A beggar’s smile

(Shirley) I saw an old man dressed in rags in a supermarket nearby my home yesterday. He looked like dirty and was stony-face. Being curious that a beggar should not be allowed to begging money or food neither in the supermarket nor beside the road, I thought the beggar might steal food there.

Walking slowly, the beggar stopped in front of a bread shelf, he hesitated a moment before choosing the cheapest bread, and checked out with a winkled note from his pocket. The shop assistants stared prudently at him. There was a woman taking a three-year-old boy in front of the beggar in the queue. The boy looked the beggar curiously with no scorn and ridicule in his eyes. The beggar responded to the boy’s look with a smile and showed the boy his funny face. The little boy chuckled but his mother was ashamed and embarrassed to carry the boy on her arms and took a step forward. The smile on the beggar’s face disappeared immediately when he saw this.  However, a second later, the boy put a red hat printed with a big M on the beggar’s head and shouted happily. “Give you, give you!’ He shook the beggar’s hand and said goodbye to him. The beggar stood in amazement. Touching the beautiful hat for a long time, he smiled again. Everyone in the store saw it and smiled toward the beggar at the bottom of their heats. The whole store was brighter. I was deeply touched by it.

Many years have passed, but the beggar’s smile is still living in my eyes. I was really moved by it. I think, people living in the modern world should not measure everything with money or only think of themselves. They should care not only about hunger, poverty, other people and their feeling but also concern people in poverty. We help people in need not just by giving them money but with a kind heart and love. In my opinion, money cannot always make happiness but love can always make broken heart strength.

An Unforgotten Experience

 (Kate) Smartphones are nowadays popular with users. The former is convenient for some users developing their social networks through using the smartphones’ apparatus such as WhatsApp, Facebook as well as WeChat. Those people can surf the Net whenever they can. For examples, netizens can read news on their smartphones. They need not to spend money on buying newspapers. They can also read maps on theirs. However, hikers once are lost in the countryside, they cannot surf the net reading the smartphone maps if there is no mobile network coverage. I had an experience of losing in the countryside.
I went hiking with my friend, Simon, last year. He had asked me to take a map and compass for hiking but I did not. I thought I could read the maps on my iPhone instead. It was fine that morning. There are lots of big and tall trees standing on either the left or the right of the paths everywhere in the countryside. We were chatting and walking slowly on the paths, listening to the  singing of birds in the trees and taking photos, including colourful flowers, grassy-green hills and beautiful butterflies resting on leaves. We were relaxed and enjoyed such nice scenery there. Nevertheless, the blue sky suddenly turned dark and was covered with thick black clouds when we were having lunch sitting on a big mushroom-shaped rock. Running quickly under a heavy rain, we got soaked. Luckily, we found a pavilion nearby and took a rest. The weather was awful in that afternoon and it was wet and foggy. Seeing around the corner that was fuzzy, not clear at all, we lost. I surfed the net for reading the map on my iPhone but there was not any mobile network coverage. Also, I could not call the police for rescue team. The worst was that we shouted loudly for help but getting no answers. Being frightened, we waited for a long time before meeting a couple of hikers passing by. Finally, we followed them getting downhill.

Although smartphones are useful and convenient for users, they do not work in areas where there are out of network coverage. If the area where, I went hiking, had had mobile network coverage, I would not have lost. I have learnt my lesson and taken the map and compass for hiking since then.

A Picnic On The Beach

(Kar) I had a picnic with my friends, Margaret and Simon, last Sunday. The location of the picnic was Repulse Bay Beach. We went there by taking a bus route 6.

The beach was swarming with tourists. Some people were lying under beach umbrellas, some were swimming, and some went surfing and scuba diving. Finding out a vacant place under a big tree by the ocean, Simon immediately put a plastic mat lying on the sand. I sat under the tree and looked around. It was fine. The sun was shining, the light blue sky was covered thick lumpy and round shaped white clouds, and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks was great. The scenery looked like a pretty picture. Occasionally, a breeze blowing through the trees made me be comfortable. Oh! It was wonderful. Suddenly, I heard a child crying behind me. Driven by curiosity, looking behind, I saw a girl, with tears in her eyes, saying to her mother that the sand castles she made were destroyed by a naughty boy. Her mother gave her a hug and said with a smile that they could make another one again and asked her did not mind about that matter. The girl clapped her hands and smiled. She is cute and charming.

Margaret put the plastic containers of food on the mat. There were all kinds of food for picnic, including fried chicken wings, sandwiches, fish balls, crackers, soft drinks, salad and fruit. We enjoyed those delicious food a lot. After picnic, we played Frisbee-sand, swam in the ocean and strolled leisurely on the beach. Also, we took lots of pictures of the views such as ocean waves, boats and mountains by the beautiful seashore. One of the highlights of the trip was that we watched sunset going down and the sky was covered with red clouds. It was fantastic and was my first time to see such beautiful sunset. I was excited.

We spent eight hours on the picnic and it broke up at 7:00pm. I was tired when coming back home but enjoying the happy moment during the picnic. The trip was amazing and we had a good day there.

A story retold 2/2

A story retold 1/2

Cooking With Heart

(Kar) I watched a live broadcast cookery programme on TV last Sunday. The performer is the chef of the Happy Restaurant, Billy Wong, cooking a dish of fried rice with seafood. He is also one of the Hong Kong’s best-known chefs. There are almost often lots of customers lining up outside the restaurant for tasting delicious dishes prepared by Billy. Luckily, I had a golden chance watching his presentation on the broadcast. 

 There were a variety of ingredients, including rice, eggs, hodgepodge, prawns, squid, fish-finger and spring onion. Billy showed the audience how to cook a dish of fried rice. First, the chef put a little bit oil into the pan when it was heated. Then, he put some stirred eggs to sauté for a second and added the rice to stir-fry until it turned to be golden. Next, to stir hodgepodge and seafood into the golden rice and fried until all ingredients were fully mixed. At last, added a spoonful of salt and spring onion together. The fried rice with seafood was made. It was colourful and nice. The dish made me slobber.

 The host asked Billy to share his experience with the audience how to do to be a successful chef. He answered he had a passion for cooking. Cooking with heart, he enjoyed the moment in the kitchen for cooking whatever dishes he cooked. Billy said he frequently practised since he wanted to have his dream come true. The chef never gave up whenever he faced hardship. He added if people did what they liked to do, they would be confident and be more likely success.

I fully agree with Billy’s viewpoint that we should have a positive attitude towards the goal we set. If we can make an effort to do everything, we may get a sense of achievement every time. Having an idea of cooking the fried rice , I should follow step by step the cooking process by myself. Hope that I can be successful. Never give up!