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Editor’s Note PASS-ed Events Charity Dinner 2017 Christmas Conference 2017 Humans of HKPASS What’s On The Blog? 活得比別人不同的勇毅 The Power of Words Imposter Syndrome Bitcoin? Or A Two-Bit Coin? Theme: The Fall Fall Of The Bitcoin? Probably Not, For Now The Rise and Fall Of China The Fall Of Democracy 如秋的人生
EDITOR’s Note Hi Readers! This month, we hosted two events in Hong Kong - Charity Dinner and Christmas Conference. Check out the articles and opinion pieces on them in the PASS-ed Events Section! This issue’s Humans of HKPASS column features interviews of Limichi Okamoto (Public Affairs Officer), Janice Wong (Social Service Officer), and two sub-committee members Gareth Leung and Ian Cheng. Read the interviews to know more about them on a personal level. This issue’s theme is “The Fall”. There are many high quality pieces (as usual), and I am sure that there is some thing for everyone. Happy reading! Jennifer Lau
Publications Officer 2017-18
PASS-ed Events December With Michaelmas term drawing to a close, this month saw the hosting of a number of events in Hong Kong as students returned home for the Christmas vacation. On December 19, our annual Charity Dinner was held at World Trade Centre Club. The proceeds from the dinner, including raffle ticket sales will go to our charity partner this year HKSRCAP. On December 20, the Christmas Conference was held at the University of Hong Kong with lively discussion on Hong Kong’s future by our panelists: Mr Alan Leong, Mr Michael Tien and Mr Tommy Cheung.
Charity Dinner 2017 The LSESU HKPASS Annual Charity Dinner was successfully held at the World Trade Centre Club on 19 December 2017, overlooking the breathtaking panoramic view of Victoria Harbour from the top floor of World Trade Centre. The dinner was a celebration of our society’s 18th year of establishment. During the dinner, we also launched our flagship Hong Kong Mentorship Programme 2017-18 and raised funds for our Charity Partner the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention of Hong Kong.
It was a memorable evening as LSESU HKPASS embarks on another year. We are honoured to have 11 distinguished guests joining us on the night, with most of them being our mentors in one of our most successful Flagship programmes: The Hong Kong Mentorship Programme. HKMP started in 2013 and aims to provide opportunities for our members to meet notable figures and LSE alumni in Hong Kong. Over free flow of wine and fruit punch, our members gained a valuable chance to talk to our mentors throughout the night. I would like to thank all our guests again for joining our dinner. There were three guest speakers this year, with the first two being Mr Alan Leong SC and Mr Jat Sew Tong SC. While we enjoyed our appetizer and main course, Mr Leong and Mr Jat shared with us their views on opportunities and threats in the current Hong Kong society, and also gave us advice on how to make the most out of our university lives. Both of them coincidentally encouraged our students to not only focus on studies, but to also take advantage of the history, arts and culture in London, UK and Europe. Their speeches enlightened all students of the importance of developing wider skill sets through exploring more in foreign countries.
