Top 10: What is the weirdest favour you have been asked to do?

Alziyan Sarwar, 13, Maryknoll Fathers’ School Secondary Section: A neighbour once asked me to water his plants while he was on vacation, which seemed simple enough. However, he had a very specific set of instructions, including playing classical music for the plants twice a day and talking to them in a soothing voice. I felt pretty silly but followed his directions perfectly.

Henry Chan Kon-hang, 14, TWGHs Li Ka Shing College: The weirdest favour I have been asked to do was to punch my friend in the face. He was inspired by a boxing movie and wanted to test his strength. Reluctantly, I agreed and used only half my strength. However, the moment my fist connected with his face, he cried out in pain. I felt sorry and torn between apologising to him and ignoring him. After all, he asked me to do it.

Charmaine Kwok, 12, Heep Yunn Primary School: I was travelling on a long-haul bus from Tuen Mun to Admiralty last month when an old woman approached me and asked if I could lend her my plastic water bottle. I was suspicious and asked her why she wanted it. She told me her three-year-old grandson needed to use the washroom urgently, but the bus was stuck in traffic on Tuen Mun Road. Hence, she wanted her grandson to urinate in the bottle. How disgusting!

Zoey Mui Sing-yi, 13, King Ling College: I was asked to lend my toothbrush to my friend during a school trip. It was my primary school graduation trip, and we stayed at a camp for three days. The camp didn’t provide necessities, so we had to bring our own. However, one of my friends forgot. She kept asking other people if she could borrow their toothbrush. After being declined multiple times, she eventually came to me. Though I wanted to help her, I also said no due to hygiene concerns.

Fiona Ng Hoi-tung, 15, Pui Kiu College: Dress up as Rapunzel and surprise my cousin at her birthday party. I do not like any Disney characters, but my cousin does. She is a big fan of Rapunzel, so my uncle offered to buy me new headphones if I dressed up as the princess. Therefore, I attended my cousin’s 6th birthday party wearing a purple sparkly dress and a long blonde wig. The wig was so long and heavy that I had to hold it up while walking. I believe that is the weirdest favour I have been asked to do.

Zhu Hiu-ying, 13, King Ling College: The weirdest favour I have ever been asked to do was to help a friend write a guide on how to train a fish to be a dancing star. My friend imagined that a fish had the potential to be the highlight of the stage, so she wanted to learn how to develop their dancing and performance skills. In this article, I advised on training venues in the water, fish dance moves, and developing a training programme.

What is the most unique website or app you have ever found?

Wong Siu-man, 15, Ho Yu College and Primary School (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen): My friend asked me to wear a frog costume and dance in a busy street after I lost a game to him. Reluctantly, I agreed. Hopping through traffic, I attracted puzzled stares and laughter. Despite being one of the strangest requests I’ve received, it created a memorable moment for everyone involved.

Caitlin Lee Yan-tung, 11, Holy Angels Canossian School: The weirdest favour I have been asked to do is bury a dead ant in one of the school flowerpots. My classmate found an ant on her desk, and she and some other classmates became strangely fond of it. They even gave it a name. However, the ant was dead by the end of the day, so its “fans” used tissues to wrap up its dead body. They asked me if I could go and bury it in a flowerpot.

Bareerah Hameed, 13, Pooi To Middle School: To pretend to be someone’s daughter. I had a friend named Grace in Primary Five. She wanted to surprise her mom for her birthday. Grace thought we had similar facial features. Hence, she asked me to help distract her mum, and it worked. Her mother could not tell us apart, and the surprise went well in the end. She was stunned when she found out I wasn’t her daughter.