"Life is full of hope. The future is yours to make."

There is a TV announcement in the public interest I like very much: A group of teenagers are playing football but then the rain pours down. A boy grumbles about bad things happening to him, while another one remains positive and hopeful that it will turn sunny tomorrow... Finally the rain stops and the sun shines brightly. The caption says, "Life is full of hope. The future is yours to make."

The results of the first Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination will be published on July 20. I hope each candidate can take it easy and stay positive, whatever the outcome. We all know that not all students will get good results and be admitted to their desired universities. Nevertheless, the Education Bureau and other institutions have made available a wide variety of options and avenues for them to choose, should they want to continue to study or to find jobs.

In life, there are cloudy days filled with rain and bright days full of sunshine. And I believe there is always sunshine after rain. So, keep up your confidence, find out your strengths and interests, set your goals and make good use of all information and support in society to achieve your best potential and to make a bright future for yourself.

July 19, 2012