Our third speaker was Mr Chan Chun Sang, an ex-offender and currently a social worker at our Charity Partner organisation. Prefer to be called “花生” (Chinese translation of “peanuts”), Mr Chan shared with us his childhood experience, and how he transformed from a prisoner to a social worker. His sharing inspired all our guests and students, which reminded us that ex-offenders are just humans and what they need is a second chance. It is our honour to be able to partner with the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention of Hong Kong this year, and I hope we can show more support and love to ex-offenders. All proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the SRACP, and we will also be organising a fundraising exhibition soon in February. So, stay tuned! As a tradition, one of the highlights of our dinner is the raffle draw. This year, we have a record of 8 prices, which includes a sports camera and an automatic cleaning robot. It was particularly exciting for our cleaning robot, as the first 3 “lucky stars” Mr Kenneth Ng, Ms Emily Lau and Mr Alan Leong returned their prices to the draw, leading to 4 rounds of raffle draws. I would like to thank everyone who bought the raffle tickets and supported our Charity Partner as all of them were sold out. Congratulations to all our lucky guests! While it was quite cold outside, our dinner was particularly warm as we took one last picture with all our students and guests under the command of Ms Emily Lau. The LSESU HKPASS Annual Charity Dinner 2017 ended on an extremely high note and I would like to express my greatest gratitude to everyone who came and supported us. We hope you enjoyed as much as we did. Last but not least, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Damian Wu
何去何從？ 2047的迷思：前路與疑慮
THE GREAT UNKNOWN Hong Kong Post-2047: Opportunities and Obstacles
The annual Christmas Conference took place on 20 December 2017 at the University of Hong Kong this year. We were delighted to have Mr. Alan Leong Kah-kit, SC (梁家傑), Mr. Michael Tien Puk-sun, BBS, JP (田北辰) and Mr. Tommy Cheung Sau-yin (張秀賢) with us on that day as panelists, representing the wide political spectrum in Hong Kong. An opinion piece on this year’s Christmas Conference. For a forum that’s titled “Where do we go after 2047”, our three guests were relatively optimistic in discussion. Mr Leung started off explaining his metaphor that citizens are taken by the government as “hostages” to force Pan-democrats into passing bills as policies regarding social issues are often placed after those regarding political controversies such as Co-location, meaning that if the Pan-democrats do not cooperate and pass those politically controversial bills, the Legislative Council cannot move onto discussing social policies. He noted that it could be possible that some Hong Kong people have become dissatisfied with the Pan-democratic use of constant filibustering, and have even showed their discontent through not supporting the filibuster regarding the changing of meeting regulations. On this topic, Mr Cheung noted that perhaps this failure to rally public support shows that the people have become dissatisfied with the Pan-democrats performance in recent years, what with the “failure of the Umbrella Movement” and constant filibustering in the Legislative Council being seen as “wasting meeting time”. Mr Cheung mentioned that the rise of the so-called “localists” was in fact a reflection of some, although limited, public belief that the traditional Pan-democrats were not aggressive enough to push forward democratic progress. In response to this, Mr Leung made a point of reminding the crowd not to lose hope in the pan-democratic bloc, disagreeing with Mr Cheung’s view that the umbrella movement failed, pointing out that “democratic movement isn’t one singular event". He further suggested that democratic supporters look positively to the fact that the Umbrella Movement was in fact an impressive display of Hong Kong people’s unity, what with the event being a 79 days occupation with over 100000 participants, bringing
In response to the rise of the “localist movement”, Mr Tin, the only Pro-establishment guest of the afternoon, was keen to remind the crowd that while he doesn’t want Hong Kong to “just become China”, “independence is definitely not feasible”, “not just because of logistics such as a lack of water supply or a military force, but simply because the PRC will not allow it to happen”. Mr Tin analysed that in the face of the PRC’s ultimate sovereignty over Hong Kong, as citizens, we have three choices. 1. 2. 3.
Work FOR the PRC Work AGAINST the PRC Work WITH the PRC
According to Mr Tin, under our special One Country Two Systems political structure, his way of “working with the PRC” is always trying to protect the “two systems” by standing up and speaking out on issues such as the Causeway Bay book shop incident, but definitely not doing anything to threaten “one country”. He even joked that he’s constantly been called the “bad child” in National People’s Congress for his outspokenness, but despite this unwillingness to be complicit, he was still voted back into the Congress the day before this forum in this “non-democratic election” with 86% support. He argued that this shows the CPC in fact allows a fair amount of freedom and questioning of their decisions even deep in the power centre, laughingly noting that if he had lost the day before, he would not be saying this now. It is perhaps the ultimate suggestion by our three guests that Hong Kong people should stop focusing so much on just political controversies but instead work on other areas such as social progress and economic diversification. After all, Hong Kong will only be as peaceful and as prosperous as we make it, and we all have a role in aiding that advancement. Ophelia Chan
CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE 2017
up issues that had long been brushed under the carpet. At this point, Mr Cheung agreed that all Pan-democrats should put aside their differences regarding methods and work together to convince the Hong Kong people that democracy is worth the fight. As Mr Leung stated, democratic movements can only succeed with “the hearts and support of the people.
