Yuggles

By Erica (Age 10, Chinese International School)

Editor's Note: This is a story based on Paul Jennings' Funniest Stories. 


See, no one had ever seen a yuggle before. And no one's ever seen one since. Where they came from and how they exploded has never been explained. Anyway, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. I'd better start from the beginning. This boy called Pockets was visiting his little sister Midge in hospital...

Midge had a really bad sickness that even the doctors in the hospital could not cure. The doctors said it was called Obis, and they were trying to find a cure for it but so far, nothing. Midge was a red-cheeked, blue-eyed, happy person, but as she lay on the snow-white sheets of the hospital bed, she had pale cheeks and faint blue eyes that were almost white. Pockets was crouching beside Midge. He was repeating over and over again, "You'll be all right Midge, fine, fine, fine!" He sounded like he was trying to convince himself instead.

Because I saw he was so sad, I invited him to go pick mushrooms. That was his favorite activity: picking mushrooms. We went to Yuggle Forest. No one knows why it was named that. We picked thousands of different mushrooms: death cap mushrooms and honey mushrooms. Then we saw a mushroom that we had never seen before. It was big, purple, and the stem was red and fat. They were growing on the roots of a honey oak tree and was covered with soft moss. We picked four of the eight and washed it in the stream.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

When we got back to the hospital, we started playing with the new and strange mushrooms. A passing doctor stopped and stared at the mushrooms in our hands. "This... this is the cure... how... you can..." Pockets yelled with joy. I, for one, didn't know half of what the doctor had said. Then Pockets turned to me and said, "This is the cure for Midge!" Then he turned and followed the doctor.

The doctor squeezed the purple juice out of the mushroom into a glass. Then he went to Midge's bed and made her drink the juice. Then he fed the stem and the cap to her. Within a week, Midge was sitting up on her bed, talking and even laughing. And me? Pockets and I were heroes. We had found a type of mushroom that could cure a sickness that was spreading around the world! Even now, there were thousands of orders for the mushrooms. Scientists named it Yuggles, after the forest where it came from. It is now a cure for any type of sickness. I still come to the forest to tend to the Yuggles, and yet, I still have one of the mushrooms that Pockets and I first picked. I will pass it on to my children.

Catoptrophobia: Fear of Mirrors

By Sheren (Age 10.5, Singapore International School)

Image via WikiCommons

Hi, I am a famous actress in Canada named Tina. I have a great family and many friends. They support me whenever I go to perform. But do you know that I once had a fear called catoptrophobia? It is a fear of mirrors. Do you want to know how I overcame this fear? Well then, continue reading.

When I was young, I was raised in a small town in Canada. The first word I spoke was "mirrors". My parents were great to me and bought me tons of mirrors that piled up in my bedroom. There were mirrors hung up everywhere in my room. Every time before my mother brought me out for a walk in the park, I would always cry out loud if she did not put me in front of a mirror to make sure I was neat. My mother didn't seem to mind. She seemed to appreciate it, and she would always say, "Tina, my little daughter. I am glad you are fond of mirrors. One day, I would like you to be an actress!" Those words remained in my mind. Of course I would like to fulfill my mother's dream.

At the age of 9, I was sent to a school where I could enroll in classes like fashion and acting. I got good grades. But on August 20th, 2008, when it was still our break, I was studying acting at home. I decided to ask my mother to buy me some great clothes. After she bought me some, I immediately tried them on. I admired myself in front of the mirrors that hung in my room. My mother told me that I looked beautiful and mature. Suddenly, I felt a sudden fright come through my body. I shouted, "Ah! Why are all these mirrors hanging here? I am scared of them! Help, mom!"

My mother took me to the doctor and the doctor said I had a fear of mirrors. After that, my parents had to take off all the mirrors in my room. I was heart-broken. How could I continue my dream of being an actress? I looked at my mother, but she only shook her head. From then on, when I saw a mirror I had to put on a pair of glasses that would prevent me from looking at mirrors.

I felt that this fear was making my life more difficult and stressful. It made it more difficult to comb my hair, brush my teeth, and make sure I look neat and tidy. My dream of being an actress was coming to an end. I could not put on make-up and beautiful clothes I used to wear. I felt angry and annoyed, sad and disappointed.

