Hong Kong seems to be a place for copying. Once a form of dress or hairstyle or such receives admiration, the public follows suit immediately without considering whether the fashion suits themselves.

This phenomenon does not only apply to fashion, but also many other fields. It is especially worrisome in the field of art and design, because copying others’ artwork has become a common practice. Songs, films and images of movie stars with similar styles usually appear at the same time. I am not saying that copying is wrong. Actually, including good elements of others into one’s own work is worth encouraging. However, I think the room for originality in Hong Kong is so small that original elements are actually insufficient. It may be due to the lack of talents in respective fields or inadequate support to the artists, both economically and technically.

Another important reason for this may be that creativity usually receives little respect in Hong Kong. Take the various shows, exhibitions and competitions as examples: Hong Kong people seem to pay attention only to what receives most media coverage, or what foreign media have already covered.

To cope with this, the government, the public and the artists should all play an active role. More resources should be devoted to the promotion of local arts. Besides, the public should value both local and foreign artwork. Artists should pay extra efforts in expressing creativity and imagination in their works. No one would like to see the downturn of local arts; so please , let’s do our parts.

Having taken a trip to Beijing and Shanghai this Christmas, I was very impressed by the university students on the Mainland.

It is a well-known fact that Mainland students are very hard working. As I understand it, every day they usually start studying from 7 o’clock in the morning and continue to 11 o’clock at night. Their rich knowledge is obviously expressed through their words. They pay close attention not only to things happening around them, but also what is going on in the world.

Besides, the students are keen on various kinds of artistic activities, such as dancing, singing, and playing drama. The traditional impression about them is usually conservative and out of fashion. In fact, going dancing and listening to pop music are very popular among them. These are signs of the students’ open attitudes.

What I mostly appreciate is their patience towards unsatisfactory living conditions. Since it is compulsory for all of them to live in school hostels, which are in excess demand, a small room is usually crowded of six to eight students. Thus, they cannot study in the hostels, which are too congested. However, they seldom complain about this, but enjoy what they currently possess, such as a new library or sports facilities. Moreover, they are full of self-confidence. Most of them are quite optimistic about the future, and aim at working in Hong Kong.

Although some Hong Kong people are worried about the keen competition the Mainlanders may bring to Hong Kong, I do appreciate these counterparts and hope to compete with them.

A low price usually does not guarantee good quality; this applies to the products sold at the $1 auction (see January Varsity).

My father bought a wireless iron at the $1 auction, only to find that the iron had a problem of water leakage when the steam function was in use.

According to the article “Bid up from $1” in January’s Varsity, some of the staff of similar auctions in the past have pretended to be customers and helped to raise the prices of the items. Thus, some so-called “$1 auctions” in the past have only been a way to deceive people and attract those who like to buy cheap goods. Therefore, I would like the magazine, if possible, to ask the Consumer Council if this kind of auction is illegal. Also, if the electrical appliances are not warranted, will the people in charge of the market be prosecuted?

Meanwhile, consumers should not be overwhelmed by the incredible low prices of those goods. They should check the quality of those items first.

After several months of university life, I have observed some undesirable behaviours among many university students.

Most students have beepers. This is perfectly all right, provided that the beeping sound does not disturb others. However, many students are not considerate enough. They just let their beepers ring during classes. This disturbs classmates as well as lecturers.

Actually, the disturbing noise can be avoided by switching the beepers’ function from sound to vibration, or by totally switching them off. Nevertheless, many students forget to do so.

Perhaps I should not criticize others, as I also made this mistake once. Although the lecturers and classmates did not blame or scold me, I nevertheless felt extremely embarrassed and regretful.