win ’s a

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE HISTORY HL?

The inside jokes and historical references. Kidding – I chose History HL because I like that it’s not about having a black or white answer, since much of what we learn is open to discussion and debate, but about using the evidence to develop your own view. I think that History HL is one of the few subjects that actually, as the IB claims, teach you HOW to learn. The analytical skills we build can be applied in almost any area of study, which makes it a valuable learning experience.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART? That’s a tough question. Paper three is pretty hellish; more specifically, Tokugawa. I am also TERRIBLE with dates, which is a pretty huge weakness in History. I have on multiple occasions had Mr. Caves scribble “wrong century, Nina!” all over my papers. It was pretty painful to look at, but also amusing in retrospect.

WHAT METHODS WOULD YOU USE TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE PARTY STATE IN CIS?

I would firstly approach the conservative elite of CIS parents to receive backing and financial for my single party state, by promising the introduction of a rigid curriculum that would ensure Ivy League acceptances to every student. After guaranteeing support, I would play off different powerful stakeholders against each other, and then ruthlessly purge any remaining potential opponents by taking steps that would have them expelled, or otherwise destroy their reputation and credibility. Anyone with the audacity to question my actions would be sent to detention in the pastoral office. I would follow this up by bribing students from other schools to create terror within the CIS community, and then use propaganda to depict myself as the savior. This ‘savior’ image will serve the double purpose of also helping build my cult of personality. Want to go back to my place and discuss Big Stick Diplomacy?

7 WITH ROBIN CHAN ART

EASIEST PART?

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE ART?

I have always been intrigued by all forms of art, from photography to illustration, installation to sculpture. Nothing engages me more than pursuing a subject that excites me! Eventually, my passion in the visual arts led me to create my own art blog (mounts.tumblr.com) and to share my appreciation for art with people from all over the world. I wouldn’t have made it out of IB alive, had I not picked courses that interest me.

Answering this question is difficult; what one artist finds easy may be entirely different for another. Each artist has their own artistic areas. For example, I find the “easiest” parts of art to be illustrating and sculpting, while perhaps Michael Cina finds creating abstract paintings the easiest part. It’s completely subjective.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART? The most difficult part of art for me is to accurately depict skin-tones using oil paint! I simply can’t do it. For some reason, they somehow manage to always appear muddy.

FAVOURITE PICK UP LINE? “The post modernists say that perfection is unattainable. So tell me Perfect, is it true?”

YOU ARE KIDNAPPED. HOW WOULD YOU USE ARTISTIC SKILLS TO PERSUADE YOU KIDNAPPER TO TAKE YOUR OLD FLIP FLOP INSTEAD OF YOUR LIFE? I would make a quick deal with the kidnapper: Doing a quick sketch on my tattered flip flops which would sell for million in exchange for my release. That is of course entirely possible; I mean I’m such a renowned artist. While the kidnapper appreciates my sketch, I abscond. 2012年六月

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館書

VOICES 心聲

圖

覽

一

Eaton Lam 林耀庭

我

們學校分為不同的部門，例如資訊科技部，校董部，飲食部等等。但大家卻常常忽略了一個很重要的部門：圖書館。大家可曾想過，圖書館能夠順利運作，不就是靠一些在幕後努力工作的人才嗎？就像每一本書後面有一位作者，每一家圖書館也有背後默默耕耘的圖書館裡員。當然，我們漢基也不例外。本人最近與負責圖書館部的王老師坐下來談了一談，暸解漢基圖書館館裡員的日常工作，挑戰和心聲。王老師其實在漢基已工作十二年了！就像我們同學一樣，王老師一大清早，七點四十分到達圖書館開始工作，到了四點半才離開，可見她的努力程度和我們在伯仲之間。當然，王老師每天的工作也離不開搜索，佈置，組織和教導四大類。其中，以管理圖書館的營運為首：買什麼書？往哪裡訂？價錢多少？都是她要考慮的事項。此外，毛老師（Mrs. Treblecock)和她還會教導學生怎樣適當引用資源以幫助同學寫他們各行各業的論文。目前是十一年級的同學也應同意：王、毛老師在personal project進行中給予了極大的幫助和鼓勵，有了 60 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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她們，一眾學生才能順利把資料的來源正確地記錄下來，免得criterion C給扣了分。其外，兩位也在圖書館工作的麥老師和池老師擔任偏排和整理圖書館的書籍，令同學們能夠很容易地找到所尋的書籍。另外，圖書館在特別節日，如新年，也要拜放以些時令的裝飾；以新年為例，只見圖書管理周圍擺放了鮮豔的揮春，門口的桌子則擺放了攢盒，財神等裝飾品，令圖書館增添了新年喜洋洋的氣概。順帶一提，不久以後，圖書館將會展列出十一年級在設計科（DT)，為傷殘人士設計的工具，相信這也幫助將來的十一年級同學。作為圖書館員，王老師對學生寫文章要注意的項目有很多意見。她認為，要寫出一篇好的文章，需要經過四個部分：首先是閱讀- 它是做基本和簡單的技巧，只要多多閱讀並能有所成就。接著就是要明白和分析所閱讀的內容。第三，要抽絲剝繭，從中選出最有用的資料。最後就是以適當的方式表達。就像煮一碟佳餚，以上就是王老師覺得能烹飪出一篇好文章的四大材料。這套『法門』，王老師認為不但能大大提高同學的寫作技巧，也讓學生一生受益。

長期在此工作令王老師，也與我分享了她工作上所得到的體會。她覺得，能夠與不同級別的學生互動為她的工作帶來了動力和趣味。而因每一位同學都有不同的性格，與各種各類的學生交流，也令她覺得分外開心。被問到工作上會遇上那些懊惱事，王老師說，偶然為了解答同學的疑難去搜索答案，得不到理想或有關的答案會令她感到沮喪。另一個讓她常常氣憤的就是同學過分依賴維基百科(Wikipedia)，而不好好利用一些正確、深入和齊全的資料庫。社會上也有很多想王老師和一種圖書館員一樣在大銀幕後默默工作，卻經常被人忘記。我嘗試以一套電影來比喻：您有幾次在電影結束後留下來，細心觀察某某是負責燈管、服裝設計等呢？我們往往只是留意到銀幕上的演員，卻把銀幕後儘其所能的一顆一顆心給忘了。也許，像王老師和一種圖書管理員一樣，他們其實是富有智慧的人，能給你在生活上能用到的知識，增長你的見聞。下次到圖書館走一趟時，不妨好好感激感謝她們，為她們在背後默默拼搏的精神致敬!

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覽

2012年六月

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VOICES ĺż&#x192;č ˛ VOICES ĺż&#x192;č ˛

ALISTAIR Â HIRSCH Â How often do you return to Australia? I get back 3 to 5 times a year to my familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beach house in Sunshine Coast, Brisbane. What do you enjoy doing in Australia? )&1# $ # ($ ( # ( * ( ' ( ( -$) #0( $ # $# $# & 0' !$( $ ')#' # & + ' !+ -' # $+ * & # $# $# ( & ' ! '' $)( $$& '% !'$ # + ( )'(& !ian Sports on TV. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also less polluted there. Wh ( ( # ' & -$) %&$) $ # & & ' ($ -$) # )'(& ! #

# # & ! % $%! & "$& & ! , # )'(& ! # $# $# ( & ' more of the hustle-bustle lifestyle and a constant working mentality.

How have the Western part of your family life and Chinese part of your school shaped your life? I guess itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to know about Chinese culture and tradition. But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to eat Chinese food. Instead, I eat western food like pasta, sausage and '( )( !$* & & # $# $# # ( &"' $ ( ! # ) (' ! would say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting, but challenging because the characters are completely different to the English alphabet and words. How long have you been in Hong Kong? 14 years. Does your ethnicity affect your feelings about or bonds with the school? Yes I feel very involved with the school and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m quite used to interacting with Chinese people now after years staying # $# $# +$#0( ! ! ( $)( # " ($ $# $# #0( & !!- * $ )' "- + #( ($ +$& # ' # "$* &$" + $& ($ $# $# # '$ ' )'( + #( + ( ( 2$+ )( #$+ ! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing alright at school. Do you have any special family traditions, cultures? ! & ( )'(& ! - )( ( & 0' #$ ,%! ( ' ( $ ( * ( ' , %( &$" $ # ($ ( # * # &becue). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the same as Chinese New Year, for example, where you give red packets, give candy, and eat Chinese $$ # )'(& ! !! -$) $ ' ') !!- ' - . %%- )'(& ! -/ ( ' $""$# $& " ($ " ( "- " !- $* & ( )'(& ! )( + (-% !!- & #$( # & $( & )& # )'(& ! - How has living in Hong Kong influenced you, how are you different from other Australians? Well I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to the beach and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in the wrong season because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia is in the South. But I guess by living in Hong Kong, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m multicultural, which is a good thing because I have a different perspective of the world and am open-minded. How do your parents parenting style differ from those of your classmates and how so? They arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t strict, and just would like me to get good grades. As long as I enjoy what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m learning, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy.

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VOICES ĺż&#x192;č ˛ VOICES ĺż&#x192;č ˛ What is the primary language you and your family use at home? When I was young, Chinese, but as I grew older, English became an increasingly important part of daily home conversation. Nowadays, I probably speak about two-thirds English and one-third Chinese at home. What do you think are the biggest differences between American and Taiwanese culture? In general, Taiwanese culture focuses on developing relationships, whether between children and their parents, siblings, teachers, relationships amongst various generations, relationships between classmates - both younger and older â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or between colleagues at work. In the U.S. most of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life revolves around the individual or much smaller, concentrated groups of people, and that relationships seem to somehow be a bit more tenuous and not as deep. Your background is a Jewish one. Are there any differences between Chinese and Jewish culture? There are actually very few cultural differences between Chinese society and that of Judaism. Both are very focused on education, both are very focused on the family, both are very focused on the importance $ 1' ! %&) # # + !( )")! ( $# # both put a heavy reliance on long-lasting relationships amongst friends and in business. In your opinion, what contrasts are present between American and Chinese culture in terms of education and teaching style? In my opinion, education in the United States is more inclusive and focuses on creativity, classroom participation and extra-curricular activities that take place outside of the classroom, whether academicrelated clubs or societies, community activities or sports. To me, education in Taiwan seems to be more about rote memorization, doing well in what one is told to do, with is a tremendous emphasis on performing well on tests and holistic class rankings. There is also less emphasis on activities outside of the classroom, with the possible exception of encouragement regarding learning to play musical

The presence of international diversity within CIS allows for a multi-cultural learning environment, but also fosters within students an open-minded, nonpartisan mindset, allowing us to think critically and creatively from a wide range of perspectives. By understanding each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ethnic backgrounds, we can share pride in our in our # ( $# & ( # ")!( " #' $# ! %&$! 1 and un-conventional learning experience for all alike.

2012ĺš´ĺ&#x2026;ć&#x153;&#x2C6;

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cameron Â Â zeluck Â ćź˘ĺ&#x;şĺ&#x153;&#x2039;é&#x161;&#x203A;ĺ¸ć Ą | XIAO HUA ć ĄčŠą | 63

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VOICES 心聲 Writer: Natasha Chak 翟心慈 Photographer: Natasha Chak 翟心慈

莫禮剛 leighton mok 莫禮剛，十一年級的學生，生於香港。爸爸是香港人，有四份之一的祕魯血統。媽媽是台灣人。十年級的時候，禮剛從本地中學轉到漢基。你在家裡通常用甚麼語言溝通？用廣東話。你覺得你在家裡溝通的語言是受你的家庭背景影響嗎？當然不是。其實我們是受到居住環境的影響才會用廣東話溝通的。十五年前，當我媽媽最初來到香港的時候，她沒有選擇，只好學廣東話，所以她的廣東話挺好的。我是在香港長大的，廣東話可以說是我的母語，所以我比較喜歡用廣東話跟家人談話。雖然我父母的普通話很流利，但我還是會用廣東話跟他們談話。香港跟台灣的文化有很大的差別嗎(舉一些例子)？其實文化沒那麼大的差別，最大的分別可能是食物吧。比如說我媽媽會煮滷肉飯和蛋餅做早餐，但這些都不是香港的傳統食物來的。你為甚麼會轉來漢基？漢基是一所國際學校，這裡的英語課程跟本地學校比較起來更強。因為我想到美國念大學，我比較想改進我的英語寫作技巧，所以我才會選擇從本地學校轉來漢基。漢基跟你舊學校有甚麼分別？國際學校的學生會比本地學校的學生優勢嗎? 在漢基，學生們之間的互動比較多，而且學生跟老師比較親近，關係比較好。國際學校的學生勝在有好的社交能力和獨特的思想。可是本地學校的學生在處理壓力會比國際學生好。你覺得你的文化背景會使你比起其他人更有優勢嗎？我不會說我的文化背景使我比其他人更優勢，但我會認為我的背景使我跟獨特。

莫禮剛跟簡安娜都有折然不同的文化背景，前者更受過本地學校的教育，可見，漢基的同學們都有與眾不同的背景。而從他們兩位的訪問中，我們也可以看到兩種不同的文化，無論是東方或西方，都能夠在同一個屋頂下共存，更能夠互保長短。比較起來國際學校的學生有他們優勝的地方，但同時本地學校的學生也有他們的長處，兩者相處起 64 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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本地兩位都能生有處起