One day, I said to my mother confidently, "Mom, I am going to face my phobia so I can be an actress just like you wanted."

My mother stared at me in disbelief. She said, "Well then, if my daughter wants to do it, then go ahead! Do you remember those mirrors you had when you were young? I still have them. They can help you overcome your fear. Just hang them back in your room and look at them everyday before you go to school, play, or anything!"

My mother went to the attic and pulled out a huge bag. I hesitantly opened the bag and took out the mirrors with their backs facing me. I slowly turned it over and stared into it. My heart pounded loudly like a drum. My face was pale. I then placed all the mirrors onto my wall and made a promise to myself, "You must look at these mirrors at least three times a day or more, just to overcome the fear."

From then on, I tried my best everyday to look at the mirrors. It became more and more convenient. I could continue to be an actress! As I grew up, I encountered more and more difficulties, but I plucked up my courage to face the problem. I soon became a famous actress. I have reached my goal. I still remember the day when I found out that I had catoptrophobia, the fear of mirrors. I am glad I overcame it and faced it. I feel proud and want to thank my parents for encouraging me!

Qing Ming Animation

By Christina (age 14, GSIS)

A few weeks ago, our family got tickets to go see The River of Wisdom: an exhibition of the animated version of The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, a famous Chinese painting from the 12^th century.

This version was originally exhibited at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo in the China Pavilion. The size of it is huge, stretching more than 120 meters long, 30 times the original size of the painting. This animation is projected on a screen with 12 different projectors, presenting a day to night cycle every 4 minutes.

The animated version consisted of animated people walking along the street, camels being lead across bridges, and even sound effects, of the business of the market, like men shouting out what they're selling. The water of the river rippled, and the lanterns flickered in the night.

It definitely was interesting to see. I know that I'd never have another chance to see it, so I happily went with my sister and mom. The exhibition room was filled with people, all taking pictures of the giant scroll. I could see camera flashes going off every other quarter of a second. There was so many people! It was exciting to be part of the sea of viewers.

The only thing I had against it though was the fact that the cycle of the day was so short. I don't see how people can stay in the exhibition room for so long watching the same thing over and over again. I think the days could have been slightly longer: maybe 6 or 8 minutes. I think that the animated people were thought provoking to watch. They had camels pulling people, peasants carrying buckets of water, and donkeys attached to carriages.

All this made me wonder if the people those days actually lived like that, having to work so much. In the animated painting, you could actually see people walking from the far right, where the edge of the town started, to the left, where the main streets and a temple stood. If I had grown up in that town, I probably would have been so tired out after every day, walking along the streets with buckets of water on my back, or even staying in the market yelling out today's prices for the food that had arrived.

Seeing The Riverside Scene at Qingming was probably a once in a lifetime experience, and I'm glad I had the chance to go and see it. It's not the type of thing you see again and again, just because it's so good.

Every Job is Important!

By Lily (Age 6, German Swiss International School)

When I grow up I want to be a heart surgeon. When I am a heart surgeon I will help people who have bad hearts. People think it's disgusting but it's actually interesting.

The reason I want to be a heart surgeon is because I am following my grandfather's path. When I was little I used to watch Grey's Anatomy. I loved Grey's Anatomy. It was really cool, and it's cool to see inside a person's body.

If my friend told me, "Don't be a heart surgeon! Hearts are disgusting!" I would not give up on my future dream. I am not going to start something new. I am going to continue in my future job.

To be the best heart surgeon in the world I will prepare. At my house I have a 3-D book that tells you all about the body. Some nights I study that book. I study different body parts on each page. On some pages they show me tricks.

The Book of Questions

By Jessica, Dylan, Chelsea, Brandan, Philip, Ethan, and Dash (Ages 8-10)

Editor's Note: This is a collaborative poem inspired by Pablo Neruda's "The Book of Questions".

What did the waves say

looking out at the howling wind?

Is there anything in the world more quiet

than a mouse scurrying from place to place?

And what did the orange juice think

of the beautiful sun setting behind the hills?

What did the fall leaves say

floating before the setting of the evening sun?