Humans of H Janice Wong
(Year 1 Philosophy and Economics) I can still vividly recall the day I had my interview for the HKPASS sub-committee. The moment I stepped into the room, 9 pairs of beady eyes were staring at me. I took a glimpse of all the committee members, Janice’s CDG shirt and her heartwarming beam on her face immediately caught my attention. ‘Wow, her style is on point’ — This is my first impression of our Social Service Officer Janice. Janice’s hobbies include watching old movies and wandering around museums in Europe. Janice believes that there are always some key takeaways in those movies and old artefacts that she can learn from. Jerry Saltz once said, ’Museums are wormholes to other worlds. They are ecstasy machines.’ The pieces exhibited have many stories behind them, which is why museums have always been so alluring to her.
‘I used to be so much more ignorant’ Janice initially joined HKPASS as she wanted her university life to be more fruitful and not just one solely focusing on academics. In addition, she wanted to meet others with similar interests and passion in social services. Janice thought that she might be able to learn more about Hong Kong’s current affairs, and yeah, she made it. Compared to last year, she is now much more knowledgable in HK’s public affairs (thanks to HKPASS).
‘PASS is a versatile platform for me to make an impact on a cause I believe in.’ Janice chose this year’s theme for the social service division (rehabilitation of ex-offenders) because she is aware of the difficulties encountered by ex-offenders when re-integrating back to the society, which are often not adequately highlighted. However, she pointed out that the theme was a difficult choice as volunteers must go through trainings beforehand as ex-offenders are usually in complex situations and are rather sensitive.
‘Donation and service - which would be more beneficial to the society?’ Janice says that in general, donations are more beneficial as organisations can get more resources to help the clients. Still, volunteering would be the best way we can contribute to the society as students since we have more time than money. Moreover, Janice believes that volunteering helps us develop personally. It gives us a sense of purpose, and makes us become more empathetic and less ignorant. Lorraine Tang
HKPASS Limichi Okamoto (Year 2 Politics and International Relations) So here comes the seventh day before Christmas. Although we have already broken up for Christmas, Limichi Okamoto, our Public Affairs Officer, seems to be rather preoccupied with the piles of untouched work on his desk. This is not least because he has just taken a week off from school to have a rendezvous with Reykjavik in Iceland.
‘Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.’ The legend, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, has unsurprisingly sown some seeds in Limichi’s interest in government. JFK was an exemplary political figure whose dedication to live up to his campaign slogan – ‘We can do better’ – has served as a symbol of purpose and hope even till today’s world. Limichi lauds JFK’s steadfastness during the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as praising his wit during campaign speeches and debates. Whilst admitting that JFK is his hero, Limichi did acknowledge the important lesson in government that JFK inspired — there is never black and white, or wholly perfect or villainous characters, referring to the President’s insatiable inclination for sexual conquest. Here, of course, we are assuming that ‘womanising’ is far from commendable per se.
‘Ay, in the very temple of Delight Veil’d Melancholy has her sovran shrine.’ When asked if he has any words of wisdom, Limichi made a refined reference to John Keats’ Ode on Melancholy. Since there are always two sides to every coin, Limichi believes that there really is no good reason to flip flop with the agitations in our mind. In truth, Limichi’s ardent admiration for both language and literature might have stemmed from the fact that he is of Chinese-and-Japanese descent. Being blessed with the opportunity to explore both cultures from a very young age has cultivated within Limichi a sublime sense of appreciation when looking at the differences between cultures.
Regina Lai
Graphics from freepik
Whilst being absolutely smitten by both Johns’ philosophy of life, Limichi maintains that one has to come up with one’s true colours at the end of the day. It is worth mentioning, though, that the best is indeed yet to come.
