Top 10: What has someone borrowed from you but never given back?
- From clothes to Nintendo Switch games, these are the things our readers have lent out and never gotten back
- This week’s question: What is the weirdest thing you have found in your home?
Be careful when lending someone money - you may not always get it back! Photo: ShutterstockThis week’s question: What is the weirdest thing you have found in your home?
To take part, drop us a line via this form or email us at [email protected] by 11.59pm on November 1. Tell us your name, age and school.
Cheryl Kwok, 13, Heep Yunn School: Have you ever borrowed paper tissues from others? I bet everyone will say yes! You would not usually return them as you probably forgot all about it. One of my classmates once forgot to bring her own tissues and she asked, “Can I borrow some from you?” I felt a bit annoyed because deep in my heart, I knew that my pack of tissues would be gone for good, but I still lent them to her. Therefore, I appeal to everyone to BYOT – Bring Your Own Tissues – to avoid causing annoyance to others.
Zhou Leran, 16, Munsang College: One item that a friend of mine borrowed from me but never returned was my Nintendo Switch game card. It held a meaningful value to me as it was my birthday gift from my parents. During the pandemic, this game card was my main source of entertainment as I was confined at home. I actually made new friends online through it. It reminded me of countless pleasurable gameplay memories. This instance serves as a constant reminder – never lend anything to anyone who lacks integrity.
What is the most important quality that you look for in a friend?
Raphael Chan Nga-wang, 13, International College Hong Kong: Since I am already a teenager, I am allowed to have my own phone. I don’t really use it often so I leave it in the care of my siblings. I am OK with them “borrowing” it and playing games, but often I find out that they have downloaded games on it, so when I open my phone and go to my games folder, it is full of games I didn’t know I had. Sometimes the games are those cheap and repetitive mobile games, and sometimes they are slightly strange, but often there are games that I didn’t realise I would actually like.
Charmaine Kwok, 11, Heep Yunn Primary School: When I was in Primary One, I “lent an ear” to my classmate. Her heart had sunk after receiving her report card. I listened to her and chatted with her. She became my best friend from that day onwards. I am an optimistic person and I can often solve problems by myself, so I am very lucky that I don’t need her to return my ear to me. However, I still hope my best friend will lend me an ear if I need her one day.
Alisa Lee Sin-yi, 16, Cognitio College (Kowloon): In Form Four, one of my classmates curiously borrowed my diary notebook, which my grandma had given me for my sixth birthday. However, she accidentally lost it when her family moved to a different flat. This diary documented my growing up with some invaluable photos, capturing the essence of my personal life during my childhood. I truly regret lending her my diary.
Victoria Yeung Wai-yee, 14, Pope Paul VI College: Someone once borrowed a set of clothes from me and said they would return them in a week’s time. But gradually I forgot about it and she stopped mentioning it. It wasn’t until a month later that I remembered the incident and went to find her to settle the matter. But she shamelessly said that she had never borrowed my clothes. I was angry, but in vain. I learned that when lending something to someone, you must first see what kind of person they are.
Lucas Li Cheuk-nam, 14, TWGHs Li Ka Shing College: My time was borrowed by Covid-19. I lent my time for fun and games to the pandemic. Before Covid, my days were filled with hanging out with friends, after-school activities and enjoying my youth. But when schools closed, all of that was taken away. Stuck at home doing online classes, I felt like I was missing out on a crucial period of growing up.
Winnie Yang Wai-yin, 14, Stewards Pooi Tun Secondary School: My favourite comic book. This comic book was a special edition which was difficult to buy. I lent it to my friend and repeatedly reminded her to give it back. Unfortunately, she told me that she had lost the book. I was heartbroken when I heard this bad news. My friend felt sorry for me and bought me another comic book. To my surprise, she bought me another special edition. I liked this comic book too. At that moment, I understood the saying, “Out with the old, in with the new”!
The strangest places we’ve found lost items
Priscilla Leong Pui-sze, 13, Shun Tak Fraternal Association Leung Kau Kui College: Money. When I was still a primary school student, my classmate asked me to lend her six dollars to buy snacks. She promised she would definitely return it the next day, so I gave it with no hesitation. However, every time I asked her for the money back, she would just tell me, “I didn’t bring any money” or “I will give it to you next time”. She even said that I am so stingy. Until now, she still hasn’t paid back the money.
Lee Hiu-lam, 16, Fanling Rhenish Church Secondary School: When I was young, my classmate once borrowed my pencil and eraser. But he didn’t return them to me. Later I borrowed his pencil and eraser, and I didn’t return them to him either. Finally, he stopped borrowing my stationery because he knew I could see through his tricks.