And what did the bar of chocolate say

lying on the cake that came out of the oven?

What did the peaceful music being played by a violin say

listening to the wind, skimming through the woods?

Is there anything in the world more quiet

than the empty desert at night?

And what did the pillow as white as snow say

standing before the fluffy, warm blanket?

What did the cricket chirp
crawling beneath the birds gliding in the morning sky?

What did the loud cicadas hear
when someone whistled a tune?

And how did the crowds cheer
to the small bells ringing?

Hong Kong Bustles

By Audrey (Age 15, Chinese International School)

Photo via WikiCommons

The residents of Hong Kong love shopping - market shopping and/or shopping in department stores. Go to Sheung Wan market and you will see a huge group of women crowded together on the narrow lane, crawling like ants on top of each other, bargaining with the shop keepers. The bargaining sounds will pierce your ears even when you are far away from the market. Women shout, overlapping each others' voices, trying to bargain for cheaper prices. Meanwhile, in the dark, dimly-lighted store, men use sharp, shiny yet a bit rusty, knives. They cut through the piece of meat, fish, or vegetable. They get it ready to put it on display as if they were dolls, hoping to sell quickly for a good and reasonable price. At the back of the shop, they throw water and waste on the floor. With a spit of saliva on top for a final touch, they hope people will not notice them.

On the streets of Causeway Bay, business-like people with money shop in the department stores, such as Times Square and Sogo, for good quality clothing and food. You can see women coming out of Times Square, with a bunch of different colored and textured bags, filled with what they have bought, around their two arms. They walk like a penguin as they walk to the taxi/private car pick-up stand.

Meanwhile, in the tall apartment buildings, parents are telling their children to do exercise books, hoping that they will become as ambitious as they want to be and get into an excellent university. But not all children are obedient and hardworking. Those who are lazy and fool around are surrounded by the mothers with rulers in their hands, hitting the table to get their attention as they speak in a deafening voice. The husbands dream of a control machine that can mute them like the way they can when they watch television shows.

At night, below these apartment buildings, expats gather together in small pubs and gossip away their sport and business-related news, as they sip their big glasses of beer. You can often see most of these expats in Lan Kwai Fong, which is most famous for its night pubs and events. Most of the people there are Westerners and it is like a gathering place for them. Although there are mostly Westerners, there are still some Asians who go there for dinner.

Hong Kong is a city that never sleeps. It is filled with different contrasting actions - from local women shopping in fruit/meat/wet markets to Westerners hanging out in Lan Kwai Fong.

Life on Saturn

Life on Saturn
By Ryan (Age 10, St. Paul's)

From my spaceship, I could see Saturn. Saturn looked like a glittery orange-colored sun. There were many moons surrounding it and Saturn people must be gloomy because I saw so many clouds. The Earth was just a dot compared to Saturn. I was excited to see if there was life on Saturn's moons, Titan and Enceladus!

Finally, we landed and I stepped cautiously out of the space ship. I caught a glimpse of a weird creature approaching me. It was a furry, green, monster with sharp eyes! It stomped towards me, looking furious and suddenly, it roared. I saw lights coming and a man with a hat appeared holding a bow and arrow. He just shot the green monster and it fainted.

I was eager to thank him but when I was ready to meet him, he just vanished! I kept walking and I saw many lights shining brightly on us. Then, I saw a spooky house, filled with spider webs and insects. "Eeeeek" creaked the door as I opened it slowly. Then a loud bang! Suddenly, I was trapped inside and I fell into a hole!

"Ahhhhh!!!" I screamed nonstop. Just then, I noticed a big poisonous spider. I tip-toed past him but I caught his attention. I was scared and stepped back and felt the presence of the man with the hat again. He chased the spider and soon, I was safe. He brought me back to his house. I was eager to shake his hand and find out his name. He took off his suit and I realised he was my old friend Sam!

"Sam, what are you doing here on Saturn??" I asked.

To be continued...

Mandatory P.E. Workouts in all HK Workplaces?