VOICES 心聲

簡安娜 Orianna catton 簡安娜, 十二年級的學生，爸爸是有古巴血統的英國人，媽媽是香港人。安娜從小便在漢基念書。你在家裡通常用甚麼語言溝通？英語你覺得你在家裡溝通的語言是受你的家庭背景影響嗎？我的文化背景對家裡溝通的語言選擇會有一定的影響。我們用英文溝通，是因為我爸爸是用英文長大的，我媽媽呢會說普通話和英語，但因為我的父母希望我跟哥哥有堅固的英語基礎，所以我們才會用英語。你覺得英國跟中國文化最大的差別是甚麼？一定是食物吧。而且兩個文化有不同的傳統習俗和節日。我們家會慶祝兩國的節日，所以我們慶祝的中國節日跟西方的節日一樣多。你覺得兩種文化能夠在同一個屋頂下共存嗎？兩種文化有甚麼相似的地方呢？一定可以，至少在我家可以。我覺得中國跟西方的價值觀非常相似，我父母對於我跟哥哥的學習都同讓關心。很多人都會覺得西方人在教導子女時跟東方人比較起來都較仁慈。某程度上這些想法可能是對的，比如說我媽媽要我學鋼琴和一大堆其他課外活動，但在學習成績方面，我的爸爸比較嚴格。管教孩子方面，他們同讓的嚴格，但我爸爸比較保護我，可能因為我是女孩吧，但爸爸始中會是爸爸，他們還是會保護自己的女兒的。你有沒有在本地學校念過書？沒有那你有沒有個本地學校的學生互動呢？你覺得國際學校學生跟他們有甚麼分別。我跟本地的學校有很多的互動的，也有很多本地學校的朋友。致於我們最大得分別可能是學習的態度吧。他們的成績是非常依賴年終考試的成績，所以他們會集中考試前把書本背得滾瓜爛熟，但我們是有連續的測驗的，所以我們較集中於我們學習所吸收到的和完成作業的能力，而不是背書的能力。你覺得你的文化背景會使你比起其他人更有優勢嗎？因為我有兩個折然不同的文化背景，我跟人溝通起來也格外容易。我可以用流利的普通話和英語在學校跟老師和同學溝通，也可以用廣東話跟我的本地朋友溝通。而且我可以容易明白中國跟西方不同的文化和傳統概念，這可以讓我跟別人談起話來的時候更加容易地去明白他們的想法和習慣。來起初可能會不習慣，但到頭來，我們跟他們還不是在香港的學生。其實我們跟他們的分別可能沒有我們想像中那麼大。香港是一個多元化的現代都市，我們能夠跟我們有不同文化背景的人相處和互動對我們有很大的優處，我們應該好好珍惜這些跟人互動的機會從而擴闊我們的視野。 2012年六月

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VOICES VOICES 心聲心聲 VOICES 心聲

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李思德 Michelle Li 韋樂鈴 Louise Wihlborn

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2012年六月

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cademic dishonesty SUSAN MAGINN The sound of feet pattering along the corridor; you grab the arm of a friend, and ask them frantically, “You’ve taken the science test, right? How was it, was it difficult, what do I need to study?” Your friend thinks about it, and responds, “You really need to know…”

Cheating. If it sounds serious, that’s because it is. But you don’t think that you’re a cheater, you’re just asking a few questions, being helped out by a friend… Well that’s all perfectly fine, except for new reforms taking place in CIS that will di68 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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students employing unauthorised homework completion

An anonymous student admits, “Sometimes I cheat because, let’s face it, it’s easy and I don’t want to study for small dictations, I need to prioritise my time to study for more important assessments. We get bombarded with work and I need to choose what to study for and what I can get away with. So yeah, I think that people cheat because we are too busy and we have a lot of ASAs, and there is pressure from school, from home. I don’t cheat on the big stuff.”

Do students consider academic dishonesty to be a big issue at school? This anonymous student says, “No, I don’t think so. Yes, it happens a fair deal, but not on really major stuff. Say, the science test example, that’s not really cheating, is it, and it doesn’t make a big difference to grades. I don’t see a single person who has good grades because of cheating. The bad people, who cheat, still get bad grades; the good people that cheat get good grades anyway.” Photo: Nathaniel Chan and Christopher Fong

school needs to set out clear guide“the lines as to what constitutes as cheating, and the proper disciplinary measures rectly affect you and your actions. In the past few months, the student body has decided that academic dishonesty is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed; furthermore, it was agreed that this problem is a rampant one, and needs to be resolved swiftly. 2012年六月

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”

But to resolve such an issue, it is vital to get to the crux of the problem. Are your parents putting pressure for higher grades, are you copying homework so you don’t get in trouble, or are you doing it because it’s easy, and let’s face it- there are no consequences?

The school needs to set out clear guidelines as to what constitutes as cheating, and the proper disciplinary measures. How can teachers make sure that students don’t share information? Our school has been far too lax for far too long. There have been talks of an honour code, memories of schools where tests could be taken at home, without teacher supervision, and students would be expected to be completely honest. Is this utopia possible? Is this absolute trust the way to go? And if it is not feasible, why not? Is it about the culture in CIS, or the attitudes of Hong Kong people? Or is it simply coming too soon; there needs to be a gradual progression from outright cheating to total trust, and anything other than that would fail miserably. An honour code can漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 69

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-not be imposed onto the student body, and furthermore would do absolutely nothing to help. The initial impetus behind the honour code was of course the increased attention of academic dishonesty and incidents of cheating, which has lead to claims that a culture of normalised cheating has been bred at CIS, and yet an honour code must naturally imply values that extend beyond academic ones. An obvious problem is the extent of which the school may impose upon students and the ambiguity of the code.

One thing that the school must beware of is ambiguity. We urge the administration to open up a more transparent systems and clear disciplinary processes. There needs to be an atmosphere of mutual trust; a school is no place for misunderstandings and hush-hush cover ups. Rather, it would be beneficial to supply more internal support for students, and for students to feel safe at school. We want students to be able to say to their teachers, “Yes, I did not do the work, I apologise” instead of copying off their friends, which does absolutely nothing for their learning. There needs to be a greater emphasis on the students’ ability to learn, rather than the numbers, which are a poor reflection of true potential and effort. 70 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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student employing unauthorised exam completion tactics Honour codes work well elsewhere, but they have severe consequences as well. The University of Virginia, one of the first to implement an honour code, expel all students that breach it, be it a minor or first time offense. In Berlin, the train station has no turnstile ticket gate, and it would be easy to step onto the train without ever buying a ticket. Yet hardly anyone in in Berlin does this; almost every single person buys a ticket, despite having no real motive to do so, except a clear conscience and a respect for the law.

Photo: Nathaniel Chan and Christopher Fong

However, the school must first concentrate on short term solutions before installing a sense of pride within the community. These short term solutions are twofold; stricter and practical methods to combat cheating, as well as the idea of reforming an-

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FEATURES

ti-cheating culture. Whilst the latter appears much healthier for a school environment, enforcement and discipline is also necessary. Some practical ideas have already been suggested, from the use of Turnitin, to more standard testing procedures. These are all well and good, but how far can these measures truly combat cheating? In this day and age, students have come up with increasingly difficult to detect methods of cheating, such as through the use of smart phones or other devices. Neither are gull body searches or military discipline the way to go. Students can feel discouraged and mistrusted with these new policies in place, but it cannot be avoided, for cheating has indeed spread like a plague and become an infestation that the school must kill before it destroys everything that CIS has sought to build.

Another aspect that the school must be extremely careful to avoid is this controversial ‘public shaming’ idea. In the United States, there was a recent scandal of a teacher being fired over using the ‘dunce’s cap’ on students, and for good reason. Students should feel encouraged, supported, and not embarrassed or shamed.

ards, or it will compromise the esteemed reputation it has done so much to build up. All in all, one thing may be said, cheating benefits the student that cheats, but only in a very superficial way. It can save him time; it can save him effort, and get him that grade that he didn’t work for. But it creates an atmosphere that is not at all conducive to the learning process and this affects the students that do not cheat. To see cheaters escape detection, or walk away without punishment is demoralising. The rewards for their work are cheapened, and the grades that those cheaters get are false. The big problem with tackling this issue is that people feel different ways about it, and that is completely natural. We must not dismiss the students’ opinion by labelling those who dislike the honour code and stricter procedures as cheaters, but at the same time, understand this problem from the administrative point of view. There has to be a sense of fair grading in the school, and a true love of learning and pursuit of knowledge. We may never move forward and continue to improve as long as cheating is condoned and allowed to happen.

Moreover, the school’s pride in high achieving students can exacerbate the problem. Many students complain that their parents look to the circulars, and demand that their children’s names be on it the following year. It is good to applaud those that excel, but the school should also pay attention to those that do not. Nevertheless, it is a fine line to balance. CIS may not lower its stand-

2012年六月

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FEATURES Everyone dreams about their life after high school. Some dream of entering the workforce weeks or months after graduation. Some aspire to extend their quest for perfection, fantasizing about collegiate lives spent in Ivy League schools. Some are unsure of their life’s calling, but resolve to live in contentment by minimizing their regrets. Some wish to to places like Barcelona and Monaco straight after high school, with hopes that the exotic atmospheres will broaden their horizons. But however convoluted or simple those aspirations may be, dreams will be dreams until the moment when we are free to pursue them. For most CIS students, that pivotal moment when we are able to strive after our ambitions arrives after graduation. Hailed as a major milestone in everyone’s life, graduation is an event that not only marks the culmination of a student’s years of study and dedication, but also represents the pinnacle of their achievements. In the many months before their graduation, many CIS seniors undertake a plethora of extracurricular activities, endure hours of prep sessions, craft their application essays, and sit multiple standardized exams. Despite the common myth that seniors undertake the aforesaid efforts solely to look well-versed in front of admissions officers, this is not the case with most CIS seniors, some of whom assume leadership roles and opt for tests out of a genuine interest or an appetite to acquire new skills. This year, Xiao Hua’s Megan Foo and Francesca Li go behind the scenes to interview eight CIS seniors about their postCIS dreams, and what steps they have taken to reach their target.

CLASS OF

2 01 2 TEXT MEGAN FOO & FRANCESCA LI LAYOUT CHLOE MOK & KAITLIN CHAN

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FEATURES Astute. Meticulous. Intellectual. Multi-faceted. Awe-inspiring. These are the adjectives which are commonly associated with our Year 13 students, an ensemble of scholars who are driven to scale new heights of achievement by the day. Whenever we think of our seniors, we think of exemplary students equipped with the effective leadership qualities, who are unafraid of taking chances and embracing change. We are reminded of their countless pursuits both on and off campus, whether for music, sport or academic efforts.

ISABELLA BERSANI Where are you attending college this coming fall? Princeton University. What is your intended major? The great thing about going to school in the US is that I can say that I have no idea. What are your IB course selections? HL: Math, Physics, History SL: Chinese B, English A1, Economics What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS? I have known some great teachers in my time at CIS who have had a massive influence on me. The classes with these teachers and the conversations outside the classroom were definitely some of my most enjoyable memories about CIS. My fellow students have also made my time here enjoyable. In one minute, they will inspire me with their intellect and in the next we will be planning our next FIFA session. What do you feel have been your greatest achievements? Some of my proudest achievements have been with the CIS Girls A-grade rugby team. Captaining the team to two league titles and an undefeated season has definitely been among my proudest moments. Through CIS Human Rights Group, I have also participated in a Financial Aid Committee to try and make a CIS education available to deserving students who may not have otherwise been able to afford it. I think this will be a big step forward for CIS, and I am proud to have been a part of it.

ANGELA PAN

Where are you attending college this coming fall? University of Pennsylvania.

What is your intended major in college? I haven’t set anything in concrete yet with regards to majors and minors - I’m currently open to studying anything and everything that catches my eye during my first two years at UPenn.

What are your IB course selections? HL: Chinese B, English A1, Theater SL: History, Math, Biology

What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS? I’ve enjoyed getting to know the wonderful ~111 people in my grade. They are some of the kindest, most hilarious and fun group of people I’ve met so far. Seeing Xiao Hua grow has also been a very enjoyable part of my CIS experience. It’s been a wonderful experience meeting so many talented and enthusiastic photographers/artists/designers during my time as the Managing Editor and Artistic Director. What will you miss the most about CIS when you leave? Seeing my classmates’ faces every morning! I will also miss catching up with friends during and after school in the common room, singing and ‘dancing’ during Enharmonics rehearsals, and of course, speaking with all of the teachers and students who have made my CIS experience so enjoyable. Words of advice? Take the time to get to know the people around you! It is important to work hard and stay focused during secondary school, but it is equally important to take a break and have fun. These past years of secondary school go by very quickly - so make the most out of them! 2012年六月

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LUCAS TSE

Where are you attending college this coming fall? Not a clue right now; I’m still waiting for responses. It could be anywhere from Deep Springs in the Californian desert, 26 students strong, to Oxford in England, with over twenty thousand. Ask me in a few weeks. What courses do you plan to take up in college? That hinges on where I end up, but a lot of everything, I hope! Poetry and human rights, music composition and philosophy, French and physics, geometry and film studies. Some quidditch to fulfill PE requirements, too. What are your plans after college? You’re really taxing my imagination here. Might I callowly answer: I have no idea, and love that I don’t? What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS? The people, the people. They’re the magic that lasts me through the day. Exceptional teachers, who spurred me on to quadratic equations, to novels and poems, to big and still bigger dreams. Peers, tall, short, in the caf and in the gym, who made me a better and happier kid. Friends I sing with, I work on human rights with, I play rugby with, I do stupid things with. All the brilliant kids, excited kids, kids who are kids. The bright faces. The warm chuckles. The cozy feeling in the stomach of being home. People who didn’t see school as a chore, who refused to be dragged along, and carried it squarely on their shoulders. People who reinvigorated my weary sleep-deprived eyebags. The ones who made me laugh, made me cry, made me think and made me grow. Friends, comrades. What will you miss the most about CIS when you leave? I’ll miss picking berries and sniping at clueless fools on the third floor. I’ll miss sitting in detention for half of Year 9 because I refused to wear black shoes - the “proper” kind, anyway. I’ll miss the absolute absurdity of toiling through reflections which I believe were gilded buckets of hogwash. I’ll miss the communal slumbers in the common rooms. I’ll miss growing up, in all its brief hues: staging protests on the MYP, procrastinating until I needed to procrastinate from procrastination, trembling in front of teachers and the Pastoral people (the sheep that I am), skidding flat in the courtyard on a pouring summer day. There’s an exquisite sort of living that only childhood affords, and as I’m carried forward, these memories will be rooted in the depths of my mind.

CAITLIN LU

Where are you attending college this coming fall? Stanford University – Go Cardinal! What courses do you plan to take up in college? There are too many courses that I’m interest in and too little time to take them all. The majority of the courses however, will be geared towards my major. I’ll definitely try to take courses on international relations, law, and biology, as these subjects will be helpful down the road. What is your intended major? Economics

What are your IB course selections? Higher Level: History, Chinese, Economics Standard Level: Math Studies, English A1, Biology

What are your plans after college? I’d like to work in America my first two years out of college, preferably in a consulting firm. After that, I’ll probably head to business school, then return to Hong Kong. I feel strongly that one must be able to support oneself before one even thinks about “changing the world”. What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS? The friends I’ve made at CIS are the defining feature of my CIS experience. I’ve enjoyed 14 years of laughs and pleasant company, and I couldn’t ask for better people to be with. I’ve really enjoyed all the project week trips, especially my trip to Nepal in Year 11. It is through trips like that that I truly realize how important experience is to learning. (continued) What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS?

