The year 2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. It was hailed by Lord Denning, a celebrated English judge, as "the greatest constitutional document of all times.
Walking in a farmers' market in central Tokyo one Sunday morning, I witnessed two things which merit reflections on our lifestyle, being residents of a city comparable to Tokyo in terms of crowd density.
This year should be one for serious reflection. It marks the 150th anniversary of the fall of Tianjing - now Nanjing - capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, effectively ending a 14-year civil war (1851-64) that nearly overthrew the Qing dynasty.
The chief executive may not be universally popular, but that should not mean his policies should be disregarded. Since July last year, Leung Chun-ying has taken steps on each of the four key issues he promised to tackle: housing, poverty, ageing and the environment.