Your Voice: Hong Kong public housing estates face redevelopment challenges; be obsessed with your work (short letters)

I am writing to express my opinion on redevelopment in public housing estates in Hong Kong, which is leaving residents without a good night’s sleep.

While redevelopment can have a positive impact in the long-term, the residents who live in the affected area will be harmed as they are required to move away from their homes. For example, many residents of blocks 10 and 11 at Shek Lei Estate are required to move away to Po Tin in Tuen Mun. This move is very inconvenient for them as it involves a significant change from their familiar surroundings.

To solve this problem, the government should help all the residents whose homes are undergoing redevelopment to move to an area that is not too far away from their original residence.

To conclude, while the redevelopment process can ease help Hong Kong’s housing problem, it comes with its own set of challenges. Hence, they are likely to need some support from the government.

Chris Shum Chun-hei ; Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College

As students, most of us are engaged in activities we are reluctant to do, like taking exams. And that brings me to my point that we should shift our mindsets from “I have to do it” to “I get to do it.” When we make work feel like play, we will eventually be obsessed with working.

To do that, we need to fixate on the process instead of the outcome. Always think positively and correlate your efforts to your goals. Tell yourself your work is a step towards the future you desire.

We have to learn to break down complex tasks into smaller ones. Whenever we accomplish a mini task, we can celebrate. You don’t need to grind for two hours straight but work with a well-developed system that rewards you periodically to motivate you to continue playing the game.

To start is the most challenging part. That is why we all tend to be motivated to begin when push comes to shove. And breaking down tasks is a life hack we can apply to get things done. However, one should realise success doesn’t come overnight. Embracing a major change is a time-consuming and consistent process. Just remember to work smart, take action, and stay positive.

Don’t force kids to grow up too quickly

Vincent Chau Wing-hei, Valtorta College

I believe music is the medium for people to not just see but listen to the sound of the world because behind those lyrics and melodies, there are countless creative minds.

Music is an expression of art. It can calm us down, but it can also excite us. Every song has a tone that produces different types of music, and people can choose what to hear when they are experiencing different emotions. There is always a song that is suitable for you to listen to at that moment. We need to thank music creators for their work, which entertains us and takes us through our mood swings. Their work really makes this world a better place.

However, being a music creator is more complicated than people think. It isn’t just playing something on the keyboard, uploading it on YouTube and getting a million views. There is so much competition, and if you want to be special, you need to put in endless effort to enter the spotlight.

There are always some creators who keep their faith and produce good music for us to listen to. They just want to bring a little joy to society and look for some appreciation.

Rachel Ho, Cheung Chau Sacred Heart Primary School

For girls like me and my two sisters living in a big city like Hong Kong, girls and boys are always equal. That’s why it hit hard when I watched the Netflix show Sitara: Let Girls Dream. It is a story about Pari and her little sister, who still struggle with gender inequality.

This story is set in the 1970s in a city in Pakistan. Pari, a 14-year-old girl, wants to be a pilot. Her passion rubs off on her little sister. They often play with paper planes and imagine being on it one day. Unfortunately, her father wants to marry her off to a man that she doesn’t know.

I later learned that child brides are actually quite common in some societies which consider girls as “objects” owned by their fathers. Her father buys her a pair of red shoes, symbolising her inescapable fate. When her mum draws henna on her hands, Pari knows that her soaring dream has come to a destined crash.

Eventually, Pari’s father finally understands that he broke Pari’s dream. He realises that he is wrong, and he helps his youngest daughter become a pilot.

I was moved by this film because there is an interesting paper plane as a symbol of a dream, and it was passed down from the tearful Pari to her little sister at the wedding.