Humans of H
Ian Cheng
(Year 1 Government and Economics) ‘Have you met Ian?’ You might think that doing all the readings in GV100 every week is impossible. You might ponder who on earth has the motivation to immerse himself in all the political theories taught by ancient and contemporary philosophers ranging from Plato to Marx, and, on the other hand, send quality applications to various investment banks for the spring week. Meet Ian, a true intellectual. Ian and I have been schoolmates for the past 6 years. However, it was not until this year, when we became course-mates that I discovered how interesting and sophisticated he is as an individual. Ian hopes to learn more about the Hong Kong community by joining the Public Affairs division of HPASS. Ian especially brought up his meeting with Jasper Tsang, his mentor in the Hong Kong Mentorship Programme during the interview. Ian found their highbrowed conversation “thought-provoking” and believed that HKMP has really broadened his horizons.
‘Music is a big part of my life.’ Ian plays the piano when he has spare time. He recalled that he did not like the piano very much when he started learning it. Growing up in an Asian family, this is very relatable, as most of us were forced to learn instruments when we were young. Despite this, he has not given up and over the years he developed further enthusiasm and passion in it. Ian is engaged in researching the context of the pieces, for instance the background of the composer, the things that inspired or influenced the composer, the historical, cultural and social background of the society at the time.. By reading beyond the pieces, Ian developed his own musicianship, which has shaped who he is as a person now. As an accomplished pianist, Ian has performed with the LSE orchestra in the Christmas Concert. He believes that music makes him a more prudent person since a musician needs to pay attention to detail when performing. In addition, Ian enjoys piano duets and performing with an orchestra. It is very challenging as cooperation and communication is vital when performing together. Ian uses an analogy of gears to explain how musicians work. It takes time for the gears to click and function, but when it does, the combination of different instruments performing the same piece of music is like ‘magic’, which truly amazes Ian. Ian ended the interview with his favourite quote by Nietzsche, ‘Without music, life would be a mistake.’ Lorraine Tang
HKPASS Gareth Leung
(Year 1 Government and Economics) Gareth suggested dining at Chipotle Mexican Grill during this Monday lunchtime for our interview. This is not least because UNIDAYS had something to offer… apparently.
‘All in, or nothing.’ The workload in LSE is indeed both immense and intense yet this fresher seems to have tuned into a rather healthy lifestyle amid of this ‘hectivity’. Scheduling two to three basketball sessions a week in addition to daily workout has allowed Gareth to be one step closer to work-life balance. In fact, Jeremy Lin has earned a unique place in Gareth’s list of ‘The Greatest Basketball Players of All Time’. Despite having a decorated high school career in Palo Alto (Calif), Lin was later ignored by major college basketball programmes. The attitude that Lin embraced in the face of adversity has prompted Gareth to remind himself that success is always orchestrated by permanence, perseverance and persistence. Although Lin has been a cult figure since his days in the Ivy League, the fact that he is an Asian-American has stirred up superfluous slur. Gareth therefore adores Lin’s motto – ‘I just shake it off, it’s not a big deal’. After all, one ought to grow through what one goes through.
‘You’re not that dumb after all.’ Gareth had this great big grin on his face as he told us the best compliment that he has ever received. Undoubtedly, his carefree attitude towards life speaks volumes in a world where people often subconsciously stress over nothing. Whilst inhaling positivity, Gareth does maintain that one ought to ‘worry just a little bit’ so that one can actually get one’s work done. Just a side note, perhaps this should be flagged up as an amendment to the current Student Charter?
‘Live in the now.’ Having said that this is cliché, Gareth wrapped up the interview with this last comment – ‘we gotta make the most out of it’. From what we can tell, Gareth has really flung himself into the first term of his first year in LSE.