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FEATURES Finally, I have many fond memories of primary school trips and sports days, participating on the Year 6 basketball team, and spending a week in Taiwan as part of the exchange program. I actually spent Year 10 at a boarding school in Australia called Geelong Grammar School. I lived for a year at the school’s Timbertop campus, which is 3 hours north of Melbourne, in a very remote town called Mansfield. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to live and learn in the wilderness and push myself to the limit. However, as my intention was to return to CIS after one year at Timbertop, my experience wasn’t the traditional 4 year boarding experience that many ex-CIS students undergo. In many ways, opting for the IB, rather than the AP (in American prep schools) mitigated the competition so prevalent in the college rat-race. In the IB, everyone is restricted to 6 subjects, with 3 at higher level and 3 at standard level. However, in the AP, students can take an unlimited number of courses. Were I at an American boarding school, I can imagine myself scrambling to take as many APs as I could, which could have in turn, evaporated all my interest in learning. What will you miss the most about CIS when you leave? I will miss my friends, but I know that I will be seeing many of them for years to come after graduation. There are some silly things I’ll miss about CIS- the Oxtail soup at the café, and the spring rolls in the cafeteria, the especially cold weather up in Braemar Hill, and the Common room couches. But triviality aside, I will certainly miss many of my teachers, who have been so supportive, and I will also miss my homeroom, 13TJ.

ALINA LUK Where are you attending college this coming fall? Stanford University What courses do you plan to take up in college? I’m open to anything! As of now, I’m really interested in Entrepreneurship, Film, Chinese, History…and the list goes on. What are your plans after college? Some of the personal goals that I have include – learning how to fly a plane, going cliff diving, and travelling the world. Thinking in terms of careers, my dream is to be a social entrepreneur and start up my own business, with its focus not to make profit, but to make social change. What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS? Family! I say family because I’ve been attending CIS for 14 years and everyone has become family to me. CIS is my second home; I’ve known many of my close friends since they were four and grew up with most of them, the guards and ah-mas know me by name, and my teachers have watched me grow up. I love all of them, and it is the sense of community at CIS that is the thing that I enjoy most. What do you feel have been your greatest achievements? The achievements listed below are not my own, but the achievements of everyone I worked with. 1. Blue house winning the house cup for the first time after 7 years! This was definitely was a moment that brought tears to my eyes 2. The opportunity to be part of the founding team of XiaoHua, and leading the Business Department. Ah, all the good times and memories I’ve had by being part of XiaoHua! 3. Producing the film ‘ANA’, which was a Finalist of the HK Independent Short Film Awards and ended up being screened at the 2010 Cannes Festival 4. Bringing the Rock climbing team back - making use of the Rock climbing wall that we have at the back of the school and getting to chill with the one and only awesome Rock climbing supervisor Sensei Watts! 5. Fostering a sense of school spirit through founding the Spirit Squad, organizing the Big Game at the fair, and sparking up the flash mob culture at CIS! Go Phoenix! What will you miss the most about CIS when you leave? The people. I’m going to miss every single person in the Class of 2012 and all of my teachers. I’m also going to miss the killer Oxtail soup from the 9th floor café. 2012年六月

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FEATURES Where are you attending college this coming fall? I have received an offer from Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford. What courses do you plan to take up in college? I intend to read Philosophy and Psychology. What are your IB course selections? Higher Level: English A1, Math, Chemistry, Chinese B Standard Level: Biology, Economics What do you feel have been your greatest achievements? I faced a lot of difficulties learning and improving my Chinese at CIS, so I consider my Chinese academic career something I am very proud of. I regret not putting in enough effort early in secondary and in retrospect I wish I would have taken all the advice that my Chinese teachers gave me. I will really miss my homeroom and Chinese teacher Zhou Lao Shi who has always been so supportive and helpful! What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS?

ERIKA PHEBY

What I find enjoyable about CIS are the opportunities to learn and grow outside of academics.Besides the incredible places I visited such as India for project week or Europe for a history trip,there were invaluable activities at school that I felt broadened my understanding of the world such as MUN. At MUN we not only travelled to different countries, debating issues that were so much bigger than ourselves but also, in our final year, were given the responsibility to host the first ever CISMUN which was such a success and great way to end our days at MUN.

How has opting for the IB course rather than attending boarding school been beneficial to your your academic career? I find the IB program very fulfilling because we are allowed to take a wide range of subjects. The Extended Essay is probably the biggest difference between IB and other diploma programs. I believe that the EE is incredibly useful to gain insight into a subject that the student may potentially want to study in university.

KOLLEEN KU Where are you attending college this coming fall? Columbia University. What are your IB course selections? Higher Level: English A1, Chinese B, History, Visual Arts Standard Level: Math, Physics What is your intended major? Probably Art History or English. What do you feel have been your greatest achievements? I’ve loved working with the CIS Human Rights Group, and it’s great that our campaigns really seem to inspire and educate CIS students about human rights. Over the past few years, we’ve held campaigns about issues such as LGBT Equality, Women’s Rights, June 4, Worker’s Rights, Burma, Tibet, and more. We’ve also achieved progress in establishing a steady financial aid program, removing discriminatory web censorship policies, and conduct an annual Human Rights audit of our school. It’s definitely a labor of love, and it’s been great to be part of such a passionate and prolific group. 76 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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FEATURES How has opting for the IB course rather than attending boarding school been beneficial to your academic career? Taking the IB has given me a much broader, more comprehensive education. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to continue math and sciences beyond Y11. But in hindsight, those classes weren’t that painful at all, and will definitely be useful in college. I’ve also really enjoyed just living at home, getting to spend time with my family (and pets), and having the time and freedom to pursue interests outside of school. What will you miss most about CIS when you leave? Our camaraderie in joint exhaustion, common room antics, and of course (sorry, so cheesy) all the wonderful friends, classmates, and teachers I’ve gotten to know these past few years.

Where are you attending college this coming fall?

BRIAN LIU

I am attending St. John’s College, Annapolis, this fall. What are your IB course selections? Higher Level: English A1, Math, Chemistry, Chinese B Standard Level: Biology, Economics What is your intended major? That’s an interesting question. St. John’s College only offers one major in the liberal arts. It is a Western Classics school. Students study a whole range of subjects: from philosophy to mathematics to ancient Greek to attain this degree. What are your plans after college? After college? That is a bit far for me to think at the moment. I’ll probably have zilch reputation or skill after graduating from St. John’s College, so I’ll probably head over to grad school. The question is: where do I get the money? What have you enjoyed most about your time at CIS? I’ve only been here for three years, but I think I’ve gone through innumerable enjoyable things. The most I’ve enjoyed about CIS have been the friendships that I’ve built here. I’ve been in a lot of places, going to school in both the United States and Cambodia, but nowhere other than in CIS, have I see the most competitive yet friendly people you can meet. Not only are my friends here competitive, they are also visionaries. I have had many opportunities to work with them in all sorts of endeavors, whether serving together in a charity group, making a film or performing music. I hope these friendships and these collaborations will continue and that we will achieve many great things together in the future. What do you feel have been your greatest achievements? Despite having a great time at CIS, it was a very difficult period in my life. I was going through a lot of growing pains. I started asking impossible questions and arrived at seemingly unsatisfactory answers. Looking back now, I feel that my greatest achievement is something that is not necessarily found in my resume. My greatest achievement, I would say, is managing to bring my faith to a deeper level. There were moments here where, maybe because of something that I learned in class, I would be thrown into turmoil, not sure what I believed in or what I wanted to believe. Yet, after repeated exposures to these types of experiences, I realized that the synthesis of knowledge and spirituality began to occur in my mind. Instead of seeing contradictions, I began seeing possibilities, a chance to go deeper, to understand something deeper. This, I would say, was the highlight of my learning experience here and my greatest achievement. What will you miss the most about CIS when you leave? I’ve given this a bit of thought, because really there are so many things that I will miss when I leave. Of all the good things about CIS, I will definitely miss my teachers. Some may not agree with me, but I believe for the most part (thankfully!) teachers here are passionate about what they teach, because they know that what we learn here not only pertains to the classroom but is relevant to life. My English classes in the past two years have not only taught me about literature as an art, but taught me so much about myself; what I believe in, what it means to be a human being, what does it mean to face suffering but also experience joy. I have found good friends and great mentors in the teachers here, and I hope it will be the same for the college I plan to attend. 2012年六月

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Eve Chi reso stud deb pos In m akin and den to t Ho sev JUNE 2012

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INACenter FEATURES Writer

Megan Foo

It would not be too candid to say that the China Center is a subject met with ambivalence by parents. Some parents agree that their children should become more familiar with China, the world’s economic powerhouse, and exercise the Chinese skills they have acquired at CIS. Some parents have sent their children to boarding schools in the UK and US. Some parents simply refuse to enroll their children in the China Center, whether due to a lack of interest or heightened logistic problems.

Ever since plans for the China Center started resounding around the student body, parents have debated the school board’s purposes of establishing the China Center. In many parents’ eyes, the China Center is akin, if not identical, to CIS. As asserted in the numerous circulars and bulletins, both schools adopt the MYP framework, place a heavy emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity, and make it a point for students to embrace the Chinese language. It is because of these similarities that some parents are adamant that they will not send their children to the CIS China Center come 2014. However, the CCC is so much more than just a one-year boarding school in China. After perusing numerous CCC updates and conducting several interviews, Xiao Hua has compiled a list of some of the China Center’s distinguishing features: 2012年六月

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FEATURES �Not only is Hangzhou a region rich in history,

it is also revered for its natural beauty, which blends seamlessly with the cultural and historical sites. These picturesque sights embodied in Hangzhou’s geography will broaden the students’ horizons.

1 Hangzhou boasts a many cultural heritage sites, each of which is replete with history and an exemplar of China’s diversity. Spending one academic year in Hangzhou will not only broaden students’ knowledge on Chinese history, but will also help them appreciate Chinese culture.

�One feature of the school curriculum that is distinct from the MYP program is its comprehensive arts program, which covers a broad spectrum of the arts, including visual arts, theater arts, and music. This arts program will provide students with a creative outlet and alter their perceptions on aesthetics.

The boarding school experience that comes hand-in-hand with attending the China Center will help students gain independence. In addition, as there is no time difference between Hong Kong and Hangzhou, parents would not find it difficult to communicate with their children as they would be if their children were studying in a boarding school in the UK or US.

4 Students who attend the China Center will gain access to internships.

Dr. Faunce, 李校长, and some representatives from the China Center are collaborating to help students receive internships as workers on the set of a Zhang Yimou production. This once in a lifetime learning opportunity helps students acquire an exposure to a world outside the insular school vicinity.

The China Center will not only offer many fresh possibilities for the students who choose to attend, but will also challenge students to, as Dr. Faunce puts it, “challenge our students to achieve beyond their perceived limits”. 80 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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面臨多同校話長問作，看法

FEATURES

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rts cs.

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ntaorathips mou ning n exhool nity.

面臨將會在杭州實行的漢基中國學習中心，很多同學和家長都對學習中心十分感興趣。我們校話有幸能夠與杭州綠城育華學校的陳建國校長和負責藝術和演藝方面的張輝先生作了訪問，了解一下綠城育華學校所作了的預備工作，以及當地同學，家長和老師對學習中心的看法。

陳建國校長（杭州綠城育華學校） 1）自從2011年6月公佈與漢基學校合作建立學習中心後，請問陳校長如何在你們校內作預備工作，以至於2013年迎接10年級的同學呢？這個問題要分成校內和校外兩部分來講。第一方面：我們在同學，在老師，在家長方面廣為宣傳，從學校發展的站立角度來考慮這個問題。因為漢基是一所世界名校，那麼世界名校的中國學習中心放在我們學校，對我們學校進一步的發展，無論在理念上，還是在方式方法上，在課程設置上都有一個促進作用。所以我們把這些道理跟我們的同學，老師和家長進行溝通，宣傳。第二方面：自從確定合作以後，因為整個的項目的擴建工程涉及到的建設，規劃，綠化，承管等等各個部門要審批和設計方案。綠城本身是一個房地產公司，所以它的設計團隊，項目工程團隊都是非常強大的。所以在綠城房產的幫助下，我們從設計方案，市政府相關部門的審批這個角度在工作。

2）漢基的同學和你們校的同學溝通時會提高普通話水準，又能夠學習中國的文化。那麼，你們的同學又期待從漢基學生身上學到什麼呢？由於漢基的同學是由世界各地來的，從多元文化的角度考慮，我們的同學可以足不出門戶，不離開學校，但又能夠接觸到多種文化，培養他們多角度看問題的能力，一種包容心，一種融合精神，這一點我們的同學是非常希望能夠得到的。從課程角度來看， IB的課程在全世界是非常前衛的，對一個人培養多方面的能力是很有幫助的。同學和老師們想通過這個漢基學習中心讓在這些方面考察漢基同學們的學習，來提高自己的教育理念，豐富自己的教育方法，把自己課程開發的能力進一步的提升。

Writer

Johnson Pak 為孩子們在一塊兒的話，可能馬上就熟悉了，自己會交朋友，自己會找喜歡做的活動，所以我認為讓同學們很自然的，很自由的結交朋友才是最好的安排。

4）你們學校的家長們對這所學習中心有什麼意見呢？他們同意我們漢基學生分享你們的設施嗎？我們學校也做了一個家長調查，結果顯示大多數家長都是非常支持的。擔心的也會有。擔心的其中一個就是校園裡的活動場地，運動設施，可能會顯得不夠。比如說我們學校本來有十副籃球架，現在通過挖田，已經在校園裡建了十六副籃球架，這樣同學們的活動場所就會更多一點。

5）漢基學生在“聽”和“說”兩方面的能力一定會大大提高和進步，可是在“讀”和“寫”方面要面對簡繁體字的問題，例如：讀報紙，看電視。你認為這會令學生們的學習有困難嗎？因為同學們是十年紀的孩子，年紀並不是很大，學語言的能力也就有一定的優勢。我認為同學們在一年的時間裡，看的報紙和電視都是簡化字，再加上同學們如果願意學習寫寫簡化字，一定能夠提高同學們的中文水平。畢竟簡化字是繁體字引申過來的，所以我認為問題還不是很大的。