Hong Kong's Mandatory Physical Activity
by Alan, Age 13, CIS

Physical exercise is a very important part of a person's life. It helps them stay healthy, active and energetic in all aspects of life. Recently China has implemented a new rule that employees of all government work places have to perform daily exercise routines. This helps workers relax during work and it improves everyone’s health. This is why I think that the Hong Kong government should make daily exercises mandatory for all companies, schools and organizations.

Hong Kong people have the busiest lives compared to people from other parts of the world. Students and workers alike have extremely tight schedules and work every day. They don’t even have much time to meet their families, let alone exercise. This why I think that I think that setting up a mandatory exercise will really help the general population of Hong Kong stay healthy and fit.  Exercising often will also help people relieve stress and help them forget their worries. Also, mornings are the prime time for people to exercise because it is when they are the most active and diligent. It will also help worker concentrate and work more efficiently throughout the day and hopefully get their work and tasks done earlier.

Many local and primaries schools across Hong Kong have mandatory exercise in place for students in the morning. A Hong Kong university study has shown that the average grades of students in schools with morning exercise is around 5 % higher than schools that don’t. Although many schools argue that they have physical education classes for students who would like to exercise during school hours, these classes are not on a daily basis and rarely occur more than a 2-3 times a week. 

Having mandatory physical exercises in the morning can help many workers and adults alike save money by not needing to attend overpriced gyms to exercise and work out. Such gyms in Hong Kong often charge at least one thousand dollars for a one month membership. Having physical morning exercises can also reduce obesity problems in Hong Kong as it becomes a rising issue throughout the general population. Although simple morning exercises do not sound as demanding and tiring as workouts in specially designed gyms, many articles published by top trainers across they work have said that if you keep exercising, even lightly, on a daily basis, it is actually more effective than going to the gym once or twice a week.

In class today, we tried exercising to an exercise song that one of the local primary schools uses each morning. I found it quite interesting as it is not quite physically demanding. Instead, it includes exercises which target various parts of my body, starting from my head and moving downwards.

However, some problems that workers might encounter while performing morning physical exercises is that when you are a front line worker such as a cashier, customers would have to wait for you when you are doing your exercise. Furthermore if you have a job such as an accountant, you may have difficulty performing such exercises because you are not wearing the right clothes. I think that these problems can be easily solved if everyone in the public did the exercise and everyone was ready and has prepared for it.

Overall I believe that having morning exercises is very beneficial to the Hong Kong people and that the government should definitely implement such a rule as soon as possible.

Bullet in the Brain (Alternate Ending, Version 2)

By Maggie (Age 13, Hong Kong International School)

Editor's Note: This is an alternate ending to Tobias Wolff's short story, "Bullet in the Brain". 


We walk into the room. Instant terror washes over the crowded bank. Eyes widen as they begin to notice the pistol I'm gripping. A trembling guard mumbles some incomprehensible words, his eyes tightly shut. He was clearly terrified of my hand on his shoulder. I point the pistol to his neck, and the feeling of adrenalin bursts within me. As always, I welcome the feeling as if it is a member of my family. This feeling is so familiar. It's like a best friend I grew up with, never leaving me, always bringing out the best, and worst, of me.

"Keep your big mouth shut!" I yell, noting that the remark was unnecessary. "One of you tellers hits the alarm, you're all dead meat, got it?" I wince as I realize how cliche my last statement was. My partner looks at me with a confused look, and it was clear that on the inside, he is laughing, mocking my petty threat. A man in line makes a quick remark about the phrase "dead meat". Part of me wants to shoot him right then and there, but I have to stick to the plan.

Handcuffing and pushing the helpless guard to the ground, I clutch the collection of hefty bags that will soon hold our money. I begin to pass a hefty bag to the tellers, commanding them to fill them with money. I make sure to swagger as  I walk, to show off my confidence and my superiority. The rush of actually robbing a bank used to freak me out, but now I'm used to it. I start to walk with a skip in my step, a slight smirk on my face; everything is going according to plan. My slight smile disappears as I come to the last slot, which is empty. This could take more time and more time means more reinforcements.

"Whose slot is that?" Impatience comes through my voice as I shout across the building.

"Mine," a shaken up lady manages to croak.

"Then get your ugly face in gear and fill that bag!" I bask in the realization of how much power I currently have. I can insult someone and they can't do a single thing.