Regina Lai
Graphics from freepik
P.s. We hope today is as special as Gareth is for it is his 20th birthday. (The interview was conducted on the day of Gareth’s birthday - 18 December)
What’s On the Blog? Blog posts are continuously uploaded to our website here are some of this month’s highlights.
活得比別人不同的勇 我就讀於一所學生們都很在意自己前（錢）途的大學。大學的名稱 裡有著「經濟」的字樣，學生們也自然向金融界靠攏。學校辦的 career fairs總是吸引到無數的學生套起畢直的西裝、架著領呔，三 五成群地游向活動的集合地點；三不時聽到朋輩間的對話的主題也 是圍繞著所謂的「報工」－某某投考了哪間大firm，誰又因收到無 數個rejection而感到由沮喪。我是見怪不怪。 但我卻沒有要鄙視他們的意思。我是一名出國留學生，自覺花了父 母不少的金錢離鄉別井讀書（套用我祖母的說話，就是「都唔知為 乜」），自是對理財特別敏感，在花錢的時候也會感到很懊惱。在 去年的某個時刻，我也曾經認真想過：倒不如我畢業後也找份銀行 的工作罷了，工作時數是長，人工卻是頗可觀，自問是個食得苦的 人，應該可以挨得下去，到時候便不用再煩惱錢的問題了。可是我 很快便打消這個念頭了。因為不想被金錢束縛而成為其奴才，這不 是本沒倒置嗎，我想。 有一次我與我其中一位室友聊天，我們的話題很快便轉到「報工」 上（這大概是我們這所學校的學生的傾向，大家都像著了魔似的） 。我問他這陣子活得如何，「還不是在忙報工，累透了」，這陣子 都在報internship的他如是說，「有時候我真的挺好奇不用報工的人 都在幹什麼呢？」他說到這時便把頭轉向我，臉上掛著一個意味不 明的笑容。我沒有迴避他的眼光，卻也沒有感到被冒犯了的意思， 「對呢，真不知道他們在幹什麼」，我只是不置可否的說，然後緩 緩離開。
勇毅 其實我是懂他那個笑容背後的含意的。有時候我會挺羨慕這群人， 他們對未來有著名確的目標，每天有條理地工作、預備，一直仰著 頭向上爬、向上爬，好讓登上凡塵都飄不到的山峰處，把其他人都 踩在腳底；但有時候我會為這群人感到擔憂，覺得他們好像把自己 的靈魂賣了給魔鬼似的。或許在若干年後，他們會穿著一身名牌， 架著B字號牌子的名車來到我跟前，帶著「你現在懂得後悔了吧」 的表情看著我。老實說，我不確定那時的我會不會動容；但我肯定 的是，現在的我，還是會毫不遲疑地，迎上他的目光，微微一笑， 接著告訴他：「或許呢，後悔什麼的」，然後緩緩離開。 的而且確，在社會上，我們習慣以一個個團體的成員的身份自居。 但我們只有一個自己。 別人認同的，你不一定要附和；別人厭惡的，你也不一定要排斥。 當別人都在否定一個你喜歡的模樣，哪怕那便是你最真摯的自己， 也請別假裝討厭。 活得比別人不同的勇毅，你又有沒有？
黃浩彰
The Power of Words Indeed,
words
“words are singularly the most
one
the
power ful
to
machinations in destroying a
humanity”. People can always
man in and out. It is through
use this force positively with
the underestimated power of
words
words
There
is
this force
of
phrase
that
available
encouragement:
of
that
words always have the energy
exploited
and power to help, to heal, to
individuals,
hinder, and to humble.
nature
constitute
most
literally by
of
as
impor tant
kills. If
unscrupulous the
words
power ful can
be
impressive yet horrif ic. But when this force is used destructively
with
of
A child who is told he or she is
meaning,
“bad” believes it and may live
words
derogatory
be
up to that statement, recalling
catastrophic. The most painful
this harsh statement now and
wound
then.
consequences
could
comes
not
from
Rash
and
rough
physical injury, but from the
comments said in anger may
agony of the hear t. Invisible,
have the power to crush and
untouchable
destroy a person’s self-esteem.
