Changing the ingrained beliefs takes a long time. Only by standing on your own grounds could the business survive in such difficult times. If the older generations could reap the success of the present from bitter days of the past, could we do the same for our next generation?
Read MoreWhen someone mentions ‘Tomato C Hing’ now, many will immediately associate me with being a ‘yellow’ (pro-democracy) business owner. Because of my political stance, many customers choose to ‘punish’ me by frequenting my restaurant. As a result, there is a long queue outside every day. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that the key to attracting patrons is the quality of the food and service. I will never forget my original aspirations when I first opened this place.
Read MoreSending dad to the hospital was my idea, a decision that gave him the final nudge off the precipice, a decision for which I blame myself. I change my working environment every once in a while because I don’t want to become a cog in the current medical system. Humans are supposed to have feelings—how can we treat our work as just a job when lives are at stake, especially when the people we serve are so vulnerable?
Read MoreWhen we stood in front of Chungking Mansions, people came up to us and said, “You’re a Hongkonger, never forget that!”. I remember saying “Hong Kong is not a race, not a skin colour and not a religion, but a spirit,” and the crowd cheered and agreed with me. Afterall, the resolution to racial problems isn’t mechanically ‘“learning about different cultures’,” it’s recognising that at the end of the day, we’re all humans, we’re all the same, and we all want to enjoy life.
Read MoreI often thought, “What if someone sees us? Will they think that we’re disgusting?” Am I disgusting? I saw being gay as a huge problem that needed to be solved. And now, I don’t focus so much on seeing it as a ‘problem’, although it is something that I am still working on. Self discovery and acceptance require courage and a caring community, and I was lucky enough to have both.
Read MoreI believe that Hong Kong is truly unique, and Hongkongers have proven that all people desire democracy and freedom, no matter where they are in the world.
Read MoreIn reality, there are differences between the aims and objectives of a social worker. We want to reach out to youths who are not cared for by the system, but only a handful of them would actually come to us for help. When a social movement puts our youth to on the spotlight, I ask instead—just how much is the government willing to help them?
Read MoreNo changes can happen overnight, nor are done by one person alone. Do good, no matter how small it may seem. If everyone could do a bit more, then the impact would be huge. We must carry on, because I believe that the dawn will come one day, and justice will be done.
Read MoreI still cannot say that we have sent out the right messages to 'click' with most Canadians to their heart. Some people say they support Hong Kong; others wonder why. We just have too many stories to tell; there are too many things happening. That's the real problem.
Read MoreI think art can be a way of healing people, to make people stronger, to empower people and to help them through this difficulty. During this movement, there is new creative art emerging, new songs being released. It all makes me want to create art to promote the spirit within these protests. Hong Kong gives me the most inspiration in my life.
Read MoreDo you know what the world's best seasoning is? It's hunger —because as long as you are hungry, anything will taste delicious!
Read MoreiCompass is a new media platform founded in June earlier this year. One of the founders, Yau Yau, shared their thoughts on starting a new online media at this time of social unrest in Hong Kong.
Read MoreHaving grown up in the sub-urban areas of Hong Kong, where she saw real value, why was Ezra let down by the people who lived in it so much that she does not want to return to the place?
Read MoreTingo is a Hongkonger in his 30s, who quit his job in April and started his own business. Find out why, despite having earned enough to have more free time whilst being self-employed, he chose to spend his time and energy as a frontliner.
Read MoreThe crux of the problem is that Hongkongers see no future. They are terrified of what will happen in 2047. We have been protesting since the handover in 1997. We have given the government many chances to implement changes. Yet, time and again, they have failed us. What more can we do? What more should we do?
Read MoreDuring the Sunflower Movement* in Taiwan, we didn’t agree with the illegal tactics the student protestors used, until we somewhat understood what civil disobedience is. Since then, we have found their persistence in protesting at all costs really admirable.
Read MoreThis is not the Hong Kong I know. I had been depressed for a long time. Every night, I need to meditate for an hour before being able to go to sleep. We all need to work together to fight for the freedom of speech: a universal value which we all embrace.
Read MoreHe was once soaked in blue dye from the water cannon. I was miserable. That’s my son! I don’t want him to get hurt. Yet I know that I can’t stop him from heading out just because he is my son. What about someone else’s son?
Read MoreWhat is frightening is that this sort of self-censorship by the organisers is subconsciously done. They may think that they have given the crew a free space to think and create, and yet they will reexamine the production even without receiving any external pressure.
Read MoreWe never push with the intent to harm or kill the police. We just want to push them back so that the PRNs won’t be afraid of taking to the streets. I hope those two million people can once again come forward, even if they only help with passing supplies at the back. I promise that us frontliners will always stand in front of PRNs, so that if anything goes wrong, we will be at the front shielding you and making sure all the PRNs have retreated safely before leaving.
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