The same obnoxious man makes another remark to the lady standing next to him. "Hey! Bright boy! Did I tell you to talk?"

"No," my gun clearly doesn't threaten him.

"Then shut your trap."

"Did you hear that?" he says, starting to anger me. "Bright boy. Right out of 'The Killers.'" The woman next to him mumbles something to him, probably a warning.

I walk over to him, warning him to keep his mouth shut. I can tell he is laughing on the inside. I can't stand being laughed at. I push the pistol to his gut. Then, everything happens so fast. He grabs my arm with surprising force, twists it, and takes the gun. The feeling of power washes away and shifts to the man with the gun.

He points the gun straight between my eyes, but clearly he doesn't know how to work it. I hide my fear with a petty laugh, but everyone knows I'm terrified. The man attempts to put the safety on, but instead pulls the trigger. The bullet crashes through my skull, right between the eyes.

It seemed like time slowed down. What felt like an hour was really a few seconds. I could feel the unbearable pain, the harsh voices around me, but slowly, they both faded, and a new setting appeared.

Three boys hanging outside the local drug store, showing all the other boys how cool they are. And a little boy; one would never guess that he would grow up to be a bank robber. The way the boy gazed at the other boys, it was clear he idolized them.

Then a petite young woman, frail and helpless, hobbles across the street with a purse clutched in one hand. The boys turned to each other and started to plot.

"Hey, we want you to go up to her and take her purse," the oldest boy gestured to the little boy, then to the woman.

"No way, that's mean."

"You want to be in our group, right?"

"Yeah," there was no hesitation in his response. He longed to be one of them.

"Then you gotta do it. You're not chicken, are ya?" the oldest boy taunted him.

"No! I just think it's mean, is all. If you're so brave, why don't you do it?!"

"Fine, I will! Watch how it's done," the eldest boy confidently swaggered over to the young woman. "Excuse me, ma'am," his voice was strangely polite. "You've seemed to have dropped something, it's rolled far behind you," he pointed off behind the woman.

In a flash, the boy grabbed the purse and darted away from the woman. She whipped her head around just in time to see the boys scooting around the corner.

"Stop! Stop! That's my purse!" she started hobbling after them.

"Run!" the pack of boys sprinted away. The youngest felt the most odd rush of excitement. His heart was thudding in his chest, adrenaline overwhelming his body. He had never done anything bad before, but now, he liked it.

Graffiti: Art or Crime?

By Carmen (Age 13, St. Paul Convent)

Graffiti art is more and more popular now. People think that graffiti art can help them to express their own feelings by writing words on the wall or even drawing characters. I think people who draw graffiti art are mainly teenagers, gangsters, or artists. However, in Hong Kong, graffiti art gives people a bad impression because this is illegal in Hong Kong. Therefore, I am not in support of graffiti art because I think it gives Hong Kong a bad image.

First, I think that it is not a form of protected speech because there may be lots of offensive words. If children see it, they may learn from it which gives them a bad influence. They might also learn from the people's drawings and they may start drawing pictures on the wall or at school, which may hurt the school and home environment. Second, it is uncontrolled. I have seen there is more and more graffiti art nowadays on the streets and old apartments. It seems to be good for the environment as graffiti art is on walls and not on paper, but actually it is very distracting for people who see this art. In my own opinion, I think it is quite selfish for the people who draw out their feelings but don't consider other peoples' feelings.

I think that graffiti art should be banned because it is not only giving bad education to the children, but it may also give a bad image to the tourists from other countries. Hong Kong is giving a good impression to people that it is a well-disciplined city. However, if this graffiti art appears more and more on every street, I think this kind of art may ruin Hong Kong's good name. Therefore, graffiti art should be banned. Also, there should be a punishment. We should give them a penalty like a fine, or in a more serious case, they might need to go to jail. I think this should be a good way to warn people.

Therefore, I think graffiti art should be done in a proper way without bad words. They may do this in a more healthy way like just using safe words with beautiful cartoon pictures. But, I think it is still important to let people know that they should not damage the environment by using some advertisements to let them be noticed. If people get warned and they do it in a proper way, I think we will get out city's good image back.