yet
power ful, the
An intentional taunt meant to
softest pa r t of men, stirring
hur t can ruin a relationship. All
pain
by the power of a single word.
words
can
directly
without
hit
causing
discernible lacerations.
any
s
s
Writers write to inspire. Lovers
t
charm as they speak. Haters
a
build
h
words.Wo rds
f
themselves. Black letters don’t
f
carry emotions. The choice of
s
words is always in our hands.
l
s
e
g
d
h
y
.
o
l
Â
their
Colette Wong
vengeance are
in
neutral
imposter syndrome Imposter Syndrome: The concept of individuals who are marked by an inability to internalise their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. Many of us unknowingly struggle with Imposter Syndrome, especially when we have certain expectations that we feel must be met or are being set by others for us. In a working or social environment, Imposter Syndrome can be damaging to your self-confidence when you do not meet your expectations and begin to feel threatened that you’ll be exposed for what you believe the real ‘you’ is: someone that is not perfect, who doesn’t know as much as everyone thinks and constantly makes mistakes. However, acknowledging that you make mistakes, you have slip-ups and you’re not perfect is very healthy and helps you to come to terms with yourself – an imperfect human being, just like everyone else. This realisation will enable you to begin to acknowledge your successes and not define yourself by your lows and weaknesses. Don’t expect to have the answers to everything because nobody knows everything about anything. Stop looking back at your failures and letting them define who you are as a person in the present. Learn how to come to terms with your failures and let them improve you as a person. If you ever find yourself struggling with Imposter Syndrome, try and remember that you are a skilled, successful human being who is constantly improving, who will always make mistakes and have downfalls but that is what makes you authentic. “Embrace being perfectly imperfect. Learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself, you’ll be happier.” – Roy Bennett “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou Chelsea Lam
The Fall Some say that all good things must come to an end. This issue seeks to examine whether this saying is true. The alarming speed in the rise of China over the past decades has grasped the attention of the world’s original superpowers. Yet, there have been worries that such unprecedented growth will soon be halted by the problems currently faced by China - “The Rise and Fall of China” points out two of the most significant problems. Is it possible for these problems to be solved, or is China destined to fall? The Bitcoin market has become one of the most eyed upon markets for investment. Even civilians have begun to invest in Bitcoin in order to make quick cash. However, investment is not without risks. Will the Bitcoin bubble burst, or will its value continue to rise? “Fall of the Bitcoin” argues that with the increase of regulation by multiple authorities, the value of Bitcoin will inevitably fall. In “The Fall of Democracy”, the writer argues that democracy is no longer as valued as previous years. With the election of populist individuals like Trump, the statistical decrease in public trust of democratic institutions provides strong evidence that the fall of democracy is definitely not a short-term problem. In this piece, the writer seeks to identify reasons for such a phenomenon. Winter is the season of melancholy, of reminiscing good times under the hot sun. “如秋的人生” is a record of musings and the drawing of comparisons between the fall (as in seasons) and life. As the writer notes, the fall carries connotations of both happiness and sadness, yet one thing is for sure like life, it is never monotonous, nor does it feel the same every year.
The Rise and Fall of Ch China is one of the most important
The small size of most Chinese families
states in the international system and is
(due to the One Child Policy which was
crucial to the evolution of global order.
abolished recently) means that the
China is a vital player in a range of
seemingly endless torrent of young
issues of global significance, including
people entering the workforce each year
the use of force, surveillance, the
will soon begin to dwindle. China’s
non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,
unusual demographic profile also means
climate change, and financial regulation.
that a relatively small group of younger workers will soon have to bear the burden of supporting a much larger cohort of
China has become the world’s second
retirees. Increased spending on pensions
largest
largest
and medical care will be necessary to
exporter. It possesses the world’s most
maintain a decent society, but it will
substantial foreign exchange reserves
divert resources from investment in more
and has twenty-nine companies in the FT
productive activities.
economy
and
the
500 list of the world’s largest companies. China’s rise preoccupies the global media, which regularly carry articles suggesting that it is using its financial resources to buy the world. With this economic power you should expect political and then military dominance of the world. A counter argument would say that, despite a larger population, China did not dominate the world prior to 1500.