6）如果這所學習中心成效非常好，長遠的計劃來說，你們學校會不會打算在香港也建立一個學習中心，與我們漢基合作，讓你們的學生學習英語和香港的文化，然後進一步到外國留學呢？這個問題就比較久遠了！雖然這個問題不是我一個人決定，但是我是非常願意和支持在香港建立一個學習中心，但是我們要和公司和董事局商量，以及獲得家長同學們的強烈的願望。如果幾方面都得到支持的話，那麼我們也可能會考慮，再進一步在香港建立學習中心，雙方互派學生，互相交流。

張輝（鴻藝影視文化有限公司總經理） 1. 請問您如何在綠城育華學校內作藝術和演藝方面的工作呢？我們公司和陳校長溝通過了，也對了你們漢基學校作了一些了解。我們公司在演藝行業做了十六年了，所以積儲很多經驗和資源。我們希望把我們的資源和綠華和漢基的資源做一個整合。

２．請問漢基的同學們會有不同的表演和實習機會嗎？ 3）與漢基同學交流的同學是特別挑選的嗎？因為大部分的課程都是漢基自己負責，可能有一些活動或一些學校開設的校本課程中能夠讓同學們交流合作。我認為在這一種學習環境當中，我們也不必可以地去安排哪些同學們和漢基同學們交流。因 2012年六月

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我們現在有一個一百多人的音樂劇團《斷橋》，我覺得可以安排一些表演出色的學生到我們的舞台來鍛煉。在杭州，我覺得同學們一定可以直接接觸一些演藝大師。我們也將會和浙江傳媒學院合辦兩個演藝班，到時候也可以給你們漢基做一些服務。漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 81

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EDITORIAL

WORDS DAVIS WONG DRAWINGS ASHLEY LAW

ideo games have come a long way. From humble beginnings as the social outcast and the child’s hobby of choice, the industry has clawed its way up to partial legitimacy, and now brings in over 10 billion USD of revenue annually. Gaming’s cultural relevancy has also increased; video games have been advertised by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and have contained advertisements for US presidential candidates. In 2012, it’s not just kids who “game” in fact the average age of a gamer is 34, and 68% of American households have a gamer among them. In CIS, video games have an extremely poor reputation. They are oftentimes seen as tools for avoiding work, and subsequently the cause of bad grades and all its associated undesirable outcomes. Otherwise, gaming is viewed as the entertainment option of nerds and children. Video games happen to be a fairly new medium, when considered in relation to other more established mediums as music, movies and print. Gaming’s youth and perceived negative affects lead many to marginalize it as an art form, which prevents the serious and thoughtful debates on its merits. The positive impacts that gaming has on a child’s development are manifold. One of the most obvious of these impacts is in decision making. Video games force players to think about many different problems at once, and judge which plan of action is the right one to take given their current predicament. Not only is the quality of decision making improved, but a gamer’s decisiveness is as well, as they make these complex decisions at a moment’s notice.

bonds between people who would otherwise have nothing in common, as it provides a neutral ground to connect over. Gaming is also a way for friends to unwind together; according to a recent survey, 43% of respondents in Year 11 play games with friends online, and 52% do in person. A love of gaming can also improve one’s creativity, especially in recent years, as gaming’s offerings have become more artistically inclined. Titles such as Braid and Flower contain not only elegant art direction and superb ambiance, but also cathartic gameplay. The combination of these attributes results in an experience that stimulates not only the player’s heartbeat and adrenaline release, but also their desire to absorb beauty. This mental stimulation is invaluable, especially in an environment such as CIS, where it is easy to fall prey to the monotony of schoolwork. Gaming as a hobby is not without its faults. It poses a legitimate alternative to work; many students find the temptation of instant gratification too much to resist. Especially with the introduction of Macbook Pros to the Year 7-9s, the escapism of gaming lures many away from scholarly pursuits and can occasionally turn into a serious issue. One consequence of this phenomenon has been the drastic slowing down of the school’s network, as students clog up the bandwidth with their online games. Since many families place an enormous emphasis on academics, games can create a rift between parents and children, which is never desirable.

Video games are strong tools for relationship building. A love of video games has the propensity to forge strong

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Gaming can also sap one’s motivation in other areas of life. Given the choice of playing half an hour of X-Box or going for a run, many would opt for the more exhilarating, albeit lazy, choice of gaming. Gaming can also keep people from sleep, as many would forgo an extra hour of sleep for the same hour of video games. It has the propensity to dull one’s enthusiasm for the “real world”, as the game world is often infinitely more fantastical and entertaining than reality, and lacks any of its responsibility or tedium. As with all activities and passions, the effects of videogames on individuals are largely dependent on the individuals’ own attitude. Some may be able to experience the positive aspects of gaming while avoiding all of the negative potential, but for many, that won’t be the case. As a student, it is important to strive for balance, and to make sure one is living a well-rounded life. Gaming shouldn’t be the focus of one’s life, it should enhance it. In this writer’s experience, open-mindedness is the best way for parents to approach video games. Draconian, totalitarian bans inevitably result in rebellion, as forbidden fruit is by far the most desirable. Trying to understand the child’s point of view allows for better dialogue between parent and child on this topic. Parents who have an active interest in what their kids are doing experience much more success in advocating a balanced lifestyle. Pros and Cons aside, it is crucial to understand that video games are here to stay. In a similar fashion to rock music and talking films, video games have been dismissed, ridiculed and treated as a fad. Despite these setbacks, video games and the game industry continue to innovate and develop at a rapid pace. The biggest of these developments is not technological; it is social. The influence of games in our society is far greater than it has ever been, with titles such as Pokemon, Halo and Call of Duty transcending their medium and becoming a multimedia phenomenon that are touchstones for entire generations. These will be the memories that are looked back on fondly in 50 years’ time, with popular games joining the ranks of Transformers, Batman and other pop-culture icons. Games are still young, and their subject material will continue to evolve and mature, and in all likelihood, will be treated with the same reverence as film and rock & roll in 50 years’ time.

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助人為快樂之本梁穎彤 CHRISTY LEUNG 從小到大，父母、老師常常教導我們“助人為快樂之本”的原則。你可有沒有想過我們助人時所感到的快樂是從哪裡得來的呢？是因為受惠者得到幫助而感到欣慰？還是因為得到別人的讚頌而感到滿足呢？我們助人的真正目的又是甚麼呢？是真的為了幫助身於困境的人、給予他們快樂與關懷，還是為了讓履歷表看起來漂漂亮亮好讓換來回報、功勞、名利及良好的形象嗎？這些問題好讓我們反思一下。漢基從小學就已經給予學生參加社區服務的機會，籍此讓他們“學習作爲本地區、乃至世界公民的責任與義務”。從十年級開始，社區服務更是課程裡缺一不可的。要完成MYP課程，學生至少要完成50小時的社區服務。當然大部分的學生所完成的鐘數都遠遠超過要求。學校還會設法獎勵這些積極參與社區服務的同學。這樣的積分獎勵可以鼓勵同學們多積極參與社區服務。這一點我無可否認。但是，我認為當我們把“助人” 當作成一個可以以“鐘數”來衡量的目標、為達標、為升學而盡的責任，就自自然然會忽略到當初幫助人的目的和“助人為樂”的真正意義。

拯救大自然、為了幫助貧困的人等……這些目的可能真的是一些人心裡的想法，但也可能是一些人表面上、嘴邊掛著、所謂的正義。學校裡的服務團多不勝數，要老師同學們給你的服務團多些“注意”，光顧你們的籌款攤檔，又要在一段時間內達到目標款項，難免會在眾服務團中產生少許競爭力。“他們竟然抄襲了我們籌款活動的主意？”“哈！他們的服務團真的遜掉了！”“我當然是為了 “鐘數”才參加這個服務團的……” “我究竟在這年級的 “鐘數” 排行榜排甚麼位子呢？” －這些都是我曾聽過有同學們說過的話。我真的搞不懂。“救濟扶貧” －這麼無私、高尚、富有意義的事，是甚麼時候變得如此自私、以利為主和富有競爭性的呢？人是甚麼時候把 “助人”看成一個為自己贏得風光的比賽？

我們“助人”的真正意義已經在漫長的過程和時間下改變了而我們卻察覺不到；我們起初想助人的熱衷也漸漸地被淡忘了； “助人”也不知不覺地演變成只是以自我為中心，以功利為主，以競爭作為動力，而毫無意義的事。究竟我們中學部有很多同學們都有參加義學校的服務團，從甚麼其他的途徑可以更有效率地體驗到助人的是學生自己成立的或是與校外團體合辦的都有。真正意義、避免使助人”變成一件沒意義的事我們成立或參加服務團都有自己的目的－為了呢？

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EDITORIAL

本

-快樂的源泉要更有效率地體驗到助人的真正目的和意義，明白到“助人為樂” 的道理，我們先要親身接觸需要幫助、需要關懷的人。漢基從十到十二年級都有“活動週”，給予同學們遊覽世界各地，親身接觸需要幫助的人，與他們交流，藉此親身體驗到助人的樂趣和真正意義。我認為“活動週”比參加學校的服務團更有效率地讓同學明白助人的真正意義。學校的服務團所辦的義賣活動、籌款活動，只是校內活動而已。不如親身到貧民窟、受災區關懷與幫助有需要的人，開開眼界看世界，擴大你的視野，豈不是更有意思？受惠者也會因此而感到額外的溫暖。

關心和尊重他們。” 自此她們幾乎每周六晚出動，名行動為“籽樂行動”（Sowergift) ，希望把每個人心中的快樂種籽發揚光大，透過不同渠道在社會散播快樂種籽。雖然活動的規模不廣，效率也不高，對拾荒長者的生活也不會帶來永久的改善，至少她們給了長者關懷與快樂。關懷與快樂是不能以金錢和物質換取的。同樣，只是在校內辦籌款活動、物資捐款，而不親身接觸與關懷有需要的人，我們永遠也不能體驗到助人的真正快樂。

只要親身看到受惠者因為我們的幫助與關懷，而展現久違、燦爛的笑容，我們心裡就其實除了通過活動週之外，我們也可以在香會頓時感受到一絲溫暖，自己也會快樂起港，通過不同途徑，為自己的社區出一分來。這就是 “助人為快樂之本” 中快樂的力，關懷社會上的弱細社羣。約一年前，在源泉。何謂有意義地助人？快樂就是答案。寒冷的聖誕夜，兩位“80後”青年 Carrie 與不是因為自己盡了責任，因為達到目標、因 Fun Fun在大埔市區的街上推著載著“愛心為被人稱讚而感到的快樂及滿足感；而是相糖水”的手推車，為路邊拾荒長者送上一碗方都感受到的，同時帶來一絲暖意的快樂。碗熱乎乎的糖水。長者喝著糖水，流露著滿足的笑容，又跟青年有談有笑。“他們需要的不是飽肚而是關心。如果你給他一碗飯，他會覺得你可憐他。如果我只是給他一塊餅乾，但留下來跟他聊半小時，那刻是窩心，而不只是有東西吃這麼簡單，是有一些人在

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EDITORIAL

Catherine Wang You see it everywhere. The high-profile businessman gripping a glossy, sponge-sized block to his ear, barking commands to Siri; the sedated six-year-olds tapping zombies to death mechanically on a small touch screen, instead of running around wildly with plastic robot toys. In Hong Kong, we have all felt the effects of the Apple revolution. These electronic devices of desire have changed the way we live with their groundbreaking technologies. And with the introduction of Macbook Pros as an educational tool for students in CIS, they are certainly changing the way we learn. But do you know about the scandals that are concealed behind the glamorous commercial appeal? If you’ve ever looked at the back of Apple goods, you may have noticed a line printed in miniscule lettering along with the requisite safety regulations: ‘Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China’. These six words define the decline of American manufacturing and jobs over the past decade or so thanks to cheap labor and globalization. Apple Inc. solely relies on cheap overseas labor to manufacture their products, mainly that of Foxconn plants in Mainland China. Foxconn is the largest exporter in China as well as the world’s largest maker of electronic components, and is responsible for the assembly of popular devices such as iPhones and iPads. They are well known for their devotion, unique business model and hardworking culture which have made them popular among western companies – but they are also recognized as having highly detrimental effects on their workers. In order to keep up with Apple’s insatiable demand for new products at reduced costs, they are forced to run on stricter terms. As a result, employees are overused and exploited, some forced to work over 15 hours a day at a rate of roughly $300 a month in ‘sweatshop’ conditions. As many as 100 people have been injured by toxic chemical exposures (cheaper alternatives to higher quality solvents) that were not specified as possible occupational illnesses, and audits have revealed under age employees (often products of China’s black market for child labor). Pay is often withheld as punishment, and corporal beatings are carried out for clumsiness – sick leave is not permitted. Living expenses often take up half their salary, and laborers are required to live on the premises for easy monitoring. Eventually harsh conditions inspire suicides among the employees, and over 17 workers have committed suicide over the

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the apple façade past few years with hundreds more threatening it. In July 2009, Sun Danyong, a worker at Foxconn, and committed suicide after reporting he lost a prototype model for a fourth generation iPhone. The media reported that he had been interrogated, beaten and searched by his superiors in his dormitory, actions supposedly illegal in both China and America. The incident raised questions regarding Apple’s secrecy policy and working conditions in their Chinese factories. Not only that, but Apple’s reliance on oversea companies for manufacturing has established unemployment issues in the U.S concerning the production industry.

“These difficulties that put a strain on the glorious illusion remain hidden by the massive consumer demand.” As more and more outsourcing exports are locking in on China, Western countries are bleeding jobs. Asian companies are more ‘versatile’ and ‘affordable’ than anywhere else in the world, and their reliability and speed make them a prime choice to cut down on production costs. Alternative assembly lines, on the other hand, lack training for basic middle-level jobs and cannot compare to the astounding rate and precision as offered by the Chinese. As a result, the amount of jobless Americans increases, and so does the cost of unemployment benefits and tax rates. Despite this, the amount of jobs created in the harsh conditions of Foxconn and other factories have given work to a good fraction of China’s booming population. In turn, Apple was shocked and offended by the accusations and immediately launched investigations into the state of the corporation’s work ethics. A simple solution to the problem, as Foxconn suggested, would be to install nets to prevent further suicide, of which they have already implemented around the site. However, these attempts have proved hollow, and Foxconn has refused the alteration the workload or austere measures. Workers continue to battle severe conditions in order to satisfy the immense call for iProducts. According to the company’s financial report, during the last three months of 2011, Apple sold 37 million iPhones, 15.4 million iPads, 15.4 million iPods and 5.2 million Mac computers, bringing Apple $46.3 billion in revenue and a cool $13.1 billion in profit – double what Apple made during the same period a year before. These difficulties that put a strain on the glorious illusion remain hidden by the massive consumer demand for smart-phones and high quality appliances. Apple continues to advance into the electronics field, and the only solution to the major problem occurring in China would be to stop the demand and cause. Would it be entirely possible for us to eliminate such objects from our lifestyle?

