“Love” and “like” are two words that describe something special that is shared between two people.Feelings that can be great when they are and hurt when they do. They strike in certain, inexplicable ways, yet only one strikes in such a way that could change your life. It is for this reason that love is not a synonym for like and is instead much deeper. Specifically, from my understanding, they vary in time and condition.To begin with, liking someone is superficial, an initial stage that

One of the biggest culture shocks I have ever experienced was the moment I found out that Western culture makes a huge fuss over saying “I love you”, but blurts out “like” often. They put so much weight on the word “love” that it was almost a fear of confessing one’s vulnerability. However, in the 12 years I have lived in Hong Kong, over 100 Chinese teenage romance novels I have read and numerous TVB dramas have taught me otherwise— “like” and “love” are synonyms.I am

What’s the difference between an internet café, a cinema, and a library? Each could be a place for phone use, gaming and movie viewing, but consider the phrase “just because you can doesn’t mean that you should” and think in the context of a library. Is it the place for a few online gaming sessions? Is a university library with a limited number of computers in study areas the right place to gather a few friends for a movie? These are a few scenarios I observed at some libraries

Ican still vividly remember the day I fell in love with words. I was six and a difficult child because, for some reason, I would not stop crying at school. It was not until the day my mother took me to my school’s library and handed me a children’s book about David, from the Bible, killing a giant with a sling and a pebble, that I stopped crying. My mom told me, “Books can take you to another world. A world which is not here. A world where what you’re afraid of or worried about

Commentary        BEIJING – China’s “two sessions,” the annual sessions of the top legislature and top political advisory body, are a key event on the country’s political calendar.As major issues are being discussed, the event offers outsiders a good chance to see democracy and rule of law at work in the country’s political system.“One of the great misunderstandings is that China is not a democracy,” said Mario Cavolo, an Italian-American writer and

Explainer        BEIJING – A draft budget report submitted to China’s top legislature has unveiled the country’s planned military spending for this year. In 2021, China’s defense budget will be around 1.35 trillion yuan (about US$200 billion), up 6.8 percent from last year.Is China’s military spending too hefty? Is the figure growing too fast? Is the so-called “Chinese military threat,” as hyped by some Western politicians and media outlets, well grounded?The