China’s demographic patterns are only one of the potential obstacles to its continued progress. Years of unchecked growth have despoiled the country’s natural
environment,
damaging
the
health of its people and running up a massive, unpaid bill for mitigation and clean-up. Thanks to an unwholesome mingling of business and politics, China’s banks are weighed down with bad loans, leaving the nation’s financial system fragile and badly in need of reforming from war in the Middle East.
hina The economy’s continuing high levels of
China’s continuing rise faces many
dependence
export
challenges; several are serious. Some
markets and imported resources means
can be solved and others, principally
that it is vulnerable to potential external
demography, cannot. There appears to
shocks, whether a rise in protectionism
be a lack of energy in addressing the
due to a renewed global recession, or a
issues, which are soluble; this makes
jump in energy prices result
the outlook bleak.
on
access
to
Chelsea Lam Fearful of turning millions out of work, the central government still wastes vast sums on unproductive state-owned enterprises. Indeed, in part as a result of its response to the recent global crisis, the weight of such enterprises in the economy
has
actually
begun
to
increase. A lasting expansion in the state sector at the expense of privately owned enterprises could hurt long-term prospects for growth.
如秋的人生 人總是犯賤的，愛對已過去的事物念念不忘。就如這天在寒 氣下顫慄著的我，對面前的飄雪毫無感慨，卻偏偏要回想那 片落滿地的紅與黃。春天的雨水太過密集，夏天的太陽太過 毒辣，冬天的霜雪太過冰冷。四季之中，唯有秋天在微雨中 帶著一點涼風，在秋風中又帶著一點明媚，天氣剛剛好，沁 人心脾。 秋天是歡快的。每年的秋韵是豐收的時節，在陽光的照耀下 ，稻穀反射著閃閃金光；在繽紛的果園裏，樹上碩果累累， 傲然展示著這一年勤勞的結晶。秋風習習，掀起層層金色的 浪濤，美不勝收。這個時候，辛勤的農人總會在臉上掛上滿 滿的笑意：豐收就是對他們努力的最好見證。 秋天是憂鬱的。絲絲的厲風如無形的剪刀，剪掉了一片片的 楓葉，鋪上一條只見凋零而雜亂無章的道路，這一切，蕭條 。溪水中的魚兒拼命享受最後的灼熱光芒，嘰嘰喳喳的雀兒 在漸冷的天氣中學會了嘆息。不少動物也在冬眠前相繼唱出 了離別之歌， 緬懷過去的一年時也在期待於春天的再會......
秋季絕不單一，在笑容中夾雜了不容忽視的淚眼，也在低落 的情緒中蘊釀著一絲興奮。它沒有明顯的高潮，也沒有絕對 的低谷，卻毫不平淡。我們大部分的人生也是如此，未必有 轟轟烈烈的愛情，未必有如戲劇般的轉捩點，更沒有要讓生 活大起大落的理由。在日常的一顰一笑中，在回首的那一瞬 間，眸光流轉。簡單而不平凡，華麗而不誇飾。它們不會張 顯自己的存在，但無人能夠忽略它，但正正是這些無聊日子 ，使我們擁有完整的人生。 原諒我因對秋天的喜愛而在這侃侃而談一些沒有依據的感慨 。這個冬天太冷太悲涼，只有回憶中的美好才能夠讓寒流熾 熱一點。然則，當下個秋天來臨時，不妨靜心感受一下這份 歡快而憂鬱的季節。或許，看著葉子中漏出的光線，你會比 我感念更多。 黃海垚
The ďŹ rst step towards change is awareness. - Nathaniel Branden
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