JUNE 2012

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EDITORIAL

Ballet : The Beauty Behind the Stereotypes Jackie Wu

“You do ballet? That’s so easy - all you do is twirl around and act pretty!” the boy retorts, launching into an appalling demonstration by holding his arms above his head and prancing in circles around the classroom. The rest of the class followed, and not before long there were two dozen kids dancing around me, looking not unlike a troop of baboons, arms flailing around and legs lifted at odd angles. My younger self felt mortified. I was hurt and disgusted that this was what my classmates deemed ballet to be like, without any grace or beauty, just girly and easy moves. Today this memory remains. Even now I still receive remarks about my participation in ballet, though fortunately most are very positive and encouraging. But nevertheless, I feel there is an invisible barrier between the dancers and the outside world. Many people don’t understand what dancers go through; once I had a friend who after hearing that I did ballet, replied, “Oh that’s cool, don’t you have to stand on your toes and do lots of twirls?” Even my parents don’t really understand what goes on when I leave the house between 4:30 and 6.00 every Saturday, coming home drenched in sweat with sore limbs and blistered feet. Most people only see the ‘end’ product, the performance on stage, and therefore their opinion on ballet dancers is usually limited to this. Since the eighteenth century, ballerinas have epitomized perfection and beauty on stage. Elegant lines and magnificent leaps have made them look like angels defying gravity. Being humans, we naturally judge and categorize people by what we see, and the reason why many consider ballet to look so easy is because it is our job as dancers to create a flawless image of floating on stage. Yet behind the graceful and immaculate move2012年六月

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ments is the unmasked strength, stamina and hard work. Perhaps like synchronized swimming, ballet is criticized because of the way it looks crisp, clean and effortless. People think it’s simple, until they try it. A simple plié (bending and stretching of the legs) may look easy, until you realize you must keep your feet turned out, your posture correct, arms in the right position and neck elongated. Years of training are required to build up muscular strength and to progress onto harder moves. Having a beautiful body posture is like second nature to long term dancers who will naturally move with all the correct details. Three young talented ballet dancers Sirena, Jasmine and Georgina from Year 7 were asked about their experiences regarding ballet. “People start to do imitations, especially the boys,” they said. “Most people think ballet is twirling around with arms in fifth, but when we showed them jumps and leaps they thought it was a lot cooler and harder.” When asked why they thought ballet was often stereotyped, they answered, “people don’t understand what ballet really is.” The girls believe that ballet is both an art and a sport. “You need to be subtle so you can do the things which make it an art, while you can express yourself and also it is very competitive without being aggressive like American football.” Likewise, results from a recent survey showed that the majority of the CIS student body considered ballet to be both a dance and a sport, giving reasons that it is form of expression whilst also requiring lots of skill, persistence and hard work. Unfortunately, the media sometimes casts shadows on ballet dancers. Movies like Black Swan give a very bad impression on ballet, portraying themes such as anorexia and eating dis-

orders. Professional dancers are required to train for hours every day, underneath the tights and leotard are layers of muscles, capable of holding the body in any position. Dancers are meant to portray a slender and slim figure, and evidently anyone who trains for that amount of time is unlikely to be overweight. Furthermore, no dancer would be able to turn, leap or perform movements correctly without immense core strength, stamina and flexibility. A fairytale is never complete without the handsome prince, and likewise a ballet is never complete without the male dancers. Unfortunately, they are often criticised as being weak and effeminate. Dancers have tight fitting costumes to allow the audience to see their body posture and beautiful lines and people should not criticize male dancers because of that. Male dancers bring vigour and energy to a ballet, flying into the air and leaping across the stage. They provide the framework to the pas de deux (male and female partner dance); how many men do you know can lift a woman above his head and hold her there? Ballet is an art, an form of expression by the choreographer to be interpreted and moulded by the dancer. It is admired for its grace, fluidity and delicacy, for which these artists recreate reality through their metaphysical desires and aesthetics. Yet it is also a sport, requiring skill, talent, and muscle power. When dancers float across the stage en pointe, perform 64 consecutive turns, and leap into the sky, they demonstrate the tremendous level of physical fitness required to captivate the audience into thinking it is effortless. Look beyond the conventional image and observe the strength, beauty and power that lie within. 漢基國際學校 | XIAO HUA 校話 | 87

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EDITORIAL

myanmar today

ASPEN WANG

The extraordinary story of a CIS student’s journey to Myanmar, otherwise known as Burma - at the time of Aung San Suu Kyi’s election to parliament in April.

Blurs of vermillion and gold flags splashed the air. There was an unmistakable atmosphere of humming, bubbling and escalating anticipation ready to burst forth and claim the long sought after wisps of democracy. I was walking in one of the wider streets of Rangoon. I stopped a woman with golden thanaka makeup smeared on her forehead and cheeks and asked her about what she thought of the election. In her accented English she said, “I’m not sure, I’m not really concerned with those things” and smiled on warmly with a hint of unease in her eyes. After further prodding, she said, “I just don’t understand why we’re still celebrating the memory of a man who died more than sixty years ago,” referring to one of the founding fathers of modern Myanmar, General Aung San. She kept smiling, and it was a genuine smile, but she stopped harassing me to buy her goods and walked on to another customer. The young people I spoke to were much more optimistic. “This landslide victory, this election, it’s all we’ve been waiting for. It shows that even the military realized the significance of Aung San Suu Kyi. After this, what’s next? Who knows? Change, great change, ” one of them said, gesticulating wildly. The rest of them - students in their first year at university - nodded in agreement. Then with a conspiratory whisper another one of them chimed in, “You know what? I think they moved the capital away so they could get away from the influence Aung San Suu Kyi has in Rangoon. It’s too much of a democracy stronghold for them to handle, they need to break ties with this place.” The rest of them giggled at the thought. A man educated in the West who had returned to be a monk swung the sole sleeve of his saffron robe over his shoulder and mused, “You need to keep in mind the military still holds a lot more seats in the parliament.” I asked if he had seen the recent movie “The Lady” on Aung San Suu Kyi. He laughed in an amused manner, if not a bit mockingly, “I think it’s a very good movie.” As an afterthought, he added, “perhaps a bit too idealistic, too happy and sensationalized.” Then with the reserve and holiness monks enshrine themselves in, he nodded and settled back into a stiff prayer position. So here I was presented with three different perspectives on the situation in Myanmar:: a population apathetic to the military and political meanderings of their society, the youth enthusiastic and hopeful for a democratic future of the country, and the skeptics, less than eager to fall for anything promised by the government. Skeptics harp that although Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won a landslide in recent parliamentary by-elections, the elections were only for forty-five out of six hundred total seats. As some of those I spoke to suggested, the political power base has been moving away from the commercial center and 88 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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historical capital of Burma - Rangoon - and the military still have close to absolute power in the country. In 2008, the reformed constitution called for a quarter of the seats in the parliament be reserved for the military. In addition, high ministerial and managerial positions were also given priority or guaranteed to those in the military. Even though Aung San Suu Kyi and her allies won forty two seats, more than four hundred seats are still held by the military. Hope for further reform will have to come from another source, perhaps from none other than the current president, a retired general. Many Burmese would like to believe that Thein Sein is a true reformist. One school of thought is that his predecessor General Than Swe opted for a smooth transition where his successor Thein Sein might be able to appeal to and placate the local population so that the history will be more favorable to the military. Others speculated that the government’s poor response to Cyclone Nargis shocked Thein Sein, making him realize the ineptitude of the government and the whole system. The April 1 parliamentary elections were the first truly democratic elections Myanmar has held since 1990, with Western observers coming in to watch. Political prisoners are being released, opposition politicians have been allowed to sit face to face with government officials for the first time and there has been increased discourse among the various political forces. With the tight grip of the parliament by the military, Suu Kyi’s party will not be able to defeat the government when voting in parliament, but what she says will make an impact. We cannot expect Myanmar to change overnight, but it is these small sparks that ignite the flame of hope in the hearts of many Burmeses. For some, the series of steps taken by the Thein Sein government is a hallmark of change or at least the first stepping-stone for democratic process. For others, it is a sign that the more palatably named “civilian government” is stepping up their game. For the cynics, it is the government’s ploy of convincing Western nations to lift their sanctions. And has the “puppet show” put on by the government worked? Well so far, the government’s actions have seen Hillary Clinton visit Rangoon in December 2011 and claim that the U.S. will reconsider sanctions. Soon after I arrived back from the country, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, became the first western head of government to visit Burma in decades, and the EU has since eased sanctions on Myanmar. While media attention focuses on Aung San Suu Kyi, we should be aware that a large proportion of the population does not know much about politics, democracy or their own rights. This highlights how the international community cannot at this point totally relent or loosen sanctions until these rights are more securely guaranteed. It’s understandable that a loosening of sanctions could act as an encouragement for the progress made thus far, but the international community must follow up with meaningful measures to prod the Myanmar government to take further steps down the road of reform. Then, and only then, will Burma be democratic. JUNE 2012

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EDITORIAL

How Graduates

Face the Difference Between SCHOOL and the ‘REALWORLD’ VERA LUMMIS interviews three CIS graduates on how they made the transition from high school to college.

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EDITORIAL CIS will soon send another class of graduates into the world. Among them will be those who are dubious about the future, those who are determined to achieve the goals that have been set for them, and those who are unsure of what they want to pursue, but are nevertheless exhilarated by the prospect of graduation. But the world after graduation is very unlike the structured and confined world of secondary school. As students enter college they will be thrown into a setting that is unprecedentedly wide open and full of possibilities. An understanding of the intangible aspects of college life, like the skills and mind set that is required to thrive there, can only come from experience. Will rote learning and formal structure characterize the experience? Or will college be a place where there is a diverse range of opportunities, where students can develop their passions and discover aspects of the world outside the education bubble?

The disparity between secondary school and college is clear because of the way school structures our lives and keeps us constantly preoccupied. Schools like CIS provide a vast range of co-curriculars and opportunities, and many students enthusiastically take advantage of them. As students try to balance their heavy workloads with their interests outside academics, they endure packed schedules, constantly flying from class to class, from friends to family, from the field to a tutor center. As high school progresses, grades become more important and an excessive value is placed on numerical grade values. It is important that students are not so overwhelmed by their studies and school’s requirements that they lose their sense of personality. We can easily become so busy that the purpose of all the hustle and bustle becomes ambiguous. While this is an easy hole to fall into, it is important to stop and think about whom you

are and what your goals are—beyond what is required. Some students do this by keeping up with current events and acting upon global issues; some decide to pursue their passions seriously; while others get involved with projects or events that spark their innate curiosity. Three college students, Hannah Short from the CIS Class of 2011, Lucas Sin, also from CIS Class of 2011, and a freshman at Yale, and Maxwell Wang, a junior at USC, have done just this. They’ve embarked upon new initiatives or delved into the job market early. Their experiences give us an idea of how some high school graduates are making the jump between high school and college.

Hannah Short ‘11

what Hannah interned at an organization called JUMP! that runs leadership-training programs for stu dents. JUMP! is a social enterprise that brings these excellent programs to underprivileged kids. why Hannah recounts: “I chose to work with JUMP! because I did a program myself as a student

and got a lot out of it. I wanted to help the JUMP! cause.” Xiao Hua: What did you feel was the contrast between your role as a volunteer for this organization and as a students? Hannah: The autonomy and independence that I gained working at the organization was significant. At JUMP! I felt more like an equal to my coworkers, whereas at school I felt like I was constantly being told what to do. However, both settings required me to motivate myself to get things done, and to problem solve regularly. XH: What were some advantages and disadvantages of working outside of school? H: Some of the advantages were that firstly, the program was very interesting. I got to meet a lot of great people and form solid relationships with my like-minded coworkers. I got to help a cause I believe in and was involved with lots of different types of work. I had no fixed position, which gave me the chance to get involved with various activities that sparked my interest. I enjoyed the flexibility. Some of the disadvantages were that it did take time away from my schoolwork. At the time, I was enrolled in a language program at the Beijing Language and Culture University. It was a long commute as well. XH: What were some valuable things you learned from your experiences that you would have liked to share with your peers? H: It's really rewarding to participate in work that you believe in. It's solidified my opinion that, within reason, a job should not solely be sought for the money. I also learned that there are many extremely capable kids from all over the world, which gives me hope for the future. Do you think the mindset students develop in school actually applies to ‘real world situations’? Is there a disparity between school and the 'real world'? H: I think in a lot of ways it is possible to apply school mindsets to the real world. Obviously I am no expert, but being organized is key in whatever situation you find yourself in, and that's definitely something you learn to master in school. I also think being able to prioritize is important, as is being diplomatic in all that you do.

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JUNE 2012

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EDITORIAL

Lucas Sin ‘11 what In the summer after graduation, Lucas, an enthusiastic and zealous former CIS student, started

his own company. STEP is a company that provides mentorship to local students aiming to attend selective universities in the US but lacking the organizational means to do so effectively. STEP connects students recently admitted to US universities to these local students, to provide guidance and advice. Lucas’ main idea behind STEP was to provide an affordable, quality service to a section of Hong Kong students who needed it the most. Although he claims “Startups are incredibly easy to begin, as it only takes an afternoon to register a business. What was more difficult was bringing the ideas to life. It took a lot of work to make sure everything went smoothly.” He and his friends who helped him at STEP interacted with many different kinds of people throughout the process, from government officials to angry storeowners; wrote all their own textbooks; and set up all the relevant bank accounts.

why

Xiao Hua: What did you feel was the contrast between your role as the leader of this venture and as a student? What were the different skill sets that you needed? Lucas: Students are trained in school, primarily, to work with ideas—to come up with solutions and assess them. When you're running a start up, the additional aspect of execution becomes crucial. There's a lot of ‘stuff’ that needs to be done, and while some individual tasks may seem trivial, if you don't do it, they will never be completed. To put it simply, somebody has to go buy refreshments for the information session; somebody has to repair that broken chair; and somebody has to get the student into university. That isn’t to say that CIS students aren't ready to deal with problems that are involved when execution because the main issue; they certainly are. It's just that you can only learn these skills when you are put on the job. XH: What were some advantages and disadvantages of being responsible for this job? L: The best thing about running STEP, more than anything else, was being able to bring something you care about to fruition. Helping students apply to university and watching them succeed is very fulfilling because you know you're making a difference in their lives, and you know you're applying your skills in a way that benefits others. XH: Do you think the mindset students develop in school actually applies to real world situations? Is there a disparity between the skills acquired throughout school and those necessary in a ‘real-world setting’? L: Yes, just as there are differences between being street-smart and book-smart, there are different things you need to know within the two fields. That's not to say, however, that school doesn't train you well for the ‘realworld’. It does. It develops fundamental skills, and most importantly, a mindset that drives you to improve, learn and adapt. It's impossible to learn how to run a company if you're in school - you learn the most about running a company when you're running the company. Secondary school education is part of the greater trajectory of learning throughout any individual's life, and there is no reason to doubt the applicability of what we learn in school to the ‘real-world’.

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Maxwell Wang ‘09 what Since the beginning of college, Max, a motivated and ambitious student, has sought internships and one-off opportunities at various record labels and other companies in the music industry in Los Angeles,

California. He currently works as an A&R (artists and repertoire) assistant/intern for Atlantic Records, one of the most prominent record labels in the US. A&R is the division that is responsible for signing new talent, working with existing artists, and collaborating with songwriters and producers. The central location of the company is in an office complex on the outskirts of Los Angeles County, but Max chose to commit to this particular internship because it gives him the opportunity to work in the label’s own recording studios, and to be actively involved in the creative process. It allows him to see and hear what goes on in the day-to-day life of the recording environment. According to Max, what results is “a hands-on experience that would be greatly determined by how much I wanted to involve myself ”, which in other words means that he gets as much out of his internship as he puts in.

why

Xiao Hua: How do you balance your internship and student life? Max: I work 3 days a week, each of which is a full work day plus some extra hours to avoid the traffic while driving home; from 9:30AM-7:30PM. I take night classes after work one night, a lab class before work on Fridays, and an additional day of classes. XH: What do you in this job? M: I help manage the studio: I set up the calendar, organize parking spaces, and compile guest lists. I also make sure all the artists’ needs are taken care of, compile weekly charts tracking new artists and check how Atlantic artists are performing on the Billboard charts. Most importantly though, I listen to new music and help evaluate submitted music as well. Some of the artists I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with range from Skrillex and Flo Rida to Estelle and B.o.B. Many of today’s top R&B and Pop artists are signed with Atlantic Records, but it is still of utmost importance for us to constantly seek out new talent. XH: What do you feel is the contrast between your role as an intern and as a student? M: Working as an intern has given me a completely different outlook on life after college. It’s also forced me to grow up and develop skills that I didn’t have confidence or the motivation to do before, from double-checking and CC-ing emails to cold calling and finding the contact information of new artists. The importance of being specific, professional, and thorough in everything you do is not the general mindset you have as a college student; in college you’re just trying to get by and get as many things done as possible. At the internship, each task, no matter how big or small, is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge or resourcefulness. As an intern, you need to be ready to work with not only peers your age, but also older people that are inevitably more mature. You have to be ready to learn and watch what they’re doing, and not only treat them professionally, but present yourself in a way so that they do the same.

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JUNE 2012

01/06/2012 5:51 PM

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SPORTS SPORTSéŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛ éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛

OLYMPICS 2012 MASCOT ETHELIA LEUNG/

LAYOUT: LOUISE WIHLBORN

Munich Olympic Games, mascots have stood at the forefront of the Olympic image. Mascots embody the spirit of the games, as well as promote the characteristics and cul-

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ture of the host city. We see mascots as fuzzy, cuddly representatives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the form of toys; in digital form; portrayed by humans in suits.

JUNE 2012

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ref Jia Sw glo ha of rep

SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛ SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛

VIEW THE MASCOT VIDEO AT HTTP://WWW. LONDONOLYMPICS2012.CA/OLYMPIC%20 MEDALS.JPG Everyone remembers the mascots from the 2008 Beijing Olym whose names formed the warm â&#x20AC;&#x153; â&#x20AC;?. The inspiration behind these mascots stemmed from the

references from fengshui elements â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ethnic roots (e.g. Tibet, XinJiang), traditional allegories (â&#x20AC;&#x153; â&#x20AC;?), animals (e.g. Panda, Swallow, Fish, Antelope). The mascots garnered recognition globally, receiving their fair share of love and dislike. I myself have a couple of toys lying around the house â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the likeability of these mascots was certainly great, as both visual and physical representations of the Beijing Olympic spirit.

FEEDBACK

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T REALLY LIKE THEM. FIRSTLY, OLYMPIC MASCOTS HAVE ALWAYS HAD CULTURAL REFERENCES INCORPORATED INTO THEIR DESIGN, AS SEEN IN THE CURRENT ONESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; NAMES AND WENLOCKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HEAD SHAPE, BUT THIS TIME THEY ARENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T AS STRONG/CLEAR. SECONDLY, MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF THEM IS THAT THEY ARE ROBOTS, YET THEY WEAR VERY HUMAN ACCESSORIES LIKE FRIENDSHIP ANDS AND TIMERS. FINALLY, THEY LOOK PRETTY CREEPY AND DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T PROVOKE FEELINGS OF FRIENDLINESS, WHICH IS WHAT MASCOTS HAVE HISTORICALLY DONE SUCH AS THE 96 CANADIAN ONE, AND 88 KOREAN ONE. THE BEIJING ONES HAD A CLEARER, APPROPRIATELY CHINESE THEME.â&#x20AC;?

UE, AND UNIQ N R E D O VERY M AN THE THEY ARE EATIVE TH R C E R O M ALSO CERTAINLY ICSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;MASCOTS. THEY SENT LYMP ND REPRE A BEIJING O IC L O B ME SYM IJING OLY E B E ARE MOR H T . R IJING PICS BETTE ABOUT BE T S THE OLYM U J E R E COTS W PRESENT PICSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MAS T THESE RE U B U O Y G E THESE WELCOMIN SYMBOLICALLY. I LIK PICS IN PICS THE OLYM T THE OLYM N E S E R P THEY RE AY.â&#x20AC;? BECAUSE ACOOL W

Let me introduce you to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 London Olympic Games mascots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wenlock and Mandeville. This pair of mascots cost a whopping ÂŁ400,000 in design commission, and in all honesty, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure if it was worth it. These oneeyed creatures are reminiscent of Mike from Pixarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monsters Inc., apart from the fact that their eyes are cameras and they wear taxi lights on their heads. Now, Wenlockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head is apparently a representative of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the three medals won in each Olympic eventâ&#x20AC;?. And Mandevilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head reminds me of Sonic the hedgehog, no? The designs are bold and â&#x20AC;&#x153;modernâ&#x20AC;? for sure, but they certainly do not scream, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a great Olympics mascot!â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I THINK THIS ONE IS GOING TO HAVE TO GROW ON PEOPLE. ITS NOT GETTING GREAT REVIEWS.â&#x20AC;?

2012ĺš´ĺ&#x2026;ć&#x153;&#x2C6;

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Wenlock and Mandeville were named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock and Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The can be expected (Canada named their 2010 Winter Olympics ćź˘ĺ&#x;şĺ&#x153;&#x2039;é&#x161;&#x203A;ĺ¸ć Ą | XIAO HUA ć ĄčŠą | 95 sidekick â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mukmukâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;). Their names provide probably the only 01/06/2012 5:51 PM

SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛ SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛ I REALLY LIKE THE IDEATHEY ARE BO TH BOLD AND INNOVA TIVE DESIGNS RATHE R THAN SIMPLY TRYING TO CASH IN ON A CUTE /FLUFFY IMAGE. WELL D ONE TO THE DESIGNERS FO R SHOWING A WILLIN GNESS TO PUT SO MUC H EFFORT INTO SOMETH ING TO TAKE US THROUGH THE GAMES!

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T THINK THEY ARE THAT INSPIRATIONAL. THEY LOOK QUITE DODGY. WENLOCK LOOKS LIKE A POKEMON AND MANDEVILLE LOOKS LIKE HE IS GONNA MELT. I THINK I PREFERRED THE BEIJING OLYMPIC MASCOTS BECAUSE THEY HAD MORE MEANING. THOUGH THERE ARE THE SMALL THINGS LIKE THE TAXI HEADLIGHTS AND STUFF ON THE LONDON ONES, I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T REALLY SEE ANY LONDON PRIDE IN THERE. I AM HALF ENGLISH BUT I WOULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED THAT THESE WERE LONDON OLYMPIC MASCOTS. I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT THERE IS DEFINITELY A STORY BEHIND THEM. I ALSO LIKED THE WAY THAT WENLOCK AND MANDEVILLE IMITATED THE FAMOUS BRITISH ATHLETES. OVERALL, I THINK THAT THEY ARE QUITE DISAPPOINTING ON A FEW LEVELS LIKE AESTHETICS AND STORY ALL THOUGH MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT THEY ARE NOT INSPIRATIONAL.â&#x20AC;?

obvious connection to Britain. While the creators have attempted to integrate physical characteristics of their host country into these mascots, those taxi lights and creep camera-eyes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly cut it for me.

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British childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writer Michael Morpurgo created their backstory concept that led to the creation of a narrative animation called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Out of a Rainbowâ&#x20AC;?. The story is that they were fashioned out of drops of steel by a retired man called George, who gave them to his grandchildren who placed them on a windowsill. A rainbow formed and brought the

! getting their names from books and trophies, Wenlock and Mandeville ride away on the rainbow. You can see this video for yourself at http://bit.ly/XiaoHua2012Mascots. I must admit they look much more animated and real through ! leave it to you to ponder whether it works in their favour or otherwise. Wenlock and Mandeville were meant to connect children ! helped with the designing of the mascots; and according to the London 2012 organising committee chairman Sebastian Coe, they â&#x20AC;&#x153;talked to lots of children and they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want cuddly toys; they want something they can interact with a http:// www.londonolympics2012.ca/Olympic%20Medals.jpg and something with a good story behind it.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response towards these mascots hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been enthusiastic as such. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think this one is going to have to grow on people, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not getting great reviews,â&#x20AC;? said CTV London Bureau Chief Tom Kennedy. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been associated with previous mascot failures such as Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Izzy; some say that they certainly look as though they were designed by children of young ages. The reception !

the Telegraph reported them to look like â&#x20AC;&#x153;two parts-PokeJUNE 2012

01/06/2012 5:51 PM

SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛

mon to one-part lava lamp with yellow â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Taxiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lights on their foreheadsâ&#x20AC;?, and Yahoo! Sports attributed them to â&#x20AC;&#x153;early rejects from a Pixar movieâ&#x20AC;?. People have taken to social networking websites such as Twitter to voice their disdain, and comments on articles regarding Wenlock and Mandeville havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all been the nicest either.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;PEOPLEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EXPECTATIONS OF THE MASCOTS SEEM TO BE A, THEIR APPEAL, B, CUTENESS AND C, THEIR RELATION TO THE CULTURE OF THE HOST CITY.â&#x20AC;? The critical responses towards these mascots are pretty harsh. The mascots will, after all, appeal mainly towards children who do not think into any deeper connotations that we as teenagers or adults do. I conducted a survey within our CIS Secondary School community; it appears that 42% of respondents rated the mascots as a three on a scale of four, and 38% rated them a two. Most students are on the fence about these mascots, saying that they look futuristic, modern but ! ated them with aliens, robots, batteries and even ogres. While most agreed that the mascots were interesting and creative, they felt that the mascots were unattractive and overly complex. Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectations of the mascots seem to be a) their appeal, b) cuteness and c) their relation to the culture of the host city. After viewing the animation video, some people changed their impressions on 2012ĺš´ĺ&#x2026;ć&#x153;&#x2C6;

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAYBE WILL, AS TOM KENNED Y SAID, GROW ON U S; MAYBE THEY WONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T. MAYBE WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL APPRECIATE THE M FOR WHAT TH EY STAND FOR; MAYBE WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL CO NTINUE THROW ING SNARKY COM MENTS AT TH EM. WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE ALL EN TITLED TO OUR OPINIONS ON THE SE MASCOTS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THEY GOING TO C â&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE NOT HANGE FOR THE GAMES YEAR, SO WE THIS MIGHT AS W ELL ACKNOW EDGE THEM. LPERHAPS THE Y WONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T SEE BAD AFTER A M SO LL. WHO KNO WS?â&#x20AC;? the mascots, saying that they looked more organic, more real, cuter and somewhat more relevant to the Olympics, while some people stayed with their initial impressions, saying that the video was boring and did not relate well with the Olympics. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unfortunate that the mascots only seem slightly more likeable after their animation is viewed. In my opinion, if there has to be an extra step in securing a good impression of the mascots, then they are clearly over-thought â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and unnecessarily too. 22% of respondents did indeed think that the story behind these mascots were severely over-thought, whereas 54% of respondents were a little less harsh in saying that it was good that these mascots had a story, but it turned out to be a little over-the-top. Overall, respondents either disliked them due to their odd and cold nature and overly complex symbolism, or found them to be reasonable as they were creative and modern.

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EXPECTATIONS: SPORTS 體育

LONDON OLYMPICS

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JUNE 2012

01/06/2012 5:51 PM

Cameron Zeluck As the midway point of the year approaches, we think of the upcoming events that 2012 holds for us: The US presidential elections, the European Football Championship, the December 21st “Apocalypse”, and the 2012 London Olympic Games. With less than three months left until the London Olympics’ commencement, the CIS community prepares for the most anticipated Olympics since the much-appreciated Beijing 2008 Games.

SPORTS 體育

All the top athletes are playing for their country, meaning that their desire to win will be further fuelled by the motivation of being nationally recognized” The location transition from Beijing to London is further appropriate for CIS students, given CIS’ base in Hong Kong, and the focus on the European IB system. With 26 categories of sports at hand in this year’s Olympics, the variety is welcome to such a diverse school community, particularly with the 300 events present at the Games. Given such a multitude of choices to watch, many students look forward to viewing specific sports to their liking.

CIS B-Grade Basketball Captain Michael Cheng (Y11) highly anticipates the Men’s Basketball Championships at the Olympics, citing the event as the sport he most looks forward to watch at the Olympics; “All the top athletes are playing for their country, meaning that their desire to win will be further fuelled by the motivation of being nationally recognized”. Following the US “Redeem Team’s” victory over Spain for the gold medal in ’08 and the esteemed Barcelona 1992 US “Dream Team”, Olympic basketball has often been seen as a showcase of the top talent in the world, displaying the competitiveness, pride and talent of world-class players, not unlike any other sport in the Games. Meanwhile, following Michael Phelps’ outstanding performance in the Beijing Games, winning eight Gold Medals and breaking a myriad of Olympic records in the process, Olympic swimming has opened 2012年六月 up to a number of followers. Regarding this increase of Final Issue XH6 (ABSOLUTE FINAL).indd 99

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SPORTS 體育 followers for the sport, CIS Xiao Hua Sports Editor and Swimming Captain Nicholas Sung (Y11) said, “It’s fantastic that swimming has captured the eyes of so many people. Given that many people only watch the Olympics for the athletics, swimming now has the opportunity to shine under the skill Mr. Phelps and the other competitors displayed in the previous Olympics, showing that it too is equally as captivating as the other 25 sports present in the Games”. Just like the glorifying Basketball present at the Olympics, swimming too displays

a myriad of talents, showcasing some of the top athletes the world has to offer in this London’s Olympics. Yet the 2008 Olympics showcased another talent that broke the headlines: Usain Bolt’s breaking the 100m sprints World Record. Deemed “The Fastest Man Alive”, the irony behind Bolt’s surname, paired with his athleticism has drawn the attention of many CISers, including A-Grade 100m Athletics Representative Clarence Leung (Y12). He foresees a potential Olympic headlines breaking, as “the underdog, [Jamaica native] Yohan Blake breaks Bolt’s records. His explosiveness off the blocks

Usain Bolt powering through

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SPORTS 體育 will always show a great race. The highlight of the Olympics would be seeing if Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake (all Jamican runners) break more past records to make Jamaica proud”. B-Grade Girls Athletics competitor Francesca Li (Y10) also looks for an underdog win: “For any athlete the Olympic Games are key events. They are inundated with talent and athletes who are extremely competitive and passionate about their sport. Albeit the spotlight will be on Usain Bolt, as he seems to be the frontrunner in the competition, but I personally am looking forward to the other talent that will be competing and the new faces that will arise from this competition”. There’s no doubt that these two student athletes greatly look forward to a good, competitive Olympic Games, hoping to see headline stories among the athletic talents. On the other hand, while the Olympics give athletes the chance to use them as a platform to showcase their talents on a global scale, they also give the host cities the opportunity to develop themselves both financially and commercially. The Games go as far as “just a celebration of sports. The event is an impetus for positive development in cities, and Beijing is an example of that”, Year 11 student Vera Lummis said, “when I arrived in Beijing for the Olympics, the city was visibly cleaner and greener, and measures were implemented to make traveling around the city more

efficient”. To increase tourism opportunities and further room for development, the Games welcome a number of changes, much seen in the Beijing Games, where the city’s Olympic Park has become one of the top tourist attractions in the world, with visitors admiring the architectural marvels of The Bird Nest and the Water Cube. With London 2012 in the minds of the British government, changes in the transportation system, with new buses implemented in the city have been made, as London prepares to attempt to match or better that of Beijing’s Games four years ago. With just several weeks left in the school year, and several weeks left until the Olympic Games, talk of the games will definitely be heard amidst schoolyard conversation. With such a variety of sports and athletes prepared for the Olympics, there’s room for all to enjoy and appreciate what is shown in the Games. So whether one turns on ESPN or travels to London to celebrate, prepare yourselves CIS, and let the Games begin! 2012年六月

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SPORTS 體育

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OUTSTANDING STUDENT ATHLETES

Oscar Chambers: Athletics

Calla Chan: swimming

Justin Lok:

Golf

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JUNE 2012

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SPORTS 體育

SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2011 If you would like to nominate a fellow teammate or athlete for recognition as a Xiao Hua “Athlete to Watch”, please email us at cis.xiaohua@gmail.com.

Lauren Chillington: Rugby

Kyle Wong: Tennis

2012年六月

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Alisha Tidmarsh: Netball

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SPORTS é«&#x201D;è&#x201A;²

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TE TE E

PHOENIX ATHLETICS SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛

REporter: Michael Cheng

the Athletics team will have to keep up the en-â&#x20AC;? forcement of a rigorous, organized and cohe-â&#x20AC;? sive training program .

ART: LOUISE wihlborn

hile the vast majority of CIS Sports Programs are renowned and recognized across Hong Kong, the Phoenix Athletics Team was in a comparatively modest situation at the start of this year. In contrast to the predicted powerhouse sports teams which were expected to bring home championships- none other than the swimming, rugby and basketball programs- the overall cohesion and standard of the CIS Athletics Team was far behind, to say the least. While other sports teams had multiple organized team training sessions every week, the athletics team, as had been for all the previous years, was compiled of merely a group of athletes assembled shortly before the inter-school events. This, however, was not due to a lack of emphasis on the event itself; but rather, the lack of willingness by athletes to commit to a focused athletics training program.

are. With this new approach the PE Department is able to conduct actual time trials in prime conditions. Therefore, the most suitable and deserving athletes for each event will be able to participate in the inter-school event.

Additionally, the PE Department has, this year, initiated an Athletics training program for those who are participating in the inter-school events. Weekly training sessions are supervised by Mr. May and Ms Bolton, and are â&#x20AC;&#x153;held for one and a half hours every Friday.â&#x20AC;? Unlike previous years, where there was at most one unorganized training session the week before the interschool This year, Mr. May and Ms. Bolton set out to event, the training sessions began in improve the quality of the Athletics Team. December, giving the athletes about Unlike previous years, where inter-school 8 weeks preparation time before the competitors were picked out from the grade inter-school competition. Training events at our annual Sports Day; the team sessions this year are more focused, was organized earlier, with the goal of ensur- allowing each athlete to be able ing that the competitors selected to represent " % ! ( ! ! the school at the HKSSF meets would be side other athletes doing similar the â&#x20AC;&#x153;best that CIS had to offer. If anything, events. Mr May and Ms Bolton also as CIS students we should know that when constantly monitor every group of factoring in â&#x20AC;&#x153;skipping eventsâ&#x20AC;? on the day athletes, giving feedback and expert itself and not taking events seriously (runadvice on form, technique, and ning in costumes), the Sports Day events are ways to improve. Such an approach less than indicative of who the best athletes allows the athletes to push one another to the limit, cultivate skill 106 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA ć ĄčŠą

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and challenge themselves to reach their potential as an athlete. This is maximised % " " " ! # $ " ! ( training. Although an organized Athletics program is still very much a work in progress for CIS, the overall results from this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inter-school Athletics compe" " " " " ( " & ! " potential to improve. The Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team ( ! " $ $ ! " HKSSF (Hong Kong School Sports Federation) Athletics competition; while " !' " ( ! " $ $ ! In order to stand on par with the bigger CIS sports teams, the Athletics team will have to keep up the enforcement of a rigorous, organized and cohesive training program for a sustained period of time. Provided this newfound sense of ambition continues in the following years, the CIS Athletics team undoubtedly will join its other sports teams in producing outstanding athletes. JUNE 2012

01/06/2012 5:51 PM

n p v t t A h e t e

T a b t s % f t

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SPORTS éŤ&#x201D;č&#x201A;˛ Every member of the team always strives to not only achieve their best in placing, #" ! " ( !" ! ! "!manship and team spirit. This positive attitude has lead CIS to be a highly victorious and commended team by other schools.

The crosscountry team has rapidly expanded and grown into a powerhouse of high caliber runners who push themselves

ith the rise of the phoenix, the schools of Hong Kong have witnessed the teams of CIS pick up a pace of lightning and fury. The new mascot has brought a sense of school pride and team spirit, leading CIS to more victories as Phoenix athletes push themselves to break their own boundaries. In particular the cross country team, which is lead by Mrs. Alexander and coached by Mr. Mackevicius, has rapidly expanded and grown into a powerhouse of high caliber runners who push themselves, breaking sweat and making pace each and every race. Training Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, the cross country runners all embody the essentials of a CIS athlete â&#x20AC;&#x201C; dedication, perseverance and team spirit. Training sessions consist of high-intensity programs % ! ( & ! # ! " familiarize themselves with extreme muscle fatigue that is commonly experienced in a race. 2012ĺš´ĺ&#x2026;ć&#x153;&#x2C6;

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running up Braemar Hill every morning, computer in hand is in charge of the Thursday afternoon Cross Country session, and we are very lucky to have his involvement with the squadâ&#x20AC;?. Mrs. Alexander further stated that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an absolute pleasure for her to coach kids who constantly rise to the challenge by pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits: â&#x20AC;&#x153;the way in which this team trains cohesively together and competes creates such team collegiality that underpins what the Phoenix school spirit is really about.â&#x20AC;?

The innumerable hours of hard work on the trails paid off as the cross country team obtained fantastic achievements this season. The Boys Cross Country Team won the HKSSF Division III Championships as " ! !! # " & ( ! overall in Division II, resulting in a promotion to 1st division next year. It is imperative during a race that a team of runners !# " " " ( ! !" and pass as many competitors as possible " & !" " # " " ( and that was exactly what the CIS Phoenix An exciting future is set for the demonstrated â&#x20AC;&#x201C; performing effectively as a runners of the cross-country cohesive unit. team. They have successfully undergone enhancement to Although sport has never been the soul build a stronger and more focus of CISâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly academic mind, stu- powerful team through tougher dents and teachers alike have noticed a shift and more regular trainings. The in the old ways, making room for sport in evident improvement is owed our lives. With the birth of the phoenix, to greatly to Mrs. Alexander students have now been heavily encouraged and Mr. Mackevicius who are to support and play on a team. the masterminds behind this immense development. A team During an interview with Mrs. Alexander once left in the dust of others regarding the vast success that the cross is now fast rising to a bright fucountry team has achieved this season, ture of many wins, so be sure Mrs. Alexander said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an incredible to watch or better yet join the honor to have Clinton (Mr. Mackevicius) cross country team, and be a work with us. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a talented athlete who part of the action yourself. currently enjoys success on the international triathlon scene. Clinton has trained as an Olympian with the Australian Institute " " " $ " ! been really encouraging, positive and enthusiastic to the runners. Another talented runner, our Primary Maths learning leader, Mr. Paul Crowhurst - who can be seen

Reporter: chloe leung ART: LOUISE WIHLBORN

PHOENIX CROSS COUNTRY

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ARTS FEATURE 藝術

FOREVER 21 MIRIAM FINNEMORE Whoever said that money can’t buy happiness clearly didn’t know where to go shopping. Forever 21 is a trending Korean-owned American store that is famous for its fashionable yet affordable clothing, and the good news? They just opened a new store in Causeway Bay. Over the past few months, women of all ages have been flocking here to see the new “must go” for themselves. As soon as you enter the store, bright colors from their new spring collection flood to meet you. It’s an unforgettable sight that is quickly stenciled into your head. From tank tops, crop tops, shirts, blouses, sweaters and t-shirts to bikinis, jewelry, jeans and shorts, Forever 21 really has it all. The unique thing about the shop is that it sells casual daywear tainted with high-end fashion, making the trends appealing to all. All six floors are packed with colossal amounts of clothes that the store sells and they never disappoint. Each floor has its own theme making your shopping experience much more fun. With fresh items being brought in every day, you could definitely update your wardrobe every weekend just by coming here. There’s just one problem. The store is constantly crowded with eager shoppers and braving the crowds can get tiresome. When faced with this situation, lots of people have taken to simply ordering online which is a lot less hassle and is by far the easiest option. Q&A on Forever 21 with Sammie Haggard Q: What was your first impression of the new store? A: That it was huge. Just huge. Q: What do you think of the clothes? A: The clothes are both classy and casual at the same time. They represent youth and I love how each floor is different and has it’s own theme. Q: What are the prices like? A: It depends on what you get, but the majority are affordable. The prices are comparable to H&M and Cotton On. Q: Based on what you saw, do you think that you’ll be going back any time soon? A: I’ll definitely go back soon but I think that I’ll wait until they get a new shipment of clothes. Once you’ve been there, it feels as though you’ve already seen everything, and if I didn’t buy it then, I probably wouldn’t buy it now. I’ll also go back when they finish renovating and open all of the floors. 108 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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ARTS FEATURE 藝術

CREATIVE A selection of creative works from the CIS Community

2012年六月

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ARTS FEATURE 藝術

出生入死的愛王凱妍 Karen Wong

“媽媽，不要離開我，嗚嗚……”小獅子邊哭邊說道。非洲大草原，是一片充滿自由和大氣然氣息、孕育了無數動物的土地，卻也是一片充滿著危險和殘酷的土地，不知見證了多少次廝殺、受過多少次鮮血的洗禮。那是一個陽光明媚的下午，一只母獅帶著一個月大的小獅子在草原中覓食。母獅走路一瘸一瘸的，很明顯是受過傷，而且傷得不輕。跟隨在它身後的是只小巧可愛的小獅子，一路上蹦蹦跳跳，好不快樂。“媽媽，我們什麽時候有東西吃啊？”牠問道。“再等一會就有了。”母獅回答說。幾年前，母獅還沒有生下小獅子前，曾經是獅群中權力最大，唯一能和獅王平起平坐的母獅，所有獅子都對牠敬而遠之。直到一次獵殺行動中，令她失去了王者風範。母獅在和獵物搏鬥時被咬傷左後腿，後來因爲傷勢太嚴重，導致那條腿幾乎殘廢。母獅也因爲失去了獵食的能力，不能幫獅群覓食、成爲他們的累贅，而被殘忍地驅趕出獅群。自從生下小獅子后，母獅便一直帶著牠到處漂泊，四海爲家。走著走著，不知不覺已經黃昏了。母獅仍帶著小獅子覓食，他們已經兩天沒進食，都餓得眼冒金星。“媽媽，到底什麽時候才能吃飯啊？我餓得好難受啊……”母獅沒有回答，只是一下將小獅子推進樹叢中，並低聲說：“千萬不要發出任何聲音，也不要離開這裏。” 說罷，便繼續往前走。前方，有一群野狼正在埋頭吃他們捕到的獵物，母獅見到便起了主意。牠偷偷走向狼群，心想“我就偷一塊肉，回去給小獅子吃。”怎料，被其中一只狼發現了，馬上一群野狼就將母獅包圍起來。狼王說:“好大的膽子！竟然敢偷我們的食物！”“哼！你們最好現在離開，不然別怪我對你們不客氣！”母獅不甘示弱地說道。“ 你那只腿都快殘廢了，走路一拐一拐的，還想嚇唬我們？兄弟們，上！”一群憤怒無比的野狼一下撲到母獅身上，母獅開始了和牠們搏鬥。但是，母獅的力量遠遠不足以抵禦整群野狼猛烈的攻擊。牠的毛髮被拉扯著，手腳也被咬傷了，儘管如此，牠還是盡其所能極力反抗…… 不知過了多久，母獅終于拖著沉重的身軀回到小獅子身邊。小獅子看見媽媽回來時，雀躍地馬上跑過去說：“媽媽，你終于回來了！你去哪裏了？”母獅微笑著說：“是啊，媽媽回來了。媽媽去給寶寶找食物了。來，趕緊吃吧。” 說完，便把從狼群中搶回來的獵物放在小獅子面前。小獅子見到食物便馬上撲上前去大口地吃起來，吃得津津有味，絲毫沒察覺到母獅的不妥。突然，小獅子聽到“砰”的一聲，牠轉頭一看，母獅已痛苦地倒在地上……

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ARTS FEATURE 藝術

Where are the Great Masters? HONG KONG!

KAITLIN CHAN Many of the painters that people consider “Great Masters” are no longer with us: Pablo Picasso, Caravaggio, Francisco Goya, Leonardo Da Vinci... A question raised in many a forum or discussion is whether these “Great Masters”(specifically of painting) exist in today’s contemporary art world. In a gallery today you may stumble upon a dead sheep soaked in formaldehyde or a white canvas painted white. It’s a confusing world out there. A short foray in to the halls of Art HK (Hong Kong’s most large-scale fine art event) would expose you to so much and so many kinds of art that the essence of the painting in the classic sense of the word is obscured.

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It is frustrating when people continously complain of how underdeveloped Hong Kong’s art scene is when compared to other “world cities” such as Tokyo or New York. In order to change this there needs to be an greater awareness and support of these local artists who are busy making a name for Hong Kong with their immense talent. If you want Hong Kong to be a better place for artists, strive to be seen and heard as a fan and or artist. Support the local art scene and community. It can and will happen.

See more of Chow’s work at http://www.chowchunfai.com/

See more of Simon’s work at monkeymodified.blogspot.com

2012年六月

That being said- there certainly are Great Masters of painting now as there ever were. Although I wish with every fibre of my being that Salvador Dali could somehow be reincarnated with modern technology, I am hopeful of the upcoming generation of artists that is to shape the world in ways we can only imagine. There are certainly Great Masters still working and there always will be. Some of them are even from where you live. In order to celebrate modern talents, I decided to spotlight two local Hong Kong artists who create work with the same kind of truth that draws us to classic artwork and renders it relevant for many years onwards.

Film stills by CHOW CHUN FAI

Faces by SIMON BIRCH

I was inspired to write this piece after this year’s IB Spain Art Trip. In the same day we art students were exposed to both 16th century masterpieces at the Prado and riveting modern classics at the Thyssen. Time has allowed art to develop and transform in a way that does mark the end of certain types of “classic” art. People are trained to be artists in a completely different way now- the strictness and rigidity of traditional skill-based learning is far less prevalent. Artists are often encouraged to explore concepts as opposed to technique, and art is now more often a response to media and information as we live in a more connected world. Mythological and or Nobility/Royalty related imagery is now less prevalent as the types of materials used in fine art have rapidly developed.

Fundamentally, most art still revolves around the human condition and emotions, but the way art is created is no longer confined to oil paints and canvas.

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PHOTO: NATHANIEL CHAN & CHRIS FONG

ARTS FEATURE 藝術

THE

DEATH OF THE

WORDS BRYCE LIM ART HYOJU SOHN

rom the haunting whistles of 40,000-year-old flutes to the modern strains of AutoTune, there is no question that music has evolved. As a part of culture and society, music is an important part of life. Music has also evolved in the way it has been distributed. With the proliferation of the internet in the digital age, physical digital formats such as the CD are starting to lose customers, but that does not mean that the CD is taking its dying breath. Digital music downloads are a relatively new idea. iTunes made the direct download trend popular in April 2003 with the “iTunes Music Store”, which is now simply the “iTunes Store,” which has since sold 16 billion songs. Since 2008, it has been the number one music vendor in the United States, and, on February 24, 2010, it sold its 10 billionth song online and became the largest music vendor by volume in the world. This was less years after its original opening.

plification, live performances could be larger and still allow those in cheaper seats to hear everything on stage. It was only a matter of time before sound recording emerged in the form of Thomas Edison’s 1878 mechanical phonograph cylinder. Cylinders gave way to Emile Berliner’s gramophone in 1889, which was replaced by the vinyl microgroove record which emerged in the 1940s. Vinyl was the predominant configuration from the 1950s until the early 1980s.

CDs haven’t fared as well. According to Nielsen SoundScan data for the USA, CDs made up 90% of album sales in 2007. In 2009, that figure fell to just 79%. The following year CD sales dropped from 147 million to 114 million. A major driving force for the performance of digital formats is the age of consumers. Teenagers today very rarely buy a physical CD. As more and more people decide to buy through digital, CDs will continue to experience reduced sales.

Saying that digitally downloaded music will completely take over the music industry is like saying that paperbacks, newspapers and magazines will be replaced by electronic book formats such as the Kindle. There are many who do believe that digital formats will completely take over physical formats, but this is a bit of an exaggeration. There is still a sense of ownership in holding a physical product that is truly yours that cannot be had by staring at pixels on your computer screen and saying “yep, I bought that.”

In 1988 CDs became the predominant format. However, vinyls are still sold today as collectors items. The development of new music technologies has seen a natural progression of musical distribution formats, and the rise of digital is no different. However it is hugely unwise to predict the demise of the CD.

Music has gone through many changes, and the way it is distributed is only one of them. For millennia, the only way to listen to music was to attend a live performance. Then, with the advent of am112 | Chinese International School | XIAO HUA 校話

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JUNE 2012

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ARTS FEATURE 藝術 Will vinyl record collections like this one become relics of ancient times?

PHOTO: KAITLIN CHAN

“There is still a sense of ownership in holding a physical product that is truly yours that cannot be had by staring at pixels on your computer screen.” Students in CIS have mixed views. Some think that CDs “will become less popular,” others that “the CD will certainly become near dead.” However, most acknowledged the fact that “a lot of people still have sentimental value in the physical form of music,” and that the fact that “[vinyl] records are still around” means that CDs won’t disappear just yet. As one student put it, “with 7 billion people, there’s going to be one who likes collecting CDs.”* The consequences of losing music in its physical form could be quite serious. Music downloaded on the internet is very liable to be uploaded to sharing websites, where they can be illegally downloaded for free. Music piracy is much less prominent with CDs. It is harder and riskier to find and purchase a bootleg CD, making it a deterrent to do so compared to Googling to find an MP3 file that is absolutely free. In addition to being harmful to copyright holders, this sharing culture could become the norm for entire groups of people. In CIS, illegal downloads make up more than three quarters of all music acquisition. Most of those who download music also have never used a legal online source to download music. In this way, a complete transition to digital downloads could be dangerous. If CDs do disappear, those born in the era of iTunes may never meet a CD. Nowadays, for CIS students in particular, the main contact younger people have with music is through the iPod. The ease of use and availability of digital music is one of the main reasons for this. Having music available on demand is more appealing than going to the record store to a generation accustomed to immediate gratification. This natural change in formats has always occurred alongside changes in society and technology. In just over a century, the way we listen to music has gone from cylinders to shellac gramophone discs, to vinyl LPs, to cassettes, then to CDs, and now to digital downloads. Through it all, listeners have always loved and will always love music, no matter where it comes from. Of course, digital proliferation will not spell death for other formats. Deluxe CD reissues, collectors’ box sets of CDs, and even vinyl recordings, are still sold today, and this will not change in the future. It is clear that the CD will not die. *Art Editor’s Note: This person happens to be me! -KC 2012年六月

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CREATIONS 創作

小鹿鹿

Natalie Lin

林欣穎

媽媽看我沒反應，便提高了嗓子。 “王晨露！你有沒有留心聽我說的話？” “你到底要說什麼嘛？” 我無精打采地說。

今天星期天，爺爺帶我和妹妹到動物園。真是浪費我的時間；誰想在炎熱的夏天裡跟著囉嗦的爺爺看又臭又髒的動物？還有，自從爺爺會使用相機上的按鈕後，就喜歡緊追不捨地幫我照相，真讓人不耐煩。 “小露露，你看我為你買了什麼東西！” 爺爺喜滋滋地向我跑來，背後藏著一件新奇的東西。 “是什麼?”我沒好氣地問。爺爺笑眯眯地從背後拿出一隻長頸鹿長毛絨玩具。 “你看！我的小露露也能有自己的小鹿鹿！” “我不要那種東西。” “但長頸鹿不是你最喜歡的動物嗎？” “我不要。車鑰匙在哪？我想先回車上。” “但你連河馬都還沒見到呢！” 妹妹緊張兮兮的說。 “不，” 我接過鑰匙 “還有，別叫我小露露” 我對爺爺說，接著轉身就走。爺爺根本不明白一個十二歲女孩的想法！爺爺還把我當成小孩子看，不但過馬路時要牽著我的手，看動物時還要我騎在他背上，中午吃飯時更想幫我訂兒童餐！最令我煩躁的是，爺爺一直叫我小露露，無論我告訴他多少次，他永遠也記不起來，可能是老人癡呆症吧？我終於坐到了車上，將疲倦的身體摔到椅子上，拿出手機聽音樂。希望今年可以過得更快，那我明年就可以到國外留學，獨自過生活，不必再看到爺爺了。媽媽拿著今天早上用的相機，看我們照的照片。 “晨露，為什麼都看不見你的照片？” “姐姐好固執，沒有跟河馬照相！” 妹妹又在旁邊多嘴。 “妹妹，你先上樓，媽媽等一下過來。” “好！” 妹妹蹦蹦跳跳的上了樓。 “晨露，你要知道，爺爺真的非常疼你。你今天也對他非常沒禮貌，應該學習尊重長輩。”

媽媽嘆了一口氣。“爺爺身體十分虛弱。總有一天，你對爺爺冷淡的舉動與沒禮貌的對話會是你給他最後的印象。而到那時想改變就太遲了，你會感到後悔莫及的。” 媽媽搖了搖頭，表情沮喪的走出房間。後悔莫及，哈！興高采烈還差不多。我一進宿舍，便看到一個包裹。 “婷宣！你有包裹！”我從門口對我的室友大吼。婷宣正埋頭苦讀，但還是抬頭回答我：“ 不，這次是你家人寄來的！” 果然，包裹上清清楚楚地寫著“王晨露小姐”五個字。再往下看，喔，是爺爺送的，真是令我失望。我毫無興趣的將包裹丟到房間的角落，反正裡面一定又是些沒用的東西。 *** 我把頭埋進柔軟的枕頭裡，回味著被打斷的好夢。半夜三點多，電話卻不斷的發出那令人煩躁的嘟嘟聲，我只好不甘願的爬起來接電話。 “喂？”我粗魯地說。 “晨露，是你爸爸。” 電話對面清楚地聽得到媽媽默默的哭泣聲。 “什麼事？” “嗯...你爺爺，剛才...”我愣住了。 “你知道他心臟不好，剛才突然就倒...倒在地上。” “爺爺走了。” 媽媽失控的聲音從電話傳出來。那殺那，感情滿天飛。開心、歡樂？絕對不是。我放下電話，立刻想起那被遺棄了兩年的包裹。我不是很討厭爺爺嗎？但他開朗的態度，燦爛的笑容怎麼一直在我腦中播放著。我小心翼翼的將包裹拆開，一張枯黃的紙條從包裹飄到地上。我撿起來，紙條上寫：給我的小露露，你在我眼中永遠是那活潑、可愛的小女孩。包裹裡面是那三年前爺爺為我買的長頸鹿玩偶。眼淚不由自主地從我的臉頰滾落，落在寫滿爺爺潦草卻充滿愛心的字的紙條。爺爺，對不起。

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CREATIONS 創作

Momma’s Friend Boris But

Broken glass on the floor, She must have drunk too much that fateful night, Rouge-faced, she always was too wan, but tonight She must have overstayed. “Momma’s friend”, we called her, Mama would clasp our ears while she spoke, Of “ships” and “trucks”, whilst she blew out smoke, Not “Auntie” like the others. “She enjoyed too much of life.” What did that mean? We always wondered, Her cackle when she drew her ace of spades and The stench of smoke from too many a Virginia Slim, “Just fizzy grape juice”, one sip and my throat burnt; That men were thieves and liars, always were, That slurred words meant more than before that bottle was uncorked. Oh, and I mustn’t forget! Sometimes you fall so deep asleep, Momma said, That you’re too tired to wake up from bed, And the next morning, she won’t say, “You overslept!” And that night, a car came and never left, Its still parked! Another car took her away! But Momma said it was a bit too late, “The Bordeaux did it.” Did it? did what?

The Gambler Boris But

A furrowed brow, a pair of spades, a severed heart by king enslaved. He rolled the die, a mark of six, six gambled souls besold away. There’s seven ways to roll a die, but one way naught to die in shame, A lowly man of noble name, both equals in this equal game. A wall of smoke, his mirrored eyes, a callous shell, his snaky skin, The cards unfold, a flame alights, “Your sons, your queen, your life, my thane.” The golden crown was toss aside, his finery was set ablaze, Vast lands were trampled underfoot; the fruits begot, forgotten grave. A king t’was in a beggar’s shroud, a tramp t’was in a king’s raiment, A farmer’s plough in sceptered hand, a crown upon a flea-filled head; To wish upon a wishing cloud, to chance upon a show of hands Upon the lands that he’d once owned, the stakes made equal by His hands. There’s seven ways to die in shame, who stands or falls are still the same, “Both equals in this equal game, both corpses ‘ere without a name.”

2012年六月

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FISH PHOTO CONTEST

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